The Empire (Student Living) Apartments

We "jumped" all over this apartment because we were made to feel if we didn't, we wouldn't be able to get a decent apartment anywhere. We literally signed the lease agreement without seeing the apartment because they were all occupied and there was none to show. Like my title says: WORST.DECISION.EVER. From the minute we walked in the building (less than a year old at the time) it was in disarray. The walls were filthy, the carpet looked like it hadn't been vacuumed since the first day the... building opened and there was garbage everywhere. The apartment (studio) is like a small box. An OVERPRICED small box. There was hardly any room to move in it and on top of it, nowhere to sit and eat. Too many unusable cabinets, no island and not a place to put a small table for even 1 chair. The floorboards were coming unglued and the walls inside the apartment were filthy. I had to scrub them down. If I had been able to preview this building beyond the lobby, it would have been a hard NO. They nickel and dime you for everything, they charge you a small fortune for parking and during Covid when no one could live there, they didn't offer any type of discount or compensation. Full price rent including utilities that no one was using. The apartment sat empty for from March through August. It was a glorified storage unit. Do yourself a favor. Save your $$. There are far better apartments with the same (and better) amenities for less. They may make you think it's a cool place to live but it's not. If you have a few minutes to look around, you'll find plenty of bad reviews on other sites. Don't waste your time (I already did that for you) don't waste your money or parents money (did that too) and don't rent here. You'll regret it. Read More

I have been a resident of Empire Columbia for almost six months now and I have never been treated so poorly. To start off, when we (myself and roommates) moved in the first week of August, we were told that our apartment would be fully furnished and ready for us. That was hardly the case because once we arrived, we found that our desks had not been put together, lamps were missing, side tables in the common area were missing and there were countless scuffs, scratches, and dents along the walls... and appliances. Aside from the issues in our own unit, the main hallways are never vacuumed and there is a vomit spot that has been on the wall for well over a month now. The elevators also only work about 75% of the time and if you are lucky and it is working, don't expect the floors to be any cleaner in there. They are covered with mud and dirt. I can't speak for other levels, but on level 3, the trash room has been overflowing and after multiple complaints to management, they have still failed to get the issue under control. As for parking, the garages are incredibly small with way to many compact spots. The parking gates also did not work for the first two months making the garage easily accessible to anyone.
***Please do not stay here if you have other options. This is nowhere near to 5 star, luxury living. You will be highly disappointed.*** Read More