I moved into Melrose under the assumption that I was going to meet mature students my age, how wrong I was. On my move in day I walked up to my apartment and inserted the "cardkey" and it of course didnt work (Lease here and you will find that often your key does not work on either your apartment or the gate). I also noticed huge dents in my door (Later found that the previous residents were drug dealers and a baseball bat and hammer were used to create them. Return to the front office and get my key fixed and walk into the apartment. Beer bottles everywhere and the rented furniture was all but destroyed (Burns and broken in the middle), the carpets were horrible and the kitchen area was disgusting. After a few hours of cleaning and fighting with the completely inept office staff I got the furniture replaced and a new microwave. Carpets however to this day are still gross. My mailbox key didnt work when they gave it to me and they wanted to charge me for a replacement. My AC is currently not working and I have put in 4 work orders (1 of which was completely ignored for 2 weeks until I called the office every day). This is an awful place to live and despite how-much they try to spin the fact the crime is rampant here (2 shootings 1 stabbing 1 death and 384 police reports) I still dont feel safe. Honestly there has been no significant change since the new management has taken over. If you are a parent I would strongly advise against letting your child lease here. and If you are a student and you actually pay for your own housing I would say see if you could find roommates out on your own, the rent will be close to the same. If you are a freshman entering college and want a great place to party till 4 am in random peoples houses along with experimentation with various illegal substances and dont have an ounce of responsibility I encourage you to speak with a Melrose CA now.....