Sunforest Apartments

1) They make you pay a "move-in fee" (approximately $300 to $400). NON-REFUNDABLE

2) If you choose to renew your lease, your rent will ALWAYS increase (approximately $20 to $50 more per month).

3) They NEVER forgive a late payment, even if it's only 1 day late (approximately 10% of your monthly rent).

4) It is MANDATORY to pay the following monthly fees in addition to your monthly rent:
* Valet Trash = $20
* Plus all utilities including water, electricity, etc...

5) When you have a lot of trash to throw away, the monthly $20 valet trash does NOT cover it. You must find some way to throw away all your trash in the only dumpster they have in the complex. And depending where your building is, you may have to drive your trash. Beware, the leasing office doesn't mention that there is actually a dumpster in the complex, and if you leave your trash outside of your door assuming the valet trash to take it away, think again, they will charge you for it.

6) They WILL find any reason to take some of your security deposit after you end your lease. For example, the trash incident stated above. Regardless of how long you've stayed in the same apartment, the phrase "normal wear and tear" does NOT apply. They expect you to return the apartment the "same way as when you first moved in" as quoted by the office manager/landlord. So, if the carpet looks worn down from traffic, they will charge you. If you forgot to wipe the coutertops and there's dust, another charge. If you do not clean the oven (really?), charge. If you left your shower curtain, charge. I was charged approximately $100 which was taken out of my security deposit.

RECOMMENDATION
I would never lived at this place if I knew that I had lost so much money living here. If money is no object to you, then I would rate this apartment as decent. However, there are many other better apartment complexes besides Sunforest. Here are the other apartment complexes that are better:

* Sundance
* Royal Palms
* Cameron Cove

All the above are within walking distance to NSU.

Oh, I forgot to mention, if you really need to live at Sunforest, I would recommend getting the 2nd floor since the 1st floor attracts a lot of lizards, ants, insects, and loud noise from upstairs neighbor (you can hear every footsteps, flushing of the toilet, water running, etc...) Living on the first floor, you will not be able to open your windows since when the sprinklers turn on, the water gets through the window and stains your carpet... yes, another charge.

I really hope people read this review and stay away from this horrible apartment and staff.

PROS
* Close to school
* Good maintenance
* Ample parking
* Nice pool (the one near the leasing office)

CONS (Read below for more details)
* Charges you a $300-400 Non-Refundable "Move-In Fee"
* Rent increase of $20-50 per month for lease renewal
* Utilities NOT included (must pay for water, sewer, trash valet, electricity, and "billing fee")... an extra $60 per month on top of your monthly rent
* Must keep AC on at all times, otherwise mold and mildew will form (this dictates a high AC/electricity bill)
* "Upgraded units" are not worth the extra $20/month
* Some apartments smell like smoke, dust
* Bugs and lizards somehow get inside
* Large dogs allowed = Large noise

Ok, after reading the past reviews, I didn't want to get an apartment at Sunforest at all. Initially, I wanted a place in Sundance, things came up and I didn't lock the lease early enough and someone else had gotten it. So I looked to Cameron Cove, again the same thing happened. By then, I was desperate and the next place closest to NSU was Sunforest. Thus, I ended up here. I've been living at Sunforest for more than 3 years so I believe that I know enough about this place to stand by my reviews.

When I first saw the apartment, I didn't think it was bad at all. I didn't see any bugs, the walls were clean, however the carpet was a bit dirty so I told the management and they quickly vacuumed it up. I was actually pretty satisfied with this place.

The reason why I say "BEWARE" of this place is not for the same reasons as the other reviewers stated (noise, bugs, old fixtures, etc... although they are a small part of this review) but mainly for the following reasons:

* When you sign the lease, they charge you a NON-REFUNDABLE "Move-In Fee" of about $300-500!!! You know how some landlords never return your security deposit once your lease is up? Just for your advice, it's ILLEGAL for them to do so under normal wear and tear conditions. Landlords MUST return your security deposit unless you drastically ruined their apartment. At Sunforest, however, they do return your security deposit, but they found a way to take $$$ away from you by charging you something called a "Move-In Fee". Pretty smart huh? (Note: Sundance doesn't charge you this fee)

* Everytime you renew your lease, they ALWAYS INCREASE your rent by $20-50/month!!! When I ask them why my monthly rent must increase, they say that it's "due to inflation and the raising housing prices". Well guess what... we're in a recession right now and when I sent them a letter to lower my rent, they ignored my request. So I sent a second letter, and no response. I emailed them and called them and finally they responded saying that they were unable to lower my rent. What a load of crap. They know that most of the people that live in their apartments are students, and most of them attend a 4-year program. They also know the fact that people hate moving out and most likely would stay at Sunforest for all 4 years. So what they do is give you a cheap rental rate when you first sign up. After your lease is up, they jack up your monthly payments. Another great way to get more money out of you!

* Utilities are not included. That means that your quoted leasing rate is not the actual amount you will be paying per month. Rather, you must take into consideration the following:

- Water (~$20-30): They charge you by calculating how much the total water usage in your building uses divided by how many people are in your apartment. - - Sewer (~$25): !!!
- Trash (~$22): This is a valet trash service where you put your trash in front of your door and someone picks it up. You MUST pay for this service.
- Electricity (~$50-150): Depending on how much electricity you use
- Billing Fee ($1.99): I assume this is the cost of counting all that money Sunforest steals from you by charging you all these fees.
(Note: Sundance doesn't have most of these fees and they do not require you to pay for this trash valet. Most units at Sundance include water)

* During my first few months living at Sunforest, I wanted to save some money by only turning on the AC while I'm at home, and turning it off while I'm away. Well guess what, mold and mildew started forming all over the walls. It took me a lot of time and cleaning solution to get rid of all that mold and mildew. Now my electricity bill is almost twice the amount I used to pay. (Note: Cameron Cove includes free AC, and some units at Sundance includes free AC too)

* Upgraded units: I have an upgraded unit and they charge me about $20 more per month compared to a unit that isn't upgraded. Well guess what, their version of "upgraded" is basically a "veneer" by replacing the doors and knobs of the cabinets to make it look like new. Once you open the door, you can see the old, run-down wood of the original cabinets still in place. However, you do get a newer fridge, microwave, and dishwasher. Of course, once someone takes over my lease, they will still be paying the "upgraded" price and the appliances aren't so new anymore. (Note: Most units in Sundance include a free washer and dryer in-unit)

* When I first viewed the apartment, I didn't notice any foul smell. Of course I assume that it was because they cranked up the AC to the coldest setting and left it on for 24 hours before I went there. After moving in and settling in, I adjusted the AC to the normal setting at 69 degrees. After a few days, I noticed the smell of smoke. I told the maintenance and they sprayed my AC unit with some ionizer and changed my AC filter. A week later, the smell came back. Again, I told the maintenance and they did the same thing. Still the smell didn't go away. I didn't think it worked so I just got myself an air freshener to cover the smell. Apparently, they know that something must be wrong with some of the units because they placed something in the apartments that tests for the air quality. I haven't gotten the results of it yet because I recently got it and it must be there for 3 months.

* After about 6-7 months of living at Sunforest, I noticed these little black bugs all over my bedroom and kitchen. They look like little black bugs with the size of about 2 mm long, 1 mm wide. Also, there were ants all over my kitchen. So I complained to maintenance and they had the Orkin people come. Sure it worked, but they came back again after a couple months. Total, I had to tell the Orkin people to come about 3-4 times before I stopped seeing them. I also took my trash outside every day and kept my kitchen really clean. Wiping the counter tops with cleaners every time I cooked or ate something. Also, every once in a while, I see lizards in my apartment. I have no idea how they get in, but they do! All in all, I've captured a total of 4 lizards and released them outside.

* Large animals are allowed (even though it's against their renter's policy). I guess this could be a good thing and a bad thing. A good thing for the person who owns the large dog. However, once the neighbors complain, management will tell the renter with the large dog to get rid of it. So I guess it's a risk if you own a large dog and consider moving into Sunforest. A bad thing for your surrounding neighbors if your dog starts barking. I guess the risks outweigh the benefits... so I wouldn't rent at Sunforest if you own a large dog.

I hope whoever reads this has a better understanding of how Sunforest works and that they totally understand how much money they will be spending by staying at their apartments. Why you ask I stayed here for so long after giving such negative reviews? Simply because I was able to either eliminate or stand up to all the problems I had with this apartment. The bugs and ants are gone. The smoke smell still bugs me, but I just crank up my AC and use air freshener. As far as the expensive rent, I find that it'll cost me more money to find another place and move out than to pay for the increase in the monthly rent. Plus, I'm only here for another year.

There are way better places to live that have the location and the same (or better) amenities as Sunforest. For those of you who are looking for a place to stay, here are my recommendations:

1) Sundance: This is the closest apartment to NSU and you could literally walk to school. Some of these units are way cheaper than Sunforest and most owners do not raise your rent after you renew your lease. These are privately owned condo's so they do not have any additional miscellaneous fee's like Sunforest has. Plus, they cover most of your utilities. Also, most, actually all of the ones I saw included their own washer and dryer unit in-house with NO ADDITIONAL COST! All of the units I've seen here at Sundance had a lower rent than Sunforest (remember, sunforest increases your rent everytime you renew your lease, plus don't forget about all those additional fees they charge you per month: water, trash, sewage, etc...). Also, all the units I've seen at Sundance never increased their rent. Sundance is probably the best place to live if you go to NSU, that's why it's so hard to get.

2) Cameron Cove: Pays for your AC bill! Cheaper than Sunforest. Most of the units are walkable to NSU (about the same distance with Sunforest). The units at the north end would take you about 10 minutes to walk (Same with Sunforest). These apartments are managed. From what I've been told is that they have good maintenance. Their vacancies fill up rather quickly, so I assume these apartments are pretty good.