Fountain Place Apartments, Columbus OH

Horrible under new management. They turned off the security cameras and it feels much less safe, especially around Hilliard Rome.

Hope you like dog poop and goose poop, because you'll be stepping in both almost every day.

Neighbors are rude and leave trash everywhere.

Highly unpleasant atmosphere.

Come live here if you love unresponsive management that makes you sign a contract saying they can kick you out if you talk bad about them online.

Oh, and don't plan on getting your security deposit back, they'll make up a reason to keep it.

If you are thinking of renting here, don't. All of the negative reviews are completely warranted for this place. There are so many issues with this complex, mostly stemming back to very poor management and other residents. Everything I have in my review is simply what I can remember.

Me and my boyfriend decided week 1 we were not going to stay once our lease was up after having so many issues with the "refurbished" unit that we filled up the walkthrough form we were given. The contractors that they use chain smoked in our unit and our entire kitchen had to be ripped out and moved 4 inches due to their errors, and then lied about having done the job so it took us about a month and a half to be able to unpack the kitchen, and even then it was shoddy work. The cigarette smell never really left and with all of the other little issues we probably visited the office in person about 12 times in the first month of us living there because it was the only way to make sure anything got fixed.

The maintenance here always took forever to do even important issues, such as taking a month to install the dishwasher that had been sitting waiting to be hooked up since move in and when the actual maintenance supervisor came, he installed it wrong twice. He also managed to change the wrong mailbox locks twice when we needed a new mail key and lock awhile later.

As far as the residents go, it seems that the office does not really care to quickly put an end to some of the childish awful behavior that happens, some of which resulted in the pool getting shut down for half the season because specific people couldn't follow the rules, so everyone got punished. We had constant issues with large loud parties on the weekend that took up all of the parking because there were for some reason rules about residents parking in visitor parking but no rules vice versa, leaving only visitor parking if even that open. Of course this also came with loud music and people at said parties parking in the middle of the road. There was also constant littering of cigarette butts, cans, bottle caps, etc all over the property. The insane amount of "car bros" throughout the complex meant constant speeding and blowing through stop signs, obscenely loud vehicles, donuts in the small lots around the buildings, and ridiculous behaviors such as parking two cars at the exit of the parking lot just to have a conversation as the cars were passing and no one being able to get by. It definitely didn't help the parking situation that were more people living in units than should have been, our neighbors had at least 5 people in their unit. Nothing really ever happened after I complained in person 3 times about the parties with a specific unit. It seems that most of the people living at the complex have 0 regard for anyone but themselves and the office doesn't do anything.

There were just so many issues left and right, including in the lease where they have sold their towing rights to a company that can tow you for as little as a flat tire, and the fact that they made a bulk deal with Spectrum and bullied us into having internet and cable which we don't use when we were getting our internet for free from Spectrum in the first place. The amount of control the manager of these properties seems to have about the things that make an apartment a good place to live is none, but they are control freaks about tiny stupid details in the lease that I've never had an issue with anywhere else. We were paying over $1500 a month with all the utilities for our 2 bedroom and if we had renewed that would have increased. There are much better places to live in Hilliard for the same or lower prices. Save yourself the trouble.

My fiancé has lived here for almost 5 years and it has been the worst experience once the new management company took over. People are having items stolen out of their cars and doorsteps, new neighbors are loud, unruly and think this place is a frat house. There are literally 8-10 people living in one apartment and they take up all the parking near our building.

With their new updates the noise levels are worse than before because carpet is not being put back into the newly remodeled units. It seems to be to decrease the replacement costs of carpet but makes for a loud environment. Parking here has become unbearable even for residents and it’s even worse for visitors.

Some of the maintenance staff seems to know what they are doing, but the responses to service calls are not in a timely matter it took them 5 months to finally fix the issue and that was after several follow ups because the office never responded and when they did, they mentioned that the issue showed resolved from maintenance.

Do not rent here. The units are overpriced for what you are getting back. I hope they sell to a different and better management company because they do not know what they are doing. I’m sure they will respond in some generic post apologizing for our experience and tell us to reach out to them, but they never respond so why bother?

UPDATE AS OF 10-1-23

The complex has continued to get worse. There is trash and cigarette butts everywhere. They try to add additional costs to tenants by saying they are included features. We have been charged for Spectrum the last several months and we don’t even have them. We use Breezeline! They added it into the rent for no reason and call it an amenity. They are a bunch of crooks and continue to let the neighborhood decline with the less than selective. I’m glad we were able to buy our own home and the mortgage there is less than the rent we pay here. Good riddance to this terrible place that was once an amazing place to live. Great job Blue Leaf Management for running it into the ground by allowing this current office staff be completely unprofessional and a lack of intelligence and common sense.

Don’t move here. They’re just money hungry and don’t care about their tenants and there’s never any parking— the tow company that comes through the neighborhood only tows residents vehicles and not the visitors who take up all of the resident parking, the visitor parking is only taken up by residents for that very reason. These past few weeks have been terrible! Some of us don’t get off until after midnight and by the time we make it home there’s nowhere to park due to the residents that throw parties every single night and fill the entire lot up! I’m sick and tired of having to park my car in a parking lot thats nowhere near my apartment and WALK all the way home after working 12 hours.

***Editing to update as I've finally gotten away from this place as of August 2023***
First off, I cannot give a zero star review. I was in office, and emailed stating I will NOT be staying here and told the girl at the front desk that "I did not know where I would be going as I had some options to consider" Apparently I was told I'd never given any notice of any kind, one notice was my fault where the email was addressed wrong, however I was given less than 30 days to decide via their letter to renew for $1400 on Month to Month or almost $1300 for a year lease.
My neighbor had to move out due to lack of maintenance issues, partying above her and intimidation by the new tenants above her such as loud stomping, music, etc. In 3 of the apartments in my building alone between the 8 total there are over 6 people living in them with no furniture, only air mattresses, and constant partying in the parking lots on the weekends. Sure its been addressed via email and a letter.but still it goes on and on every weekend. I had a ring camera on my door due to package theft and people knocking on my neighbors door to annoy them and in ONE night on a Saturday had over 300 notifications that people were back and forth running, drinking, partying in the breezeway.
Another example of terrible management - One weekend there was a ford mustang that had in past months somehow made it into the pond by the mailboxes.it had been repaired in the parking lot and then the owner/driver raced around the lots and did burnouts almost hitting my car and several others. Calling the office got no answer. Calling emergency maintenance gets no answer.
This place is garbage for the amount of rent you pay. None of us ever saw the new appliances that was the reason our rent went up in 2022 but the people living in the renovated apartments with 6-15 people got everything brand new. The good tenants suffer, while the ones who abuse the ignorance and lack of management are the ones who are rewarded.
In closing I moved out recently, I unhooked my washer and the PVC pipe in the wall broke which ended up flooding my dining area and entry way as well as half the living room while I was still packing. Upon calling both maintenance and office NO ANSWER while i have a cascade of water pouring out my wall and under it into the breezeway. I had to drive the 200 yards to the office and tell them what was happening while one girl was walking her dog outback and the other was just sitting at her computer. Who the hell was there to answer the phones? Maintenance shows up after they text him, and he and the other guy just have a good laugh about it like "oh yeah, that happens with old PVC, oh well! We probably will just clean it up because we're leaving good carpet in these places now"

Place is garbage, management is garbage, the only decent person seems to be one of the maintenance guys. DONT rent from this sh! Thole. Absolute JOKE of a company and management team.d

Been here since August 2021. No issues until a few months ago. Now we have even more trash than ever. Packages being stolen from our doors. No visitor parking is available since new tenants moved in and multiple people are staying in one apartment and take up all the visitor spots as well as non stop partying on weekends. New appliances were part of the raise in our rent and we've yet to see our appliances but the renovated apartments are getting new appliances no problem. There is a massive pothole near the mailboxes that has been there for well over 8 months and its not been touched or even addressed once. New management took over and things have really gone downhill. Ive been lucky to get ahold of someone the very few times ive actually had to call. Sucks because I was really looking forward to my last year hear and its been dismal at best.

I am on my third year of living here. At first it was great. Management was awesome and there was no delay with maintenance. But within the last 6 months or so with the new management it has been awful. Maintenance requests not being taken care of for a month plus. No parking anywhere because they are letting 5 plus people live in one apartment with each having a car. In my building alone there is constantly people playing loud music until 3am that i can hear through my front door. Constantly people working on their vehicles in parking spots, my car has been getting blocked in so that’s a big deal that i can’t even leave. And leaving parts and broken stuff all over the place. Just last week i had someone throw a glass object in our breezeway and neglected to clean it up until i did it myself. And god forbid you tell the office anything because they don’t answer the phone or emails. My fiancé left a review less than a month ago similar to this and they removed it from the review page so we will see if this one stays.

This place is awful. Do not rent here. They do not have a working emergency line so if anything happens on the weekend (like a water main break) there’s nobody to call about the issue. There are potholes everywhere, the management is terrible, and the people they hire to renovate the apartments definitely smoked inside my unit before we got it because it reeked of cigarettes. Seriously, it’s not worth the ridiculous rent for this terrible unit.

I’ve living here for over a year and the experience has been great, the staff managment are always able to help you

Nothing but a positive experience so far! Haven't had a need for maintenance, office staff is so nice!

Updated Review:
Rent increased and my two bedroom apartment now costs as much as aesthetically nice ones in other places in Columbus, so that sucks. I haven't been offered any upgraded appliances. I gave up my garage to offset increasing rent costs.

The new management staff doesn't have great communication. Under previous management, there was always a maintenance person keeping the landscaping nice and stuff. Last year they let trash accumulate on the grounds and then proceeded to deal with it by mowing it and chopping it up into little pieces (which I'm pretty sure is actually illegal). They sent out an email a month or two ago basically blaming/pushing landscaping upkeep on residents.

They added a "trash service" last year where someone is supposed to pick up trash outside peoples' doors in trashcans Sunday-Thursday. Actual pickup is spotty at best, and people leaving their trash out has led to more trash on the property when stuff gets blown out by winds. I asked questions when they first rolled out the program because I have concerns it's going to raise my rental price in the future, but they never responded to my questions/concerns.

In fact, they've never responded to any correspondence I've sent. I don't send stuff often, but like, there's a big pothole that's been a problem for over a year now in one of the major drives. They sent out a kind of confusing email recently about an $85 Spectrum "deal" that made it sound like it was optional but also made it sound like it wasn't. I asked for clarification because I pay $45 through Breezeline right now (and don't want cable), so I don't want/need the $85 package.

I know they have access to the email address because they've sent out reminders about towing (I know the towing upsets some people, but parking used to be way, way worse than it is now; just need to register your vehicle (s) to not have them towed). I get home sometimes between 12am-6am, and I appreciate not having to park super far away anymore.

They also keep hosting community events for good PR I think.but the events are usually between like. 11am and 4pm, when the majority of people work and kids are in school, so I'm not entirely sure who they're encouraging to participate. They did a bingo over Christmas, but failed to post all of the numbers like they said. I was keeping up with it, and tried to ask about missing numbers on the Facebook account, but again.no one ever responded.

Overall, this area is quiet, walkable, and fine. I pay almost $1200 for a not aesthetically nice 2BR. Water is fine (I pay about $45 I think). Electricity seems okay (I pay about $160). Never had a problem with AC/heating. No sound problems or neighbor problems.

In general, I don't. *not*. Recommend the place, but for nearly $1200 for a 2BR with one car registered and no garage, it's pretty steep. Rental prices are crazy all over though. Sucks because most people I know with mortgages pay far less per sq ft in comparison.

Previous Review:
I've lived here for over a year. Aaron is easy to work with. I was able to get into a two-bedroom apartment quickly that the tenants left less than perfect. Maintenance took care of all of my concerns promptly. The grounds are well-kept and regularly improved upon. My neighbors keep to themselves and I haven't really had any noise issues other than maybe a handful of times across many months. Overall, I would recommend this place. Ability to have a garage for extra storage is also a plus. Honestly the worst con is that parking can on rare occasions be a struggle.

I lived here for two years and when I first moved in it was very affordable for the size. Close to so many stores and beautiful landscaping! But when my lease renewed the price just went up too high for a unit that wasn't brand new, that's the only reason I left. The leasing team is great and this is a good neighborood for if you have kids, it's just too pricey now. The new appliance package they promised wasn't really worth the increase without updating these units. I was sad to leave but i discovered a TON of mold upon moving out. Anyway, my new apartment was nearly $100 less, brand new and has a gym on site.

Edit: oh and yes they will tow promptly and without prejudice-better make sure your friends cars are in visitors spots by sundown.

Place is terrible after new property management company took over. Staff is rude except for one no ones ever in the office put work order in months ago about garbage disposal not working and no one ever came. Trash has to overflow till it gets emptied. Rent went up $200 and they said because were getting new appliances which i dont care for they tried to charge me a late fee for something they screwed up with. Then I gave a 60 days notice and they sent me a utility fee on my email when I told them in advance I'm not renewing my lease.glad I left way overpriced for what they offer.love my new apartment where I'm at now cheaper and prettier rent at your own risk

I am not a resident but I do have family that I visit here when I am in town. My family informed us about the parking requirements for visitors. I recently parked where I was informed was visitor parking and where I park each time I visit but last night (Friday) my car was towed.
There is no way to speak to the apartment management due to the hours being M-F even though the times online state 7 days/week. The tow truck company informed me that I would have to call after 9am to speak with a manager but when I called after 9, they stated that management is only available M-F. The fee to get your car goes up every 24 hrs. The tow signs aren’t visible, you have to go look for them. If there was visible signage staying where to park and where not to park, all of this could have been prevented.

Blue leaf management and team in general are just terrible staff never answers the phone literally had someone call right before walking in the door and she was sitting right by the phone not doing anything and did not pick up the phone she just let it keep ringing when I walked in I was the only one in there and nothing was on the screen or anything on the desk she was literally just sitting there letting the phone ring. And don't get me started on the trash crisis and property grounds condition.save yourself the headache keep searching for other places

If you can avoid it DO NOT MOVE HERE. I lived here for over two years and thankfully escaped earlier this year and not a day too soon. The new company that took over this past Dec/Jan was impossible to work with. At one point we received a notice on our door for pest treatment in our building that required us to vacate. We discovered this paper notice, no emails, on a Friday evening after business hours and it was for the following Tuesday. I called to discuss the notice in Monday as one of us works from home and was unable to vacate on such short notice with work equipment. I was told by one of the ladies in the office we'd have to figure it out as they don't even have to give notice so we better be out that day and was promptly hung up on. That was not the last toxic interaction I had with the officer workers either. They also increased all rent and fees totalling to about $400 more per month and gave us 30 days to sign or move. Those are just a few examples of the issues we faced and those friends we still have stuck living there have only spoke about how it has continued to get worse.

I agree with the comment that reads "Where are the people who work for the leasing company!? " It's impossible to reach anyone.

Appears changes are occurring without letting tenants know. New costs added to monthly rent such as Pest Control Reimbursement and Trash. I do not receive any emails regarding these changes and I have never paid for Pest Control. That is part of the rent! Be leery as they used to be great with awesome maintenance personnel. The pool is closed a lot due to repairs which is frustrating.
I will not be renewing again.