Pennbrook Apartments

Pros

• The office personnel are very nice and helpful.
• The maintenance men are very nice and helpful.
• The people who run this place now are amazing.
• The location is great.
• The clubhouse rental is affordable and deposits are refundable when left in good condition.
• The neighbors are friendly.

Cons

• The management doesn't fix problems promptly and charges tenants for almost everything.
• They give residents no privacy and constantly harass them for minor things.
• There are too many inspections.
• Office staff are unprofessional, disrespectful, and only care about themselves.
• Maintenance staff are lazy, drink on the job, and harass residents.
• Mold is present and simply painted over instead of being treated.
• Rent is increased, making it harder to live there.
• They mislead applicants about approvals and deny housing after promising approval.

Review

The place comes through in reviews as a study in contrast. For every resident who sings praises about quiet corners, friendly neighbors, or a well-located clubhouse, there seems to be another who says the same halls hide a pattern of problems. A number of long-tenured residents describe a property that looks good on the surface but behaves differently in practice: maintenance that feels slow or careless, privacy that's treated as a negotiation rather than a right, and management dynamics that swing between helpful and hostile depending on who you talk to. It's a complex picture, painted by people who've had drastically different experiences across years and sections of the property.

Ventures into maintenance and upkeep reveal the widest divergence in opinion. A common thread in the harsh evaluations is that repairs are inconsistent at best and non-existent at worst. Several reviewers accuse the maintenance team of laziness, of drinking on the job, and of harassment - claims that lodge a core fear: that problems will be ignored or addressed in a heavy-handed way. Paint jobs and mold remediation are cited as particularly problematic, with some tenants alleging that mold issues are merely painted over or covered up rather than truly treated, allowing the problem to spread. On the flip side, a few residents report positive interactions with the maintenance crew - describing them as helpful and courteous - and they recount timely fixes when problems are reported. The contrast is striking and suggests that tenant experience may depend on the specific maintenance crew assigned or the particular management period in place.

The office staff and management emerge in the reviews as a dividing line as well. A substantial portion of commenters accuse the office workers of being unprofessional, intrusive, and unscrupulous - characterizing them as harassing tenants, overcharging rent, or engaging in unreliable or deceptive communication. There are stark allegations of discrimination and equal housing law violations, including claims that certain applicants were denied housing due to insufficient or biased processes and even that an interracial gay couple faced denials or biased treatment. Yet there are also voices praising the office team, calling them nice, helpful, and responsive. Some reviewers speak glowingly about the office personnel and even about the manager, insisting that as long as you maintain clear communication and stay on top of everything, the experience can be smooth. The reality, it seems, is not fixed but contingent on who is in charge and who you interact with.

Privacy and the rhythm of inspections also appear as a point of contention. Several reviews convey a sense that tenants have little privacy, with staff frequently monitoring or checking on minor issues and neighborhoods for the smallest reasons. The frequency of inspections is flagged as excessive by some, contributing to a feeling of constant scrutiny rather than a cooperative relationship with the landlord. There are even mentions of cameras and watchfulness that contribute to a sense of being under surveillance. Others acknowledge that rules and inspections can feel necessary for safety and order, but the consensus across these posts is that the experience of being watched and regulated can significantly sour an otherwise ordinary living situation.

Yet amid the complaints, the narratives aren't uniformly negative. A handful of residents offer buoyant testimonials about the very real strengths of the property. Some emphasize the friendliness of neighbors, the quality of the apartment itself, and the advantages of the location. A few recount positive experiences with the clubhouse, noting that it's affordable to rent for events and returns a deposit in good condition. One former resident recalls a drastic positive turn after ownership and management changed, calling the new team "amazing" and the overall experience "awesome." Others describe a sense of community in certain sections or corners of the property where life feels calmer and rules are seen as reasonable, if occasionally strict. These positive threads hint at a living environment that can be rewarding when conditions align.

Time and section variability also figure into the overall impression. Some reviews come from people who lived there many years ago and speak of a much more favorable state - sometimes attributed to past management changes or improvements after a buyout - while others clock recent experiences that are deeply negative. A few commenters contrast the near-universal complaints with memories of being in a quieter, nicer environment on one side of the property, while acknowledging drama or "back section" tensions on the other. The implication is that the management quality, enforcement style, and resident mix may differ markedly by building, lot, or time, making the experience feel almost individualized rather than uniform across the entire complex.

Taken together, the collection of reviews paints a portrait of a place with significant variability. For some, the apartments themselves are appealing - well-located, comfortable, and capable of hosting events - while the management and maintenance practices can be fraught with frustration, inconsistency, or even harassment. For others, the negatives - privacy concerns, aggressive inspections, questionable maintenance, and questionable fairness in tenant screening - outweigh any positives. The story that emerges is not one of an inherently good or bad property, but of a property whose quality is highly contingent on the specific team in charge, the particular building, and the resident's own approach to communication and persistence.

If you're considering moving here, the takeaway is to approach with a balanced and informed mindset. Ask direct questions about current maintenance response times, mold remediation practices, and how inspections are scheduled and communicated. Inquire about privacy policies, cameras, and the grounds for visits to your unit. Seek clarity on the screening process, including how history is weighed and what permissible criteria are. And, where possible, talk to current residents in the exact building you're eyeing to get a real-time pulse on the management, the maintenance crew, and the day-to-day atmosphere. It's clear this property can offer a comfortable home and a friendly community, but that promise seems to depend significantly on which building you inhabit, who runs the property at the time, and how effectively you engage with the system from application through move-in and beyond.

Hospitals

• Starflower Enterprises (1 miles)
• Fms Dialysis of Owosso (1.8 miles)
• Memorial Healthcare (2 miles)
• The Memorial Hospital (2 miles)
• Memorial Healthcare Cancer Center (2 miles)
• Shiawassee County Medical Care Facility (3.3 miles)
• Memorial State Road Outpatient Services (3.9 miles)

Places of Worship

• Open Door Bible Baptist Church (1.1 miles)
• Seventh-Day Adventist Church (1.1 miles)
• Cornerstone Church of God (1.9 miles)
• Unchained Ministries (2 miles)
• Herbruck Kenneth J Rev (2.3 miles)
• Owosso Seventh-day Adventist Church (2.5 miles)
• Corunna United Methodist Church (3.5 miles)

Restaurants

• Wrought Iron Grill (1.4 miles)
• Rainbow Bar (1.4 miles)
• El Potrero (1.5 miles)
• The Sideline Sports Bar Owosso (1.6 miles)
• Fortune House Restaurant (1.6 miles)
• Jade Buffet (1.7 miles)
• Tanglewood Restaurant & Lounge (1.7 miles)

Physicians

• Arnold Medical Clinic PC (1.5 miles)
• Owosso Oral & Maxillofacial (1.6 miles)
• After Hours Care (1.6 miles)
• Dr Badra (1.7 miles)
• Eye Care Associates of Owosso PC (1.8 miles)
• Owosso Internal Medicine (1.9 miles)
• Tarek Pacha, DO BS - Memorial Health Holistic Urology (1.9 miles)

Pharmacies

• Epic Pharmacies (1.7 miles)
• Sobaks Pharmacy (1.7 miles)
• Owosso Community Pharmacy (1.7 miles)
• Rite Aid (2.1 miles)
• Walgreens (2.1 miles)
• Kroger Pharmacy (2.5 miles)
• Vg Pharmacy (2.6 miles)

Theaters

• Owosso Cinemas Ncg (1.7 miles)

Parks

• Harmon Partridge Park (3.2 miles)
• McCurdy Park (3.2 miles)
• Kazoos Family Fun Center (3.9 miles)
• Henderson Park (7.6 miles)
• Sleepy Hollow State Park (10.2 miles)

Transportation

• Log Cabin Taxidermy (4.4 miles)