The Overlook at St. Thomas Apartments — Local services in Louisville

Definitely overpriced for what you get. The price would be right for newer, up-to-date units in the area, but not 25+ year old units. The renovations touted as being made in 2017 are nice - attractive flooring, granite countertops, new appliances. All great updates, but just aesthetic upgrades to otherwise old homes.

Pro's: Excellent location. Staff are friendly and helpful. Beautiful landscaping. Large parking spaces.

Con's (where to start???? These are in order from most to least annoying): Be prepared to set off the smoke alarms EVERY TIME you cook. The stove hood fan is not connected to anything, just basically blows smoke around the kitchen. My son literally has to stand under the smoke alarm whenever I cook so he can turn it off. The shower goes scalding hot whenever someone so much as flushes a toilet or turns on a faucet and goes ice cold whenever the furnace turns on. Even after turning the water temperature setting down on the water heater, we have to publicly announce when we're going to take a shower so nobody runs any water to avoid 2nd degree burns. The windows are indeed painted shut. I read in other reviews before moving in that they were. Just so happens the one I tested before moving in was able to open so I assumed, erroneously, that the others were too. This is a fire hazard and I really don't know why this hasn't been addressed. Zero airflow. The bedrooms will be ice cold in summer and hot as hades in winter, but the rest of the unit will be exact opposite. This might be due to the furnace internals being dirty or possibly damaged due to the filter not being able to be replaced since it is blocked by the gas service line (see picture). In the picture, the filter isn't partially pulled out either, it's all the way inserted, just totally the wrong size. I'm no plumber but I'm not sure why anyone would think this is a suitable design. Can't imagine how dirty the internals are because it's been like this at least a year since I moved in. White paint spatter all over nearly every hard surface. I assume this is from from refurbishing after a tenant moves out. But there is white paint spatter on faucet knobs, cabinet handles, door handles, and even the microwave and refrigerator where there isn't even anything painted white withing a reasonable distance to be able to cause paint spatter. Almost as if David Copperfield manifested a giant cloud of white paint and slung it around everywhere. No sound insulation. You can hear conversations from your neighbors, even if they're outside, but especially in the bathroom which is the last place you'd want someone to overhear your conversations. (To my downstairs neighbor: sorry for your relationship troubles. You deserve better. I like your taste in music, though!) And I-71 is 100 yards from the building I'm in. I've lived by the interstate before, but this particular section happens to cause nearly every semi truck to use its Jake brake. And apparently it takes the landscaping crew with the loudest leafblowers ever invented a full 8 hours every Thursday directly outside my bedroom window to keep the lawn neatly manicured. Oh, and apparently the maintenance shed is across the street, as the sound of a circular saw and materials being banged around are common. Wouldn't be so bad if there were sound insulation, but there isn't. A bunch of small maintenance things that add up to a big disappointment for a $1,500/mo 2 bedroom unit. Both bathroom tub faucets drip, and have since I moved in. The toilet in bathroom 2 is slow, even had maintenance out to look at it. Their solution was to shorten the handle chain, but that didn't really help. The alarm system is useless and tells me the kitchen window is open, but it's painted shut so no way it's open. None of the surfaces that should be level (floors, counters, fireplace hearth, etc.) are level, which makes picture hanging a fun exercise. Again, piddly things, but added together they make me wonder why it's worth $1,500/mo.

I will be submitting my move-out notice...

This is a great place to live. The property is divided into Phase 1 and Phase 2 units. For me, part of its greatest appeal is being located in the middle of a quiet, residential neighborhood, rather than an industrial setting, while also being convenient to shopping and Interstate travel.

The property is beautifully maintained, and the staff is excellent. I have found them to be responsive and hospitable, and always professional in presentation and conduct. If it's okay to mention names, Hayley and the rest of the Overlook team have been superb, and all have contributed greatly to my living experience.

I've only had very minor service requests, (e.g., replace sink washers, baseboard repair, remove broken light bulbs from porch light), but all have been addressed and resolved within 24-48 hours of my initial contact, and the staff has always followed up, which is a great plus for customer service. I also like that there is a diverse population of residents in ages, ethnicities, and family size. People are friendly, traffic is minimal, and I feel safe here. It is a pet-friendly community, but there may be some size/breed restrictions. Unlike some others, I have never had a problem with parking, but this property is large, so it may more heavily populated in some areas than others.

I actually chose to live here long before I chose a job, and I have not been disappointed. The rent is a little pricier than other options, but it's not a deal-breaker. I currently live in a townhouse unit, with a garage, a unit for which I chose to be wait-listed. I believe that the fact that the townhouses are rarely vacated is a testament to the property's overall appeal, as well as its management. I can only hope that they will soon have a Phase 3 of units, with more townhouses and attached garages.

The only cons I have are the lack of a dedicated receptacle for outgoing mail (but you may leave it at the leasing office, as a courtesy), the lack of ceiling lighting in some of the bedrooms, and that the nicely-appointed clubhouse is not available after business hours, and is unavailable for reservation for private functions. It would also be nice if the thermostat was digital, so that I could control the heating/air conditioning more easily. And a square foot or so more space in the stand-up shower would be more comfortable.

Beyond the control of staff is that some residents are not as considerate with cleaning up after their pets (although plenty of places to discard pet waste are available around this large property), and some residents, despite clear signs prohibiting it, will occasionally leave boxes or other unauthorized trash (e.g., lamps, furniture) outside the trash compactor. I believe they may be fined, if caught, but I'm sure it's difficult to catch up with the culprits.

Overall, I love it here, and I would recommend this...

Tale of two experiences....

The Good - Some very nice neighbors at first, clean grounds and nice amenities. It also seemed safe for two young children.

The Bad - Boy did that change over the course of a year. All of a sudden apparently the standards / requirements for tenancy changed. There was a noticeable shift in who lived there and along with it came major issues. Constant trash on the ground. Loud partying in the clubhouse parking lot till very late (right near my unit). The two trash compacting dumpsters were soon overwhelmed or completely disregarded -- trash was never put in them the dumpster instead piled up outside of it. Including full size sofas, etc. Almost constant weed smoking in the public areas and on the sidewalks --- not very cool when you have 2 kinds under 10 trying to ride their bikes around, etc and then start asking what is that smell what is that guy smoking, etc. NONE of this stuff was addressed outside of some random emails saying to "not stay late in the parking lot". The pool became a disaster area over the summer with glass bottles poolside, a used bandaid in the pool and small babies in the pool with no swim diapers, etc. It was gross.

Beware when the real gotchas start to shine through like 300$ per month uptick in rent because I went month to month while trying to find a new place to live and didn't want to sign another lease. The mandatory 60 day evacuation notice meant I got to pay full rent +300 a month while the unit was vacant for 6 weeks.

Think these are just personal gripes? NOPE. I had two different neighbors ask me if I had noticed the changes and how dirty everything had gotten. Another tried to warn several of us of how they were price gouged when leaving, etc.

Not...