The Point at Ames, ames-ia

do NOT sign a lease at The Point At Ames unless you want to be scammed. The amount of shady behavior that goes on at this establishment is so unbelievably questionable that I’m not sure how they are still in business. The rules that they bend to get you to pay the most unnecessary fees is beyond me. And reading the reviews, I’m glad that I don’t feel crazy for feeling this way, because most people seem to have experienced the same thing that I have. My roommate and I spent two entire days cleaning our apartment before we moved out, leaving it spotless. We even went out of our way to get paint that THEY RECOMMENDED for us to use in order to touch up any spots on the walls, only to be surprised with fees for paint! I mean is that not insane? Getting charged for helping them with the paint that THEY recommended? Just one of the many ways that The Point gets away with charging unnecessary fees so that they can get more money. And don’t get me started on the mattress. Below I have linked photos of the mattress that I TOOK the DAY I moved out. Perfectly fine, right? Only to be later charged for an ENTIRE MATTRESS replacement… like what? A perfectly good mattress with a tiny stain? Did they even try to remove it? No, they somehow said that they needed an entire replacement… I’ll let you guys be the judge, but in my humble option that’s a perfectly good mattress that does NOT need replaced. And the worst part of all… I tried to sublease my apartment for the summer last summer because I went back home. I kept finding people to take my lease, only for The Point to steal my subleaser and put them in an empty apartment (so they can get more money obviously). So when I finally found somebody that I was able to actually go through with my sublease, they went BEHIND MY BACK to put THAT person in an empty apartment WITHOUT TELLING ME! Thank God one of my friends worked in the office at the time, and told me that they’re scamming me behind my back. I had gone through the paperwork and everything, and at the time I believed I was set up with my sublease, only to be suprised that they went behind my back and removed my sublease. I got charged $520 that ultimately I had to pay because it was a loosing battle. And honestly, they’re so good at what they do, that they have every loophole figured out in order to back you into a corner and scam you. The best idea if you’re looking for a place in Ames, is to avoid this place completely, because as soon as you sign anything, you’re officially roped into being taken advantage of. Again, not sure how this place is still in business. Because if I got charged this much for leaving the place spotless, I can’t imagine what other people were charged. But I also think they charged me a lot because they were mad that I figured out how to get my sublease to work and their tactic of trying to scam me the first time didn’t work. Because it’s money first, customer second with The Point

Decent place to live, until it comes to move out. The lease has verbiage stating you can request and be granted a walk-through inspection before move-out, yet the management refuses that. I was told that because they use the same lease across properties, that they will REFUSE any and all requests for walk-throughs because there are "too many" people moving out at once. I went back and forth with them numerous times, and they refused to walk through with me to show me what they'd be charging for. This is their tactic to scam you. My roommate and I spent two days, with professional cleaning people, to make the place spotless. I went out of my way to buy Sherwin Williams paint (The exact one they recommended) to paint the little thumbtack holes in the wall. Of course, even though they told us to fix those holes in the wall, we got charged for painting the walls! We also got charged for a stain on our couch that you can't even see, after professionally steam cleaning their cheap couch that has been used for over 5 years by numerous tenants. ALSO, the best part- they'll charge you to fix/clean furniture, and then NEVER replace it or clean it. I had lived here for 3 years, and had roommates getting charged for repairs and replacement's, yet I came back each year and nothing was ever fixed or replaced! If you decide to live here, PLEASE take photos and videos of every single thing when you move-in, that is your only way to potentially avoid getting scammed!

Our unit had major electrical issues. Using the microwave for any more than 45 seconds would set off the smoke detectors or trip the breaker. No solution was ever found for that besides removing the smoke detector per maintenance’s suggestion. Public amenities had poor upkeep. Stuff like gym machines, common area TVs, the grill, pool, and the gates to the parking lot never worked. I occupied this premises for two years, and the gates worked fewer days than the fingers on my hands. By far the biggest issue I had was dealing with the property manager. I experienced a lockout coming back to school because the property deactivates everyone’s keys between rental periods, even if you renew and live there over the summer (gee, wonder why). I called after-hours maintenance, and they were over quickly, which was great. However, nobody told me it would cost $80 to have my bedroom door opened. Not on the call, and this was NOT MENTIONED IN THE LEASE. I read it over several times and brought it to the staff, who had two people read it and confirm it was not in the lease. I asked to speak to the property manager, whose response was, “What are you going to do, sue us?” Last but not least, move-out. I’ve heard in the past things were dicey, and they are. Every single person I know was charged for an entire couch, myself included. $650. Many others, like my roommate, were charged for a whole wall repaint. $200-something dollars. EDIT as of writing this a month later I've since met the new tenants occupying our old unit. The couch was never replaced. TOTAL SCAM! Hope this info helps future renters out! - If the property would like to reach out to me with any questions you have my information. Thanks.

Believe the one-star reviews. Unfortunately, our experience reflected many of the same concerns others have shared. ——— UPDATE: The owner’s response below suggests they cannot verify that I have a connection to this property. To clarify, my daughter was a resident at The Point at Ames, and I was directly involved in addressing the concerns that led to this review. The property has my contact information and has communicated with me regarding these issues. I am absolutely reviewing the correct property and stand behind my original review.

DO NOT RENT FROM HERE! Our experience with The Point at Ames has been terrible, especially when it came to moving out. We were hit with a bunch of questionable and excessive move-out charges, and even after sending them pictures and repeatedly asking for proof or documentation of the charges, they refused to actually resolve anything. It honestly feels like they care more about getting as much money as possible out of residents than treating people fairly. The whole move-out process felt extremely shady and scam-like to us. If you are thinking about living here, DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. Take pictures and videos of every inch of the apartment when you move in and when you move out. Keep every email and piece of communication because you may need it later. We would never rent from The Point at Ames again and would strongly recommend thinking twice before signing a lease here.