University Group — Attraction in Champaign

Beware of hidden move-out charges, lack of transparency, and review manipulation.

This leasing company is known for issuing vague, inflated charges upon move-out, such as “Carpet Cleaning: $800” or “Painting: $300” — often from obscure third-party vendors like Brush Strokes or We Clean Plus. A quick search on the latter shows it’s a two-person operation with minimal online presence, raising serious concerns about legitimacy.

Keep in mind that even if they are legally registered DOESN’T mean they are fair.

A transparent, fair leasing company will have no issue providing FULLY itemized receipts that include: The company’s name, email, phone number, and address (including those of their 3rd party vendors) A clear breakdown of charges Justification for costs (e.g., square footage, labor, materials)

Instead, this company takes full advantage of high resident turnover, making disputes difficult and prioritizing their own convenience over fairness. If you’re considering signing a lease, ask detailed questions upfront about move-out fees, third-party vendors, and dispute resolution. Don’t let vague, unexplained charges drain your security deposit.

Notice how they respond to negative reviews. Instead of addressing concerns about vague move-out charges and lack of transparency, they post generic replies like "We understand how frustrating move-out charges can be" without offering real solutions. This is a deliberate tactic to APPEAR responsive while avoiding accountability. A company that truly values its tenants would engage honestly with these issues instead of brushing them off with copy-paste responses.

Notice how most 5-star reviews only mention maintenance? A good maintenance team is nice, but it doesn’t mean the leasing company is fair. They avoid transparency on move-out charges, deposit returns, and third-party fees. Ask yourself: WHY don’t their best reviews mention those things?

No one signs a year-long lease and leaves a 5-star review just because Frank fixed their appliance. Be aware: they run coordinated review drives focused on maintenance, which doesn’t reflect the full leasing or move-out experience.

UPDATED: Includes response to company reply (see below):

I find it interesting that instead of addressing my concerns about transparency, you immediately suggest that complaints like mine come from tenants who ‘left their apartment in bad shape.’ While there are some tenants that are not responsible, this is a clear attempt to shift blame onto tenants rather than address the core issue—lack of transparency in move-out charges.

Further, while I appreciate the link to the Illinois Secretary of State’s office, my issue was never whether these companies legally exist—it’s about how their charges are determined and why they lack detailed breakdowns. A registered business does NOT automatically equate to fair pricing or ethical practices. If these vendors are legitimate, why not provide a full itemized receipt that includes labor costs, materials used, and an explanation of the charges? Instead, tenants are given vague lump-sum charges like ‘Painting: $300’ with no further details.

You also mention a dispute process but fail to explain how it works. If your dispute process is truly fair, where is the data? How many disputes actually result in refunds? What objective criteria does your 'dedicated team' use? Transparency means addressing these issues publicly, not redirecting people to private emails where their concerns can be quietly dismissed.

Lastly, your response to negative reviews follows a pattern—generic corporate phrasing, an invitation to discuss matters privately, and no real acknowledgment of the specific concerns raised. Meanwhile, your 5-star reviews overwhelmingly focus on maintenance rather than the leasing process. Why is that? A good maintenance team does not equate to fair business practices when it comes to deposits, move-out charges, and vendor accountability.

Your response does nothing to refute these concerns. Instead, it reinforces exactly what tenants have been...

tl;dr: be prepared to lose all (or even more) of your security deposit after you have put a lot of effort in cleaning the entire unit. I recommend MHM Properties; I personally had good experience with them.

UPDATE: We eventually got back $185 painting and $135 for cleaning, but that is only because we have fought with them over a month. They charged us for food debris left in kitchen cabinets, but we have cleaned every single cabinet even those ones above the microwave/fridge that we had never used during the whole lease term. In their videos, there is no proof of food stains/debris, etc. We have to show them our video where I literally opened every cabinet and show each one is thoroughly cleaned (INSANE, RIGHT?). They also charged us for floor cleaning fees in the bedrooms, but the bedrooms are ALL carpets, and they have already charged $175 for carpet cleaning. They claimed that carpet cleaning is only for steaming carpet, and floor cleaning means vacuuming. I dont why they can double charged you for the same service. We did vacuum the carpets (even though we knew we are charged with carpet cleaning fees), and there are even vacuum traces left on the carpet in the photos shown

Reached out to Property Management due to an outstanding maintenance issue that has not be resolved to date. As someone who does not create maintenance tickets and to have to wait and have to endure the ignorance of office staff I think its a bit concerning. It is going on two weeks now where I have had issues gaining entry into my own apartment complex. When I called and spoke to property staff they were extremely polite to begin with, however, when I asked if I could have an update regarding my maintenance issue I was told that I needed to call a separate number. I'm not going to hang up to call someone else when I am actually speaking to a member of property staff in management office especially since issues are not being resolved. This is just creating a further inconvenience for residents.

When I was on the phone with the member of property staff who stated that her name was Bervely, I asked if she would be able to transfer me over because I am not going to hang up and call someone when I am speaking to you, especially since the issue was not been resolved to date. She said no that she could not transfer me over to maintenance but I could call and I asked if she could ask what the issue is with the my work order, she stated that I called the leasing office and I would need to call maintenance. When in reality, I called my management company to get an escalation on a work order that has not been completed to date. And then Beverly decided to hang up on me.

When I called back Beverly picked up the phone and I informed her that I just called in relation to a work order and she hung up on me. Beverly responded with, "I didn't hang up on you, I transferred you." I basically went back and forth with Beverly as if I were a child in grade school about the fact that earlier she told me that I had to call the Maintenance number, she responded with you do. I personally, do not know how someone so trite and just plain ignorant who has zero to no customers service skills whatsoever could be given the responsibility to pick up the phone and represent a company that is reliant on the appreciation of customers. Not only did Beverly not provide me with adequate customer support but even if she were to hint a smidge of frustration over my end in relation to my outstanding work order to not take my name, unit, and phone number to try to escalate the issue that has been an issue for so long but to just hang up on me, and may I add prior to actually even providing me with the maintenance phone number is by far one of the worst forms of customer support I have ever had the experience of enduring. Not only that but to be a representative of an industry that is reliant on customers informing them of property conditions and to be non-shalant about a property issue and doesnt do anything to assist in preserving property is unfair to customers who reside...