Westshire Village at the Lake

I've already recommended them to a few people. I like the life lease. You sort of buy the place as if it were a condo, but you don't really buy it. Instead, you've bought the ability to live there as long as you want to. And you don't really pay rent - you just pay a small maintenance fee. The ...

I've already recommended them to a few people. I like the life lease. You sort of buy the place as if it were a condo, but you don't really buy it. Instead, you've bought the ability to live there as long as you want to. And you don't really pay rent - you just pay a small maintenance fee. The nice thing about that is you then don't have any property taxes. I love my apartment. It's open concept, a 2-bedroom 2-bath, with a sunroom. When you move in, you get all new appliances (refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, microwave) and new carpeting. And you can purchase upgrades through an allowance where you just pay above the standard monthly cost . I love that it has laundry in the apartments. Even though you purchased it, they do all the repairs. We had a couple of little leaks, and they came up and fixed them. There are three different living situations. Their Branch Homes are like a duplex with 1- or 2-car garages. I live in the Stratford Homes, which are more like a condo situation. And then they also have an apartment building where you can rent. And it's all 55 and older. We haven't participated in activities much, but I've met a lot of people. They had a party to introduce new residents, and a lot of the residents I met are very friendly. Running into people in the underground parking lot, everybody is always very friendly and saying hi. They also have a nurse that comes here once a week and does blood pressure checks. I've met people there waiting to go in. They also have a beauty shop on site.

While the setting is very nice (near Lake Mendota and a great nature trail) the business itself is behind in taxes to the extent that they have also been fined. Maintenance is awful. It takes them weeks to accomplish the smallest task and often say “We’re getting to it.” It often takes a lot o...

While the setting is very nice (near Lake Mendota and a great nature trail) the business itself is behind in taxes to the extent that they have also been fined. Maintenance is awful. It takes them weeks to accomplish the smallest task and often say “We’re getting to it.” It often takes a lot of reminders for anything to get done. Major maintenance issues such as new roofs for ranches and Stratford needed but we are told they can’t afford it. Shady bunch running everyday business from Chicago. Maintenance staff rude and lazy. Sad to see what could be a great place being run into the ground.