Innovative Properties

I moved into an apartment that was filthy (grime everywhere, rusted sink and bathtub, clothing left strewn about, toilet seat broken, etc…). It took a while to clean and over a year to have all issues taken care of (there was mold and the handymen sprayed some stuff on it and told me to scrub it off since he didn’t want to deal with the smell). I enjoyed the location and generally things were fine.
When I moved out I was charged around $ 140 for cleaning since it appeared I hadn’t wiped down the counters (I had) and there was some dust (on top of the ceiling fan and on the floor, that was fair). The property manager was not there when I left despite giving fair notice, because he ended up having a «crazy day» so I was not warned that the apartment needed further attention. I understand a cleaning charge but I do not understand cleaning charge of over $ 140 for sweeping and dusting a studio apartment which I left in much better condition then when I moved in.

Everyone’s experiences are different. This is simply mine. Had there been a review out there before I rented, I could have at least taken it in to consideration and made a different choice.
3449 Harriet Ave S — Managed by Innovative Properties
Would you like to come to your new apartment to pick up your keys and find that the apartment was not cleaned after the previous tenant moved out, there is leftover food in the cabinets, grease all over the stove top/​vent/​wall, and mouse droppings in the cabinets, the smell of urine in the bathroom, and the caretaker tells you «everyone has a different definition of clean, if you have a problem, take it up with the manager»? *If you wonder why I even moved in after being given the keys, try showing up to this, with your full moving truck, rented by the hour, and having to make a split second decision. I am happy to provide pictures of what their definition of «clean» looks like.
Would you like to call the manager about seeing a mouse in your apartment just days after you move in and then wait two weeks for her to send out pest control. Because she doesn’t feel that «only seeing one mouse is a pest control item». Even though the previously amount of droppings on the floor and in the kitchen cabinets indicates there is more of a problem. And you end up spending $ 25 on traps, bait, and steel wool to fill holes in the meantime?
Would you like to try to deal with a manager who NEVER returns a single phone call, and the one time you take the day off of work to come in and try to resolve issues in person and you find her to be the most rude, unprofessional, and dismissive person you have ever encountered? *Check the Google Reviews — you will notice a pattern!
Would you like to have to start working with the 5^th Precinct Crime Prevention Specialist to deal with noisy/​disruptive neighbors in the building in addition to having to call the police in the middle of the night, because the manager won’t respond or address those issues?
* Fights, loud music, theft, etc. — get the City Hall Police Service Records, it’s worth the .10 cents!
Would you like to wait 7 weeks for maintenance items that were reported by phone and in writing, multiple times (and being told several times they would be done but never are) to be taken care of — and then it’s only because you hired an attorney and filed a rent escrow action?
If you answered «yes» to any of these questions, then an Inovative Properties building may be for you. If you answered «yes» to all of the questions, then by all means, move to an apartment managed by Innovative Properties and you may share in my experience.
You will get absolutely nowhere with the manager (names starts with an A, but you will know exactly who it is after one interaction with her). She will actually sit in front of you and ignore you in her office when you try talk to her. I am talking smug, smirking, and actually ignoring you to the point of not verbally responding while you are standing in front of her talking to her and asking questions! Who does that???
To get assistance, you will have to look up the owner on the rental license for your building and contact them, in the form of a letter and a release from your attorney.
Once the lease is signed, you can’t even expect a minimal level of any customer service. The same caretaker that «cleaned» the apartment prior to move in, also maintains the building, so you may want to get used to seeing the same pieces of trash in the hallway for weeks on end, walking through the same cobwebs in the entry way daily, and seeing dead mice on sticky traps (from other apartments) in the trash cans.
It’s too bad that there is such an AWFUL manager working in the office as the owner seems to actually care about his buildings and residents. But the extremes it takes to by-​pass the manager and get to him in order to get anything handled is ridiculous.
Be ready to inform yourself of how Hennepin County housing court and the court mediation processes work.