Canadian student looking for an apartment near IUPUI campus--help!! (apartments, lease) - Indianapolis - Indiana (IN) - City-Data Forum

hyun0812 · 02-11-2014, 12:20 AM

Hello everyone,

I'm a canadian student joining a graduate program at IUPUI this summer. I'm looking for a

- studio/1 bedroom unit nearby campus.
- I won't have a car. Therefore, location is super important to me!! It has to be within walking distance or should be nearby public transportation.
- the area should be very safe!
- $600- 1300 /month range

I looked at the following properties and any information regarding them or any other recommendations would be really appreciated!!

- Canal Square apartment: It seems like it has the best location. But I heard the apartment has a lot of bugs and poor maintenance.. does anyone know if this place is decent and safe to live?

- The Avenue: From their website the apartment looks new and clean. But I couldn't find any reviews on these units. Did anyone hear about the apartment? Also, anyone know if the area is safe? (it's nearby the north side of the iupui campus)

- Block apartments: I think it has good location in downtown but not within walking distance to campus. Does anyone know if it's easy to take buses from this location to iupui campus?

I read about other apartments nearby campus too (such as Lockfield, Gardens of canal court) but they seemed to have terrible reviews.
Since I don't know anyone in indianapolis it's hard to look for housing.. if anyone recommends/knows about these properties please share!

Thanks!!

BU191433 · 02-11-2014, 06:34 AM

I've heard Canal Square is pretty nice. Would be a good location for you. I would look there first

ischyros · 02-11-2014, 06:50 AM

What do you consider walking distance? Yes, The Block isn't as close as the others you mentioned but it's still only 8-10 blocks to the middle of campus. And if it's cold, you can get to the JW Marriott through the skyway system without going outside. It's a bit of a longer walk but it gets you halfway to campus. Just a thought. Otherwise, the IndyGo Red Line is a downtown circulator that goes through the IUPUI campus and runs about every 15 minutes from 7AM to 10PM Monday-Saturday. If you use the bus a lot, you might want to look into buying an S-pass from IUPUI. It's a 31-day pass that is only available through colleges and is a 50% discount off the price of a regular 31-day pass. http://www.iupui.edu/~fees/spass.html

wh15395 · 02-11-2014, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ischyros

What do you consider walking distance? Yes, The Block isn't as close as the others you mentioned but it's still only 8-10 blocks to the middle of campus. And if it's cold, you can get to the JW Marriott through the skyway system without going outside. It's a bit of a longer walk but it gets you halfway to campus. Just a thought. Otherwise, the IndyGo Red Line is a downtown circulator that goes through the IUPUI campus and runs about every 15 minutes from 7AM to 10PM Monday-Saturday. If you use the bus a lot, you might want to look into buying an S-pass from IUPUI. It's a 31-day pass that is only available through colleges and is a 50% discount off the price of a regular 31-day pass. S Pass : Student Fees - FYI : IUPUI

This is exactly what I was going to say. If you live anywhere Downtown near the Red Line, you don't have to worry about how far you are from campus.

hyun0812 · 02-11-2014, 03:18 PM

Thank you for your replies !
By walking distance I meant ~15 min of walking to the dentistry building (middle of campus). It seems like both canal square and block are good options for me. And I dont mind taking buses too.I might fill out the applications for both of them and see which one has an availability first.

Because I am in canada and Iam currently in school I won't really be able to view the units before I sign the lease contracts. Do you guys think this would be ok or am I making a huge mistake? I am planning to move in by the end of June.

wh15395 · 02-11-2014, 05:44 PM

I can't speak for Canal Square personally, but I have heard that it is not the best. I have, however, looked at apartments in The Block and can say that I was extremely impressed with the building. The apartments themselves are alright, but the best part was the fact that the atrium is an old department store. I also cannot express to you how valuable it would be to live in a building with skywalk access. You can get to many areas downtown without even stepping foot outside.

Other apartments you may want to consider would be Artistry, The Axis, CityWay, 9 on Canal, and others that I'm leaving out. In my opinion though, The Block would still be the first choice.

hyun0812 · 02-11-2014, 10:56 PM

Thanks wh15395! The Block sounds like a very nice place to live in and I will consider it as my first choice. And thanks for mentioning other properties too. I didn't know these ones existed and they all seem pretty nice too with good locations. If the Block doesn't work out, I will look into them as my alternative options.

ischyros · 02-12-2014, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wh15395

I can't speak for Canal Square personally, but I have heard that it is not the best. I have, however, looked at apartments in The Block and can say that I was extremely impressed with the building. The apartments themselves are alright, but the best part was the fact that the atrium is an old department store. I also cannot express to you how valuable it would be to live in a building with skywalk access. You can get to many areas downtown without even stepping foot outside.

Other apartments you may want to consider would be Artistry, The Axis, CityWay, 9 on Canal, and others that I'm leaving out. In my opinion though, The Block would still be the first choice.

I agree with this about The Block. I've never seen the apartments themselves, but the location is hard to beat. Everything you could want downtown is right at your finger tips. And you can go to the mall (Circle Centre), plenty of restaurants, and see a movie without even needing your jacket on a -5 degree day like today because of the skywalk.

BU191433 · 02-12-2014, 06:51 AM

The Block is really expensive though. According to their website their least epensive apartment is $1360 per month.

I always tell people never to rent an apartment before checking it out in person. But it sounds like you may not have much choice.

I think you need to decide what price range you are really willing to pay. You list $600 - 1300. that is a huge range. The apartments that you can get for 600-800 are completely different from 1100-1300.

hyun0812 · 02-13-2014, 11:25 AM

I phoned Block apartments today and apparently there are 70+ people on the wait list for their one bedroom units . I guess I will consider other options. But Thanks for your help all of you!

As for my budget I meant I would prefer it to be around 1000 but I realized most of good locations are slightly more than that.