Canvas Townhomes Allendale, allendale-mi

Curb appeal is fabulous all year round! Feels good to step outside for a nice brisk walk and the view is just beautiful because there is no litter in sight! Awesome property indeed!

Update: 9/25/25 Canvas is telling her she didn’t return her unit key, the mailbox key and something else. She took all keys back on July 31, her move out date. After notifying her for the charge, she replied a couple weeks later die to starting a new job. They are giving her a hard time now telling her the window for appeal is closed. They said they would “escalate” her concerns. I see a long struggle in this. Daughter lived there 4 years while at GVSU. She was in a furnished 4B/4B, that was part of the area of units which had not been renovated in the interior. Three other bedrooms were occupied when she moved in. These were not girls who held parties, nor were excessively careless. The move in was unpleasant as the bed left for her had a broken box spring with sharp wood piercing out. We walked into the bedroom to find a banana peel left on the “freshly cleaned” carpeting and the desk sitting in the bathtub. Throughout the time living there the following was experienced. Lack of timely replies to maintenance requests. Light bulbs in the ceiling fixtures were left burnt out for 2-3 weeks. Exterior light fixtures were left burnt out or malfunctioning. The one light fixture cover dropped off of the ceiling fixture and crashed onto the coffee table, breaking into many pieces. There were no screens on 1/2 of the bedroom windows of her unit and when inquired, was told they had no extra screens. Recently I visited to help her move out and all the exterior light posts for safety and lighting around building EE were non working. Last time I was there only the lights on the east side of the building were not working. Made it difficult to see and navigate the stairways in the early morning talking the dog out for a potty run. They placed multiple requests to have the stacked dryer fixed or the lint vent cleaned, as each load took 2-3 cycles to dry. Each time they were told the dryer was fine. A couple Autumns ago, there was a post -homecoming game party two buildings over, which degraded into a situation where a non student returned to the party and shot another party-goer. The police intercepted and arrested the fleeing shooter in front of her building. The residents of her unit where woken to sirens and chaos. The complex has since changed policy on parties to prevent multiple people at a party and none are to be held outside. They switched security too. The upkeep outside is sub par. Some areas have working sprinkler heads keeping the lawn watered, others have broken heads not working or ineffectively watering. One head was a small gyser. It’s July and clear no one has been out to assess or fix the sprinkler heads, so water is being wasted. The black top basketball court in front of the management office was recently resealed. Some of the garage doors are not closing because they are off kilter, dented or otherwise broken. The older wooden decks and stairs are slowly being replaced by composite boards and vinyl siding, which are failing before the old wooden ones are even replaced. The east side wood stairs of her unit and decking is degrading to the point the boards feel unsafe they won’t use it, and only come though the west entrance where the composite decking is the replacement. There is no management staff on site on the weekends and if the students do not have a printer to print a pass for a guests car, the management office is closed and the cars are being booted. I saw two such cars booted on a weekend which probably were family. You may be wondering why she stayed. It was clean and rodent/bug free inside. The appliances worked for the most part (except the dryer). The roommates were friends and very supportive for each other. It would be a pain to move out. The transportation via the Laker Line was great. The rent was under $700 for her bed/bath. Photos are from July 21, 2025, and only a few of the ones showing problems throughout the complex.

I wish there was a score lower than zero. After barely three months of living here I can confidently say I’ve never felt so frustrated. The canvas team collectively has done everything in their power to convince my roomates and I that our appliances in an UPGRADED unit are perfectly fine. There have multiple problems with our washing machines since move in. Initially I was told that it was all signs of a dying motor/transmission problem. That opinion changed within the same appointment where suddenly the problem was magically fixed with a new “belt”? Problem not so solved, my roomates and I have been consistently struggling with our washer and dryer. Our washer has somehow completely combusted and we woke up this morning to a burning smell throughout our entire unit. Our washing machine had been running all evening and night. It was physically hot to the touch. My room mates clothes sat in black standing water all and i can not emphasize how hot this water was, if it’s too hot to fully submerge my hand it to WRING HER CLOTHES OUT, there’s clearly a larger issue. After ignoring us and our valid complaints since move in, Canvas will not respond to our emergency requests. Do ypireself a favor, save yourself the stress and frustration, never move into a unit here. There are more negative experiences than there are positive for a reason. If this is an upgraded apartment experience I truly can’t imagine a standard. Canvas do us both a favor and respond to atleast one form of communication.

My review primarily has to do with security concerns as the use of Absolute Security is atrocious. The practices of the hired security company appear highly predatory, particularly toward college students who make up the majority of residents in these apartment complexes. Last night, a guest of mine was booted despite the fact that I had created a valid visitor parking pass. When I disputed the charge, I was told that the pass was created "nearly 25 minutes after enforcement was completed." However, there is no way for residents to view the actual enforcement timestamp or enter the violation number to verify this information independently. Additionally, the company refuses to discuss disputes over the phone and will only communicate via email. A simple grace period or warning system could easily prevent situations like this. For example, residents could receive a notification stating that a visitor pass must be created within a certain timeframe before enforcement actions are taken. Instead, vehicles are immediately booted, resulting in a $65 fee with no warning whatsoever. Considering it is summer and many students have left for break, parking availability is abundant. At 7:00 a.m. this morning, I counted more than 20 open spaces near my building alone. This enforcement does not appear to address a parking shortage; it appears designed primarily to generate revenue. What is even more concerning is that booting vehicles and collecting fees seems to be a higher priority than providing actual security for residents. Many residents, including myself, currently feel safer having guests stay with us due to an ongoing "Peeping Tom" issue that has affected my building and surrounding buildings since September 2025. A couple weeks ago, deputies from the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office came door-to-door regarding an attempted break-in at a neighboring unit that was believed to be connected to this individual. Despite these ongoing safety concerns, I have never observed Absolute Security actively monitoring the area. Residents deserve a security company that prioritizes safety and crime prevention over aggressive parking enforcement. Given the repeated complaints from tenants, the lack of transparency, the absence of any reasonable grace period, and the apparent focus on collecting fees from students, these practices warrant serious scrutiny.

The signing process was nice and simple. Anna was a huge help in the whole process. She was willing to answer any questions I had and was so kind. Canvas has been great for me and would recommend to anyone who wants nice, affordable living.