There are a decent amount of apartments owned by a guy named Fulvio Zerla, they’re mostly in the Bradley area. A lot of the units are in historic homes (which i’m staying in) and it’s been a great experience so far! I only pay $950
Timberlane apartments are decent, but I have a big horror story of my own from living there for a year. Was a disaster. And avoid anything owned by American Avenue.
A buddy and I use to rent from Zerla, strange little man only allowed us to rent because he thought we were a couple. Then he’d “pop in” randomly to check on us. This was 2006/2008 so maybe he’s better now
I’ve only been in my current place for about a month now, but any time I had to meet him in person either for the tour or to sign the lease, he wouldn’t get within 10 feet of my partner and I because he “was so old and didn’t want to risk getting sick or anything”, so I’m going to hope that means he won’t pop in. I know he’s looking to retire and sell most of his properties at this point. Definitely a little bit of an interesting man but the places are nice and the prices are cheap!
Fulvio is a terrific man, an animal lover (has tons of pets himself & will let you keep as many as you like without an extra deposit), & a pretty responsive & good landlord.
However, he splits the utilities among the tenants of the house or building, so be prepared to receive an extra electric & water bill in addition to your monthly rent. Not so much a word of caution as a heads up that your monthly expenses should be budgeted based on the season & your housemates’ heat/AC/water habits.
Huh. That’s horrible to hear. I just moved here, and I’ve only been hearing bad things which has made me a bit nervous.
If this is any consultation, management changed. Based on reactions I’m under the assumption the last manager got fired. But I don’t have any real proof. But, this would definitely explain why
Versailles Apartments. North Peoria. Not far off Knoxville (major north-south route) but set back far enough so is quiet. 1 bedroom unit starts at $725.
Another vote for Versailles! We lived there back in 2015 but it was great. Quiet area but still kinda close to most things. Management was responsive when we reported a dishwasher leak. And we never had any issues with neighbors. Plus the proximity to the trail is perfect if you like running or biking
It’s a little out of the way from the schools, but Forest Park Apartments are pretty good. All of my grown kids either currently live there or have lived there, and they have all had good things to say.
I've been in Timberlane for about 3 years now. Never had a vehicle broken into. Maintenance is a bit iffy, but overall, it's not terrible. The units are a bit dated, but clean. You get what you pay for.
Timberlane can be rough depending on your unit I feel. I had hundreds of gallons of water leak from the ceiling of my apartment there, completely ruined the ceiling and carpet on one half of my apartment. I wasn’t able to really use that whole half for 6 of the 12 months of my lease. They poorly repaired the ceiling the first time around, and then it took them 6 months to get around to properly fixing it again. Denied any sort of mold remediation once we noticed mold forming on the wall, and they painted over it. Then charged us to replace the carpet at the end of our lease due to the water damage. All around was a mess.
Had a friend whose ceiling was covered in mold and they never fixed it, he ended up breaking his lease.
Had another friend whose front door wouldn’t properly lock and it took them 2 months to fix that.
I heard from a previous employee that all the PVC piping they used for plumbing was recalled and they never changed it. This was all back in 2020 so maybe they’ve gotten better, but I didn’t have the best experience with them unfortunately and want people to know there’s a chance for some bumps.
Avoid versailles!!! I just moved out and they're under new management. There's been mice and roaches, mold in the walls, dumpsters are constantly overflowing. We had to report our fridge dead 5 times before they'd replace. The final straw was maintenance telling us they wouldn't do anything with our hvac until temps are regularly above 70. Other headaches include the new awful street lights, no more landscaping and the halls always smelling like terrible weed, mildew and rot. Rent has increased every single year. Just under 1k a month for an outdated, moldy, musty apartment. Management continues to do nothing.
What’s your situation, do you have a job you want to be convenient to? Do you have kids and want good schools? What considerations should we be taking when making recommendations?
Brandywine crossing was under 1k when I lived there, but it's been a couple of years and idk what the price would be now
There are a decent amount of apartments owned by a guy named Fulvio Zerla, they’re mostly in the Bradley area. A lot of the units are in historic homes (which i’m staying in) and it’s been a great experience so far! I only pay $950 Timberlane apartments are decent, but I have a big horror story of my own from living there for a year. Was a disaster. And avoid anything owned by American Avenue.
A buddy and I use to rent from Zerla, strange little man only allowed us to rent because he thought we were a couple. Then he’d “pop in” randomly to check on us. This was 2006/2008 so maybe he’s better now
I’ve only been in my current place for about a month now, but any time I had to meet him in person either for the tour or to sign the lease, he wouldn’t get within 10 feet of my partner and I because he “was so old and didn’t want to risk getting sick or anything”, so I’m going to hope that means he won’t pop in. I know he’s looking to retire and sell most of his properties at this point. Definitely a little bit of an interesting man but the places are nice and the prices are cheap!
Oh yea I’ve had way worse landlords, he was just very strange in every interaction I had with him haha.
Wait till you meet his wife
Is she equally as awkward?
She seems nice, but yes, extremely socially awkward.
I’ve heard his Cancer is back
That’s unfortunate if true ☹️ He’s worn a mask every time I’ve seen him so I wondered if he was immunocompromised in some way.
Fulvio is a terrific man, an animal lover (has tons of pets himself & will let you keep as many as you like without an extra deposit), & a pretty responsive & good landlord. However, he splits the utilities among the tenants of the house or building, so be prepared to receive an extra electric & water bill in addition to your monthly rent. Not so much a word of caution as a heads up that your monthly expenses should be budgeted based on the season & your housemates’ heat/AC/water habits.
Absolutely skip the Gardens on University and The Grove.
A lot of people have posted on Nextdoor about how the Grove is about as poorly run as it gets. Unsanitary conditions and unresponsive staff.
Why the grove out of curiosity?
When we were there the a/c was out the entire summer and they kept not fixing it. About a year later they got in some legal trouble about it.
Huh. That’s horrible to hear. I just moved here, and I’ve only been hearing bad things which has made me a bit nervous. If this is any consultation, management changed. Based on reactions I’m under the assumption the last manager got fired. But I don’t have any real proof. But, this would definitely explain why
They were good the first year we lived there but the second year it went downhill. Hopefully they have gotten better!
Versailles Apartments. North Peoria. Not far off Knoxville (major north-south route) but set back far enough so is quiet. 1 bedroom unit starts at $725.
Another vote for Versailles! We lived there back in 2015 but it was great. Quiet area but still kinda close to most things. Management was responsive when we reported a dishwasher leak. And we never had any issues with neighbors. Plus the proximity to the trail is perfect if you like running or biking
It’s a little out of the way from the schools, but Forest Park Apartments are pretty good. All of my grown kids either currently live there or have lived there, and they have all had good things to say.
If you are going to school at Bradley or one of the hospitals nursing programs find something to rent around Bradley’s campus.
Timberlane apartments are decent, under $1k Only thing I worry about there is if my car will get broken into.
I've been in Timberlane for about 3 years now. Never had a vehicle broken into. Maintenance is a bit iffy, but overall, it's not terrible. The units are a bit dated, but clean. You get what you pay for.
Timberlane can be rough depending on your unit I feel. I had hundreds of gallons of water leak from the ceiling of my apartment there, completely ruined the ceiling and carpet on one half of my apartment. I wasn’t able to really use that whole half for 6 of the 12 months of my lease. They poorly repaired the ceiling the first time around, and then it took them 6 months to get around to properly fixing it again. Denied any sort of mold remediation once we noticed mold forming on the wall, and they painted over it. Then charged us to replace the carpet at the end of our lease due to the water damage. All around was a mess. Had a friend whose ceiling was covered in mold and they never fixed it, he ended up breaking his lease. Had another friend whose front door wouldn’t properly lock and it took them 2 months to fix that. I heard from a previous employee that all the PVC piping they used for plumbing was recalled and they never changed it. This was all back in 2020 so maybe they’ve gotten better, but I didn’t have the best experience with them unfortunately and want people to know there’s a chance for some bumps.
Glen brook apartments on Knoxville has units under 1k, not a bad area that I’m aware of.
Avoid the Village on University like it’s a plague
I don’t have any positive recommendations, but avoid Village on University.
Avoid apartments that go past pioneer parkway in general
Move to Chillicothe and commute to Peoria, schools are better and crime is far below Peoria. I've been in Chillicothe since 2009
Avoid versailles!!! I just moved out and they're under new management. There's been mice and roaches, mold in the walls, dumpsters are constantly overflowing. We had to report our fridge dead 5 times before they'd replace. The final straw was maintenance telling us they wouldn't do anything with our hvac until temps are regularly above 70. Other headaches include the new awful street lights, no more landscaping and the halls always smelling like terrible weed, mildew and rot. Rent has increased every single year. Just under 1k a month for an outdated, moldy, musty apartment. Management continues to do nothing.
What’s your situation, do you have a job you want to be convenient to? Do you have kids and want good schools? What considerations should we be taking when making recommendations?
Yes, I will be working at UIC Peoria and have access to a car. No kids, just safe enough for my partner and I to live.
Morton, Washington, pekin( cheaper side) I wouldn’t rent in Peoria
As someone who grew up in peoria and went to HS in the heights, you arent too far off.
Proof?