Soll Apartments — Local services in Des Moines

I had the opportunity to live at Soll Apartments from September 2021 through the end of February 2022. I had interest in living there due to the availability of short term leases as I was searching for a home to purchase, location & thought they were newer & would be nice. The views from my unit were nothing short of spectacular, however their was absolutely no sound proofing so anytime people were talking at ground level at their cars or exiting the bar, I could hear them as if they were in my apartment. I appreciated the workout room, the roof top hot tub and the thai restaurant on site. Here are the things I would strongly advise you consider before making a decision to move into Soll & this actually goes for most apartments. Make sure you ask detailed questions about the move in process. I thought I was detailed but not nearly what I needed to be. Have management physically show you where your moving truck will have to park. At Soll the only option was right outside the garage doors where tenants were coming and going, there is absolutely no designated area for moving trucks or vehicles for moving in & out. Every time someone needs out of their parking space or coming in and out of garage, your truck is going to have to move for them if they can not get through. There are no freight/moving elevators so your movers have to share with tenants coming and going. My movers spent a great deal of time waiting for the elevator. There was only one at my end of the building. There is also no process to pad the elevator or take out the top portion for taller items. My couch had to be taken up the stairs. The move ended up costing me a considerable amount more due to these issues. Don't assume your apartment will be left clean, appliances working, or for management to point out deficiencies when you move in. My apartment smelled so bad of wet dog, even my movers were commenting how bad it was. Stove did not work, cabinets were dirty & broken, light fixtures had bugs in them, screens torn, granite chipped, crud stained running down blinds, water warped cabinets, cracked tub, missing light bulbs, just to name a few things. I'm fortunate that I thought to take pictures of everything when I moved in & shared the album with management. Had I not done that I would have been charged for all of those items per the contract. Make sure you read everything. Prior to moving in to Soll make sure you have them replace the door lock batteries. I had no idea mine had not been changed & per my picture of my letter to the management found myself unable to access my own apartment with no notice. Had the management apologized it may have softened the blow per se, but as you can see from the correspondence there was no apology coming from management, just that I should wait an hour for help next time should it happen. There are some wonderful tenants at Soll, however, there are also many who make it difficult to live in a calm environment and yet more like a college dormitory. My apartment would literally vibrate at night from tenants gaming or using amps for their tv sound, rough housing thuds constantly at night from the tenants above me. Some of this you expect living in a complex this size, however I felt management handled these situations poorly w/lil to no communication. Also keep in mind that if you pay the $125 for indoor parking & find that your vehicle is too large to safely enter & exit during ice & snow they will not allow you to switch to outdoor parking without continuation of your $125 a month until your lease is up. I drive a large pickup, parking is very tight in the garage & although tight I managed, however I barely was making it through the entrance doors. My bad, I should have tried it first before paying the $125. Carpet was badly stained throughout the building, yet I never saw them switching out the carpet squares replacing the badly stained ones. When asked to verify my deposit refund I was told $500, I had to go back to them as it was just over $1,400 owed to me. Tenants are paid...

I have lived in Soll Apartments for almost a year. My apartment was brand new when I moved in. It is very attractive and of good quality, nice tenants, beautiful community spaces.

I have, however, very real concerns regarding the management. Anytime something goes wrong in the large building, such as one tenant breaking the pool sticks the management sends ridiculous emails out to each and every tenant threatening punishment, in this example threatening to close the pool, until the "guilty party" reveals themselves to management. This is an elementary school disciplinary tactic which - as a paying, responsible adult I greatly resent. Most recently management informed us, again by a sanctamonious email, that all access to the pool deck and lounge will be unavailable until a lock company fixed a door that was damaged by someone trying to pry it open.

It is very unfortunate that these acts of vandalism and destruction occur, but lectures, threats and punishment for all tenants, in the form of restricting us from the amenanties we pay a lot for, demonstrates poor management and people skills. I strongly suggest that Soll invest in a security assessment by a reputable company - who would most likely would suggest cameras, etc. Clearly these grade school punishment tactics are not solving Soll's problems.

Additionally, parking is a real problem. You can pay a lot for garage parking, pay a bit less for surface parking, or cross your fingers in hopes of finding free street parking within a 2 block area - very difficult when it's below zero, or have a load of groceries or are a female walking alone at night in a not so great neighborhood. The surface lot never has more than 5 cars in it; it costs too much, and they provide zero guest parking spaces.

Lastly, expect great move-in deals, but watch their billing carefully! Extra unexpected charges start appearing, (e.g., I was promised "free internet ", but 4 months in they started charging $50/month for internet). When I asked for explanations regarding these these sudden new charges, I received incomplete and incomprehensible answers from the management. When I requested clarification, I then received very snippy/rude replies. I will not be renewing my lease with Soll Apartments.

Given all the above, I am posting this under another name due to concerns regarding...

I have lived at Soll for going on 7 months and have sat on writing this review for a while to make it more objective. The building is a nice modern building. They did a great job with the lounge area, the gym, the pool room, and the pool area. The units from what I have seen, seem to be outfitting with the same finishes and fixtures. My particular unit is the studio layout. In other reviews you have seen the floor style air conditioner/heater. Think of a hotel room. I definitely think this was definitely a short cut taken. While the air is cool, it does not circulate to other parts of the unit, especially frustrating not into the bedroom. That is my one complaint about my unit. I think studio's should also have walk in showers vs tub showers. The non garage parking situation for these apartments is horrific to say the least. There is a lot for residents that requires a monthly payment, or you are left to find street parking. While you are scouring the area for street parking, there sits a parking lot that that is 95% empty 95% of the time. It is gate monitored(per the hour(s)) for the businesses on the ground floor and is always cleared better and before the resident lot. If there is an area that could use the most improvement, its the management staff. I am definitely using a throw away account to write this as a review so I don't get a nasty response from them. Each time there is an incident or accident that happens on the property a massive email that comes out threatening fines, closure of amenities, or just full on rants. Very passive aggressive and reminds me of scoldings from authority figures in the Matilda movie. Instead of communication with those who are at fault, its at everybody's problem. I get it, a few bad apples could ruin it for everyone, but I guess the cameras aren't good enough to identify people in the video. Prepare to have charges added to your account hoping you don't catch them, and if you do prepare yourself for a nasty over dramatic response when you do. Even with all the concessions they've offered throughout the last year, a good part of the building remains empty. This property will have lots of 1 year rentals, and people like myself will leave. Its a nice building in a nice location but overpriced for Des Moines.

Update: Management Team never emailed, typical...