The Emerson Apartments

The Emerson seems to be one of those properties where you will either have a wonderful experience or a terrible experience. Unfortunately, I am in the latter category. I had high hopes for this place and was excited at the prospect of moving here. The updated units were beautiful. The staff were friendly and personable. The complex was conveniently located. The rent, at first, was nice for Ann Arbor's standards and was student-friendly until they raised it because I did not apply the following... morning. I had to drive out of state the day of the showing, which they knew about.

The moment I signed a lease, everything went left. The fact that I had to move twice because the first apartment was not move-in ready, was poorly renovated, and was not the model I was told I was going to get angers me. I'm currently paying the original offer price for a lower quality unit. My mistake. Every day I am here, I feel like I am being exploited. It is difficult to feel at home. The quality of my apartment makes me feel disgusted at times. When I said the carpet smelled like pee, I was told no pets lived in the unit before me - as old as this place is. Never mind that there was a little vomit stain on the carpet (which was there during my quick showing when I was moving out of the first apartment...I should've looked at it closer) in the second bedroom and pet dander in the vents.

My rent offer was for an updated unit, which I am not in. I was told the unit I'm currently in was updated, and it's clearly not. The apartment is falling apart every few weeks and chock full of poorly done quick fixes (that sometimes do more damage than before). Maintenance has been mostly non-responsive. The excuse I hear from the PM is that I have a "do not enter" request on my work orders. From this request, they (1) don't contact me for weeks to try to work out a time or (2) they'll violate my "do not enter" request and send people over when I'm not home.

I seriously hate it here, and I was hoping to find somewhere to stay for the next few years and to call home, so I'm disappointed that this doesn't seem to be the place.

If they show you multiple units during your visit and you get to see your prospective apartment, go for it. You might luck out in scoring a beautiful home at a nice price. If you're only shown the model or told that your unit "is still being worked on," then reconsider. Chances are, you're moving into a unit that isn't worth the price or year-long headache. Read More

I have lived at The Emerson for five years now. I am pleased to say that my time here has been most enjoyable and pleasant. My apartment is well appointed and in a very nice location on the rear of the complex. I have deer, rabbits, ground hogs and squirrels to watch and photograph. I would recommend this complex to everyone.

I moved here from Alabama to work for U of M and I couldn’t be happier with my choice. It’s an easy drive/bike to work, the service team is responsive/completes my request in a reasonable amount of time, the staff is nice, and I like the the layout of my apartment. The biggest factor why my roommate and I chose this complex is because we both have our own full size bathrooms on opposite sides of the apartment. ??

I have been here since the end of July and they never cease to disappoint me.
1. Management doesn’t know what’s going on (my apartment wasn’t ready for move-in, promises are never finished, contractors do a low quality job, etc.)
2. Maintenance cuts corners and repairs break or cause more issues (my door closes less now than before, I’ve put service requests in for the same thing to break a later, job quality is the least of their worry, and they never clean up after themselves)
3. The Emerson... will throw out their $5 million improvement plan but not mention the impacts that has on current residents (reduced parking, nails and debris in the grass, half completed projects, toilets everywhere, over flowing garbage)
4. The “premium” apartments include the cheapest possible stainless steel appliances (the dishwasher is terrible and isn’t stainless steel, I have to leave half a shelf empty so the refrigerator door doesn’t pop open randomly, the stove is impossible to clean, the washer is old and not HE)
5. When you tour, they won’t let you see anything but the model (my biggest mistake)
6. The walls and floors/ceiling are incredibly thin and creak constantly
7. Ice and snow is not cleared in a reasonable time frame
8. The doors and windows are old and drafty
9. They slap a new layer of paint right over cracks and chipping paint instead of properly preparing the surface before painting Read More

Recently moved in and I'm glad I choose to live here. First of all, great location: takes 1-2 mins to get on 94, right next to the Mall, great stores nearby such as Whole foods and Target, and only 5-8min drive to downtown. The staff are friendly and host great monthly happy hours for the community. Overall the community is quite, no issues with neighbors and the apartments are very spacious. What more can you ask for!