All 25 tenant reviews.

“The worse thing about this pace is the manger , they like a robot, not flexible at all . No security I don’t recommended , I don’t recommended, I don’t recommended ,I don’t recommended . I don’t recommended.”

“It is a shame such a nice place has horrible service. I tried to look at apartment homes out there but could receive no service. I could not figure out why they would not show me and my daughter a possible home. Horrible horrible service.”

“I wish I would have read the reviews before moving here. This place is one of the worst I’ve seen. The property itself is nice and has the potential to be a beautiful complex. However, the staff in the leasing office is HORRIBLE! They have no care or concern for the tenants, or the property. I moved in here at the end of August and it has been a nightmare. Not only was the apartment not clean, there were multiple repairs that needed addressing. In took over a month for them to fix the issues. The only thing that was done in the apartment, was a poor paint job! In which dirt, cracks and holes in the doors and walls were painted over as well as the dirt on the ceiling was partially painted over. The unit was nowhere near move in ready. They have shut off the water without any notice multiple times. In addition to the units being poorly maintained, the office staff is horrible! They do not answer phones, they take FOREVER to complete maintenance request and they conduct business while on their cell phones, which is a HUGE violation of privacy. I went down to the leasing office to ask about the water being shut off, one of the ladies was literally on her cell phone while talking to me and then told her friend to hold on. Something needs to be done, they need a new staff or need some kind of training, because this is literally out of control. I can’t believe whoever owns this property allows this. I’m not even going to get into the lack of security, due to the front gates ALWAYS being open. I assume they are broke. They sell you on the amenities like the gym, and sauna, etc. the gym is dirty and there’s ants in the sauna. For over $2,000 a month, I expect way better customer service and a well maintained property. If you took the time to read this, you should take the time to continue looking for an apartment, because moving here would be a mistake and you will most likely regret it.”

“UPDATE-------Whew I have a lot to say and since I can't ever speak to anyone in management I'll speak here. Let's start off with how I use to think this would be a great property to reside and I recommended a lot of family & friends to move here which I will be retracting. Don't get me wrong the property is beautiful but management & staff is HORRIBLE! When I 1st moved here I paid a deposit to book the clubhouse for my daughters birthday and they lost the cashier's check! Michael in the office told me there was nothing they could do. They gave me the run around for about 2 weeks before they finally found the check. After my daughters party it took them forever to return my deposit. We have a two car garage and it took them forever to get our garage door opener & and we still have not received the 2nd one and our lease is almost up. Speaking of lease being up, when we 1st moved in we were told we would be able to renew but received a letter 3 months before our lease end date saying we could not renew without reason!!! That is very inconvenient and inconsiderate of people and their living situations! Why would you tell someone that when it's almost time for them to move. I tried calling, emailing, and leaving a message with corporate for an answer to why & no response. I spoke with the property manager (Taylor) and her response was we don't know we just get a list from management. Now let's talk about how we received Harris County Rent Relief due to covid back in November 2021 and it is now March 2022 and we have not seen the check! Harris county have spoken with us many of times saying they sent the electronic payment to The Elle and did not receive it back (which they will be looking into further) and all Elle says "it's not in their system". We call daily to speak to the property manager and we are consistently told she's not there or not on property and we never get a call back but let you be late a few days and they will keep calling about the money!!! They have charged late fees and etc when they should not have because of Texas rent relief. We called and spoke to Amanda on 3/11/2022 to ask when they find our check will we be reimbursed and her response was "probably not". Probably not?! So basically money that was sent to help us for rent will just go to The Elle without reflection on our account or reimbursement. We have been treated poorly since we moved here and I am glad we can't renew at this place, it has actually become a blessing because management don't care and you shouldn't live somewhere where you feel uncomfortable or not welcomed! DON'T MOVE HERE YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED!!!!! I will be contacting the news station as well!”

“Out with the old in with the new under new management! A hands on Manager that is a great coach for her team their goal is to be the best community to live in and in my opinion they have done that. I have been here going on two years now and I am happy to say this is my home. Clean community maintenance on point so if you’re looking for a home come to the Elle at the medical center.apartments a place to call HOME Peper”

“Horrible. Worst apartments. They don't care about your experience just care about the money. So many roaches. Appliances never work. Customer service is the worst. Prices always rise. I encourage you to move somewhere else.”

“Several problem with the management. (By the way, they own Elle, Vie & Plaza) 1. It took me almost 10 tries (talking to the agent in person, talking to assistant managers in person, calling, etc) to find out exactly how much I need to pay my rent bc @ first they tell me they don't know the amount and that the "system" will do the calculation but then the system made a mistake in the calculation so I had to call several times trying to fix the problem and was told no way the system would be wrong. When I finally track down the only person that can resolve the issue, she admit the system made a mistake in the calculation. 2. I was told no water problem from Harvey yet I've had several water leaking in during heavy rain. In fact, my living room was flooded last month. Every time they fix the problem I was told it won't happen again, yet I got flooded. I have allergy problem even since I moved in and it never click in my head until my apartment got flooded that it's bc of mold. I asked them to check for mold that was told that there's none. (more lies?) I told them to transfer me to another unit yet they want to charge me a transfer fee. 3. My neighbor has been making unpredictable noise disturbance ever since they moved in. I called the management and talk to them in person too & was told they will evict them after a number of complaint was made. They would not tell me how many times a complaint has to be made and I have complaint at least 6 times. At the end, instead of serving the eviction notice to the neighbor like they have promised, they want me to call the police & make the police do their job. 4. Several theft and assault has occurred in our complex, some even were held at gun point. Guess what, instead of having a security guard in our complex (Vie), they decided to chain lock the pedestrian door. They said it's for our safety, can you believe that?! We are trapped in our gated complex unless a car pass by to open the gate. How is that safe? That's the same thing as locking the fire escape door. (Hopefully the lock is removed by the time you read this) 5. The manager's schedule is a mystery. Nobody knows. Not even her assistant managers know. Also, they are known to ignore your e-mails for days. The manager claim that she's not ghosting you even after not replying for 1 week and wouldn't have replied if I didn't e-mail her again. 6. Last but not least, they make you sign a class action waiver bc they know they've upset so many people already and many more to come.”

“I've lived at this complex going on 6 months now and haven't had any issues until today when it came time to pay my rent. The Elle recently decided to stop accepting money orders. Personal checks and cashiers checks are now the only accepted methods of payment. I work and go to school, both full time. I haven't had an opportunity to have checks made and there's no establishment open that I can have a cashier's check made today, since it's now Sunday the 3rd. I left for work Friday morning before their office opened and didn't leave until after it was already closed. Same situation Saturday, but with school. When I called today to get the total with utilities I also asked the leasing consultant Shawn Williams for alternative methods in which I could pay my rent, since I can no longer run down the street to Kroger or a gas station for a money order. He basically said (I'm paraphrasing here), "Personal and cashiers checks are the only options to pay your rent. I have no idea where you can get either of those made on a Sunday. If your rent isn't in the drop box tomorrow morning there will be a $75 late fee added." I pay for school out of pocket. I don't have disposable income to spend on an excessive and ridiculous fee on top of my rent. One of the main reasons I chose this complex was because I knew money orders would be accepted, and since I can't just pay it online that option was the next most convenient one. The leasing consultant Shawn had no remorse or compassion or helpful suggestion. When I began trying to explain all of this to him he repeatedly cut me off, talked over me, and then refused to contact his supervisor before HANGING UP ON ME. I worked in the multi-family housing industry for three years. Customer service is so imperative when dealing with someone's home. And to my knowledge the property manager role is generally a 24/7 on call role regarding issues of this nature (I can recall several instances where I contacted mine while leasing alone on a Sunday). I feel incredibly disrespected by this person and intend to file a complaint on him with his immediate supervisor, as well as with the corporate office first thing tomorrow morning.”

“We moved here in August 2003 and the complex was then called the San Marin, it was owned by Sueba and managed by Southampton. Once JMG Realty took over as management, this complex has steadily declined. There's only one person working in the office, Shawn, who seems to truly care about the residents, but he's not always at this location. The manager, LaDonna can't be found. No one in the office seems to know where she is and is vague about when she'll return. She makes executive decisions about amenities that have a direct negative effect on residents. Example: The fitness center was always open 24 hours a day for the convenience of the residents. She's taken it upon herself to modify the hours, and now some of us are unable to workout there. Our washer/dryer recently broke over a weekend, and we had to use machines in a vacant unit. We were promised new machines in "a day or two at the latest," and after a week, we were still getting a song and dance. Finally, we had to ask them to move the old machines from the vacant unit into our unit because we were tired of waiting another 3 or 4 days. If you live here, you have to follow up with everything and "stay on the front office". Every time you speak with someone, you'll get a different story. Noise was an issue last year until the complex finally agreed to move us into another unit, so from our standpoint, I've given them a better rating on that. Very frustrating.”

“5 stars across the board”

“In 2015 I rated this property 4 stars, but today my rating has drastically gone down. The Previous Property Manger, Ronnie, has since left and since his departure my sister and I have had to deal with a variety of issues ranging from a lack of security (Her car was broken into), water being shut off throughout the entire complex and unfortunately, stereotyping. 1. SECURITY: What is the point of having a gate when the guard just flags every and anybody through it without conducting a proper inspection? While the morning/afternoon guard(s) are always efficient in checking ID's and monitoring the area, the same is not true for the evening/overnight staff. At one point I was leaving my home consistently and very early around 4 a.m. to get to work, and the guard (older gentleman with glasses), was always sound asleep on the desk. I decided to take pictures of the guard on 3-4 separate occasions, and reported it. 2. SECURITY (Part 2): My sister walked from our apartment to her vehicle one morning and discovered her car had been compromised. Someone attempted to break in and steal her car. It was clear the person was after her car since she hadn't left anything inside of it except a phone charger. After completing a police report, she seeked help from the Elle staff and was met with skepticism and doubt. "Are you sure no one you know could have done it? We don't have crime over here." Instead of immediately running back the security footage, they stalled and quietly blamed my sister for what happened. Eventually, the tapes were rolled back and what do we see? Heavy traffic in and out of the gates between the hours of 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. Suspicion was immediately placed on a gentleman who walked aimlessly around the complex multiple times early that morning. The staff was surprised, and nothing has since been done. After the incident occurred on Saturday she didn't receive a call from the manager until Tuesday. The delay in response in the way the staff handled the situation, makes them appear uncaring and nonchalant. 3. WATER - Simply put, if you like to brush your teeth, shower, or cook, be prepared to not be to do any of the before-mentioned activities without notice at least a couple times of month. There have been numerous occasions when I would wake up and prepare for my day/meetings/work and met with no water. There have been countless times when my sister would return from the gym and not be able to take a shower. The worst part? We were never notified..Why not? Because it was not routine maintenance, it was simply maintenance errors. 4. STEREOTYPING: My sister and I pride ourselves on being college educated, well-rounded African American women, who work hard like most of our neighbors do, on a daily basis. So when the staff constantly sends our maintenance requests to the less expensive property across the street, assuming we live there and can't possibly have the money to afford living at the Elle, it truly offends us. "Oh you live here at the Elle? You don't live at Vie? (insert shocked face)." There have been many remarks made by the staff regarding my sisters car getting broken into, being told by our property manager that we need to learn what Ramadan is, thus assuming we were uneducated and ignorant and the overall customer service experience toward us, that has made us raise our eyebrows on several occasions. PROS: Spacious, quick and friendly maintenance, personal garages (which i suggest you lock up if you appreciate your belongings), great location, Nice morning/afternoon security, great 24 hr fitness facility w/ sauna (FYI some of the equipment has been broken for quite a while, but the working equipment is wonderful), and classes are held by a personal trainer.”

“Hey ----------- it's now 5:20 pm nov. 1st I just wanted to comfirm to you that the police that you called on me said he wish I didn't answer the door because he's not the messenger boy! I honestly can't believe you are being so careless to the company that is putting money in your bank account by calling the cops for no reason, I'm a Tennant that you called the cops on and had them come tell me to not come back to the office, I don't care to come waist Time in the office, I just care about paying my rent on time and being treated ------. -------- you don't think you will scared ppl away by having the cops come here for no purpose? I'm harmless and you waist Time calling the ops because you want to abuse your authority.”

“5 year resident, great service and community. My only wish would be an attached garage. I choose an apartment with a detached garage. Would also like to see valet trash door to door pick up like my girlfriends apartment.”

“I have been renting here for around 10 years. The location is extremely convenient to the medical center. Even on a bad day it takes me no more than 15 minutes to commute into work. The apartments have recently undergone an upgrade and they are truly magnificent. The maintenance here I find to be up to standard. They have an online maintenance request application but I don't think that it's monitored. Generally I just going to ask one of the staff who are always friendly and eager to help. The main draw to this apartment complexes that I can get an attached two-car garage which is difficult to find anywhere else. Also, there is 24 hour security with a guarded gate. They have a very elaborate package service here where items are delivered to the security desk and then logged in and logged out with a book. I find this to be very efficient in that you can pick up your package anytime day or night. After the security was installed a few years back I find this to be a very safe place to live. I'm not aware of any recent break-ins or thefts. When I first moved in that was an issue. Also, the pool area is quite nice. Generally I find it is underutilized by the residents.”

“I love my apartment. My true experience with managemwnt and their staff has been okay. They fix things in a timely manner and we love our place. Not all of the apartments are the same. I wish I had the newer cabinets (my apartment is not upgraded) but overall nothing beats the space. I moved from the DC area and I am here for work in the med center and this is great place to live.”

“This place will continue to piss you off even after you leave. I lived at San Marin from 8/2009-8/2011. Prior to the new management change, I was content at San Marin. However, now it is a piece of --------. We were given a letter stating we owe them money a year after moving out in 2012 even though we never owed them any money and have also proven it through bank account statements. However, I just now put in an application for a lease at an apartment and was declined due to this unresolved charge! We have proven that we do not owe them any money and they are still trying to pin this on us. This place is crap. Do not ever live here. Management sucks and will continue to make this place suffer.”

“Do not move here. The apartments are poorly kept. They are old and the staff will NOT fix anything. I moved her two wks ago and it was the worst decision. They lie and avoid you. The place is over priced for a run down apartment with bugs and fixtures that are old and not working. Not to mention when I moved in my place was COVERED with dirt. I am so sad I live here.”

“Pros: 1. Onsite gym, small but can get a decent workout. Unless the weights are damaged which they usually are and then not replaced. 2. Quite neighborhood. 3. Looks nice from the outside Cons: 1. Management does not deal with issues in a timely manner: Washer dryer was broken, took three weeks for them to replace. Microwave has been broken for three weeks - still waiting for that. Fan in bedroom took over a month to replace. (and this with multiple complaints both in person and over the phone. 2. Pool does not get proper maintenance. Unclean, with trash and bugs floating about. I was told there was daily maintance - but that excludes weekends - so don't expect to use it (when I first complained about this I was told it was dirty because "people swim in it"!?! 3. Trash does not get picked up from the public dumpster in a timely fashion so on any given day there is an overflow of trash into the street. The cost here is comparable to other places around the medical center - but the amenities here do not live up to the standards of the rest of the places. I have complained over the past couple of months about the issues plaguing this place to the management, and told them I was not interested in writing a review bashing them, since I prefer to tell them face to face and get these things taken care of. Unfortunatly they decided to ignore me so I'll do my part in warning others. Hopefully if they read this review and do something about these issues I can write a response with something a little more positive. EDIT 9/2/12 One month later the issues had STILL not been dealt with. I have been into the management office three to complain about the broken microwave. The first two times I was told the issue would be dealt with, within a couple of days, i also insisted that an email be sent to ------ (head manager) and that i should be CCd (which I wasn't, and I also did not receive a response - either by email or phone)- I was also told that the reason it had not yet been dealt with is that they only have one maintance guy which turned out to be a lie... Surprise surprise. I last went in on Thursday and spoke with ------ who claimed that she had been told all my issues had been taken care off, and denied getting the email. She then made a half hearted attempt to verify what was going on and informed me that the maintance person had installed it in the wrong apartment! When I asked that it be moved to my apartment I was told that she couldn't do that and she would need to find out if they had other microwaves! I told her that this has now become an unacceptable living conditions and that I had spoken with other tenents who ALL seem to be having the same problem and then ------ called me a liar. We will obviously not be staying here, and it will be my pleasure to inform any incoming tenents about the realities of this place whenever I see them on guided tours. The pool and trash are still a major problem. If you are considering moving here- DO NOT!! You have been warned!”

“My apartment is nice, we've been here for about two yrs. For the most part I alweays write reviews when I am upset. So I decide to write a nice review because I told the assistant manager of how pleased I was with my service and she said to come on here and share it. I love my place, they are always quiet (thankful for my quiet upstairs neighbors). I am recommending them to a childhood friend for this upcoming fall.”

“San Marin advertises a luxurious pool and spa. This was one of the reasons I chose to rent there. However, the hot tub did not work the entire time I lived there. I inquired over and over with the office for months and months- summer through winter. Since the pool is not usable during the winter it would have been nice if the hot tub had worked. The tub jets had no pressure the tub was lukewarm and there was a large drain cover in the bottom which was not screwed down, ever, but was loose- a safety hazard for both children and adults! Given the amount of money I paid I expected more from the owners and management!”

“These apartments look really nice on the outside and are beautiful on the inside, but I will warn anyone that is looking to move here! The staff is extremely rude and under-handed. Any time you have a maintenance issue you have to call 3 and 4 times to get them to come out, and when they do come they are sure to come when you are not home. I requested for my carpet to be shampoo'd and my washing machine to be fixed, two days after they came in to do those things my apartment was broken into in broad daylight. I lived on the second floor, and they managed to take 3 flat screens, a wii, xbox, jewelry, 5-6 pair of shoes, perfume, alcohol, and anything that they could get their hands on. The fact that they LOCKED MY DOOR BACK let me know that it was someone that had a key and my roommate and i NEVER had visitors therefore i am led to believe that it was maintenance. When i called the police and asked to see the video camera's they told us that they had already looked at them and there was nothing on them, but come to find out they were not working the entire time. These ppl are SNEAKY, DIRTY, RUDE, and will rob you blind if you allow them to. PLEASE STAY AWAY!!! There were several cars broken into and nothing ever done about it. The office failed to warn us of anything. OH and by the way, someone was just killed there about a month ago.”

“when we first moved in here in 2009, san marin had an apartment rating of about 86%, now the place has a rating of 50%, which tells you clearly how bad the place has become. Management is being constantly changed, the current management i find rude(especially the young lady with the black hair,very snarky and rude) and they hardly fix anything on time. we once placed a work order for our light to be fixed and it took two weeks and CONSTANT calling for them to finally send someone.even before they sent the worker, my roommate goes to complain at the office and the lady had the nerve to tell her that they try to fix the important stuff first.First of all, as long as we pay rent just as other tenants,they have no right to say that. We are definately moving out in december when our lease ends. Also it had to take a tenant(may his soul rest in peace) being robbed and murdered for them to finally put security guards/police at the gate(i hope its not temporary though)....to conclude, san marin was good in the beginning but now its all gone downhill.”

“After the tragic incident that happened we were really fearful for our family's safety (and still shaken up by it honestly), but we were put at ease after we saw the new security/police at night. Thank you for that..I really really hope that it's a permanent addition and not a short-lived solution just to appease the tenants. I wonder if management can also help install those wires on top of the fences that surround the complex. I noticed that they have them installed in the surrounding neighborhood and might help ward off intruders.”

“It used to be a nice place when the management staff in the office were truly concerned about residents. Now, all they are concerned about is the rent. Maintenance has gone down the drain. The office personnel ask tennants to pay for every single item. For the cost of the monthly rent, residents should not have to shell out any money to fix wear and tear on appliances or surroundings in the apartment. The staff does not respond to customers concerns in a timely manner. Friends that come to visit have commented that the apartment looks nice and they would consider moving in. I tell them that if they do not mind insolent and unhelpful staff, then this is the place for them. In short, it used to be a nice place, but now its not.”

“This place is beautiful! I love my new apartment, everything is nearby; grocery store, restaurants, entertainment, etc. I can even take the shuttle to and from work! Apparently the reviews are a bit old, being that I have not experienced anything mentioned in the prior comments. I've lived here since January and have seen the same, friendly faces in the office. The staff seem to want to go above and beyond at all times. I witnessed this first hand when I entered the office and overheard the manager speaking to another resident. The 2 requests I had regarding my sink and a/c filter change were addressed the SAME DAY!”