Reviews

3.6/5.0

06/03/2021

Current Resident

My main complaint it's that there are NO Locks for the bedroom doors and that leaves your personal property open to any dishonest person,so don't rent with strangers. also the lease are not individual like in other places. If you move in with a partner and break up,they will force you to stay the remaining of the lease, making it very difficult and expensive to leave,without even having the privacy of a locked bedroom. ...

1.8/5.0

01/19/2019

This is the most disgusting place that I have ever seen people living in and it should be shut down. I heard about the bug problem before I moved in, but there are roaches everywhere and they get in all of your stuff. The price is what would have made it all worth it, but by the end of us living there, the new management (a woman named Crystal that sits on her phone on facebook with a line of tenants waiting to talk to her out the door) charged us for almost 2 months extra rent. It would have been so much cheaper/ less of a headache to move somewhere with adequate living conditions. There is no heating in the apartments, just an AC unit that sits in the windows. We are supposed to ask for personal heaters during the winter that they said they'd provide, but they didn't have any. My roommate had a car and was unable to get a parking pass for the Cornell Arms lot- they sold out right away. If the above is still not enough to turn you away and you still plan on living there, here is some advice. Crystal is very difficult to get in contact with and will not know the answer to your question when you ask. Write her a letter and email it to her, give it to her in person, slide it under the door, AND mail it to the management of Cornell Arms. This was the one time that she answered some of my questions. Imagine a child being in charge of your living expenses. Spray for every type of bug before you move any of your stuff in and keep bug catchers throughout the apartment. Invest in a space heater for the winters as it gets unbearably cold with the windows not closing for the AC units. And finally, expect to get screwed over. Crystal is like the old management in the sense that she really doesn't care about people once they sign the lease. I rented from fall 2018 through fall 2018. ...

2/5.0

03/24/2016

Cornell Arms Apartments is a mixed bag of handful pros and umpteen cons. Beware foreign students - The attitude of management is different if you "look" like a local but if you apparently look foreign because of your skin tone or you have an accent -- just weigh in all pros and cons and understand what you're getting in to. I will rate my experience on a scale of 10, with 0 being lowest and 10 being highest rating. 1. Gym/ Swimming Pool/ Recreational Activities 0/10 - None present on premise. 2. Management 2/10. Myra is the Property Manager who is friendly only until you are a prospective tenant. Once you sign the lease, her attitude changes drastically and she wouldn't care less for your issues or complaints as a tenant. Katherine is Myra's assistant and she tries to comes across as if she's the property owner. I still remember that many times I asked for her help politely but she always replied in a disdainful tone which is unacceptable. I am a brown skin male born and raised in US and I have heard umpteen incidences of her behaving unfairly primarily with foreign students who constitute a majority of Cornell Arms' tenants-- pushing the envelope to the verge of almost coming across as being a racist. Just my 2 cents to potential tenants especially foreign students -- when you are not breaking any apartment rules, don't ever give in to her rude, disdainful and unfair attitude if you decide to rent an apartment here or steer clear of this ignorant office assistant altogether. 3. Security/ Management Intrusiveness 1/10: They have round the clock video surveillance and security personnels surveilling the main entrance -- this makes it a safe location. However, Myra and Katherine keep a tab on everyone entering into the building during business hours which sometimes becomes highly intrusive in nature. They have a stupid verbal rule, which is not written in contract, as per which tenants can't give their apartment keys to guests/family members come what may. Myra and Katherine do not hesitate to stop less familiar faces and ask questions like; whether they are a resident or visitor and how did they get into the building and whether they have the apartment keys or not. They will snatch your keys on the pretext of 'rule' if you are a guest in possession of apartment keys and then you will have to call the original tenant to escort your back to the apartment and/or get the keys back. If you ever happen to have such an unlucky guest, they will feel violated by management's attitude. 4. Construction 4/10 - These apartments were built in 1940s and hence they are arguably outdated from modern construction standards. Few important points (a) The rooms have hard floor, which might appeal to a lot of us -- however, the build quality is super inferior and one can easily get distracted by ordinary noises emanating from everyday activities typical of any house hold e.g. the kettle noise from the kitchen, TV from the living room, someone talking loud in the kitchen or putting up their coats and shoes on up the hall. It's so distracting and it drives one crazy especially if you are a student trying to focus on studies. (b) The walls will peel off and get bubbly. (c) Plumbing is in poor shape and every now and then one can expect plumbing related issues cropping up. (d) The rooms are dark with minimal natural light coming in from minuscule windows. 5. Parking 5/10 - You will feel miserable trying to find a parking spot in or around Cornell Arms apartments. For tenants who can afford, there is an additional $55 monthly fee to get a parking permit at Cornell Arms' parking lot -- however, there is no guarantee that someone else would not occupy your assigned parking space. This obviously demonstrates a poor planning on their part which should be dealt while issuing parking permits. 6. Cable & Internet 8/10 - Basic cable and broadband cable internet is included with the rent. This reduces the financial burden especially if you are a student but the internet speed is poor and connectivity gets choppy at times 7. Location 10/10 - The location is great -- you will be staying right in the middle of Columbia downtown with access to restaurants, banks, libraries, parks, ATMs, bars, clubs and great night life etc. If you are a student, it is extremely convenient in case you do not have a car as USC is just few blocks and at a walkable distance. I rented from fall 2015 through summer 2016. ...

2/5.0

03/28/2008

Lazy staff. Nothing gets fixed in a timely manner. The elevators break often. Currently there isn't any hot water. There hasn't been for 3 days, and there won't be for another three days. Don't expect them to keep you informed of important issues like when the hot water will be back, and don't expect them to adjust rent when you have to walk up 19 flights of stairs because both elevators are down, again. Don't rent here. If you need the location (which is pretty good), go to claire towers, or ask yourself how important it is that you have a great location if everything else is TERRIBLE. DON'T DO IT! GO SOMEWHERE ELSE, PLEASE! I rented from summer '07 through summer '08. ...

2.3/5.0

03/28/2008

The staff here sucks...the building would actually be fine if they would do their jobs instead of putting things off until they get worse. I am real glad to be getting out of here. I rented from fall '07 through spring '08.

3/5.0

11/24/2007

Let me go ahead and tell you: this is a long description, and to be honest, I don't know why I ended up putting as much effort into it as I did. I guess it's because I believe in the empowerment that the internet has given good people such as yourself in being able to make informed decisions. So, I am happy to contribute to that good process of knowledge and empowerment. If you are really serious about considering Cornell Arms as your home, then please read on. It's long, but it will be worth it, since I am trying to cover all bases. I will not say that there is nothing good about Cornell Arms. To do so would be a lie. I lived there for almost five years, from 2001-2006, and I've seen the best and the worst of it. Here are my thoughts: The Pros: Let's start by looking at the best qualities of Cornell Arms. First, it's convenient, especially for students. I did half of my BA and all of my MA at USC Columbia, and living in Cornell Arms made that a lot easier, considering the recent surges in gas prices. Second, the horseshoe is very nice, and is like a back yard for the people living in Cornell Arms. Third, it is conveniently located in walking distance of the bars/restaurants in the Vista, and it is within thirty-minute walking distance of Five Points. (I recommend The Blue Cactus and The Flying Saucer. Also, there's Camon Sushi Bar on Assembly--quite good, if sushi's your thing.) Having a parking space on USC campus is nice, especially since there is security to keep an eye on cars. Considering the fact that a parking garage space at USC averages at around $50.00/month, the price Cornell Arms charges is reasonable. Many local businesses charge as much as $80.00/month for spaces. One of the biggest advantages is not having a fluctuating electric bill to deal with every month, since it's included. Less time spent and fewer hassles means more time to study, work, and/or to just have fun. These are the advantages of Cornell Arms Apartments. Now, for the cons: I'll start with a small one: Bums in the area I have no problem with homeless people. In fact, I have put in time at several homeless shelters in the Columbia area, and I support social programs to help unfortunate folks be able to help themselves (even though most people in SC do not--one reason I moved to another state). But these aren't just homeless people. They're drug-addicted, alcoholics who live their lives to get money from people and to sate their addictions on a daily basis. If you are a resident of Cornell Arms, be prepared to have these men walk up to you, with bloodshot, jaundiced eyes and alcohol-repugnant death-breath oozing out of not only their mouth but every pore of their bodies, stalking you down the street and asking you for money. This will generally happen as soon as you walk off of Cornell Arms Property--for example, if you're walking to the local shell station or a local restaurant. So, before you make that trip to one of the fine restaurants I mentioned, you get to deal with a drug addict hitting you up for money. I've never heard of a bum robbing anyone, but I had one grab a hold of my arm once when he kept calling me "Brutha," and I told him I am not his brother, and that trying to butter me up would not get him any money. (I was frustrated, because I had put up with bums like this at Cornell Arms, on average, about three times per week. I had lived there for about three years at that point.) What this poor guy did not realize is that I had trained in a very rigorous and (therefore) effective martial art for about 12 years of my life. He let go fast, and I doubt he grabbed hold of too many people after that. (I didn't damage him, but he did get a sense of my power and what would happen to him if he proceeded.) But hey, you may not have trained in a martial art, or know what to do if some huge, grungy drug-addict grabs you--especially if you're an untrained 112-pound female, or if you are physically disabled in any way that prevents you from being a match against such a violator of your personal space. In this sense, then, Cornell Arms may not be the place for you. For the most part, though, these guys are harmless but annoying. All social judgments aside, just consider your safety. That's job one. Here's my main issue with Cornell Arms: Bad Management: During the time I lived at Cornell Arms, there were three managers. The first one I recall, Laura, seemed pretty nice, straightforward, honest, and competent--but she was only there for a few months before the next one took over. The next one, Rose Marie, possessed none of these qualities that Laura had. Rose Marie was a liar, and she focused on trying to get nothing done, while maintaining the illusion that she was working. The most significant violation I recall had to do with security at the apartments, about three years back, about a year after Rose Marie became manager. We had issues with a security guard who was oppressing guests. He was some kind of NRA, Neo-Con gun-nut, and he refused to make phone calls for unannounced guests in order "to protect the homeland." (No, this is not fiction.) I once saw him tell an older resident who was carrying a chair into the building that he would have to turn around and come in through the back door with a small, wooden chair, since "carrying in furniture through the front door [was] against policy." The guard saw me (he knew I didn't put up with his oppression), and changed his mind and so he let the chair pass on that occasion. He refused to let my friends into the building, and he refused to make courtesy calls for them, even though the policy stated that he was to do so for unannounced guests who did not have cell phones with them. He refused, and when, presenting a photocopy of the security policy (which I got from another guard, against Cornell Arms' wishes, I'm sure) I asked him how this was following policy, when the policy clearly stated that he was to make calls for unannounced guests. He then said, "I follow a higher policy of homeland security." I complained to Rose Marie about this, and I wrote an extensive letter about the violations of this guard. She did not want to read the letter, until I made her, and until I threatened to go to the local media and to write the newspaper if she continued to ignore my request to make him change his treatment of paying residents. She basically told him to give my guests special treatment (by following the standard security policy?), and from that time on I had no problems with him, but others still did. I reported this to Rose Marie, but she refused to do anything further. I warned her, as I did in this letter, that nothing good would come of this guard, and that he was a liability to the apartments and to the safety of its residents and guests. She didn't listen, because listening would require work. Again: Rose Marie was (and probably still is) allergic to work. One year later, a young man, who was admittedly intoxicated, visiting the apartments exchanged angry words with the rude, oppressive, gun-nut security guard. The security guard, claiming the thought the young man was armed, shot the 22-year-old man in the center of mass three times. The fellow died shortly thereafter. And, from what I understand, he was armed--with a water balloon and a whisky bottle. I could have those details a bit wrong, but that's my basic understanding. The security guard went to court and is now serving about 10-15 years for manslaughter, since there was some possibility that he acted in self-defense. That was up to the courts to decide. But here's my point: if Rose Marie had listened to the voices of her residents, this tragic event would not have happened. Too bad she didn't. Not coincidentally, Rose Marie lost her job less than one year after the incident--at about the time the court case started. (Cornell Arms is good at protecting itself.) I'm sure my letter of complaint, warning of the guard's violent attitude, was shredded. (It's too bad I gave it to the police, and to the family of the deceased.) That was Rose Marie. Another woman named Jenny took over for a few months, but she quickly got out of it. I think she did because she was a high-quality person and could not deal with the mediocrity of Cornell Arms. And then, the last manager I recalled, Myra, took over, and she was there when I moved out. I was not terribly impressed by her, and she seemed fake to me, but she was amazing compared to Rose Marie. (Of course, a Saint Bernard would be amazing next to Rose Marie, too.) I will say this about Myra: she tried to force us to have the exterminator spray our apartment, even though we did not have a single insect in our apartment, aside from the annual visit of the ladybugs (more on that later), which the exterminators could not stop anyway. Myra tried to claim that we had to have it sprayed. We didn't want to, because we understood that the insecticide they were spraying had been proven to be dangerous to small pets in some cases. We had two cats, and we were not willing to take that chance. We had no insects, since we were on a higher floor, and since we cleaned our floor once per week, so there would be no crumbs and such on the floor for insects to eat. I explained this to Myra, and showed her our unit, but she still insisted, "because I am the property manager, and I said so." Pathetic. I wrote a letter to her, based on the contract, and showed her that mandatory extermination was not in that contract, and that she had not given the required amount of time for the unannounced change in the contract. Basically, I explained to her that her actions were unlawful, and that if she wanted to go to court, we would win. She then told us we didn't have to have the unit sprayed. Ah, the power of a liberal arts education! Sylvia works the front desk, and she is a complete imbecile. I've rarely encountered as asinine of a human being in my travels. But that wouldn't bother me if she wasn't also rude and lazy. Those three qualities make her useless, but, worse, they make her a disservice to the residents. Having someone like her in control of anything is a mistake. But she gets the job done, so long as the job does not require any higher-level brain functions. She tries to tell residents what to do, but if they resist her, or show her the contract and that she is wrong, she then throws up her hands and says, "I'm just a receptionist. I don't know anything. Talk to the property manager," when she was the one who hassled the resident. This is Sylvia's most--enduring--quality. Her husband, Shaun, works as maintenance staff. He's a good guy, and a pretty hard worker, but I wonder how he deals with his wife. Better man than me, I guess. The other security guys I remember were great, nice guys. I liked them a lot, and found them to be the most useful employees at Cornell Arms. Funny that they are also the most underpaid employees. I wonder what that says about Cornell Arms' values. . . The annual flight of the ladybugs: I will admit that Cornell Arms did warn me about this before I moved in. But that was Laura, the first manager I had. I doubt that some of the other people would have said a word about the matter. So, just in case they don't tell you, here's the breakdown: during the spring/summer months, you will notice ladybugs all over the apartment. In fact, at any given time during this period of the year, I would say that there would be about 50 ladybugs crawling around in the apartment. And those ladybugs quickly die and become ladybug carcasses. (Waking up in the morning and hearing the crunch of one when you step out of bed is a great feeling, and it makes you ready to eat your cornflakes--believe me!) It happens every year, and, for whatever reason, the ladybugs go to Cornell Arms and have for many years, in order to mate. The exterminators cannot stop it, and they will admit that it's just something residents of Cornell Arms have to deal with. I didn't mind it so much, since the ladybugs provided high-quality entertainment for my cats, and since my fiancee studied entomology (the science of insects). Still, we had an overabundance of specimens. The final con is the elevators, as you may have noticed in previous comments. It's a big issue there. The elevators are the original ones. Here's a bit of inside info on that, if you're curious. I talked to the men from the elevator company, since I enjoy knowing the down-low of what's going on, and since I know that it is workmen like these who really know what is really going on (rather than idiots like Sylvia), and that such workmen will tell me the truth of the matter if I get in with them (unlike liars such as Rose Marie). Well, they did tell me the truth. Here is what the man said, as closely as verbatim as I can remember it: "What really needs to be done is to gut these elevators completely, and to install a whole new system. But that won't happen, since it would cost about $200,000.00 to do that. Rose Marie said the apartments will not spend that much money, and she told us just to fix the problem now. I told her that the elevators would keep breaking, and that just fixing them now is just a band-aid. She said to do it anyway. The truth is that just replacing the whole system will save a whole bunch of money in the long run, but she doesn't get that, and I don't think the owner does either. But I'm telling you: these things are going to keep breaking, and this year we are going to be out here fixing it at least three times a week." I thought he was exaggerating. He wasn't. In fact, over the next six months, the elevators were breaking down about five times a week. After that, they went back to their usual behavior: breaking down about twice per month, every month--if we were lucky. But, hey, $200,000.00 is a lot of money, so we can see why Cornell Arms wouldn't fix it--that is, until we consider how much money Cornell Arms makes. First, the owner of Cornell Arms paid off the place years ago, and so he makes a hefty profit off of it per month. Actually, let's see if we can get a ballpark. Let me admit that I know there are taxes and employees to be paid (and underpaid). But I just want to show the overall amount coming in, just to begin to see the picture. I am not an economics expert, but I do know big numbers when I see them--and if you think $200,000.00 is a big figure--well, just look at the figures below. Cornell Arms has about 180 units. (That's 10 units per floor X 18 floors.) Depending on what size the unit is, the price is higher or lower. Prices also vary according to floor. (Higher floors mean higher bills--standard for high-rise apts.) Our place, which was on a medium-high floor, and which was a 2-bedroom (the largest type of unit), was about 700.00 per month, which did include utilities. So, with utilities excluded, we were really paying about $600.00 per month--a reasonable price. People living in smaller apartments were paying less, and, unfortunately, I don't know the lower-end price, nor do I feel like researching it right now. So, let's assume low: Let's assume that the rent for these smaller apartments average at $400.00. Also, let's assume one-bedrooms are about $500.00. These numbers may be off a bit, so I've erred to the side of caution and figured low. So, here's the deal: the average of these three numbers comes out to $533.00. Now, let's lower that--just to make our point--by rounding it down to $500.00. Also, let's assume that 10 of the 180 apartments are vacant at any one given time. Let's do the math on how much Cornell Arms grosses per month: 170 inhabited apartments X 500/month.) Are you ready for it? That's $85,000.00 per month. That's right--per month. How about per year? Just multiply that figure by 12: $1,020,000.00. And that's a very low figure, since we set all variables to low. Yes, there are workers to pay, and you can figure for that too. (I'll give you one of them: security guards make about $7.50/hour. Big loss there--that million will be gone in no time flat.) You can do the rest of the math, if you find it necessary, but I think I've made my point. So, at the inconvenience (and the endangerment) of its tenants, Cornell Arms, which makes over one million dollars per year, was not willing to spend a maximum of $200,000.00 on fixing the elevators. Worse, they would not do this, despite the fact that the elevator company explained how in the long run, a complete replacement would save time and, more importantly, money. That's Cornell Arms for you: greedy, yet too stupid to be good at being greedy. Well, that's the breakdown of Cornell Arms. Some of it might seem insulting, and that was not my intention. I call people stupid, because they simply are stupid, and because consumers such as you who have taken the time to do your homework deserve to know if there are incompetent, rude people working at the place you are thinking about calling home. If I call people liars, that is because they lie, and are, by definition, liars. I am not to concerned about these folks reading my thoughts, since their brains will break down after about two paragraphs of reading due to their having the attention spans of the average mountain gorilla. Anyway, all sarcasm aside: there are many advantages to Cornell Arms, and there are disadvantages. If Cornell Arms would have high-quality management, and just spend a little money on improving their apartments, they could have an amazing place for people to live. And, people would pay for it, because the location is a prime location in the heart of Columbia and USC. Shamefully, this will never happen, because these people don't give a damn about quality or about other people. They never stop to think that the work of their hands reflects who they are. All they care about is making their money and spending it on themselves. I'm not going to tell you whether or not you should move to Cornell Arms. It has huge advantages, but a history of corruption, mediocrity, and stupidity. In the end, it is your decision, but I've tried my level best to put it all out there for you. Good luck in your decision! I rented from winter '01 through summer '06. ...

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1230 Pendleton St, Columbia, SC 29201

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🛌 Bedrooms

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🎓 Miles to South Carolina

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