Shade at Desert Ridge Apartments 21150 North Tatum Boulevard, Phoenix, AZ 85050

"I have enjoyed living at Shade, and I like my upgraded apartment. I haven’t experienced most of the problems listed in negative reviews here. Of course, no place is perfect though. Yes, there is dog poop all over the place. I don’t think this is exclusive to Shade, it seems to be a trend in apartment living in general. Some people are just jerks. The “upgrades” are apartment upgrades and nothing too fancy. Painted cabinets, vinyl flooring, faux marble counters, new carpet, stainless appliances. They put my microwave right in front of a usable drawer in the kitchen, so whenever I want to open the drawer I first have to open the microwave door. Not a huge deal but it is annoying and maybe should’ve been thought through in the planning process. My one-bedroom unit has a large spacious bathroom with a laundry closet. I always brag about the size of the bathroom for some reason. Walk in closet is big enough to lay on the floor and cry and also has built in shelving. Maintenance is fantastic. I don’t think I’ve ever waited more than three days for them to come, and to be honest a lot of times it was 1-2 days. Things I’ve called them for: pest control (wasp nest on balcony), leaking A/C (the ended up replacing the entire unit on the building after a few bandaid fixes that didn’t work. No really, I watched the crane load it up there one day), freezer over-freezing (this actually still happens and leaves frost all over my food but I deal with it), bathroom light replacements. I have never had issues with roaches or termites in my year here. Yea valet trash is a joke. Also not exclusive to this property though. Most apartments now charge for valet and idk what partnership they have with Big Trash but it is the dumbest thing we are *forced* to pay for. I can see it being an *option* for older folks or those that might not be capable of carrying trash to the dumpster but for most of us it’s a waste of $33. That said, since I pay for it, I use it. Fortunately my car has never been broken into or hit by anyone else, but I did have to leave *several* notes on my neighbor’s car because they can’t seem to park within the lines and many times I couldn’t even get into my space because they were so far over. That’s not Shade’s fault, just the inconsideration of others. There is a $30 monthly technology fee which I guess is just for Dwelo? That’s all I ever used. The app can let you in any gate, the gym, and your front door without a key. It also is supposed to let you control your A/C remotely but I’ve never gotten that feature to work. The gym is meh. Nothing special but gets the job done. I only went a few times but it was never busy. The pools are nice but the main pool by the office goes off in the summer. People BLARE their music so loud you can hear it buildings over. Glad my unit wasn’t any closer cause that would’ve set me off to no end. Shared garages and inconsiderate parking neighbors may be a problem, but there is plenty of guest parking available and I think that’s always a plus for apartment dwellers. Overall, location is great for freeway access, shopping, nearby walking paths and literally everything you wanna do at Desert Ridge. Apartments are nice enough and I personally don’t feel they’re overpriced in the current market. When they sent me my lease renewal it had only gone up $30 which is saying a lot in this darn economy. I would recommend living here to a friend."

"if i could buy my apt & just live here 4ever I would!! Not only is the neighborhood great, the apts always look beautiful. They have a nice gym for when i feel like watching my health and i dont have to go get a membership outside of my home! Its cold right now but in the summertime I love to go for swims or just hang out by the pool which is always clean and ready when I am;] Whenever I have had issues such as a/c or plumbing etc, the maintenence team has been very kind and helpful. I would def reccomend this place to friends and family and I already have. Love it! D N"

"Great location with beautiful nature nearby. The year we spent living here was very calm and our neighbors were always very friendly. Our apartment was not renovated, which came with some difficulty as the apartment was very lived in, but it was still a nice place to live. Although we didn't have a perfect experience with the staff, it was very clear that they tried to do the right thing when they were able to. A big thank you to Mariah, who was very kind and communicative when we needed an extra day to move. I was always treated very nicely whenever I needed to go in and speak with someone, and maintenance was done quickly and easily."

"I lived here for 4 years. In a word to sum it up....It was "Ok" The staff was generally friendly and helpful...at least the ones you need to talk to. Once you get up to management level they don't really know how to deal with people. The site was fairly well maintained. It looks nice when you move in, then the more time you spend there you start to notice all the little things that they don't do. The garbage valet service is a pain in the rear...this is supposed to make your life easier, but it does anything but. It's just lovely walking around the grounds every night and seeing every ones trash outside the door. Not pleasant at all. And you will pay 30 bucks a month for that whether you like it or not. All the fees they charge you will add up too. You will be looking at about $200 more than you are quoted for rent. The owners think a lot of the place and I don't think the rental rates are justified by the property. I understand that the renovated apartments might be a little nicer...but their idea of an upgrade is to replace carpet with linoleum. That's fine, but really? That justifies an additional $350 they are charging for my apartment over what I was paying. Nah, I don't think so. My suggestion if you are thinking of renting here take your time in walking around. Walk the whole site and be sure you want all of what you see. It's not going to get better after you move in, you'll only see more negatives. Would I recommend it...maybe. It depends on your situation, but if you don't have to be in this location, then there are better options out there."