We waited six months to get most things on our move-in checklist fixed, and they are still not all complete in month seven. Management's reason was that they were short-staffed, yet we paid full rent each month. One of the office staff actually tried to raise our rent amount after the lease was signed and changed the amounts in the lease. A threat to contact the Attorney General put a stop to that.
Management is quick to respond to calls about minor dog complaints and other minor items but ignores the basic things like vaccuuming the pools (Maricopa County closed the pools a few weeks ago), cleaning up broken glass and garbage on the property, providing on-site security, ... Cars are frequently broken into here, and two hispanic men in the pool area threatened to get a gun and shoot my spouse and I one night when we said, "Hi, how are you?" I kid you not.
In the property directly across Grove Parkway, a man recently walked into an apartment and robbed everyone at gunpoint, forcing them to lie on the floor. I think the proximity to Walmart on Elliot is not such a good thing.
There were three rapes on the Finisterra property last year or the year before, but that individual was reportedly caught and prosecuted. In addition to bad management, the other main problem is that so many of the tenants are young. Younger people are frequently in the pool area with beer bottles, throwing parties, ... We question how many of them even live here.
The property looks nice, and our apartment is adequate. The carpet is kind of rough, but the other apartment features are okay. The walls are thin, and the air conditioning cannot keep up with the summer heat seeping through the living room wall. The AC runs constantly and sometimes cannot get below 80 degrees during the day.
The overall experience has been more unpleasant than pleasant, and we regret moving here.
We should have looked harder and investigated further. We read a lot of negative comments about Finisterra before we signed, and I asked management point-blank questions about many of those remarks. The answers I received were not truthful, based on our experience here. Office staff will tell you anything but often do not follow through with a request for information or an action. UPS/FedEx-type packages come to the office, tenants are rarely notified, and many times the office staff cannot find the package. It's just less than professional. I don't appreciate being lied to, patronized, or put off. Say you don't know, you'll check, and that you'll get back to me. Then get back to me.
One of the maintenance workers was driving full speed on one of the sidewalks one afternoon (I had seen him do this many times), and he almost hit my foot and my dog. The same guy parked his golf cart in a tenant's parking place and would not move it when the tenants came home. The tenants picked the cart up and physically set it down in another parking spot. Talk about discourtesy; the maintenance guy wouldn't even walk 15 feet from the apartment he was working in to move the golf cart.
I could go on and on. We've had maintenance appointments scheduled and no one showed up. I will say that I think the new maintenance staff they've recently added are trying to make a difference.
Parking can be tough. We have two cars, and I frequently have to park far from the apartment, outside the gate, because there is no parking inside. We have one assigned, covered spot near our apartment.
In summary, Finisterra is marginal at best. It should be excellent for the cost of living here. We pay about $1200 a month for a three-bedroom apartment + water bill. For that, I don't expect to be hassled. I expect to be treated like a guest. We will be leaving as soon as the lease ends. Take your time when looking for an apartment. I have had much better experiences previously in Phoenix-area apartments.