Vista Montana Apartments

TLDR? Moving to Vista Montana has been one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made in the last 5 years. If you’re comfortable paying too much for an apartment where you have no microwave, no counter space, no heat, and you don’t have running water once or twice a week, maybe Vista Montana is the place for you. Otherwise, look elsewhere.

The worst thing about living at Vista Montana is the constant water shut-offs. They have been shutting off the water at least once a week from 8am - 5pm since... November (three months now). Credit where it’s due: in January, they scheduled the water shut-offs for Tuesdays so that we could at least plan not to shower or cook or do laundry. However, they must be working with unreliable plumbers because we’ll get an email on Tuesday telling us that the water work has been canceled and will be rescheduled for whenever the plumbers show up. And then there are bonus ‘emergency’ water shut-offs on top of the scheduled water shut-offs. Upside… slightly cheaper water bills?

While nickel and diming residents is not uncommon, I have rarely felt so cheated by an apartment complex as I have the last few months. There’s a monthly fee you pay to the company who puts your bill together… yes, you actually pay Vista Montana to bill you. Then Vista Montana started double-charging me for parking every month. It gets better: the next month, I started seeing charges from an outside company that is now monitoring my credit for me. I have near perfect credit and have no interest in any kind of credit support or monitoring services. When I investigated, I found out that Vista Montana had given my personal, private, and highly sensitive credit information to an outside party with which they contract. When I brought it up, they suggested I should have read their privacy policy more closely.

The last straw happened over Christmas when I was out of town for a few weeks. I didn’t pay my rent until I returned and was, exactly, 48 hours late. In addition to my near-perfect credit score, I have never before been late on a payment to Vista Montana. The best properties will send you a polite reminder, but I’m happy to pay a reasonable fee when I’ve made a mistake. You figure, what… $30? $50? Credit cards often charge a $59 late fee, though they’ll often waive the fee if you ask nicely. Vista Montana added over $100 to my monthly rent! I guess they showed me.
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When I lived at Vista Montana, each year the rent went up about $50. That was the reason I decided to move out. Then there was the surprise of the move-out policies. For example, I had to pay a service (not do it myself) to have the carpet cleaned. Also, they expected me to wash the walls and they didn't have realistic expectations of normal wear and tear.

Overall, I would advice those looking for an affordable apartment to bypass this complex.

This place is cozy, but it's has its share of problems. In the year We've lived here, we' expectations endured poor management, leaking roofs, a lazy handyman, and various violent crimes. There are many better places for less money.