Southpark Square Apartments

They used to be just, you know, an overpriced dumpy old place. But now
they have a LOT of bugs; not roaches but these really scary silver/​centipedes. It’s DISGUSTING.

pros: the location
cons: almost everything else.
Does not worth the price anymore. The lease keeps getting more expensive, but the facilities/​advantages disappear:
— no more sauna
— no more racket court
— smaller fitness center and broken devices not replaced
— 1 less hot tub (1 still present outside)
— no more breakfast
All facilities closed for the next five months.
The employees are nice, but the management in general does not care about the tenants. They try to sell us that the leasing office remodeling is the best thing ever for the tenants, while the facilities disappear.

I have only been here for a week now and I already hate this apartment!
First of all, the whole apartment was out of water one day because one of the main pipes blew up. due to what? their poor maintenance!
Second, I was expecting some packages and always go back and forth asking If I have a package and they would say No, I later found out it has been there for almost a week but they wouldn’t even bother go check!!! IT WAS A LARGE PACKAGE HOW COULD YOU EVEN MISS IT!
Last but CERTAINLY NOT LEAST! One of our neighbors apartment was infested by bed bugs and they put a notice to treat our apartment since we were next to theirs just incase. the notice stated that they would come in on thursday between 8 – 10 am so I was waiting all day, apparently on saturday morning the guy comes in the apartment while I was asleep to do the treatment!!! SERIOUSLY!!! and when we spoke to the leasing office they told us that they didn’t give him permission to do so. I don’t feel safe living here knowing that anyone can enter the apartment anytime they want to!!!
Just listen to all the bad reviews and don’t move here for your own sake!

Pros: Great location.
Cons: Everything else.
I’ve lived at SP Square far too long and I can’t recommend it for any reason other than its location. The building was BADLY maintained from the time it opened in the late ‘80s to the present, which means that everything is falling apart, and when new items are installed, it’s done with the cheapest replacement pieces they could find. The gym still has the same equipment that it did in 2001. The pool deck is nice enough if you don’t plan on using the pool or hot tub. The elevators regularly break. The property management company does not inspire confidence and I try to avoid contact with them. They also charge ticky-​tack fees for things like light bulb replacements, even though the light bulbs keep burning out because of the faulty light sockets that they installed. The parking garages are very dimly lit and the garage doors break at least once a year. The recycling area in P1 is very inconvenient and also very dirty. They just tore out the carpeting in the elevators because all of the dogs in the building regularly peed in the elevator. The dogs also like to pee on the posts just outside of the entry doors. Again, not a great apartment building and as a resident, I cannot recommend it to anyone other than students who will be in and out before they realize how crummy everything is.
The sad thing about downtown is that there are so few decent apartment buildings in good locations. Tenants are paying for the Park Blocks location, not for a quality apartment building.

Don’t live here. The management is inconsiderate and inconsistent with tenant interactions, the units are overpriced for what you get. I lived in a renovated unit and along the edges of the carpet where carpet turned to tile (bathroom/​kitchen) nailheads were poking out of the carpet and cutting my feet/​snagging my socks. I had to take a hammer and pound at least 12 of them adequately into the ground, which should have been done before move-​in.
The rooftop pool may seem like a great selling point, it isn’t. It’s not heated, and it’s 3 feet deep. The hot tub is disgustingly dirty and stained, and the other hot tub located in the pitifully small gym doesn’t even work. It’s been closed off the entire year I lived here.
The elevators are ridiculous. They’re speedy, but there are only 2 of them, and no cargo elevator which makes move-​in days HELL if you’re trying to leave the building. Take the stairs, though, the stairwells smell like something has curled up and died in them. I recommend to just stay in on move in days. Or, better yet, move out ASAP.
The parking garage is disgusting as well. Given it is a parking garage, it has some leeway in regards to how clean it should be, but storing trash next to people’s cars just isn’t how an establishment should organize its waste management. There’s also a large pipe that has been leaking fluids into the garage all year, and the most I’ve seen management do to counteract this leaky pipe, is to place some form of absorbent powder on the ground.
All in all, the negatives far outweigh the positives in this complex. It may be in downtown, but the amount of money you will be paying doesn’t match the quality of living.

I visited Southpark Square last weekend to view potential apartments.
The staff:
Jessica was very warm, friendly, and knowledgeable about the complex. She knew what was available and which apartments may suit our needs. There are two factors that tell me whether this is a community I want to live in… does any of the leasing office live on-​site (they do), and does the leasing staff know their tenants by name. Jessica greeted everyone we passed in the halls by name! It’s clear she takes pride in the community. She was also able to address our concern about the elevators, as I had read reviews that they were a potential issue.
Danya is their Leasing Manager, and he came out and introduced himself and welcomed us to the community. We visited multiple apartment communities that day and he was the only Manager to come out and say hello. Again, this is telling of the future interactions with a leasing office.
The apartment /​building:
The apartment was large and had nice updated features, including a spacious kitchen. The counter tops ARE granite and the unit we viewed had ample closet space. The carpet wasn’t new, but was clean. If you are looking for an apartment with a view, oh boy, this is the community for you! I fell in love with the patio and views! The one downside is that the apartments don’t have W/​D in unit and you have to go downstairs to the second floor to do laundry.
Overall, I would recommend Southpark Square from a potential tenant’s perspective. The grounds are immaculate. The leasing staff is by far the friendliest we met, and the apartments offer views and a very walkable location. There are restaurants and coffee shops downstairs on the ground floor, and the park across the street. Yes, they may occasionally have elevator or maintenance issues, but that’s the risk of living in a high rise community or any large apartment complex. It happens.
For anyone looking to live in the heart of the city, this complex is a great option.

I lived here for a little over 2 years. The original management when I moved in (managed by Doug) was great. But then he got fired along with some other great people. Then the monsters came in. They were horrible. They gave me 2 weeks verbal notice that my rent was being increased by $ 500 and the refused to do anything about the drug users above me. My apartment smelled as a result of my neighbors and another was just too loud at night.
Some of the residents were lovely, but the management made this place impossible to live in. Stay away.

The new upgrades are fantastic. This is a very nice comfortable, safe, place to live.

Southpark Square is one of the best locations in town, close to everything you will need, such as the park, grocery stores, waterfront, Saturday and farmers market, restaurants, bars, and even PSU.
There is a beautiful rooftop pool, with a large deck, chairs, barbeques, and plenty of space for multiple groups of people. Having a pool in downtown Portland will really change your summer experience :-)
The new management and staff is awesome. Very friendly and professional. I would highly recommend checking this place out.

First of all, I’d give 5 starts however as I haven’t lived in any other apartments in Portland, I don’t have the experience to compare — that’s why I’m giving 4 stars.
CONS
1) The ongoing construction. They start at 9 and stop at 4. Whenever I work home-​office, I put on my headphone and listen to music all day because otherwise it’s not possible to put up with that noise (they are apologetic about it, though — and they always give construction notices in advance).
2) Humidity on the walls which might lead to mold.
(If you clean it when you notice that, they won’t spread — easy)
3)High and unexpected water bills…
3)A bit expensive (but worth it? due to the pros below) .
PROS
1)The ongoing construction is for solving the mold issue, the inevitable fact of rainy Portland. So I put it as a pro as well.
2)Quiet
Despite the construction noise which takes place when most of the people are at work (they stop at 4 pm!) I’m so sensitive to sounds — especially at night — however I have never got disturbed by noise in the last 6 months — NEVER. As American architectural style does not have hallways like we do in Europe, of course you hear your neighbors when you are in your living room and when they walk by your door. But other than that, the residents are very respectful and I never heard a loud noise after 8 – 9 pm. Everybody seems to be paying attention to keep it quiet.
You are at downtown and the center of the city but my apartment faces courtyard and sometimes I forget that I’m living at downtown. No city noise!
3)High-quality, clean
Both the apartment in general and also my house. Very clean. Well-​maintained. High-​end kitchen appliances.
4)Onsite management
Whenever I faced a problem with my light-​bulbs, racks or clogged toilets, they took care of it. They did not postpone it, it was done in 2 days.
5)Pool, open-​air BBQ area, hot tub, gym
It was almost winter when I moved in but I can’t wait to enjoy the pool on the rooftop!!!
6)Leasing office
They are very professional and they know their job. The ones who expect sympathy, smile and a mother compassion, of course wouldn’t be happy about them — I think they have European professionalism rather than standard insincere American service style (always with a smile to get tip!)
As a foreigner (from Europe) I did not know anything about Portland and general way of handling the things in the States. And they helped me from my furniture to my bills…
They even remember my name (after 6 months and believe me, it’s a hard-​to-​pronounce name) and always address me with my name. And so I did not forget their names! Thank you Gloria and Jessica! :)
So I know that I won’t face any issues with my apartment and if I do, there will be always someone to take care of it.
It makes me relieved and comfortable and so all I do is to focus my life as a foreigner in Portland and my business.
My lease ends at the end of this month but I won’t live in any other place.
You pay a lot of money (it is really expensive, yes!) but I think it’s worth it.

STAY AWAY. I wish I could give zero stars, but unfortunately that’s not an option. This place treated me so poorly that I had to get an attorney.
1. THE BUILDING IS NOT PROPERLY WATER-​PROOFED, which is a violation of your rights as a renter to have a properly weather/​water-​proofed home. My apartment was water damaged, which resulted in MOLD. They took an excessive amount of time to resolve the problem (weeks!) while I was stuck living there. It made the bedroom in a 1 bedroom apt completely unusable and unsafe. Eventually they offered another apt, with strings attached.
2. The water and mold ruined some personal belongings, which they refused to replace/​compensate (I had renter’s ins, but under the law they are liable).
3. It is currently under construction to treat this problem, which is noisy all day and disruptive — they’ve blocked one of the main entrances for months.
4. This complex has TERRIBLE communication; I was always polite when calling, emailing, or speaking with staff (it’s the easiest way to get people to want to help you!) and they would ignore me for days at a time. They were also passive-​agressive and unprofessional in emails, regarding a problem that THEY were liable for.
5. It is overly expensive for what you get; my tiny 1 bedroom apartment was $ 1535 a month after parking. The amenities are so small that they’re usually too cramped to use. I only rented here because I was new to PDX, and didn’t know better. You can get much better for the same or less $!
6. Many things stopped working while I lived there, including one of the two elevators and the sign that tells you when you have a package/​mail. They didn’t notify residents that the sign was not working (it looked ok, but wouldn’t update if you received anything), and so I had an important package sitting in there for over a week when I finally went in and asked what was up with the mail.
7. I had to get an attorney because they were LYING about what my rights were! (If you are unsure about your rights, google it!) Even after getting an attorney, they treated me poorly, despite them being in the wrong. They were going to charge me rent for every day it took me to move out — even though I was forced to vacate because of their negligence! They finally agreed in writing to give me 5 days rent-​free to move, and then they STILL charged me rent for those days!
As of now, they still owe me money. If they owed me enough, I would sue them, and according to my attorney, I would win. Unfortunately I don’t have the time or energy to deal with these people anymore.
That said, certain staff were polite and responsive. Unfortunately, they weren’t the ones who can make decisions and get things done. You may be able to live here with no problem, but god help you if there is one. I never paid rent late, never had a complaint, etc, and when my apartment became inhabitable due to their negligence, they kept me in it for a month and never refunded any of that month’s rent or paid for damaged property or resulting inconveniences.
Take your money somewhere else, and rent a safe, comfortable apartment!