The Yard

I understand housing options are limited in Ann Arbor, and the appeal of an apartment complex runs high, but whatever you do – please please please avoid the Yard. As a current resident, let me break down what you can expect:

Nickel and Dimed for EVERYTHING:
o Your lease starts 27 August, but you will pay for the full month of August.
o Rent Payment? Well get ready for additional fees! All payment options come with more fees (beware!)
o Absolutely no mercy on any sort of late payment or “incidentals” – if they don’t like the way you look at them, you can expect an “incidental”
Filthy and not Maintained:
o A cleaning crew keeps the lobby tidy, but nothing else. Once you get past the lobby, there are nasty stains, beer cans, and footprints on elevator doors.
o Maintenance? Good luck trying to get their attention on any sort of work order.
o Your unit is NOT cleaned before moving in. The front desk staff is called to vacuum and windex the bathroom mirror but nothing more.
o You want to use the gym? Well not a single piece of equipment is maintained or attended to. The smith machine barely functions, the cable machine is not in sync, half the treadmills are down.
Parking?
o Sure – extra $200 bucks a month but if you leave your spot and someone else sneaks in…do not expect the Yard to help you. My parking spot was taken for a full week, they will threaten to tow but it is all a bluff.
Resign your Lease?
o I hope you like a nice rent hike – not a modest one, at least $75 each year and that’s if you sign when they start harassing you, which will be within 30 days of you moving in.

In summary, please use your or your parents hard earned dollars somewhere else.

I'm a big fan of the building, the gym, the management, etc. It definitely feels like I'm probably overpaying, but maybe not - there aren't many nice, large buildings with studios for much cheaper.

The Yard is a great place to live with roommates - the walls aren't too thin so you can have some time to yourself without worrying about it too loud. Most rooms also have their own bathrooms which is a nice plus. Probably the worst thing about the Yard is that the train is right next to the apartment and is extremely loud in the middle of the night. Normally I can sleep through it, but some days it really startles you.

Pros: close to campus, furnished, safe, apartments on top floor get lots of light, studios available
Cons: Management has gotten better this year but was terrible last year, cost

I like my experience at the yard. All furniture is included and it comes with a TV as well. I do not like the thin walls and it is near train tracks (but this is not always an issue). I definitely do like it more so I have already resigned my lease for next year.

Management office is very undertrained with high turnover, so if you need help with administration issues, etc. expect to feel frustrated. Additionally, the walls are very thin and you can hear everything. Inexplicably, all of the bedroom doors have a 2-3 in gap that exacerbates the noise issue.

However, the plus's outweigh the cons in my opinion:
- Proximity to other MBAs and their housing options (e.g. Hill St., 618, etc.)
- pre-furnished with furniture that's pretty sturdy and easy to clean
- you can get your own attached bathrooms
- dishwasher and in-unit W/D
- nice, big common space that you can use to organize larger social gatherings
- mgmt is bad, but the maintenance team is SO FAST and responsive

Furnished & easy to get everywhere
Building is managed super badly but it’s new and has everything you need

There's often a lot of complaining about various issues but generally the employees are good about fixing issues. Also location is second to none and that's probably the most important aspect in your MBA1 year.

I think the Yard is a great place to live for MBA students. I know not everyone shares the same opinion as me but it's a 15 min walk from Ross, the units are spacious, everyone has their own bathroom, there's plenty of amenities (gym, pool, business center, lounge area).

The things that I don't like are the proximity to the train (you can hear it pretty loudly sometimes but after a while you get used to it), the lack of windows to allow natural lighting (we have 1 window in the main room but it's kinda small), and the management isn't great at addressing issues. But to be honest I haven't had to ask them for much in the 2 years I've lived here.

Very Expensive