Shadowood Apartments

My wife and I lived at Shadowood (SW) twice over the course of nearly 4 years. Having the experience of living in different units...

My wife and I lived at Shadowood (SW) twice over the course of nearly 4 years. Having the experience of living in different units under different management groups was quite enlightening. Here's our review: Pros: Access to university, Franklin, grocers, and hospital via bus line. Offers amenities like bball/tennis court, pool, and weight room. Ellipticals in weight room are very nice. Mgmt informally allows tenants play with their dogs on tennis court when not in use, as no dog park/run on premise. SW is one of few apts in Chapel Hill that doesn't have a pet rent, just a onetime fee. By car, depending on traffic, SW is only 5 minutes from the library, 8 minutes from Franklin, Carrboro, and Food Lion/HT, and 15-25 minutes from Walmart. For dog owners: there is a dog park accessible by bus at Homestead Park. Cons: 1. Very energy inefficient units. You will pay just as much, if not more, for utilities in a 550sqft unit here as a 900sqft apt elsewhere. 2. Mgmt doesn't care about current tenants. Example: our A/C was broken for 3 weeks during the hottest time of year (95' avg temp) yet mgmt refused to admit fault or prorate rent. 3. Safety deposit is actually a hidden fee. You will not earn your deposit back because of a turnover fee, but may actually owe money to SW depending on water consumption during final month of lease. 4. Many units have moisture in the walls, which may lead to mold or damage. Example, a maintenance worker actually stuck his hand through our drywall when trying to access moisture damage by touch. To fix the moisture issue, SW cut out the drywall and fanned the studs/insulation for 2 weeks before replacing drywall (quite smelly process). One of my books was ruined by letting it sit on the carpet near the wall for a week. 5. The doors swell in heat, making it difficult to close/open doors during summer. Because of moisture damage, if the doors do not align with the door frame, the hinges will pull off of the wall instead of the door closing. 6. Tumblers for the bolt lock need constant oiling to actually work. I recommend oiling your keys once every 3 weeks to solve this issue. 7. Only one ethernet port per unit actually works, so you may have to put your wifi router behind your couch, which is especially annoying considering Con #8. 8. Unreliable outlets. The mouths of most outlets do not latch on to plugs, so plugs often fall out of the outlet just by gravity. Frequently, the wifi would go out for this reason, or we would find things that we thought were charging were not even plugged in. 9. Smoke alarm goes off anytime someone bakes. 10. Pests: saw everything from bugs to a baby snake in our units. SW seems to only spray for pests and vermin upon request, not as a necessary maintenance feature. 11. Property not well maintained. Example: Water fountains in weight room broken for over 5 months (still broken when we moved out). 2 of 3 treadmills broken. Pool constantly filled with filth (not regularly cleaned). Mud runoff on sidewalks in and around property, sometimes broken glass on sidewalks. 12. Mgmt promised a dog park 3 years ago. SW still doesn't have a dog park. Makes it hard to expect mgmt to deliver on other promises. The best thing going for this property is access to the university, Franklin, and the hospital by bus. If you are a dog owner, the tennis court is a nice feature as well, since the local dog parks tend to be muddy for several days following each rain. Despite mgmt, the maintenance workers are some of the nicest (and overworked) guys you'll meet. Ultimately, management's failure to adequately care for the property or their tenants makes Shadowood a one star apartment complex.

Would definitely recommend living here, great community, pretty quiet, maintenance is quick, they have an actual barbell in the gym and not only machines,...

Would definitely recommend living here, great community, pretty quiet, maintenance is quick, they have an actual barbell in the gym and not only machines, always pleasantly greeted when I go to the office to print something for free, short walk to buses, overall great experience, no real complaints

Just wanted to take the time to thank the management staff for excellent customer service. We had a bit of a hiccup the first...

Just wanted to take the time to thank the management staff for excellent customer service. We had a bit of a hiccup the first day but management was quick to respond and help solve all our problems with prompt and sincere responses.

I Lived in Shadowood for a year and enjoyed my time there. The problem when leaving shadowood was having a security deposit go directly...

I Lived in Shadowood for a year and enjoyed my time there. The problem when leaving shadowood was having a security deposit go directly to a "turnover fee" that no one in the office could tell what was for. My apartment was spotless, besides the normal wear and tear which the lease says is allowed while a tenant is living in the apartment. It was the only fee I was charged and it took my entire security deposit. So please read the lease very carefully. Other than that the place is a very relax apartment complex.