Academy Lofts

I strongly recommend avoiding anything listed by Fenton Investments.

My father would call this place “putting lipstick on a pig.” Don’t let the charm of the building fool you—stay away.

Yes, the Academy Lofts is a beautiful old stone building in a historic neighborhood. I was drawn in by the high ceilings and tall windows. It looked great at first.

But once you move in, the problems start:

Plumbing is a mess. My dishwasher broke almost immediately and stayed broken even after being replaced.... A year later, they finally discovered the real issue was the plumbing. The garbage disposal never worked, and the sink broke twice—I waited weeks for maintenance both times, with no way to wash dishes.

Maintenance is elusive. Requests go unanswered for days or weeks, and problems linger far too long.

Management is unprofessional and hostile. They rarely respond, and when they do, they’re combative and insulting. I’ve been parking my new car on the street for five months because I lost my gate clicker—and they refuse to replace it.

Safety concerns ignored. A hornet nest above my door grew to the size of a dessert plate. I was stung twice before they finally removed it—a month later, after multiple emails and calls. It’s back now. I notified them over a week ago. No response.

Bottom line: This place is mismanaged, neglected, and not worth the headache.
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My lease just recently ended at Academy Lofts and I would not recommend living there. The management (Fenton Investment company) is rude and difficult to get in contact with, the building is old, it's in a bad area with a significant homeless population (esp. the park across the street), they have problems with cockroaches and crickets, and the coin-operated washer and dryer do not work well (it often takes three cycles for clothes to dry). They also nickeled-and-dimed me on the security deposit... after I moved, waiting until the last day they could legally send it and including overcharged "estimates" for things I've never seen a landlord charge someone for.

For the price, there are much better apartment options in Tucson with better landlords. Read More