Cactus Forty-2

I don’t even know where to start. At first the apartments appear to be very modern and nice which don’t get me wrong they are. But once you move in you’ll soon notice that problems will begin to appear there. The square footage on practically all of their models are tiny. I was paying around $ 1400 for a 2bed 2bath no balcony apartment. I was in a 12 month lease and it was hell. Parking is HORRIBLE if you take pride in keeping your car looking good do not move here. The parking spaces are very small and my car was hit twice while living there. People park crookedly all the time and management does nothing about it. Depending on what area of the complex you live in the noise level can be loud. The East side of the complex is loud because you’ll always hear noise from the crossfit gym next door that blast music and the Target trucks. The pool area is super loud with drunks coming to hangout at all times of the night especially during summer. If you like to get your sleep at night I’d suggest of course NOT moving here but if you do to rent out an apartment no where near the pool. Last but not least the management old and new (Greystar) have no idea what they’re doing half the time. Half of the leasing agents sound scripted when you talk to them and can’t do simple math to get your numbers right on your rent. They also throw pretty lame community parties that no one shows up to because I’m pretty sure everyone hates it there. There’s a lot of people with un permitted dogs which just goes to show management does not know how to handle the complex.
The complex did have some good features such as their gym, clubhouse, and the fact that it’s gated but other than that I would NOT recommend these apartments to any of my family or friends or for any Unilocal reader. They’re overpriced for how big they are. There are a lot of other nicer apartments in Scottsdale itself where the price you’d be paying is worth it.

I visited the apartment complex because it was one of the newest buildings in the area. After viewing a 1 bedroom model I decided to rent a unit. Here’s where things got interesting; after selecting a unit, move in date, and paying the administration fee there was no communication from the leasing agent. I emailed the leasing agent 2 weeks before the move in date that I’d be stopping by before the move in date to view the unit I selected. When I arrived to view the apartment, the leasing agent showed me a completely different unit than I had reserved with no explanation. I asked for the details on the unit and had the leasing agent send me a copy of the lease. The unit that was shown to me cost over $ 100 + fees more per month than the unit I originally reserved. When questioned about the reserved unit, the only explanation that was given was that the unit I selected had been re-​leased. I politely declined and told the leasing agent there would be no way I’d be leasing the unit that was shown to me unless they’d honor the original terms. Unfortunately, from that point forward the leasing agent and the property manager just kept trying to blame me for the increase in price and refused to honor the original terms. The property manager also refused to refund the administration fee. I felt like the whole situation was a classic bait and switch sales tactic, do yourself a favor and don’t lease here.

The apartments are beautiful inside and out, with a new modern style that I love! The staff is always friendly and very quick to assist and complete maintenance requests. The gym and yoga area are great, and the fireplace by the grill and pool is my favorite!

So many bad experiences here, I do not even know where to begin…
The new management is awful, the premises are always dirty now, ALWAYS. The complex even has a bad odor, and the elevator is grotesque. The previous owner hired staff to clean on a regular weekly basis, the floors and elevator were always clean, and never had foul odor. They even had a regular maintenance staff whom I would see in the mornings tidying up the parking lot and landscape areas; the same two gentlemen disposing of the litter and working every morning. Their presence also provided security and safety. I dropped my wallet once in the parking lot and the elder maintenance worker went to the office to locate my apartment and returned it first thing that following morning at 6:00AM, personally hand delivered it to my door. I never even got the chance to give him a thank you gift. The staff was gone immediately once the new management took ever without any notice to the residents and I never saw him again. I would see him every morning on my walk to my car, sometimes taking a smoke break other times in the middle of a job, he always appeared happy because he would greet me every time with a smile and ‘good morning’.
This place went down and it went down fast, it’s actually sad to see the differences, since we were one of the first residents. It once was new and modern and beautiful and now it’s new and dirty and stinks. It’s not worth $ 1,300.00 each month for rent.
I had an issue once with rent in the beginning of the year using the website and they tried to add hundreds in late fees, which wasn’t even late. The issue was that the payment had not been processed online. The website thanked me for my payment and adjusted my balance to zero without one single error so I had not understood that the payment was not processed, which I explained to management multiple times and finally she admitted to me, ‘yeah that’s a problem we’ve been having with the website’ so I had to tell her that was not my fault their systems are faulty and I wasn’t paying anything extra.
The moving out process was an even bigger mess. I am so happy we left, purchased a house a the perfect time because that place is a disaster now.

Cactus 42 and their staff are the best yet! They have been so adaptable, flexible and willing to help me make my new home at Cactus 42. I am so thankful to have walked in to be greeted by the nicest staff members and can’t wait to move in today! Thank you again for all of your help!

*We decided to move out of this place because we were mainly looking for a bigger place for cheaper rent. The place was previously managed by Greystar and the ladies who worked the front desk for them were TERRIBLE. When Greystar showed us the property, I feel like they kind of mislead us to just get us to move in.
*Lights all over the building will keep you up at night! Get an eye mask or hang curtains. If you face Target it is VERY noisy, especially all the semi trucks that drive through the back of Target at 4am. Lots of truck noise, doors opening, busy street, crossfitters banging weights, etc. Surprising amount of children at this place. Parking is okay… you may get assigned a compact space. There was always parking out front available for us, but it gets pretty full. We always had problems with people parking in our assigned spot and had SEVERAL cars towed. Be prepared to pay at least $ 90/​month in utilities ON TOP of your rent and electricity (this is for water, sewage, SHARED UTILITIES — yes you will pay for lights on in the gym and common areas). NO PARTIAL PAYMENTS on rent being paid online — this really sucked. Greystar had it set up so I could easily split rent with my boyfriend, but the Olympus online system does not. So not only did Olympus take over unannounced, but they also inconvenienced us with rent payments. This place LOOKS new and modern — yes — but is it that nice inside? No. The kitchen counters are very nice, but that’s about it. The darker paint on the doors is pretty cheap and easily scratched/​damaged. Washing machine/​dryer was brand new in our place (we were the first ones to live there), but it made our clothes smell! I do my laundry and change loads right away and our clothes STILL ended up smelling! There are «restricted» breeds but at least two german shepards live here that I’ve seen (not sure if they are actually restricted though but I always wondered…) Lots of dogs barking and i’ve heard a lot of dogs fighting with each other in the halls (just an FYI for other dog owners) Pretty small bedrooms, living rooms are decent sized. Patios are pathetic, we didn’t bother spending extra money on a place with a balcony because they are just THAT small. A lot of cigarette smokers, lots of guests in and out. Pretty nice grills and AWESOME gym and yoga studio-​like room. Super cool green wall in the «clubhouse» — clubhouse available for rent which is cool. Elevators are inconveniently located, only one in each building. «Doggie area» in the back is super sad and shitty. Location is great! Really close to a lot of shopping, restaurants, walking paths (golf course is really close and walkable!)
*Property was taken over by Olympus. They came off a lot nicer than the Greystar staff, but there was no warning or mention of a new management company. All of a sudden there were just signs for Olympus. I also agree with the individual who wrote about how they didn’t really take the time to introduce themselves to the residents. They definitely have better customer service skills than Greystar did… but I sometimes felt like it was an act. Some of my requests were paid to attention to, whereas others (specifically a complaint about an individual who parked clearly taking up TWO spots) went completely ignored (in that specific instance, the guy in the office said he would put a notice on the girl’s car. I could see the car out of my apartment window and he never actually did what he said he would). As someone who works in customer service, I can honestly say that it’s a toss up — they will either address your concern right away OR pretend to care and it will go ignored.
Overall, I would say this is a good place for a short stay. We had a 13 month lease and generally enjoyed the time we were there. Apartment living is tough sometimes and nothing can be 100% perfect. However, right now we are living in Scottsdale, in a nicer area, in a WAY bigger apartment (I feel like i was living in a shoe box at Cactus 42) and for WAY cheaper rent. I think Cactus 42 is overpriced for the amount of space you get, but there are definite advantages to living here. Overall, I would recommend this place to someone needing to move in a hurry or someone looking for a short term lease.

I just want to start by saying that I don’t currently live here. I went here today to look at these apartments to see how they were. Just want to say the patios are small! And I mean TINY! Smallest patio I’ve ever seen in my life. You’d be lucky to fit 1 chair. Also, one of the units she showed me (on the first floor), the patio was shared with your neighbor. Yes, SHARED! So you have to sit on your patio with a complete stranger! There’s only a small mesh wall between which is zero privacy! I was cracking up, I thought that was very weird and creepy. Turned me right off. I made my decision right then that I will NOT move here.

Well in my personal experience I will have to give cactus 42 a 1 star. Although the apartment has amenities that make the apartment nice my concerns about this place is my over all experience.
Pets:
Although they claim they were pet friendly, far from it in certain aspects. I had 2 small breed dogs when I initiated my lease and went down to 1 for unexpected reasons. These dogs were companions for 10 years so when I would leave, he would bark «all day long». I kenneled him, left him loose, left tv on when I would leave for work tried everything. They forced me to put a bark silencer in my apartment. I asked my direct neighbors if the barking was completely out of control and my direct next door neighbor worked from home and said he never heard the dog. I received several complaint letters from neighbors that the management did not recognize the name the letter originated from. During all of this there was barking going on from other units.
I will agree with other post in regards to the dog feces. The assigned area for dogs was horrible, during summer months full of flies from all of the dog feces. On several occasions there was dog feces near the stairs, on common walk ways. The smell of dog urine is hard to ignore specially in the bushes by the stairs.
The dog restriction policy is way off, they allow German Shepard breeds. Don’t have a problem with it except there were two nearby my apartment that were not friendly. The owner of one told the kids that his dog bites. He was aggressive towards other dogs.
Children:
Although this can be a family community the fact that there were kids that were riding bikes in the parking lot unsupervised, there is roadrunner park up the street. Told management and was not addressed, this continued until those families moved out.
This last complaint is the one that bothered me the most. Since my lease was near the end I decided to look into purchasing a home I found the perfect home right away almost too soon inconveniently to my lease end. I spoke to the office to see if I can do something about finishing my lease sooner and they were completely rude about it. I had to complete lease or I would pay 2000+ on early cancellation fees not to mention whatever is left on lease months. I get the contract has to be followed but I am not moving into another apartment I purchased a home which was already expensive to begin with, they did not want to work with me for this process.
Lastly,
During my lease months there were several other complains about alcohol bottles on the stairs, thrown on the bushes, smoke buds, target shopping carts, and people having sex in the pool.
I had an encounter with a meth head at 6 am one morning in the dog assigned area, had to call police. Notified office and no one followed up in regards to incidence.
This is very expensive property for what you get space wise. Quite frankly at beginning of lease the tenants that lived there fit the profile for apartment and now they allow whomever to live there.

My husband and I have had very positive experiences with Cactus 42 apartments. The office staff have been helpful and the repairs needed were performed promptly. Christina at the front office has been particularly friendly and inviting in addition to being concerned with our needs and very accommodating with our unique moving situation and pets.
The landscaping is lovely and the grounds are kept very clean. The pool area is immaculate and we have particularly enjoyed sitting by the fire place in the hot tub in the evening. Many tenants have dogs but I don’t see droppings or notice any smell. The maintenance personnel are friendly and greet us when walking by.
We were able to rent the clubhouse for a family event which ended up working out very well. The office staff were concerned with the security of our belongings when they went to lunch and secured the doors and gave us a key. We have not yet utilized the gym but appreciate that it is available 24 hours.
The inside of the apartment is very modern with a nice neutral paint job– this is very much appreciated after coming from blank white walls. The interior has a warmer feeling with some color. Flooring is nice and the kitchen counters are beautiful. Carpet is thick and plush and I like the subway tiles in the shower. The washer/​dryer has given us no problems and we very much appreciate not having to venture to a laundromat. They are also behind closed doors which works well to muffle the sound when one of us is sleeping.
My only complaint is very minor and that is the cement hallways echo loudly. It’s only a problem because I sleep during the day and work nights. Otherwise I feel safe in the apartment which is gated and well lit at night. The surrounding area has lots of options for food, drinks, and shopping with Paradise Valley Mall and Costco nearby. A golf course across the street provides a nice outdoor area to go for a walk and Roadrunner park up the street has a lovely little farmer’s market on Saturday mornings.
Overall we have been very pleased with our decision to rent an apartment at Cactus 42.

Great help from staff.
Great weekend party organized by christina and Alli.
Great modern living with accessibility to all!

Like the previous poster, I have to admit. These reviews that try to paint Cactus 42 as a sub-​par apartment complex are far from the truth. Yes there are downsides to living behind a Target/​CrossFit gym, but I’d say the positives about this place far outnumber the negative.
Staff:
Every staff member that I’ve encountered has been professional. They not only remember my name, but remember bits and pieces of random information about me without having to glance at a file folder. I always feel welcomed when I come into the office, and I’ve introduced a friend or two to think about living there and they’ve treated them with the utmost respect. Yes, when it’s 5PM and they want to go home, I’d understand that they don’t want to give a tour. For the person that wrote that, get over yourself, show up at a reasonable hour and you’ll get treated fairly.
Location:
Yes, being behind a Target and a CrossFit gym has it’s rough times. However, the only time I hear music «blaring» is on the weekends and sometimes at night around 5PM when I’m just getting home from work. The trucks at Target occasionally drive by and make noise, but in the year I’ve lived at Cactus, I’ve only been woken up ONCE by the trucks idling at the loading dock. I like to call Cactus 42 the diamond in the rough. The community is filled with friendly people who are respectful of others. Every neighbor I’ve interacted with has been professional and courteous. Yes, there is someone above me who stomps a little loud at times, but that’s to be expected.
Apartment Interior:
The inside of the apartment is beautiful. The wood floors, marble counter tops, every amenity inside is outstanding. The dishwasher cleans my dishes, the laundry machines work great and the AC is wonderful. There are times where I’m shivering in my apartment in minutes after getting home from work. The best part? My APS bill never got above $ 45/​month which leads me to believe the apartments are well insulated. I love the interior of my apartment and love showing it off to people. The reaction I always get is «wow, this place is really nice».
Pet Owners:
There is not dog poop every where, and there is not a foul smell during the summer. Whoever said that is wrong.
Parking:
Parking is great. Never an issue.
Overall, Cactus 42 has been a great place to live. I moved to AZ a couple of years ago and wanted to find somewhere that I felt comfortable with at a good price. The apartment I moved into is fantastic. The community has been nothing short of outstanding. And I would highly recommend moving in to any of my friends.
Yes, not everything is going to be perfect in an apartment. Yes, there is going to be noise. Yes, is isn’t going to be perfect. But if you expect perfection, get over yourself.

I would highly recommend Cactus 42 Apartments to anyone interested in living in this area. I found the staff to be polite and responsive to any questions or concerns I had. The pool and fitness area are in great condition and very useful. All of the neighbors I met were very friendly and I never had any issues with noise. I am not one typically to post reviews, but I found this worth a review.

Why can’t you give zero stars? I, in no way, shape or form would recommend renting here.
1) Staff. Just like everyone else said, the leasing agents are incompetent, rude and unfriendly. Mistakes were made in our lease and they tried to blame us, tried entering our apartment when we weren’t home saying we have permission, when, in fact, we did not give permission. HOWEVER, maintenance staff is wonderful. Friendly, responsive, quick to fix whatever issue you’re having. (5 stars for them!)
2) Apartments. Don’t be fooled by the shiny, new exterior. Doors aren’t wood, there are giant gaps under your front door to the hallway, washer and dryer are TERRIBLE (all of our clothes are pretty much ruined from them), dishwasher sucks, air conditioner is so loud you have to turn your TV to crazy high volume just to hear it. Also, in the two bedrooms, the air conditioner will only cool your living room — it does nothing for the bedrooms, bathrooms, basically any other room besides the living room. Don’t expect to just turn your ceiling fan on, it will just make your cheap, plastic blinds clank against each other so you can never sleep. Speaking of not sleeping, the lights on the exterior of the building are so damn bright your blinds do NOTHING to block the light. Get curtains if you still decide to rent here. This is not one of those sound proof apartments — you can hear your neighbors. Don’t let them tell you there is concrete between floors. There is not. No one picks up their dog crap and it smells horrendous in the AZ heat.
3) Pool. Since I HAVE to give one star it might as well go to the pool area. Always well kept and relaxing… Thanks to the amazing maintenance staff :)

Avoid this place! I was dumb enough to rent there! Luckily it was a 6 month lease and got out as soon as that was up. Yes, management is not very friendly to begin with, but that’s not all. Pet friendly is nice, but if people don’t clean up after their dogs, the place smells like a cesspool. Disgusting! Oh, not enough parking stalls for the tenets. We were told that if their weren’t enough spaces, we could park in the Target parking lot and walk! And the. There’s the worse part, the noise! Between the trash trucks driving into the parking lot at 5 AM, to the tractor trailers arriving at the Traget and strip-​mall next door, sleeping is unlikely! The traffic on Cactus, the Trucks, the Cross-​fit music blaring all afternoon, you’ll never have your windows open, let alone sleep past 5! Did I mention the bright lights from the parking lot? With the price this place charges for rent, you could do a lot better. Avoid!

Management staff here are generally unhelpful, rude, and unwilling to resolve any real issues. These apartments are on the whole poorly constructed and organized in an odd way that makes it impractical for normal furniture arrangement. The occupants are mostly young students or non-​professionals who aren’t keen on being respectful of neighbors. I don’t recommend these apartments if you have a family or if you have a serious career/​studies. Also, if you choose to live here despite everything said, don’t rent an apartment facing Cactus as it is quite noisy all night.

Terrible Customer service. Stopped by after work, the website said they were open until 6 and with traffic from my job I arrived just at 6, walked to the door and the sign said open and was unlocked so I came in, right away I got the vibe the desk girl was no happy I had arrived at closing time. I let her know I was looking for some information on renting a larger one bedroom she promptly said «oh we don’t have any they are all rented out» I said well I have 6 more months on my lease she said «oh and handed me a paper with apt names and prices and told me they were closed. I said I’m sorry the door said open she said «yeah well it’s 6:02 but you can make an appointment tomorrow» wow! I have been taking a look at many apts in Phoenix and not once have I «made an appointment» all were all to eager to spend the 10 minutes it would have taken to give me some basic info. There is a lot of competition for apartments in the area… I’m with Mark Taylor and I’m moving to be closer to work, they know how to treat people.

Cactus 42 is the most amazing brand new community! Christina is the asst. manager and has customer service levels that exceed expectations… I’ve never used Unilocal before. and they’re is a reason it’s happening now! (Chef)