The Social West Ames

They told us we could tour online then upon arrival they made us wait 45 minutes to speak with a leasing consultant who let us know we would not be able to tour the apartment we signed a lease here anyway then 2 weeks after signing they required us to add a co-signer so we did. After adding the co signer and being sent no more information for 2 months they sent us a text saying that they gave away our apartment and there was nothing we could do about it, until they learned my roomate's Mom is also a landlord and all of the sudden the apartment opened back up. My friend who also lived here has records of them trying to charge up to $1500 to repair the flooring of the apartment they moved into less than a month ago and caused no damage to the flooring. This place will try and take advantage of anyone who hasn't been experienced in the rental process. I DO NOT RECOMMEND LIVING HERE OR ATTEMPTING TO LIVE HERE BECAUSE THEY WILL TRY TO TAKE YOUR MONEY AND RUN!!

Staff is friendly and the cost to rent is the best part of the Social. The drawbacks are the other tenants with animals who don't clean behind their pets. Some of the apartments are dated and haven't been updated in decades. Some of the amenities are good, while others need improvements. All and all you get what you pay for so at this price I won't complain too much. Good value for the price. Mid tier quality property.

This might be the worst apartment complex in all of Ames. I have lived here for three years and that is only because of how cheap my rent was. I have had nothing but issues with the leasing staff, the maintenance team, and ESPECIALLY the leasing manager. They call themselves the #1 Student housing in Ames, but in my time here I have lived next to multiple families and there are always little kids running around. This is really true at their pool parties and the pool in general, where when I am trying to enjoy with my friends they have families take up the entire pool. Speaking of their amazing pool parties they advertise and talk about how great the pool is, it is only open for about 3 months of the year, except they close it for a week at a time because of "glass" which given all of their other lies, I don't believe, when the majority of other complexes in Ames have it open 5-6 months of the year. Moving on to the other "amazing" parts that they advertise, like resident events, this year alone I can count on one hand how many they have had and there hasn't been any since December. Half the machines in the gym are broken and the coffee machine was broken for half the time I've lived here. They did get a new one that is nice, so I will give them credit for it. Other than that, it is as basic as it comes for other amenities, with nothing special, even though they claim to have the best ones. Moving on to the actual living experience: When I moved in 3 years ago, the room was disgusting and not cleaned at all. The paint is still wonky and I had to put 4 maintenance requests in my first day. The kitchen and apartment in general looked nothing like what was promised. If you look at the pictures on their website, it's all a lie. I was also a freshman in college matched with two graduate students who were 4 and 6 years older than me, even though I filled out their matching form and said I only wanted people near my age. That matching form is a lie, and they will just put with anyone. The second roommate they put me with was a hoarder and I was told multiple times that it would be taken care of. I was told he didn't re sign, so I wouldn't have to deal with him my second year. I even got a friend to sign with me and we were assured everything would be all good. It took him taking up the entire shared living spaces over the summer and for me to threaten to sue before they finally kicked him out a month into my second year there. Speaking of maintenance, they are horrible. It takes so long for them to come out and they get mad at being told to do their jobs. In my time here, I have had my fridge break, which took over a week to fix, my dishwasher, a stair broke, which caused a friend of mine to almost fall down, after I submitted the request and they didn't fix it, it took me again threatening to call the city inspector and 2 months to fix it, as well as having mice come into my room and kitchen. Going more on the pest issue, it took 2 weeks for them to come check my apartment out after I showed them pictures and videos of the mouse. They came and put sticky traps out and even when the traps caught a mouse in the kitchen, they refused to come dispose of it until I said I was gonna call the city, AGAIN. My final point is on the incompetent leasing staff and management. When you walk in, you are greeted by college aged people that sit at the desk and their only answer is that they don't know and need to ask their manager. So, their manager, Cade, is even more incompetent than they are. He spends all of his time worrying about hanging with ISU athletes and acting like he is in college again. He will never give you a straight answer, and lies continuously. He even tried to take my former roommate and best friend's security deposit for 6 months before he was threatened with getting sued, yet again. If you see any positive reviews, they are fake and all follow the same format. If you are going ignore my experience, at least listen to my advice to get anything they promise in writing. If you don't, you will be screwed over.

One of the worst apartment management teams I have ever experienced. They don't answer voicemails, emails, or texts. You have to go into the office and wait for one of them to make time for you, because you didn't make an appointment, because they wouldn't answer your calls. Even corporate dodges emails and phone calls. It takes them WEEKS to assign maintenance requests to staff, and even then, they direct the staff to half-a$$ repairs. Mold in your apartment? Spray paint. Overflowing trash in the entryway? Get rid of trashcans. Snow and ice covering the sidewalk? Send someone with a leaf blower to blow the snow around, and for fun, wait a few days before sending one. Outdated and unreliable appliances (w/d are tiny and have to run multiple times to dry), extortionately high energy bills (~$200 per month in an 800 sqft unit!!!), and little to no property upkeep (dirty stairs, hallways, parking lot, and dog poop EVERYWHERE). They don't even offer in person tours of most floorplans, you get to watch a video of a unit that is "similar", so you never truly know what you're signing a lease to until move in day. You only get days notice when a new roommate is assigned to your unit, and NONE of the buildings are ADA accessible. Rent might be cheap, but you get what you pay for, and they make it hell.

A horrible experience, had a hole in my ceiling for 3 months with no progress, had to pay full months rent my last month but we only got it for 2 weeks, and ao expensive. Do yourself a favor and look around the area and avoid if you can. Only good if you are by yourself and just want a place to live.

Had a great tour with a gentleman named Jake Pringle. He was very helpful and answered all my questions. I showed up 10 minutes before my appointment thinking I was early but he was already there. I also loved how clean and spacious this place is.

It was fine I suppose, but one time while I was cleaning my blinds they fell off the wall and sliced my finger open. Took nearly two months for maintenance to replace the blinds. Stayed without living room blinds for that whole period. It's certainly a place to live.

I had the pleasure of meeting Tyler Richards at The Social West in Ames, IA, and I couldn't be happier with the experience. Tyler provided a thorough virtual tour of the apartment and expertly guided me through the leasing process. His attention to detail and friendly demeanor made the entire process seamless and enjoyable. I highly recommend Tyler to anyone in search of exceptional customer service and assistance. Thank you, Tyler, for your outstanding support!"