Cottages at Tucson — Attraction in Tucson

Living at The Cottages has been one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made. If you’re thinking about moving here, save yourself the time, money, and mental stress. This place is NOT what they advertise, and the “luxury” living they claim to provide is a complete joke.

Let’s start with the management. Easily the most unprofessional group of people I’ve ever encountered. They’re disorganized, dismissive, and couldn’t care less about residents once they’ve locked you into a lease. They’re quick to take your money, but if you have an issue, good luck getting it resolved. I had serious roommate problems, including unauthorized guests and random move-ins that I was never even informed about. When I brought these issues to management, I was ignored. It was clear they didn’t care about creating a safe or comfortable living environment for me or anyone else.

Another thing people should know is how fake a lot of the positive reviews are. Management regularly incentivizes residents to leave good reviews in exchange for gift cards or other perks. It’s a shady practice that hides the reality of what it’s like to live here. If you see glowing reviews about this place, take them with a grain of salt. They’re likely written by people who just wanted a free Starbucks gift card.

The maintenance situation is just as bad. Requests take forever to get addressed, and when they do, it’s always a temporary fix at best. Common areas are constantly dirty, and the appliances in the units are cheap and prone to breaking. I can’t even count the number of times something has gone wrong, and it’s clear they don’t invest in properly maintaining the property.

And here’s the kicker that really solidified my bad experience. Rachel. She’s part of the management team, and honestly, she’s low-key petty and unprofessional. After I voiced my frustrations about the poor living conditions and the lack of support, she unfollowed me on Instagram. Now, I know that sounds small, but it speaks volumes about her maturity and how little they care about residents once you’re not useful to them. It’s honestly embarrassing behavior for someone in her position and just added to the growing list of reasons I regret ever signing a lease here.

On top of all this, the property is flat-out unsafe. The gates that are supposed to provide security rarely ever work, meaning anyone can come and go as they please. One time, I saw a homeless man taking a bath in what they claim is the “largest pool in Southern Arizona.” That alone was disgusting, but it gets worse. There was an actual shooting here, and in a separate incident, a bullet hit my window. Yes, a bullet hit my window. I can’t describe how unsettling it was to experience something like that and to realize that I was living in a place where my safety wasn’t a priority. The management did absolutely nothing to address these incidents or improve security. It’s terrifying how little they care about the well-being of the residents.

For what they charge, this place is an absolute scam. There are so many better options in Tucson where you’ll actually be treated with respect and get what you pay for. Do yourself a favor and avoid The Cottages at all costs. Parents, don’t let your...

Unfortunately, the majority of my experiences living at The Retreat were negative, and the fluctuation of management resulted in parts of the lease being broken many times, so I'm eager to be moving out in what I hope will be the smoothest way possible (I'll be sure to update).

In December 2017 we were robbed, but since I signed my lease to live there again before this happened I have been there for two years. Security serves little to no purpose, and when you're gone on breaks management will still put flyers in your door that scream "I'm not home" (even though I suggested they not do this). Their new security requires you come to the front gate to let guests in (at 2 in the morning that's extremely dangerous to walk by yourself from a far distanced house). The unavoidable risk comes from living in a high-crime area, with violence and robberies occurring on the daily (but The Retreat will not inform you of these cases as they occur).

In October we began submitting maintenance requests for a broken dryer. It physically worked, but took three times to dry the clothes (so expensive for utilities). They came and left MANY different times, even replacing the dryer twice. Come February, and we had to start taking our clothes to a Laundromat service because the dryer took four rounds on 70 minutes to dry (after five times we new it was a lost cause). While our electric bill increased, along with our Laundromat fees, they finally decided to check one more thing (after the fifth time, they said there was nothing more they could do). They found cups of water sitting in the dryer hose. I decided to email the manager asking for some sort of compensation for the bills we accrued over the months, and he replied that after speaking with maintenance, the issue was the hose was crammed as a result of us pushing it too far back (after two replacements?) and that our lint dryer was full (yeah maybe because we quit using it). Long story short, the Retreat results to quick unhelpful fixes until you have a long, drawn out problem, oftentimes jumping to the conclusion that it is the residents fault.

While things stay remotely quiet when things are going well, that is not the case when you have a very fixable issue that a landlord should be more than happy to fix according to the lease that was signed. The office staff of college students are so nice and helpful when they are able to (like getting mail or getting you into contact with someone), but they are not able to fix the larger issues with this business. Shoutout to Delaney for being so helpful when I had issues, she should definitely be in a higher up position! However, management stays quiet unless it's to advertise the new jumbo-tron at the pool even though the furniture in the homes has been dented, broken, scratched, and stained for years. And while I'm sure I will be asked to "go into further detail" so they can "rectify the situation" as most businesses do for these kinds of reviews, some things must be laid to rest. I'll be sure to update the review accordingly with the...

I have had so many issues living here I'm not even sure where to begin. First, after signing my lease and trying to call the office with a question about my lease, I was told that they had nothing on file and I had to do the process over again. When I arrived at the complex after traveling across the country, my apartment was not ready for me despite confirming my move-in date and time several times with the general manager of the complex. When I was finally assigned an apartment it was filthy and obviously hadn't been cleaned. I was told that a cleaning crew would be in right away to address the situation. After eight hours of waiting, I finally was able to move into my apartment. I was compensated for these issues, but it doesn't make up for the fact that I had been assured several times by different staff members that I would be placed in a pet-friendly apartment with roommates who are aware that I have a cat. After having unpacked my entire room and getting rid of all my moving boxes, I was made aware upon the arrival of my cat that my roommate is supposably "afraid" of cats. At this point it was three weeks into my first semester of graduate school and my new job and I absolutely did not have time to move again. My poor cat now has to stay in my room at all times or my roommate screams and calls my cat "creepy". Obviously the complex didn't even attempt to find out if my apartment was pet friendly. Additionally, I have received multiple emails stating that I should pay a pet fee, despite my cat being an emotional assistance animal with all of the proper documentation. Lastly, on more than one occasion I have gone to the main office to pick up a package only to have the receptionist tell me that they don't have anything for me. It's only when I insist that they actually stand up and look in the back room that they happen to find that yes, I do have a package and that their computer system was wrong (yet again). Do not move here. Management and staff are completely unorganized and unreliable.

EDIT: 9 weeks ago I was told that management would find me a new, cat-friendly, apartment to move into. That hasn't happened. I only received updates on the apartment search when I requested them, and now that I am back into my semester as a graduate student with three jobs I am running out of time to move again. Today I was given a new list of 5 "options" for apartments to move into. I have heard back from residents of two of those apartments so far and both have dogs who are not cat-friendly and have at least one roommate who is allergic to cats. The management obviously didn't bother to check the status of these apartments and was prepared to move me into a different apartment with the same situation. For a "pet friendly" complex I'm not sure why it's so difficult to find a home for my cat. On a side note, I don't even have a "pet" I have a service animal and I'm frustrated that I am paying to live somewhere that won't even reasonably accommodate me and my service animal.

Stay tuned, I'm sure there...