R&T Lofts Apartments — Attraction in Des Moines

If I could leave zero stars, I would. We’re coming up on four years of living here, and it’s been an increasingly frustrating experience.

First off, many of these five-star reviews seem fake. If you read them, most only mention how great the tour was or praise former leasing agents. That’s likely because they used to offer free rent in exchange for positive reviews.

Let’s talk about the elevators. There are three, but at least two are broken down almost every week. If you’re visiting for a tour and keep using the same elevator, it’s probably because the others are out of service. When they do work, they shake violently, they have holes in the floor (yes in the elevator) seems like they tried to put a new layer of plank down in the middle one but the dip has come back. this also is the elevator that works most the time, and we’ve been trapped inside more times than I can count—multiple occasions for over 30 minutes.

Inside the unit, the windows are so thin you can hear everything—homeless people yelling, sirens, traffic—24/7. Our electricity bill averages $300/month, and I’ve spoken to several neighbors whose bills are in the $200–$300+ range as well. You get two months of free rent at renewal, but that’s quickly offset by the ridiculous utility costs. It’s not worth it.

Management changes constantly—about every six months. We had some stability two years ago, but most staff seem to realize the ownership refuses to invest in the building. Leasing team even admitted that they won’t put money into improving it. The old team seemed to keep us updated and got more stuff done. Theres a girl in the leasing office that is always saying hi and smiling and shes the highlight of living here shes been here for a couple years when we had the management who was always helpful and happy. They need to bring them back if they can.

The community room was closed for over a year. The rooftop floor is falling apart. The bocce court? It’s basically a dog litter box. The “dog park” makes the rooftop smell like dog pee and poop and the trash bin is always full. The hallways are hot and humid all summer long (cant wait to walk up 100 flights in this again). The garage pipes burst every winter—ruined one of our cars the first year and almost again the second year We moved across the street to park now. (even parking over there we see alot of cars with broken windows) We’ve seen cockroaches coming out of the trash chutes. The gym has only one working treadmill, and most of the other equipment is barely functional. The TVs rarely work either.

Theres a growing homeless problem downtown (not the buildings fault) What is this building fault is not keeping the security fob system intact and having the doors be unlocked and broken for extended period of times, the homeless will sleep in the lobby, the elevator, the community couches, the skywalk, ect. this makes it unsafe and is unacceptable.

If you see any sign of water damage on your tour beware because theres more to come, our windows ledge had water marks when we moved in, come to find out every time it rains or even in the winter the windows will condensate and leave a puddle of water, maintenance will not fix the issue because the issue is the windows need to be double pane at least. They will caulk it and re paint it and all this has done is allow mould to grow.

They’re raising our rent again—supposedly for “upgrades,” though the only changes we’ve seen are new paint. There is nothing luxury about this place anymore.

It’s really sad because we used to love living here. But the longer we stay, the more expensive and disappointing it becomes. We’ll be moving out at the end...

Updating from 2 to 3 stars. The management company (TWG Management) sent out a letter that giving a % reduction in rent for the last couple months if paid on time. It's not a ton, but I still recognize that it's money off their bottomed line and is a nice gesture of goodwill. The management also needs kudos for being quick to respond to COVID 19, posting information fliers in the elevators and doors, appear to have cleaners come through more frequently, and put in some social distancing measures such as locking down the gym and social rooms, and doing virtual tours to minimize risk of spread. Thanks ladies. Also they've done lots of email social interaction opportunities which is a nice gesture, but I'm still hoping for some real interactive activities once things calm down a bit.

Should have listened to some of the reviews to not live here. The good: Interior as a cool industrial look. Maintenance people are amazing and on top of things. Gym is nice and is open and has decent equipment. Rooms can be reserved and rented for free with only a deposit needed. The rooftop is nice but the view isn’t great and it can get loud in the summer with the AC units up there. The dog run is nice for the winter when you just need to go in and out, but it can also get pretty nasty. They don’t have breed restrictions. Elevators are very quick. Connected to the skywalk. Above hello Marjorie

The not good: Overpriced for what you get and the location. Check the location of the actual unit you have, if it’s in the alley then expect sunlight to be nearly nonexistent. Two criteria I was looking for when I selected apartments was the ability to sublet my apartment if I found a new place to live and monthly social activities to meet neighbors. I was told they had monthly activities and that subleasing/subletting was not an issue. Fast forward and they’ve had one real social event since May 2019 and it’s now March 2020. Spoke with them about subletting the apartment and find out now I can only add someone to my lease, but not sublet it out. Read everything very carefully, especially the addendums. As an option the said I could move into their new apartments being built, and then said it could be done only when the lease is complete or I’d have to do a break lease of 2 months plus concessions. No social...

Disappointing Decline Under New Management

I used to love living here, but unfortunately, my experience took a significant turn for the worse after Indigo Living took over management.

Within the first day of the new management arriving, our excellent property manager was let go, and the decline was immediate and noticeable. The previously friendly and helpful staff seemed to disappear, replaced by a less caring property manager annd maintenance staff.

The general upkeep and cleanliness of the complex also suffered. Unlike other complexes I've lived in where employees did daily walkthroughs, it was clear that no such checks were happening. There was often trash left in the hallways and near the trash chutes, which themselves were frequently closed due to being completely full, and threats made to residents of "floor wide fees" if trash was left in the trash room by others.

Maintenance issues also became a persistent problem. We had an open service ticket for the entire duration of my time under the new management, and despite repeated inquiries, it was never fully addressed. For example, our refrigerator seal was never replaced, even though the maintenance ticket was marked as "completed." On several other occasions, after the older maintenance staff member "fixed" (caulked) our leaking window, our cat, who is normally very calm and friendly, started acting scared and skittish whenever we returned home from work. This was a concerning change in his behavior that we hadn't observed before. (Expect electric bills over $200 a month.)

Furthermore, the overall appearance of the property has suffered. The planters around the perimeter, which used to be vibrant, have remained empty since the change in management, even as other nearby businesses maintain attractive landscaping.

While I initially enjoyed my time here, the negative changes implemented by Indigo Living made our living situation increasingly frustrating and disappointing. I hope they will consider the impact of these changes on...