City Lofts on Laclede

I had high hopes for this apartment complex, because it is very aesthetically pleasing, and had a nice vibe to it. However, it fell VERY short. It seems like a good choice because up front its cheaper than some other college apartments, but it's not worth it. My electricity bill is super high each month (up to $250 total for a 2 bedroom) even when we are very efficient with using AC, when we even use it at all since it was off most of the time. There are no overhead lights in the bedrooms, and my bedroom had no windows and a giant cement pole in the middle of it, neither of which I was informed of prior to signing my lease. They charged me for renter's insurance persistently despite the fact that I had already had renters insurance on file, and they wouldn't refund me or even stop charging me. Theres a $25 amenity fee despite no one ever using amenities because of COVID. The washer/dryers only work half the time and theres only 2-4 per floor. This is without a doubt the worst apartment to live in, and it is too expensive for how terrible it is.

It can’t get worse than City Lofts. Moved into a new unit this year, only to discover it has BUGS. It took 3 weeks before an actual exterminator was called to spray my apartment. Gutters were taken off of the building and melting snow has been flooding my living room. This happens on a Saturday and I’m told maintenance and management don’t work on weekends, how convenient. Apparently this happened in other apartments as well, but no one was notified nor were units checked for water damage. Roofers never showed up for a temporary fix. As for maintenance, I was told to lay some towels down, as if that would do anything. The office says they’ve responded “promptly” to the issue but it took multiple calls from my mother before they would call management. All she did was offer me a temporary apartment to move my items into and takes a few pictures of the damage. Emergency maintenance was never called because they didn’t deem this an emergency. So, what does constitute an emergency if a flooding apartment doesn’t? One of the maintenance men at City Lofts was quick to come and help me with the problem when he saw the maintenance request I created with the attached picture. He was the only helpful and nice person I have met at this establishment. Apartment sizes are smaller than advertised and shown. They will show you one thing and give you another, absolute bait and switch. There is a constant smell of cigarettes and marijuana that will seep into your apartment and your furniture from neighboring units. Washers and dryers never work. Will hardly wash your clothes or leave them sopping wet. Expect the dryers to not even turn on. They have you renew your lease after only living there for 3 months so you don’t realize how terrible it is yet. The workers in the office and management are RUDE beyond belief. The service here is awful. Packages are left outside of the office if the office is closed when FedEx, Amazon, etc. arrives. Packages can easily be stolen and a different system needs to be put in place. There are constantly parties all over the building that leaves smells, trash, vomit, and urine in stairwells and elevators. Management here is an absolute joke. If you want to deal with bugs, flooding, terrible laundry rooms, hateful staff, and have an overall terrible experience, City Lofts is the place for you! (If I could give 0 stars, I would.)

I would NOT recommend living here. They originally tell you once price and then add on 'additional costs' each month. They really take advance of young college student and their parents. The location is great, right next to SLU campus but NOT worth it. The prices and add on fees are ridiculously high and continue rising. Also when I first moved in (i lived there for 1 year) my room was very dirty and smelt terrible. There was dust all over the window and spiderwebs/dust hanging off the walls. I put this all in my initial 'move-in checklist' and they STILL charged me a carpet replacement fee when I moved out. It gets worse..they did even bother contacting me to tell me about the additional $450 charge (oh they also kept my security deposit of $100). I only found out about the charge like a month later when I happen to log into my account. I contacted the office immediately by sending 2 messages and leaving a voicemail. I did hear anything for 1 week so I sent another email and called again (phone lines were busy..like usual). About a week after that someone finally contacted me. She was not pleasant to work with and didn't really respond to my concerns or questions, she just stayed silent on her side of the phone.. very unprofessional. In addition to all of this the office was NEVER open. I went down to get a package from the office and remember them being closed. The worst thing is they were closed when they were suppose to be open. I check on the website and on the sign posted on the door, the office was suppose to be open for another hour but instead it was closed. This happened at least 5 times. Very frustrating when the office closes and no one is notified ( no email, nothing posted on website). I would never live here again and would never recommend anyone live here. Live literally anywhere else.

Since changing management and staff, this has been a great place to live at! I have lived here for almost two years and have seen extreme improvements. The staff is very friendly and helpful, the updated amenities are stunning (never wanted to visit our gym or study lounge before, but now I do quite often!), and not to mention I'm just a block away from campus -- I still feel close to everything without actually having to live ON campus, which is nice.

Wish I could give less than 1 star. I have lived at UHL for the past 2 years and recently moved out of an apartment there. I would strongly urge everyone to stay away from this place, as I have realized they are solely attempting to take advantage of naive college students looking for a decent place to live close to campus. Management is horrible, and does not care for any of their tenants' concerns. It may take months of continuously reaching out regarding a situation before it ever becomes addressed. The manager, Chad, is truly not fit to be in any position of authority, and has attempted to unlawfully overcharge and withhold money from residents. This has happened to me on more than one occasion, and has unfortunately happened to dozens of other residents. After doing some research, I found that management at UHL has a longstanding history of withholding security deposits from their residents, which has resulted in numerous complaints. Had I known this prior to signing a lease with them, I certainly never would have. If you are looking for a decent place to live near SLU's campus, I would advise living literally anywhere but here. Every other apartment building has the same amenities and you will likely not have to deal with the poor service that management at UHL offers. Do not ever expect to receive any type of acknowledgement on their part for this poor service or apology for it. Your concerns will simply be swept under the rug unless you threaten legal action, which is what I had to do to receive a response. Please completely avoid living here at all costs. Stay away from this place, it is NOT worth it.

I have lived here for a few months and have enjoyed the flexibility and willingness of the staff to help with any issues I may have in my room. I would say rent is a little on the pricey end, but the security of the building, covered parking, and close proximity to campus help make up for that.

Really great college off-campus living! They do a great job cleaning the apartment before you move in and are really helpful with any questions! Rent is decent for student housing so close to a university, and cheaper than most of the other complexes around. Directly across the street from Saint Louis University, a quick five minute walk to Jimmy Johns, Papa Johns, Starbucks, and Chipotle, and right on top of Pickleman's. 10 minutes from the MetroLink. Amenities include a pool, fitness room, and study room. Main down side is the walls in the apartments don't go up to the ceilings so you can hear everything going on in the entire apartment.