In all, the apartment is priced at about what one might expect of student housing near campus. That said, the price that Kimball lists online is something like $100 less per month than the actual price you will be paying to live there, because management
artificially inflates the cost of utilities and services to make up for low rent. The most egregious example of this would probably be the fee to transfer a contract when selling it for the summer, which is $200.
All things considered, if you walk into the lease knowing what you will be paying and not planning to sell your contract halfway through the lease period, the apartment is a good economy choice. I have only seen better apartments either further away from campus or at a much higher monthly rate.
A more detailed review follows:
The good:
Maintenance is super fast here. For maintenance requests on a weekday, management usually sends an employee within 24 hours.
Huge central living area. For the number of people in each apartment, the living room is really big.
Parking. I have always been able to find a parking spot in the Kimball lot, a huge boon so close to campus.
Price. Compared to other apartments a similar distance away from campus, the apartment is cheap even with all added fees.
The bad:
As mentioned above, ridiculously inflated fees on services and utilities.
Poor internet. Despite the fact that each unit charges the residents a combined total of $80-100 per month for internet, internet service is slow and does not reach all corners of the house. It is reliable enough for doing homework and even taking tests, but starts to struggle if more than one person is, say, playing an online video game at once.
Poor social scene. Kimball is a very small apartment. Thus, unlike on-campus housing or Carriage Cove, you are unlikely to be making new friends with residents, especially because the stake splits the apartment in half in terms of ward boundaries.
Tiny bathroom. It seems all the extra space in the living room must have been sucked out of the really small bathroom.
Outdated furnishings and fixtures. Almost everything about this apartment is old or outdated. Bedroom ethernet ports and wall plugs are all in awkward locations, presumably because they were installed before the internet was popular.
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4/5.0
01/09/2020
This has been my first off-campus housing experience and I've enjoyed it here. Albeit not perfect, Kimball Apartments is homey, practical, and reasonably affordable. Pros: - Price (I love anything below $400 a month) - Location: super close to BYU campus
(about a 5 min walk to the edge of campus; 15-20 min to the Wilkinson Student Center); UVX bus stop nearby (if you don't have a car, it's a lifesaver--can get to the Neighborhood Market Walmart in about 20 min) - Set-up: apartment feels more like a little house than an apartment (I consider that a plus) Cons: - Only one to two electrical outlets in every room (not a dealbreaker for me, but just kind of annoying) - Internet is flaky in the kitchen (could just be our apartment) - Close to neighbors: you can kind of hear the people upstairs and around you (hasn't bothered me really, but other people might find it annoying) - Lighting: only three windows--one in each bedroom and one in the living room, but that one faces out into the small entryway. (I wish there were more windows) - Coin-laundry machines (at least for me getting enough quarters can sometimes be a hassle; $1.50 for wash cycles and $1.25 for drying; there is a laundromat a 15-20 min walk away with a bill to coin machine (costs a small fee)) - Gas-operated stove: be prepared for your food to cook very quickly--the dials produce very little variation as far as heat intensity goes - Heating/cooling: at least in my apartment you do not have access to the thermostat so it was pretty cold in the summer and sometimes too warm in the winter (just crack a window open) - Shelving: at least in my bedroom we didn't have a lot of shelving/places to put stuff (the furniture, in general, is pretty basic) In conclusion, Kimball Apartments is a great place to live in. It does have its weak points, however, nothing glaringly bad (it all depends on what is important to you). I reccomend it positively.
I rented from fall 2019 through fall 2020.
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4.7/5.0
01/09/2020
This is an older house with lots of character and charm. It has great upkeep for how old it is. The price is good, especially for how close it is to BYU campus, the bus, and Center Street. The ward is really social and management is helpful. If you have
a parking pass, parking is wonderful. During Fall/Winter street parking is harder to find. Overall, this is a great place to live.
I rented from spring 2020 through summer 2020.
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4.8/5.0
04/20/2017
Kimball was a fantastic place to live for BYU students. The maintenance crew always handled requests quickly, and the management are very nice and friendly. It is the best off-campus housing I have had in Provo.
I rented from fall 2016 through winter
2017.
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3.2/5.0
02/07/2012
The parking rating is 2 because it is difficult to get in and out; however, there are plenty of spaces, so if that is what you are basing the rating on, then it would be a 5. Also, I stayed through winter '12, but the drop down only goes to '11.
I rented
from spring 11 through fall 11.
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4.5/5.0
11/06/2006
Great place for the price. Large living room.
I rented from spring '03 through winter '04.