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| - Note: the four stars are for the units themselves.
However, given my experience of living here for three years, I should warn you that renting from a private owner comes with its shortcomings. As I mentioned previously, renting from a private owner is a lot cheaper than going with the front office. However, not all private owners are built the same. The person who owns the unit I lived in (he owns at least 1-2 other units in the complex) was a complete pain in the ass when it came time to move out.
Here are some issues we ran into:
(1) Upon moving in, I paid a $200 non-refundable cleaning fee. However, the contract also required that I would have the place professionally cleaned upon vacating. In person, the landlord stated he would reimburse me for the professional cleaning if I produced receipts. I did my part, he never paid me back (I should have gotten the reimbursement info in writing!). Lesson learned: I should not have hired the cleaners.
(2) Long story, but we had a spare key return issue (He lives out of state, so communication is really difficult.) This basically cost me my entire security deposit. Beware: I suspect he does not change locks when a new tenant moves in to the unit. (Yikes!)
(3) Nothing in the unit is updated. Everything was in its original form. When an appliance would break down, I had to cover the cost of a repair person to look at the appliance. In both instances, the appliance had to be replaced completely (which the landlord paid for). Still, he makes you pay the "look" fee, even though he knows things need to be replaced.
(4) This is a big one. My unit's owner checks the unit twice a year. Understandable, since he lives out of state. However, during one of his visits, he decided to go into my closet, look inside the pantry, the microwave, and bathtub. He then proceeded to demand that I clean up the place. That visit was a very invasive one (especially looking through my closet, where my unmentionables were hanging). Since that visit, I vowed to never be around when he does his inspections.
My feelings about Red Rox are bittersweet. I'd live there again, but I'd stay away from this particular landlord. (Feel free to PM me if you want to know if you're considering renting from this guy. I'll give you his name then.)
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