Apartment Review for Arete - Louisville, KY

My roomate and I lived on 3rd and Hill for 1 year with Arete. This was our first apartment that either one of us have ever lived in, and needless to say, I will never go back to Arete. I highly recommend using some other agency at all costs. The first problem dealt with the A/C. We talked to a guy named Nick about getting A/C units installed and he told us that if we applied for 2 basic units, we would surely get them. We applied, and they declined. Next problem is the safety. I parked in their back lot only to have my car broken into, and everything in it stripped apart. My roommate chains his bike outside on the porch of the second floor. Magically it was gone one weekend when we mentioned we were going out of town to one of the maintenance guys early that day. No sane person on the street has enough courage to go to a second floor and try stealing a bike. So my roommate figured that it was because he may have violated a safety hazard, and he called to see if they knew anything. Of course, they didn't... I recommend looking at the frames of the entrance doors and windows just to give you an idea of how many times someone has tried/successfully broken in. Next problem is the maintenance. They come and go whenever they want. they don't ask, or even tell you they are coming. Unless you want something fixed of course, because then they say it will be looked at the next day and nothing will get done for weeks. Our heat didn't work for 2 months because they thought we weren't serious. They also thought that we were constantly partying, because our neighbor downstairs accused us of such actions. Speaking of not having heat, the apt we stayed in shares the gas bill. Meaning, if someone decides to leave the stove on or if Arete has a gas leak somewhere, then you get charged out of the ass. The sink has no cold water pressure, and the shower is a hose attached to the bottom faucet. The toilet broke in the first week, and EVERYTHING was painted with a lead-based paint that you sign a lease saying you won't eat it... All of our windows were painted shut, so we figured we would cut them open b/c the summer is agonizing without air flow in there. Once they were all opened, I realized why they had been painted shut in the winter... ALL of the windows have 1/2 inch gaps in them, so say goodbye to heat in the winter. I STILL have a picture of the apt being 51 degrees at 8AM on my camera. AVOID ARETE!