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December 2025 by Coco Strasser
Parents and students be careful. This company will take your security deposit no matter how well you clean your apartment. We spent 4 hours cleaning every little detail. We took before and after photos. Our student lived with his girlfriend on campus 90% of the time and barely used his place. The company said that even with documented issues prior to moving in it was OUR RESPONSIBILITY to fix them! WOW! For example the stove broiler was not clean when we inspected it upon move in. We sent in our questionaire saying that this and other items were not clean or nicked etc. They said we had to do this to show that we did not cause the damage. We they billed us $800 for cleaning they said they never received the photos or questionnaire. I sent them the email confirmation. Still they wouldn't budge. This company is fraudulent and we are fighting the matter through the proper channels. We took this apartment because our student needed to find a place last minute despite the reviews we read about things like NOT REFUNDING DEPOSITS. We should have listened to those reviews. There are other options. SAY NOT TO THE UNIVERSITY GROUP AND THEY'RE SHADY PRACTICES OF TAKING ADVANTAGE OF STUDENTS.
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November 2025 by Fadi Shaaya
They attempted to steal my security deposit in its entirety, nearly $1400 out of a $1500 deposit. Only after MONTHS of emailing, getting ghosted on two occasions, and calling twice was I able to finally get back around $1000 of the original deposit. Be aware of the common scams they run and your local laws, especially if you live in Urbana. Make sure you catalog every nook and cranny on move in and move out to avoid ridiculous charges. They will attempt to charge you for wall cleaning and carpet cleaning despite Urbana City Ordiance EXPLICITY saying they can not do so for normal wear and tear. A new common upcharge tactic they are employing is charging for drain cleaning so make sure to get yourself a $5 drain snake and use it on the tub drains to pull out any hair before you move out. AVOID like the PLAGUE, absolutely evil and make sure to use Student Legal Services to assist you in getting back your deposit back.
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November 2025 by Marco Salzetta
I lived at 309 E White (U Group) and locked my bike to a bike rack owned by U Group. One day all the bikes on the bike rack vanished, I called U Group and asked if they took the bikes and they said no, then I reported my bike stolen with the police. Another week goes by and the whole bike rack was gone and a maintenance lift was in its place. So I knew it had to be U Group that took the bikes. So I emailed them again... lo and behold they took my bike and put it in storage. So I got my bike back but they broke my $200 lock. They verbally said they'd pay for the lock, so I emailed them the website listing for the lock and my order invoice for the new lock, and upon seeing the price they refused to pay me. They ghosted my next several emails. Anyways you guys suck and I want my $200 back. This happened in the 2023-24 school year.
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November 2025 by Mir Amin Mirzad
Their maintenance deserves 5 star because it is fast and efficient. Other services need improvement. I left the unit in decent condition but they charged me for cleaning and painting. I reached out to them via email several times to ask for clarification about those charges, but they didn’t even reply my emails. I called them several times to follow up on my inquiry, but they just told me that all communications would be done through email. I never received any emails to clarify the charges and answer my questions.
Finally, they replied my email after 4 months. I would suggest that they should at least let you know that it might take longer to be processed. Also, they should avoid or reduce the charges on wear and tear able stuff like paint and carpet.
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November 2025 by Destiny Krypt
Wonderful wonderful place, super understanding and helpful. Would move the sun and the earth for them
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October 2025 by Printech Workshop
Could not get a response regarding cleaning charges randomly charged to my account. Said it was because my apartment was left in a condition where a cleaning service had to be dispatched but they were very vague on why and what they cleaned. My family and I spent a whole day cleaning the apartment to make sure it was in the condition it was when I first moved in. Went to the office a few times just to be told to wait for a response after demanding for the charge back or to be patient. Absolutely horrible service and I hope to get a response from the leasing team for more information regarding my charge. I do not recommend leasing with Ugroup unless you’re okay on losing $$$ or want to deal with this painful process.
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October 2025 by Brett Tibbitts
Took a ton of our safety deposit for many basic turnover costs such and bogus cleaning costs. Filled out a dispute over a month ago and never responded, contacted the BBB, and of course no response there as well..
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October 2025 by Asif Chowdhury
Extremely frustrating experience with The University Group after moving out of my apartment. I filled out their deposit dispute form over 20 business days ago after sending a long email detailing all the issues and there has been no response or acknowledgment since. There’s no direct phone number or email to reach anyone for deposit issues, the only option is a Google Form, which makes follow-up nearly impossible.
Despite following their official move-out cleaning checklist exactly and documenting everything with photos and videos, a large portion of my security deposit was withheld for “cleaning” and “carpet steam cleaning.” The invoices provided are inconsistent and incomplete: one doesn’t list an address or contact for the vendor, another shows hours worked but not the hourly rate, and the descriptions don’t specify any damages beyond normal wear and tear. We have all the photos and video evidences before moving out, so they decided not to respond at all.
It feels like routine maintenance and turnover cleaning costs are being unfairly charged to tenants, with no transparency or clear communication. The stress with University Group is not simply worth it!!
Don’t fall for the 4.1 rating, cause they come from their hardworking maintenance employees. And their security deposit handling definitely has a pattern!
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September 2025 by Lucca Bibbey
I have had a terrible experience with university group. They are very rude when emailing about problems. When we wanted to resign and took all the measures they asked, the forgot about us and gave our apartment away. They charge a ridiculous cleaning fee for which they probably don’t actually pay for because both the apartment I had, I had to clean myself because of how gross they are. I wish I had never lived at 305 east Daniel. Just because the apartments look nice doesn’t mean doesn’t mean the people who run it will be kind. Don’t live there, save your self the months and months of stress.
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September 2025 by Audrey North
Do not rent at 409 West Green St. (owned by University Group).
Unfortunately, this was the most disappointing apartment experience I’ve ever had.
1. The design was impractical from day one. There was no silverware drawer, a bathroom sink too small to use comfortably, no dining space, and an uncomfortable couch. Even the ceiling fan malfunctioned, changing speeds and turning on and off at random despite multiple maintenance calls.
2. The walls were extremely thin. I could hear every detail of my neighbor’s life, and was yelled at for basic activities like vacuuming or brushing my teeth.
3. When I moved in, the unit had not been cleaned. Dog hair and treats from the previous tenant were still there. At move-out, I was charged over $200 in fees despite leaving the apartment in better condition than I found it.
4. My mailbox was unusable for months. It was eventually fixed, but only after several attempts and replacement keys.
5. The rent was extremely high for such a small, poorly designed space.
I wasn’t allowed to tour before signing, and I regret it. If you’re considering this property, I strongly recommend looking elsewhere.
Note: Maintenance staff did respond promptly to requests, but many of these issues should never have existed in the first place.
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September 2025 by Rachel Wiskari
I couldn't have asked for a better experience with The University Group. I moved into my first ever apartment with them when I was in graduate school, and the apartment I stayed it was so beautiful. The maintenance team was friendly and fast. Pest control always complimented how I decorated my unit. They always respected my privacy and did a great job of informing tenants with plenty of notice when they'd be doing a showing or providing maintenance. I signed for two years and when I had to move, saying goodbye to my apartment was heartbreaking. I would've stayed forever if I could. I got most of my deposit back, as they only took part of it for cleaning and painting which was expected. Thanks University Group for a great two years!
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September 2025 by Brancato
Worst leasing company to work with in the whole area. Grossly high prices and properties with living conditions that have to violate some sort of health code. This company will not communicate with you about any damages or issues upon arrival and they are incredibly unprofessional with the way they handle these sorts of things. Please do not rent with this company
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September 2025 by Ava Brancato
This is by far the worst leasing company in all of Champaign and Urbana. Not only do they charge insanely high prices for all of their properties, they also have no problem leasing out properties that have absolutely unlivable conditions. We literally had a hole in our ceiling and floor upon move in and they did not communicate at all nor did we receive proper compensation for that and all the other damages. They seem unbelievably unorganized and unprofessional. The only person who ever has ever been kind and helped us the best he can is the maintenance man. DO NOT SIGN A LEASE WITH UNIVERSITY GROUP EVEN IF UR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT. Would give zero stars if I could xoxo gossip girl
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September 2025 by Filip Wal
Our air conditioning wasn’t working, so we reached out for maintenance. Tim, the HVAC technician, arrived promptly after our request was submitted. He quickly identified the problem and had our air conditioning up and running within 10 minutes. Huge shoutout to Tim for the excellent service!
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September 2025 by Kyle Cribbins
They advertise buildings as “brand new” and then stick you with old appliances in poor shape, down to the showerhead. This would not fly at a reputable rental company.
