Alcove at the Islands by PB Bell

SO STINKY!!!!!
Long story short...It was move in day last week and the apartment reeked of cigarets AND thats even with brand new carpet and paint. But I had already signed the lease and management apparently doesn't come in on weekends even to assist in situations like this. That smell was so strong and not going anywhere any time soon. They then proceeded to use the "ozone" machine and "cherry bomb" it. Both temporary fixes. I then opted to move in to a different unit and IT has the smell of old cigarets too!! Completely unacceptable move in conditions and of course you can't photograph or document smell so you don't have much to use in court when all of your clothes and furniture get stained with the odor!

DO NOT COME HERE!!! ONCE YOU SIGN THE LEASE THEY WILL NOT DO ANYTHING TO HELP YOU. AND THEY WILL STICK YOU WITH A HORRIBLE SMELLING APARTMENT.

I have washed the walls, cleaned the carpets, repeatedly washed the floors all by myself and still the odor remains strong as ever.
Let me know if y'all have any tips cause I still have 12 more months of this mind numbing smell.

DON'T TRUST THE MANAGEMENT PHOTOS OF THIS PLACE!!

In a word "crap". I originally moved here at the behest of a friend because it's close to the school for my special needs child & work. I have lived here a year and needed to renew since moving wasn't an option. I realized today they jacked up the rent by $88 on a "bait & switch". (Please note bait & switch also happens when being shown a new property vice what you actually get - see Tip here on Yelp.) During the renewal the manager told me she needed to reprint my renewal lease to add my kids...the ones that have already lived here for a year. Today I found out she actually raised my rate without me noticing. When I confronted her & the man showing off "new" units they were outright rude about screwing me over. I then learned they were bought out by another company & I had supposedly paid $930 a month previously due to "concessions"....whatever that means.

The new signs out front & recently remodeled office don't make up for the parking lot with pot-hole asphalt, trash & porta potties. The parking awnings are trashed. Plumbing for both bathrooms is still not working, the disposal is old & smells no matter the cleaning. There's paint spots on my cheap faux wood laminate floors, the kitchen & fixtures are straight outta the 80s. (See photos)

With all sincerity, I wouldn't mind paying more if my place was remodeled like the one next door, but this one isn't worth it. I recommend you consider management that cares more for your comfort then tricking you with a pretty pool table, couch & pillows in THEIR office.

I honestly don't know how anyone can post a bad review of this place. I've lived here for a while now and I couldn't be happier. From the day I moved in until now, I've been treated with nothing but respect and the apartments themselves are beautiful.

The community is well-kept, the office and maintenance team members are so sweet and any issues that have come up were addressed quickly and the way the team handled them surpassed my expectations. Definitely consider Alcove at the Islands if you are looking to move! You'll love it here!

Unfortunately this complex went from a 5 Star to a 1 Star by the time we moved out.
During our 1 year there they continued to remove amenities but rent was at an increase for renewal. They took away the recycling as well as the ability to rent the clubhouse which were two big things that drew me to the complex in the first place.
They even removed the big American flag out front...come on!
The parking is ridiculous if you have more than 1 car. Extra spaces are near impossible to find, especially at night and most often we found ourselves walking clear across the whole complex to get home.
The carpet they installed was so subpar that a mere month in there were stains coming up from underneath. We were of course charged for complete replacement of this crap carpet at move out too! It couldn't even withstand a year of traffic. Just assume you will be charged. We also spent 2 days cleaning after moving out and were still charged with a complete home cleaning fee. Might as well leave it trashed because they are charge happy and will ding you for nothing.
I worked in property management for hundreds of homes doing move out inspections... this place is a joke. Steer clear.

My boyfriend and I have lived here since July and absolutely love Alcove! Living near the water gives this location a cozy feel. Staff in the office and maintenance guys are always helpful and pleasant. We plan on staying here for quite some time until we plan on purchasing a home. Alcove doesn't disappoint!!!

PLEASE BE AWARE, THIS COMPLEX IS PAYING TENNETS TO POST POSITIVE REVIEWS. Last time I was there they were paying $25 gift cards to anyone who would post on yelp or other sites. Continue reading for a real review...


After living at Alcove at the Islands, I can without a doubt this is the worst staff and management I have ever had to endure. Where to start, when I moved in they told me utilities usually run about $100-$150(sewer, water, trash =$40 the rest for electricity) this sounded normal and reasonable so we did not question. We discovered that they knew when they told me this it was a BOLD FACED LIE. Our electricity bill in the summer hovered between $225-260. And that was with the ac set at 78-82 during the entire summer of a 900 sqft apartment. Add sewer water trash and that's $300. Ridiculous. The reason? Terrible quality single pane windows, vaulted ceilings(in my unit), an ac system designed for a unit half that size, and only FIVE AC vents(zero in 2nd bedroom). Our neighboor had their entire ac system replaced mid summer... guess how much it lowered their bill... $5. These units are simple designed wrong, and it will lead you to believe you have entered hell during the summer. My wife and I have both have done property management so we made sure to make it as seemless as possible for them after we moved on, spending several days cleaning everything out. After we left our unit in Immaculate condition we still received a bill of repairs at $800. The best part about the complex, the lake, is constantly filled with a gross green sludge to combat the algae. So it smells awful, and the bugs make you think you are in the south. You do not get to fish the lake for free, and docking a boat will also run you extra. Other hidden cost include, processing your payment fee.. yes that's right they CHARGE YOU TO PAY THEM. They also do not accept checks in the office. What apartment will refuse payment by check? None that I have been to. They force you to pay on card so they can charge you to run the card. We didn't pay rent on the 1st one time because it was a Friday and needed to pay on the weekend, and learned the hard way there is literally no way to do that. They will give you the run around and tell you to go to a booth in a Walgreens to pay that doesn't exists. Another time my wife and I wanted to run an ice cream social for the complex to met our neighbors and try to promote our business. After asking permission for several weeks, and given the standard alcove run around, the monthly newsletter came out and we learned they took our idea and used it themselves instead of letting us do it. There is no Internet cafe, and you can not rent the main facility anymore. Oh and the one time we did, they double booked it and kicked us out half way. Further evidence of the Incompetence in the front office. Most of the staff realises this which is why it was a revolving door at the front desk. While it is not the apartments fault it is also worth noting that EVERYONE in the complex smokes. As the parents of two young kids we could not wait to get out of that situation. I know this is a mostly negative review so I will give a list of the few positive aspects below:

-location - good restaurants, shopping near
-Maintenance staff was very friendly and helpful
-lake views (extra $)

If your willing to overpay for these three things this is the place for you. Anyone else with any other possible options I would highly suggest for your sanity picking a different apartment and property management company.

We've had a lot of issues lately.

1. We are NEVER notified we have packages.

2. There are constantly police here and the office never seems to have any idea what's going on to offer any peace of mind. I'm not a private I!

3. Our apartment has been sprayed a few times for roaches and ants. However with several cracked and poorly patched tiles (which have been asked to replace but have only been "repaired") the exterminator told us the ants were coming from inside the walls "subterranean" and there was little to nothing we can do. So we're stuck with a closet and bathroom full of small black ants. They're also in our boys room and the 2nd bathroom. Don't worry the kitchen is free of ants.

The ups?

The maintenance crew are super friendly when they're here to complete an order. They make conversation and make you feel like they respect your home.

I've over heard Ashley having a few inappropriate conversations about residence that were a little unprofessional. To be fair I don't think she knew I was waiting for her help, but then again she is in the back too.

We have a 3 bedroom and it's been great for the two years we've been here. The unit itself. We have decent Laminate floors, our counters are new. The kitchen is smaller but is open to the dining area. The living room is spacious. The first bedroom is more of a den. It's small but works for a smaller child nicely. We love having laundry machines in our unit. We're on the corner and have decent shade which is nice for the summers.

We are moving because our rent continues to increase and for what we will be paying coming up our family could add a backyard, garage, etc.

Is it nice to live for a year or so? Yes. Would I make this a long term or beyond those years home? No.

I hope they work out the kinks and best of luck moving forward.

I had a wonderful experience when I came in for a tour. They have a beautiful scenery and the lady who helped me named Blanca was very attentive and professional.

Love living here! The Islands community is beautiful! Maintenance requests are completed in a timely manner. Best apartments I've lived in here in the East Valley.

They turn off the water frequently and without warning.

They enter your unit to fix something and then take their sweet time on the job. Your day has to revolve around their schedule and I work 3rd shift and day time is my sleep/quiet time, so to say I am unhappy is an understatement