1.5/5.0

09/08/2017

BUYER BEWARE do not be fooled by the landlady's sweet smile and soft demeanor, she is a CROOK. DO NOT LIVE HERE Let's start from the beginning. When my roommate and I moved in, the previous tenant moved out the DAY BEFORE. So that meant, not only was the apartment not repainted, it wasn't even cleaned. Our families and we had to remove GARBAGE from the apartment before we could even move our things in. After we had a break in, the landlady promised the fence construction would be completed by the end of the week (took two months), and that security cameras and even a guard would be in place soon (neither of those ever happened) If you live in the Surf, you do not have key access to the Surfside, which is where the office is, which is were 95% of the time your packages will be delivered (even though there is a mail room in the Surf). So, your packages will be held hostage any time you have something delivered, because the office is also closed half the time you even manage to slip into the other building. There was actually a period of a few months where our packages weren't even being received at the office and were being held at the UPS access point at the Stop n Shop on State Street. That was fun. Mary will never respond to your emails until you have emailed her a minimum of four times. BUT, in the meantime while you're waiting for a response, you'll most likely get some piece of paper taped to your door reminding tenants to pick up their dog's poop. Roof construction went on for over a month in April 2017, where Mary instructed tenants who pay $145 a month for parking that they will just have to find somewhere else to park for a week. She'll give you a whole day's notice on this one. And if your car is still there, like perhaps you were out of town when this piece of paper got slipped under your door, your car got towed. Speaking of short notices and other papers taped to your door, Mary enjoys notifying you that your apartment will be shown the next day, well below the 24 hour notice of entry that your lease states. Speaking of going against leases… The lease my roommate and I signed very clearly stated that laundry was included in rent, and that no changes may be made, written, oral, or otherwise to the contract. Mary once again taped papers to everyone's doors that laundry would be $1.25 a pop starting next month. We asked Mary about this and her response was that she believed she could make any change so long as she gave 30 days notice, but she'd check with her attorney. So, she pretty much admitted she does whatever she wants without even checking if it's legal or not. Mary claimed tenants were allowing friends and family to use the laundry machines and this was a security risk, so the best thing to do was to charge all the tenants for laundry. But then when the roof was under construction, both of the doors to the Surf were propped open 24 hours a day until construction was completed (you should have seen the bugs on the first floor, it was revolting) but that's not a security risk, right? The couches in the apartments are cheap, bonded synthetic leather (check the tags on the bottom). After living in this apartment for three years, and the previous tenant also lived there for three years with cats, the couches were flaking and falling apart by the end of our rental period. We had to place sheets over the cushions to keep the flaking from literally getting everywhere. Mary actually tried to tell us that the couches are genuine leather, and fully charged us to replace them at their original purchase value (not even including the depreciation value of 5 year old couches). But Mary tried to say our cats did that (one of our cats is declawed, too). Oh she also charged us $400 for repainting. IT WASN'T PAINTED WHEN WE MOVED IN If you ever complain about anything to Mary or try to get anything done, she will ignore you for days, and then give you some bullshit excuse about her (or her family's) health. At the end of the day though, she's running a business, and doing it poorly. We lived here for three years. We liked the location and the lake, and most things were tolerable for the first two years, but upon our third lease renewal we knew we made a mistake and should have moved out after two. Mary was also bitter AF when we informed her we would finally be leaving. She started being straight up rude to us in person, unless she was giving prospective tenants a tour. It was almost as if she expected us to live there forever. The ”unbiased party” that will be doing your checkout appointment, is a family friend who used to live there. The backyard is nice, but it is truly not worth having to deal with Mary as a landlady. She is a crook and an awful human being. I rented from fall 2014 through fall 2017. ...

2.7/5.0

10/16/2014

Nice, but over priced and Mary (landlord) is very unorganized. I rented from fall 10 through summer 11.

2/5.0

11/18/2010

I rented from fall 10 through fall 11.

1.7/5.0

08/04/2009

I rented from fall '06 through winter '08.

2.5/5.0

04/24/2009

2.8/5.0

03/25/2009

I lived at the Surf for a year and a half. My apartment was very nice and had an amazing view of the lake and capital. However, parking is terrible. The landlord is in her own little world and is nice, but a terrible business manager. We often waited weeks for minor repairs in our apartment and she often let herself into our apartment without permission. One time she even walked into my apartment, while I was sleeping! When we decided to sublet our apartment for the spring semester, we encountered real trouble with our landlord. The apartments and views from this building are nice, but the management is awful. I rented from fall '07 through winter '08. ...

4.2/5.0

06/02/2008

I've lived here for 5 years and have seen much improvement in the property and management. They are constantly spending money to improve the property. The management has hired needed help and cares about you and your home. I live in the surf building where I've seen a change in tenants from college undergraduate to older students and working professionals. The building is quiet yet next to a lot of activities on campus and State Street. My apartment is beautiful with all the modern amenities. The apartments are furnished and the furniture is beautiful, new and modern. It is on the lake which makes me feel like I live at a resort. I've been late with my rent a few times and the management was understanding and did not charge me a late fee. I would highly recommend this property. ...

2/5.0

09/10/2006

I lived here for a year--which tends to be the average for tenants. The view is amazing, the management sucks. I paid monthly for parking but the owner never towed so I never had the spot I paid for. The internet never worked. The owner would let herself into my unit without permission. I was charged more then once for rent I had paid due to their inaccurate book keeping. The hallways are always filthy and the elevator SMELLS. This building is located on frat row and in the summer when the windows are open it's LOUD. The view is captivating but this apartment complex is definitely NOT worth the money you pay for. I rented from summer '05 through summer '06. ...

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661 Mendota Ct, Madison, WI 53703

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