**BEWARE** Please read my review before considering renting here…read more
First of all, let me begin by stating that these are NOT "luxury" apartments. Calling them luxury is misleading. These are very standard, basic, average apartments like you'd see anywhere else. I have lived in luxury apartments and I have lived in average apartments; I know the difference.
With actual luxury apartments, you would see nice amenities like large walk-in showers, garden/jacuzzi tubs in the bathroom, floor to ceiling windows, track/mood lighting, nice views, secured entrances with concierge service, dimmer switches, elevators to above ground floor units, high quality carpet or real wood, keyless entry, and generally, luxury apartments are "smart" homes where temperature, lighting, and entrances can be accessed via app. These apartments have NONE of the above. They aren't luxury by any stretch of the imagination. Anyhow.....
This past Saturday, my husband and I were driving past these apartments and decided to stop in. We weren't super impressed with the outside, but thought we'd check them out as we were interested in moving to the area. We met with Misha. Before we even went on a tour or inquired about anything, we were very upfront with her and told we had a recently discharged bankruptcy due to multiple surgeries and medical bills. We were assured it shouldn't be a problem and that, at most, we'd be asked to pay a $400 "opportunity fee." We said fine, and with our minds at rest, we decided to go on a tour.
The walls are paper thin, and the steps seemed to be rickety and cheaply constructed. It didn't feel safe walking up or down them. The apartments themselves are very small for the rent they are asking. The living room and kitchen, in particular, are just tiny. Plus, they're very plain. There's nothing striking about them at all.
Despite our misgivings, we decided to go ahead and apply as we were eager to move. Several red flags here.
A. Misha told us that all we'd have to pay upfront is a $75 application fee per each adult over eighteen living in the unit. Since it was only my husband and myself, that would be $150. Fairly standard, so we were fine with it. Then, we were told we'd have to pay a security deposit to hold the apartment. Again, that's fairly standard so we agreed. However, what she didn't mention was that, upfront, you must always pay an administrative fee and a "decorating fee." This brought the total up to $625...that is just to apply!
This morning, I got a call from Misha stating that her manager said that a $400 opportunity fee "would not suffice" and that she was requiring SIX MONTHS OF RENT UP FRONT or a co-signer...and the co-signer had to have excellent credit with a monthly income that was FIVE TIMES THE RENT. That was the only way they would rent to us. Six months of rent would have been $8,508 and it all had to be paid upfront.
Now, if Misha had been upfront with us and told us that we may be required to pay six months of rent right off the bat, we NEVER would have applied here in the first place. My husband called Mission Point and asked if he could speak to the manager to try to work something out. The manager REFUSED to come to the phone and speak with my husband. She'd rather have her low-level functionaries do the dirty work.
Keep in mind, my husband and myself are respectful, working professionals with verifiable monthly income that FAR exceeds their rental requirements. We also have 15+ years of solid, verifiable rental history where we have always paid rent on time, never been evicted, and have never been problem tenants. We are clean and quiet. However, this wasn't enough for Mission Point. We would have even been willing to pay first and last month's rent upfront to show goodwill, but no. That wasn't good enough either.
PLEASE steer clear of this place. I believe their only goal here was to take advantage of us, shame us, and create a hostile and impossible financial situation for us.
**EDIT**
My husband did, 100%, ask to speak to the manager and she refused to come to the phone. I don't care if it's in your records or not; that's what happened.
Secondly, the possibility of us having to pay six months rent up front was NEVER mentioned to us, which is misleading.
When tenants have a solid rental history, verifiable income that far exceeds your requirements and a willingness to pay first and last upfront, that should have been more than enough. Asking a tenant to pay six months of rent in advance is unreasonable by any standard, especially knowing that the vast majority of people don't have the kind of money socked away. You can talk about customer service all you want, but the facts are that your employee mislead us about fees and about our chance of getting approved even though we were upfront and honest about the financial situation.
