There are many apartments, duplexes and house available for rent on the East side of town. However,…read moreit is my duty to warn those who are considering renting about one Landlord in particular - Kenneth 'Ken' Thompson. Most of you know recently my little brother, Roosevelt 'Keon' Dale died. He rented from Ken whose company is called Thompson Holdings LLC. I cleaned out his apartment and noticed many things which caused concern. Not on Roosevelt's part but Ken's. The apartment, located on Quincy Street, is close to being what, according to Iowa Fire Code, should be condemned. However, Roosevelt was a 'neat freak' (much more than I) and the apartment was clean. Further, the windows on the front porch were covered in plastic. When I looked at his electric bill and for an apartment that small, I was BLOWN AWAY! For those who may not know, a small apartment even somewhat (not well) insulated should run about $125 per month and with energy efficient windows, that number drops. His bill was several hundred which is outrageous. The health and safety issues were numerous and I remember thinking - "How could someone treat others so?" I left the apartment clean (I am a landlord in Colorado and understand what that means from a tenant deposit reimbursement standpoint). When Roosevelt's next of kin attempted to retrieve the deposit, Ken, the landlord said "He broke his lease". How? Well, apparently and even though the law states 'spouses' (he wasn't married) can be held accountable but next of kin, non-spouse can not, Kenneth believed someone no longer living was still obligated to him. Roosevelt was killed and Ken had someone in the place (entered with no money down by the way). Just some brief research (and more to come) reveals Ken owns many properties, most of which are barely liveable. Some of you may have heard about the fire on Boston Street recently. This was caused by a space heater which shouldn't even be necessary IF a landlord abides by the Iowa law which decrees habitation heating requirements. A black family could have been killed for trying to keep warm. Roosevelt also had a small space heater. Here is the story - http://goo.gl/PjcWC - So why did Roosevelt live there? For those of us who grew up and are now, on the East Side, you know housing is difficult to obtain for many reasons none of which need be listed here. This isn't restricted to Waterloo, Iowa either because my family and I, in 2004, with great credit, no evictions were almost forced out of Fort Collins, Colorado by, well, you know the type. Believe me, my wife and would've stood pat had we not had two teenage children to be concerned with. Safe to say, we moved to Denver, around our own. My point is - I don't know how long this will be up and not 'flagged' by other 'slum lords' or Mr. Thompson but for those of you currently living in his properties or considering renting from him, HUD (Housing and Urban Development) responsible for assuring adequate protections for you against serpents like Ken, provides rights for you as a tenant! Whether, veteran, disabled (or having a disabled child), minority, senior citizen or other categories, make sure Ken or any of the others including those who are among us and VICTIMIZE us in housing in like manner, GIVE YOU WHAT YOU PAY FOR. These sorts will make all sorts of threats about evicting you IF you try and press the issue for better housing, maintenance etc but they CAN NOT do so! If they do and you are educated on your tenant rights, I can say with some surety, working in the industry, you will be well compensated from these vultures and may end up owning the property where the victimization occurred. Don't be fooled by the fact they OWN property. The truth is, they own the debt and like many on the East Side, are a few paychecks away from being 'on the street'. I am going to post a few links so that you may understand legal remedies available. If there is ANY issue which threatens your safety (like no hot water, heat, non-functioning doors, abestos etc), make a written request for these issue to be fixed by the landlord, keep a copy and then follow the process in the below links. Let me be clear - when you demand safe housing and these slum lords threaten you in anyway, whatever their color and disposition, immediately determine which of the below agencies is best for your circumstance.

The guy above is not telling the truth. He just didn't get what he wanted. He was an excellent…read moreLandlord. Considering there has only been one complaint. Can't win with everyone. Hey this man cared deeply for his tenets. He often would let people who were short on money get away without paying the full amount.

Martinson Construction owns a few rental properties that they rent out. I happened to live in one…read moreof them over near Cedar Heights. And I honestly can't say enough good things about Martinson Construction's management of the property - and the property itself. We occasionally had issues, but after reporting it to them, our issues were generally solved within 24 hours - or at least we received an update about what they had done to start fixing it (order a part, schedule a company, etc.). Rent actually went DOWN while we lived there, and prices were comparable to around the neighborhood. A week or two was usually given as head's up when they needed to enter the unit. Everyone who entered was always friendly. The apartment itself was beautiful with lots of natural light. It was modern and well-insolated, and our heating/cooling bills were pretty low each month. Generally around $70 or $80. Neighbors were quiet and friendly, and it was just a great neighborhood. Absolutely no complaints about it - and we were sad to move.

Reyes Concrete tore out a 45 year old crumbling, sunken driveway, that runs beside the house,…read morecreating water in the basement and other problems, to replace it with a new driveway. The company runs like a well-oiled machine, with each person on the crew knowing exactly what they need to do to be efficient and productive. The entire driveway was torn out and replaced in two days. It was so great, that we added on another job, which they got right on and finished the next day. This add-on was to tear out crumbling steps to the sidewalk and replace them. It all looks fantastic. They had to deal with porches that are warped among other things, but did a wonderful job with all the challenges.

I forgot what it was like to live in a smaller place where there aren't endless contractors to…read moreselect from. Fortunately, I've gotten great referrals, I just have to wait a long time before I can get work done. At least they warn you: two months. Okay. I can live with that. I took Christone's bid. Theirs came in promptly. They told me how long it would be before the work could be done. They did EXACTLY what they said they would do and did a fabulous job addressing several extremely problematic drainage issues I had. It was a big residential job replacing entire sidewalks and a large driveway. I had the chance to see the quality in action after a driving rain yesterday. All of the problems are solved and the place looks so much better. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone.

Paid the have sidewalks and approach done. Month later city tore up our street. They knew the city…read morewas going to do it. Ending up paying for something that was going to be replaced anyway. Not happy.

Great apartments! Clean space, quiet neighbors, friendly staff, and individual assigned parking…read more Close to a couple of really great restaurants, as well.

I found University Manor Apartments through their website when I was looking to move from…read moreCalifornia to Iowa for grad school, that being said, it was a easy transition. The complex is very close to UNI, there is parking for each apartment and the place comes with cable/high-speed internet provided. Additionally, the property managers are very friendly and attentive. My only complaint with the place is that it seems a bit pricey, but then again, most places are pricey when situated near a university. They do allow cats if that is something you are looking for.

Our project was to remodel and update a 100+ year old family home. Dizdarevic Construction was…read moreselected after a revue of past work. The company performed on time, on budget and with excellent craftsmanship. I highly recommend Mr. Dizdarevic and his group of craftsmen.

We put in all new windows and doors. This included: (4) new Marvin windows, a front door, and a…read moreFrench door leading into the back yard. I'm picky, but didn't find anything wrong with the installation. It was done fast, clean, and didn't have to worry about anything. I worked with Erik Webber through the whole process and got exactly what we were looking for. The cost was reasonable even with choosing higher end components as the labor side of things was as low as my cheapest bid. I'm happy I chose this route as we had a couple issues with the Marvin customer service representative wanting to support their product, but Erik saw it through for us and handled the minor miscellaneous details even though the Marvin windows were our choice. When the Marvin service technician came over, Erik came over as well to ensure we got what we needed. The technician did a really good job and we are happy. ​

Quegg did the exterior trim on our wood windows. From start to finish, they were among the best…read morecontractors that we've ever hired. I wanted to hire a local contractor, knew good things about them, so that part was easy. Bruce Quegg came over promptly to give the estimate and was super helpful throughout, including a very reasonable estimate. By the time the crew came, led by Will Quegg, they were prompt and kept me continually informed. When finished, they cleaned everything spotless, and, perhaps, best of all, didn't damage one of my wife's precious flower garden. Yes, hire Quegg for your needs. One of my best experiences.

My daughter hired Quegg to complete much needed maintenance on her home. They did a great job with…read moresiding, new windows, capping all the old wood around the windows, new soffit, trim, gutters and downspouts. It looks great and turned out way better than she anticipated. She was on a long waiting list but by the time they were ready to go, the communication was great and the job moved very quickly! Very pleased!