Cardinal Properties LLC

"Bad company with awful staff. Be aware UMN students! (1) several UMN students of mine had trouble with them (e.g., safety, living condition, security deposit, etc.). We consulted with the university student legal service at UMN. An attorney told us that the managers of Cardinal Properties are "jerks" & they have a history of "preying" on our UMN students. They are cunning & good at designing their lease in their favor, so our UMN students often are disadvantaged in their case. (2) racist & rude staff. If you are a minority/international student, their staff will say "something" to you... If you want them to fix something, they will stall for months with lots of excuses. (3) They use a "bait & switch trick" to get out-of-town students into troublesome rooms (e.g. out-of-state students, international students). The trick looks like this: First, they will show you a good-looking room at your house hunting trip. But after you return home & submit your application, they will tell you that room is no longer available & you have to rent a different one (in bad condition). They will NOT allow you to see the condition of that room (e.g., no photo, zoom). Many students don't want to do another house-hunting trip, they will then fall for this trap... (4) They are NOT affiliated with U of Minnesota but they used to call themselves as "U of M housing" as bait to get students rent with them. The UMN student legal service told us that the UMN had been trying to get this company to change their misleading name for years. Looks like this company finally changed their name (due to their bad reputation probably)."

"I’ve lived in a Cardinal Property apartment for two years now and I’ve had a lot of positive experiences. Maintenance has been very timely and helpful on all issues I’ve contacted them about. My heat wasn’t working properly and maintenance was here within an hour. When I had a mouse, they were here and fixed the problem the next day. My apartment and the amenities of the building (laundry) are old, but the rent is reasonable and the location is fantastic. They even threw in free parking for the first year, and made an exception in allowing my beloved cat to live here. Overall, I’d recommend them! Update: In a counter to the reviewer who said management lacks humanity: It’s not management’s fault that you signed a lease and then had to move home…? And not sure what “amenities” they’re referring to? Most of the Cardinal Properties buildings are plain older apartments, no fancy gyms or pools. Sus. Again, just going to really say that the management here has always been so kind and helpful to me. When my car got broken into (oops, left it unlocked!), they installed new flood lights in the parking lot for increased safety. When my sink clogged, it was fixed within hours. When an adjacent unit had some construction, it was only done during reasonable daytime hours. Whenever I see the property manager he always says hello. There’s a reason one of my neighbors down the hall has lived here since the 60s. The apartments certainly aren’t fancy, but you can expect everything to work while you live here. Would highly recommend to any friend of mine, especially if you’re on a budget. :)"

"I've been living here for about a year and, like other comments, it's great. It's an older building so it's not luxury or anything, but it's a nice apartment for a good price in a good location. Anytime I have any questions or concerns about the place, 99% of the time they are solved within a day, if not within an hour. I know one commenter mentioned how they weren't able to get out of their lease easily during COVID. Just because I feel like this comment is misleading, I would like to defend the apartment's management in that this apartment complex is not tied to the University (i.e. not a dorm or a university-owned apt) and therefore probably isn't responsible for letting you out of your lease early and/or giving you a reduced rent just because the university recommended students go to permanent housing. Also, fact check, they did NOT shut down any amenities during COVID. There are no amenities to even shut down. Management is super personable, very nice, and rent is extremely reasonable for the area. We were even given permission to have a cat and he is equally as pleased :). Overall, if you're looking for a relatively cheap place in a great location without any amenities, it's a great place to look at!"

"I've lived here for 3 years and overall have had quite a positive experience. The building is old but the unit was very clean when I moved in. Management has been very responsive to maintenance requests. Amenities are certainly not luxury but they're maintained pretty well. I've had nothing but positive interactions with management and any time I've had questions or concerns they've responded to me like I'm a person and not just a source of rent. Another negative review complained about how management handled COVID. I can't speak to their situation but I can't agree that management "lacks any semblance of humanity". For me, I did stay with family for a few months and yes it was a drag to be paying for an apartment I wasn't using, though I never tried to get out of my lease so I was prepared to accept that. But a couple of times, due to post office delays, my rent was delayed and management was understanding and kept me informed when it was received without any issue."

"This property management company is absolutely terrible! My son rents an apartment with some friends as he attends school at the University of Minnesota. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the University strongly recommended that all students shelter in place at their permanent homes. My son and his roommates have been adhering to the University's recommendations for the last two months by sheltering in place at home with their families. During this time the apartment management company has been adhering to CDC recommendations as well. As such, they have closed down all amenities at the apartment building. I understand and agree with their decision to do so. The problem is they still expect residents to pay full rent despite not living there and despite the apartments not providing full services. They are not even offering a reduced rent. This company lacks any semblance of humanity!"