My experience with Spice Tree has been absolutely terrible. The leasing office lost their most experienced employees and the new leasing agents aren't helpful. I took over a lease from someone and they mishandled the process and I wasn't able to sign the lease until the day before I had to move out of my previous apartment. Had I not gone into the office (because calling and emailing wasn't effective), they would have never actually done my paperwork. Since moving in, they have overcharged me and then threatened to evict me over funds that I never owed them in the first place. They have never provided me with a copy of my lease and told me they weren't even sure how to get a copy or if my name was ever added. They aren't responsive to maintenance concerns and the stairs and wall of a significant portion of the bottom floor of our building have been torn up for weeks due to flooding. These are only a few of the issues that I've had with them, but throughout it all, I have emailed, called, and gone into the office multiple times and never gotten any type of resolution. I have never received a response to an email or voicemail - going in person is the only way to actually talk to someone. The apartments are renovated which is nice, but it's a very surface level renovation so there are still a lot of the problems you typically have with older buildings.

I am very grateful to have found Spice Tree. I moved in after a really bad experience with another landlord in town. Spice Tree was the opposite- the apartment was HUGE for the price, newly painted, new flooring, new kitchen, with appliances included like microwave and dishwasher. My 1BR has two walk-in closets. Plus there are two pools, one of which has wifi- a great place to study in the summer sun. I like having the huge yards to walk around, plus the apartment is pet-friendly. It's right near grocery stores and good restaurants, not far from parks either. Parking is included with rent too.

Great place to live. Quiet, free parking but in some of the buildings, heating and cooling is only electric. And you pay for electric so it can get expensive in winter. Wall unit is also quite noisy but a space heater will do the trick to keep apartment warm in winter. Stove is also electric.

Spice Tree doesn't have a lot of the amenities that other big complexes have, but the rent is lower as a result. (No gym, though they've been saying they're going to build one for a while now...). Also, I live in one of the "electric only" buildings, so my rent is a little lower than the "electric + gas" buildings to make up for my higher electricity bill. I believe gas is included in rent for the other buildings.

Packages are a pain. Sometimes they're delivered to your door. Sometimes to your mailbox. Sometimes they're in the leasing office, so you have to pick them up during business hours.

I do find that some parts of the apartment just aren't put together the best. Cabinet doors are put on with screws that are too short, my heat lamp light bulb in the bathroom has burnt out twice in the year I've been here. But maintenance is generally quick to respond to any requests.

All this said, I plan to continue staying in my apartment until I graduate in 2021. The complex is pet friendly (I pay $30/mo for my cat, with an initial $150 pet deposit). My building is quiet and there is (not free) laundry on the ground floor ($1.50 for each wash or dry, but it uses a special debit card, so no need to mess with quarters). I like the location--it's a 15-20 minute drive from campus, very close to a Kroger, Meijer, and Fresh Time. Easily accessible from either Packard St or Washtenaw Ave. The apartment itself is a modern style. Floors are laminate expect the bedroom which is carpeted. Parking is free and you don't have to buy guest passes or anything for guests. There are two pools.

If you look at reviews online, you will see a lot of older reviews that warn against living at Spice Tree. They came into new management a few years back and it's clear to me that the new management wants to fix their reputation. They host community events about once a month--I've never been, but they usually have free food.

The apartments have been recently updated, so they are very modern. Hardwood floors, granite counter tops, nice cabinets, jack and jill sink, spacious bedrooms. Though the commute to the law school is a bit longer than I would have liked (in that I cant walk to class and I drive to a commuter lot to then take the bus) in total (the drive to the lot and the bus ride) my commute is well under 30 minutes. I enjoy being removed from campus and the culture of Ypsi, so overall I'm very happy with my apartment.

15 mins bus ride + 15 mins walking to Ross
Great if you have a car
Close to Asian restaurants and Asian supermarkets
Plenty of parking
No security deposit for Pets, just monthly pet fee