Construction Realty

I already posted this as a review of the apartment complex (Donna Manor), but thought I'd also share this as my experience with the rental company. I had a great experience. The price was great for its location and especially how clean & nice it was. We probably looked at ten or twelve different apartments before going with this one. The only problem we had was that our kitchen sink backed up once, but the manager sent a plumber out to take care of it within the hour--on a weekend--and then had carpet cleaners come the next day (the water spread to the dining room carpet). The checkout process was totally fine--we did a really thorough job (except for the oven/stove) and asked the managers beforehand what they were looking for. We received an itemized list of the unfinished cleaning they had to do. I'm more than willing to pay $10 for someone else to deep-clean clean the oven and stove. :) We didn't receive our full $99 deposit back, either, but that's because it says in the lease that $90 of it is nonrefundable and we read that when we signed the lease. Definitely worth it for the quality of living, though. I'd rent from them again if I'm ever back in the area. Things we liked: the apartment itself (good use of space, nice paint and carpet, comfy), how close it was to the freeways, using the hot tub (we didn't use the swimming pool as much, even though it was nice), how quiet the complex was, and the Reams grocery store a block north of our apartment. The managers seemed nice whenever we'd go pick up a package or whatever, although we weren't in touch with them a lot. Also, there are roses all over the complex in the summer. Things we didn't like: our parking spot wasn't as close to our apartment as we would have liked. (It was covered, so that was fine, but sometimes it's no fun to walk far when you have bags of groceries.) more

My daughter rented from this company at the Donna Manor apartments for almost two years. When she moved into her apartment the carpet was bad, and overall the condition of the apartment was old, but it was a cute apartment and as she was new to the city just starting a new job the rent fit her budget. During the time she was a resident there, she didn't have any major complaints that were not handled (roaches). The real problem comes upon move out. We, her parents, drove across two states to move her, so it mandated her moving out on a weekend. Having worked many years in residential management, I have much experience in professional cleaning. Thus her apartment received a professional clean, despite her objections that the place was not very clean when she moved in. Since she could not be there for a move out inspection, I took 22 pictures so as to have proof the place was left clean. Perhaps because she was not there to defend herself, the company is now suing her for an additional $151 dollars (on top of her deposit) claiming she left the apartment dirty. Thankfully, we have these time and date stamp photos to show otherwise. I don't yet know what the outcome will be, but I do know this is dishonest business practice and no one should have to deal with this type of management as a renter. I would not encourage anyone to rent from this company. Why put up with the hassle? more

My main complaint about the place is that certain of the managers are far to quick at resorting to placing eviction threats on doors for minor issues that could be handled in a far more reasonable manor. I am not a troublesome tenant, and I had never recieved such a notice from any other landlord before. Due to the extra stress such notices bring, this is more than enough justification to remove three stars. Secondly, quite a few items did break down during my stay, but they were usually fairly resonable in performing repairs, except for one incomplete repair of the water heater which was later fixed properly and the inappropriate three day notice to comply or vacate posted on the door after the repair of the garbage disposal. Although there are a few members of the staff who do not show proper respect for tenants as shown by an itchy finger on the eviction trigger, there are also many who are quite nice and responsive. For example, Kenny and Carrie, the night managers, are quite nice and have always been ready to assist with issues concerning the apartment. Also, the staff at the main office have been quite friendly and complete in answering my questions. Pros: Reasonable size and price. Cons: Eviction threats should not be a first resort for solving minor issues. more