All 26 tenant reviews.

“On-site management was great, but at the end of the day it's a GREYSTAR-managed property whose focus is money and not customer service. Despite paying the majority of post move-out charges that were not justified, Greystar insisted upon payment of a pet cleaning fee despite the fact that we did not have a pet. When we balked, they simply threatened to turn the amount over to a collection agency. As long as it's a complex managed by GREYSTAR, I'd look some place else.”

“Within a few months of selling buildings 1-4 to HEB this apt complex had started to tow! I have lived here for 5 years & have never had a friends car I had a friend arrive at 11:30 for a movie & by 2:30 her car was towed... according to the office there is no visitor parking in the weekends past 10 pm... considering our location & the easily availability of parking towing is not a necessity but is now encouraged by the complex”

“Frankly these apartments are just a bit too outdated and small for the price. The apartment complex felt old school, like something out of the early 90s. You are really paying for the location which is fairly nice since you are next to a great park & trail and has some decent bars around. I did not have a problem with management though they felt a little cold at times. I never had to call maintenance so..... I guess its a 5 since everything worked right? For just a "tad" bit more money you can get a nicer and bigger place in the area but it was decent enough thus the 3 review. One more thing, I did like the people that lived there and they were good chaps.”

“After moving out, we were charged almost $400 in miscellaneous fees. We reached out directly to the office to clear them up (who told us they already sent our file to collections--the same month we received the bill). We kept calling back and no one would give us any information - at Avalon or collections.The level of professional was completely unacceptable and awful. Five months later, we tried calling the Customer Care Center again and someone finally gave us information. Turns out our file was sitting in the Customer Care Center the entire time (despite the repeated times we were told otherwise by staff at the same center). We disputed the charges and were told we would hear back in 7-10 days. Then another month later, someone finally emailed us. Overall it's been such a headache to deal with a company so disorganized and unprofessional. I highly recommend living somewhere else. Spending the extra money to live in a nicer place is worth it to save yourself 6 months of disputing ludicrous charges in the end.”

“DO NOT LIVE HERE unless you are okay with your rent being raised by 25% and having to deal with a nightmare management company. I have been renting apartments for 15 years and I have never felt the desire to leave a review, until now. I would never recommend Avalon Bay to a friend or stranger.”

“AVOID!!! GREEDY, DISHONEST MANAGEMENT AND SAFETY CONCERNS I am so extremely disappointed with this property. Have lived here twice now, so I have a decent amount of experience with Archstone. Current Issue: I have just found out I will need to relocate for work in 1.5 months and submitted my early notice to vacate/offer letter, etc. I was told repeatedly at move in and prior to accepting this new job that management is reasonable and understanding and will work with residents when they have to move for work. I specifically confirmed this multiple times but now am having them throw multiple fees in my face and go back on their word, insisting that they must have 60 days notice and trying to charge me for the full period. 1.5 months is plenty of time to re-lease an apartment and this is simply unreasonable and greedy to charge us for 60 days rent. Past Issue: Last year, my third floor unit was also broken into, along with the apartment across the hall from ours. Won't say much about this as anyone can understand how unsettling this can be. Overall, please reconsider if you are thinking about moving here. Safety concerns were one thing, but to top off my experience here with greedy headaches due to needing to move for work, I'm quite glad to be leaving.”

“It's a nice place, great location and I am living here for almost 1.5 years now. Life has been good so far but with the new management taking over, this is becoming a hell now. They are greedy and looters and asking money for anything now. I have few of my friends who moved from this apt and they grabbed a good amount from their security deposits, atleast $500 to be specific, for no good reasons. On top, in the name of better management, they are troubling their own residents. They hired a third party for towing vehicle and it towed my car because there was no parking available at midnight and I parked in reserved parking. You know what, I need to pay $225 to this towing agency. Staff is so rude that they say, parking is first come first service basis, I mean this is non-sense. Management is responsible that they have sufficient parking spots for their residents. I would recommend anyone, not to come to this place anymore. Look for a better place instead.”

“I just recently moved out of these apartments and I am so glad I left! There were constant bugs inside my apartment, the apartment was starting to wear down, and parking was a nightmare. Towards the end of my lease, I was really worried about my safety. There were constant break ins and in front of my apartment, there was a guy who would stand outside all night (it kinda seemed as though he was drug dealing). There is a HUGE disconnect with communication between the customer service in Virginia (or wherever their corporate office is at) and the leasing office. Overall, I DO NOT recommend living here. It's a place that's going down the tanker.”

“While living at Archstone Memorial heights we had little issues with the complex. Maintenance requests were handled swiftly, and we did not have any issues with noise or safety. I did notice that when Avalon Bay took over maintenance requests took longer to be resolved (not within the 24 hours Archstone previously followed). We were content with the complex until we moved out and CHARGED US EXTREMELY HIGH CLEANING FEES, despite cleaning the apartment before move out. Unlike other apartment complexes where we received our full deposit upon leaving with no fees for cleaning, this was NOT the case at Archstone Memorial heights! Very FRUSTRATING and the Avalon Bay staff were not helpful in explaining the reasoning behind the charges. Tip: Do not waste time or money cleaning because they will charge high fees regardless if you clean prior to move out.”

“I recently moved out last month. When I moved in last year it seemed great until Avalon took over ownership. They were the reason I left because they raised the rent $200 without upgrading anything. The true kicker was when I moved out. After having my apartment professionally cleaned, I was still charged over $230 for "cleaning." I have read several reviews of this happening to other residents once they moved out as well. The worst part of this apartment complex was the security. We received several emails over the months of break-ins and car break-ins. It was kind of scary seeing a patrol car come through several times a week. I definitely wouldn't recommend living here.”

“Archstone apartment has been bought over by Avalon Bay. After the ownership change, Avalon is charging very high cleaning charges once you move out. Even after keeping the apartment very clean myself of and all of my friends go hefty amounts as cleaning charges. SO Beware before you move in to Avalon Bay.”

“These apartments were poorly constructed and are now quickly falling apart. The weight of the concrete is pulling stairwells away from walls and balconies are pulling away from the walls. In addition, no major repairs have been done to remediate these issues. The results have been moisture and insect infestation. The response by the owners has been to ignore this complex and concentrate on the new construction next door. They do have someone that is out every Tuesday to fumigate complaining resident s apartments. No telling what chemicals are destroying their bodies from this. The auto and pedestrian gates are frequently broken and on the weekend cars park everywhere (even in assigned spaces). If the gate is closed, cars will line up to wait for someone with a keycard to arrive to let them all in. Again, nothing is done when complaints are raised. Residents frequently leave trash in front of their doors and throw furniture by the dumpster, creating an eyesore and inviting bugs and odors. Again, the complaints fall on deaf ears as the focus is on filling up the community with whoever has the money to pay the exorbitant rent. Recently there has been an increase in apartment and car break-ins. The apartment burglaries appear similar as someone has broken glass in the balcony area and exited through the front door. No double sided deadbolts. This has happened even on the third floor. Also beware of the ongoing construction nearby. The workers have become adept at throwing nails and other garbage into the road to get picked up in residents tires. They also like to frequently close the entrances down and water off on the weekends with no warning. Not sure why they do not do this during the week when everyone is at work .. The gym and pool are also poorly maintained and monitored. Residents frequently leave machines sweaty and the TV remotes are frequently stolen. The pool is also used in the morning as a bathing area by some older residents who likely grew up with no pool or running water in their home country. There has been some security at the pool on the weekends, but after they leave the noise and commotion begins. As there is no restroom outside the business office, pool goers use the mail center as a urinal.”

“I am just finishing up an 11 month lease. My apartment has not been refinished since the place was built. Think 90's. Cheap cabinets - too small for normal dishes. Everything is cheap. Old appliances - I can see where my dented refrigerator has been painted with touch up paint. Old counter tops. Ugly linoleum floors. Cheap carpets and blinds. Parking is unassigned and it sucks. I can never park close to my unit. No matter what I do, I can't keep the black mold from showing up around my windows (those are cheap, too, and there is always condensation on the inside). Every time I use the oven - I mean every single time - the fire alarm goes off. There have been burglaries. Why wouldn't there be? The locks are cheap. None of my locks are 2-way deadbolts. So, all a burglar has to is bust out a window on the patio, unlock the door, take your stuff and walk right out the front door. Less than 1000 sq. feet and I have been paying around $1450 mo. The only thing this place has to offer is location. If Washington hadn't sprung up, this place would have been bulldozed to the ground by now. A week or so ago, I received the notice that my rent would be raised to $1675, a 15% increase. This is an apartment what would rent for about $1000-$1200 in a sane world. Who would pay $1675 for this place? No one, course. When I move out, they will just rent to $1450 to some other sucker like me. Yeah the location is great, but so what? I found a bigger house for $1250, 10 minutes away. Signed a two-year lease.”

“I lived here from December 2008 through March 2013. Although my entire time spent living there was fairly nice, I felt moved to write this review based on my experiences with the new management since moving out. The short story: The new management company, Avalon Bay, is treating me as if I'm in collections WHILE I've been working with their company to correct THEIR error. The long story: I paid a fee to break my lease early and gave 60 days notice, per the terms of my new lease. The new management, Avalon Bay, took over right before I gave my notice. One month after moving out, Avalon Bay sent me a notice saying I owed them rent due to failure to pay my early termination fee. I have paperwork from Archstone confirming receipt of said fee. I called Avalon Bay immediately to correct the error. In fact, the Avalon Bay representative could see the payment in her system, but because it wasn't labeled correctly in her system, she had to transfer me to another department to "investigate" the error. Since that phone call, Avalon Bay has called me from an unlisted number at least four times in less than one week to tell me I owe them two month's rent (more than $2,000). Two of these calls came AFTER I received an email from Avalon Bay's prior resident department confirming their error. Other than that, my years actually living here under the Archstone management were perfectly agreeable. The location is great and the Archstone staff was always very nice and responsive. I moved out right as they began major construction to complex.”

“I lived here from December 2011 to February 2013. Its location is great with 10 to 15 minute drive to downtown or galleria area. Right next to it is a nice size park good for walking, running, volleyball or basketball. The apartment has a fairly large gym with many cardio machines. Office staffs are professional, courteous and understanding (I had to move twice, and they made my moves very pleasant). Maintenance request is taken care of swiftly and staffs are friendly. I felt safe in the community, even at night. I barely heard my neighbors although I might have been lucky to have quiet neighbors (at three different apartments). Amenities are old and not fancy at all, but they are okay and functional. Not all apartments come with washer and dryer, and this can be a pain with only one washing station in the complex. I really enjoyed staying here, but sadly had to move because the rent had gone up too much by the time I had to renew the lease. I understand their argument about the 'market price' comparable to other apartments in the area. What I don't understand is, why can't they give discounts to their existing residents, especially when there are many vacant units available? Another thing to mention is that the management has just been changed. My review concerns the old management.”

“Rene Renobato is one of the most horrible and unprofessional managers that anyone, anywhere, could deal with. She hides in the back of the apartment leasing office and refuses to interact with tenants other than to threaten them in writing re potential legal action. She is a joke, truly. Ms. Renobato is the person pulling the stings behind the semi-pleasent office staff. She is mean, vindictive, unprofessional, and is useless as an office manager. I would never recommend the Archstone and am thankful that I moved out when I did.”

“DO NOT MOVE HERE! The only thing this apartment has going for it is location, but overall its the WORST experience I have ever had at an apartment. The apartments are extremely small, have old appliances, and the walls are paper thin. You can hear and most importantly SMELL everything your neighbors are doing. We had ------ neighbors move in recently (they bought 6 different units) and they cook everyday leaving our apartment reeking of their food. Its smelling up our entire place, and staying in our clothes. The property manager would not give any linency or sympathy towards us for the problem. We are having to break our lease its so bad. They only care about $$ and will raise your rent like crazy. AVOID this place at all costs. These apartments will be filled with ------------ and run down in a couple of years. There are better deals out there.”

“SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY!!! I have lived here almost a year and 4 cars have been on blocks (had the tires stolen off them), about 4 motorcyles stolen, and a couple of apartment breakins and I've even heard from a person who works there that a garage has been broken in also. You would think for the money you pay for this place they could atleast hire some sort of a security guard or 2, but no instead they hire a person to drive around in a golf cart at night just to lock the pools. Also to renew my lease the monthly rate will go up by about 15%!!! Don't get me wrong the location is great but so is the location of some projects across Allen Parkway. For the money you would think you could also get some updated appliances, the carpet is that cheap stuff that shows every stain even the old ones that you didn't put there. Basically it would be better to find an apartment with some sort of security in place besides some gates that anyone can follow another car to get in. I hope that everyone who is looking into moving to these apartments really reads all these reviews because they are TRUE.”

“First an for most the location is the best thing the property has going for it. Its close to jogging trials, bars, clubs, resturants, etc. and the pool is like a college spring break party almost every weekend if your into that kinda thing. As of late there has been several apartment break-ins in the last few months mainly during the daytime. Also Archstone NO Longer Owns the Property they sold it to camden so they dont care that the BREAK-INS are happening. Also my expensive motor cycle was stolen and so was two others in the complex. If you dont own anything worth being stolen then move here and have fun getting your APARTMENT, and CAR BROKEN INTO!!!!!!! Also people are moving out everyday due to the 25% rent increase. GOOD LUCK!!!”

“If you decide to rent here, beware your tires and wheels will be jacked. The apartment management does not care, will hang up on you when you tell them about it.”

“Great place overall. My main complaint is that when it came time to renew my lease they jacked up my rent by more than 150 a month. I tried to negotiate like I have done in other places but they don't try to help you out and don't really care. I guess they know they can get more tenants. Other than that it's a really nice place. Where I used to live, as well as the other places I looked at, it seemed like the staff was composed of bimbos hired completely based on looks, who were fake-smailing all the time but not willing to do much to help you out. These people are nice, professional, and helpful. Whenever I put in work requests they have always been completed within 24 hours, and once when it was an emergency they got there within the next half hour. The pools are nice. They just build a new barbecue grill and kitchen-area with a sink by the pool, which is cool. Unfortunately they started locking the pool up at 10pm. About a year ago there was a large rash of break-ins. They put strike plates on the doors after that, which made me feel alot more comfortable and safe. However, with all their emphasis on safety, the entrance gates have been stuck open for the past week or so, so I don't know what that's all about. That happens every once in a while. I feel like I'm paying too much for this place, but at the same time I havn't found anywhere else cheaper that isn't a rat hole, so for the time being I am staying here. If I do find somewhere cheaper of this quality before my lease ends this year, I will probably move out. But overall it's a nice place and I would recommend it.”

“There are several good things about this complex. The grounds are well-maintained, the leasing agents and maintenance staff are all very nice, and you can't beat the location. However, when it came time to renew, my rent had been raised $160 a month. I do realize that rent prices pretty much always go up when it comes time to renew, but this was close to a 20% increase. As if this wasn't upsetting enough, I live right across from buildings that are being demolished and rebuilt by Archstone. Because of this, the dumpster and laundry room closest to my complex have been demolished, finding parking at night is hell, and I wake at 7 every morning to the sounds of buildings being demolished. Yes, I realized 7 probably does not sound that early, but I work nontraditional hours, meaning my days off are often weekdays and I usually do not get to bed until 1 or 2 am. Yes, I realize apartment rent does go up and sometimes, renovations to a place are necessary. But seeing as I now have access to less amenities, why the heck would I pay an extra $160 a month? I am counting down the days until my move!”

“I'm in my late 20's. I live on 2nd floor and you can seriously hear every move your upstairs neighbor makes. You can hear people going down the stairs, talking in the parking lot. Definitely NOT the place to live if you want quiet at night. Maintenance is fixed on time!! Landscape kept nice. NO security at night. Seen rent-a-cop on patrol for a while then not anymore. Rent is HIGH and some security should be provided. Given the area, i expect rent to be high but within 7mths of me living there...rates already increased. NOT renewing. Moving elsewhere.”

“Pros - 1. Good Leisure - big pretty pool, decent fitness center. 2. Ample parking but no roof. (extra $ for covered space). 3. Great maintenance. 24hr turnaround guaranteed, usually responds within 12 hrs or less. Cons - 1. The wall you share with a neighbor (bedroom) is so thin, you can hear what they talk over the phone in their room. No kidding. 2. Need good luck to get a nice quite neighbor. I can't imagine how my upstairs neighbor can make such heavy stomp sound. 3. You will get insulted when it comes to renewal period. This time they increased by 22%. Didn't have big issue at the first renewal which I had 7% raise. Please pay attention to the comments who does not recommend this apartment. It's true.”

“I recently moved out of Memorial Heights, after 9 great years, and 5 separate units. The complex has pros and cons, like any apartment. You will not see high-end finishes or fancy appliances here. Most of the apartments have white formica countertops, and vinyl flooring. What you WILL see, is a reasonably priced opportunity to live in a great neighborhood. I feel it is a great value, as it is probably the lowest price complex in the area to offer W/D or W/D hookups in each unit. This was a non-negotiable for me. If you like pools, Archstone is the best. Plenty of room, lots of chairs and sun. If you don't like noise, I would not recommend a pool view or anything that faces Washington or Studemont streets. Never lost power through hurricanes Ike or Rita. I had one attempted break-in, back in '09, but I was home, and the man ran away. Other residents have had cars burglarized... My advice (common sense) is to not leave ANYTHING valuable in your car. I have a Lexus SUV, and parked it outside every night with no problems. It amazes me that some of my neighbors would leave radar detectors, purses, diaper bags, ipods, out in view, then complain when they get stolen??? On a side note, I moved to a fancier property on Jackson Hill, and there are just as many theft issues. It's just part of living in the big city.”

“It is one thing after another in this place! The office staff are kind and helpful but the place seems to be falling apart around them. We have only been living here 8 months and in addition to the above issues we have also learned the hard way to stay away from the pools - for the amount we are paying I expect not to be greeted with extremely intoxicated, nude or fornicating couples in broad daylight. I can't wait until our lease is up. If there wasn't a huge penalty for leaving early we would have been our months ago.”