Willow Creek Apartments

On a Sunday afternoon I started to make dinner only to find a kitchen sink plugged up. Tried to clear it myself with no luck. Thought I would get on the schedule for a Monday repair so I called the office and spoke with Heather. She recommended trying to work on it today and she called on Santiago Deleon to come over and fix it.
What I was hoping to fix easily turned into some major work for Santiago. He stuck with it and the line did get cleared. While he was putting things back he noticed a small crack on the garbage disposal and told me he wanted it replaced now before it could get worse and I might not notice it right away.
I appreciate the proactive work that Santiago did. Like any home issues come up and when they do I have always been please with the staff quickly taking care of it.

I was a resident for a couple months, in that time the staff was rude, they moved my parking space without notifying me, and when I moved out I prepaid everything and they tried hitting me with a $ 300 bill for everything I had already prepaid for. Bunch of liars and crooks so beware.

I am a current resident of Willow Creek and have really enjoyed the office staff and my apartment as a whole. It’s a great place to live. But that’s not why I’m writing this review. Today, I came into the office in a pickle and the Asst. Manager (I believe) Autumn helped me so very much that I literally almost cried at her desk with how thankful I was/​still am. This experience has really touched me and I am so grateful for this wonderful woman and the staff of this community as a whole. Thanks for everything, Autumn and Jasmine!

I have been living here for almost 2 months I’m in the back of the complex its very quiet neighbors are nice we havent had any maintaince issues yet its a little buggy but nothing a cat can’t handle the kitchens are a little tight but i love the walk in closets and the washer and dryer its a pretty good bargin

I lived in Willow Creek from March of 2011 until February of 2015. I was in a one bedroom and then upgraded to a two bedroom two bath. I always recommend this place to friends who are looking for a quiet complex that is close to ASU in the north Tempe area. For the price it really can’t be beat. Sure you can find nicer places in the Broadway/​McClintock area but you are going to pay quite a bit more for them. I would say that WC is definitely the best bang for your buck around this part of Tempe. There is the option for a washer/​drying in unit and there is covered parking available. Three nice pools and a small gym (we’re talking very small but it has a spin bike, recumbent bike, treadmill, elliptical, and a multi-​use cable weight machine but it does have a big TV). The maintenance staff is hands down the best I have ever come across in my seven years in the valley. They are very prompt, super friendly, and good at their job. They keep the property looking very nice and everything in your apartment up and running. The complex is pretty quiet, it seems to be mostly young professionals and some young families. There are some students but in my nearly four years there I think there were maybe two or three parties that were loud and to be honest in Tempe near ASU that is more than acceptable in my opinion. The office staff was hit or miss over the years, mostly good though and it never really impacted anything. It seemed like a few of the employees were your typical college kid just trying to coast by but for every employee like that there was another one willing to go the extra mile for you. The management on the other hand was top notch and did their very best to make sure everything was taken care of. Overall I gave WC four stars. I highly recommend this complex for anyone looking to live in an affordable apartment complex that isn’t sketchy like other places at this price point.
Pros:
Close to a lot of amenities
Lots of places to grab food in the area
Quick drive/​bike ride to ASU and the light rail
Super easy access off the 101
Very close to Tempe Marketplace and Mesa Riverview
Incredible maintenance staff
Very good management
Clean grounds
Quiet
Cons:
Kitchens could use some updating
Going east on Broadway during rush hour is a huge pain in the rear
AC units are a little old and do seem to run inefficiently but do keep your apartment cold
Gym is small
If you’re on the very north end of the complex you will probably hear the train (I didn’t further south towards Broadway)

I went there with Valley King and we spoke with Jasmine. I would never have applied had she told me the truth. I feel like I was suckered out of my application fee, because she told us, from the first phone call, that my Biltmore Properties housing voucher was no problem. That seemed to actually be true. My rental agent was very forward with these people with regard to my rental debt (I have a judgement).
After we got there, and they still had $ 55 to make by exploiting my bad circumstance, they continued to insist that I had nooooo worries. There was nooooo problem. I gave them the application fee (one of the biggest rackets in the US today) and the application was complete, things changed…
Suddenly, I had to pay an additional deposit.
Okay, that’s understandable. The debt was only a year old. So, I gave them $ 100 to hold the apartment.
2 days later, I called (after leaving several messages and having none of then returned) and suddenly!
…I now need a cosigner. That was very, very difficult. It was also doable. I asked my Mom if she would cosign for me, and she agreed. So, finally, everything was set up, and of course, they are familiar with how a BPI subsidy works. They are aware that there would be no time for me to make a change, and Autumn and Jasmine assure me 5 separate times (which I recorded – yes there’s an app for that) that although I hadn’t gotten the link to sign the lease in the one day she had promised, obviously realize by my tone and level of concern on all of those inquiries by phone. You can tell that they understand the implications for me should I have to find another place to move this late.
You can tell! They reassure me each time, once even telling me not to worry, because I’m in ‘good hands’ now.
Then, today, 3 weeks following the date of application, after I had gathered the cosigner and the additional deposit, and after going through all the leg work and the red tape and paperwork (takes about 3 weeks so I began looking early, had plenty of time…) to get the property funded for the whole cost of the move in, and having the check 2 days from being on the way to their hands, and after comforting me while I wasted all the time I had to locate an apartment, Jasmine called me today and drops the hammer.
My apartment is now no longer available to me, and they don’t know what to say. They do not mind that I will be on the streets with no place to go, and recovering from an attack on my leg in September that left me unable to stand on it for longer than a few minutes at a time.
I now have to vacate my apartment that I’m currently in, because it’s already rented, and there is no concession that they are willing to make for me.
Wow.
I think that a court is going to see it differently, but that does not help me now. My name is Tami Nelson, and I’d like to rent a 1bedroom apartment, so if you won’t rob me, and fool me out of my time, please give me a call! Send me an e-​mail! My move in date is May 31. Please help me, because these people have made it so that I have no time to look, and I’m going to lose all my things.
I had the movers scheduled, the check cut, and Jasmine smashed my hope to bits. I’m so wounded that I’m sitting on the floor, having missed physical therapy, begging Jesus for an answer.
Do not trust these people. I’m not trying to be mean spirited, I’m trying to say that they do not value their word, and will not make an exception for their mistakes. I hope much better for you, reader… Tami

My girlfriend and I scheduled an appointment to see a 2 bedroom apartment at 5:30pm because of the traffic. We weren’t even ten minutes late and the Office closed in 20 minutes. Still the. woman in the office refused to show us or do anything. She was very rude and talked down to us. Her attitude was horrendous. We won’t be going back at all. She just lost a possible occupant.

You know what I am SO sick of this apartment management team telling you one thing and when you turn around its another. I DEFINITELY recommend documenting EVERY issue, phone call or interactions done with them. This is by far my worst living experience EVER !

I have lived at Willow Creek now for 3 months. I am still in the honeymoon phase of living here but I absolutely love it.
I have had a few issues but they have been resolved quickly and professionally. I love me apartment and its location. I love the office staff. They are friendly and helpful. They remember me and my name and the apartment I am in. My experience has been very pleasant.
I have had a recent experience that sticks out in my mind. The maintenance staff has a had a particularly challenging time recently as the property has been totally flooded and has been hit with bad weather. Trees have fallen, gates have broken. They take care of these issues first thing in the morning. Nothing is left for the next day. They just take care of it right away.
I also had my battery die in my car and I had a maintenance man help me remove the battery so I didn’t have to run upstairs to get my tools. A friendly neighbor saw what was happening and drove me to the auto parts store so I could get a new battery. The maintenance guy even asked a day later if I needed the tools to tighten the battery back down in my car.
I had a package delivered to the apartment and I wasn’t home to receive it and the office staff let me know right away that they had it.
If you are looking for mature landscaping, nice pools, and friendly staff, you can stop looking. Willow Creek is just fantastic!

Lived here recently, 2.5 years. The last time I renewed my lease, the guy screwed it up 3 times. The front office turned over twice, although the people were generally nice and did little appreciation events — pizza, etc. The office girls were actually very nice.
The walls were paper thin. When my neighbor played loud music (often), I could hear it in my bedroom with the door closed — through two walls. Note the back of the property is against a train track, and the west side is industrial. Trucks loaded and slammed doors in the middle of the night. The parking here is right up against the front apt doors for more noise. Even the casitas have kids playing in the courtyards frequently.
The gym was small with no air, and they charged for it. I quit going due to the smell of body odor. I went back once before I moved out, and the handles on the two machines I wanted were missing. Unusable.
My A/​C broke twice, the second time dumping water that ruined the drywall. Maintenance propped up the A/​C unit with a block of wood on the unsupported hall ceiling, which effectively turned the ceiling drywall into a bass speaker.
The ceiling, walls, door jambs, and floor all vibrated. I woke up with my body vibrating. I got headaches. I asked for this and the drywall holes to be fixed. They came and did *neither*. The ceiling damage was there for months until I moved out, when I fixed it myself so I wouldn’t be in any way charged for it.
I also had a horrible odor in my kitchen drain. I asked for a fix. They ran water down it and declared «no blockage». A few days later, residents got notes on their doors saying if they had a drain odor, it was their fault for dumping grease, and they would be charged for it. I didn’t dump grease, and I rarely ever cook. For the last several months I kept the drain plugged.
They painted the apt doors but only the rectangle inside the jamb, so for like a year my door had a lighter orange brown stripe around it, as well as a bunch of pinholes from former residents that were not properly filled.
This was the worst place I’ve lived in Tempe. Even if you want good cheap access to the 101, you should live on the other side of the street. It’s difficult to turn left across Broadway at morning rush hour.

I first came to this place due to the location and it seemed nice. But let me just cut down to whats people come to this site for. First let me say I am not a current resident. MY experience face to face, was nice and kind. buuuut that got over looked quick. I first was able to get setup for a apt that i loved, great spot, 2^nd level, corner by pool, the move in date was 3 weeks out which is what i wanted, but then the friday before the move i was told «oops due to glitch in system that apt is not actually avail (first, im in IT, «systems» dont have glitches, its someone entering something in wrong) and that they automatically moved me to a unit not near pool (not a big deal but its what i wanted) and i was not in a corner unit. So i went in that weekend and talked with the rep and magically a unit became avail to rent in the same time frame (April7th) that was what i wanted. awesome! also they took off 100 $ for the deposit, even better, i give them credit, they do try… wellllll got word a few days later that o the unit has a tenant that is being evicted and they are having issues getting him/​her out. oook now im worried, and that my move in date has been postponed another week .the 14^th… ok fine, well then got an email from the agent asking if i was informed that the apt i wanted was not available yet… and move in date would be the 16^th… ok that would be strike 3, I know «stuff» happens but come on… So now my gripes, Ive stopped looking for an apt so now i have to relook since its been a month now and rates and availability change often and start back over because Willow creeks cant get it together… I honestly was going to submit a 5 star rating after i moved in even with the first hick-​up but now… I really dont think i want to take the risk of anymore screw ups, and with the reviews that have been posted… there goes the app fee… rather pay that then months of rent that would be miserable… who knows, i might still move in since I am coming close to dead lines with work and need a place asap (that I want) and who knows, i might change this review if things work out… well see.
~Update 4\26\2014
Well, I took the chance and I moved in, Its been a week of living here, and bottom line, No bugs, No loud nights, everyone seems to kind and quite, Staff have been very accommodating, The price and size and location are exactly what I was looking for, the landscape is beautiful. Pools are always clean, and needed maintenance done, and it was done in less then 24 hr. Im glad I took the chance.

I have to say I wished I read these reviews before moving to Willow Creek. When I initially viewed the apartments, the agent was friendly and really sold me on the community. After that it was more like whatever!!! No one bothered to contact me, until the day of my move in when in fact I ask to move in on a later date. The agent had the nerves to say he knew that I couldnt but failed and chose not to tell me. So needless to say a rushed/​forced move in. I found that to be very unprofessional and in considerate. Oh but that doesnt matter to them. Promises of new appliances & updated apartments… hummm not true…
The manger states that nothing verbally holds water there, so please be sure to get everything in writing. In conclusion they can tell you whatever they want, do whatever they want & it means nothing unless it’s in writing.
Welcome home!!! I think not.

Cockroaches. If you like bedbugs and roaches, I would recommend you to come here.
I have seen many kinds of roaches and bugs around here. if you study bugs this is the right place. the pest control doesn’t work at all.
Two young male and female staffs are kind but one old or middle aged lady manager is unkind.

Very poor integrity in busines practices! I moved to Tempe from another state to start school at ASU, and had sent my application with fee – and was told I had an apartment waiting for my arrival in two days. When I arrived, the apartment had been rented to someone else and my application fee was not refunded. No explanation or apology – and they had my contact information.

Lived at Willow Creek for 4 years. Staff have been very friendly. I have not had a single bug. Maintenance is very prompt. Only problem I’ve experienced is that the a/​c unit is loud.

Money hungry!!!
I seriously cant stand this dump of a place called Willow Creek. The office staff is a joke! I lived their for a year without a problem. But then when my lease was up is when all hell broke lose. I didnt give them a written notice (which i completely understand is my fault) even though i begged cause i had signed a lease somewhere else, if there was anything they can do since i had been such a good resident to them in the past year, they werent trying to hear it. I had a long conversation with the manager, and we agreed that I would pay 90 days (three months) after my lease was over and then that would be it…
So after the horrifying 3 months of having to pay willow creek, and the new apartments where i was currently living… My 90 days was up at willow creek, and they tried to slap me with another 90 days of having to pay! Are you kidding me??? After i already paid them 3 months while im not even living there, and they could be leasing out my old apartment. I call and ask them why after everything me and the manager had discussed and agreed upon… they proceeded to tell me «Well thats a verbal agreement, not a written agreement.» Are you FING joking me?!? They were clearly trying to mess me up on puropose. If that manager was any good he would have told me to write it down when we had a meeting about it in his office that day! And come on, i already paid them 90 days and I wasnt even living there!!! They could have been leasing out my apartment when I was paying those 90 days for all I know. I slapped them with telling them I was thinking about hiring a lawyer and I will NOT continue to pay them. I never heard anything back so I figured the fighting was done
These people literally call me a YEAR later, with a bunch of fees that I owed them after i moved out. a year later??? Is this a joke!!! I asked them why the hell they were calling me a year later and they told me they were under new management and that it took them some time to figure out that I had owed them money, like thats my fing problem? Get it together willow creek! They slapped me with probably 600 bucks worth of fees, where half of them made no sense what so ever. I had a re paint fee and I had never painted the apartment or hung anything up on the walls!
Over all, this place is just a joke. Read the fine print if youre going to move into here, and take pictures of your apartment when you move out. Because this dump will slap you with any possible fee they can!!! And the front staff would not be any more rude. Especially that new manager of theirs, bitch! I understand some of the problems were my fault, but not all of them were! And they didnt try helping me in anyway, just tried whatever they could to take my money. DUMP!

Terrible customer service!
I went into their office having read a good review on here. I started the application process, then I cam home and discovered the multitude of terrible reviews on this site
and I was horrified. Besides terrible reviews, one of the reviews from just last year mentioned bed bugs. This is information I could not live with and sleep soundly. I sent the leasing agent and email the same night and asked that he cancel my application.
The next day I got and email refuting the bed bugs and a call from the leasing agent. That was polite and all, but they tried to say those people brought the bugs with them. If you know anything about bed bugs they can live in a building for up to 1 year without feeding, and are next to impossible to get rid of in an apartment complex unless everyone in the complex gets rid of all of their belongings and/​or treats each item properly (heat or chemically). Its a huge ordeal! So, I was not amused.
2 days later I get a call from another person in the office trying to win me back. Well, she did the most terrible job! When I told her that there was no way I would reconsider, she insisted that I still owed them $ 122 for administrative fees (it’s $ 44 for the application and 75 for «move in fees»). I’m not moving in there, why on earth should I pay a move in fee? When I refused this outlandish demand, she then tried to guilt me into bringing a new check for the application fee of $ 44. I said that I’d be happy to if they sent me an email confirming my cancellation and would provide me with my credit report. I have not yet received an email. This woman was very rude, and a bully. I can only imagine how terrible it would have been to have to deal with her as a resident. I am certainly not moving into Willow Creek and I would suggest you save your time and energy as well. Willow creek obviously does not want to spare their already tainted reputation.

Alright. I used to love this place when I lived there, but as the years went on and new people started to show up for work in the leasing office, shit got cray, and I was over it. Things got particularly bad when I moved out.
Prior to moving out, I spoke with two different people on two separate occasions regarding the paint on my walls. What I did was have an accent wall painted in the living area and my bedroom. I was told by these two folks that since I lived there for over 24 months, my repainting fee would be waived, and I wouldn’t have to paint over it because they’d have to repaint anyways per their own two-​year policy. So, off I went to my next destination without a worry, fully expecting to receive a clean-​out bill in the next couple of months with the repainting fee waived per my previous conversations with the staff.
Well, imagine my surprise when I got an email from «Maria» two months later with a request to pay the clean-​out bill WITH repainting fee. Almost immediately, I responded with an explanation of the situation and a request to waive the fee, as it shouldn’t have been there in the first place. Four days later, I get a response saying, «If you live in the apartment for 24 months or more you are not responsible for paint job but this does not include any accent walls.» Um… wtf? How does it even make sense that the repainting fee is waived if all my walls were painted, but it’ll cost money to repaint only two accent walls?
Again, I responded quick and got no response from Maria until two months later, when she emailed with a threatening document attached giving me my final notice to pay $ 180 and that if I don’t pay it, my «account will be turned over to our collection agency at that time the amount will be increased by 50% to cover the collection costs, a judgment will be placed on your credit report and wages will be garnished. Once this is on your credit, it will remain there for seven years, which will make it difficult to rent an apartment and/​or purchase a home.»
First off, no, Maria. No. Not cool. Don’t you be talking to me about a final notice. I didn’t even get a second or third notice.
Second, don’t you be talking to me about a final notice, especially after I didn’t get a second or third notice, and ESPECIALLY SINCE IT HAS BEEN FOUR MONTHS SINCE I MOVED OUT, which was enough time for me to move and become settled and start work in a new country. Get your shit together.
Third, don’t you dare threaten me and my amazing credit. I’ve paid my rent early and/​or on time every month that I lived there, so it’s crazy of you to think I’d be delinquent in paying anything and, of all things, this ridiculous fee.
Fourth, let’s talk about this ridiculous fee. Your reasoning for the repainting fee is ridiculous, and your story doesn’t match up with the other two people I talked to before I left, so no. Just no.
After writing back to tell her I responded to her two months ago, Maria quickly realized her mistake and decided she would «be willing to take off the paint charge.» No. It was an error on your company’s part, so you really should be saying, «I apologize for the error and inconvenience, Ms. K. Of course, I will remove the fee.» It’s not REALLY my problem. It’s yours that became mine, isn’t it?
So now, we’ve come to the point where I finally pay the remaining clean-​out fee and ask for confirmation when she’s gotten the electronic payment. Three days later, no response. So I write again letting her know that the payment should be there by now according to my bank; however, according to Maria, she still hasn’t received it. At that point, I just quit communicating with Willow Creek because it’s just frustrating when I have to follow-​up with them about money THEY want from ME. I felt like I was reminding them to do their job. In which case, I should’ve been the one to get paid.
Ugh. NEVER AGAIN. Even if the apartment itself was decent and the rent was super reasonable, the customer service and lack of communication among the staff was so terrible, I’d never want to live there again. Unilocalers, there are lots of other places to live in Tempe. Go seek those places.