The Babcock

The Babcock had my car towed by some sketchy third party towing company because my license plate tags were expired, and I then had to pay $315 to get it back. I got a notice on my car telling me that they were expired, but the notice did not tell me how long I would have to get new tags before they would tow me (they towed my car less than 48 hours later) or that I could pay the tax office for them online and put the receipt in my windshield (I was not made aware of this until AFTER my car was towed and my husband called the company). The Babcock requires parking decals (which cost an extra $40 a month if you have more than one car) and I can understand needing to make sure cars parked at the building have these decals, but I don’t think it is any of the Babcock’s business whether my license plate tags are expired. If the Richland County or Columbia police departments want to ticket or tow me for having expired tags, I think they are capable of handling that. I also think I should note that my tags expired in September but my car was not towed until November, after my husband and I notified the Babcock in October that we would not be renewing our lease. In the future I hope the management can find the time to clearly communicate the parking and towing protocol to their residents so other people can avoid this situation. Thankfully my husband and I had a second car to go get mine out of the (again, incredibly sketchy) towing lot and we could afford the $315 (cash only, handed off to a random woman who pulled up in a personal car because this lot did not have an office or any kind of identifying signage that I could see) they charged, but not everyone has multiple cars or can just waste that much time and money.

Very close to the law school, within a mile. Quiet community, unique, and a great place for pets. On-property dog park, walkable to city dog park, and no breed or size restrictions.

One year in and really wishing that I chose somewhere else to live. Beautiful building and grounds for sure. The management and overall value for your dollar is another thing entirely. In short, I have found management here to be cheap, lazy and incompetent. Oh and I just learned that spending $1800+ in rent will still require you to take regular trips to the laundromat due the odd choice of in-unit washer/dryer combo (washer too small, dryer is a "damp dry" ventless type used primarily in EUROPE). By all means come visit the grounds and marvel at the beauty of the building's exterior but don't waste your hard earned money renting here.

From day one, the staff at Babcock Apartments has truly gone above and beyond to make my living experience seamless and enjoyable. They are incredibly friendly, approachable, and always quick to respond whenever I've needed assistance. It's rare to find such a dedicated team that genuinely cares about their tenants. Their level of customer service is outstanding, and they always make sure you feel valued and heard. Beyond the exceptional staff, the location of Babcock Apartments is unbeatable! Situated in the heart of an up-and-coming area on Bull Street, it’s a vibrant and exciting neighborhood. With Firefly Stadium just next door, there’s always something happening, and the area is filled with great restaurants, cafes, and fitness spots. Whether you’re grabbing a bite to eat, going for a workout, or catching a game, everything you need is just around the corner. The amenities at Babcock are equally impressive – modern, clean, and well-maintained. It’s clear that a lot of thought has gone into making the apartments comfortable and stylish, with all the features you’d want in a home. The combination of a beautiful space and a fantastic community makes Babcock Apartments a wonderful place to live. I couldn’t be happier with my decision to call Babcock home – it truly feels like a community, and the staff is a huge part of that!

I just moved out and have extremely mixed thoughts about this property. While its beautiful on the outside the management is very prickly and the remodel was done rather poorly. The floors in my apartments are not level so that one of my doors doesn't close and the windows don't seal properly which led to a lot of bugs. Also the paint tends to peel off of the plaster walls. Not to mention the FEES. There's a fee for everything around here. If you leave your trashcan out past 8am for the valet trash they will fine you 50 dollars. Upon move out I disassembled a small ikea couch and put it in the dumpster and got fined 100 dollars. Apparently residents may not use the dumpster, so any trash more than the single bag must be taken off site. Lastly they have a fire alarm problem so once or twice a month a fire alarm will go off at 3 am which forced me to evacuate with my animals. Overall I would expect more leniency and favorability towards residents for an apartment building that leaves a yogurt splatter up the main entrance door for 6 months.

Since March, the paint on the wall started to fall, I sent numerous email to the office. They said they will fix it soon, but until now ( September ) they haven't done anything but to check the "moisture" in between the walls! This issue poses hazard to us! Also, there are not enough parking for all the residents, and sometimes you have to park outside of the compound. Will soon move out once contract is done.

I was really excited about living here, and for the first month or two I didn’t have any issues. It’s under construction so I understand hiccups. However it has gotten ridiculous at this point. Constant fire alarms (some even at 2 am). Promises of amenities that never happen. I moved in back in February was told the elevator would be ready by my move in date. Then was told it would be ready by March and now it’s August…still no elevator. The pool was supposed to be ready in May…now it’s August and no pool with no explanation as to why. The construction workers left trash and boxes outside my apartment and I’ve contacted management about it several times. Their response “Living in a construction area can be difficult, we apologize for any inconvenience”. They have very limited amount of parking spaces for the number of residence they have and they choose to constantly close down a whole section of parking spaces for the construction workers…who still chose to park in resident parking areas, so you have to park else where. Don’t bother getting any packages shipped to here. The mail room is locked and if someone shuts the door you can’t get in, and 50% of the time the mailmen can’t even get into the building. I got locked out once around 8pm and couldn’t get in. I called the officer on duty whose supposed to be there all night. He responded “I just left wait for someone to come in or out and see if they’ll let you in”. We pay $100 for a Valet trash service every month and they pick and chose when they take your trash. Even if you follow all the rules I’ve had numerous amounts of time they just don’t pick up my trash. Honestly there are multiple other apartment complexes out there for the same price. Save your money this place isn’t special and will just give you a headache. 100% poor management who does not care about their residents. Just trying to make it into the newspaper and get there grants for remolding a historic building.

All the positive reviews are from the same date?because they paid residents $5 to them. The fire alarms go off all the time, like 11 times in 2 days last week. They scheduled workers to come into your apartment at random times with no way for you to request a rescheduled. The elevator has been promised for a year and the pool is literal trash pit. They email threats of fines on a regular basis but how they disrupt your life is nothing to them. Work orders to fix things go unfulfilled for months. Your packages won’t get delivered. UPS and FEDEX don’t have access to the building after hours.

I’ve found many bugs in my apartment the last few months despite never opening the windows and keeping the apartment clean and having them spray. The door to get in the building is constantly broken. There is no elevator or pool. The buildings aren’t connected so if you don’t live in the main building you have to walk around the entire property to get to the mail room. You need a fob to get into the amenity rooms and a lot of the time the fob doesn’t work.

Really love living in this apartment! The rate is really affordable and the amenities are great!

Building has been beautifully restored with awesome upgrades. Great amenities and super friendly staff.

As the property continues to grow and be built, I am excited for what the future of the Babcock holds. There are some growing pains and some missed communication, but the property managers constantly want to improve and are accommodating.

I was nervous coming to this building because I knew it was under construction, but the good certainly outweighs the bad. The dog park is so much fun and is where I met all of my friends here! The appliances are nice, and when they break down the maintenance staff fixes them very quickly. Sometimes the construction noise and having to go around stuff is slightly annoying, but it’s never for too long.

The history behind this property is just so interesting and only adds to the amazing renovations that are being done. The staff is very friendly and addresses any issues quickly and courteously. Being located in the BullStreet District makes everything in downtown Columbia easily accessible too! The dog park is by far the best one I seen in Columbia hands down!

Not only is the building itself absolutely beautiful, but the staff is as well! I moved to SC straight out of college for work without an opportunity to tour at all and in need of an apartment basically immediately. The staff was so helpful and accommodating and responsive to all my questions that the leasing process was one of the easiest I’ve ever gone through even though I was doing so completely on my own. The location is great and the safety accommodations and amenities are well worth the slightly increased price compared to other locations around Columbia. Although construction is still ongoing, the units are a little on the small side (I live alone so it doesn’t bother me at all), and there’s no elevator in the building (it makes a great leg workout, lol!), I don’t think I could find any better place to live. If you like historic buildings this is definitely for you!