Catherine Commons — Local services in City of Ithaca

Where do I even start.

First, the utility bill each month is INSANELY high. Can you believe that we were charged over $700 for ONE month? For the months of June and July (when nobody was living in the unit and everyone had moved out), our bill was over $250 each month. This makes no sense since we turned off everything when moving out (lights, heating, etc.), and the unit was completely empty (so nothing besides a fridge was plugged in). We contacted the utility company and even they were surprised, but they said it was an apartment issue.

Second, for a brand new building, you'd be surprised how often things don't work. For example, our heating randomly stopped working and it took weeks for the apartment to fix it. The worst part is that we were still charged over $600 for utilities in the month we had no heating!!! How can electricity and water cost that much?? The water pipe in our kitchen leaked numerous times out of nowhere, and everything in the unit is flimsy. Even the toilet paper holders can't support the weight of toilet paper.

Third, the construction noise was unbearable. I was woken up far too many times during final exam week, even as early as 7:00 AM, to my floor shaking from the loudest drilling noises. The construction was persistent for months and sometimes lasted until the afternoon, making studying at home impossible. Hopefully this issue won't be too bad anymore now that it looks like everything is finally built.

Fourth, as every review below this mentions, the mailing situation was miserable. I spent so much on Ubers to the post office to pick up packages because they wouldn't deliver to our apartment. The worst part is that we still had to pay a $240 "package management fee," which surprisingly was NOT refunded even though there were barely any packages to manage. Although the apartment set up a shuttle system to provide rides to the post office to pick up our mail, it was only offered biweekly on one day. So for me, who had classes during the scheduled shuttle time, the service wasn't even possible to use.

Fifth, the leasing office never picks up phone calls. It actually became a running joke that you MIGHT get somebody to pick up the phone after 10 tries. The quickest I've heard so far was a pick up after 7 tries.

Sixth, while some of the building personnel were friendly, there were multiple who were incredibly rude. I remember asking a manager a question regarding leasing and receiving an answer along the lines of, "we are in the business of making money, not making your life easier" (this is not a direct quote, but the sentiment is there).

Seventh, the leasing agents really led us astray when we first signed our lease. We were promised a cafe downstairs and a bar right next to it, but neither of those were operational for the entire year (besides the cafe, which actually opened up around finals, a week or two before summer). In fact, as stated above, the construction of both made living peacefully so difficult. This was really disappointing because the alleged existence of these amenities motivated us to sign.

Eighth, the provided furniture is incredibly cheap and makes the entire space feel like a dorm. The couch looks like it belongs in a hospital: grey, sterile-looking, and uncomfortable. For an apartment that tries to give off an impression of luxury, it's hardly luxurious. The walls are paper thin, the furniture is depressing, the carpet is tacky, and residents are treated like an annoying burden.

I honestly could go on and on, but it's not worth giving this place any more mental real estate. I considered not writing a review so I could move on from the terrible experience, but I feel like it would be evil to not at least try to warn others before making the same mistake I did. Stay away from this place. There's a reason all of the real reviews are 1 stars. This apartment is uniquely bad. If you do decide to rent...

DO NOT RENT THIS APARTMENT！！ This is by far the worst student apartment I’ve ever lived in. I’ve studied abroad for over a decade, and this is the smallest and most uncomfortable student housing experience I’ve had.

First of all, the rent is charged based on the floor level. For example, a studio on the 6th floor costs $200 more per month than a 1B1B unit on the 4th floor. On top of that, the monthly rent is about $500 higher than similar apartments in the area.

Secondly, the utility bills here are outrageous. In winter, a 30-square-meter studio can easily rack up $400–500 per month in electricity alone. Even if you travel for the holidays and turn off the heating completely, you’re still charged a $200 base fee. I have no idea how they calculate electricity usage, but the charges are completely unreasonable. What's worse, even if you set the heater to the highest setting, the apartment still feels cold during winter.

The facilities are also extremely disappointing. Every time it rains, water leaks from the ceiling and into the apartment. I have no idea how a newly built building (only one year old) can already have water leakage problems. Moreover, in the studio unit, the bathroom floor is uneven, and shower water constantly leaks into the kitchen area.

The maintenance speed is beyond frustrating. Since moving in in September 2024, we've reported a constant noise coming from the kitchen pipes, which is loud enough to disturb sleep 24/7. As I write this review, the issue has still not been resolved.

To make matters worse, USPS parcels are not delivered to the building. You have to pick them up yourself from a location tens of kilometers away, because the apartment management failed to properly...

Legitimately terrible housing run on pure greed and evil.

Maintenance takes forever which is especially problematic as something new will break every month. The heating will stop working and they will have the audacity ask you if you have tried to increase the number on the thermostat... bruh

Everything in this building is incredibly expensive despite cutting corners in every conceivable way. The energy bill is extraordinarily high, and far more expensive than any other comparable apartment in the area. Under some of these reviews they have been claiming that they have no control over it and it is the result of regulations. A more likely explanation is the terribly rushed building of the place -- evident by the fact that it STILL remains under construction (something you will be reminded of at 8am when you are waken up by the sound of hammers and drills as you feel the floor violently shake). The reason the electricity bill is so high is more likely a result of the incredibly poor insulation. You can guarantee that the inside of your apartment will be around 20 degrees colder than it is outside at any given point, which forces the heating to work overtime as compensation.

In general, these people are untrustworthy and trusting anything they say is a foolish decision. Evidently they got tired of the terrible reputation and countless one star reviews and started writing fake reviews here. Anything you see on this review page that is not a one star review is written by an employee or staff. It's honestly pathetic.

Do not live here, this place is a representation of everything wrong with housing in Ithaca and they thrive off of...