Aspyre At Assembly Station

Moved into a two bedroom last August because it was somewhat close to campus which is the only positive thing about this place. there are roaches all over the place, the exterminator comes every once in a while but it doesn't help. opened the dish washer and there were roaches living inside. the appliances look decent but are terrible. the bedrooms are too small and aren't worth the money. the walls are paper thin. the complex is surrounded by train tracks which you won't get use to... along with all the emergency sirens that go back and forth 24/7. the parking garage is way too small and you can forget about having guests over cause there is three very small parking areas for guests and parking across the street will get them towed. do not pay attention to any good reviews you find because they are fake. this place is terrible and no where near worth the money that you pay. I will not be renewing my lease for next fall more

DO NOT LIVE HERE!!!!! Not only is the staff rude, but it is unsafe and all they want is your money. They advertise how "safe" it is, but half the time, the outside doors are unlocked or you can easily reach in and unlock it. I live on the 1st floor and on several occasions have had to park on the 5th or 6th (roof level) floor. I've counted out of curiosity and noticed that the number of nonresidents in the garage far outweighs the number of residents. This is odd considering the fact that you have to have a key to get in the garage and they "tow" cars. I've had to call maintenance countless times because of problems. The worst was at 1 am when my water heater was overflowing. The guy came and fixed it and swore up and down someone would come to dry the carpet. He never showed. I called the office and put in requests, but no one ever came. I returned home from Thanksgiving (over a week) to discover a note on my door stating someone that lived near me had left household garbage in the courtyard (not unusual) and that I would be charged $50 because that breaks the leasing contract. When I went to the office and spoke to the manager she said that they have to punish everyone that live nears there. I'm guessing probably about 15-25 units. The units are set up to where your power bill is sky high. The air vent is in front of the thermastat so if it's set to 70, and the air blowing from the vent is 70, it won't do anything, even if the bedroom and kitchen are 65. Oh, and did I mention the NON-resident that had a PSYCHOTIC break and was waving a KNIFE around??!! Guess who didn't want to call the police since he wasn't supposed to be in the complex? That's right...management. I could go on and on and on with all of the reasons why I hate this place. Sadly, I've only been here for 2 months. more

I was so excited to live in Aspyre since a couple friends of mine lived there and enjoyed it. I, however, have had problems from day one, quite literally. The very first day I moved in, I had to leave work to come sign a paper so that my roommate's parents could move her stuff in. When I asked the office staff whyit was so urgent for me to come sign this paper, they told me it was for "security reasons". Ironically, "security" here is an absolute joke. We had our apartment broken into within the first few months of living here, and when we asked to see security tapes we were told that none existed more

Fire alarms! Plan on 15-20 nights out of the year getting no sleep and getting really pissed off. The other downside, though not as bad as the fire alarm is the terrible parking. You might be able to count the number of guest spots from your fingers and toes. The garage is always packed so you will have to park on the fifth and sixth floors quite often. The apartment itself is nice. No real bug problems and nice amenities. The staff is pretty average, no real issues there. My suggestion.... Save yourself the headache and live somewhere else. more

The only good parts about this place are the location and maintenance. You cannot get any sleep because the fire alarms constantly go off. Went off in the middle of the night during finals week at least once every night, sometimes more. One day/night, it went off eight separate times. Parking is terrible - cars constantly get hit and keyed in the garage. The people writing that feel "safe" because it is "gated" clearly work here - the gates have not been in operation for a month and a half. Anyone can walk in and out, and they clearly do, since apartments are broken into and a car was recently stolen from the garage. Don't get me started on the office staff, who are rude, unhelpful, and do not care about customer service at all. Once you sign your lease, they have your money and they know it. Although it looks enticing at first, do yourself a huge favor and run as far away from this place as you can. Signing this lease will be the biggest mistake you'll ever make! Counting the seconds until I'm out of this place, and I know tons of others who feel the same. more

I have been an aspyre resident for 2 years now. I cannot relate to some of the negative comments that have been listen, all I can say is that I have enjoyed every minute of my stay here. The location is the closest apartment to the university, which is why some students do not even have cars. It's a couple blocks from the strom fitness center and greek village, which is also a plus. I rarely if ever use my car living here. It saves on my gas money. The apartment itself is very nice and new. My unit comes with a patio overlooking the lap pool, which is a great view. This is my first apartment that has a parking deck and I will say it was hard to get used to at first, but I really enjoy the perks of having my car covered and secure at all times. My parents were sold on aspyre because it is one of the most secure apartments for students. The other places are far from campus and in not safe areas of town. The apartment is near a railroad track, but in Columbia no matter where you live you will hear trains. You get used to that in the dorms your first year and after that you dont really notice them. I have several friends that have moved in while I was here and they all have had great experiences as well. In my opinion Aspyre is one of the best apartment options in town. more

I don't get it... yes, fire alarms are annoying. But complaining about Aspyre because there was a car wreck in the middle of the night? Oh, those must not happen everywhere. *saracasm* I like it here, I don't get what all the fuss is about. They've always taken care of everything in my apartment. And i like the pool. Been here a year and staying next year, too. The hallways make for a long walk sometimes with groceries, etc, but it's good excercise. I bought a cart for if I'm bringing in big stuff, but I usually take the stairs anyway.... more

Aspyre is one of the nicest apartments in Columbia. It's unique from the other places by having 5 different themed courtyards, so most apartments will great views. It's also the closest apartment to downtown Columbia. The location cannot be beat. I am graduating and moving out this summer. I know I am going to miss living at Aspyre. The floorplans offer your own private space, even if you have roommates. There is not much noise from the neighbors and the property itself is very clean. I give it a 5 + star! more

I picked aspyre because I wanted a quiet, safe, and convenient location. Aspyre offered all this and more! The management team is very attentive in addressing any issues that the property may have, and they have always treated me professionally. No matter where you live as a college student, things are going to happen. I lived at University Oaks before aspyre and there is not nearly as much that people can complain about here that they could at University Oaks. I'm a grad school student and aspyre has seemed to attract a lot of the students in my program. It's a very professional, but fun atmosphere. I enjoy having two pools to use. I tend to use the lap pool instead of the resort pool because it's a little less active. There is a gym on site, but with the USC gym only being walking distance I just go there. Pets are allowed which is another reason I picked aspyre. I really cannot come up with anything truly negative. No apartment is perfect, and I know from my past student apartment experience in Columbia that the grass is not always greener. Think twice before you believe some of these negative reviews. more

While Aspyre looks great, here is a real perspective of this place: Dear Editor, I am a second year law student at the USC and I currently live at Aspyre apartments on Assembly St.. In less than 6 hours, I will be getting up to take my final exam of the semester. I would be asleep right now, but the fire alarm at my apartment complex has just gone off. While a false alarm here or there would not be a big deal that is not the case. Over the past 3 days, the alarms have sounded 4-5 times and at least once in the middle of the every night. I have lived here for a year and this is not just a fluke this has happened numerous times over the course of my stay here. Furthermore, the general level of activity here is deplorable. Only a few weeks ago I was awoken at 2:30 by a car driving out of the parking garage that hit a parked car and sent them both sailing in the drainage area behind the building. The driver's foot "got stuck on the pedal" and no breathalyzer was done because this is private property. However, my letter is not to complain. The purpose of this letter is to raise awareness to everyone in the Columbia community who might suggest a place to live to an incoming college student that Aspyre is not the place you want to rest your reputation on. While the amenities are nice when they are open, the quality of life here is not worth the hassle of the weekly if not daily dramatics that occur here. I want to make that I am not blaming all of this on the people who run this establishment, but it seems that things have gotten out of hand and no one can get control. So I lay here trying to fall asleep after standing in the cold for the third night in row. No one told me there was no fire nor that it was safe to go back inside. I fear not only for the people who might live here in the future, but for the ones who live here now because people are going to stop listening to these alarms and someone is going to get seriously hurt. more

Aspyre towed my new car from the parking deck even though a valid parking permit was clearly visible, as well as having my license plate # logged in their system. This is ridiculous and completely excusable. Not only was my car unjustifiably towed, the front and rear fenders were scratched. Parking is a nightmare here already, who would ever choose to live here if its a gamble that your own car will be in the lot waiting for you when you need it? I would never recommend anybody to live in this poorly ran, noisy apartment more

The terrible design of the building is matched in annoyance only by the uselessness of the management staff, whose sole qualification seems to be a willingness to live in the building for a discount and unencumbered by any house rules. more

This place is the worst. Don't believe the positive reviews, which seem to be written by Aspyre staff (has the building even been open 4 years as one review claims?). The apartments are nice, but management does not do a good job at all. There's no follow-up on requests or complaints. Memos that are plastered in the elevator are more appropriate for middle school students than for adults, and are very poorly written. The recycling bins are regularly overflowing, and there's dog crap all around the building. There's a small gym, but the equipment seems to break down often and then takes a long time to get fixed (the lat pulldown machine was out of service for a good 3 months; even the clock that's in the gym took over 4 months to get working again). On the positive side, it is convenient to get to downtown. But that's about it. I regret moving here, and I would never recommend this building to anybody. more

Aspyre has been my favorite student apartment during my 4/5 years at USC! I cannot say enough great things about it! After reading the negative reviews, I am almost thinking that some of these people maybe got the wrong apartment. I have 12 other friends that live at Aspyre, and we all absolutely love it! The property is so unique with 5 themed courtyards, and it really is the closest apartment to campus. You dont have to have a car unless you want one. The closest are HUGE! It's like a whole extra room. Being a girl, that was definitely a plus for me. Unlike some of the other student apartments I’ve lived in, Aspyre has one of the best maintenance and property management staff. They are always quick to fix anything and really truly care about the people who live here. They treat everyone like adults instead of students. They have the best social events for residents and are always offering free breakfast, pizza specials, etc. My parents have also enjoyed me living at Aspyre. The building is secured by fob access and the parking deck is gated, which definitely helps my mom and dad sleep easier at night. Overall, I have no complaints and cannot understand why anyone else would. more

Close to campus and great apartments! Really safe and have great looking units and amenities. The staff is easy to work with and very helpful. Maintenance is really fast and we love living here! Would recommend to all our friends! more

I have lived here for 6 months and wish I could move out now. The apartments are nice, the garage is horrible. It floods, the gates mess up every week, and there is NO visitor parking. Well there are 20 spots give or take. I wish I had researched more before I had signed a lease. Everything on this site would have talked me out of it. Take their advice. Don't live at Aspyre. more

It didn't take long to realize that I was dealing with highly unprofessional and poorly trained staff. I could not ask simple questions without getting an attitude. After I decided I no longer wished to live at Aspyre, I received attitude combined with lies. innumerable lies. Look for another place to live if you value good customer service. more

Most unprofessional office staff I've ever dealt with, the office is run by residents who want a discount and our poorly or not trained at all. more

My husband and I lived here for about nine months. Living there was fine, other than the dog feces that was all over the hallways and not cleaned up. The main complaint I have is the $170 they tried to charge us to "clean" our apartment. They claimed it was $30 to clean a microwave and $95 to repaint an apartment we never painted. We know that our apartment was in great condition when we moved out. They were simply trying to exploit us. They gave us 30 days to pay this "cleaning" fee before they would send it to collections. Unless you are looking to be ripped off when you move out I would stay away. more

this is an awful place to live - I will be moving out as soon as my lease is over (if not sooner!) more