We didn't think Fairfield could be all that bad considering how many properties they own, but after renting one apartment for 2-1/2 years we will NEVER use them again or recommend them to anyone. We've never had any issues with any other companies we've rented from before, but Fairfield has a very sneaky way of doing business.
Aside from the fact that the Super never answered his phone (he did usually call back), and the fact that it was nearly impossible to get anything corrected in our apartment without the Super first getting the Property Manager's approval (which, at times, took days or weeks), getting our security deposit back was the worst experience.
BEWARE OF FAIRFIELD'S LEASE/CONTRACT!!! Read it carefully! We didn't sign the lease the first time we sat down to do so. There were about 10 sections which either needed to be revised or completely eliminated. The rep kept telling us, "Oh, don't worry about that. That doesn't apply to you." Luckily, we had everything we were uncomfortable with changed, because when they finally issued our security deposit refund check, they took out $511 for "Real Estate Taxes", which is something they can legally do, but since we had a fully executed lease eliminating that paragraph, Fairfield told us they'd be "willing" to give us back that money. They also make you vacate the apartment 3 days before the real end of your lease, but make you pay for the entire month.
They took out $35 for carpet deodorizing and said it was because of the dog smell. Our dog is hypoallergenic and only lived in the apartment for the first 2 months of the 2-1/2 years we were there. When the Super did the walk-through, he said everything was fine and we'd get our whole deposit back. Ok, so who's lying?
After the first snow storm we had, I called the office 3 times before anyone came to clear the parking lot at 2pm the next day. Nobody was able to get their cars out to go to work. When the guys did show up to our 16-unit property, we were told they first went to another county to clear the lot of a 200-unit property. Why?
They repaired the building roof while we were renting. The roofers took the old roof off leaving only a tarp in its place. That night there was heavy rainfall and the roof leaked, shorting out a light fixture in our bedroom closet and dumping dirty water on half of my clothes. It took me almost 2 months to get them to refund me $75 for cleaning costs.
This review only scratches the surface of the BS you go through with Fairfield. The apartments themselves are nice, and a lot of the properties are being completely remodeled, but don't let that fool you. You'll still have to deal with the employees.
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