Review History for anonymous

Terrible Experience

In my 25+ years of apartment living, Waterford Forest was, by far, the worst experience I’ve had. I left in April 2022, after only eight months. If it wasn’t such an awful experience, I wouldn’t feel compelled to warn others. Initially, I was lured in by the beautiful grounds, the amenities, the location, and the promise of a quiet living situation. Sadly, my excitement quickly turned sour. After turning in my move-in checklist, it took over six weeks to finish simple repairs. Talking with neighbors, I learned my experience was not uncommon. Others told me they had it much worse. While I was there, the entire staff turned over multiple times, with the exception of the property manager, Ashton. When I needed something or had a question, new staff rarely had a good answer and often seemed annoyed by my even asking. More often than not, communication with them was incredibly frustrating. I eventually began contacting Ashton directly for most things, even though it was common to wait several days for a response. By the time I moved out, they had just ONE maintenance person for the entire 400+ unit community. And, in an old, mismanaged complex like this one, things are breaking ALL. THE. TIME. But, those beautiful grounds... look closer and you’ll see litter, cigarette butts and dog poop - lots of dog poop. Poop stations were regularly overflowing. Walking through the grass always required paying careful attention to where I was stepping. The buildings themselves are old and cheaply constructed. Inside, some things were literally being held together with duct tape and rubber bands (see pics). Appliances are either old or cheap, or both. There are no built-in microwaves. Fixtures are basic. These are far from “luxury apartments” as MMA describes. I didn’t move there for luxury, though. Mostly, I wanted peace and quiet. I got neither. Walls and ceilings are paper thin. Noise from my upstairs neighbor’s dog and sounds from creaky floorboards made me feel like I was living below a bowling alley. I had terrible anxiety because of it. The situation was so bad that I was given the option to move to a third-floor unit (at my own expense and with the requirement that I sign a new lease). Out of desperation, I did that. While waiting for my new unit to become vacant, I expressed concern that the previous tenant was a smoker. Ashton said she was “98% sure” there would be no lingering smell. I prayed that would be the case, trusting that new carpet, new paint and running an ozone generator would eliminate any lingering odor. Sadly, my prayers went unanswered. When I walked in, I immediately detected a smoke smell. For a few days, I tried to eliminate it myself, to no avail. However, it wasn’t only a smoke smell - the balcony also reeked of urine, left from the previous tenant’s neglect of his dogs. When I mentioned this to the maintenance guy, he said “Oh, it’ll come out if you just use a little soap and water.” Can you imagine??? I’m paying $1250 for a new place and I’m told to scrub the piss out myself!!?? But there’s more… the countertops had cigarette burns, one window was covered in poop from a carpenter bee infestation, and neither doorknobs on my exterior storage units worked. Eventually, I gave up and (to their credit) MMA let me out of my lease. This is an EXTREMELY abbreviated version of events. I hope sharing here will encourage other residents to speak up about their own negative experiences and help other prospective residents make an informed decision. As a side note, a tenant I know had to break her lease and was charged nearly $5,000 in fees. There was absolutely no sympathy for her situation. Luckily, when her balance was sent to collections the agency offered a significant reduction if she paid in full. MMA owns many rental properties. Search Google and you'll find similar reviews. MMA, please don’t bother responding with an apology or an invitation to call your office. You've proven your incompetency is only matched by your greed. Good luck out there, everyone. Finding a good apartment is not easy these days.