‘We pay so much money.’ GSU student says new off-campus apartment building is a nightmare

ATLANTA — When Georgia State University student Jasmyn Mallory learned that there’s a waiting list to get into a GSU dorm, she had to find another option.

Like many other students, she chose Reflection student housing, which is an off-campus apartment building close to the school.

Mallory spoke to Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes Wednesday on Channel 2 Action News at 5 p.m.

“I found out that Reflection was a brand-new building, and you know, brand new appliances, a brand-new unit, it was something I was really interested in,” Mallory said.

But that excitement turned into disappointment within a few days of moving in.

“That first week, five cars got broken into,” Mallory said.

She told Fernandes that the building’s Wi-Fi didn’t work for weeks, and appliances still don’t work.

TRENDING STORIES:

• “Not there to raise your children:” Police issue strong message for parents after brawl at mall
• Nearly 4,500 pounds of chicken sausage recalled over possible contamination by bits of blue plastic
• Atlanta United star Josef Martinez suspended for “conduct detrimental to the team”

Mallory said there’s no security and showed Fernandes a picture of a homeless man who made his way up to the 23rd floor and slept there for a night.

“Security, it took a while for them to get him out, and it was just unsafe and concerning how he even got there in the first place, since he had to breach so much security to get to the 23rd floor,” Mallory said.

She told Fernandes that shower heads make noise and shake – when they’re working.

The building’s website promises parents safety and the experience of a new building.

“It’s just really sad to see that they’re not holding up their end. We pay so much money here,” Mallory said.

Fernandes spoke to the property owners on Tuesday, who promised to get her some answers about what it going on with the building.

They sent her a lengthy statement saying:

“College students are our top priority and as specialized management for student driven properties, we strive to provide an exceptional level of service to our residents. We prioritize the student experience while maintaining an off campus residential building that offers private condominium style luxuries.

“All concerns expressed by students and or parents are received and addressed as expeditiously as possible. We currently have no outstanding open issues within the building relating to services or amenities. The building is brand new and was delivered during one of the most challenging supply chain markets in recent history. No student or parent has made any request to be released from their leasing agreement and we continue to welcome all students to be a part of our thriving community.

“Find below our response to items of concern.

WASHING MACHINES

Of the 24/7 washing machines located throughout the 25-floor building,10 washers had drain line connection issues. We conducted a building wide assessment to check all washers and rectified the issue. On the day of incident approximately August 2, 2022, our restoration team immediately extracted water from the unit and all washers were repaired. Students were not displaced and there have since been no further issues.

SHOWER HEADS

Of the 741 residents, 2 residents submitted work order regarding issue with a shower head. The shower heads were replaced the same day of receipt of the work order. There has been no further incident or submission of work order regarding shower heads. This was approximately reported in the first week of August and resolved immediately.

DRESSERS

All bedrooms have a two-drawer dresser.

Wi-Fi

Due to ongoing and unfortunate supply chain issues, Reflection management was notified that there was a delay in the installation of the buildings permanent Wi-Fi circuit activation. To work around this issue, a temporary Wi-Fi circuit was installed in the building prior to early Move-In – on July 27th, 2022.

The permanent Wi-Fi circuit was installed and activated on August 14th (one week before the start of school) and has had no issue. Reflection stands out in the private student housing market as it is a highly technologized building offering an unprecedented 10G network which is the fastest network of any other private student housing property in Atlanta.

COMMUNITY PEACE OF MIND

Unfortunately, encounters with the homeless population have been an ongoing issue for all the private student properties in the area and all properties have had incidents and concerns with the homeless population in and around the GSU campus. This is a community wide issue, and we continue to be vigilant and work with the APD and MHD as needed.

This occurrence stemmed from a resident damaging the parking gate creating a breach in the access circuit. The person was removed from the building without incident. In response, a security guard was placed in the garage on 24/7 duty until the gate was fixed.

OFF SITE PARKING

Unfortunately, on the day of move-in a small number of cars were broken into at the nearby third-party parking garage. As at every public parking garage/lot, parking is at the risk of the patron. Reflection management is in ongoing discussions with the parking garage owner to provide a more secure facility. No additional car break ins have occurred.

“Unfortunately, even garage mirrors have been impacted by supply chain and will be installed immediately upon receipt.”

IN OTHER NEWS:

MARTA to hold public meetings about extending Atlanta Streetcar along BeltLine to Ponce City Market Currently, the streetcar only goes along loop between the Martin Luther King Jr. Center and Centennial Olympic Park.

©2022 Cox Media Group