Review for Chateau Alder Apartments

I lived at this apartment complex for two years in college. The first year was in a regular 2-bd apartment. It was an average size, and the kitchen was HUGE. The apartment door was in an indoor hallway, so you had to pass trough a locked door to get to your apartment. This was good because there was no dead-bolt on the apartment door. During this time I had no issues with the management and was content with the apartment.

The second year I changed roommates and apartments. I moved into a 2-story, 2-bd townhouse. It was very spacious and comfortable. However, the door again did not have a dead-bolt and lead directly to the outside. So the only thing keeping anyone out (besides honesty) was a lock similar to what you would find on a bathroom door... not too reassuring. The managers also became much more up-tight. When we reported a suspected leaky pipe in the wall, the managers said these things happen when you use too much soap in the shower or sink. Now, I have a Bachelor degree in Construction Management, and I know for a fact that pipes do not leak due to soap bubbles. There were also a couple other enteractions we had with management where we felt they were being unreasonable, and frequently rude. Management also lived in a town about 30-45 minutes away from the apartment property, and they would complain when requested to come into Ellensburg. My feeling was that if they chose to manage an apartment complex in another town, the tenants should not be punnished for their inconvenient commute time.

I felt the lease was totally bogus. Several unreasonable items were listed that had monetary penalties. Also, their business tactics were poor in my experiences with them. For example, if roommate A would turn in a rent check late, they would call roommte B and tattle. This happened a few times for rent or parking or things that didn't even matter and weren't listed on the lease.

So, I would recommend this apartment as a second choice for people. They are clean, there is on-sitte laundry and they are quiet. But the business side of it is very displeasing. Fore warned is fore armed, I suppose.