Hampton Greene

The rent is affordable and the location is very close to campus. Unfortunately, the quality of the units is not good, with paint all over the place and many of the fixtures being outdated, and the management staff/maintenance is incredibly difficult to work with.

First and foremost, Hampton Greene is only a 5 minute drive from the SOM! Apartments are a fair price with a 2 bed/2 bath currently costing under $1100 a month for a 12-13 month lease (this includes $70 a month for internet/cable.) Although the finishes are not luxurious, they are practical and functional. The screened-in porch in the 2 bed/2 bath units is a nice touch and the second floor has high ceilings. Internet access has been reliable, which is important with virtual classes and exams. Most units also include a washer and dryer. The gym is small but is usually quiet and has good basic equipment. The pool is always clean and looks well maintained. The complex is also gated which is nice extra security.

On the downside, maintenance has been slow to respond and the unit did not appear to have been cleaned prior to move in. Neighbors can also occasionally be heard through the floors, windows, and walls.

Always feel safe here, mostly military personal and SOM students. I think rent is fair for what is included. They are fair with prices and working with certain situations as far as the length of lease etc.

I think hampton is a good value for an apartment close to campus (within 5min). We have a pool and gym for residents to use. Our apartment also has lofted ceilings and a screened in porch with a wood burning fire place. We also have a washer and dryer that came with the apartment.

Management is the absolute worst. It took them 2 weeks to fix my AC in during the summer. My apartment was 80+ degrees during that time and unlivable and they did not lower my rent or even bother apologizing for taking so long. They also charged me for things that were broken in the apartment before I moved in (I reported the broken items on move-in day and they said they would fix it and never did.) Rent is way too high for this crappy maintenance job. Hampton Courts is right next door and owned by the same management team so I would not suggest living there either.

I wrote this review on google reviews with 126 images attached. Because the shortcomings of the apartment and management team cannot be ignored and in an effort to protect future medical students, veterans, and military members from making a similar mistake, I felt that I should be as detailed as possible when so that you can make your decision. I have lived in apartments across the country. There were some great ones and some okay ones, but this one takes the icing for being the absolute worse. Everything in this review can be substantiated with photos, letters, videos, and email communication.

I have been developing this review overtime in hopes that the First Communities management company would take a more professional route with resolving issues involving maintenance. However, it seems the management company has consistently refused to meet me in the middle. [Add-on 7 months into the lease: immediately after posting this review, a new property manager did contact me and maintenance has been more proactive in taking care of most of my issues but professionalism is still not there. There is still one lingering work order since I moved in and was denoted on move-in inspection.]

I am a veteran who traveled from California to South Carolina to attend USCSOM-Columbia under an Army scholarship. My fiancé traveled with me to this new location. We were very excited to move into the advertised apartment that was shown to us in early June. However, we realized it was falsely advertised. In hindsight, I wish I could have had the luxury to inspect the unit in person before signing. I went with my father to view the property that I would be potentially be leasing. We were shown a single unit apartment and the model both of which were very pristine in comparison to what I actually got. The First Communities staff members informed me upon my arrival that the unit I potentially would move into would not be ready until July 10, 2020. I assumed that the 2 bedrooms/2 bathroom unit that I wanted would be in a similar condition to the ones I viewed in June 2020. On July 17, 2020, we walked into the unit, and this is what we saw:

1. Walls throughout the unit had scuffs, scratches, stains, and holes

2. The carpets had a wet dog odor and had multiple stains

3. In the kitchen, the counters were damaged and the laminate was coming apart

4. Both bathroom baseboards showed signs of rot

5. All windows and window frame seals were compromised with moisture seeping through

6. Trash on the kitchen counter and dead bugs under the kitchen sink

7. All hard floors had debris indicating that they had not been professionally cleaned

8. Both bathroom counters were damaged with scuffs and scratches

9. Unprofessional and hasty paint job throughout the entire apartment

After the initial walkthrough, I refused to accept the unit as given. I brought to the attention of the management team, and they decided not to offer temporary housing while they consulted their superiors. This forced me to spend an extensive amount of money to stay in a hotel for five extra days in addition to extending my Uhaul. During this time, I authored a five-day notice that stated the violation of the agreed lease. The management team responded on July 20, 2020, stating they would remedy the shortcomings listed on the notice. Upon my second visitation on July 21, 2020, they replaced the carpet and reimbursed me for my hotel expenses. However, they did not reimburse me for the Uhual, utilities, and rent from July 10 – 21. The property manager, Sherri, came with me during the inspection on July 21, 2020. Although the carpets were replaced, the rest of the unit looked the same. I remained amicable, respectable, and friendly throughout this entire process.

Due to my school starting in eight days, I had to compromise and settle for the apartment in the condition it was given at the rate of $1190/ month + the rest of the service fees came out to $1244.24.

[Add on 7 m

My favorite things about this apartment are the location and the price. We were able to get a two-bedroom unit for the price of other one-bedrooms we looked at nearby, which proved especially useful with online classes as we use the second bedroom as an office. This is a 3-minute drive to the VA campus, super convenient. Also, there are lots of other med students living here which is nice. The worst things about this apartment for me are the management, specifically with the extremely lacking response time to maintenance requests and the shoddy work done when a maintenance request is completed, and the overall quality of the units. Paint jobs are sloppy, damage when you move in should be expected, electric bills are ridiculous because the AC has to stay running almost all day to maintain a temperature, and while some parts of the unit are "updated" it is not done with quality in mind, only looks. I know that this review sounds fairly negative but for me, the price and location are the most important, so I enjoy living here. It is a gated community so it feels very safe and the floor-plan is actually very spacious. What sold us was the height of the ceilings in second-floor two bedroom units in the living room and the large screened in porch.

Great apartment to live in, great premises, but not the best maintenance crew. They eventually complete work but take weeks and multiple reminders to do so.