College Town on the River — Local services in West Columbia

NOTICE: With Current Owners and Old Owners. Will Continue to update Review until The situation is resolved. Do not waste your time with this company.

Updated Review: Even though the property is under new management, the problems below are listed as my experience with poor customer service and poor business practices that still need to be resolved. I have been communicating with the current owners regarding fees that showed up after the move-out, and it appears that they want old residents to pay for the "millions of dollars" spending plan to upgrade the property through damages fees with little to no reason or proof besides their own opinions. Each cost a very hefty amount listed in bullet points below: Carpet removal: 556.00 Cleaning the room (not the whole unit): 115.00 Painting: 115.00 College Town Communities charges these fees before the maintenance occurs. Most includes upgraded version, such as carpeting, even though the original carpet was in good condition. When trying to have a conversation to dispute the charges. The management repeats itself with no further backing to its claims. To get a feel for how they care for the feedback given by their customers, look at each negative response review (current and old) to see the mindless, copy-and-paste response to each critique. Keep my review in mind before making your decision. And I hope this helps you avoid the mistake I made living here. ( Will continue to update the review as the situation progresses).

Older Review with examples of poor management from both old and new owners: I have lived here for two years. The place is a scam, always looking to squeeze every ounce of money they can from you. First-year move-in, utilities were paid for. They changed halfway through the second year and started to back-charge all residents. I was paying 30 dollars for electricity in a 3-person room. Near the end, the over 100 for water and electricity plus the back charges. Another financial each year, they charge a service fee for landscaping care. However, the landscaping team is only at a bare minimum for the initial "move-in period" From there, the residents have to deal with consistent weeds, overgrown grass, and bushes. As well as pests. Then, when you initially sign on, the down payment (which costs two-month rent) goes to the final two months of your stay. Constantly, I had to call and remind them about this due to them charging me not only the rent that was paid but also late fees. Finally, the outrageous "move out damages" fees.

Maintenance was another consistent problem with this apartment complex. During our initial move-in, the I've machine was leaking, which caused a large block of ice to form within the freezer. The leak was resolved by removing the ice maker and shutting off the water supply; however, we were left without an icemaker for the rest of the 2-year stay. Another repeating problem was the Freon in the air conditioning unit that caused ice build-up on the ac unit. The ice will then burn up the ac unit if left or leak within the small closet and into the adjoining room. This causes both the closet and room to become saturated, followed by mold growth and a mildew smell. When brought to attention, the request was simply ignored. The freezing of the AC unit happened three times during my stay. Each time took a month to fix. Another problem was that an exterior wall leaked due to heavy rain. Upon filling the maintenance request, the maintenance person investigated and fixed the leak by painting over it.

Parking is another major issue, as few parking slots are needed for the number of residents. If you pull into the parking lot around 5 pm to late at night, other residents or guests already fill the resident parking. Thus causing you to park farther down near the end of the apartment complex to find...

These apartments aren't completely horrible, but from my experience I can definitely say the cons far outweigh the pros. I've had problems with this place from the beginning. When I moved in, I noticed that my bedroom did not have a desk even though it is promised that each bedroom does. Instead there was simply a table in place of where the desk should be. When I approached a staff member of the situation I was told that they were out of desks. Not only does that not take care of the situation whatsoever, it also demonstrates to me that they really could care less how they treat their tenants. Also, I did not receive a desk in my room until my dad personally stopped by the front office to give them what for about it. I feel that they don't respect students as much as they should. It shouldn't require a parent to step in for them to suddenly take action about situations like these.

Another huge issue is that even though you have a utility cap, it is pretty much a guarantee you will exceed it every month. If you actually plan to live here (do laundry, use dishwasher, etc...) expect a bill. Almost every person I met here got billed every month. If their apartments weren't so poorly insulated, this wouldn't be nearly as big of an issue.

Roaches are also a big problem. To be fair, this holds true for many apartments in Columbia. However, be warned that since you are right near the river, you will definitely encounter your fair share of them during the extremely humid months.

For those of you that are already stuck living here, I cannot stress enough how you need to take advantage of choosing to be there for the management walk-through when you move out. I advise this because who knows how much they will try to charge you if you decide not to do this. Also, I highly recommend that you document ALL damages and even take photos of things that are damaged when you move in as proof that you are not responsible for them. The day I moved out was not pleasant either. During the management walk-through, the guy inspecting my room wrote down that there was a hole in my wall when there was actually only a small amount of paint that had come off due to a command strip. Now I don't know about you, but I find a hole in a wall to be way different than a small amount of peeled paint. So of course I had to take time out of my day to yet again go down to the front office and voice my concern over how I felt the guy inspecting my room put a very misleading comment on the damage report.

Far and away the biggest complaint you will hear about this place is their lack of parking. Prior to moving in last year, I was told by someone who works there that they added more spaces. The truth is they really just repainted the lines to make the spaces incredibly narrow. The biggest joke of all is their lack of visitor spaces. It's practically impossible for you to find an open visitor spot during the evening and weekends. More than likely you will have to park at Riverside where they actually provide decent parking for visitors.

Now don't get me wrong, the apartments are nice, but nothing special. You can find the same standard furniture at almost any other apartment around here. They also do a great job of coordinating events to allow you to meet people that also live there. However, I know that other apartments do this as well.

In the grand scheme of things there will be pros and cons to all apartments, but no one should have to deal with as many cons as this place has. There is no way I would recommend...

Initially I thought I might give Garnet the benefit of the doubt and try not to be too harsh but after seeing others who are brutally honest, I decided to edit my review and lay it all out in the open...

For starters, don't live here unless money is no option and you don't mind paying for "damages" when you move out (even if none are present or you didn't incur them). I was charged for stains in my bathroom which where present when I moved in and which were noted on the move in form (which supposedly protects you from being charged for them...supposedly being the key word here). I spent a combined 10 hours over 3 days cleaning my apartment knowing they were were very particular about the details and yet I was still charged.

Don't be fooled by the nice amenities and the general maintenance of the exterior of the complex. Their rates are excessively high compared to most other apartments in town and you don't get anything special aside from a jacuzzi and Mac computer lab which I'm sure other apartments have as well.

Also know, management is EXTREMELY focused on the bottom line (aka the almighty $$$) - you will go over your electricity cap every single month. I went over my every month despite following their "energy saving" tips (keep air at 78 or higher in the summer, unplug electronics not in use, etc. etc.). I know many others who lived elsewhere that never had any issues despite using copious amounts of electricity every month.

My girlfriend had maintenance enter her apartment unannounced (either via email correspondence or even a knock) many times which can be pretty unsettling for any college aged female who wants privacy in her own home.

As noted by others, you will deal extensively with bugs. Roaches are everywhere and unless you have pest control entering your apartment every week or two (spraying who knows what), then be prepared to have them in your bedroom and kitchen. My roommate and I had pest control come every 2 weeks or so and yet I still dealt with the occasional cockroach crawling on me while I was sleeping.

Parking for visitors is an absolute joke. You won't find a visitor parking spot after 9pm anywhere in the complex and if you live in the first 5 or 6 buildings, you're going to have a tough time finding a parking spot anywhere close to your building for yourself.

The move out process was not efficient or well thought out. Move out packets weren't sent out and residents weren't informed of any of the corresponding details. The final day for move out (July 31st) was a Sunday and they weren't allowing walk throughs with management past Thursday. I had to work through Friday at 5pm and was told I was "just out of luck". Thanks for the quality customer service GRW, it's clear you definitely care about your...