Tenant Reviews for 5019 Calhoun Street

I am a current student, sophomore attending university of houston. Flat out, for the price we pay to live here, it is downright unacceptable the conditions we are forced to live in. The structure of the building is completely outdated. The vents are obviously old and not taken care of they reek, no matter where I walk. My main problem is the kitchen area, my apartment STINKS, no matter how much we clean. At this point we clean with bleach to hide the nagging smell that won’t go away AND I HATE BLEACH. Seriously it angers me that I live here and pay the price I pay and I don’t even want to cook in my kitchen because of the smell I have to tolerate. This apartment complex needs some serious renovation it is sad the management does not realize the conditions everything is in. Would never recommend to anyone not even my worst enemy lol. I feel robbed of my money, never again.

Bayou Oaks is nothing special, just your average college dorm. They recently redid the floors in the suites so no more nasty carpet, however they didn't clean very well afterwards so there is carpet dust EVERYWHERE. I suggest a thorough cleaning before getting fully moved in. The walls can seem thin at times, however the noise really isn't that bad. Most of the noise comes from within the suite since the floors echo the noises of the people you live with and the doors don't touch the floors. Rugs are very helpful to reduce the noise. The windows can be propped open which is a nice feature since most dorms don't allow the windows to be opened. The fire alarms go off a lot because the smoke detectors are extremely sensitive, I've set it off with steam from my coffee maker before. However, you quickly become used to ignoring them as the RA's don't go around checking to see if you've evacuated. The walls are very sensitive, the paint doesn't chip off as easily as other dorms but it will come off if you aren't careful. Also tape, sticky tack, and pretty much anything else you use to stick things to the walls will leave a dark oil spot that has to be painted over before you move out. Rooms are a great size, especially if you make use of the under bed storage. The thermostat can be adjusted in each suite, never turn on the heat though or you will smell burning. The kitchen is nice; 2 burners on the stove, full size refrigerator, dishwasher. and microwave. The only problems I had with the kitchen is that our sink drain was messed up and would smell or drain slowly at times. I also had a problem with people stealing food and things that I left in the refrigerator, I suggest keeping as many of your personal belongings and food in your room as you can or making sure that the room mate agreement is clear that your food is for you and you only. Laundry rooms on every floor that work pretty well and trash rooms on every floor that are emptied regularly. Best part is the gated parking lot for residents only, you have to buy a UH parking pass to be able to get a pass to use it, however the residents lot ALWAYS has available parking. Don't worry about the walk to class, there is a bus that runs from Bayou Oaks to the student center every 10-15 minutes.

Bayou Oaks is loud, run down and constantly annoying. The main issue I have is the noise level, thursday-sunday is a free for all as far as Fraternity Parties, that sometimes run until 4 am. Also expect to see the entire common area and courtyard trashed not only with beer cans and bottles, but with literal vomit on the side walks and bus stops in the morning. They do not control these parties and there is a BIG problem with underage drinking especially on thursday nights. As far as the apartment itself, every two weeks or so there is a new issue. In 3 months, the AC has gone out, the outlets on one half of the apartment stopped working, and probably about 8-10 other minor issues like leaks, appliance replacements and mold. It seems to be a constant issue here because the residents leave the apartments in horrible condition, but AC and wiring are kind of a big deal. And expect it to take at least 3-5 days for issues to get fixed. Also the fire alarms go off multiple times a day, not for the entire complex but only a certain floor or townhome will be forced to evacuate.. sometimes at 2am caused by someone smoking inside. This is probably an issue every dorm has, but it seems to happen more frequently here since this is the party housing. If you party and don't care about gross apartments that are run down, this is probably something you should consider. If not, I would advise you to try and get housing early and move to cougar place or the lofts.

Trust me, you don't want to live here. Frat houses are loud all hours which isn't that bad but it doesn't get any better. A/C broke at least 10 times within a month and the maintenance staff is not that great so you can imagine how that goes. Office staff is even worse than maintenance staff. Instead of treating you like a paying tenant the treat you like a someone who is getting in their way, making any excuse they can for their lack competence. The whole place smells weird, a lot of bugs and they simply don't care. They seem to be comfortable in the fact that you're locked in a contract that they don't seem to like to honor and look for ant excuse to charge you more money. Unless this is a last resort i would not recommend living here to my worst enemy.

MAJOR COMPLAINT THAT ALL FUTURE STUDENTS INTERESTED IN MOVING INTO BAYOU OAKS SHOULD KNOW: THE FRATS OFTEN BLAST THEIR MUSIC EXTREMELY LOUDLY. MANAGEMENT DOES NOT CARE IF THE MUSIC DISTURBS YOU. THIS, AND OTHER MAJOR COMPLAINTS FROM PREVIOUS STUDENTS IN THESE REVIEWS, SHOULD BE A RED FLAG TO YOU. BE WARNED..

This place was my worst nightmare. First off, im pretty sure they didn't use the "roommate match" survey we had to fill out considering the roommates I got were so disgustingly dirty it would make me throw up. Then when they would come inspect rooms they never gave any reprimands for the illegal and disgusting things in the common area. Plus the fact that I had to put in a request about 4 - 5 times to get my scalding hot shower fixed. The staff always seemed disinterested and rude even when I was coming to pay my rent. The facility has the benefits of gated parking and in site security buy I only EVER say the security sitting in their office. It would be nice to seem the patrolling the parking lot and grounds late at night especially since its a high crime area.

This is the worst dormitory..oops i mean apartment I have ever lived in. I say dormitory because although it looks like an apartment, it does not have apartment luxuries such as a oven, pool, bball/tennis courts, and etc. The walls are PAPER thin, barely any privacy. IF YOU PLAN ON BEING A GOOD FOCUSED STUDENT/WORKING WHILE IN SCHOOL/SERIOUS ABOUT YOUR LIFE, YOU DON'T WANT TO LIVE HERE BECAUSE THERE IS CONSTANT NOISE FROM THE FRATERNITIES(WHO ARE ------ AND UNMANNERLY, AND PRACTICE SUCH RUDE BEHAVIORS SUCH AS DISPLAYING CONFEDERATE FLAGS AND COME OFF AND RACISTS TOWARDS MINORITIES).As well, the door handles are constantly yanked off and swipe boxes to get in from the outside are constantly broke I hate it here and cannot wait to move. The staff is a step above from piss poor, if you call in to report a noise complaint they seldom do anything. For all the money you pay for these small --- basic rooms with cheap furnishings you are better off staying in an a real apt. BTW the mattresses or should i say boxes are hard as hell as if they are stuffed with bricks. As well let me not forget the annoying alarms that sound off at anytime unwarranted. The staff busts into your room if you don't answer quick enough. I mean this is just the shittiest place i have ever lived and i'm from the inner city. I CANT WAIT TO GET TF OUTTA HERE. DONT BE FOOLED BY THE PICS ONLINE AND YOUR FIRST WALK THOUGH. CANT EVEN FREAKN TAKE A AFTERNOON NAP BEFORE WORK WITHOUT THE BRASH FRATS BLASTING ------ OFFENSIVE MUSIC. ...N CANT FORGET THE BUGS..YUCK ..oh and the measly $40 a month electricity limit to be split between FOUR damn ppl..wtf ..total --------.

THIS PLACE SUCKS. The staff is terrible and pretty much good for nothing. Not to mention they are ------ as ---- and have no manners. They are not helpful whatsoever, do not care about anything (including appearance), and do not like white people at all. I swear. I moved out of my apartment today and they had to call 2 people just to get directions on how to check me out. They are STUPID. The maintenance people just barge in your door and leave messes. The fire alarms go off constantly and the whole place smells like fried chicken. Disgusting. DO NOT apply here. You will be better off being homeless because this place is the worst I've been to. This place is more expensive than what it should be, because you get nothing out of it. The rooms are disgusting. When you move out, they just paint over the dust that seeps in the room and the floors are a ---- brown color. I could go on and on about how awful this place is.

Where do I start? 1) Managment was no help at all! He couldnt care less about what was going on. He was very incompetent and rude! When I han an issue with noisy neighbors and adressed this with the manager he basically told me to keep complaining to the office and nothing got done! He is extremly unprofessional! 2)Most of the office staff "RA's" are also rude and unprofessional. 3)If you must or have to stay here take my advice and demand a top floor apartment! The apartments have been built very cheaply and have NO sound proofing. You can litrally hear what your neighbors are doing all around you. God help you if you get a noisy neighbor because the managment can not be bothered to deal with any complaints about it. 4)There is a major ant problem here. They dont spray the apartments enough. There is also a silver fish problem! Also you may find roaches on occasion. 5)Parking can be an issue. The Greeks are housed here and when they decide to hold functions or parties there are no spaces available for resisdents. 6)The rent is far to expensive! They charge $2400 for a small 4 bedroom apartment. There is no oven in the apartment and there are only two hobs, which makes it hard when four people are trying to cook. 7)The fire alarm goes off at all hours of the day. There are flashing lights in everyroom and they will continue to flash for a while after the sirens have been turned off. The only good things about these apartments is: 1)There is a bus route that takes you back and forth to campus. 2)When you move in the rooms are clean Living here was awful! It was so bad I decided to move out. Before you can even move out you have to pay $400 and find a replacment for your room, which is hard to do. I have spoken to many people who live at Bayou Oaks and they are all regreting signing their lease.

Well I lucked up and didn't have to share my bathroom with anyone. Bayou is very nice in appearance. The maintenance staff are very nice and the security is very good. My only complaint would be all the fire alarms. They go off pretty often. And the rent is kind of high but it includes your room and utilities (which include cable and Internet). Also they give you until the 5th to pay rent, which is much longer than other complexes. Bayou Oaks is the best apartment to live in on campus, because its the safest and best looking.