We are a military family who has lived in numerous rental properties throughout the years, with the Dakota being the complex we most recently called home. At first glance the Dakota does appear to be an excellent place to call home and while this complex does have many great qualities, the bad far outweigh the good. The grounds were well-kept until just before we left, when all of a sudden it seemed a fellow resident gave up on cleaning up after their pet. The complex is located in a decent area; by shopping, near the highway, and with a bus stop just across the street. A lovely city park is located within walking distance of the Dakota, with a community center on the park's grounds as well. The apartments themselves are also quite nice inside and do have a fair bit of room inside, including some storage areas. There are also there dumpster locations, which is a very nice perk to have, as a dumpster is reasonably near every building and nobody has to walk all the way from the back of the property to the front.

The Dakota does have a security system in the form of cameras and gates, though it must be noted that the front gate is frequently wide open throughout the day and one cannot gain access to the side gate with their keycard, should you desire to walk across the street to the 7-11 or any of the nearby stores for a quick little jaunt. Rather than come in through the gate you walked out of, you will need to walk to the front and come in this way.

On the less than ideal side, parking at the Dakota is atrocious. Even as a one car family, we still were adversely effected by the poor planning of the parking lot. After a certain point every evening, negotiating the parking lot, whether by vehicle or on foot with a stroller, became quire an ordeal as cars would be parked everywhere. There were several occasions when we could not even get through the parking lot to our assigned spot, instead being forced to park across the street at Safeway and walk home. The parking problem was not just annoying, but also could be cause for concern in the event of an emergency. If we could hardly get our small car through the tight squeeze of the packed parking lot, where would this leave a much larger emergency vehicle' The parking issues at the Dakota must be addressed for the sake of convenience and safety for all residents.

We also found the rent prices to be a bit on the high side for what exactly you are getting, when compared to similar apartments in the area. The Dakota does have nice buildings and nice amenities, but they are not necessarily worth the hefty price tag when several other apartments in the area offer just as nice at a lesser cost.

Upon move-out, we did receive a bill of a stunning amount. Never upon move-out of any apartment we have lived in previously--and believe me, there have been many--have we owed *any* balance, let alone one over $2000. We are very mindful of our housekeeping while living in our home and also strive to leave a home meticulous upon move-out, out of basic courtesy and respect. Despite our best efforts, we were still charged fees for cleaning, trash removal, supposed damages in every room in our home, and even a charge for dust on the toilet paper holder.

When we signed our lease, we were aware that a charge would be coming for painting upon move-out, so this $300 change was one we were expecting, the other $2000 came at a complete shock, however, and was especially troubling as we did not receive out apartment in the best of condition when we moved in, with several pairs of filthy women's underwear being found under the washer, a dreadlock stuck in the drain of the master bedroom shower, and food and garbage in the pantry. One would hope with such high fees being charged for "cleaning" that apartments would be coming to new tenants in pristine condition, yet this was not the case, at least for our family.

The Dakota is not the absolute worst apartment complex we have ever lived at, but it is certainly not the best, either. For any prospective new residents, I would encourage them to look at all the properties around the Lacey area, to be sure the Dakota is the right choice for them and also to go into the lease signing aware that the move-out fees may be astronomical. As with all leases, be sure to read your lease, to be fully aware of what you are signing. There are several fees that may be charged at move-out, regardless of what condition the apartment was in when left, including the painting fee I mentioned above.

User Responses
From: dmas70	Date: 12/11/2008
I have reported them to the BBB and hope more people will do so. Maybe they will stop charging the outrageous move out fees.
From: ntp2804	Date: 04/10/2009
I have also reported them to the BBB for ridiculous move out fees and unfriendly staff.
From: mapletrees	Date: 04/11/2009
If you read through these posts, you will see that there is a class action law suit being filed because of this action. Please join it. I will be if I get charged these kinds of fees.

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