The Helmsman

"Definitely an improvement happening here at The Helmsman. The new staff they have brought in (David and Bailey) by Carolina (who is the best!) are truly so kind and caring. Also the maintenance team do wonderful and have come to my issues as soon as possible. Happy to see it getting better!"

"I am new to the building as of Jan 5th, Carolina & the guards have been nothing short of friendly, helpful and very welcoming. Any questions or issues I have had so far have been answered or taken care of right away. I’ve lived in many different places here in Savannah and so far this has been a wonderful experience, in a great location with a bunch of cool features none of my old places had. The 24/hr access to the sauna and massage chairs is a huge plus that nobody seems to utilize. The building overall is kept very nice. I have heard the stories of how move in went, and I feel like it’s to be expected. A new place is going to have several hiccups— but from my experience so far I am thankful to live here and I feel like the Helmsman is definitely trying to make things right with everyone. My only real complaints would be that there aren’t enough parking spots in the garage for everyone & the pool is not heated & the electrical outlets could be in better spots - none of which are a dealbreaker for me"

"10/16/23 update: I was trying to be patient and give management time to make things right, but everything is getting worse. My daughter has no hot water for showers. She has had maintenance come twice and both times they “fixed” it but still no hot water. This is a basic necessity and unacceptable. In addition, false fire alarms going off in the middle of the night, no 24-hour maintenance as promised, kids getting stuck in elevators with no working emergency phone, and no return phone calls nor emails from office staff. At this point I am seriously ready to get on a plane from California just to find someone to talk to. Very disappointing experience. ————— Our daughter is a transfer student and is very stressed due to the two delays and now being put up in a hotel. I emailed several times before the second delay and was told everyone was optimistic for a move in on 9/9. Husband and I had to extend our stay for a week and spent much money on flight changes, etc. We are from California and can’t keep flying back and forth. We just want straightforward answers and not get the runaround."

"Upon my move in I discovered my room does not have any windows. When signing the lease I originally wanted a balcony and was told that the balcony rooms were all full, so I opted with the next best option. They told me the only difference between these two floor plans was the balcony. Come to find out my roommate and I both don’t have windows. Which comes as a major safety and fire concern considering the state of georgia requires a room to have a window to even be considered a room. My roommates shower also has broken tiles, our window is broken and doesn’t open, there are yellow stains in my shower that won’t come off, there is graffiti on our walls from the workers as well and none of these issues have been fixed or addressed. I have sent two emails about the lack of transparency when signing my lease and I filed a maintenance request but nothing has been done. The helmsman has the audacity to send me an email asking me to renew my lease next year but I assure you that will not be happening. The elevators are constantly breaking, the door handles to the building have fallen off, the building is also next to a homeless shelter where the cops have been called multiple times. The fire alarm has been going off for no reason and when I asked the security guard he told me this place shouldn’t even be open. Good luck finding people to lease next year the word is out: The helmsman doesn’t uphold lease agreements and lacks transparency."

"As the guy who helped my girlfriend move into this place, let me tell you, it's been one giant letdown and feels like we've been scammed big time. First of all, the floor plan they showed us? Total bull. The rooms are way tinier than they looked in those fancy pictures they flashed before we signed the lease. It's like they think we won't notice or something. And that promised gift card they dangled in front of us three weeks ago? Nope, still hasn't shown up. It's almost comical how they can't keep their word. Oh, and don't get me started on the appliances – they've been busted since day one, and no one seems to care. It's like they expect us to live in a DIY disaster zone. As for the move-in, they pulled that off like a heist – delaying it not once, but twice, and telling us about it the night before. It's as if they're playing some twisted game with our lives. Getting in touch with these people is like trying to chat with a brick wall. Emails, phone calls – you name it, they don't respond. It's like they're hiding from us. Moving in here? More like moving into chaos central. The whole process was a train wreck, and we were left to fend for ourselves. And as if things couldn't get worse, a fire broke out in the sauna. Seriously, who lets that happen? Safety clearly isn't their strong suit. And to top it all off, the first and second floors got flooded. It's like they're trying to turn this place into a watery grave. This place is a scam, plain and simple. If you've got any other options, take them. This one-star review is a warning to anyone thinking of moving in here – don't do it. It's a rip-off, a circus of broken promises, and a masterclass in terrible management."