Garden Home West Apts

I’ve lived here for 8 months now, and I’m happy with the digs. There are pros and cons like any other place, but I find that the pros seriously make up for the cons.
The pros:
–Well kept grounds. The complex is fairly large with a lot of buildings housing tenants. Clean and inviting.
–Laundry facilities in every building. You’re going to run into queues on the weekends, so if you can swing it during the week, you’ll never have to wait to do your laundry.
–Very fast maintenance response times. Every time I’ve had a concern, no matter how minor it was, a notice was posted on my door that day to let me know someone would be there to take care of it within 24 hours. And by that, I mean they’re usually there the next morning.
–If the issue is slightly more pressing, they take care of it ASAP.
–The staff are super friendly and accommodating. They seriously want to take care of you.
–They care about the apartments. The tenant living in my apartment prior to me being there apparently didn’t know about the modern marvels of cutting boards, and while I didn’t mind a few scuffs on the counter tops (could be worse), they were adamant about making sure I had brand new tops, and to quote the manager of the complex: «If it were me living in your apartment, I would want them, so why shouldn’t you?» Talk about awesome.
–The manager of the complex actually lives on site and you can tell she really, really cares about these apartments and the tenants living in them.
–There’s a community garden on site that you can sign up for. You may not get in right away, but you go on a waiting list and when a plot opens up, they contact you. Super cool.
–There’s a pool (I haven’t used it, so I can’t comment on it, other than I know it exists).
–Rent is reasonable for the area. In my particular situation, electric is not included, and they charge $ 25 a month for water utility that you just lump in with your rent check, so I don’t get a water bill. Works for me.
–Slight grace period with rent payment. If it’s not received by the 4^th, it’s considered late.
–Ample parking, given the set up of the complex. I rarely need to walk more than 15 feet to get to the door of my building. It’s kind of awesome, especially when I get overzealous with the groceries.
–The community itself is respectful and polite. It’s a nice area to be in.
–You are within walking distance of a grocery store, Starbucks, Thai food, ice cream, and a bus stop. Great location.
The cons:
–Insulation is lackluster. Gets cold in the winter and hot as balls in the summer.
–I’m unfortunate in that live directly below a couple with a toddler that likes to run around all hours of the day and night (really?!) in what I can only imagine are cement shoes. It can be distracting, and if you’re quiet enough, you can hear through the walls sometimes. This is only with my upstairs neighbors, not the neighbors adjacent to me. I’m not really sure that much can be done about it, but let me vent, Unilocal friends.
–I would kill someone to have a gas stove.
–My apartment didn’t come with a microwave, and I’m not sure if that’s the norm here, but if you’re not able to take a tour of the apartment to find out for yourself, make sure you bring one with you. Not really that big of a deal, I’m just being nit-​picky because I realized I only had like 2 cons.
All in all, I would highly recommend checking this place out. A short drive from downtown and you’re no more than 5 minutes away from the 26, the 5, and the 217. Great staff, great location, reasonable rent.

Lived here for a few years now in two different apartments in the complex. Staff is friendly, and while there is the occasional issue with the apartment I’m currently in, any issues are usually resolved quickly. There is a pool, though I’ve only been by it once. I enjoy living in this complex.