The Phoenix Apartments 75 West Palmer Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202

"Love the location, the community is really welcoming. Management company is very responsive and kind. Spencer and Dan are accommodating and responsive."

"DO NOT MOVE HERE! There, I've got your attention. I've been in here for about seven months now, and, like the other reviewers, I can attest to a host of problems with this place. I should have known them asking for $625/month on a 400 sq. ft. studio should have been my first warning. I should have known by them taking me in to see the unit before the previous tenant had even moved out that privacy rights weren't going to be respected, no matter how illegal that was. I should have noticed by Ken, the sales guy, coming across as utterly slimy even to someone as socially oblivious as myself, should have been another warning. But nope, I plodded ahead with it anyway. And now, here I sit, in a unit that's drafty, with a leaky ceiling I keep asking to get fixed but is getting ignored, in a tiny unit I pay way too much for that doesn't even have a dishwasher or microwave, with a floor that's almost rotting away underneath me, a boiler beneath me that sounds like it's about to explode every hour or so, and exactly zero parking to be had anywhere nearby. The maintenance guy, when he can be bothered to actually do his job, is openly belligerent to tenants. Another resident was locked out of her unit and called him for assistance, only to have him yell at her for interrupting his lunch and demanding she not call him again. Naturally our complaints to the management have been ignored. Pretty much the only nice part is the vague community that's formed here out of shared adversity with the building and the management. I've never actually had any kind of relationship with fellow tenants anywhere else I've lived before, and though it sucks this is what brings us together, I at least know they're decent people. Even so, that's definitely not enough to outweigh the many other issues this place has. Avoid at all costs. Go around the corner to Cass and Ferry where the rent is much lower and the buildings are actually maintained."

"Parking is a nightmare. They let apartment brokers try to price gouge you on a studio apartment. If a building is managed by Preservation Management in Midtown save yourself a headache and possibly becoming a victim of identity theft by staying as far away from them as humanly possible."

"I rent one of the front apartments. I was excited to have a balcony and a bedroom separate from the rest of the apartment. I love hardwood floors and the location is great since I work and study at Wayne State. However, the $650 I was paying was excessive and the landlord had the audacity to knock that up to $700/month as of August 2015. I can second most of what the other reviewer said. The landlord is a shyster. He'll ask you what you think of other apartments you've seen and be jovial, but as soon as that lease is signed, he's absentee. I guarantee he would never live in one of his own apartments. There's rust in my sink, a crack in the corner of one of my windows, the heat in winter is (as the other poster said) a furnace or non-existent throughout the winter, my door has a gap so I can hear everybody coming up and down the hallway, and none of that was fixed despite putting maintenance requests in. There's no parking to speak of, most of the restaurants and stores in the area are closed by evening, and the tattoo shop is quite loud, especially if you live at the front of the building. It isn't the worst place I've lived, but it absolutely isn't worth what the landlord is charging for it."

"The apartment was built circa 1912, so if you like old sinks with two taps, clawfoot bathtubs, cast iron radiators, wood floors, and old windows, you'll understand that all of those things, while lovely, come with issues. When the heat is working, it's roaring; when it isn't, your apartment won't be much above the temperature outside. Last year the heat was out for about two weeks in the beginning of winter. They recently got a new maintenance guy; he lives at their other apartment building at Willis and Woodward. My understanding is that they had a difficult time finding someone because the offer was a "garden level" (that means basement) apartment, but you have to pay a reduced rent and take care of both buildings... the only reason they found someone is because the gentleman is a retiree, so it's something for him to do. That being said, if you aren't very sensitive or demanding of quality, this might be the place for you. The studio apartments are small, maybe only 350sqft. With Mr Ken Davies (the proprietor who acts and talks like a shady used car salesman) asking $525 for a studio, that works out to be about $1.5 per square foot. Not a good price for the lack of quality, mediocre maintenance, absent professionalism, lack of parking... ...did I mention parking isn't a thing? Most tenants fight for the few spots on the street, but the tattoo parlor, students, restaurants, and bars are all trying to park as well. Most people park several blocks away (Cass Ave. is all meter parking, strictly enforced Monday through Saturday, 7am-10pm, you WILL get a $45 ticket, it WILL happen). If you don't have a car, there are a few bus lines very close by, so this might be ideal. The walls are thin, so be prepared to listen to someone else's music. Again, if you are of particular sensibilities, this may be a pain. If you're a young college student, you're probably the one making the noise. Most tenants don't care. The kind gents at the tattoo parlor make a bunch of noise at all hours, but they're pretty nice; the yelling and loud music never bothers me. The floors and poor insulation make even the lightest on their feet sound like an elephant to the neighbors (that can't be avoided). The tenants mostly keep to themselves, but aren't rude or dodgy. Mostly university students. It makes this place a bit of a revolving door, but that's the whole neighborhood: people move in and out with the semesters. There's a small yard in back. It isn't well maintained, but you can potentially barbecue. If, of course, someone isn't letting their dog relieve themselves. Some folks aren't exactly responsible dog owners. (Update! They recently added a butt-can and garbage bin! A real upgrade for this place!) The front isn't much to talk about. The iron waist-high gate just traps trash, but you can lock a bike there! Wayne State Police HQ is just down the street, and with their regular patrols, the place is pretty safe. The doors are a bit thin and the front door security is spotty, but I don't know of anyone that has had problems. The apartment building on the other side of the tattoo parlor is seedy and every once in a while someone has to call the cops on a knife-wielding drug-addict, but other than that, it's mostly filled with people begging to get their next fix (not a huge problem). Only problem I've noticed recently is that people try to steal bikes from the front (it isn't lit). I had to get a new lock after an attempt (the cut the metal cable three-quarters of the way through). I think someone at the tattoo parlor scared the thief off by walking out for a cigarette (being at they're there at all hours of the night has its perks)."