Tenant Reviews for 1701 HERMANN DR

Overall it is a fine place to live. The things one should be aware of are the following: 1.) They raise rent regularly so expect it to increase annually. 2.) The front desk late night personnel is watching you. If you like to go out and have a good time or have guests spend the night that do not live in your apartment, expect the front desk to make note of it. They are watching everyone and reporting it to management. They front desk is very good at getting information from you and on you. 3.) The average age of the tenants is around sixty, and I would be willing to say higher if pressed. Some might find this important. 4.) Although maintenance is prompt, you are charged for all visits and materials.

The Parklane has an evaporative cooling tower at the back of the property adjacent to neighbors. Yes an evaporativbe cooling tower like the ones featured in the movie Erin Borkovich. It is a noise nuisance braking the laws of Houston and it spews liquids into the ground and bicoides and legionella bacteria into the air. No wonder the residents of Parklane find it so wonderful. They have exported all the problems to neighbors. Lil Brown is a creep of the lowest order.

The Good: Lil Brown and Stella are the best day-to-day "tactical" property managers that I have ever experienced, either in a residential highrise, apartment or even commercial properties. They are on top of pretty much any problem, big and small, and post helpful notices regularly. After hurricane Ike, Lil was walking up the floors with inspectors the very next afternoon(Saturday)to assess the situation. They are awesome. Lobby and common areas are incredibly well maintained. Any casual walkthrough will make this fact clear. It's the "big" stuff I have problems with at the Parklane The Bad: The water service has been turned off an average of about once every other month for the past 9 years. I could see doing this for a period of a year in order to fix older pipes, but 9 years of semi-regular water shutodwns!? I will say that they typically do the planned shutdowns during the weekday during work hours, so it's not a huge problem, at least not for me, but it is a continual problem. Up until about a year ago, I could occassionally (once every 3 or 4 weeks) sewage fumes eminating back from the pipes in my bathroom, which indicates severe plumbing problems. It finally seems to have been fixed. About 5 yrs ago, a major water pipe broke, flooding the basemat with over a foot of water ruining most of what was in storage downstairs. The real problem came afterwards when the owners/mgmt immediately posted notices that they were not liable for the flooding. Seems to me that they were negligent in letting a pipe burst, and they were further negligent in taking so long to turn off the water. Who the hell do they think is liable for that disaster, the tenants? A lot of people had a lot of possession ruined during that burst pipe flooding incident and mgmt did their best to make sure they took zero responsibility. Ask anyone who lived here at that time. They renovated the pool area a year or two back and it looks great, but the outdoor grill doesn't work much of the time and the tennis court have not been level since I've lived here, keeping puddles of water in the low spots for days after a rain. The outdoor areas are decently maintained, but not as well as the interior The Ugly: During hurricane Ike, the backup generator was completely nonfunctional, which meant that a) upper floor residents had no elevator access to evacuate and b) no lighting whatsoever in the stairwells. Let me repeat: No lighting in the stairwells which require emergency lighting for evacuation. Isn't this type of extreme negligence an illegal violation of some city ordinance or city code? I would appreciate those of you who write such gushing reviews to acknowledge this catastrophe. Seems the backup generator is on the roof, and they didn't have adequate fuel for the generator to run AT ALL. Nada, nothing. How do I know there was a fuel problem? I saw bldg employees lugging fuel up the stairwell to the generator. Incredible negligence on the "big" issues The result of their negligence with the generator is that many older residents could not evacuate.. to the point where the fire dept had to come and get them. I personally had to assist an older lady sitting in the stairwell with her cats, nearly collapsed sitting down with exhaustion after having to treck down the stairs with no backup emergency power. Fortunately, this was during the time when the fire dept had arrived and could help her. For any less-than-physically-fit person considering moving here in an upper floor, ask the management about the details of their emergency backup system and how it performed during Ike. Any story they tell you other than a complete failure of backup emergency power generation is a lie. Assuming no catestrophic events, this place is mostly 5 stars. It's their handling of the big problems which is the concern This review format forces me to give a "yes or no" answer to recommending the Parklane, so I was forced to choose one or the other when my actual opinion is not so black and white. If you are older and/or have physical limitations to climbing 25 flights of stairs, I would insist on written assurances from mgmt regarding emergency power backup. It was a complete failure/disaster during Ike, and people moved as a result.

This is an amazing building. The staff is professional and friendly. The common areas are beautifully maintained, and there's always someone ready to address any concern. The view is spectacular and it is very liveable, in contrast with some of the newer highrise buildings that tend to feel "resort-like" or too slick. This has a feeling of home. There are many long-time residents, which speaks volumes for the quality of the building and management. I moved here days before Hurricane Ike and was immediately impressed with the measures taken to prepare the buiolding, staff and the residents. Management stayed on the premises throughout the night going from floor to floor to make sure the residents were safe and accounted for. After the storm, immediate action was taken to get the building repaired and operational.

I agree with the other reviewers. The Parklane has been the absolute best place that I have lived in while in Houston. 24 Concierge, reasonably sound-proofed units, panoramic views of the city, excellent customer service. I have no complaints and would highly recommend to others.

I have been here for just a month but fell in love with the Parklane the moment I walked in. This is truly what civilized high rise living should be. It is constructed at a human scale, not like the 'beehives' that have become all too common in Houston. The tastefulness and quality is apparent everywhere. Impeccably well-kept grounds, pool, tennis court, and a beautiful lobby that would have been considered tastefully designed at any time over the last 50 years, plus well-lit parking areas are all part of the package. It gets better. The view from the panoramic windows in all of the corner units is amazing. I can sit on my couch and see the Houston skyline like it was framed by the Chamber of Commerce, Hermann Park golf course and new construction nearby that looks like a European plaza. I find myself just standing and staring out the windows all the time. The best location can be ruined by an indifferent staff. I am pleased to say that from leasing to management, the Parklane has the friendliest, most helpful employees I have ever had the pleasure to be associated with. Kathy with leasing worked hard to get me in with the special conditions I needed and was as sweet as pie during the whole process. Everyone else from building management to concierge desk is genuine, warm and helpful. I know this sounds like a review written by the owners, but it is so unusual to find a combination of location, comfort and top-notch staff that it's natural to gush a bit. While the Parklane is not inexpensive by any means, this level of quality is worth a realignment of priorities if you are anywhere near the price range. I understand that, on a per square-foot basis, the Parklane is among the best of comparable high rise condo values. The leasing staff says "Welcome home to the Parklane." At long last...an advertising slogan that is actually well-justified.

I have been a tenant here since August and absolutely love the experience. From the moment I walked into The Parklane I felt like royalty. They valet your car, you sign in and the leasing staff greets you in the lobby. The tour was a bit long, but very informative. The leasing girls were right; this is a full service building! I signed on the spot. I have such a great view...I don't think there is a bad view though. I love the fact that it's walking distance to the golf course and that I get a 10% discount since I'm a tenant. I've met all my neighbors and they are great. It seems like there are quite of few of doctors and young professionals. You'll love it here.....I do!!

I moved from Sugarland but I work @ the Medical Center . I used to live in a waterfront 4 bedroom house and drove 1 hr back and forth to work. Moving close to work and staying @ the Parklane was the smartest thing I've done. The waterview was wonderful but the skyline view is also superb. The 24h concierge service @ the Parklane makes me feel safe. The staff and services are exceptional.

We were very blessed to have leased with Parklane especially since we only relied on the internet for apartment searching when we relocated to Houston. <br><br>Everything is well built, staff is exceptional, there is 24-hr concierge and valet parking and everyone is completely service-oriented. Security is tops, gates are almost always closed unless you have your prox card for entry. Parking is assigned and covered. It's almost impossible to have a robbery here. View is excellent since we're on one of the top floors. Everything is so clean and well-maintained, I haven't even seen an ant here. The place is right in front of Hermann Park and presents a really nice view. Currently though, city road construction goes on along Hermann Drive.<br><br>Tenants are professional and mostly the floors are quiet. You almost never hear noises from next-door apartments because of sound-proofing. There are only 7 or less units per floor and the elevators are really fast and so never gets crowded. I never had to wait more than a few seconds for an elevator. <br><br>Of course rent is steep but very worth it. If you want safety, convenience, great service-oriented staff, you have to pay for it. There are some people here who have stayed for more than 10 years and never want to leave.

I lived at Parklane for a year in an efficiency unit and I loved it. The downtown view was amazing. The carpet, walls, bathroom and kitchen were nicely finished. The enormous floor to ceiling windows are the biggest that I've seen in a hi-rise. The location of the building makes the view from each of the 4 sides great in its own way. With only 4-6=7 units per floor, living there was very quiet and peaceful. The location was next to Hermann park and good for jogging. Every single member of the staff was friendly. The elevators were fast. Maintenance was reliable and timely. I didn't see one roach during my entire stay.