Apartment Review for The Grove

If you're the kind of person who enjoys loud obnoxious neighbors, parties almost everyday, incompetent landlord, rude staff, vomit & dog feces everywhere, then this is the place for you!

I've experienced all of the above & when I went to ask the staff what to do about it, they just smiled & shrugged it off (the "staff" are tenants that are attending school as well). The Grove is for wild & crazy party kids that want to experience the dorm life, but off campus. There are 2bd 2 bth & 3bd 3bth for rent. Each room has one's own bathroom & bedroom. The kitchen & living room is shared & each tenant has one's own contract, so if someone fails to pay, the other roommates are not charged.

This place isn't living **** for someone that likes this kind of lifestyle. The Grove is almost like camp; parties/events at the main office, everyone is pretty much 18yrs-21yrs. There is free tanning & the swimming pool is open in the summer. There is a small work out room with some fairly okay equipment.

The walls inside each room are very thin, so hearing someone's phone call or television is daily. Inside the bathroom, you can hear loud urination as well. When someone upstairs flushes the toilet, IT WILL BE LOUD. If you are someone that needs peace & quiet & gets startled easily by loud noises, this is not the place for you. Another thing is, the kids that drive around, drive FAST. I'm surprised I haven't been hit by anyone (yet). People will park on the side of the road and other places where it states, "DO NOT PARK", but people will park there anyways. It's hard to see oncoming traffic where people park, so drive slow...& cautious.

The Grove is targeted for students, but not the average student who wants to study to get good grades and sleep on time. I would recommend somewhere more respectful. The Grove is for students who want to party and act like junior high school students; the mentality of being away from mommy & daddy for the first time & acting rambunctious. When you apply for a room, the staff really pressure you into moving in ASAP because I think they get an extra pay or something like that. When you move out, they will still call your phone telling you about promotions they are having.

Because so many people get irritated at this place, they find others for lease-take overs. Because so many tenants have been doing it, it now costs 500$ for a lease-take over. There is a 250$ "community" fee every year & if you sign for another yearly lease, it gets waived. Yes, the contract is for 1 year. If you choose to pay online, there is a 15$ extra "convenience" fee. They're pretty good at sucking money, so if you live off mom & dad...then you don't have to worry. They charge you for late rent (35$) plus if a check gets bounced back (another 35$) & you probably have to pay a fee from your bank. So, if money is an issue to you, then I would not consider The Grove!

Personal experience: I loathe this place. As a student, money isn't handed to me & is pretty scarce. One thing that tricked me into renting out a place is that since The Grove is for students, they understand money is tough & that most of us live on Financial Aid/loans. I had rent paid late for 2 months because money comes out of my own pocket & payments are prorated (you pay for 1 month ahead, so when you move in, you actually pay for 2 months). I was not aware of the prorated part so I was very short on cash. I called the manager about this & he told me that at a normal apartment, I would have been evicted. Not only was he really rude & seemed pretty selfish...I know paying late at a "normal" apartment is bad...that's why I chose The Grove!!

Don't be scammed into a place that's "designed for students" because all it really is is a money sucking machine. There are much better & CHEAPER places around CWU that won't nearly have many problems as The Grove....BUT...if you are the kind of student that enjoys parties every night, loud music, everyone including staff is just like you, thin walls where you can hear everything to bathroom noises, people almost running you over, dog poop everywhere, & an endless wallet, then by all means, give this place a tour!