The James

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.

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!

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.

-the shuttle bus is so inconvenient so if you’re a student that doesn’t have a car good luck -no elevators -hallways are disgusting -my mailbox has been broken for a month and i have no idea where my mail is going -no cameras/security

This past year was great living in the James. Moved from another apartment complex where I had trouble, and it was a great decision. The management ensured that all of my concerns were handled and can always reach to them.

This is my first year living at The James and I have been having a great experience so far. The staff is very friendly and willing to help solve any issues. Of course, with this being student housing it's not going to be 100%, but The James does work very hard to impress residents. Also, Shoutout to Malana in the leasing office for always being so professional and willing to help.

There is always a mountain of trash in the dumpsters, dog poo everywhere (even in the hallways), and the rooms arent properly cleaned before moving in. Broken glass is a common issue. The police are also a common presence. I have seen people arrested while at the pool. Not the greatest area, gun shots are not uncommon from surrounding areas. The "security locks" on the buildings are a joke; one is always busted.

I been in 3 apartments. Everyone better than the first. Spacious. Love the staff. Love that it’s a bunch of young people. I met my beautiful roommates and bunch of other cool people. The James a movie.

It’s disgusting, don’t move here. Residents let their dogs poop anywhere, including the hallways, sidewalks, in the mulch next to cars, and in the middle of the road. They leave their trash and trash bags all in the hallway and stairwell too. It always smells in the hallway from the trash. My apartment patio door has been off the hinges since I moved in August 2021. It’s January 2022 and we’re having a winter storm warning, and the door is still not fixed. When it rains, the door pours water out from all of the cracks and we have to keep towels around it or else it’ll soak the carpet. My roommate never received a shower head and had to purchase her own. It took them months to even come in and look at our broken stove. The rent is too high for the poor maintenance. The only decent thing about this place is the shuttle which can be very inconsistent. I highly doubt they checked apartments before residents moved during the fall semester. I’ve heard several complaints from neighbors as well regarding the same issues. Find some place cheaper where the maintenance actually fixes things for you.

Let me start by saying that I am so glad that my lease was only 3 months when I moved in because any longer and I would’ve broken my lease. The maintenance is nonexistent. Anything broken will remain broken even if you call 30 times. My washer, dishwasher and half of my stove have been nonfunctional since I moved in maintenance has come in and done nothing. They send you random fees, like $50 for having my litter box not cleaned when my litter box wasn’t even in view of anyone. They lock away your mail at night, meaning if you have a package you need same day delivery on, have fun trying to get it the same day. The gate is never closed and random people can be wandering around all day and all night. Buildings 2, 3 and 4 have lovely views of the trash dump next door. The carpets in the buildings are nasty and have never been washed. Do not move here. It’s overpriced and completely useless to the residents needs.

The James is by far the worst waste of money. If you rely on the bus shuttle to get around expect it to run on its own time. It never runs on schedule and sometimes doesn't even show up. One maintenance call can take months for them to get to. I called about my AC 3 weeks ago and have even called 7 times to remind them yet they STILL have not sent anyone to fix it. The buildings are infested with cockroaches, which is why they only show you the model set up and do not allow you to see the apartment you will be moving into. The walls are paper thin so you can hear the people in the next apartment over very clearly. The gates are always open therefore there really is no security. Nearly none of the equipment in the gym works properly. The showers flood every single time they are used. It seems as though the people running the front desk don't even care about their jobs and often give attitude. The James is a horrible living condition, do not let the cheap decor and set up fool you. There are so many headaches with living at the James it is just not worth it. It is overpriced and too far. They uphold nearly none of the promises they say on the tour.

The james gives you roommates who have different leases than you. If your roommates leave before you do, you WILL be given very expensive charges for your roommates damaged carpets etc. Very dirty apartment spaces and hallways, I've seen dog poop in the halls many times. Trash is constantly spilling out of the dumpsters. The apartment managers do not care about you and will not work with your requests in any way. Do not rent here if you aren't willing to pay for fines you don't deserve.

Place looked great and I didn't mind living here the two years I was here. What I did mind and had a problem with was the unorganized staff, unprofessional security people, random fees, and the shooting that occurred next door to my place resulting in a bullet going in my roommates car. This could have been prevented with security.

The James is really nice looking and gives off the impression of a resort. The staff and residents are really friendly and make you feel at home. The insides of the apartments are updated and clean. Glad I choose to live here for the rest of my time at VCU!

Lived here for 2 years (regretfully). They changed their name after my first year there to try and get away from some of the stigma that their old name "The Collegiate" brought them. The gates at the front of the place didn't work 20 months out of the 24 months I lived there, and when they did, there was a code that people could input to open the gates and people who didn't live there could also sit outside of the gates and wait for someone to open the gate and then come in, no questions asked. The pedestrian gate I can't remember the last time it even worked, its always wide open. The gym is one squat/bench rack, some dumbbells, a couple treadmills and ellipticals and that is about it. The volleyball court has been in disarray for the past year, with an equal amount of sand and dirt/sticks in the sand, so nobody ever uses it. The "smoke free" aspect is very light. People sit on their porches and smoke and you can smell it in the next room, weather it is a cigarette or pot. People don't know how to use the compactor so the trash piles up near the compactor. The parking situation has about 50 spots (maybe) for guest parking, yet for people in building 5 and 6, they don't have to buy the parking pass and can park there and save money, but then when people need the space for actual guests, none are available and then their cars get towed. The surrounding neighborhood is horrible. I've heard gunshot at least once a month, maybe even once a week some cases. People come in and they come to the parties and when you call security they do try and stop shut them down but I had to call them every weekend for about a month and a half until they finally got the people above me to stop. The best example I have is that it sounded like they were dropping bowling balls on the floor. The rooms were barely clean when I moved in, but yet they expect them to be spotless when you leave so you most likely won't get your deposit back. People in the front office are changed out regularly so you never know who you will see there. I hope that this review helps you make an informed choice. If you do live here, I wish the best for you and good luck, hopefully it is a better experience than the one I had.

I've lived here for 2 years my first year was good but this last year I can't wait to move. I've put 3 request in to have something fixed, 2 was for the same thing and neither have been responded to. Then the roommate situation my roommate wasn't paying her half of the light bill and all they say is there is nothing they can do.