ArtessaApartments

91 days. 91 days until my lease is up and I am running SCREAMING away from this place.

One star is one star too many. This complex is AWFUL. I've lived at Artessa since it was Archstone, in September of 2012. The ONLY reason I renewed my lease in this complex for another year was due to financial difficulties. 91 more days and I am OUT. I would rather live in a cardboard BOX.
Artessa bought out Archstone in 2013. And has been through so many management changes I can't keep track of who is who on the staff here anymore.
I should have known better when I transferred out of a 1-BR and into a 2-BR within this complex a year ago. First off, I could NOT see the new apartment before move in day... just their "sample" one. The deposit amount due on move-in day changed three times, and increased each time... the last increase was made after 5pm the day before we were to sign the new lease. I was charged $2000 in deposit fees (of which I'm sure they won't give me much back!) Ask for the move-out fees BEFORE you move in. They charge for EVERYTHING. Painting. Cleaning carpets. Cleaning the apartment. Whether you've been here 2 months or 2 years. Didn't find that out until the day we signed the new lease for the old unit we move out of!
If you don't get one of the lucky units that has a washer/dryer hookup (Bring your own or pay more per month to rent from the office), you're stuck using their 6 washer/6dryer (for 200+ units) laundry system which now only takes credit cards (Visa or MasterCard) and charges $8 per swipe (but, auto-corrects to the proper amount of $1.75/$1.50 24-48 hours later says the office sweetly). One machine is always broken. People that use the working machines do not take their laundry out on time, and homeless steal clothes out of them all the time. Several of my clothes have been destroyed by their dryers, which doesn't allow us to properly clean the lint-traps. But "they are not responsible for damages".
I have DirecTV dish installed on my entryway instead of my deck ONLY after contacting the office first and getting their approved "OK to place it there" (because the tree by our deck blocked the dish connection). Not 24 hours later I'm being told a "resident" complained and I had to remove it. Why give me permission if you're only going to take it back? 95% of people who have dishes have them installed directly onto the railing yet I'm the only one who needs to move mine? Sent a letter to corporate about that stating when the rest of the complex moves theirs, I'll move mine. They have since hacked the tree outside my deck (It WAS beautiful... they should just cut it down now... there's nothing left but a tall stump that doesn't give any shade) to try and get me to still my dish. Not going to happen.
I had 2 cats when I moved in and had to get rid of one (personal reasons NOT due to the complex) after we moved in on the 1st of a month (rent clears the 2nd each month). When I called to get one cat removed from my lease (so that I am only charged for one pet instead of two - $50 vs $100 a month), NOBODY in the office knew how to do that. I finally was told to write a letter and submit it for next month's rent to be adjusted. Since I'd already paid this month in full I get no refund or rent adjustment (Funny that they'll pro-rate rent DUE but not when rent is owed back!) They are CLUELESS in the office how to effectively run this complex... and yet they are ALWAYS in "training".
Everything is falling apart here. Outside the apartment is pulling away from the foundation, and the cement walkway on the second floor is cracked the whole way through, but I've been assured we are in no harms way of it breaking/falling). The tile floors are peeling up, windows are old and drafty (good luck staying cool when it's hot... you waste A/C running it below 80 degrees), and there are so many layers of paint on the wall that you can literally peel it off like a sticker. Our fuse box was painted SHUT with about 5 layers of paint. Very handy when your fuse blows at night and you cannot get in the fuse box. They often use their landscapers to fix water problems (26 hours with no water last month in April 2016 because the landscapers had no idea how to fix a water pipe they had broken during their morning cutting of every growing thing in the complex.)
Their water saving methods they installed blew all the pipes in our apartment (too much pressure and no where for it to go when you turned on the tap), so all of the pipes under the sinks leak. All. The. Time. The water is extremely hard and calcified. Buy vinegar or CLR to run with your dishwasher, trust me. The light bulbs in the bathroom take 15 minutes to "warm up" so you can see, I waste more energy waiting for them to properly light up!
The rear gate is now padlocked (several of them) shut, so that students who go to the school right around the corner have to hop the fence (which happens at all hours of the day anyway) or walk the long route. The front gate is constantly breaking. Found out the company that ran it is no longer is in business, and they don't make parts for it anymore, so 90% of us can't get in unless you have an opener (one per apartment) and people are nasty about getting through the gate - I've been side-swiped twice by people now. The code box only works if you've lived here since 2012 and haven't changed your number since 2012. Forget security here. Cops are a frequent site, and homeless constantly wander in and out to pick the trash bins for cans.
Neighbors are loud and rude. If you live near the tennis courts, you will wish for death before you get any sound sleep. Complaints about it do nothing.
Save yourself $1400 a month ($1500 if you have a pet) and just buy a cardboard box. It will be so much better than this place!