We moved into Americana at the beginning of 2015. We chose Americana sight-unseen with the help of online reviews and virtual tours, and due to the fact that they had shorter leases and reasonable rents.
We were fine there until mid-March, when my boyfriend's bike was stolen. We had been storing it in our apartment but then he decided to lock it to the bike racks that are hidden in the garages. We had seen dozens of bikes stored there and never heard of any problems. Well, literally the first
...night it was down there, it was stolen. The lock was pro-quality but someone decided to use heavy tools and steal it. When we called the office to report a theft (because you'd think they care about that kind of thing), they told us "that's why we require renter's insurance" and also "yes, bike thefts are more common right now because of spring breaks." No sympathy at all.
** My real issue is this: if they know there is a rise in petty theft during certain times, why not send out an email to all residents to give them a heads up? **
The next incident came in late April. I took my dog for a walk and returned to a broken rear window on my car. The cause: the riding lawnmower threw a rock through the window. The driver had to have known he did it - he was literally 10 feet away when I passed him on the way out. I called the office and they sent over an unhelpful maintenance guy, who then tracked down the lawnmower driver. The only way I figured out what had happened was that I had overheard the contractor instructing his employees a few weeks before.
The units themselves are old and need updating. They replace carpets and repaint, of course, but the hallways and stairwells are in terrible shape. There were several small wasps nests in the stairwells, plus the drywall was leaking and bubbling during heavy rain. Paint peeling and chipping on the outside everywhere.
We did not enjoy our time at Americana, and broke our already short lease when we purchased our first home. It took them a full 60 days to send our final paperwork.
Overall, if you are on a tight budget and are used to lower-quality apartments, you will be fine here. They don't seem to care about the residents very much. I will also mention that we paid rent early every month, often held doors open for other residents, and pushed stuck cars out of the snow.
Americana needs a fresh coat of paint, a little more safety/theft focus, and a lot more help with their customer service.
Monthly Pet Fee 1 Pet $25 - 2 Pets $35.