Since enough time has passed, I think it's about time I leave my review to help others. DO NOT LIVE…read moreHERE.
I thought U-Place was going to be a great option because it was affordable and close to both downtown and campus. For some context, my lease started the summer after my freshman year at Mizzou, and I stayed in Como to gain residency. I am originally from Wisconsin.
The weekend I moved in, my boyfriend came to help me get settled. Upon move-in, the condition of the apartment was disgusting. It did not look clean at all. There was grease caked onto the walls in the kitchen, the vents were covered in dust, and the window in my bedroom was decaying and duct-taped shut.
During the first weekend, I saw multiple roaches in the kitchen and bathroom area. I immediately emailed management and asked them to send an exterminator. I also sent them a picture of a roach, and they assured me that it was only a waterbug. However, a waterbug is a type of roach. They replied saying an exterminator was scheduled and said, "The previous tenant did not make us aware of this issue."
In the meantime, I bought my own roach traps to set up. While installing them, I found previous roach traps that I had not placed myself, which immediately raised some alarms.
Prior to the exterminator coming, the following weekend after I moved in, my parents drove down from Wisconsin to bring me some more belongings and help me get settled. They, too, were horrified by the condition of the apartment. They immediately spent over $200 on cleaning supplies, and my mom and I spent two full days scrubbing every wall, vent, baseboard, etc. During this process, we found several more roaches of all sizes. We found a few in the shower, and at that point, I decided to shower at my gym for the time being.
My parents were concerned for my safety and went to management themselves to talk to Chris and Doug. They said they would send cleaners in again and assured my parents that they would take the proper measures to help solve the problem. Doug also told my father that the building was likely getting torn down. This raised even more concerns as to whether meaningful improvements had actually been made or would be made.
My mom was concerned and contacted a local attorney to seek advice. He told me to reach out to Columbia Neighborhood Services and file a report.
Prior to the exterminator coming, I also did an internet deep dive and found Reddit posts and reviews dating back to 2005 stating that University Place had roaches.
Finally, the Monday after my parents left, the exterminator and maintenance guy came into our unit to service it. I had many questions for them, and as they answered, I noticed several discrepancies.
I asked, "Can roaches travel from unit to unit?" They both replied that no, that shouldn't happen. However, about ten minutes later, they explained that in the past they had situations where they would spray one unit and the roaches would migrate to the unit next door. Then they would spray that unit, and the roaches would go back to the original one.
They also blamed the problem on the fact that a lot of foreign exchange students live in the building. They said they were used to conditions much worse and that they didn't understand that these students had the right to contact management to send in an exterminator because they thought they were going to get in trouble.
If that is the case, shouldn't they be educating these foreign students about their rights and making sure they know they can report these issues?
Lastly, the maintenance guy and exterminator said that they were servicing seven other units that day. The exterminator also said that there was no set extermination plan, but that he usually comes around 20 times a year as needed.
I asked if our unit had been serviced in the past. They said definitely not, and that if it had been serviced, it had been well over five years ago.
This conversation felt very off to me. They were overly friendly, and I personally felt like I was being played for a fool because of my young age.
After they left, Columbia Neighborhood Services contacted me back. They explained that they had gotten reports from University Place previously and had talked to management. They said management had informed them that my unit had actually been serviced two months prior to me moving in in May.
This was the final straw for me, as I now felt that multiple U-Place staff members had lied to me.
I wrote a letter requesting termination of my lease and threatened legal action if necessary. Thankfully, I was able to find new housing and get out of my lease.
This whole entire situation caused me extreme stress, depression, and anxiety. I cried myself to sleep at night. I was scared to go to bed, and during the two weeks I was there, I often only slept around four hours each night. I was scared to use the bathroom, and I ended with medical issues pertaining to my bladder.
