One University Circle — Attraction in Cleveland

I moved in a month ago and I currently live here and while there are many pros to living here, there are also some significant cons.

The building is absolutely beautiful. The lobby, conference rooms, pool deck, exercise facilities, and the sky lounge are all very clean and spacious. However, my main issues are with the security and the property management.

At first, I was really impressed by the security, but after a few weeks of living here, I am a little more concerned. The concierge or security guard is supposed to be at the desk 24/7 but most of the time, I find that is not the case and the person in the front is usually not at the desk. Plus, they only answer the phone half of the time and when they don't, the voicemail box is full and you can't leave a message.

My bike seat was stolen last week because my bike was parked in the racks located in back of the building. I kept my cool about my bike seat being stolen as it was an easy fix, but one of the concierges made a snide remark about how another girl got her bike stolen from the front of the building and how she didn't make a big deal out of it. It definitely felt like a subtle insult to me about how I reported my seat stolen. It made me insecure to report other complaints I have about the place.

The reason I parked my bike outside was that the bike room lights aren't working. When I moved in 3+ weeks ago, the lights would turn on after a few seconds of standing in the room. Now they don't turn on at all. Plus, all of the wheelchair access buttons that are supposed to automatically open the doors are out of order. I've brought up these concerns to the staff a few times and every time I get a vague response about how it will take a few weeks. So now I'm hesitant to park my bike outside because of my theft experience, but I also have a hard time parking my bike in the bike room.

As for other repairs, the maintenance employees themselves are very nice, but my luck with getting repairs done is iffy. When I first moved in, we didn't have hot water, a part of the sink was missing, the shower door didn't close, the shower lights turn off while you're showing, and the air filter was very dirty. They fixed the hot water issue the night I moved in but the sink and the shower door took almost two weeks. The air filter was fixed a few hours after I reported it. The shower light still doesn't work and turns off sporadically.

I have mixed feelings about the office staff, mainly about their attitudes and disorganization. The concierge people are very nice but like I said, are often away from the desk and do not answer their phones. In addition to the snide remark the one concierge employee made, I have had multiple experiences where I have received attitude from the staff. Often times, instead of offering to help, they seem to be more interested in arguing with you. In terms of disorganization, they recently lost track of my rent check and tried to make me pay a late fee even though I turned in the check on my move-in date. Luckily, I kept record of them cashing the check and the issue was resolved.

I'm still willing to give the place a chance because I really do like the building and my apartment. But I think the only reason why things haven't gone completely south is that everything is new and hasn't had time to break down. For the price I am paying, the building lives up to my expectations, but the management and the security...

PROS: Walking distance to both Cleveland Clinic and CWRU Well-furnished lounges on both 5th and 20th floor lounges (great view), great for hosting large groups Great pool, grills, and gym Hardwood floors and good kitchen appliances Friendly and competent maintenance staff Heated garage dog-friendly

CONS: Fan is extremely loud: turn it on during your tour to hear for yourself OUC raised my rent 7% in one year Utilities bill is ~$200/month for 2bed not including internet high staff turnover: at least 3 property managers in 2 years

Mice were found in multiple units on the 3rd floor, mouse traps were permanently present in my unit for the remainder of my stay

In Summer 2018, garage door didn't close overnight, unlocked cars were broken into, and locked cars had doors jiggled. After reporting the incident to management, they did not notify the apartment community. The lack of transparency is astonishing. They do not have records of cars being broken into, but lack of official documentation only reflects their incompetency, rather than what truly happened.

My visitor's car was totaled due to flooding in the side visitor lot. Multiple cars were waterlogged and severely damaged and totaled. The management did not notify residents of the flash flood warning beforehand despite flooding in the University Circle area in the past. Management also did not notify residents that their visitors' cars may be flooded. There is a large visitor lot on the East side that would not flood, but is always empty because OUC charges $25/day to park there. For regional comparison, downtown Cleveland parking lots charge $8/day.

My visitor tried to open the balcony door on the 20th floor lounge, the handle snapped, and we left the handle on the lounge table. The management later charged me $500 for a total replacement of the door. The accusation was "excessive force", which I tried to dispute because we were obviously not maliciously vandalizing, but rather the handle was assembled poorly. I had to pay for their faulty construction when OUC should have. Faulty construction in units too: when I moved in my window screen fell off when I tried to open the window. Thank goodness they didn't charge me $500 for that one too.

Walls not sound-proof, can hear conversations from...

I have lived at One University Circle for three years (doing cardiology fellowship at UH) and can not wait to renew my lease for next year. Our experience has been amazing! OUC exceeded all of our expectations. I wish I could give more than 5 stars! I’ll break my review into three parts: 1- apartement/maintenance, 2- amenities, and 3-staff.

Apartment, what surprised us from day one was attention to details. Everything was top quality, from materials used, to kitchen cabinets and appliances. Also, apartments here are truly spacious especially when compared to surrounding buidlings. As for maintenance, we have never waited 24 work hours, and always able to fix the problem. You don’t need to call anyone, it is as easy as two clicks on their app (realizing I am starting to sound like a TV commercial, but it’s that good!). Speaking of the app, it is easy to use and simple yet powerful.

Amenities: my favorite by far is the lounge on the fifth floor (where I did most of my studying for the board exam). There is free (good quality) coffee and tea, and they keep it filled and ready to use 24/7. Back to attention to details, there was only one machine when I first moved in, then last year, they added another one just to make our lives a little bit easier! Also, beautiful terrace and swimming pool, that is really hotel level. Chery on top, this lounge can not be reserved so that there is always a place that is available anytime. Ski lounge can be reserved but that’s another paragraph and I am trying to keep this short.

Staff: professional, friendly and helpful! Front desk/concierge staff will always great you with a smile as well as recieve any packages. Leasing staff, easy to work with and always available. I know almost everyone by name (and I am usually not good with names, so you can imagine).

I always try to mention any negatives in my reviews but this time, I can’t think of any! Pricing is obviously subjective, but the point is that it is definitely worth what you’re paying for. I toured other new buidlings in the area, which made me even happier with my...