Icon Downtown Durham

I first came to this place when I started my first year and flew from out of state, arrived with all my luggage, and went straight to the leasing office. I had previously communicated with them via phone/email. After the office people arrived late, they didn't even bother to show me the place or give me a tour, but I relied on the images and signed the lease while in the office to get the keys and have a place to stay. When I got there I was disgusted. There was a dead roach and flies in the place. My neighbor told me his car was recently broken into and that he felt unsafe. Within 10 minutes, I went back to the office and asked politely if they could please take the keys back, as I felt uncomfortable with the place. They then forced me to sign a lease buy-out agreement and pay $4200.00 (but got my deposit back of about ~$1,200). I regret signing the lease without pushing for the tour or fighting for my money. As a student with limited financial resources, the whole situation was very unfortunate, and keeping ~$3000 would've gone a long way for me, but I chose to prioritize my safety as a woman living alone.

It's very obvious that management is trying to flood rental sites with fake reviews. This building is overpriced and while Friedlam has made some external improvements, they are all surface level as the apartments inside are outdated, broken down, and filled with rodents and insects. The management of the property is horrendous, the office will no longer accept packages so you cannot order things online, and maintenance requests are not answered without multiple threats. Please do not move here!

The neighbors are all friendly and very considerate of one another. The staff in the office is the best around. They are very professional and prompt to any issues that arise. They strive to succeed at excellent customer service.

I’m so happy I found these guys. I just relocated from CA and the office staff were helpful, kind and very attentive. I love my apartment and they made the whole process a breeze. Highly recommended.

I love the property. Management is doing a great job

This place has been through so many changes and the staff in the office now are BY FAR the best. The apartments are beautiful and the location is great. Im very happy here. I highly recommend the place.

I lived here in 2019-2021, left for a year, and when I came back rent had increased by $500 under the new management. Everyone is unhappy. Every time I'm in the mailroom, residents talk about how much they hate it here. Maintenance requests take weeks. Two of us have had leaking ACs that management refused to fix and that created mold. I've had severe ant infestations, broken appliances, I still somehow don't have a mailbox key after months and many requests, and now they have decided to start charging us for water and sewage- halfway through the lease. Meanwhile there is constant construction on aesthetic updates that don't look good, and they put up a gaudy plastic playground in the middle of the formerly attractive quad. Management says they will call you and then they never follow up. Their strategy is to ignore you. It is a complete nightmare.

Do not rent here under any circumstances. Mail is dumped outside by the UPS, USPS, Fedex, etc. They have no access to the actual mail room because the office is closed. Does not matter how many tickets you submit, they will never fix anything, There are roaches, leaking toilets, etc they do not care. There are 5 people in the office and I am not sure what they do but whenever you speak to them, they act like you are an annoyance. Asking the to help find mail, in a pile of boxes that they did not sort, they just shrug their shoulders.

Friedlam partners management is making it unbearable to live here. Everyone in the office is unhelpful and never responds to emails. because of the leasing office hours it’s nearly impossible to talk to them in person if you have a 9-5 job. They’re doing construction everywhere on the property with absolutely no warning. It is nearly impossible to walk out the front door of my building. The apartments are dated and not worth the price at all. Literally live anywhere else in Durham and it’ll be more cost effective and it’ll save you the headache. It’s called Icon “downtown” but it’s not even downtown. They only care about your money and couldn’t care less about the conditions of your apartment and any problems you may have.

Since moving in I’ve had to put in a ton of maintenance requests, that they take forever getting around to. The staff don’t take their residence serious and laugh at there concerns and complaints. The complex has the biggest roaches I’ve ever seen. Although you pay a pest fee, you really have to deal with the problem yourself. This is not a place where I feel welcomed, at home, or comfortable.

I've lived here for 4 years. It was never a nice apartment but it's close to campus and was super affordable. However, the complex just sold and the new owners are trying to take advantage of the out of control housing market by almost doubling rent prices while making 0 improvements. Apparently they're unaware that literally everything else in the area is nicer, less expensive, and actually responsive to work order requests. I will not be renewing my lease.

Great location and very affordable! I definitely recommend this place to anyone. Despite being close to a busy road, I had no issues with noise. It was close to everything; a 5-minute bus ride to Duke and a 10-minute drive to everything else. The management is superb. They are very friendly and helpful. I had to move out due to COVID, and they made the whole process to leave the lease very easy. It is an old building so it comes with some disadvantages like run-down bathrooms but overall the apartment itself is great. Plenty of storage and kitchen space. Lots of windows. Plus, I only had to pay for internet and energy in terms of utilities so the utility bill was very small too! Overall, a great place.

I moved into the UA Durham location in early September and have really enjoyed the community. My three favorite things are: 1) Location - It's super easy to get downtown and the 9th street. There are also great running locations nearby! 2) Charm - The building is older, built around the 1930s. While this lends itself to older appliances (radiators) and wear, I appreciate how well it was built. This is especially true in comparison to some former "new" apartment buildings I've experienced in the past where everything breaks way too easily. I also like having wooden floors and beautiful counter tops. 3) The management team/leasing office: All of the folks I work with are helpful, kind and attentive. Every work order I have submitted has been followed up with in less than 24 hours and usually includes a note from the manager. They also put together some awesome monthly events and try to engage tenants with community activities and festive celebrations. After just one month, I was comfortable to renew my lease for another year. I think that speaks loudly to the great experience I have had thus far!