Old Farm Shores Apartments

OHHS

Resident • 2000 - 2013

I have called old farm shore home for 15 years. I have lived in several apartments on the property & I have always favored the pond view. Recently I was hospitalized the staff took the time to send me a nice get well card. Once home I began the long process of applying for federal & state disability. the staff was very understanding at first but that soon changed. I frantically scrambled to get assistance anywhere & from anybody I could. However as time was getting close to the long awaited disability payments. I informed the staff I would be getting a payment from the state to cover past due rent and future rent was already In the making. ----- informed me her bank told her it would take 3/5 business days to get the funds from state check ( which was NOT true cause i was able to get funds off that check immediately) However I guess staff thought I was just blowing smoke because I was told I would have to leave by 1pm as the sheriff would be there. But as luck would have it I got the state issued check 2 minutes before the sheriff arrived, I was still asked to leave the place I've called home for 15 years. My family was told this was common practice for me to be this late. ( which was also NOT true) I mean everyone has trouble sometimes..... Right? As devastated as I was, I tearfully left to the world of homelessness only looking back on old farm shore as a beautiful place & a fun maintenance staff (----- your the best) :) good bye old farm :)I will miss the pond view :( I would, have & will continue to recommend old farm........

Current Resident 507566

Resident • 2011 - 2012

I moved here and loved the space and my monthly bills were low and the view was great. The staff made everything seem awful after 6 months in. I had been hospitalized for 3 months and bc of the head injury and seizures I had when I feel I was unable to drive so I lived at my parents. I continued to pay rent on time but never went to the apartment. When I returned I found 3 different letters from the staff. 1. saying my dog was peeing on the porch and I had to pay $50. If the issue was not fixed or didn't respond in 24 hours I owed $100 on top of that. 2. Saying that the blinds in my front window were broken and I needed to pay $40 for the damages. 3. That I needed to pay $50 in fines for the cigarette butts I threw on the ground in front of the people porch below me (mind you in was the spring and all the water and snow dragged all the butts on one edge of the lake to one areas which happen to be In front of me porch). I called and explained my situation to the staff. They simply replied that since I was late paying these fines I know owed over $300!!! Issue similar to this arose many more times. The staff are awful and rude people. They have no sense of customer service or common sense. I highly recommend that you never live here. On top of all of this when I lived there the following happened: cleaned the gutters but left all the debris on my porch for me to clean, car was broken into, and there was a shooting in the parking lot in front of my place. Not safe and inconsiderate staff all around.

Current Resident 795050

Resident • 2011 - 2012

I moved in here in November of 2011 after much looking on the recommendation of a co-worker and have been pretty happy with the place. One time my furnace had to be repaired and they came the day I called and fixed it no problem. I have only had one walk through inspection done since I have moved in and they gave me plenty of notice (I think it is a yearly deal). Alicia up at the main office is awesome, really helped me out when I moved in. Overall a pretty positive experience here. It's a nice location, set back in a residential are with ponds and lots of ducks and geese, plus you can fish the ponds if you like (catch and release only). Neighbors have been pretty good, I see lots of people walking dogs, bike path right up the road too. I have called for simple things like lights out in the hallway and they came right out and fixed them. The only bad thing I have to say is that the gas bills are higher than I would like. I have a small 1 bedroom and this past winter I would average between $75-$85 per month. But other than that absolutely no complaints. There is laundry available here, but I have a washer and a dryer in my apartment for a small fee so I never use the general facilities. Or they let you bring your own if they will fit. Swimming pool is nice, not really heated though. Great clubhouse, carports are extra, storage is available (not sure if it comes with the apartment or if there is a fee), dishwasher works great, fridge is so-so, nice gas range. You can paint yur apartment too if you like, you just need to reprime it when you move out. The only reason I will be moving out in November is because I want to find a two bedroom in my kids school district so I can have them over more during the school year. Otherwise I would stay here no problem.

lamothece

Resident • 2007 - 2011

Favorite apartment complex to date!

My husband and I have lived in at least 5 other rental places, and this is easily our favorite. We just moved out of our 2-bedroom at the end of our second year-lease (and he had been there for 1-2 years before that in a studio), but not for any reason greater than money and convenience to GVSU; we're on a tight budget right now and we found a way to share another home with roomies that s close to the campus, so. I m still bringing the OFS office a cake to say goodbye! PROS: * Inexpensive, especially for the value. * Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful grounds. Having a balcony over a pond rippling with two fountains that light up at night was wonderful, and the fish/birds/otters are fun to watch it looked like people had fun fishing, too. We even saw some fishing herons! Just remember not to feed the birds. * The two-bedroom apartment was more than enough for us with lots of closet space, a great big sunken living room with a gorgeous full-wall window over the pond, and a cute little kitchen. Carpets, cabinets, walls, and windows all clean and bright and lovely when we moved in, and easy to maintain. Appliances like stove & fridge in great condition and functioning perfectly. * Thick walls! We almost never heard our neighbors unless they were in the stairwell or being really noisy right outside the windows. * Pet friendly! Most of our neighbors had dogs, but we had 1 older, indoors-only kitty and she loved it there. Some neighbors also had outdoor cats. Pet rent & deposit are very reasonable, and significantly lower here than other places. * Get a carport. We LOVED our carports. The weather hardly bothered us at all. Ample parking space if you don't have a carport, though (which we didn t at first). * Excellent washer/dryers in the building right next to us! I only wish that we d made a point of choosing a building with a washer/dryer room in it, or paying a little more for one of the apartments that had them installed inside. * NO BUGS in the 2nd floor apartments (unless you left your balcony window and your screen door open). That was extremely important to me. * They have a yearly garage sale, nice little holiday events in the clubhouse, and a nice pool and tennis courts that I, um... always meant to use. * Friendly and courteous staff, and quick-response maintenance people. * Good website - it let me see all of my bills, payments, etc. I only wish that the fee for paying online wasn t so high, but I ll bet that s the same everywhere. CONS: * I was most concerned with the neighborhood, but even that I'd rate at least a 2.5/5. It's not horrible, and most of the people in the complex seem very nice. It's just the bad apples that worry me. I agree with other reviews that the parking area should be better-lit at night for safety. Unfortunately, when we didn't have carports, someone stole my husband's tires on Christmas Eve. Police cars aren't an uncommon sight because of neighbors smoking pot. I never felt unsafe in my apartment, though, or walking around in daylight. I just wouldn t go for a 3 a.m. stroll. * Second problem was distance from the city and the freeways. I was 20 minutes from both of my downtown jobs, 20 minutes from my favorite nightclub, 10-15 minutes from a Meijer or my favorite stores/restaurants (on 28th Street or near Celebration South), etc. And my family was all on the NE side, so 35 minutes from them. But there was a Family Fare, a Walgreens, a Wendy s, a Family Dollar, a Great Clips, a car repair shop, and a Speedway all within 5-10 minutes. * Our bathtub faucet was always dripping. They fixed it temporarily (made it drip less for a while) but then it got bad again. At that time, they had warned us that in order to fix it completely, they would have to replace plumbing, which meant ripping up a wall, so we opted for the less disruptive, temporary fix. When it got bad again, we were moving anyway, we figured that we d just let them mangle the wall once no one was living there. ---Please note that the rent below is an approximation. I didn't usually pay the rent bills, so I only know "about" what we were paying with our year-lease for the 2-bedroom apartment without a washer/dryer inside.

contentfornow11

Resident • 2010 - 2011

Good and bad points

I am going on two years at this complex and have had good and bad experiences. POSITIVES: The grounds are lovely and the fountains are great in the summer. My unit has had almost no maintenance issues and most of my neighbors are great. I have had numerous interactions with the management staff and have always found them to be competent and helpful. I like the online system for paying rent and submitting maintenance requests and have no issues with parking. I love the occasional events they host at the clubhouse and especially appreciate the free gym membership to Endurance Fitness. NEGATIVES: In one of the neighboring apartments, the tenants are constantly smoking pot, shouting, and leaving trash all over the parking lot and in the building. I have called the police and spoken to management more times than I can count, and the problem has improved somewhat, although the residents have not yet been evicted. I'm disappointed in the amount of trash and pet feces around the complex in general that people are too lazy to pick up as I always clean up after my dog. I would REALLY like to see them put in additional nighttime lighting -- it's very poorly lit in the parking lots. It seems like the surrounding neighborhood is going downhill, so while there are some great neighbors, there are also some terrible ones! I don't think I'd feel safe in the area if I didn't have these nice neighbors and my guard dog.

Current Resident 3259

Resident • 2010 - 2011

DON'T LIVE HERE!!!!!!!

THIS PLACE IS AWFUL!!! It is pretty on the inside and all but in the 8 months I have lived there i have gotten my car broken into, my door kicked down, and some kid was just shot outside my apartment last week! Not to mention they try to screw you over on charges anyway that they can. They accused me of having a broken blind and was going to charge me $40.00. And when they gave me notice I had about 5 hours to reply or it was automatically going to be put on my account. They then checked again and realized it wasn't broken and whoever worked there saw it from the street was wrong when they said it was broken. I am so sick of living here and can not wait to get out. The rent is too much, the people working there are money grubbers, and it is NOT SAFE!!!! I have about 20 other things I could complain about but I think I got my point across. :)

Current Resident 100971

Resident • 2007 - 2010

NEVER MOVE HERE....

I was living at Old Farm Shores for almost 3 years. I re-signed my lease 3 times, also. I dont even know why I was so stupid to ever re-sign it to begin with. When I first moved in, I was given a checklist to go through while I walked my apartment. I had several things on there, but the most important thing I wanted fixed was my buzzer to let me know people were at my door. It took the mait. staff 6 months to even fix it..and that was with me calling once every couple weeks. I had water damage that ruined a lot of my stuff...and that even took them DAYS to come look at. The staff there are unorganized and unprofessional. Margaret and Leigh are possibly the worst people there to talk to. They treat you like crap and dont care about anything that you seem to be concerened about. I decided in August of 2010 to just leave my apartment without telling them. Which, probably wasnt my best move.. but a new tendant with an annoying dog moved down the hall. I work 1st and 2nd shift, and anytime I was home, I could never sleep because the dog constantly barked. I was also paying 516.00 a month for a STUDIO apartment that was tiny... and only had one window- which was the balcony.. tottaly not worth the money. When I did just move out, they harassed me by phone... then told me I would have to pay over 500 to even be set up on a payment plan to pay off the balance.. So then, I waited until it was sent to collections, and found a way to pay off all my fees. I am just happy Im not associated with them ANYMORE....

Wayne-Nancy

Resident • 1998 - 2011

Living at Old Farm Shores Apartments

We found Leigh and her staff to be professional in their demeanor as well as assisting us in any questions put before them. The maintainess staff, Brent and Steve are outstanding and beyond reproach. We cannot praise them enough. The 2011 blizzard, the snow plowing service was the best ever. Brent and another employee stopped as we were shoveling and immediately joined in to help us shovel our cars out. The grounds in the summmer are profeesionally maintained. Sitting out in the summer on your deck and hearing the waterfall and admiring the landscape is peaceful and serene. There are various activities held throughout the year at the clubhouse including a summer pool party. There is a newsletter that is very informative. In additiuon, Leigh started a Neighborhood Watch Program with the Kentwood Police that all residents may participate in if they so desire. We are very pleased and happy to live here and would recommend it to anyone. Wayne and Nancy

Current Resident 79761

Resident • 2009 - 2010

Don't move here!

My boyfriend and I moved in here Nov '09. Everything (apartments inside and outside, office staff, and maintenance) was nice at first. Our slider was hard to open and we told maintenance and they never came to fix it. Then after living here for a couple months, there were random charges on our account like an electricity bill through the company (even though we had Consumers Energy in MY name) and water damage - in the living room, kitchen, and bathroom (and no one came to look at it). Not only is the rent high, but you have to pay the utilities. My name and my boyfriend's name are BOTH on the lease, but they send all the bills and notices to me, they never even talked to my boyfriend at all. The office seems really unorganized and unprofessional... I would go talk to someone in the office and the girl up front seemed to always be on her cell phone or on her Facebook. There were several break-in incidents while we lived here. My neighbor knocked on our door and said his apartment was broken into and the office told him to call the cops and wouldn't anything about it. Trust me... the list goes on, but DON'T MOVE HERE! You'll regret it fast!

dlm1026

Prospect • Visited 2010

Don't bother if you have bad credit. Pursuing legal action for refund for hold.

I was all set to move in until they ran my credit. I was then told that I would have to pay off at least 1 and then-3 minutes later, 2 of my past unpaid balances(one of which, I highly dispute). I was also told this is a very common occurrence for "our" new tenants. This leads me to believe that whatever corporation owns this place is taking kick backs from collection agents. Old Farm Shores didn't even bother to verify my employment or past rental history? Even with a cosigner and offering to pay the entire 5 month lease up front, I was still denied. To top it off, I still have not received the refund of the $500 I put down to hold the apartment. The management claims that they somehow don't have my address- even though, I have yet to move anywhere. I am currently pursuing legal action.

christinak2010

Resident • 2010

TWO THUMBS UP!

I LOVE THIS PLACE! First and foremost from day one I have had an awesome experience with this community. The staff in the office was so welcoming, very understanding and helpful, knowledgeable and I was always treated in the best way possible! I would absolutely recommend Old Farm Shores to my friends and family; and have! The condition of my apartment when I came in for the first time was very clean and very welcoming, even being empty! Best of all is LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION and the nice and relaxing view I have right from my living room! As the saying... "Your home is a reflection of who you are" This is no exception. This community if a reflection of the office and maintenance staff that are running it. JOB WELL DONE!

Current Resident 250195

Resident • 2010

NEVER MOVE IN HERE

I LIVE HERE NOW, AND I HATE IT. I CAN'T WAIT TELL MY LEASE IS UP. MY CAR HAS BEEN BROKEN INTO TWICE, AND NOW MANAGMENT JUST SENT LETTERS TO EVERYONE SAYING 'APARTMENTS ARE GETTING BROKEN INTO WHEN RESIDENTS ARE AT WORK!'SENT 8/23/2010 WTF. I DON'T FEEL SAFE HERE. ONE MORE THING IF YOU MOVE IN HERE WITH A BOYFRIEND OR GIRLFRIEND AND IF YOU BREAK UPAND YOU BOTH ARE ON THE LEASE THERE IS NO GETTING OFF IT. EVEN IF ONE PERSON INCOME QUALIFIES WITHOUT THE OTHER. I'M A LEASING AGENT AND I KNOW THAT IT IS LEGAL TO LET SOMEONE OUT OF THERE LEASE IF THE OTHER PERSON INCOME QUALIFIES JUST FINE, BUT THE MANAGMENT AND LEASING STAFF AT OLD FARM SHORES IS STUPID AND LAZY, AND TREAT YOU LIKE A PAIN IN THERE --- WHEN YOU NEED SOMETHING.

pattymcdorp

Resident • 2000 - 2010

I have ENJOYED the 10 years I have spent at Old Farm Shores!

First let me assure you that I DO NOT work for Old Farm Shores or their parent company! In the period of time that we have been here we have enjoyed ourselves and have many friends and neighbors that feel the same. Not to say that we have not complained about things from time to time and taken those complaints to the office. However we have always been treated courteously and have been able to get our concerns resolved. The office and maintenance staff have always been friendly and helpful to us! Indeed the surrounding neighborhood has changed in the last 10 years but that is hardly a fault of Old Farm Shores. For us Old Farm Shores has been what we had hoped for.

Current Resident 440750

Resident • 2009 - 2010

have lived in many apartments and this is the worst

management here stinks and is very rude and unprofessional. if you really want to sign a lease here and find out for yourself, then don't say we didn't warn you. I can't wait til my lease ends so I can get out of here.

Current Resident 910739

Resident • 2010

Leigh/ Regional Manager has bad Customer Service skills.

No regional manager should have bad customer skills. I just moved from there and it was ok. It was a downgrade for me. I thought it was nice until I moved in. The hallways were awful and smelled awful. Leigh is on some kind of high horse because she is the regional. She needs to realize that, that doesn't make her "above everyone". Her customer service skills alone is going to decrease Old Farm Shores tenants.

Current Resident 630801

Resident • 2006 - 2010

I lived at Old Farm Shores for four years, and while there were some positive aspects to it, most of it was negative on the whole. Dial Properties buying of the complex was nothing short of a disaster, as management was changed to the current group. Manager Leigh Bassler seems like a nice person until you have something that needs to be done with your apartment. Then you have to beg. Well not really, but it's rare that multiple calls weren't needed even for the simplest of problems. The maintenence guys, who seemed to be the only men employed by the complex, were nice enough, but they would leave work unfinished quite frequently, and you would have to call the office to get them back. The women working the front desk were pleasant to deal with, but they rarely knew the answer to any reasonable question. Parking was fine, I suppose, though like with all apartment complexes the carports were overpriced. Lighting was an issue in places, and I would not have wanted to be a younger woman living there, but if you kept regular hours it wasn't a problem. The neighborhood was okay, but it was going downhill even before I moved in. The pet fees are insane, $300 in just deposits, meaning that you had better really want a pet to live in Old Farm Shores. But it all comes down to the people you have to deal with, and I had to deal with the office far too much for my sanity. So I moved, and have been very happy in my new complex.......which shall not be named, as I still want/need to use OFS as a reference and don't want them to read this and start knocking me. I can't recommend Old Farm Shores to anyone who isn't desperate, and can't get in anywhere else. The buildings are shoddy, the management unresponsive, and the neighborhood becoming more rundown by the year. Not a good place to go, sorry.

Current Resident 615365

Resident • 2008 - 2009

Disappointing experience for relocated professional...

Unit not clean on move-in date. Had to reschedule move a full week later to accommodate the office cleaning and painting the unit. (still had to pay rent for their cleaning week). After cleaning we found that no one had cleaned out the lint filter of dryer in years and we found a human tooth in addition to other unsanitary items in the bottom of the dishwasher which I promptly gave to the office in a sealed bag after I called them without response. We had to replace all the handles on all the closets and doors (we were not reimbursed). We had to re-clean the unit prior to our second scheduled move-in because it was still not sanitary enough to move our belongings inside. Beware of lease; pet deposit versus pet fee. We were specifically told we were paying $300 pet deposit (which is what is written on the copy of my canceled check) when in fact we were being charged a $300 non-refundable pet fee in addition to the monthly pet fees that are charged. At one point I hired an attorney to deal with their office in regards to the excessive partying and noise from neighbors. I did have to call the police due to a woman (we are assuming she was intoxicated or on a foreign substance) trying to break into my apartment at 4 am one weekend. The police only showed up one time of the two times I called them. The other call was due to the toxic & excessive smoke from an unknown substance coming from neighbors unit. Said smoke caused a dark and thick black mold to form on my bathroom walls. When I requested the bathroom fan be repaired or replaced to correct the smoke coming in; the maintenance person told me there was nothing he could do and that all the apartments "have that kind of mold" and that the "mold in my apartment was not as bad as others he had seen". He did not treat the area nor did he paint over it. Nor did they disclose to me that my unit had this mold previously. Lease indicates two parking spaces however I was never accommodated more than one parking space during the year I was a resident. The grounds around the pet buildings have excessive pet fecal matter due to residents who are not required to clean up after their pets. Strong urine smell both in the common area and around the entry door. Outdoor lighting was non-existent at times to poor. Overall I felt very misled about the quality of life at Old Farm Shores.

Current Resident 749835

Resident • 2007 - 2009

MY LANDLORD ROBBED ME

I recently moved out of my apartment, and I did everything right; I gave a 30 day notice and paid my final month's rent. I scrubbed down my floors, the bathroom, and kitchen appliances to make sure everything was squeaky clean so I would get my deposit back. (I didn't renew my lease for the same reasons everyone else complains about: they had jacked up my rent and the staff is very rude and unprofessional) They only gave me half of my security deposit back, and they charged me cleaning fees for pretty much everything. They even listed a cleaning fee for windows that I don't have and accused my cat of having fleas, it's as if they inspected the wrong apartment. The whole thing made me feel so outraged, I don't even know what to say. I am a very clean person, and my cat is 13 years old and has never had a single flea. She doesn't even go outside and has lived in apartments her whole life. This is the first time in the half a dozen apartment complexes I've ever lived in that I was robbed my security deposit. They even charged me close to $20 for moving out a day early. EARLY. I turned in my keys one day early so they turned around and charged me for it... not to mention I had paid my full month's rent, so technically, I should be getting a pro-rated refund. I paid for the last day of the month twice just for dropping my keys off the night before my lease was up. Don't move into this place, it will be nothing but grief. I found a huge one bedroom apartment in Heritage Hill for the same price as a studio, I would highly recommend it. Or, move to Regency Park which is near Breton and 28th, I've had good experience there. Or, try Pine Ridge in Walker, the staff is very professional! :)

Current Resident 573660

Resident • 2009

Overpriced... and water damage

The office staff was friendly, but the maintenance and leigh the office manager is awful. the first time it rained our ceiling in the bedroom leaked (across the whole width of the ceiling) and water was also coming in the utility (laundry room) it was dripping through an electrical switch. so we called maintenance to have them fix it, they said they searched the roof and they didnt find anything, it rained again and the same thing happened, they said they caulked the roofing and water shouldnt get in there any more, leigh came into look at it, and said "well it is a utility room so it's not high priority, but i'll have the painter come in, and replace that part of the wall, and paint it", she also gave a $20 dollar gift card for the inconvenience.i always had to call twice about maintenance coming out b/c they would forget so after a while i gave up and said whatever. but in the end the bedroom stopped leaking and the water in the laundry room still came through the light switch. and if we wanted to renew our lease we would go from paying 624 to 709 for a one bedroom.

Current Resident 776214

Resident • 2009

Problems from day one...

Don't live here.not worth the money.

Current Resident 306779

Resident • 2010

Beautiful place

Dear Old Farm Shores, I just wanted to thank you for making this such a beautiful place to live. We love it and let everyone know how great it is. I also wanted to let you know how wonderful your maintenance is. When they came (oct.26) to check on things, he asked if there was anything else he could do. I said everything was fine but our slider door was a little hard to open and close. In no time he WD40'd it and now I feel like we have a new door. All those guys are really great. Thank you, R.M.

brennsvette

Resident • 2007 - 2009

Unimpressed

Moved into the apartments because we got a good deal but after our lease was up they jacked the prices to renew. Most of the staff is pretty friendly to deal with but the manager is unprofessional, rude, and less than willing to help the tenants. I would strongly recommend against choosing Old Farm Shores based on the management alone. Plenty of other choices out there.

Current Resident 326307

Resident • 2007 - 2009

NOT RECOMMENDED

I strongly agree with the other reviews from people who have lived here for more than a year. I moved here because it seemed like a nice and safe place for a reasonable price. I was very wrong. After my year was up, my renewal had gone up more than a hundred dollars a month with the excuse that the market value had gone up more than two hundred a month so they were being "generous" to keep a good resident like me. I couldn't afford to stay! I had to downsize to a studio apartment, such a headache and pain. I'm paying over $500 for a studio. They are advertising them online right now as low as $409. That's just the inflated price. I haven't started talking about the staff and the location. The staff girls are incompetent. People also get their cars broken into regularly. Please spare yourself from being tempted by this place. It looks nice at first with its beautiful landscaping, but it is not worth the price.

Current Resident 587387

Resident • 2006 - 2009

The longer you live here the more you pay

I have had a nice experience with the quality of my apartment. However, I have lived here for a little more than 2 years and my rent has gone up $250 since my first lease(not exagerating that is the exact amount)and I have not change my apartment unit. I am a perfect resident never late on rent and keep things in perfect repair. It is embarassing to say that I could have been taken so badly. When I tell people how much I pay for a one bedroom they are shocked. I was told it was inflation. Even though the housing market here is a buyers market. I will be moving when my lease is up. I guess if your a person that is good at negotiating your rent not skyrocketing or only want to stay for one year, it might work out for you.

Current Resident 599845

Resident • 2008

terrible

-Margaret and Brent are wonderful (if they haven't found new jobs yet). -Leigh is very rude. She acts like she is too busy to talk to customers that need help. When waiting to speak with her, we could hear her talking to the other girls in the back about not wanting to talk to us. She is very unprofessional and unfair. -The prices change often, so be careful. I found out that the longer you live here, the more you pay. That is understandable, if based on the rate of inflation. 10%-20% increase after one year is ridiculous. -The apartments look very old and many repairs are needed. -The crime rate is very high here and I was scared living here. I found out after moving in that they accept section 8 here, which explains all the children wandering around after school. They peek in windows and steal things from patios when people aren't home.