Review History for Melissa_V

The Ranch at Starpass


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Melissa_V

Resident 2017

8/31/2017

Towards the end of June, I started looking for housing for my daughter. While dorming would have been the most convenient, it was also the most expensive. I came across RASP via the UA housing site. Photos looked great, checked out a couple of reviews and it seemed decent. I spoke to Kelly who seemed really nice, and answered a bunch of questions that I had. Being that my daughter was barely 17 and entering college 3 hours away, I wanted to feel comfortable where she was living if it wasn't on campus. Kelly was super helpful, answered everything I asked, and even said my daughter could take their free bus from UA to their complex to have a tour. The next day, my daughter does just that with a friend. My daughter gets back to her dorm and tells me she likes the place. The area isn't the greatest, but I am told most of Tucson is like that (plus I come from Brooklyn, so I'm used to "not the greatest"). The pool is nice, they have events for the kids so they get to know each other, 98% of the kids are students from UA and Pima, and they offer this, that, and everything. I drive down that weekend to take a look at the place, and my daughter is right. The area isn't the greatest- it's desolate and kind of like what you see in the movies. Tumbleweeds, overgrown lawns, lots of dead plants, etc. The best part is the gross trailer park across the street. It's a little back, so I am grateful for the overgrown plants. Those things are not up to date in any way, shape, or form. The complex is nice- the pool is beautiful. The plants don't look like what the photos depcit, so maybe the photos were taken in the winter when the plants were more "alive" and not in June. Main office (clubhouse) looks great- but of course that's mostly for the employees unless you are on the computer (if you don't have your own) or are at the gym (which the tv for it wasn't working [that should have been a clue]). The pool is really nice, as well as the volleyball court. Basically community areas are nice, apartments not so much. Which you do NOT see until move in. I look at a 1B/1B which is the "model" apartment. I am told that a 2B/2B (which I was interested in) had a bedroom where the window was, but other than that it was exactly the same. The apartment is decent size, albeit really small for a 2/2 in real life. I again ask a handful of questions, one of them being if there was a way my daughter could move in 3 days early so she could rush Greek life. Without hesitation the answer was NO. Students move out in July, and from then on until move in day (mid August), maintenance works on getting the apartments ready for the incoming students. (On move in day, I find out my daughter roommate had moved in 3 weeks prior, and when confronted, they looked at me like I was an alien and did the most awful acting I've ever seen in my life. I wonder if that's in their job description. "when a tenant asks a question you already know the answer to, but knows it's not what was previously given, just say 'Whattt? Noooo, that can't be! I will check on that. Let me look into that for you.'") Another question I asked was about the buses. Being that my daughter lives off campus and doesn't have a car (or even a permit for that matter), I asked how reliable the buses were (especially since I heard and read reviews about people complaining about the buses). "Oh, the buses work great! About 2 years ago we were having some issues with one of the buses we had, but we specifically bought a 2nd bus for that reason. Now they do break down, but it's very rare. But we always have the 2nd bus as a backup and the chances of them both being down is even more rare" LOLLLLLLLL! Rare? RARE?! Yesterday was the 2nd full week of classes, and also the 2nd time the bus broke down. Oh, and it wasn't the 2nd time that ONE of them broke down, it was the 2nd time BOTH of them broke down. And guess how much it is for an Uber from RASP to UA? $10.66. So $21.32 spent in a day to go back and forth to school. Awesome. Not to mention that the rent is NOT, and I repeat is NOT $482 a month. It is $482 after being broken down in 12 equal payments. You are NOT living there 12 months. You are essentially paying $482 for a month of you NOT living there. By the time I realized that, it was too late, so BEWARE. Rent is essentially $525.82 for a 2B/2B. Move in day started 30 minutes late. The line was atrocious, so arrive early, and plan to wait in line for at least an hour. My daughter has a key for her mailbox, and apartment, but not for her door. We wait nearly an hour for maintenance (he was nice, though). He arrives with a new lock for my daughter, and drills 2 holes in the door to get the lock off- 2 holes that he half---- filled in afterwards. The bedroom is smaller than I remembered seeing in the 1B/1B, but whatever. The fridge had problems, but maintenance fixed it quickly. Community furniture is very badly worn. We had to put down an accent blanket, and flip the cushions to make them look decent. My daughter hasn't complained yet, other than the buses... Which is the ONLY transportation for some! The lease will most certainly NOT be renewed, and if I could find a way around that TWENTY-NINE PAGE lease, I would take her out sooner. If you do not have a car, DON'T LIVE HERE.

    Review 15 out of 130

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    The Ranch at Starpass

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