Foundry Lofts — Attraction in Ann Arbor

Overall, I would not recommend Foundry Lofts. When we moved in, the apartment was disgusting and clearly had not been cleaned. There were several issues from the start that we've just had to live with (stained counters, chipping walls, etc.) and there have become even more issues since living here. The first of these was our wifi which took several complaints and 3 visits from the wifi man before it was ever resolved with absolutely no help from the property staff, other than unresponsiveness. Speaking of unresponsiveness, the staff spends more time talking to each other when they're on duty than doing anything to help residents. There is hardly any communication between the staff and residents including the multiple fire alarms we had in 1 week with no explanation. We had an issue with our mail where the door would not open because a package had been jammed inside, and the front desk said multiple times they would "try to catch the mailman" and no such thing occurred. When asked again, they said they would put in a maintenance request but later when we followed up, they said they had no record of that occurring. As far as parking goes, there is none unless you want to pay a couple hundred more on top of the astronomically high rent. The noise level within the building is far from controlled and due to the thin nature of just about every single wall in the building, you can hear everything. Not only within your own apartment (walls are so thin you can hear your roommates breathing even if the doors are closed) but also when other residents are screaming through the halls on Monday nights. There is no effort to control it because there isn't any property staff present (unless you count 1 maybe 2 security). You can also hear (from the south side of the building) when the garbage truck comes because, without fail, it is a huge loud noise at 7 in the morning every single Monday. If you are locked out at night (which has happened multiple times to my roommates whose keys have randomly "stopped working") it is impossible to find a number to call or any sort of help. Lastly, there are plenty of extremely questionable construction choices. Starting with the shower, which has no ridge to catch the water so when you're showering the water goes everywhere. Additionally, the shower is not built with the fact that it is a SHOWER in mind so there is no tilt to the floor, and water pools in the corners and grows mold. Extremely sloppy design on that end. In addition, it is clear the building was sloppily constructed because when the main door shuts, you can feel the reverberations throughout the rest of the apartment. There are random writings on the wall that are passed off as "part of the design" but really just seem to be oversights on the part of the construction team. Every single piece of furniture and appliance is clearly the cheapest option possible, which is ridiculous considering what residents are paying. Also, the property staff has made no effort to open the hot tub despite the next-door building having theirs open, which comes off as just lazy considering we are paying the same amount of rent as in a normal year, and amenities are included. Though there are recycling bins outside, there is absolutely no way to recycle items without bringing them to the dumpster every single time. With a little bit of work, they could easily set up a recycling system and the fact that there is not already one in place is pure lazy. Lastly, the living space is just tiny compared to even the dorms. I'm paying much more for much less space than I would in the dorms. Compared to similar Ann Arbor apartments, the space is very small and in 1 of the rooms, there isn't even enough space for both desks, so 1 has to go in the living room. Are there worse places to live than Foundry? Sure. Are there places you could live at similar price points that do not have unresponsive staff and poor design? Absolutely, and I recommend checking those...

If I could give this building less than 1 star, I would. First, they charge HUNDREDS extra out of nowhere on rent. Randi is maybe one of the rudest people working at the building. My roommate and I have lived at Foundry longer than she's been working there and we can tell the difference. Foundry Fam and Foundry VIP...? Still have no clue what Foundry VIP is..actually no one does. I've had this discussion with several people (and Foundry please don't use this as an opportunity to start explaining what on earth Foundry VIP is). Anyways, my point wasn't to talk about surges in rent and how bad the front desk service is (the younger individuals working there are actually fine and have to pick up the slack from higher management). Basically, I'm here because the wifi is SO TERRIBLE. Seriously, people have to start using cell phone hotspots in order to use the internet uninterrupted. Now Foundry, don't get any ideas because I know how much you like to exploit your residents and forcing us to use our own data is something I wouldn't put past you. Thank gawd for most of us it's unlimited, however cell phones will need to be charged in the process (but I digress…). All this aside, could you please improve the wifi service? This is so distracting when it comes to doing work and living in this building is an everyday nuisance.

Looking forward to leaving this building next year, because I am not about to pay penalties to leave now. I read articles about the controversy surrounding the building of Foundry in a historic district (Fourth Ward) and I stand behind those who initially protested it. These high-rise developments in the downtown Ann Arbor area are callous money-making operations, not remotely concerned with the residents/students living there and really do take away the charm of being in a college town like Ann Arbor. It makes no sense that they keep making them. We know that they're not filling up all the apartments spots and in order to make up for empty rooms they’re starting to rip off residents already occupying them to make up for the difference in cost. There is a lot wrong with Foundry. A step in the right direction would be to have better wifi. I hope it can hold up enough for me to send this message. Fingers Crossed

P.S. if you'd like to take advantage of the 'fabulous' amenities offered at foundry...Please realize, that the second floor printers will NEVER work so good luck trying to print something. You're better off going to the Ugli. Also if you plan on using the third floor grill/indoor party area don't be surprised if you bump into a homeless person or see them sleeping on the couches there. This is a very common sight especially during the...

The place is nice to look at and the furnishing is nice however I would not recommend living here especially for the price, it is not worth it. The walls are entirely too thin you can hear what people in the rooms above and next to you are doing and saying and you’d even be able to say bless you to your roommate when you’re both in your separate rooms with all the doors closed. Management offered to do something to help but realistically they can’t do anything it’s literally the way the building was built. The WiFi is absolutely atrocious so if you are taking online classes good luck, you’ll probably get kicked out of your zooms calls 2-3 times because the wifi randomly goes out so often. The electricity is not $15 like they tell you, get reading to pay about $30 + per person, especially if you have to leave your space heater on 24/7 since your unit is freezing in winter. God forbid we have another polar vortex, if you’re living in foundry there’s no point of staying inside because the temperature inside your apartment is going to be the same temperature as outside. Winter is going to be really cold and terrible for you, the air circulation is terrible, the unit does not retain heat at all, the thermostat doesn’t go past 75 degrees on heat. What makes it better is in the middle of winter your air vents may blow cool air instead of hot air when it’s 15 degrees outside even though your thermostat is set to the highest setting . The windows don’t open but if your bed happens to be in front of the window because of the floor plan you’ll definitely feel a cool breeze 24/7 even once they put that plastic film over the window. But at this I’m pretty sure it’s the poor construction of the building because no matter what I do I feel a cool breeze all throughout this room. I do not think these rooms are designed to keep cool air out at all. Bring a GOOD space heater because if your room has two windows (although it’s cute) your room will be freezing all the time, but with the cool air from the windows and vents it probably won’t be that helpful. Lastly, upon arrival the toilets weren’t that clean, be prepared to clean it every day because random black pieces will fall from the top of your toilet and form a ring around your toilet if you don’t keep an eye on it. Living hear is quite frustrating and I dread going to sleep because I have to deal with having a cool breeze on my face or having my space heater blow warm air in my face. Live literally anywhere else and do not waste your money living here, even after the signing bonus it’s still not...