We lived here for about 10 years before moving out this spring. While I wouldn't say I miss living here, I also wouldn't say I'm happy to be gone. It has it's major issues, but there are also things that make it better than other places (especially in its price range).
The Good:
-This is one of the more affordable options in the area, especially considering what you get for the price. Unfortunately, we moved in before they started renovating apartments, but I did get a glimpse inside my downstairs neighbor's when we were chatting and it looked great.
-The maintenance crew was always a pleasure to deal with. Just the friendliest group of guys I've ever met. They were always respectful to my mother and me, and they were careful not to let the cats out.
-The property itself feels pretty safe, as long as you keep an eye out for people speeding in the parking lot. I never felt unsafe walking through the complex, going to the laundry room, or down to the parking lot to get something out of the car at night.
-It's literally right next to grocery and gas, plus two major bank branches. It's also walking distance to several fast food places. There's a bus stop right at the end of the cul-de-sac.
-Having forced air throughout was nice (and IMO a necessity in Lakeside). The forced air is the one shining gem I actively miss about this place.
The Bad:
-We had several issues with our air conditioner, and it frequently clogged and backed up into our kitchen lights and ceiling, despite me changing the filter every month as instructed. We were told there was nothing they could really do to prevent it happening, as the debris came in through the roof vent and clogged the unit itself, not our filter.
-They did noisy landscaping (leaf blowers and weed whackers) early in the morning, twice a week, passing under my window several times in an hour before finally moving on (once I was too awake to fall back to sleep). I keep graveyard shift hours, so this was especially unbearable.
-Carrie, the property manager, was rude and unprofessional on several occasions. She was nice when showing the apartment and signing the lease, but once we moved in it was like a switch flipped.
-Every summer we would get roaches in the apartment. Only in the summer. They went away after outdoor spraying, but returned every summer for the last three years we were there. This is the big "I will never go back" problem for me. It is not ok that tenants have to deal with a "roach season" in their homes.
Not Management's Fault But Still Important For Potential Residents To Know:
-There were always dumpster divers. Even when the city locked the trash bin with a bar, they just pried the lid up from under it.
-The other tenants are inconsiderate and noisy. People take up all the washers doing what seems like 3 months of laundry all at once. Neighbors would have screaming arguments in the parking lot in the middle of the night.
-The general area isn't the best. There was always graffiti on the sidewalks and bus stop at the end of the cul-de-sac. People strung out on who-knows-what would yell and swear at people in the McDonald's/gas station parking lot next to the complex. You couldn't pay me to leave the complex alone after dark.
Overall, this isn't the worst place I've lived, but it's also not the best. I think our experience here (and the rating I gave them) would have been tremendously improved if they'd been proactive about pest management instead of waiting for the roaches to show up to spray (especially since they only sprayed outside, causing no disruption to tenants). I don't hold the quality of the area against them, but it is well within their power to provide adequate pest control to ensure their tenants don't have to deal with bugs in their kitchens. read more