The James Apartments

The office helps you to the best of their abilities and always follow up on any concerns.

The entire place is filthy, most amenities are non operable, management is unable to resolve complaints in a timely manner.

I'd give them a 0 out of 5 if I could. A big, corporate owned, bunch of rip off artists. On move-in day the place was filthy and mis-advertised. A 2-bedroom apartment charging the same for both rooms were not equal in size or layout and very different bathrooms. "We don't guarantee room configurations even though we charge the same for the rooms." Regarding the filth, "we've been having a problem with housekeeping." Not to mention the bedbugs (we have pictures). As a parent of a VCU student I'm... disgusted about how we were treated and ripped-off. They are happy to relet because they already have your money. Read all of the other 1-star reviews. Read the legalese in the lease. Extremely disappointed in the management. It may be "legal" but it's not ethical. Shame on you. Read More

1. The person who gave me a tour said most people pay less than $10 a month for electricity. The electric bill ended up being around $30-$50 a month. You aren’t billed for your apartment- you are billed for the building so you have very little control over the cost of the bill.
2. Buses are super unreliable first 2 months were ok but after that, they were really inconsistent. There were 4+ months where there was no bus after 5. A car is kinda a must here.
3. They started asking us to renew in... November- 3 months after I signed the lease & use fear tactics like your apartment isn’t guaranteed if you don’t renew your lease by February. They also give people money & prizes for leaving 5-star reviews
4. The Stairs & hallways are always dirty- food wrappers, sticky floors, etc. Also, keep in mind there are no elevators & you will be going up 3 flights of stairs if you are on the second floor
5. Overall greedy- they collect double rent from people moving in/out & make you pay for a full month when it’s only 10-15 days.
6. The neighborhood it’s super safe at night/in general & it’s very far away from everything (you need a car)
- When I moved in there was absolutely no cleaning done. There was crumbled food in the kitchen drawers, lint in the vents, and grease on the stove/microwave.
7. Rent will not post before the 1st and will have a late fee on the second. You literally have 24 hours to pay rent which was really frustrating

Overall, you can just get so many better places. I moved to another 3 bedroom that has similar amenities, is a similar size, is newer, and is less than a 10-minute walk to Monroe Park. It's also about $100 less a month. The James always has lots of vacancies because soooo many people move out after a year! Read More

From online pictures and a short tour conducted in a model unit prior to move in, The James seemed like a pleasant place to live as a graduate student. However, the experience my roommates and I had was the complete opposite. The living conditions and management caused me discomfort and anxiety that negatively impacted my academics. The James is located in a very unsafe area. I frequently heard gun shots in close proximity and aggressive panhandlers on my route to school were an everyday... occurrence. This is not a property where will you will be able to walk anywhere, you would definitely want to use a mode of transportation for safety. I was surprised at the lack of care that fellow residents and management had for the property. The shared stairwells in my building were commonly littered with dog poop/pee, residents’ trash, and vomit. During my 10 months at the James, most of our appliances broke and repairs were never fully completed. The James bus transportation was completely unreliable. Ultimately working with the management did not provide relief for any of the things I am describing.

I lived in various apartments during my undergrad experience so I am not new to renting. This was well below average and caught me by surprise. In preparation for writing this review, I read the other reviews and am shocked that we are talking about the same property. Even if this was the last available place, I would still find something different had I known my experience would be so negative. Read More