Oaks at Sugarloaf — Local services in Lawrenceville

I’ve lived at Sugarloaf Cortland for 18 months now. While some of these reviews are dramatized, quite a few are very truthful. When I first moved in, the management team was super helpful. I loved the community. I didn’t have issues with neighbors. I enjoyed the pool being open 24/7. The gym was nice. I was super happy.

Then, I started to notice some changes. We had the worst roach infestation ever. We put in several maintenance request (because the roaches were all over the place.) Finally, they sent out a Cortland pest control guy who was able to spray and spot the issue. Why it took three times for them to finally send in the Corporate pest control guy? I have no idea. But, he came and sprayed and we haven’t seen any roaches since.

Next up, is the gate. The gate will shut down if a bad storm or power outage happens. Which, will result in the gates being open 24/7. Also, the gates are open in the afternoon when the children get out. It’s not “always” broken. But, it’s not always working either. I will say out of 30 days in a month… expect the gate to WORK more than it does not work. But, I get it, you pay to live in a gated community. The security should be there!

Amenities. Please do not be fooled. When I moved in, I always saw people grilling by the pool and I working out in the gym. But now, the “gas is shut off” (Manuel’s words, not mine) so you will not have the outside kitchen or the fire pit to enjoy. You have ONE charcoal grill that is available for the entire community to use during the summer. I should know, I drove down to the pool to grill only to find out the gas tanks weren’t even attached to the grill. I emailed corporate, and that’s when I was informed that Gwinnett county has shut the gas off. Which, would have been nice of the leasing office to let residents know!

My biggest issue is constantly showing this property under the guise of all these amenities when… you know the amenities are not all of that. The dog park- is a joke, the gym- needs 100% of the equipment working- the clubhouse amenities need to be fixed ASAP because that is what people are paying for in their monthly rent! And, if you cannot fix it. You should send a notice out to people informing them of that.

Also, my key fob has not worked in weeks. I’ve been trying to get a resolution. I’ve gone to the leasing office 4x. Now, all of a sudden, they don’t have any key fobs available. I must wait until their shipment arrives. But… they don’t have an ETA of when it will arrive. But, if that is the case… how are you moving new tenants into the property without a key fob? It’s so irritating not being able to get into my gated community without having to call my call box.

All in all, please do your research. I will not be staying again. If I’m going to be paying damn near $2000 in rent. I will go somewhere else in the same city… with a staff that prides themself on integrity. Be honest. Help when you can. If you cannot help, say that.

Also, to the CEO Steven DeFrancis, pay your employees more so you don’t have staff jumping from multiple Cortland properties!

Update: The experience here at Cortland improved drastically. Everything is fully functioning. The communication from the management team has improved. They continue to keep us in the loop- which I love. Please keep up the great work! Shout out...

I have been a resident of Cortland Sugarloaf for more than five years and have enjoyed my experience. I did a lot of research and touring of communities in the Atlanta metro but kept returning to Cortland Sugarloaf as a favorite. Yes, it is older (built in 2001), but the landscaped property surrounded by gorgeous trees felt like an apartment "home" rather than an apartment "motel," as some of the newer complexes felt motel-ish (cheap materials, all parking lot, sparse trees, no warmth, no privacy, etc.). Too, Cortland Sugarloaf is easily accessible to major highways and shopping, yet it still feels serene.

The apartments at Cortland Sugarloaf have some creative detail features unlike others and feel spacious with 9-foot trey ceilings, an arched hallway passthrough, good-sized bathrooms with large mirrors, large granite countertops in both the kitchen and bathroom, and large windows (not those small, cheap ones I've seen in the newer complexes). The apartments are updated and have reasonably updated appliances as well, including a washer and dryer in each unit.

I can't honestly review the gym, sparkling pool (and it's a good-sized pool), dog park or grilling areas, because I don't use them. But I do know an uphill walk from front to back on the wooded property is great for the glutes -- and peace of mind after a stressful day navigating Atlanta traffic!

The front desk has been excellent with communication and addressing the concerns of residents in an expedient, professional and kind manner. Residents receive regular emails and texts about issues or upcoming repairs -- or community events. The maintenance team is prompt in responding to requests and so professional. Shout out to them!

I have had ZERO issues with pests in my five years here, so the previous reviews (and I do read them) must have been isolated events. And, if you'll take note, the Cortland team addressed and solved the issue! Also, if residents do have issues, corporate regularly sends out surveys to inquire what they can do better, which is a good thing. They want their residents happy and content.

Regarding the purported trash issue/photo at the front compactor, that pile-up has happened rarely in my five years here. It's not a regular issue. When it did happen (I remember twice), management was quick to fix the issue. Too, each apartment is equipped with a covered bin outside their door in the breezeway to place their trash (one bag). Every day during the week there is valet trash to PICK IT UP. How convenient is that?

The gate? Well, it has broken down on several occasions (it is old and must be a behemoth to operate and fix), and there are always the clowns who try to piggyback your car to get in rather than using the visitor gate, which can be disconcerting. The only other issue I've had here is the parking (so many cars and sometimes utility vehicles), but there are substantial slots to park all over the property -- just not as close to your building as you might like if coming home after dark.

In summation, I have found Cortland Sugarloaf an enjoyable, friendly, reasonably safe and serene place to live for a short or long stay. There is the feeling of community here (fostered by the front desk), and it does feel like the proverbial...

This is going to be very lengthy, but posting as a warning to future tenants. #1 the gate is always broken and left open. They are responding to people in the reviews who are calling them out on it saying it’s not true. But it very much is. Every month you have a “gate fee” added to your rent due, but the gate rarely works. #2 there is a constant smell of cigarettes even though the property is supposedly smoke free. Have reported it several times and nothing is ever done. #3 trash is a huge issue in this community. People leave it outside their doors all weekend. Now on to the unit problems. I have lived here since 2021 and just moved out this month. Had lived in 3 separate units while I was here. The first one was decent but was not a renovated unit, so I transferred to an “upgraded” unit. That was when everything started to go down hill. The people above me were filthy!! I started having German roaches come in my unit. Pest control came out atleast 15 times and continued to tell the office that the bugs were coming from elsewhere because my unit wasn’t infested. They refused to check the unit above me until I contacted corporate. Then magically the office started to be “helpful”. Once that lease was up, I transferred to a larger unit and that was an even bigger mistake. Was constantly having to put in service requests for the same things over and over. After a couple of months of living there me and my wife kept feeling sicker and sicker but only when we were home. Requested a mold test and kept being told “there is no organic growth”, when they never did an actual test. All they did was quickly look into ONE air vent and say they didn’t see anything. (Mind you, the ceilings are very high and you can’t see into them at all by just standing on the floor). When my lease was almost to an end, and nothing was being done I requested about moving to another unit. I was then told I was making up stories about the mold in order to transfer. (I have screenshots of all of this, because I already know they are gonna try to claim I am lying). Decided to finish out the rest of my lease and then leave cortland entirely. Then about 2 months before my lease was up, my ceiling started leaking and soaked the walls, my couch, and other personal belongings. They had no sense of urgency to repair the leak. Took them almost 2 weeks to get someone to come repair the roof. I spoke to the men who repaired the roof and they sent me the pictures of the hole in the roof. You could tell it had been like that for quite sometime. The list of everything wrong could go on and on. The breezeways are constantly dirty and when you try to contact the office, you can never get anyone on the phone. I posted screenshots of SOME of the many service requests I had to put in throughout ONE lease term. Also, pictures of the trash issues and the water damage from the leaking roof in my unit. Also posted the managers response to me asking for a transfer and...