SoCam 290 Apartments, new-brunswick-nj

I had a great experience living at SoCam. The facilities were well-maintained, and I appreciated having dedicated study spaces. I also had the chance to meet some wonderful neighbors. The maintenance team was always quick to respond whenever I needed assistance. The only downside was that the elevators broke down quite frequently. Other than that, I really enjoyed my time living here.

Saw on Instagram they asked residents to leave a review, so here’s my honest review of SoCam 290 or, as I’ve come to call it, SoScam 290. This place is way too expensive for the quality of the apartments and the overall living experience. The trash rooms are frequently overflowing, which can cause the hallways to smell. The elevators went out multiple times last year and sometimes took a long time to be repaired. They also went out during the summer and were not serviced until close to the beginning of the regular school year. I’ve also seen paint peeling and falling from ceilings in some apartments. Regardless of what type of paint it is, residents should not have to deal with pieces of their ceiling deteriorating inside an apartment they are paying this much money for. I’ve also had concerns about the area immediately outside the building at night because I have repeatedly seen people loitering around the property. Prospective residents should personally visit the area at different times of day and decide whether they are comfortable with it. What really gets me is SoCam marketing itself as affordable student living. Based on what I pay and the quality of the experience I’ve received, I do not consider it affordable. Students should compare SoCam’s total cost with other housing options in the area before signing anything. I’m also writing this after seeing SoCam’s Instagram post showcasing positive reviews under the statement that residents “LOVE LIVING HERE!” Several of the reviews they chose to showcase primarily praise the staff for being friendly or helpful. There is nothing wrong with complimenting helpful student employees, but that is not the same thing as reviewing the overall quality of living here. I strongly recommend that prospective residents actually read the substance of both the positive and negative reviews rather than relying on the star rating or the reviews selected for social media. Overall, I personally would not choose SoScam again. If you are considering living here, research your other options, tour the property carefully, read reviews in full, and most importantly read the entire lease very carefully and understand what you are agreeing to before signing it.

I would not recommend this property to students or families. The new management team, Parkmade, has been difficult to deal with, and I have experienced repeated overcharging and very poor communication when trying to get answers. The Rutgers Socam property also has serious safety concerns. There have been homeless individuals and drug-related activity near the entrance, and trash, paraphernalia, and other messes have repeatedly been left outside the building. I have reported these issues multiple times, sent photos, and asked for help, but management refuses to take action and instead has told me to call the police. In addition, the garbage trash chutes are full and the garbage itself is full with smelly trash, the wifi is slow and goes off without notice, what is unacceptable for college students. Once again, management does not seem to care. I am especially concerned because of the inappropriate comments from people outside the building, directed at my son and his girlfriend. She now refuses to come to his building. The situation outside is unsafe for young adults and I predict if the problem is not addressed a student is going to got assaulted or robbed. Please protect your students, especially your daughters and stay away!!

This place is a safety and security risk, and genuinely a joke if you're looking for student living. The area immediately outside the building frequently has people loitering around at night, including people who appear to be using drugs or experiencing homelessness. This has made me feel unsafe coming back to the building at night. Based on my experience with the area, I would especially recommend that women consider the surroundings and visit at night before deciding to live here. The building itself is consistently dirty. The lobby floors are frequently sticky, the hallways often smell bad, and the trash rooms are regularly overflowing with garbage and smell terrible. The laundry room also smells, I've seen washing machines leak significant amounts of water onto the floor, and many of the dryers have not worked when I've tried to use them. Then there are the elevators. In my experience, they have gone out of service repeatedly, and repairs can take a long time. There is also the wifi and how incredibly slow it is, which can make it difficult at times to get work done. There are also additional fees beyond the advertised rent and utilities. Read the lease very carefully before signing. I discovered a roughly $10 monthly charge for a service I did not personally want and felt the opt-out process was not made sufficiently obvious. And before I signed the lease, while going over it with their leasing agent, they didn't mention or speak of this charge. For a property that is already expensive, charges like this are frustrating. My experiences with the leasing office have also been poor. When I've needed help with issues, I've often found that staff either couldn't answer my questions or couldn't resolve the problem. Considering this place charges you thousands of dollars and is incredibly overpriced, the quality of service is very underwhelming. Another issue is the roommate assignment process. They have tenants fill out a roommate compatibility form asking about living habits and preferences, but in my experience, those preferences do not seem to carry much weight when roommates are actually assigned. It feels like filling vacancies takes priority over whether the people being placed together are actually compatible. If you're going to have tenants complete a compatibility form, I think those answers should genuinely factor into roommate assignments rather than making tenants feel like their comfort is secondary to filling rooms. Overall, I highly do not recommend this place. Do your research and look at other options before even considering living here, especially if you're a student. In my opinion, on campus housing is a much better option. Also, be very careful when reading the good reviews about this place a lot of them seem to be more about the staff being friendly or the location being conveniently near Rutgers, which is a half truth its near Cook and College Ave, but it's not anywhere near Livingston or Busch, than it is about what the place is actually like. This place can cost about as much, maybe more, while providing a significantly lower-quality living experience.

This apartment is insanely comfortable, the location is convenient, and the property has been a nice place to call home, which for me is very hard to find. I appreciate the staff whom I’d like to make mention to (Nara) who has been an integral part of my stay. I would beyond a doubt recommend it to anyone looking for a place to live in the area.