We (mom, dad & 4 year old boy) moved in on July 1, 2007. We thought the apartment was cute and the neighborhood was semi-quiet and convenient. We liked the thought of having our own washer/dryer in the basement, and a good size storage unit near our washer/dryer. The rent is about $50-100 lower per month than most apartments in the area, and the property is about 3 blocks from Lake Mendota and there is a park about 2 blocks away. There is also a Walgreens, McDonald's, Ace Hardware, Cost Cutters, several gas stations, 5-6 banks/credit unions, and health club/pool within a 1 mile radius.

When we moved in, we found out that both of the upstairs neighbors were extremely loud and rude. There is a single guy & his lead footed girlfriend right above us, and a mom & dad with twin 3 year old girls (whom they let play in the hallway, LOUDLY) right next to them. We made numerous complaints to management, but the problems continue to date.

3 months into our lease, I fell down the back steps when the light was out and badly injured my ankle & scraped up my lower leg. I asked the landlord to settle with me out of court, but they only offered a $100 rent credit. Insulting! I am still in the midst of litigation. To top that off, any maintenance requests I called in to our "resident manager" were ignored. I ALWAYS had to call in any issues to the main office. The "resident manager" was absolutely useless.

New resident managers were hired as of January 2008. They are a little better, but they marked my February rent check as 1 day late, and now the main office is charging me for a late fee of 5% and refusing to remove the fee. With all of the snow we got this winter, I had to shovel the back walk 1/2 the time and never got compensated for that. Where were the resident managers' Nowhere to be found of course.

To end all, this apartment may look good for its vintage appeal and lower rent, but the heat & electricity bills average $200-250/month in the winter and $120-170 in the summer. Anything over $80 per month is too much to pay for a small 2 bedroom apartment. I had testing conducted by MG&E, and they said the bills will continue to go up if the furnaces & water heaters are not replaced. They are from the 50's!

I recommend living in an apartment that includes heat, hot water & sewer. I don't like throwing away my money towards ridiculously high utility bills (it's bad enough that I'm throwing it away on rent!).

These apartments would be great for 2-3 adult roommates to share, preferably students. Small families & single parents will find this place difficult to deal with, financially and socially.

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