Camden Gaines Ranch Apartments — Attraction in Austin

Update: Let me just clarify that the below issue is not the only issue I've had at Camden Gaines Ranch.

I've had issues with the office staff and their lack of communication since move-in. They will always say they contacted you but never did. Ask for proof. I also have issues with the maintenance staff. One slept in my bed, another was smoking a cigarette leaned against my car just chillin'. The apartments are infested with scorpions and spiders. People don't pick up after their dogs. Valet Trash comes sometimes if they feel like it but that doesn't stop the lady who lives below you from putting out her baby's disgusting diapers at 11:00AM on a Friday when Valet Trash doesn't come until 10:00PM Sunday. You're gonna pay $95.00 in Technology Package for TV and Internet through your rent but then also pay $80.00 to Time Warner directly if you actually want good channels or decent Internet speeds.

With all things considered, the location is pretty sweet... but it's not worth the headache of dealing with Camden staff. Last night, 2 girls outside of my building decided that they were going to be loud. I gave them about 10 mins to quiet down before asking them to quiet down. But of course, they decided to be LOUDER. I again, asked them to quiet down. At this time, one of the girls decided to start an altercation. She tried to run INTO my apartment and attack me. Cops were called. The on-site courtesy officer was also there and said he’d be immediately filing his report to the complex. I told him I wanted contact from management IMMEDIATELY.

I walked to the office the next day and the two girls who were there basically told me they have ZERO clue about it and that the actual Manager is off today. They also said it’s going to “take time” to remove the girl, who is actually not even a resident but a GUEST. They also said “we wish people weren’t this terrible” and “if you feel unsafe you can call the courtesy officer to help you walk your dog or leave and come back to your apartment”.

My issue? I have a ton of issues with this actually.

1. The girl who tried me was intoxicated and under 21. She’s also a guest to the residents who live here who are ALSO under 21 with the exception of one 21 year old. Let me also stop for a second, SHE’S A GUEST. SHE HAS NO REASON TO ACTUALLY BE HERE. SHE IS A THREAT TO ACTUAL RESIDENTS WHO ACTUALLY FUND YOUR PAYCHECKS, CAMDEN. THINK ABOUT THAT.

2. In also saying she’s a guest, the residents who allowed the little girl to come here and also did nothing to TRY to stop her from trying to physically fight with their NEIGHBOR should be treated as if they were the ones doing it themselves. Residents are responsible for their guests. Point blank, period. Let’s not forget that.

3)This isn’t a college apartment complex. If you wanna be loud and obnoxious and enjoy your baby years then you need to either move to UT or Texas State but a complex where a one bedroom is running $1500 isn’t the place. This is a nice part of town, you need to be on East Riverside and you’re about 15 miles too far West right now.

4. I shouldn’t have to contact the courtesy officer in MY own complex to protect MY own safety because the complex won’t do what’s logical here. The courtesy officer also has his OWN job and is not on site 24/7. Camden’s response to this was “well if he’s not on site he’ll call APD.” My response was, “so, you’re telling me APD is going to come here and help me walk my dog?” OF COURSE NOT.

5. Since “nothing can be done” and “it’s going to take time” because I didn’t ACTUALLY allow myself to get into a physical altercation with this hillbilly who probably sleeps with her cousins, next time I guess I should just let it happen?

6. I have worked FAR too to get where I am today to let some little girl cause me to get out of character and lose everything.

In my 10 years of renting apartments (including 4 years of college apartments) I’ve NEVER had something like this happen. If you enjoy your safety and freedom, Camden Gaines Ranch is not the...

I moved to Camden Gaines Ranch in June 2022 and in the six months we lived there, my roommate and I had issues with this complex almost every single month. Between resident safety never being addressed, complete apathy from the property manager, hidden fees, multiple car break-ins, and lack of communication on all of those fronts, I would never recommend this property or any Camden property as a nice place to live.

You will be charged for a luxury apartment with almost none of the benefits. I pay less for a larger apartment much closer to downtown than I did for my rent at Camden. The apartments are not very well maintained between residents; you can see the sloppiness in the trim, painting, etc. I also had a few issues with my washer and dryer while living there; some people on the maintenance team are incredibly kind and helpful, but others will refuse to do their job on account of the fact that the building is over 35 years old and these things "just happen." If these issues "just happen," then perhaps the rent shouldn't be at the rate of a luxury apartment in Central Austin.

The apartments themselves are fine, for the most part. You'll have more bugs than a normal apartment, since you're right on the Greenbelt. Nothing Camden can do about that. The pool area is actually laid out very well and is very enjoyable in the summertime (1 star for that!). However, the gym is abysmal and has room for maybe 3 people to work out in at the same time.

My roommate's car was broken into 3 times while we lived there. Three. Times. I understand crime is not something Camden can control, but there was no action taken after any instance. Each time, we went to the leasing office and asked for additional lighting or security cameras to be installed around the complex, but nothing was ever done. This was not isolated to my roommate's car; I believe cars were broken into in front of almost every building in the time we lived there.

We also had a resident security issue in fall of 2022 which was handled terribly by management. A resident had a mental health crisis and threatened several residents with a knife, slashed tires, and was shining a flashlight into people's rooms along the Greenbelt (including my roommate's bedroom). This issue was made known to management well before it escalated to affecting multiple residents, and posts made on the resident portal notifying others of suspicious activity or updates were removed. It took over a week from the first major altercation for the resident to be evicted and arrested.

During the freeze in December 2022, I was out of town when my roommate let me know that there had been a flood in my room. Maintenance could not locate the issue of the flood, calling it "phantom," and I was left with a ruined rug and no answers.

Additionally, when my roommate and I moved out, the leasing office let us know that there was no security deposit since it was not paid at the beginning of the lease. We moved out thinking we would pay the prorated rent and utilities; then we were notified we owed $175 in cleaning fees, which we were never notified about. We were also told we did not have to clean before we left, just remove all belongings, and Camden would "take care of it" with no mention of the fees. I find it ironic that we were charged so much in cleaning fees because my friend who moved into a different unit shortly before we left found human waste on the floor in her living room, so clearly, the previous tenant's cleaning fees were not put to good use.

All of this to say, it would be nearly impossible to find a perfect apartment complex without some issues arising. However, the way in which these issues were handled was so poor that I could never in good conscience recommend this as a place to live. There were a few lights in the darkness, such as Makenzie in leasing and LeShawn in maintenance, but for the most part, Camden has some of the most apathetic employees they could find working there. I would never recommend this property to...

Updating my review to comment back to management:

Yes. Crime can, and does, happen anywhere. A given. That I don't place blame on yall for considering that is not in your control. What IS in your control are the following:

Security company: to date, we have 2 security patrols who roll through the complex anywhere from 8pm - 4 am or something. Many residents have seen these patrols literally enter, drive around ONCE, and leave. 5 minutes spent in the complex total. Undoubtedly we are paying for this in our rent and it has deterred about zero crime to date. They don't even report anything. Management mentioned adding 'more' security and despite multiple attempts to connect, I still don't have information a month later.

Calling the office: ties in beautifully with my next point - no one is EVER available in the office. So while I would love to call, or email, the calls are routed to voice mail or the regional office (that doesn't do me any good) and emails are often ignored for weeks. So, miss me with that one.

Working with authorities: I can't even verify this one because communication is SO POOR. Case in point - the event many residents have spoken about that occurred last month (August) wasn't even communicated to residents until WEEKS later, half the complex not even knowing what it was about. Second, no helpful information was given on the situation or what to look out for. Yes it was sensitive in nature but you need to give something for residents without disclosing names. A description, anything. Third, ZERO follow up afterward that the situation was resolved. I'm sure some people still have no idea what's happening. After any car break in, theft, etc. etc., management refuses to even send a basic update. Any police communication we have no idea about.

Despite being a ‘gated’ community anyone can get in. The gate is essentially a joke. As is this phantom night security (that started due to an armed robbery back in Dec 2021 that residents never even got fully debriefed about thru management - it was thanks to the victim themselves who took it upon themselves to post to the message board). Do we pay more for it now? Of course. Do they zip thru the complex and are in and out in less than 20 minutes? You bet.

Lighting is abysmal at night. I understand being next to the green belt comes with some limitations but, as a single small woman this is highly dangerous.

Other crime that’s happened - multiple car break ins, sometimes daily, car parts stolen, actual entire cars stolen, mail boxes broken into and mail/packages stolen. Most recently An individual who resides here and has caused some serious disturbances and property damage to other residents went entirely unreported to the community by management. Other residents took it upon themselves to inform the community at large (the residents here for the most part are the shining star of the place, alongside the maintenance team which I would separately give 5 stars to personally). But the management has gone 100% downhill since the team turned over last year.

Save your money because they will charge you for security that doesn’t exist and then never acknowledge when it does happen or do anything meaningful about it. They prefer to invest in the aesthetics over safety and meaningful upgrades simply to raise prices in the market which is already gauging austin-ites. The front office is hardly responsive to emails and never answers the phone (you get routed to a call center from corporate).

I truthfully LOVE the people I've met here and the location and scenery is beautiful. But, it will come with the expense of being treated like a dollar sign over a...