Riverwalk Commons — Attraction in South Bend

I have lived here for 2 years now and will not be renewing my lease. I hope this can give you some insight if you are looking at living at this apartment complex.

Lets start at my initial move in. We were charged a total of 500 dollars for a "refurbishing fee" prior to move-in. On our move-in date, our unit was a wreck. They had ripped up all of the carpet in the unit and had not replaced it. When asked if the unit was going to get carpet within the day, management reported that the carpet was on back order and they could not get any carpet until the next day. the toilets and bathtubs were covered in mold and the floors were filthy. the entire apartment was covered in a brown film (which I believe was from the previous tenants smoking). The fridge had old stuck-on food all over it and was missing many pieces. Management told us that we would get replacement parts for this and 2 years later we still have missing pieces. -The walls are very thin and the neighbors--being mainly college aged-- are loud and inconsiderate. The windows are way too big. the blinds that are provided are cheap and break easily and do not fully cover the windows. This wouldn't be a big deal if you could put curtains up, but since the windows are so large there is no way to put up curtains. This left for a very uncomfortable experience, especially since we are on the first floor. -Management had hired painters to paint the units. We were initially excited to have grey walls instead of the pale yellow that the entire unit used to be. The painters rushed through the process and left paint all over the unit. There is spots that are not painted properly and you can still see the old yellow. there is paint drippings on our furniture, cabinets, toilets, bathtubs, beds, and floors (which make the floors look like they are always dirty) -The fire alarms go off constantly. They have the entire building connected so if one unit goes off, all of the units go off(Which I understand why they need to do this). This would not be an issue if the fire alarms didn't go off every week, sometimes multiple times a week. Does not matter the time of day, they will go off and you will have to wait for the fire department to come turn them off. This has led to people no longer evacuating for fire alarms which I can foresee being an issue if an actual fire occurs. -The electric bill is insane. We have consistently paid over 400 dollars for our monthly electric bill. We have had no answers to why the bill is so expensive. -The units are very outdated. The cabinets and appliances are not updated and do not look good. The flooring is alright but just permanently stained by pain and other stains that were left by the previous tenants. -The laundry room is a mess. They offer 3 washers and 3 dryers for the entire building. multiple times I have not been able to do my laundry because they are all being used. Additionally you have to pay for laundry. Every time I have been in the laundry room, the trash is overflowing and there is laundry everywhere. I don't blame management for this as its probably the inconsiderate tenants who live here. -There has been multiple car break-ins in the back parking lot. Thankfully they finally put cameras and flood lights back there and they have seemed to have stopped. -While you do get your own mailbox, any package is just thrown onto a table that everyone can access. You just have to hope that your package does not get stolen by somebody. -Management has been a mess. They have gone through so many management changes that I can't keep track of it. It felt like the old managements just dropped everything and left before a new management came in. On many occasions I have tried to go to the office to speak with management during open hours. and they just aren't there. Very frustrating. -Price. We are paying $750 EACH for this apartment. There is no reason for us to keep paying this much money for a very small and outdated apartment. We both have found much better apartments for cheaper.

Please be wary if you wish...

I have been living here for the past 2 years, and let me tell you it has been a rollercoaster. I do not plan on renewing my lease.

Although management has always been super friendly and helpful where they can be, the ongoing maintenance issues and lack of attention to detail really puts a strain on my relationship with this apartment complex.

Something that has been an ongoing issue here are the fire alarms. From a safety standpoint, I wish this would’ve been resolved quickly and effectively. It really affects the residents and their quality of living here as well. There was a time where i was finishing up a shower and was greeted by a fire man standing right outside my bathroom door. To say the least, this was something very off-putting and made me feel a lack of safety in my own apartment. Time and money should have been put into this issue, rather than purchasing vending machines for all the buildings.

Another point I would like to address is the company electricity is billed through. Simple Bill is something I wish would have been discontinued with the change of management this past year (2024-2025). Residents, along with myself, have mentioned to management the extreme prices of Simple Bills (I was charged 250 bucks for my HALF of a bill. Our unit is less than 1000 sq ft). As a tenant, it is frustrating that we were not being heard with this issue. I ended up going through the Indiana Utility Regulatory System, a government agency, to initiate an investigation on Simple Bills. I ultimately won and ended up getting a decent chunk of money back due to being overcharged for electricity by this company. Another point I would like to add on this was the managements request this past winter. Residents were informed to keep our heat running at 55°-60° to keep pipes from freezing. This felt like a massive slap to the face as, who is keeping their heat set at that during below freezing weather?

Overall, for a starter or short term apartment you are in the right place, if you are okay with some hiccups. Thank you...

I’ve lived here since 2021 and I cannot wait to move out of here ASAP. If you’re moving here, prepare for an environment where facilities are constantly broken for weeks or months at a time and where at least one room or hall reeks of rotting trash at all times. In the summer, every grass surface is covered in dog poop that bakes in the sun and remains there for days. The residents are extremely inconsiderate, and loud music, partying, LOUD door slamming, dog barking, wall hammering and even full on band practices are everyday occurrences from daytime well into the nighttime.

If you have a 9-5 job, are sensitive to alarms, or just want some peace in your own home, be warned that this place has fire alarms that go off in the entire building multiple times a week, and remain on until the firefighters show up! Sometimes it goes off at noon, sometimes at 3am, you never know.

Despite the fact they switch management every 6 months, the buildings and parking lots are constantly littered with trash and the old, rickety elevators are routinely vandalized. Instead, management focuses on gimmicky amenities like vending machines in laundry rooms that DONT contain anything useful in a laundry room instead of making sure everything is functional and sanitary! My pics are all from the same day - 1 of 2 washers are down, 1 of 2 dryers are down, and the trash is totally full and stinking. Thank God the useless vending machine runs great!

If you have any other option,...