The Cotton District — Local services in Starkville

You get what you pay for - I would like to preface by saying I loved my unit in The Cotton District. The architecture is nice to look at, and the apartments had a very home-y feel to them. My problem comes from the upkeep (or lack thereof) of the units themselves. While maintenance was typically quick to respond to issues, they tended to provide 'band-aid' solutions, which is apparent the more time you spend in most of their properties. The buildings are generally not maintained in a way that will increase or improve their longevity, but rather to put off having to fix costly problems. My unit had six french doors across the front of the house, as well as windows on every wall. Whenever a storm would roll through, which was often, everything would leak. Windows, doors, water running out of baseboards and electrical outlets. At one point during a storm, water streamed from the baseboards in my living room and flooded it, soaking the bottom of all my furniture. Leaving towels down at all windows and doors was necessary anytime it rained. The wall in my unit was so water damaged, you could feel the moisture in the drywall and it was soft. Rather than find and repair the problem of the leak, they brought in fans to dry the wall, I was left on my own to fix the leaks. None of the doors in my unit had weather seals on them, despite requesting multiple times, as water, heat, and bugs are able to freely crawl through them. The french doors had cracks in the wood so large light was coming through, which had to be taped shut, as they would not replace the damaged doors. The lack of seals on the doors would lead to utility bills no lower than $180 for an 800 sqft unit, and up to $354 during the warmer months. Upon move out, I realized how bad the moisture problems had become when removing photos on my walls and renter-friendly wallpaper, essentially a large sticker with weak adhesive. The walls where my photos hung harbored excessive amounts of mold, and the wall behind the wallpaper was so water damaged, the dry wall began to peel, which would not have happened had the building been properly sealed and maintained so that water intrusion did not happen in the first place. I immediately notified office staff, and was reassured it would not be deducted from my security deposit, even though it was. Keep in mind, you are at their mercy upon move out - per owner's wife who works in the office, the owner and his brother do much of the repair work, meaning they can essentially charge you what they want. They do not charge for repair costs over your security deposit, but still the principle. This place will nickel and dime you; do not worry about cleaning your unit at the end of your lease, as you are required to pay a $350 cleaning fee. You get what you pay for, good location and quaint apartments, but that is about all. Shoddily constructed and maintained. Make sure to get agreements or updates in writing, as the office will go back on what they say...

This area has great marketing through Facebook, Instagram, and Mississippi Public Broadcasting, but my experience was not the best. I paid the application fee to apply for the apartments in the area and scheduled a viewing, and as I am driving 3.5 hours there, I get a notice that my apartment showing is canceled. I called and got the rudest response on the phone when inquiring about viewing any of the available properties or just the area in general. They said I was making a last minute request (they canceled as I arrived in Starkville), but that they would try to accommodate. When I arrived, the staff member did not greet me and yelled at the coworker about going to show me a place. She did not talk about the area or provide much insight, and her tone was clipped. The apartments themselves had uneven gravel parking, and the inside was old and outdated. This is far from the walkable town I was sold online. As we went to leave, the "road" drops steeply in almost a step like fashion, and the underside of the car was scratched. The roads were also tight and took a long time to exit the neighborhood. I would not live here or...

I would love to give them 0 stars! They are having "cosmetic work" being done on my apartment building. During this "cosmetic work" they cut into the walls of my apartment from the outside. They left cuts in my wall that you can see the outside through, nails that came through my walls, and damaged a picture. I ended up getting cut by one of the nails and had to get a tetanus shot. They also caused cracks on the sides of my windows, which in turn leaked and left the floors flooded. I complained numerous times, showed them the pictures that were taken, and they just told me they aren't responsible and to just take it up with my renters insurance company. I ended up going to a lawyer, unfortunately because Mississippi is one of the most landlord friendliest states in the country they can basically get away with this. I would recommend you run as far away as you can from these people. These people are just awful and will cheat you!...