MAA Fifty-One

Current Resident 553878

Resident • 2008 - 2009

Don't Rent Here If It's The Last Apartment On Earth

Beware...I would never rent here again. There have been a lot robberies at this apartment complex. The rental office, work out room and rental model have all been broken into and TV's and Computers have been stolen. Bikes have been stolen off peoples balconies, and cars have been broken into. Last year the pool was closed half the summer. The gas grill in the pool area is alway out of gas. The dog park has a broken bench, and the fence does not latch. Also they are always running out of dog bags, so when people walk their dogs they can't clean up after them. I have taken pictures of the garbage that is over flowing by the dumpster. 1 year was long enough. The office staff is unprofessional since they will not return calls, with the exception of ----, the rest of the staff is worthless, especially the property manager -------. Also, be careful of driving in the complex, since there is no place for the kids to play, they are skate boarding, and playing basketball in the parking lots. Also did I mention that the Colonial Grand down the street is brand new and also $50.00 cheaper per month....go figure.

Current Resident 910384

Resident • 2007 - 2008

Never Again

I wouldn't recommend anyone live at Colonial Village at Matthews. I can't speak for other Colonial properties, but this one isn't worth the hassle. Friendlier and more attentive office staff can be found elsewhere in Matthews.

justanotherrenter02

Resident • 2007 - 2008

Wouldn't renew my lease...

How to put this politely... I guess I can sum it up with that fact that I'd never consider living here again and my wife feels stronger about that than I do. Recently the pool was closed by the department of public health, an apartment near ours was broken into and no one on the staff thought it would be important to notify residents of this, a 10 year old kid had their bike stolen, the staff lets their kids run around on the staff golf cart in the parking lot (which resulted in a car battery being tossed into the parking lot and acid spilling...), etc. My wife definitely doesn't feel safe there with the combination of older teenagers drinking outside the apartments, places being broken into, and a faulty exterior light on the building that blinks on and off. They are renovating some apartments but want a ridiculous premium on the ones with updated cabinets, etc. The ones that haven't been fixed up look pretty shoddy and you'll run into problems with clogged air filters, mold, etc. They did put pretty new lights on the outside with energy effecient bulbs at least. We had one appliance issue that was called into maintenance twice and they never came out so I fixed it myself. Basically for the price you can live some place much better. They'll be very sweet to you when you're looking at the place but once you're locked into a contract you can pretty much forget about customer service. I'm not sure if that's just how Colonial operates or if it's just this particular staff. Thank goodness our house is ready because I wouldn't want to renew this lease.

Current Resident 622569

Resident • 2006 - 2008

Great place to live.

We really like it here, we have lived here almost 2 years and have never had a problem that wasnt resolved in a timely manner. The office staff is WONDERFUL, they really are super friendly to deal with. The apartment is roomy (yet a little pricey though) all in all a great community.

Current Resident 786848

Resident • 2007 - 2008

Great so far

I moved here in September of 07, and so far so good. I love my apartment, the office staff is great at addressing your concerns, and the property is well maintained. The cost is a little higher than most places but in general the area is worth it.

Current Resident 76307

Resident • 2007

LOVE IT

I moved here end of February and I think this community is the best! I have not lived in a better place. The community is awesome and the staff is great. They make me feel like I am the most important person when I walk in. The girls in the office are wonderful. The maintenance is great. My neighbors are the best.

akiser727

Resident • 2006 - 2007

Love it Here!!

My Husband and I moved in right before we got married in October of 2006 and we absolutly love it here! Office staff is always willing to help us out, very quiet and peacful and the neighbors are great! Since we moved in during the fall season, they kept everything clean from leaves 99% of the time. We thought the rent was a bit high at first but once we realized that we were paying for the community, peace and quiet, and the Matthews police accross the street (which a few live in the complex), it is all worth while. Definetly Recomended!

MatthewsGal

Resident • 2006

Horrible, discriminating staff and parent company - think again before choosing Colonial Village!

We looked at Colonial Village at Matthews, and loved it on first sight. That however, was the end of the good news. The office staff is slack, irresponsible and unprofessional. There is no doubt in my mind that we were discriminated against, simply because we are in our 20's (the upper end). We exceeded their financial requirements, and the cost of living there was not an issue. However, they were extremely unhelpful, even though it was the "slow season" for renting apartments. You can't get ----, ----, or ---- to return your call, EVER. I had to hound them on a daily basis to even get the most basic of information. Incidentally, ---- was the worst of the three... all sweetness and light, (albeit fake), until we started the business aspect of things.<br><br>My words of advice... look more than once. Go back and visit again and again... obviously first impressions can be wrong.

Current Resident 739108

Resident • 2006

NOW Colonial Village at Matthews..LOVE it

We love it here, there is always somewhere to park and our neigbors are absolutly wonderful. the office staff has always been super friendly to us. The apartment comunity is very clean and comfortable.Maintance always fixes stuff wrong in a timely manner as well.

Current Resident 627783

Resident • 2003 - 2005

These reviews are so true !! Stay away !

I was reading these reviews and was surprised how many other people had the same issues I had. They are very discriminating against young people, when I lived there with my 2 teenage daughters, within a month, while at the pool, they were told by the manager they cannot loiter- it was in the lease. OK.. The management did go to pieces after --- got killed in a car wreck. The manager Susan, was horrible and when I argued my case with her on various bogus complaints,I think it made her so mad,she was determined to get me out of those apartments- no matter what complaints she had to make up. Beware- the move out walk through can make you bankrupt- they will add everything you could imagine and more to the bill ! This also happened to a neighbor of mine. Unfortunately, I had to contact the Attorney general's office for some help. Bad news......

Current Resident 402816

Resident • 2000 - 2005

The Real Story.This is What happened.

If you check the review of "THIS IS MY NEW HOME" input on 5/24/04, you will understand why this apartment complex went from heaven to hell. I lived here for 5 years and when Matthews Village lost SC in that car accident the lost everything. When she past away a new set of staff members took over leaving only one earth angel JB to uphold this community. Needless to say "It is a very nice community; but you can only deal with 1 kind person and that is JB. No crime was present until SB pasted away and they started renting to any and everything walking with a pulse and some sort of income. This is the real truth about this apartment complex. If you don't believe me, check out the review prior to 05/24/04.

Current Resident 967299

Resident • 2005 - 2006

run for your life

Not a child friendly environment, staff sucks and is very discriminating toward young people. My children are not allowed to breathe or they are being too loud.

Current Resident 542258

Resident • 2005

Office Staff kinda rude, apt needs updating

The office staff can be tough to deal with at times and the apts could use to be updated and well taken care of instead of just patched when needed. Wasnt too horrible of an time but I have not faced the last move out walk through yet. We will see.

Current Resident 145181

Resident • 2004 - 2005

Nice Complex, Office Staff?

We needed a place to stay while our house was being built. The price was good and the 3 bedroom apartment was available when we needed. We had problems with ants but the office staff sent someone right away. They (the ants) came back about 3 months later and the office staff sent someone out with in 2 hours. Didnt see the ants again. <br><br>The only strange thing is their contract states that you have to give notice 60 days in advance of a move out. If you wish to renew you have to give 30 days notice. Shouldnt this be in reverse? They have done lots of work to clean the complex up, resurfaced the parking lots in October and November of 2004 and started painting the buildings in 2005. Repairs were done in a timely manner. We enjoyed our time here and will repost when we move out with any problems.<br><br>Only office staff I chose to deal with was Judy. Very nice, others were selfcentered. Maintenance man very helpful as well.

Current Resident 157430

Resident • 2004

Not bad until move-out!

I had no complaints what-so-ever until it came time to move out, and then they slapped me with a huge fee for expenses that my deposits (which there were a lot of!) didn't cover. As for the staff, I only knew one person, because the rest never took the time to introduce themselves to me, even when I would see them around the complex. If you have the choice, I would pick somewhere else, because there are plenty of other places nearby that are better.<br><br>--I should also mention the assaults of 2 women that took place there while I lived there. They were assualted at dusk while walking their dogs. They now have tight security, only AFTER these two women were hurt. And the parking is terrible. I sometimes had to park VERY far away, after dark, and did NOT feel the least bit safe. Regardless of rent price, you can't put a price on piece of mind. Find somewhere safe.

Sylvain76

Resident • 2004

Not impressed at all

Visited this past weekend. Not impressed in the least. The agent that "helped" us was overbearing. By that I mean it seemed like she had a specified time limit with us and that was all the was allowed. She took our ID's right away and we were on our way to see the model in under 2 minutes. I didn't have a chance to ask any questions whatsoever or find out anything about the community. The model was a three bedroom and it was mediocre at best. I couldn't even fit my shoulders through the door jamb of the main bathroom walking towards it straight on. There was one tiny bulb that lit up the entire bathroom. It felt like a back alley New York high-rise. Would not recommend this to anyone who likes SPACE in their apartment.

Current Resident 130121

Resident • 2004

Staff Sucks

If you are under 40 years old and even remotely interested in having a satelitte dish don't go here. After viewing the apartment I ask about the policy on Directv and the lady pretty much jumped down my throat saying NO ONE HAS THEM HERE BUT ONE PERSON AND THEY DONT GET A SIGNAL. Said I would need $1,000,000,000 in home owners insurance for me to even install it. Not very nice people to deal with (Asst. manager or maybe it was manager) Take you as a joke because Im only 21 but that has nothing to do with how you should treat someone my dollar spends the same as anyone else. Didnt even waste my time filling out an application. They also have a mold and mud problem on all the buildings. When I asked the leasing agent about the HUGE manufacturing complex beside there if it made a lot of noise she looked at me like I was stupid for wondering if it was noisy.

Current Resident 385098

Resident • 2004

Horrible discriminating Staff

The complex is beautiful and reasonably priced. The staff...ohhh my god...very discriminating. I was told I cannot rent this apt. as I dont have all the required documents, I explained them the whole situation for hours and why I dont have SSN or ITIN, but I have a legal visa to stay in USA. Even they did have the selection criteria for people who are from other countrys and I showed them as it was displayed in their own office, and they got pissed off. even harrased me by saying that they are going to call the cops. I cannot explain the whole story but will say a big no with this staff. <br>

Current Resident 239522

Resident • 2002 - 2004

Nice Compex - Horrible Staff

The complex itself is gorgeous & extremely reasonably priced, especially for what you get. Very safe community... The office itself is a different story. When I moved out they were so difficult & were horrible about returning my calls. Told me they were too busy. As long as you are giving them your money they are courteous enough but when it comes time to move out they are rude and unhelpful!

Current Resident 139981

Resident • 2003 - 2004

This is home now

1 year and 2 months later, we have seen a staff experience great personal tragedy. 1 member was killed suddenly in a car accident and another chose to stay home with her new baby. Even without a full operating office, we were received with focused attention and commendable courtesy to our maintenance and office requests. Resident service runs full tilt here....Check these guys out. You'll be glad you did!

Current Resident 241880

Resident • 2004 - 2005

My comments after my move-out.

I wrote the 05/22/2004 review "This place is hard to beat!" Which suddenly disappeared when I decided to leave this new review... <br><br>I moved out a year ago after spending a year at Matthews Village, because I bought a house. I was frustrated near the end, but with RESIDENTS, not management. I still say the place is very clean and the two individuals that I mentioned by name from the office staff were still as nice as ever JB and SC - although I wonder now if the manager who passed away was one of them, because I don't recall seeing her long after moving in and figured she changed jobs. <br><br>I also had NO problems with any other staff. My phone calls were always returned in a timely manner, but I was not one to call the office all the time either. I'm fairly self-sufficient, so I only called about matters that I could not take care of alone. Maintenance were still always friendly and prompt. I do have to agree that maintenance calls were often "quick fixes". While I was there, they repaved the complex and reroofed several buildings. <br><br>Also, while I was there, 2 assaults occurred while people were walking their dogs, one immigrant family moved above me with 3 to 4 vehicles that they parked up close to the buiding so it was getting progressively harder to park near my apartment. Management limited cars to 2 per apartment, but these people didn't listen. <br><br>My car was stolen twice in 3 months, but it was an older car with no antitheft protection. I am sure the same people took it each time for joy riding or some other thing since it was recovered both times in the Matthews area. There isn't a security gate to the complex and there were no cameras. After the first auto theft, I reported it to the office and asked if they had security cameras - because the police asked me. After the second theft, I asked again and recommended they install one. Don't know if they did. <br><br>Someone tried to get into my apartment from the back door once. The doors have those hotel room type slide bars on them. The perp couldn't get in...but he left the door ajar. I once got a flyer from another resident about her police investigation. She reported a prowler or peeping tom and put flyers in everyone's door because management did not tell us about it. That's all I know about it. <br><br>There WERE kids loitering in the pool area at night, and there were people coming to the pool that didn't live there. There were people using the laundry facilities that also did not live there. Management changed the lock codes and sent notices to not give outside residents those codes. <br><br>There were residents who were lazy, left messes around the pool, left their trash in the laundry room and never removed their lint from the dryers. There were bikes and toys left in the breezeways by residents despite notices being left by management to clear them or items would be cleared for them. These are RESIDENT issues. Some people are just rude lazy slobs. If I had one complaint, it would be that management should have followed through with their threats more often. <br><br>I didn't have enough money for the pet deposit when I took in a stray cat left behind by some irresponsible former RESIDENT. I took the stray in because management had complaints about the animal and were calling animal control, which freaked my daughter out - she didn't want the animal put down. The management let me make monthly payments to cover the pet fees. I was not able to give 60 days notice to move out, because I found a house much more quickly than I anticipated. They did not penalize me for that at all. I kept them up to date, told them I was looking to buy a house, and when I found one, I would let them know. They were ok with that. I got ALL of my deposits back except for $50. I'm not sure why I didn't get the $50 back, but there IS a huge list of fees to be assessed on their walk-through. Maybe it was a "partial" rent for less than 60 days notice, maybe carpet cleaning because I did have a pet, maybe a fee to cover the one of the mailbox keys that I could not locate when I dropped off my keys, who knows? The point is, the fees will mount up fast on their walk through if you don't leave the place in good shape. I left my apartment immaculate - you could eat off the floors. So believe me, if someone was charged a bunch of fees on their move-out, it's because they left the place unclean or damaged in some way. <br><br>These are wooden structured buildings and you WILL hear your neighbors. Get used it it. That is apartment living. If people were told they were too noisy by management, it's because someone complained about the noise. <br><br>There is a mold problem, but they do inspections twice a year. I took the time to actually proactively scrub my inside window frames with pine-sol. I never had a mold problem. For the most part, this really was a nice place to live. <br><br>The Matthews area is changing as more and more people move to the Charlotte area. Along with the influx come the undesireables, and apartment managers know what to look out for. If you believe you were discriminated against because of age...or maybe because you can't provide a SS#...or for some other reason...it's because you have fallen into a bracket of people that have historically given landlords and apartment residents problems. They don't want to operate off-campus housing for college students or give refuge for 10 potentially illegal immigrants in a 2 bedroom apartment. <br><br>This is supposed to be a middle-class, quiet, clean, and safe place to call home. If you got slapped with fees on your move-out, then you deserved it. If you think you are going to walk into an office and dish attitude to the person taking your application, you aren't impressing anyone and you need to check yourself. If you are going to act ------, then you will end up living ------, because you won't be living here. If you are told your kids are noisy - then they are. Instead of complaining, be a parent and teach them some manners. <br><br>A year after moving out of this place, I can honestly say that it was not that bad of a place, and MY kids liked it. I had ALOT of room for a one bedroom apartment because I had a study which served as a second bedroom when the kid were here. The complex was clean, office was great with me, maintenance was prompt, and grounds were well kept and well lit. I'm afraid that the crime will continue to rise in the Matthews area because of the changing demographics. The best thing Matthews Village can do for this complex is make the place gated and install cameras.<br>

John4813

Resident • 2002 - 2004

Wonderful safe community

I absolutely love it here! Super move in deal on my rent--$200 off the monthly rate! Gorgeous, well maintained landscaping; adequate parking; very friendly office staff; maintenance responds to requests within 1 day!; POLICE station is right across the street!! very safe community. I recommend this apt complex to everyone.

Current Resident 816562

Resident • 2003

Great place..just stay off the grass

We have lived here for about 7 months and just love it. The staff is so quick with response times and incredibly courteous. They know everyones´ name and greets every person they see. My only complaint is the dog mess on the grass. The tenants can get lax on picking up after their pets. The office staff has made notices to the tenants to clean up after their dogs, but I guess some people just don´t want to listen. But other than that, the apartments are spacious and the grounds are well kept. <br><br>

Current Resident 593920

Resident • 2002 - 2003

What a Find!!!! You will love it here!

From the first day we arrived here in Matthews Village, we have been treated to a warm and professional office staff, great maintenance response and a quiet,tree-lined and immaculate community. We encourage others to just drive on in...you´ll be right at home. Guaranteed !!!

johnandchelsea

Resident • 2001 - 2002

VERY NICE

I highly recommend these apartments. I have lived in several states in various communities and this is by far my favorite. The apartments are clean, bright and well maintained. The community is also well-maintained and very quiet. Both the maintenance staff and office staff are friendly and helpful. I rented my unit sight unseen over the internet and was very, very happy with the results. They also offer excellent move in deals. We received 3 months free!!