American Campus Communities
Reviews and Complaints

Disappointed with the Retreat in *** the staff is dishonest and not transparent or clear in which they do not disclose all the facts in order for us to make a sound decision, and do not fulfill their commitments and honor what they promised verbally and by email.

Unit is disgustingly filthy. Bc there is a current *** staying they will not clean or fix common area issues. They do not require any standard of living. It is insanitary with dirt, wasp nests, poor flooring in the stairs, dirt/mold on air vents - I could go on. Cant even use the kitchen or downstairs 1/2 bath bc its so disgusting and filthy. Management non-responsive. Property owners (***) will take advantage of college students without hesitation.

Please dont rent from American Campus. This place dont deserve even one star. They love to rip off students and most staff are incompetent too. I forgot that the move out date is August 2nd. I was not able to move out on time. I moved out 2 days after. They charged $200/day fee so that would be $400 for two days. Please please please students and parents stay away from this heartless apartment company. They are selfish and greedy. Im praying for Justice for all the renters being scammed from this apartment company.

Do NOT let your college student rent with this heartless company! During this global crisis, when students have been asked to move home and shelter with their families, American Campus refuses to let these students out of their leases. They are an extremely large company that could easily absorb the cost of a few months rent but instead, they continue to charge these kids and their struggling families. Millions of people are out of work and have no way to pay their bills. This company says that they will work with families to arrange a payment plan. Payment plan? How about some basic human decency? Where is their sense of community and compassion? Shame on them!

I have had trouble with my housing arrangement since I signed my lease and was not placed with my selected roommates. The staff is extremely rude and lacks customer service skills. The building quality is subpar. We often had no access to recycling or trash disposal. The laundry services were unreliable, and water outages occurred monthly. The paint behind our couch was peeling, and the room layouts with desk setups were impractical. We were persistently urged to renew our lease and had to pay the full month's rent to move out mid-August, unlike other apartments that transition at the month's start. The management is incompetent, and their practices seem deceptive.

The staff at their unnamed location are nice, and the new furnishing is pleasant. The place is overpriced for the area though (over $1.3k/person for a tiny 4-person, dorm-like apartment), and there would often be hot water outages and the like. The community events were kind of nice but mainly performative. What's unacceptable, however, is how American Campus Communities insidiously overcharges residents. I went through the trouble of finding a student to re-lease from me for 2 months out of a 12-month lease, but only got my money back for 1 month after transferring my lease (the other student had to pay for both months, too). I went through correspondence after correspondence via email, phone, etc, and was ignored despite showing them my bank statements. This has happened to multiple residents I know, and the company doesn't seem to care about them taking advantage of the occasional helpless student and violating the lease. Upsetting, shady, and predatory. I've heard rumors of other ACC properties exploiting broke college kids as well... Hopefully something can be done about this behavior.

LAWYERS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO IGNORE STUDENT LEGAL SERVICE REQUESTS. The complex decided that a week before our move out they wanted to redo our floors without providing an exact date. This coincided with exam period. We were instructed to clear the floor, essentially being told to move out early. The complex disclaimed liability for any damage or theft of our belongings. Repeated inquiries about the renovation schedule were met with promises of a few days' notice. Balancing commutes, jobs, and a summer class, the uncertainty was frustrating. I was uninformed about these renovations, learning of them only through my roommate. Despite notifying the office of missed messages, no corrective action was taken. Persistent calls were the only reason I learned of their entry into my apartment, which otherwise would have breached the relevant housing statute. My lease stipulated minor, not major, disturbances. The building manager's indifference to the inconvenience during exams and failure to inform me of the renovations, despite my lack of the informational email sent to others, was evident. An office staff member tried to assist but lacked the authority to resolve the issue. After a direct conversation with the manager, I emailed a formal complaint but received no reply.

I did a sublet here for 2 months in the summer. Besides the ridiculous "re-let" fees that they charge, the staff were not very helpful with answering questions about moving in and general help with the process. Upon moving in, the staff informed me that they would not have enough time between the other girl moving out and me moving in to clean the room. I said that would be ok, and they told me that I would have to fill out an "as-is" form because they couldn't clean it. Because they couldn't clean it, remember that. They then gave me a room condition form to fill out so that I would be able to write detailed descriptions about the condition that the room was in, in order to not be held liable for damages that were already there. I filled out the form, making sure to include everything, since there were a fair amount of damages in the room. I then returned this form to the front office as requested. During my stay there, I had a lot of electrical problems going on and the power shut off completely. Because they don't have a help line, we had to make multiple phone calls to different places and eventually talked to the parent company that owns the cottages, and they put us in touch with someone who could talk us through it. My fianc ended up having to fix it himself through the directions the guy was giving him on the phone. After moving out, I recieved a *** for hundreds of dollars of damages THAT I FILLED OUT ON THE ROOM CONDITION FORM. I made several calls to the office about this and got little response. Eventually I was given the email address of a manager and was told to write a letter describing why I shouldn't be charged for the damages. I did, and got no response. I continued to contact the manager and they did not respond. After all of this refusal to work with me, I put it in writing to the manager that if they were going to continue to refuse to work with me, I would assume that they were choosing to not pursue the charges against me and we would leave it at that. THEN, (it gets better) 7 months later I get a call from a collections company threatning my credit and telling me that I have an outstanding *** with the cottages that needs to be paid. THEY REFUSED TO WORK WITH ME AND CONTACT ME BACK, AND THEN JUST THREW IT INTO COLLECTIONS. Months later no less. So then I went back to calling the office and got referred to two emails of the managers there. I made multiple attempts to email them over a couple of days and got no response. I then had to call back a demand to talk to one in person. After speaking with the manager who informed me that he had seen my emails all along and decided not to email back, I learned that I was lied to about the "as-is" form, and how it was not a form just for cleaning the room, but that it could also include damages. I asked why the staff gave me no explanation of this, and his response was simply that "he didnt know". I then asked why I filled out the room condition form since that was supposed to keep me from being liable for any previous damages. The manager didn't have a good answer, but MAGICALLY they lost that sheet and claimed it was not in my file. How is that my fault? I was mislead by the staff and then they lose the one thing that is holding my liability. After going back and forth with him, he refused to let the charges go and instead only offered a 30 percent discount. I asked if he would at least take it out of collections since this is obviously a huge misunderstanding, and he said no, and that I need to pay the money in 30 days or my credit would be affected. End of story. So now I'm paying tons of money, for things I didn't do, so that they don't ruin my credit on me. If you've made it all this way, just know that this place has horrible customer service, misleads their renters, and screws you over in any way possible, even to the point of legal action without you knowing. All of this for subletting for 2 months, I can't even imagine the damage they can do with someone who signs a contract with them for an entire year.

I rented an apartment at Grandmarc Seven Corners in Minneapolis, Minnesota during Aug 2019 to July . Grandmarc Seven Corners apartments are owned and managed by American Campus Communities. After moving out of the unit at Julu 30th, the landlord requested me to pay $750 for carpet replacement in the bedroom and living room. The carpet was old when we moved in and it was in the same condition when we moved out. I requested proof of carpet damage that was beyond normal wear and tear. The landlord provided some blurry pictures that do not indicate the time, date and location of the picture taken. The landlord claimed it was taken on August 10th. However, the $750 request document they send me indicates the document was made on August 7th, which is three days prior to the stated move-out inspection date. The landlord needs to explain why the charge was already placed prior to a mover-out inspection that was aimed to determine the charge. Furthermore, I requested a receipt for the carpet replacement to indicated the total actual cost of the carpet replacement of the entire unit. The landlord initially agreed to provide me with the receipt and told me he will contact the corporate office for it. However, in our recent communications, the landlord now refused to provide it. I also asked for the proof of date of last carpet replacement prior to our move-in, to calculate the depreciation values. The landlord refused to provide it as well. Without providing any proof that the carpet was damaged, the actual cost of carpet replacement, and the current depreciation values of the carpet, the landlord insisted on the $750 charge and threatens to send the bill to collection agencies.

My student and three of his friends visited U Point Apartment complex and were told that if they filled out leases within the next 50 applicants, they could secure a rent of $799. They completed the leases within an hour and awaited parental signatures. However, they encountered problems with roommate assignments and community engagement. Despite repeated calls for assistance, the property management's response was inconsistent and unhelpful. As a parent, my inquiries were met with hang-ups and unreturned calls from both the property and corporate levels. After contacting American Campus in Texas, my calls were screened, and when I did get through, the representative abruptly disconnected. This lack of communication and disrespect is unacceptable, especially for new students seeking straightforward answers and respect. I urge a corporate vice president to address these issues. As a law firm owner with a brother who is a federal attorney, I am prepared to take further action.

My son is a college student and I cover his living expenses at The Vistas. The Vistas management is unresponsive regarding a significant water and sewer billing error. Our bills were around $25/month until a toilet repair in Nov-Dec 2021. After that, the water bill was $121.34 and sewer $99.53. Despite multiple calls and emails, I received no reply. Additionally, an $83.90 late fee was charged. They credited me for that period later. The next bill was $55.74 for water and $45.65 for sewer, during which my son barely used the apartment. The following bill spiked to $131.59 for water and $108.28 for sewer, plus another late fee. Repeated calls this month have been ignored, even after assurances of a callback, and messages left for the General Manager went unanswered. The water and sewer costs exceed those of my three-person household, which is unreasonable for a single occupant. My son's roommate faces similar high charges. I'm attaching the ledger with due amounts and late fees. The lack of communication and response to my calls is unacceptable. There's clearly a plumbing issue that needs resolution, and I should be credited for these excessive bills. What are my options? Can I terminate the lease due in May 2022? Should I involve a lawyer?

I moved into a new place in the Spring of 2021. When my lease ended and I moved out in December, I sat down with their accountant and went through my final account information, where I saw numerous charges that were mistakenly put on my account. The accountant worked with me and removed these mistakes, and I made my final payment. A month later, I get an email demanding me to pay rent for an additional month, even though I had moved out in December and had already gone through my final account payments with their accountant. After going back and forth with the property management, they began to threaten me so I decided to go ahead and pay $1,313.87 to get them off my back. I thought their theft would end there, but a YEAR later, they sent me an email demanding more money regarding "the final billing of my account". They then added that they would give me a 40% discount in the amount of $559.99. I found this email to be very suspicious, and emailed back telling them I settled my account a year ago, and asked for more information regarding this "charge" and what it was for. They NEVER got back to me. So an explanation of this extra charge on top of the prior charge Bogus that I paid to just not deal with them anymore. This place is scamming and robbing students. Recently, I got a call from a debt collector hired by the property management demanding I pay my debt. They already took $1,313.87 for 30 days in January that I was NOT living there. Also, they had told me prior to that I had made my "last" payment with their accountant. A year later they ask for more money with no explanation, and after failing to get back to me, hire a debt collector to come after me. This needs to resolved with the debt collector as well.

My son was attending school in San Francisco and entered into a lease with the Retreat Apartment complex earlier this year with four other students. Since then, he has left school and returned to Huntsville due to a family bereavement. We've attempted to maintain the lease at the Retreat, but it's been problematic. The payment system is unreliable, leading to various issues. Initially, my son couldn't pay rent online, forcing me to send a check, which wasn't credited properly. I had to resolve this with their accounting department. Recently, he was overcharged by $150 for utilities, an exorbitant amount. This month, the portal malfunctioned again, and the suggested fix was impractical and temporary. Negotiating with the company is difficult, and we're seeking to terminate the lease. Despite offering to pay a penalty, they've declined. Even though the manager was cordial, no resolution was offered. The complex markets itself as superior student housing, yet it falls short. Students, in their formative years, deserve understanding when facing upheavals. The company charges at least $674 per student monthly, totaling $3,370 for my son's unit alone. For such fees, one would expect commendable service, but unfortunately, this establishment has a poor reputation.

My daughter is a resident at a private dormitory operated by American Campus Communities, based in Austin. This dormitory is designated for UT Austin students and is marketed as a housing option for them. Recently, UT Austin decided to close the campus for the rest of the Spring semester to mitigate the spread of Covid-19. The university also announced it would pro-rate refunds for students in on-campus housing. However, this particular dormitory, catering exclusively to UT students, is not offering pro-rated refunds for the semester. Despite the campus closure, the dormitory remains open, no longer providing the full range of services and amenities. Dining services have been reduced, housekeeping suspended, and maintenance delayed. With the university it serves closed, the necessity for the dormitory to remain open is questionable. This situation appears to be a profit-driven decision, disregarding the fact that most students will not return to a closed campus after Spring Break. By staying open and not refunding pre-paid leases like UT's on-campus housing, the dormitory may inadvertently encourage students to return, counteracting the university's efforts to prevent gatherings and further spread of the virus.

The Callaway House is charging excessive fees made in bad faith in order to keep student deposit. Fees that fall "under normal wear and tear" violating *** property code. Title 8; Chapter 92; Subchapter A. General Provisions. The burden of proof falls onto the the landlord. Callaway House will not respond to numerous emails and phone calls to provide specific charges. I disagree with the all the charges applied to my student. Couch, Carpet, Door, refrigerator was the itemized list and this was the only description provided on the bill to keep security deposits. They also charged my son additional charges and then tried to charge late fees without further explanation of original charges. Sec. *** (4) "Normal wear and tear" means deterioration that results from During move-in I requested on 3 separate occasions for an inventory move-in sheet to document concerns and note specific damages. The couch was worn down and fake leather was already flaking. On the lease contract- it stated that they would provide an inventory move-in sheet. Not one parent received one during move-in.The Callaway House which belongs to American Campus Communities is a publicly traded company based in Austin, . *** property code states " the landlord has the burden of proving that the retention of any portion of security deposit was reasonable. The biggest scam is landlord did not fix a door which would not remained shut unless locked on the inside of the bedroom. This was report by both roommates with no response from Callaway. This was reported within the first week of move-in. They were given an entire year to fix the door with no response from Callaway to fix the door. The keyless bolting device was not working which cause further damage to the door. Callaway just charged us with door charges that was caused by Callaway's damaged door. door.

Several issues with the maintenance that has been done on our apartment. Most of the work orders that have been completed had fallen apart after maintenance fixed it. Our thermostat has a change filter flashing light on it and we had put in a service request. It says the work order was completed, yet we still have the notification on both thermostats. Between my roommates and I we have put in many service requests for the dishwasher which had been flooding onto the floor every other time or so. Every time a maintenance person would come and it would say the work order has been completed, and then a couple times later it would flood once again. I called multiple times asking for a resolution and they kept sending people to fix it and it never worked. Finally they ordered us a new dishwasher, and installed it 2 days ago. Not to mention that they did not give us notice they would be entering our home before the installation, we came home to 2 men in our apartment without previous knowledge that they would be replacing our dishwasher. They installed it, and left. I went to turn it on, and I heard water *** into the cabinets. Sure enough it was flooding, and I stopped the water. I called immediately and someone from the office came up, took pictures, made excuses of a new maintenance guy, and said he put in a high priority notice and it would get resolved first thing in the morning. Morning passed, so I called the office. They said it was high priority so maintenance should get to it today. The day passed and no one came. I am trying to reach out again but at this point they are not fulfilling their job and failing to follow through on promises and a lack of communication so we are left in the dark, without a working dishwasher. (Note: the picture we have of the water coming from the dishwasher was taken at the beginning of the flooding, much more water would spill out onto the floor)

My daughter signed a lease here in December. Our lease was for a "Unit Type: 2 Bed - 2 Bath Apartment". After reviewing the contract thoroughly, no where does it mention that the unit we signed the lease for would be and ADA unit nor does it say that there is a possibility of randomly getting assigned an ADA unit. Last week my daughter received a voicemail from Callaway that said the unit she would be living in would be an ADA unit with no storage cabinets underneath the sink. I called Callaway to let them know that we were not okay with an ADA unit. I have never been treated worse by a leasing agent in my entire life. I spoke with the ***, ***. He told me that the voicemail my daughter received was just a courtesy call because they don't want parents showing up on moving day and getting frustrated that we didn't tell them earlier. I said to him that when we signed the contract it doesn't say anything about the possibility of randomly getting an ADA unit and he then went on to tell me that they don't tell anyone that because then everyone would say that they don't want an ADA unit. If there is a possibility of randomly getting assigned and ADA unit that should very clearly be stated in the leasing agreement. I then asked *** if we could come see the ADA unit to get measurements and see what type of storage we would need to buy. He went on to tell me that because our lease starts on August 22nd that is the only day we would be able to get inside the unit. We are not asking for the keys to the unit, we are simply asking to see the unit that my daughter will be living in to get measurements. *** also kept mentioning on the phone that the rooms had already been assigned at this point and that there was nothing he could do and that my daughter was stuck with this room. This seemed to be a blatant lie because at this point Callaway has not emailed any of their residents with room assignments.

Hello, I am a former resident of the University Centre (UC) apartments located in ***, ***. UC is managed by American Campus Communities, to the best of my knowledge. My lease with UC ended in July 2022, and I moved out of the apartment without issue or any outstanding balance on my account. However, on September 14, 2022, almost two months after moving out, I received an email from UC stating that I have a remaining balance of $82.50 on my account. Upon checking my account online, I noticed that the charges were all related to cleaning. Examples include cleaning the bathroom, cleaning the toilet, emptying the trash, and emptying the refrigerator/freezer. However, I had cleaned the apartment thoroughly and emptied both the trash and the refrigerator/freezer prior to moving. After contacting *** was redirected to the bookkeeper, who I was told is responsible for billing. After contacting the bookkeeper, she sent me pictures taken of the apartment prior to the cleaning. However, the condition of the facilities in those pictures were very similar to the condition that they had when I first moved into the apartment. I had taken pictures of apartment facilities when I moved in, and those pictures were submitted through my account on the American Campus website, along with the move in form. However, I soon noticed that I no longer had access to my own lease agreement or my move in form on my account. After relaying all of this information to the bookkeeper, I did not hear from her again. All of my subsequent attempts to communicate with the bookkeeper failed as she would not respond to me. Today I received an email from UC stating that I need to make arrangements to pay this overdue amount as soon as possible. I attempted to contact the bookkeeper one last time to discuss this matter, but there was no response yet again. I can only say that I am disappointed with UC for their unprofessional conduct and their attempts to collect an illegitimate debt.

University View I in College Housing. I've attempted to get in contact with the assistant GM about correcting my rental charges to my account from Summer of 2021. Unfortunately, I have not heard back from her or the office after providing numerous documents showing my rent was paid from the Summer. I forwarded my fee statement directly from the University's Billing Services to provide her with proof. My account was charged $780 from University View. At the bottom of the fee statement there is an account balance of $0. In the statement, there was a transfer of $150 to housing and the remaining balance of $630 that was paid to housing. $630 + $150 = $780 and I have attempted to explain to the assistant GM that these charges were paid directly to housing, however, she refuses to acknowledge or respond to my recent emails. Prior to the emails sent to her, I spoke directly with the office that sent out the statements and they CONFIRMED the $630 was paid to housing from summer 2021. Next, I spoke to treasury services and the office suggested I email the assistant GM my fee statement because it clearly shows my rent was included in my charges. Therefore, the balance from rent should be zero and reflected in her records. After I did this, she has not responded to any of my emails. The office is completely unprofessional and incompetent of accounting for money paid to them. This is the third time that their office has lost money that I paid and it is now becoming a pattern that needs to be corrected. She claimed I never paid my $150 security deposit which resulted in me going back 4 YEARS to show her the money was paid. We cannot even get a lease without PAYING the deposit! Then she said due to my rent being "unpaid" they used my security deposit to pay the balance. My argument stands that the security deposit should have NEVER been used due to my rent ALREADY being paid. They must honor ALL payments made by the government. This is a crime and I demand a response.

This complaint is in regards to the property U Club on 28th in Boulder, Colorado. At the time of the tour, application, and lease signing, I was under the impression that I would be able to live with my boyfriend, so long as we requested each other on our application. We were never informed of the co-ed policy until TWO WEEKS before official assignments were to go out. Mind you, this was in November, before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, and essentially forced many students to return home for their own safety. As soon as I received the news that I would no longer be able to live with my boyfriend, I requested that my lease be voided, since I was misled on the terms of the lease at the time of signing. (This is a top priority since I am immunocompromised and being assigned with three complete strangers increases my chances of potentially becoming ill.) Not to mention, it is also a case of detrimental reliance, because I was only presented with the co-ed policy AFTER I had asked to be released from the lease and it was not mentioned anywhere on the agreement. Since then, I have received generic and unhelpful responses from the staff and general managers, including that my lease had not even been approved by the manager (which would give me just cause to withdraw my application and cancel my lease); however, I was told that I was still liable for rent and all other fees due to the binding contract. That is directly in conflict with what I was told IN WRITING about my lease not being approved by the general manager, and therefore, not being valid. I am so disappointed with the service I have received and the lack of understanding offered in the midst of extremely troubling and unprecedented times. Upon reviewing the lease, it is clear that the company does not serve college students' needs and provides them with an easy experience, but rather, is predatory and finds the perfect victims in inexperienced young adults who are not well-versed in legalese. The company would rather drain students of their savings and even put them in debt, ruin their credit histories, etc. over empathizing with the current state of the world and the financial strain the pandemic is causing so many students. It is incredibly despicable that, as an unemployed college student who will have a tremendously difficult time gaining employment due to my immunocompromised status, am being forced to pay rent for a unit I am not even residing in, (I currently live in California) even without the signature or help of a guarantor. There is zero understanding for my financial situation and it will have lasting impacts on my future residential endeavors, all because the staff is so horribly incompetent and communicates false and polarizing information and at THE VERY LAST MINUTE. American Campus Communities is everything wrong with business and should be ashamed of themselves. They should consider marketing themselves truthfully: as a greedy, money-making, inhumane entity with no regard for the college students it so eagerly exploits.

To whom it may concern, My daughter, who was attending college at UTSA, needed to find a new apartment for the upcoming [protected] school year, so I asked her to find a new location and to start an application to secure an apartment for her to stay. She found The Outpost who happens to be close to her old apartment and filled an application to start the process. At about January time frame The Outpost started to send lease agreement documents which I ignored due to changes on plans to keep her in San Antonio due to COVID-19 events and that started to evolve that later became my deciding factor not to keep her away and bring her back home where she would be safe and close to family. Well somehow The Outpost staff made her sign a contract stating that it needed to be done since it was part of the process for their documentation. This was done in an electronic form and without consent or knowledge of legal terms my daughter sign the document without thinking that she had just signed a contract with The Outpost regardless if her Guarantor (who happens to be me her father) signs to make the contract valid and that regardless of her income status would be made liable for the full years rent if her rent was not paid month to month. I, with the help of my son who works in the student housing business as well, spoke with their front office, tirelessly trying to get in contact with their management regarding the situation and they, time and time again would tell my son that their manager would call him back, which never happened. They told my son that they validate leases with no proof of income and without the signature of a qualified guarantor all the time. My son told them that this was unethical due to how there MUST be a qualified proof of income, whether it be paystubs, financial aid, or a guarantor, to be able to validate a lease to be executed in the first place. The female leasing consultant who spoke to him repeated to him that they do those things all the time and that if they are over 21 years of age those things are okay. My daughter is 19 years old and is not consenting or is wanting to live at The Outpost in San Antonio at the moment because the risk of COVID-19 made her decide to withdraw from UTSA and move back home. For them to nonchalantly speak about unethically accepting leases like that, with no proof of income, is a huge liability on the company and is downright ridiculous. To be frank, the lease contract is not completely signed and cannot be countersigned by a manager until the FULL lease is completed, and I NEVER signed the guarantor portion, therefore disqualifying the lease contract from being complete and valid. My daughter is a full-time college student now at UTRGV and she does not hold a job or has any other form of income and is fully supported by her parents. How is this possible that a business like The Outpost lures young people and tricks them into signing a contract regardless of their parents consent or support like my daughter and be held responsible to pay or be a valid contract without any proof of source of income? If this "contract" is not honored it will be placed in collections ruining her credit for life. This is not a good way to start a young person's life and certainly is not fair that a business is allowed to practice this kind of scam and get away with it. I would appreciate any assistance that this institution can provide to aid us and other parents that may be in the same situation to solve this scam issue. Thank you in advance. (copy of the contract provided upon request)