AMLI on Aldrich

I lived at the Amli on Aldrich complex for a little over 2 years. If you are newer to renting PLEASE READ this review! The complex itself is very safe, clean, and pleasant. The leasing office staff is full of wonderful, helpful people—Joseph is incredible! I had no issues while living here and think it’s a solid option if you’re looking for a safe area with a grocery store, a few restaurants, and activities within walking distance. It’s not the newest apartment in Mueller, so expect some normal wear and tear (for example, wood floors with small gaps from settling), but overall it’s a decent apartment in a great location with an excellent on-site team. As a young woman living alone, I always felt very safe here. That said, it’s important to remember that AMLI Residential is a massive corporation. Renting from a large company versus a local landlord comes with pros and cons. Large companies have extensive legal resources and airtight leases that do not favor the tenant. The burden is on the renter to read pages and pages of legal jargon, and realistically, you’re probably going to miss something. If you decide to rent here, I have a few pieces of advice: 1. Decline Jetty if offered instead of a traditional security deposit. I was 23 when I signed my lease and it was my first time renting without a guarantor. Jetty was explained to me as a $500 non-refundable “security deposit” versus a refundable one month’s rent deposit. As a 23-year-old trying to buy furniture, this sounded like a great deal. I’ve since learned it is not comparable to a non-refundable deposit—it’s a bond that does nothing for you. Any move-out damages are billed separately and not taken from that amount. I hope this is no longer how it’s described, because it was very misleading and an unpleasant surprise. I’m sure it was buried somewhere in the fine print, and I wish I had used a legal service (or even GPT) to break the lease down more clearly. 2. Document EVERYTHING at move-in. The lease has a clause for absolutely everything. Take so many pictures that you feel ridiculous. I took a full three-minute move-in video but failed to open the fridge in my video. At move-out, I received a $130 bill for fridge “damages.” $30 was for a small hairline crack in a freezer door shelf—fine, annoying but whatever. The other $100 was for a missing glass shelf. According to them, there should have been four shelves and there were only three. There was never a fourth shelf while I lived there, and I assumed it had been removed to allow room for things like a gallon of milk standing upright. The implication that I stole a fridge shelf is still baffling to me 😂. The lease also states that appliance wear and tear does not count as normal wear and tear, so even tiny issues are chargeable. Please, take pictures of everything—including the inside of appliances. If the previous tenant really did take the shelf, feel free to mail it to me as a consolation prize