Review History for anonymous

Jsm Apartments


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anonymous

Resident 2012 - 2013

3/9/2013

I am a resident at Illini Manor. If you are looking for a cheap place that offers 9-month leases (I had a problem finding apartments that offered 9-month leases), do not care about living in a room the size of a 2-person dorm room, do not care about a noisy outside environment, and prefer to have utilities included in rent (this was very convenient, and the internet was fantastic), then JSM's Illini Manor would be a suitable option. However, I definitely would have chosen to live somewhere else if I had started my apartment searching earlier. Here is a list of challenges that I experienced as a resident. 1) Outside, it was extremely noisy at night and on the weekends because of the neighboring fraternities and sororities. I saw and heard more ambulances and fire-trucks outside when I lived at Illini Manor than I did when I lived next to the fire station. I never had a problem with noise levels within the apartment, but it will get so loud outside it sounds like it is in the adjoining room (keep in mind I am on the top [6th] floor. The window AC unit sucks all of the sound into the room). 2) Per lease terms, JSM will take a non-negotiable $90 out of your security deposit to pay for professional carpet cleaning at the end of your lease. $90 is unheard of for the price of cleaning a carpet for an entire house, let alone the carpet in my apartment that was approximately 10 x 10 . Since they professionally clean the carpet after each tenant moves out, I expected the carpet to be immaculate when I moved in. To the contrary, it was so filthy when I moved in that after walking around on it bare-footed my feet were black and grimy. 3) I was given 5 days notice that the ceiling and lighting in my apartment were going to be replaced, which would happen over two days from 8am 5pm each day. I was told to move everything to the middle of the room so that it can be covered with a tarp. After following these directions, I returned to my apartment after the first day (when they demolished and replaced the ceiling) with plaster dust from the ceiling over everything: my bed, furniture, desk, shower, personal belongings. After they replaced the lighting on the second day, I had additional plaster dust on my kitchen counter and kitchen appliances. It took me 2 days to clean everything. I talked with the maintenance people the day they were there to re-do the lighting and asked if they used a tarp the previous day, and they said they did but this is impossible given there was not a square foot in my apartment without plaster dust on it. The maintenance people also had a vacuum cleaner and deliberately chose not to clean up their mess. I know they had a vacuum cleaner because I asked them if they had one that I could borrow, and they did. I called JSM to complain and they said they would send someone to clean my apartment. I chose to clean everything myself because I could not wait until the next day when they were going to send someone. I only asked if the cleaner could re-vacuum the carpet and clean the shower (I tried my best to clean the shower, but was afraid the plaster dust I could not pick up with my cleaning supplies would turn to glue if it got wet). She supposedly came one morning, but there was no evidence that she came. 4) The shared bathroom was problematic because if your suite-mate does not unlock your door after she/he (same-sex) leaves the bathroom, you will be locked out of your bathroom. You could also be locked inside of your bathroom, as well, because there is a dead-bolt on the side of the door facing your apartment. 5) The manager gave me incorrect information about the apartment. She told me the bed was a standard twin bed (not extra long) and that it came with a shower curtain (this was before I was allowed to move in, so I could not check for myself). The beds were extra-long and the shower did not come with a shower curtain. 6) When it snowed, it was never shoveled or salted, so it would be extremely icy and you had to be extremely cautious when walking in front of the building and up the stairs to get to the main entrance. 7) You have to pay $5 for a laundry card (I was never told about this), onto which you would load money and use to pay for washing and drying. There is not an option to use quarters in the machines; you have to use the card. Remember, I am reviewing my experience with JSM s Illini Manor, which may not be generalizable to JSM s other properties. My intention is not to criticize JSM; instead, I hope to help prospective tenants make informed decisions about Illini Manor.

    Review 23 out of 50

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