The Ridge — Local services in Decatur

I cannot stress this enough: do not live here. The only advantage this complex offers is its location near campus. Beyond that, it has been the most frustrating, unsafe, and poorly managed living experience I’ve had. This is not just about minor issues — the problems are systemic and significant.

Unsafe, Poorly Built, and Not Secure The building is not secure. Exterior doors are often left open or broken, and individuals who do not live here can enter freely at any time. Package and food theft is common. The package locker system is unreliable, and delivery people frequently leave items outside or wander the halls due to confusion about where to go.

There are serious structural issues. My unit had a leaking dishwasher and a shower missing a drain on move-in day. The toilet did not function for over two weeks — during that time, I had to use a pan at night and walk to the leasing office bathroom in the middle of winter, carrying pepper spray and a flashlight. Paint is peeling, flooring is buckling, and fixtures like the toilet paper holder and shower rod fall off regularly.

The fire alarm goes off at random, often in the middle of the night. Floors are not insulated, so you can hear everything above and around you. Quiet hours are not respected.

Terrible Management and Maintenance Management is unresponsive and dismissive. When I asked to speak with the current manager, I was told they were “unavailable.” The previous manager promised a gift card to make up for the poor move-in experience — I never received it.

Maintenance requests take an unreasonable amount of time to address, and when someone finally shows up, they often make the issue worse. Communication is a disaster — I’ve been removed from email chains and have not received safety updates, Wi-Fi outage notices, or building alerts that others have confirmed receiving.

Wi-Fi and Utilities Are a Constant Problem The Wi-Fi barely works. I’ve had to rely on my personal hotspot or the unsecured guest network, and even that fails regularly. No communication is provided about outages.

The building also attempted incorrect autopay withdrawals from my account, and despite multiple emails, I received no response. On two separate occasions, I was sent emails stating I had late payments — but my account was fully up to date. Again, I asked for clarification and never received a reply.

Amenities Are Misrepresented The gym is bare-bones and usually has broken equipment. There are no free weights, and the music is so loud you can’t hear your own. The "furnished" unit is misleading — there’s no desk or dining table, and the couch is essentially a hard plastic chair. The bed was advertised as queen-sized but only fits king-sized sheets due to how it’s built. Dressers are tiny and barely functional.

There is a vent in the middle of a kitchen cabinet that blocks storage space, and the kitchen fan does not work — which makes cooking unpleasant. A shrill, high-pitched sound from the telecom closet echoes down the hallway and is never addressed.

Parking Garage is Dangerous and Poorly Maintained Parking costs $75/month on top of already expensive rent ($1650/month). Pipes from the ceiling have collapsed onto residents' cars. There are stagnant puddles of water throughout the garage, which attract mosquitoes and smell terrible. The garage layout is unorganized and chaotic.

Bottom Line This is not graduate-level housing — it’s an overpriced, mismanaged, and unsafe place to live. The staff is disengaged, the units are poorly constructed, and maintenance and billing issues are frequent and unresolved. The Ridge at Emory has been a consistently stressful and disappointing experience. I would not recommend living here under any...

The pros: it’s always quiet in my corner aside from the occasional group of rude people who decide to laugh and talk loudly in the hallway. It’s close to a shuttle stop so you can get to all buildings on campus easily. It’s furnished and the building is brand new. The parking deck is right next to the building. It’s never full. Utilities are included. The cons: We have not been able to use the courtyard/grill area all year. The windows don’t open. They could come down on the price for parking if you ask me. If we were paying for a parking pass, it’s just mean to have us switch to paying monthly just to park where we live. If you opt for the parking pass, the closest they will let you park is a whole 3 shuttle stops away. Parking is $75/month so the new studio leases will be $1775 a month with a measly $25 off for signing early. Most stipends are between $2800-3000 a month. It JUST opened up and they are already increasing rent by $50 for studios but with no updates or improvements . We just got furniture in the lobbies, they put in a side table maybe a couple months ago, but nothing warrants an increase except greed. In addition, the payment processing system debits the rent payment at 3am or sometimes late in the day on the day of debit. In other complexes, as soon as you submit payment, it debits immediately. Not here. I’ve had payment sitting in the account I use for rent up until the end of the debit day. Lastly, maintenance has had to come in and change filters more than once, now they are checking the fire alarms. They come in way too much for people who work from home. It would be nice to be left alone, but residents are saying it’s, in part, because they built the units too quickly. All of this maintenance should’ve been done before we moved in. The only reason people are tampering with the alarms is because they were going off uncontrollably soon after we moved in and apparently the other unit had a similar problem recently. It is bothersome how much they need to come in and “check” things. We all deserve compensation for what we have experienced.

I give 2-stars for...

The one star is solely for staff. Other than that, this place has too much red tape.

I lived in a studio A with a beautiful view looking over Ridgewood Drive.

Pros: brand new amenities- washer/dryer, dishwasher. New gym equipment (cardio only). Nice to live in a student community. Front desk staff are outstanding. Personally never had issues with maintenance not handling requests. Super close to campus buildings and all Emory shuttle lines.

Cons: Studio feels a little small; and the A layout isn't ideal given the way the bed and kitchen are situated. Windows don't open which sucks but there is a air filtration system, so at least the place doesn't get dusty and I don't have to deal with bugs.

To add some context for other reviews, the fire alarms used to go off more frequently b/c residents weren't using the vent function on the microwave, and propping open the front door to leave smoke/smells to trigger the alarms. I do agree that the building is somewhat cheaply constructed since it was rushed. DO NOT use mounting strips to hang ANYTHING. It will RUIN the walls and peel off the cheap plaster.

PLEASE for the love of god change your rules for summer housing/ reletting. They should allow short-term rental agreements specifically for summer housing. They have a silly July 21 end date for all leases which sucks b/c people who need to stay a week or two extra can only do so if they sign onto a whole year's lease. RIDICULOUS. There's also a $300 reletting fee. I needed to move out in mid-May but got stuck paying rent to July because of their ridiculous rules. I've had so many people reach out to me to take up my apt but ultimately could not find a suitable relet bc they either didn't qualify or the time period didn't fit with their needs. (You cannot be a senior undergrad to live here, you MUST be an Emory grad student, medical resident or worker, no flexibility, no exceptions).

Please bear this in mind if you plan...