The Courtyards College Park, college-park-md

It's a good, lively place to live in especially for students studying at the University of Maryland, College Park. Apartments are neat and spacious as shown on their website. A couple of issues might come up with the house initially which are repaired if requested. They have a clubhouse equipped with a small gym, basic dumbbells, cable and cardio machines, along with a heated swimming pool, Ping pong table and snooker. They organise events frequently so you get to know other residents too! Would definitely recommend this place since it's very close to UMD campus and has a dedicated shuttle, even at night!

This place isn't it. The walls are paper thin. I could hear my roommate like she was in the same room with me. I also had an issue with my roommates volume to the point where I couldn't sleep and when I asked for outside assistance from the resident living team I was met with poor attempts to solve the issue. Even with my inability to sleep in my own apartment the resident director simply told me to live with it because the courtyards is a place that doesn't really take any action against violations on their lease. So be warned! The staff are not truly concerned with your well being and providing a space where you can thrive as a student. As the walls are paper thin you're not safe even if you know your roommates. You can very well hear people on the other floors. I can't stress enough the walls are PAPER THIN. Additionally some apartments which charge the same amount come with a renovated kitchen and a balcony while others don't. This place is simply a money grab. I personally wouldn't recommend anyone lives here. I wish I just spent the extra money to live at my last apartment.

The complex is clean and seems safe. But someone who I know who lives there says the bedroom walls are thin and might have mold. I once waited for this person to arrive around 6 p.m. when it was still daylight, standing outside an apartment near the parking lot. Someone called the police, claiming I had been peering into cars and might be trying to burglarize cars in the parking lot. I was merely looking at my phone, not thinking of stealing anything from a car. You have to be crazy to burglarize a vehicle, with all the outside cameras and individuals with cameras and busy bodies reporting made-up crimes that put innocent people at risk in a police encounter - there are much easier ways to make money than risking your freedom stealing. Anyways, not just one University of Maryland police car showed up, but two. An officer told me that someone reported I was looking in cars and appeared suspicious, then said there had been numerous break-ins in the parking lot recently. I stayed calm and surrendered my license. Everything checked out, and I left, agreeing to wait in my car, not outside in the lot. If I had been a younger minority and not an older white male and made some wrong moves, things could have gone differently. So beware if you have to ever wait for someone to arrive in this parking lot.

Negatives: The complex is definitely starting to show signs of its age (especially with cheap fixtures deteriorating and poorly-performed maintenance that just looks tacky), and there's virtually no soundproofing in the buildings. I can hear people outside as though they're in the apartment/room with me at night, so not the best quality sleep. The noise from the person above is also a bit bothersome while trying to sleep. The apartment also attempted to incorrectly fine me $85 for the privilege of parking in my assigned parking lot (exactly where I had been parking my vehicle for months), and then acted as though removing the fine was a favor. At the end of the day, “university affiliated housing” here means nothing other than a typical college landlord that pays for a licensing agreement with the university. The apartment office workers are also not exactly what I’d call “friendly.” Positives: The rent is cheap. The free parking/“included utilities” is a decent perk when they don’t try to fine you for parking in your own space. Overall: If you’re on a budget and aren’t leasing here for the financial aid incentives from the university, consider a house lease instead.

I had a good experience overall at Courtyards. Apartments were a good size for the price and it was peaceful. We had no majors problems throughout the year. We also like that it was furnished. Only thing is some appliances were slow (stove), so it took some time to heat up. The location is a miss, though. This isn't at all Courtyard's fault, but the UMD Shuttle system is awful, so scheduled stops are very unreliable. I'd recommend getting a bike or a car if you plan on living here due to the somewhat remote location.