When I first moved in, there was an especially bad heat wave that came through and when I contacted the emergency helpline, we were not guaranteed help when our AC broke and it was up to 90 degrees on a whole floor. When they did finally come, they left a hole in our ceiling that they didn’t fix for over 2 months, and when they did it was a very scrappy job where all they did was patch it, but never bothered covering or repainting it, so the damage was clearly visible. Maintenance was also very... unresponsive to work requests we made, telling us the same thing over and over again: maintenance will do whatever whenever. After our AC broke down again and we made more maintenance requests to get it fixed because it was way above what it was supposed to be set at, our request had gone on for so long that they canceled it and never ended up working on our AC. Then, when inspectors came in to check out the apartment, they essentially told us our entire apartment was in terrible shape, and Grayson knowingly leased the apartment to us anyways without fixing anything. When I first moved in as well, there was a lot of damage that had already been done that management had never bothered to fix or even hide: an entire floor board taped down, a microwave that sat on a sagging shelf and ended up hitting one of my roommates in the face, extensive damage to the front door (a lot of scratches), there was terrible water pressure through the whole house, and the sinks and tubs in our apartment as a whole were clogged ever since we moved in. I couldnt use my shower for 5 days when I first moved in, which again took place during a bad heat wave. The roads here are also half destroyed, and I am genuinely surprised I haven’t gotten a flat tire because the numerous holes in the parking lot can be a full foot deep and three feet long, so these potholes are huge and they have never done anything to fix it. There is also always construction going on, and when I say always I mean it has been nonstop since I moved in. It’s very annoying because the construction can disturb my sleep schedule, and it is never timed to be done appropriately during breaks or over the summer when there are less people on the premises. After the initial signing of the lease, when it came closer to the day of move-in, Grayson sent out numerous fees with no explanation as to what they were for, and were also never mentioned in the lease, which really makes it seem like they were money grabbing. Read More

If you live well, you learn well, and if you live here at the Cottages, you indeed live well. This is not just a cliché as far as the Cottages of Columbia is concerned, it’s a fact. As new resident in Columbia, Missouri, I do not see the abode as just an apartment but a home because of the adequacy, effectiveness, and manageability of the amenities and facilities ranging from its strategic location, state-of-the-art 24-hour fitness center, quiet study lounge, upgraded 24-hour computer lounge... with printers, resort-style swimming pool, barbeque grills and outdoor fire places, sand volleyball court, sufficient parking space, spacious rooms, full size washers/dryer, & community events to mention a few.

One of the great features of the apartment is its security, with courtesy patrol officers, badge-operated entrance gates, after hours on-call staff with no report of theft at least within the period I have been staying here. This is fantastic! I cannot but also talk about its 24/7 maintenance, it’s highly reliable responding quickly to complaints, and alerting residents of safety issues that may arise; that reminds me of a day my AC wasn’t working late at night, I called and it got fixed within shortest time I could ever imagine. Kudos to the staffs, who are always available, reachable and approachable, I have scheduled appointment with the Manager on several occasions with ease. I receive a message immediately I have a package, I enjoy their timely operations.

Nevertheless, I strongly believe there is always room for improvement. Being a campus environment, my first suggestion from my experience with co-residents is that, there is need for the management to be more strategic in the roommates matching, perhaps getting adequate statistics of the roommates to effectively determine who can live together. Another important factor is the internet facility, although, this is inclusive in the rent but I suggest the management look into providing a fast internet facility because there are times of the day when the internet is just too slow. Lastly, I suggest flexibility in the lease term, perhaps allowing six months contracts rather than one year, considering the statistics of the nature of the residents, who are basically students and young professionals like myself.

With these suggestions put into effect alongside its already outstanding operations and amenities, I believe the Cottages of Columbia will be heaven on earth.

Kayode S. Elepe (Columbia, MO) Read More

Don't do it! They are over priced and constantly assessing overcharges for utilities. You obviously pay for the utilities of the complex versus your unit. Even if you are not there or very careful you are charged overages. When you leave you are charged with an outrageous fee. (My son's was $3000 for the unit.) They charged for cleaning, painting and carpet replacement. My son's room was spotless but he had to pay his portion of the $3000 divided equally between the room mates. ... Granted the other room mates left their rooms dirty and the common areas were dirty but my son hadn't lived there for two and a half months and was still charged the same amount as the others. Of course, if you ask for a break down of the charges they say they can't give it to you for the other boys because of privacy. Read More