Windsor Pointe Apartments

Great experience! Very clean apartments, mine had brand new carpet. Very convenient to have a washer & dryer in my unit. Office staff was very helpful and friendly! Maintenance has always been quick to fix any issues. Lots of local trails to walk my dog and great that it's so close to Hy-Vee.

Tonight someone was robbed at gunpoint behind one of the buildings, on a small path that's used heavily by residents here and nearby apartments because it goes right to Hy-Vee and nearby bus stops. There are no lights or cameras there. There's nothing except a tree that blocks visibility and is often used to store trash or partially-empty containers of alcohol in its fork. This spring cars have been egged and had their windows broken in the parking lot. Apartment windows have been broken. The fire department is here regularly because of people attempting to set fire. Both management and firefighters have told me that they've found remnants of attempted fires, such as wads of burned paper, at times. Other times it's because people are smoking pot near the doorways, directly beneath the smoke detector. The in-unit smoke detectors are likely worthless. Several units have smoke detectors from 2002 with a rated lifespan of only 10 years, putting them 5 years out of date and ready to malfunction (which necessitated a call to the fire department just this week). Last summer I had my car vandalized twice, one time causing permanent damage. Doors, signs and hallways are regularly vandalized. Management over the past two years has done nothing but put out letters that essentially demand tenants be respectful or mind their kids. There are no cameras, there are not lights in the dark and unsafe areas, the exterior doors do not have controlled access (and sometimes won't even close all the way), and I can only hope the other safety hazards end at expired and malfunctioning smoke detectors. If you want a safe place to bring your family, this isn't it. I have been pressing management for two years to at minimum install cameras facing the borders of the community, but the parent company thinks it's too expensive. The joke on them is the the reputation these apartments have (one police officer told me this is a problem area in Ames) has caused many units to sit empty for months on end. On top of all this, there has been considerable turnaround in management and maintenance staff in the past 18 months, leading to reduced timeliness of anything getting done and, in general, sub-standard management affecting our quality of living. I've tried to be patient, but it's incredibly frustrating to keep having issues happen, including safety issues, because the parent company simply won't put in the money necessary to make this a safe and clean place to live.

Moving to Ames from Missouri and not having anyway to check to see the apartment; I trusted the manager when they said they said they had an apartment that met my needs. The unit is on the 1st floor and the most of doors are wide enough for my wheelchair. However I did have to pay ($500)to have two grab-bars and a hand-held shower attachment installed. I cannot use the stove because the controls are right behind the same burners I want to use. It also took several letters to management to get a handicapped parking place created.