1410 Neil Ave

I've loved living in this apartment, so much so that I have lived here for all four years of medical school! The location is very convenient as it is a quick 7-10 minute walk from campus/the hospital. I have had to walk there at all hours of the day during my clinical rotations, and I generally feel safe doing the walk alone in the dark as a female. In addition to campus, it is also very close to The Bottle Shop, Staufs, two restaurants, and within easy walking distance of Kroger, Short North, and a Columbus Metropolitan Library branch. There is also a COTA bus stop right outside the building, so the location provides easy access to public transportation if someone does not have a car. There are also bikes/scooters available to rent outside the building along Neil Ave, and at one point, there was a Zipcar parked outside the building as well (not sure if that is still there or not). Whether you walk, drive, or take public transportation, the location of this apartment is very convenient for getting around the city.

The surrounding neighborhood is made up of a combination of grad/professional students, young professionals, and some families, and it is typically pretty quiet. There is some traffic noise as the apartment is on two major roads, but I acclimated to this quickly upon moving in. I will occasionally hear music from nearby buildings, but this is a rare occurrence. I do hear footsteps and muffled conversation from the apartment above mine, but again, it is pretty quiet and has not been bothersome.

Rent is reasonable for what you get, and has only increased ~$45 per year during my time living here. There is a small parking lot outside the building and each apartment is eligible for one spot in this lot. You are also eligible for a street parking permit in the SNE zone, as well as an SNE guest parking permit. My roommate has the permit in the lot, and I park on the street. I typically have no issue finding a spot on the street within one block of the apartment, no matter the time of day. It is also wonderful to have a guest parking permit as it allows my friends to come over and hang out without parking being a concern and without having to pay to park. The apartment building does not have any amenities, which is one drawback of the location. However, it is just a short walk to one of the gyms on campus (JO South), so I have not minded the lack of amenities.

I have not had many maintenance concerns while living here, but when I have put in maintenance requests, they are always very responsive and address the concern in a timely manner. All the requests I have placed have been for minor complaints and I have never had any large, emergent issues.

My biggest complaints about the apartment are as follows:
1. There is not a lot of natural light. There are medium-sized windows in the living room and in each bedroom, but there is definitely less natural light compared to other apartments/houses in the area.
2. There isn't really any outdoor space. There is a yard surrounding the building, but as it is a public space and alongside two major roads, it is not really somewhere that I would hang out. I very much enjoy spending time outside and really wish that this apartment had a patio or balcony of some sort.
3. There is limited storage space. Each bedroom has one relatively small closet, and there is one other small coat closet in the apartment. It would be great to have a bit more storage space, or somewhere to store something like a bike. There are no bike racks or anything like that to store bikes outside, and the apartment is a bit too small to store a bike indoors somewhere.

Overall, this has been a very convenient, cost-effective place to live during medical school. I would definitely recommend it to other medical students who are looking to have a roommate and live close to campus.

I have had a great experience living here! I am an M3 and moved in shortly before my M1 year. I plan to stay here for all 4 years of medical school. The price is right and the location is super convenient – it takes me 7-10 minutes to walk to campus and the hospital. It is also within easy walking distance of The Bottle Shop, Stauf's, Vic Village Tavern, and the Short North. It is a relatively small apartment but adequate space for two people – I rarely feel stifled or like we are tripping over each other. We have had very few issues requiring maintenance in our 2+ years here, and maintenance has been very quick to respond when we have needed their help. They have even performed some tasks that I thought they might tell us to fix ourselves such as unclogging a drain. Parking is relatively convenient as well. There is a parking lot right outside the building, and each unit gets one parking space in the lot. Each unit is also eligible for one street permit through the city (SNE zone), and this comes with a guest permit as well. This means that one person has to park on the street, but it is usually easy to find a spot near the building unless there is a special event going on. It is also very nice having the guest permit as that means that friends don't have to pay for parking if they drive to you. Alternatively, you could also sell the guest permit and make some money off of it. There is an additional fee of $25/month to park in the lot, and the street parking permit costs $25/year.

In my opinion, one of the biggest cons about this apartment is that there is no outdoor area. The apartment does not have a patio/balcony and there are no common areas other than the lawn surrounding the building. As someone who loves being outside whenever the weather is nice enough, it is the one thing I wish I could change about my living situation. Another con about this apartment is that it doesn't have a ton of storage. There is one small coat closet in the living room and that's all. One bedroom has a larger closet than the other, but neither are particularly large. If you have a lot of stuff, this is probably not the best place to live. The apartment is 2 bedroom 1 bathroom, so if you live here with a roommate you will be sharing the bathroom. This isn't necessarily a con, but something to keep in mind. Lastly, I live on the second floor and the stairs are quite steep. If you have mobility problems or difficulty with stairs, this might not be the best place to live unless you can be guaranteed a ground floor apartment. Other things to keep in mind are that no utilities are included in rent, so you will also have to pay for electricity, water, gas, and internet. There are no amenities included in rent, but as I am so close to campus and all of the amenities that it has to offer, I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything by not having amenities at my apartment.

A cute, well-managed, and affordable pet-friendly apartment.