The Polos of Gainesville

BEWARE OF MOLD I originally lived at The Polos, where I discovered black mold growing inside my air vents after experiencing months of unexplained illness. When I reported my concerns to management, I was repeatedly told that the substance was merely “natural growth.” Despite my ongoing health issues and visible evidence, it took multiple conversations before I was finally relocated to another apartment within the same community. Unfortunately, the second apartment presented the same issue—this time with even more extensive mold growth in the air vents. Once again, management initially disputed my concerns until a mold remediation specialist inspected the unit and confirmed that the substance was, in fact, mold. Following this, I was transferred to a different apartment community operated by the same management company. Although mold was not visibly apparent in the air vents, a professional mold test was conducted and returned positive results. Management eventually proceeded with mold remediation. However, during the remediation process, a pipe was accidentally burst, causing significant water damage throughout my apartment. My bedroom carpet, portions of the upstairs hallway and stair carpeting, and the ceiling above my kitchen were saturated with water. The resulting damage also required replacement of the kitchen light fixture and microwave. What I found particularly concerning was that I then had to repeatedly advocate for the replacement of the carpet that had been soaked during the remediation process. Given that the work was being performed to address mold, it was difficult to understand why water-damaged carpeting was not immediately identified as a material requiring replacement to help prevent future mold growth. I am sharing this experience because I have autoimmune-related health concerns, and prolonged mold exposure had a significant impact on my well-being. I experienced persistent headaches and other symptoms for months before identifying the underlying cause. While my roommates experienced some symptoms, the effects on my health were substantially more severe. I encourage anyone considering living in a property managed by this company to thoroughly inspect the unit, ask about any history of water intrusion or mold remediation, and take any health concerns seriously before signing a lease. I sincerely hope that no one else has to endure the experience that I did. The second community they moved me to was Madison Pointe, Nettie Laddie was The only person at Collier companies that showed me compassion and understood my Situation and took action to help. She’s the only reason I haven’t left a bad review. But I think it’s time for people to understand what they’re buying into because mold affects your health long-term. Especially if you already have underlying health problems. I added pictures to the apartment I was in. I was on the second floor. I can’t remember my exact number. I think it was 725 could be wrong, but I was on the end of the building on the second floor.

I would NOT recommend living in this apartment community. The biggest issue is the constant noise. My upstairs neighbors make loud stomping and banging noises almost every day, especially late at night and early in the morning. It often sounds like they are running, jumping, or dropping heavy objects on the floor. The noise is so loud that it has seriously affected my sleep and my quality of life. To make matters worse, my unit is also located next to the outdoor air conditioning equipment. The AC units produce loud mechanical noise throughout the night. I have reported this issue multiple times, and maintenance has come out several times claiming it was repaired, but the problem has never been resolved. The noise is still there. Maintenance in general is disappointing. Many things around the property are old, damaged, or poorly maintained. Repairs are often delayed or only temporarily fix the issue instead of providing a permanent solution. The dumpster area is another major concern. Trash is frequently overflowing, the area is dirty, and it appears that no one is properly maintaining it. It creates an unpleasant environment for residents. The most frustrating part is that the management and staff do not seem to genuinely care about residents’ concerns. I have reported these issues multiple times, but very little has changed. It feels like complaints are acknowledged but not truly addressed. For the amount of rent being charged, I expected a quiet, clean, and well-maintained community. Instead, I have experienced ongoing noise problems, poor maintenance, and a lack of effective management. I regret choosing to live here and would not recommend this property to anyone looking for a peaceful place to call home.

Terrible management!

DO NOT MOVE OUT IN THE POLOS!!!! If I could 0 star this place I would. All they do is patch up the raggedy apartments. Roaches live in your home more than you do no matter how much you clean. You can hear your neighbor upstairs toilets flush and shower running. Rooms flood and they don’t take it serious at all! My kid room flooded over a month ago and they didn’t even bother to get the carpet cleaned. People that live in lower income based places lives better than this dump. Rent is ridiculous and you can’t even split the bill with the roaches that live there more than you. Hate it here and would not recommend this place for a dog to live! Staff worries more about who’s smoking than fixing your apartment so it can run properly! This place only looks good from the outside that’s it. Take your money and go somewhere worth it!!

DO NOT LIVE HERE. ONE OF THE WORST EXPERIENCES WE HAVE HAD AS RESIDENTS. MAINTENANCE IS VERY POOR AND RESIDENT SERVICE IS EVEN WORSE. WHEN ISSUES ARE REPORTED, THEY SIMPLY DO NOT FOLLOW UP OR GIVE THEM THE IMPORTANCE THEY DESERVE. WHAT IS MOST FRUSTRATING IS SEEING HOW THEY ACT QUICKLY WHEN IT COMES TO SENDING LETTERS ABOUT MINOR THINGS, LIKE LEAVING ITEMS IN THE HALLWAY OR NOISE FROM CARS, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO REAL PROBLEMS THAT AFFECT THE WELL-BEING OF THOSE OF US LIVING HERE, NOTHING IS DONE OR IT IS IGNORED. WE HAVE A 6-MONTH-OLD BABY, AND THIS IS NOT A NEW ISSUE. WE HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING FOR MONTHS AND TO THIS DAY WE HAVE NOT FELT ANY REAL INTEREST IN RESOLVING ANYTHING. IT IS FRUSTRATING TO FEEL LIKE THEY ONLY RESPOND WHEN IT CONVENIENTS THEM. IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT MOVING HERE, THINK TWICE. OUR EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN ONE OF POOR RESPONSE, LACK OF ATTENTION, AND VERY LITTLE COMMITMENT TO RESIDENTS.