Ashford St. Charles

Been living here for a long time and have seen many changes to the property since the new ownership transfer from Shodeen. The units are very very quiet. With the exception of a bottom unit and having an upstairs neighbor that sounds like they have a pet Clydesdale. Extremely safe neighborhood and nice ownership and management. The reason I gave the property 3 stars is because of the parking and pet situation. No one cleans after their dogs and also don’t use leashes. So these large dogs are loose and I fear for my small dogs. There is a dog near the entrance that is tied up outside (which is supposed to be against the rules) that had a lead that made it possible to get to the street and I almost hit it. As for the parking, There are never parking spots in front of the building or in the lot in general. Usually have to park on the other side of the property and walk very far to get to my unit. There used to be parking regulations but the new ownership seems to be afraid to enforce anything on their own property. There is a towing company sign but I have never seen a car towed from the lot. They added handicap spots to the lots and took away 5 spots from my lot alone which already did not have enough. People Park in the spots that are not handicapped and although the sign says they will be towed or ticketed, it has never happened. There are cars with flat tires and haven’t moved in several months to a year. The rule used to be 2 cars per unit and most units now have 3 or more or have motorcycles that take up a whole spot. The motorcycles and cars are covered which again was against the rules. Tenant Work vans and trucks everywhere A real wild west when it comes to parking. If you rent here, which I really recommend, be prepared to walk because that is what you will be doing. Rent is OK but seems high for what they are.

Prospective Tenants Beware:
I contacted them about a 1-​bdrm apt and shown an updated 2-​bdrm model. I asked to see 1 of the (4) advertised available 1-​bdrm units, but was told, «The one bedroom will be exactly the same as this, except it has a sitting room instead of the second bedroom… same layout and everything.» (In retrospect, that should have been my first red flag.) I specifically asked if the finishes were the same and she said yes. I asked, «so these start at $ 1,150?» She said, «they don’t start at $ 1,150, they are $ 1,150.» I asked whether they were open to negotiating the price. She was doubtful but said she’d ask and have someone contact me. I proceeded to negotiate the rent via email with Jane, letting her know I wanted to stay closer to $ 1,000. She said they could do $ 1,105 and would waive the pet deposit fee, admin and app fee, and I would get $ 1,000 credit if I moved in by ¹²⁄₃₁. I asked why that particular unit was less expensive and given some vague explanation about a rent goal/​previous rents.
I submitted my application and set up an appt to see the unit the next day. The unit was NOTHING like it was represented. Very outdated, yellowish appliances, carpet, and dated linoleum flooring. I immediately explained that this unit was nothing like what I was shown or represented to me. Jane then told me that they have «Classic» & «Premier» units, and that the Premier units start at $ 1,300 and none were available. She tells me the «temp» gave me the wrong information, and that based on my price point she assumed I wanted a classic unit. The temp even admitted to Jane that she had misinformed me. Management refused to honor their representations or offer another solution, despite me offering to wait for a Premier unit. In fact, she said I wouldn’t get the $ 1,000 credit and I’d have to pay the full $ 1,300. I was also told the $ 1,000 credit was just an incentive to get people to rent their vacant (aka Classic) units. To make matters worse, the area manager informed me a week later that the unit would now be $ 1,155 if I wanted to rent it, but they were ‘very sorry’. Some customer service?
Not only was the advertising misleading, but the staff was very sketchy. I believe they were just trying to lure people in by advertising & showing upgraded units (and negotiating price after showing the nicer units), and then sticking them with the vacant, older units that no one wants.