MacLaren Hill

Current Resident 1413240

Verified Resident • 2017 - 2026

The staff is very nice and helpful, I like my apartment except in the winter it is breezy so sometimes it is chilly. Since they are older it needs to be updated, which will probably happen once I move but I would like some adjustments I still like living here.

Current Resident 1379926

Verified Resident • 2025

My unit is awesome and the amount of utilities that are included with the rent is great. The rent is also very competitive for what you could get for the same price at other apartments in this area. The complex is quiet and safe. I love the neighborhood as well. Management leaves a lot to be desired though. Replies to any email/call take way too long and usually only gets a timely reply if you send a follow up. Just moved in several months ago, my application took bout 6 weeks to be reviewed with no clear reason why it was taking that long. Any "routine" maitenence request I put in takes a month to be done. And that was for several requests put in as soon as I moved in for things that should have been obvious/taken care of before I moved in. Communication from staff is quite lacking.

Current Resident 1364326

Verified Resident • 2020 - 2025

Great neighborhood and good staff. Like the easy payment/maintenance system. Very little lighting in the units themselves. Hate the heating/cooling system in the building, it's incredibly outdated and not useful as you can't set a temperature.

Current Resident 1358321

Verified Resident • 2015 - 2025

I have been here for ten years now after moving out of my house. In this time I have found residents quiet and respectful. As a single older adult I feel very safe here. Over the years management and maintenance workers have changed but they have always been responsive, friendly and helpful. It has been a good home for me.

Current Resident 1355368

Verified Resident • 2005 - 2025

The complex is well maintained and any repairs that are needed are done quickly. New windows were installed almost three years ago and are very nice. There is a nice walking path in the back of the building and the complex is very close to a beautiful city park.

Current Resident 1344201

Verified Resident • 2025

Enjoyed living here so far, save for some very noisy neighbors with their kids next door. And, of garbage issues (neighbors, again, not the staff) -- jamming the trash chute, leaving their garbage out (which causes the hall to smell), not returning shopping carts to the basement, etc. Other community members have been great -- friendly, mindful of noise in common hallways. One other annoyance is the transfer of trash and recycling bins early in the morning. I'm getting used to it, but it is tough at first.

Current Resident 1339524

Verified Resident • 2017 - 2025

The location is ideal if you like being "20 minutes" from most places. The neighborhood is pretty quiet except for the train and after a little while you don't even notice that. The units could definitely use updating.

Current Resident 1270746

Verified Resident • 2024 - 2025

I love the inside of my apartment! It is the perfect layout for me. I do wish there were nicer Dog walking options around the property as I spend a lot of time walking my dog through parking lots. The staff is super helpful when I have questions of maintenance issues and do a good job of making the property look nice.

Current Resident 1261318

Verified Resident • 2024 - 2025

I love it here. It's quiet, everything I need is conveniently located for easy access. If I need any maintenance Jr. takes care of quickly. I order from Amazon alot do having the Luxar mailboxes in the building and the washer and dryer in the apartment is really nice.

Current Resident 1324283

Verified Resident • 2024 - 2025

I absolutely love my apartment and the staff here. I doubt I would ever move. They are kind efficient and really provide service I depend on. It is great to have people who see me as a person and who fix any issues I have. From backed up toilets to burned out lights to stupid questions I have they are there.

Current Resident 1314198

Verified Resident • 2023 - 2025

I really love the Bigos team that manages MacLaren Hill. They reach out a reasonable amount and call to follow up on maintenance requests that I've filled out, to provide an updated timeline or to ask if the issue has been resolved satisfactorily. It's calm and quiet here, which is what I love about it.

Current Resident 1305789

Verified Resident • 2022 - 2024

Easy living, no amenities but for the price that's fine. Neighborhood is quiet no crime. Leasing staff does need reminders from time to time. There have also been a couple times where I have been accused of misbehaving and they have no bothered to hear my side of the story before writing me a letter and threatening with a lease a violation. Other than that the space you get with the security and at the price you pay is seriously unbeatable.

Current Resident 1254525

Verified Resident • 2023 - 2024

Great Mangement team! They awesome. They super nice and respectful. And we got a parking close to our apt/ unit. Good and quiet apartment building. Nice tenants. Everyone minds their own business. A great place to stay.

Current Resident 1223646

Verified Resident • 2023 - 2024

Apartment building is clean. The building is relatively quiet, although you can hear people in the hallway and other apartments. Apartments have all the modcons you could ask for, and the underground parking is a treat.

Current Resident 821866

Resident • 2018 - 2020

This is an apartment complex that wants to think it is a luxury community but it is definitely not. Our unit has not been renovated for at least 10 years and if it has been done more recently they did a terrible job. All windows and the patio door leak air terribly so plastic on the windows/patio door are a must in the winter. The common areas of the building were "renovated" this past summer, which was really nothing more than a coat of paint and some cheap carpet tiles but that apparently warranted a $150 a month increase in my rent.There is still painters tape in spots on the walls and hallway outlets are missing covers. The main building entrance doesn't stay latched shut most of the time basically rendering it useless for security and even if it did, the security door from the garage into the building is always stuck open when people go through it because of the aforementioned carpet tiles they felt needed to be in there. So essentially there is no security. When I mentioned the main entrance to a maintenance person I was given a "yeah what do you do" type answer basically telling me no one is going to do anything about it. Snow removal in the winter is terrible. They will happily wait until the snow removal service gets around to shoveling sidewalks rather then send a maintenance person out to do. If it snows on a Friday you can bet that it will probably be at least Monday before any shoveling happens and my building has people who need a walker or cane to get around. The staff is friendly enough but that doesn't equal a quality product. I definitely will not be renewing my lease and I would strongly advise really doing your homework on this place if you are considering it.

Current Resident 754315

Resident • 2019

Unresponsive to requests, cars get broken into, and apartments are right next to the train tracks. When we made a maintenance request, they wouldn't get back to us and had to be the ones to follow up. When they finally come to make repairs, they did it incorrectly and on that same day, the issue reappeared. Naturally, they had to come back to make repairs again... But not until after we pestered them. More recently, cars were broken into in the "locked" garage... They offered donuts as reconciliation. This has happened before and apparently they only think of changing the garage code. No thought around who might be committing these break ins, or maybe how else they can prevent them from occurring. Save your money and your emotional energy.

cjohnson5459

Prospect • Visited 2017

To those looking for housing in the St. Paul area, if I can give you one piece of advice it is to stay AWAY from Bigos Management. I recently visited 8 properties in the St. Paul area in the span of one day (moving from the east coast), and all visits were scheduled prior. I had communicated to each property that they were one of multiple I would be visiting that day, and that I was therefore not ready to commit to anything prior to visiting each location. After a massive search online, I was really looking forward to visiting The Kendrick & MacLaren Hill apartments in particular. Prior to my visit, The Kendrick strongly encouraged me to fill out an application online for the apartment, sot that this portion of the paperwork would already be done in case I was still interested in the apartment after seeing it in person. This made sense, and so I filled out the application, paying a standard $35 non-refundable application fee. On the day of my visit, I was very disappointed with the rude personality of the assistant property manager I had been communicating with, but nonetheless liked the apartment and was strongly considering renting it. While in the office, the manager urged me to sign the lease right there and then (despite the fact that my application was still pending as she was waiting on paperwork from my previous employer). I kindly reminded her that I had 7 more properties to look at throughout the remainder of the day and so was not yet ready to sign a lease (as I had already communicated prior). She seemed to understand this, and stated that she would let me know when my application was finalized. I received an e-mail later on that day to inform me that my application had been approved, and I took the night to sleep on things. The next day, I ended up choosing a different property over The Kendrick, although it had been between these two. Before I could make any phone calls, I received an e-mail from Bigos management thanking me for a payment of $300 on my application to The Kendrick. Having not authorized this charge, I called the manager to calmly ask her about the origin of the charge and explain my confusion. Her response was that upon approval of my application, I automatically gave them permission to deduct a security deposit of $300 from my bank account. She claimed that she had clearly mentioned this the day prior during my visit, which she had not. I apologized for any miscommunication, and explained that this had not been a part of our conversation. Perhaps she forgot to mention it? Either way, I informed her that I had ultimately decided to go with a different location. Her response was that by not renting with them, I would forfeit the $300 that they had just deducted out of my account. Dumfounded, I then called my mom (who had been with me the day prior during the tour and in The Kendrick's leasing office), who also firmly agreed that there had been no mention of any $300 fee and no mention of forfeiture of this fee should I elect to not rent with them. In an attempt to relay my feelings calmly, I wrote an e-mail to the assistant property manager. Within the e-mail I again clearly stated that I had not authorized the charge, that I felt there was a serious lack of communication, and that I felt that I had been stolen from. I relayed that light of their behavior I would definitely not be renting from them and asked them clearly and directly to reverse the charge that I had not authorized. I received a response later that day informing me that 'unfortunately when you cancel an application, you do forfeit the deposit as was stated' to me the day prior during my tour (again, this was NEVER stated at all let alone made clear). No mention of cancelling the $300 charge was made and there were no apologies for any miscommunication or wrong-doing on their part. As a young professional who has moved many times and worked with a multitude of rental companies, I have NEVER worked with a rental company who won't allow an applicant to apply for an apartment without first making them commit to a deposit immediately upon approval, especially without ensuring that they are clearly aware of this. In my opinion, this is extremely poor business practice. Furthermore, it is theft. Not only did they charge me without my authorization and not communicate effectively, I cannot possibly understand how they lost business or money (at least not enough to total $300) from taking an apartment off the market for less than 12 hours. The entire situation is completely absurd. As a result of Bigos management's behavior and response to this matter, in an attempt to prevent them from stealing money from others in an attempt to force those others to rent with them, I ask you to please not do business with this company. Their tactics are predatory, disgusting, and criminal.

Current Resident 450580

Resident • 2015

Its very old apartment, some of the unit wont have much exposure to sunlight and air ventilation. During winter there is centralized heater for entire apartment, you cannot control the temperature its fixed and very noisy you feel stressed due to the heater and its noise. The car parking garage are too bad dust and greasy which will stick in your foot wear and comes along to the carpet in your unit. Due to this your carpet color will change in the entrance, you cannot steam wash those but apartment office will charge you for sure which happened to me. If you pick the unit near to Garbage area in the ground floor there will be lot of small insects around your unit. most often cigarette smell from the air ducts you can notice that. Also there was theft through the garage parking stolen some tires from one of the vehicle. My kind advice please don't select this apartment for your safety and good health.

Current Resident 528556

Resident • 2014

I hate this place. The apartment staff is completely incompetent. The noise level within the apartment is awful. I have complained at least 4 times about my upstairs neighbors. They are incredibly loud and their children are always jumping up and down 24/7 I am hardly exaggerating. All four of my tires were stolen while my car was parked in the lot. When I made a report with the office they had no protocol for taking the report, instead they wrote down my complaint on a sticky note... My neighbors dog pooped on my back patio area and they have not cleaned it up, another neighbor smokes in the patio area where no smoking is allowed. The neighbors leave garbage all over the place and don't pick up after their children. I literally filled up an entire garbage bag filled with crap left out side on the shared patio. So rude. The maintenance people seem to be the only good thing about this place, they fix things really fast and they are super nice.

Current Resident 444514

Resident • 2010 - 2011

Horrible place to live!! Apartment management ridiculous!

This is the absolute worst apartment to live in. The apartment office staff are rude and unhelpful. I cannot wait until my lease ends in March, so I can move to somewhere better. On several occassions when I had questions about things I was rudely told by management that I was confused about things and did not know what I was talking about. I can't even go to the office anymore because they are so inconsiderate. All I can say is, DO NOT LIVE HERE!!! As a previous review stated, there were car break-ins and I know the apartment management did nothing about this. Note: my actual car was not broke into. It happened to others in my building.

Current Resident 318001

Resident • 2011

bad place to live in

I don't recommend Maclareen hill , it's not safe two car have been stolen and they did nothing ..also the staff are not kind or helpful at all if you asked for maintenance you will wait for a week or more .... poor place to live in

Current Resident 515874

Resident • 2010 - 2011

A stellar apartment community!

Living at Maclaren Hill was the best renting experience I have ever had. Some of the highlights: - Location: A very quiet and peaceful community, yet located close to everything with easy access to highways. - Community: We never had any problems with noise, inconsiderate neighbors, etc. - Facility: Very well maintained, maintenance issues were addressed immediately and effectively, maintenance staff was so kind and friendly - Apartment layout: Spacious and well-designed! Kitchen layout is open, great for entertaining guests. Dining area is separate from kitchen and living room. Living room spacious and great view over the balcony. Bathroom is large and huge bathtub is luxurious. Lots of closet space, we had plenty of storage room. Bedrooms are large and all had great views. We had our own washer and dryer and didn't ever go to the laundromat! Garage parking, elevators for moving in and out, good security. - Staff: Office manager and staff provide exceptional and courteous service. Can't say enough nice things about this apartment complex. Don't miss it!

zisoke

Resident • 2006 - 2009

The best apartment I've ever lived in.

These apartments are fabulous! The service is wonderful, the complex is immaculate, and the rental office/repair crew are friendly, responsive, and helpful. I don't regret a single dime that I've ever paid to live here. My apartment was spacious, well-lit, and remarkably convenient. This is truly luxury living. If it wasn't for the tax credit I would extend my lease another year.

umngirl99

Resident • 2005 - 2008

Very pleased

The office staff and maintenance staff have been great. Most of the time they can respond to repairs within 24 hours. We have lived here three years and they've always been friendly and helpful. We moved here because they are on the busline (3B) to both downtown areas and the University of Minnesota (about a 20 minute busride). Also, they offer garage parking, AC/heat included in rent, and a washer/dryer in every apartment. You can also walk to Como Park, the Fairgrounds, or to St. Paul Saints games. Shopping or going to parks up in Roseville is not a far drive either. Our electric bills run around $40-60 a month for a two-bedroom apartment. The trees and path that run behind the buildings are nice. I always see people from the nearby office complexes going for walks along the path during the day. The apartments themselves are part of a complex that includes condos that people have purchased. That makes it nice too - knowing there are people who've invested money into a place and try to keep it nice. The garage is handy. It keeps our cars hidden from the snow and ice in winter and makes it much more pleasant to go out to the car even if it is chilly outside. I've never had my car broken into in the three years I've parked there (I don't keep valuables or anything except a kid's carseat in there though). I did have a small push cart stolen which I kept in my garage spot, but I sort of knew when I left it out there that it could happen so I didn't care too much. I didn't have it locked up and knew it was a risk, but I don't blame the apartments for that. Just beware of what you leave outside (which I think is true no matter where you live). Our apartment is about 1 building in from the railroad tracks. You can hear the trains if you have your windows open. Also, at night, you can sometimes hear the clanging and banging of the nearby switching yard when everything is quiet. When my heat or AC are on, however, I don't hear it and it's never been enough to wake me up. My 2-year old daughter actually likes living near the trains and when we go for walks around the complex, she loves to watch them go by! So the trains have been an asset rather than a detraction from this complex. The complex seems to have a good mix of young single people, college-aged students, families with young children (mostly international families), and professionals. There is also a police officer and firefighter who live in our building, as well as several retired folks. I haven't noticed a lot of noise and I've even made friendships with some of my neighbors, making me feel even more safe here. I've lived in LOTS AND LOTS of apartments since being in college, graduate school, and working. This is the longest I've ever lived in an apartment complex in tweleve years. The only reason we are moving is because we bought a house! I'd recommend this complex to anyone looking for a decent, quiet place to live with amenities such as garage parking, washer/dryer, and central AC. And I can't stress enough how helpful and friendly the apartment office staff and maintenance workers have been (especially Janet and Rick)! (They even helped me with groceries when they saw me struggling with the bags and my infant daughter!) It makes all the difference!

stmcki

Resident • 2004 - 2007

Give this place a look. Great apartments, excellent location.

Staff was very friendly and always helpful. Maintenance was done within 24 hours, sometime same day. Apartments are on the 3B busline, so direct shot to both U campuses and both downtowns. You can walk to St Paul Saints or Fairgrounds. Jog or short drive to Como Park. Energy Park is off the beaten path, so a little quiet. Building was well built and insulated. Electricity bills were around $30-50 per month. Heat and A/C is paid for. Apartment layout was open and spacious. Lots of natural light. Garage is nice, keeps the car out of the elements. Plus was nice to avoid frigid temps when going to the car. Never had issue with safety or break ins. (Don't leave valuables in your car). Our apartment was close to the train tracks. It was a bit noisy and the apartment shook a little. But we got used to it. Maybe make sure where you apartment is located, the last building on west of complex is close to the train track. But it also allowed a stellar view of fireworks during 4th of July and the State Fair. Double check the washer & dryer. Ours vented inside, our only complaint as it made the upstairs pretty warm and humid. The first couple years we lived there the crowd was mostly grad student families and young professionals, very peaceful and friendly. The last six months a few college kids and recent grads moved in. Bit more noisy, but maybe they'll learn they're not in the dorm anymore.