Skybox Apartments

Do NOT rent your son/daughter an apartment at Skybox/Courtside apartments. Condition at move-in was atrocious. Toilet looked like it belonged in an old gas station restroom. I spent 2 hours cleaning (after making a trip to Fred Meyer for cleaning supplies) the bathroom and kitchen on the day we moved my daughter in just so I felt comfortable leaving her there. Key to the door didn't work- it took a week before they fixed it properly (lock was jammed- maintenance kept letting her in). Shower head wasn't functioning (bad valve) so water just drizzled out, could only take a bath for 3 weeks. Missing refrigerator door shelf covers, so items couldn't be stored without falling off (never fixed). Garbage room smells atrocious- making me glad I had my mask. Due to Covid and the University being closed for 3 quarters 2020-2021 my daughter only lived in the apartment for 4 mos during the 12 mos lease term. Apartment management was completely inflexible with subletting (they state they will let you know if someone is interested) and there is no lease buyout options (except 100% of the lease cost). Also, they do not charge prorated rent. So if you move in on the 15th of the month, you will pay for a full months rent at both the start and the end of the term- the equivalent of 13 mos rent for a 12 mos term. I moved her out of the apartment a month before the end of the lease. I cleaned the bathroom she used, kitchen and her bedroom spotless and turned in the key. I asked the management office to please check the condition then since I was concerned her roommate would cause damage or leave the apartment dirty and I didnt want to be liable. They assured me they would. Fast forward to the end of the term- an additional $96 was charged to the online portal without explanation. I had to call 5x and email 2x before I was sent a statement and pictures of the "damages" and cleaning charges. They charged for a set of blinds that was there when I moved her out and cleaning charges for the other roommates bathroom and the kitchen. I have replied with photo documentation of the condition at move in, condition when I moved her out and absolutely no reply from Skybox/Courtside except a reminder that they intend to send me to collections if I don't pay them. Extortion. If I could hire a lawyer to sue them, I would. Rent is very expensive for tiny shared space in awful condition and with horrible management. Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere.

I have loved living at Courtside/​Skybox for the past year and am excited to live here again next year! It is such an amazing place to live as a student! It is so close to everything a college kid would need. There’s Hirons (pharmacy) & Market of Choice right next door, literally only walking distance from campus, across the street from Matthew Knight Arena (which hosts a plethora of events), and walking distance from Autzen!
The staff is a huge part as to why this place is so great, they are so welcoming and helpful, and always greet you with a smile and a friendly hello. They provide residents and guest with pizza every Friday and host monthly events such as laser tag, party buses, and grocery bingo. They are honestly the most upbeat and resident oriented housing staff I have come across here in Eugene, and they really make it a point to know their residents.
There is a lounge/​deck in Skybox which is perfect for studying or just hanging out with friends and in Courtside there is a media room which has two TVs and a fireplace which is the place to go during those cold winter study days. Utilities are included in the rent but unlike most other apartment places, they do not provide cable and parking is an additional cost (if there is any available since it is a hot commodity).
Overall, I would highly recommend checking the place out and living at Skybox/​Courtside!

Skybox is a fine choice for an apartment rental. In the Eugene rental market, you can do much worse!
Pros:
—Wifi was upgraded this past december and it’s really fast now. Like, Fiber-​Optics fast. If you have an ethernet cable to plug into the wall, you’ll be getting some Google-​fiber level speeds.
—staff is very kind and courteous. My emails for repairs were acknowledged quickly and they sent a repair guy up pretty fast, all things considered.
—All utilities factored into the flat-​rate rent fee. This is pretty nice for a college student like me who appreciates predictability in finances. From what I understand, the prices are pretty reasonable too, considering how close this place is to campus.
Cons:
—No good common areas. Library is kind of lame, I wish it was a workout gym or something instead. The one common-​area/​tv place was replaced for a sales room halfway through my tenancy.
–This is the biggest one: it just feels like this apartment complex was shoddily made. Like, they’re repairing everything slowly and surely, but there’s still lots of examples of inherently shoddy craftsmanship:
1. My thermostat controls my roommate’s heat, and vise-​versa. This is a problem w/​the wiring done @ installation and wasn’t worth fixing.
2. Circuit breaker in my room would flip off every time I used my computer. The electrical wiring in my Apt. was just terrible, shutting off appliances and my computer in the middle of writing essays. That being said, after some nagging, they finally sent an actual electrician (and not the in-​house repair guy) who fixed it and I haven’t had many complaints since.
In the end. I’ll be moving out at the end of my year-​long tenancy. It’s not that I didn’t like my time here, I just found out that these big ol’ multi-​level apartments aren’t my thing.
Edit: Review is 3 stars right now, cause I still have the sour taste in my mouth of the electrical problems/​slow wi-​fi for a lot of my tenancy. I might upgrade the review to a higher grade, depending on how my remaining tenancy goes.
Edit #2: Skybox honestly and ethically returned my safety deposit with minimal hassle. Unlike previous experiences with other Eugene renters (Bell Realty!), Skybox was great in this regard. In the end, I think my apartment’s electrical problems was an outlier, and I’d recommend Skybox to anyone looking for a convenient apartment complex close to campus.

Great place to rent. Management is friendly & helpful. Plus they have free pizza day! :-)
Rooms are nice & they have wifi included in the rent.
This building is secured with cameras and keyless entry.
You need to check out the top floor patio the view is awesome!!!

Skybox is very nice! The common areas are awesome and the people are great to work with! It’s also great to have the Wild Duck be part of the building.

Disclaimer: Skybox is not the worst possible place to live.
But, after living here from September through June, I found that Skybox is really misleading about what services they actually offer.
Location: Skybox is close to campus and Market of Choice (which is convenient but definitely more expensive than Safeway or Trader Joe’s), but not much else. The entire west side of the building directly faces Courtside and the service alley. All apartments on this side of the building have noise issues as garbage trucks and grocery delivery trucks extremely loudly make their way through, starting at 4am. The noise is constant and you have to sleep with your windows closed to muffle it at all (which is impossibly hot in the summer). What is scenic about looking at another apartment building?
«High Speed Wireless Internet»: There have been issues with the wireless internet since I first moved in. Quickly, residents began complaining about the slow and often unresponsive wifi and building management posted flyers saying they had addressed the issue by installing more routers, boosters, etc. and that residents could pick up a free ethernet cord in the office to help. The free cords barely work and the wifi did not ever improve. At best, it’s as slow as dial up. If you want dependable wifi that won’t crash in the middle of you doing an online quiz or homework assignment, you’ll have to get your own internet modem. Skybox claiming that they have the fastest wireless internet only second to campus is a complete lie. I had to buy an ethernet cord at Hirons and sit plugged into the wall in my room to do homework, stream movies, etc. when I’m paying for high speed internet in my rent.
Heat /​Windows: Whenever it gets above 75 degrees outside, the apartments heat up very quickly. The upper floors of Skybox are unbearably hot and there is no air conditioning in the building. Also, the windows only crank open about 6 inches, so there is no way to get air flowing through the apartment.
Also, some bedrooms of Skybox have really poorly designed windows. My bedroom window is two feet wide and situated in a nook of the building so that it faces a wall four feet away. Very scenic, especially considering that when I called to ask questions before I leased, the student employee told me my apartment would be facing Matt Knight. I was blatantly lied to or blatantly misinformed, but either way, I did not anticipate paying $ 700 a month to live in an apartment which feels more like a prison.
Emergency hotline: Skybox should not advertise that they even have an emergency hotline. The telephone number is of a live-​in student who works in the office and is not paid for after-​hours services. I and others have never been able to get help being locked out. For example, I arrived to Skybox the Sunday before Spring term without my keys, called the emergency hotline multiple times with no answer, left two voicemails, and never received a call back. I had to stay with a friend until the next morning at 10:30am when the office opened just to be let into the building.
Also, my roommate found a girl passed out in her own vomit at 3am in our third floor hallway and called the emergency hotline with no response. We called the paramedics who also desperately tried to get ahold of building management to find out this girl’s identity with no response. Even worse, we had called the main office and left a message telling them about the incident and the vomit left in the hallway. The vomit remained in our hallway outside my front door for three days. Three days. Walking past rank vomit.
Roommate matching program: Do not rely on their roommate matching. I would suggest finding roommates on your own first. In my application, I clearly stated that I am not a hard-​core studier, I am a writer and play music to get inspired, have a sound system to play my records, and I am clean but not a germ-​a-​phobe. I was paired with two girls who take their studies very seriously, do not tolerate noise, and one of my roommates is OCD/​hypochondriac to a disrespectful level (would throw my things away without asking, refuse to let others use her things).
Noise: Besides the service alley issues, there are parties Thursday-​Sunday, loud drunk people, music blasting, and the walls are EXTREMELY thin. I can hear my roommate’s conversations perfectly despite both of our bedroom doors being closed.
To address the other things listed on Skybox’s Amenities: there is no ‘roof garden’, the stainless steel appliances are cheap, the ‘bright colored walls’ were done with cheap paint that has will come off if you try to clean it, and there is an ‘energy efficient’ fan in the bathroom that does not work well at all.
All that being said, Skybox is definitely livable. But for the price, you should know that you’re getting ripped off.

I had a problem with the windows not working in my apartment due to failure from the window manufacturer. It took them a long time to fix them.
Other than that the place and the staff is pretty decent. You can probably rent a room for cheaper — but it is really close to the campus and the game area and study room is nice.

I’m so glad I got out of this apartment. I’ve been waiting for this day literally since I moved in. I was that miserable. I waited until now to review because I’ve been looking forever for someone to take over my lease, and now that I successfully finally found someone gullible enough, I’M FREE.
Okay let me start with the pros so I can tell you my long-​winded horrible story later. You’re gonna hate me for this.
Pros:
Literally right next to Market of Choice and Hirons for whatever you may need
10 minute walk to UO (to the EMU)
«Looks cute»
Free wifi, but slow
Cons:
Expensive as hell – There is NO fixed price for certain rooms, it depends on how soon you apply for the places you want. Rent is anywhere from $ 650−800/month for ONE ROOM.
Cheap appliances, bad quality for everything. Looks can fool you.
Very loud at night, esp weekends. (lots of parties + bass and loud freshmen skipping around)
You live with bros and hos.
«Dorm-​room» feel
Run by students, AND they don’t know what they’re talking about
If you don’t have people to live with, they set you up randomly (I shall get to this later)
TOO much security — good luck dealing with hassles of having friends or delivery come to you
If you move out before your lease, you’re responsible for paying rent even if it’s not occupied – YOU are responsible for this matter or finding someone to take over.
Thin walls, you can hear everything.
Water utility is not paid for.
Individual leases
Is it just weird coincidence that I get set up with 2 ASIANS in EUGENE of all places? They’re also ditsy valley girls, I wouldn’t be able to stand it. So I called the manager to ask for another set of roommates b/​c I was dissatisfied.
SET! …Worse. I get set up with 2 MORE Asians– International students from China. This management is racist, I tell you! I have no idea if they assumed I was another international student based on my last name… discriminating man…
Now. I grew up in Hong Kong when I was younger, so I know some bad habits the young people get. I was fucked.
I emailed the girls several times asking what they’re bringing, what I should bring, furniture, and they didn’t want to talk about all that until I got there, which is stupid because my parents were driving me up to take care of all that. As soon as we arrived, the entire apartment was a mess and there were books and suitcases and clothes everywhere in the living room. One girl who shares my bathroom took up all the cupboard spaces. She SHOWERS without a shower curtain!
Bathroom floor immediately ruined (cheap vinyl material).
There was nothing in the apartment because we didn’t settle on furniture, so the place looked like a warehouse.
She was never around b/​c she spent time with her bf, and eventually moved out after like 2 weeks. She found another Asian girl to replace her.
This new girl… wow, really takes the cake. Let’s call her Asian Shrek (uncanny resemblance). Shrek would smoke in her room, NEVER come out except to use the bathroom, and she would pee in the toilet 1000x and NEVER flush.
One time I didn’t come home for a week (I was scared to come back to my own apt and stayed with my gf during this time) and I went to the bathroom, and the water level rose like 4 inches. I KID YOU NOT.
I decide to leave a note above the toilet, but just in case she didn’t understand, I put a Chinese translation right underneath. She didn’t get the hint. This time, she started taking dumps and not flushing. I was furious and grossed out, so I knocked on the door (seeing her face for the first time in 3 wks) and realize HOLY shit, you look like Shrek. PLEASE FLUSH THE TOILET
Manager comes up, realizes she is smoking, then realizes again that she was NEVER on the new contract (basically living there for free), and thus she is kicked out.
I get the bathroom to myself again.
Still get another annoying roommate. Must move out. It took me 4 – 5 mths to find a replacement, but I have ridden this apartment out of my hands, thank goodness.
Thanks for listening.

Upon my arrival/​moving in at Skybox Apartments I was immediately disappointed. A giant hole was left in the door to a closet, paint was sprinkled in the bathtub, scuffs were all over the walls (one of which was bright green), the paints on the walls we cheap, changed colors and bled, the carpet was ugly and the list continues, but I did not lose hope in the company until recently. A month or two in we were fed up with our lack of internet connection and decided to file a complaint. The complaint was dealt with right away, but the problem was not fixed at all. To this day we still have sketchy internet connection. On top of that, right now our apartment has bleeding walls from us using water to to wipe something off, scuffs still on the wall, a hole still in our door, paint specks still in the bath tub, no hot water in one of the showers and a door that you have to move just the right way to shut. The problems, however, continue outside of our singular apartment. The company’s website neglects to provide a street address and contacting the office without actually walking up to the door is nearly impossible. I have been trying all day to call and email them and have yet to received a reply. I finally resorted to Facebook which is extremely unprofessional on their part if that is the best way to reach them. For the price of this apartment complex I would expect at least four star accommodations. This place is not even worth half of the price that I am paying.
The one area that I have been happy with has been the staff. The staff that I have experienced first hand have been friendly, helpful and accommodating both this year and last year while I was applying to lease.
This just learned May, 25^th 2012 Skybox has a equally split water bill so if you live here use all the water you want and your neighbors will pay for it without even knowing! Or if a pool is installed on the six floor and you have a leak in your 4^th floor apartment, guess what? You get to pay for part of their water bill!
Yes the employees are friendly, calm, and understanding, but DO NOT LIVE HERE! There are too many issues that need to be straightened out.