Hanover Rice Village — Attraction in Houston

I'm not sure where to even start with this review. I would first like to mention that any attempts to remove my genuine review (which I know is common with this place) will be met with swift legal action, as I was a tenant here for almost 4 years and recently moved out. This is an honest testimonial of my experience with this outdated, poorly managed apartment complex.

When first moving in during COVID-19 times, my experience was overall okay. I moved here to be close to Rice University, in which I am now an alumni. I had very little experience renting at the time and thought all the damaged, outdated appliances and horrible gym were typical of apartment complexes. However, as the years went on, I found out from hearsay that other apartment complexes actually have a buzz-up system that works, a reasonably sized package room, and washer+dryers that would not rip holes into my clothes. Hanover Rice Village has NONE of these. Their gym has very little equipment and you can barely get a full body workout in without heading to the gym across the street. Their package room is always stuffed to the brim, with very little organization. When organization does happen, it is a single front desk staff spending over an hour in there mid-day, blocking residents from reaching their packages easily. Their front office staff never responds to emails, except when you threaten to call or go down to talk with them. If you try to call, you are directed to a call-person no matter the time of day and no matter if the front staff is literally downstairs, in the office. The call-person tells you that you'll get a call back, which comes more than 1 day later at horribly inconvenient times.

Additionally, I had two separate cars broken into on two separate occasions while parking in Hanover Rice Village's parking garage. The first time, dozens of cars were broken into, including mine. Both my driver and passenger windows were cracked and instead of offering their residents any financial support, they simply call and encourage us to use an affiliated company to fix our windows, out of our own pocket. The second time, I had just gotten a new car, and over ONE HUNDRED cars were broken into. My windows, once again, were cracked. And just like last time, they employ staff to call us offering an affiliated company for us to pay ourselves, to get our windows fixed. Let me remind everyone that Hanover Rice Village promised a safe, secure place to park our cars. I was parked on the 3rd floor and my car still was not safe. This was because they took weeks to fix the garage door and employed an unreliable security company to guard the front gate. They employed a single security guard who was always on his phone, walking around, and basically doing anything other than watching who goes into the parking garage. It might have even been an inside job, because how were over 100 cars hit in one night, when there was a security guard on duty?? Absolutely disgusting and ridiculous actions throughout this entire situation from Hanover Rice Village's management.

They are now attempting to charge us for over $1000 in damages after leaving, because they had to "replace" the carpet and stove top. The "damage" they are claiming I left is wear and tear, which inevitably increases with the length of time a tenant lives there. After 4 years, there will indeed be more wear and tear, but that does not legally constitute any charges for us. They simply want residents moving out to pay for their renovations and upgrades that we never got to enjoy. Absolutely not.

Do NOT live here. Go to Hanover Southhampton (though I have not heard the best things about Hanover company in general) or look around the Rice Village area. This place is absolutely horrible. We're at a new complex in a different city and WOW the difference is massive. To actually have appliances that work and staff that answers emails is a huge game-changer. If you care about living comfortably, don't live here.

(Google limits character count. The rest of my review will be added on other review...

*This is truly luxury, resort-style living. Generous amounts of exterior lighting add to the aesthetics as I look out my window onto the courtyard at night. I often remark that I feel like I'm living at a resort. and thank my lucky stars that I have the privilege of living here. The exterior is visually pleasing to the eye in so many ways. Landscaping is lush and impeccably manicured throughout the year; not just in the growing season. I have been a resident for close to 7 years.and can attest to the consistency of the management teams to make Hanover Rice Village the best place to live in Houston! Bar none! ** COMMUNITY: The present property-community manager has taken us to a new level in building community. Rebecca is personally invested in making social events extraordinary; from a crawfish boil to sumptuous breakfasts with pancakes, waffles, sausage, fruit, juices, etc. The community now has a book club and film club that Rebecca sponsored and encouraged. I feel I now have neighbors rather than fellow residents. *As a value proposition, please consider adding together [1] the location (probably the most walkable neighborhood with over 35 restaurants, nightlife and many more services within a few blocks) and [2] the beauty and quality of the entire building before dismissing the rental rates as being too high. Rents are NOT too high! They are competitive and reasonable for such a gorgeous living environment smack dab in the enviable Rice Village area. Continuous maintenance and painting refreshing point to management's commitment to making this community looking like the day it was opened and even better. This is saying something as movers are really hard on the hallways and carpets. The upgrading and maintenance of the property is continuously being improved. Paint is refreshed inside on a regular basis, hallway carpets are repaired or replaced before they start showing wear and tear. Poolside railings and gates recently had a fresh coat of paint, new pool furniture is ready for the summer, the improvements and refreshing just keep coming. *In addition to maintenance, property manager, Rebecca, has greatly enhanced the beauty of the public areas. Rebecca, arranged for the replacement of some of the original furniture and decorative arts that were looking a bit tired. Now everything is sparkling and pleasing to the eye and the soul. And get this, chandeliers in the lobby areas were upgraded. Who ever heard of a property replacing original chandelier lighting? This shows that corporate Hanover puts their money where their mouth is when it comes to providing a superb visual experience for their residents. Now let's talk about “daily” maintenance. It is almost impossible to find a finger print on the glass doors, the elevator walls, anywhere. Management takes security very seriously and is extremely proactive. The property is tightly secured and monitored. Elevators and all entry doors require fobs outside of business hours. A significant capital investment was just made to install a state-of-the-art gate for the parking garage. This is the latest in a string of many security enhancements that have been made over time to make our community even safer. ** This must be the best location in town to live. Over 35 restaurants within a five block area. Lots of shopping, nightlife, continuous additions and improvements in restaurants (upscale wine bar-restaurant, California sandwich and salad experience, and many services are in the same area. Museums, Rice University and other cultural spots are within a very walkable two miles area. Urban living at its best! I am very grateful to call Hanover Rice...

REVIEW FROM A FORMER TENANT

We lived here for almost four years and left after onsite management went downhill.

Gym equipment and building amenities: The cardio gym equipment was broken for almost a year. I filed many maintenance requests and even spoke with the manager and assistant manager - no change. one of the treadmills was finally replaced before we moved. The fireplace in the loggia was not working for more than a year - management said the broken part was on order. The common area? When we moved in, we were told tenants could use it any time. And we did! It was great for hosting. Fast forward a few years, tenants cannot use the common area when the leasing office is open - prospective tenant tours.

Building safety: Our expensive hybrid bike was locked on the bike rack in the garage and stolen. When we reported it to the onsite property team, the representative laughed. Look up when hundreds of tenants’ cars got vandalized in the garage in 10/2022.

Bogus move out charges: We moved here for the location, which is amazing. We read reviews that Hanover charges tenants for any and all property “damage” at move out. We were wary, but we have owned and rented property in major markets and are respectful.

We were VERY careful to protect ourselves; when we moved in, we did a video walk through. We paid rent on time, took good care of the unit and had cleaners come multiple times a week. When we moved out, we did a pre move out inspection with the onsite manager. We also did a video walkthrough after the movers left to document the condition of the apartment. We paid to use the building’s cleaners to clean our unit so it would be up to Hanover’s standards.

Imagine our surprise when after move out, we got a bill for thousands of dollars. Two weeks later, I got an email from the onsite team saying they would send us to collections.

I called the City of Houston’s Fair Housing & Tenant/ Landlord Hotline for advice. They counseled me to go straight to the corporate team with a certified letter contesting the charges. Which I did. After corporate received the letter, the onsite team promptly removed the charges.

Know your rights as a tenant. If you choose to live here, do so with eyes wide open and...