The Kippford at Kemah Crossing — Local services in Bacliff

REVIEW UPDATED 2/28/25: We have been in our apartment for over 6 months now and have watched things take a drastic change for the worse at this community. All of the staff that was present during our move in (August of 24) is gone, and new staff came in somewhere around the DEC/JAN timeframe. Since the staff change, it is almost impossible to communicate at ALL, with anyone from the leasing office. Phones are NEVER answered, ever..... Prior to the staff change the phone was the easiest way for me to communicate quickly with the staff, but I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I have not had a single one of my calls answered since JAN. While you have the option to leave a voicemail, they are never returned or tended to. This creates a huge communication problem as my partner and I both work full time jobs and do not have time to stop in the leasing often.

I have been trying to get an issue resolved with my unit since September 6th 2024 regarding the small yard attached to our patio. We pay a premium every month to be in a unit with a grass area as we have a dog. Since move in, our yard has continually held standing water, either from the sprinklers overwatering or from the rain, as the grading of the yard is not level and does not allow water to drain. While this may not seem like a big deal, we are paying for a patch of grass, that has turned into a mud pit, where grass cannot even grow. The standing water in our yard prevents grass from growing and has caused mold to grow at the concrete foundation of the patio.

I originally contacted staff on 9/6/24 via email (2-3 weeks after move in), to which a previous leasing agent responded quickly. While I was promised that the issue would be dealt with, I believe it may have gotten lost in the staff change. I followed up again with the new staff at the beginning of January (Email sent on the 6th). Since then, I have gone back and forth with the assistant property manager about maintenance coming to view my yard, coordinating with landscapers etc. The yard needs to be leveled and re-sod, according to the APM, a statement which I absolutely agree with. I received an email on JAN 28th from the APM stating that the landscaper was putting in the order and would hopefully come the following day. Unfortunately they did not.

After sending two emails in February (12th & 19th) I did receive one email back from the APM stating that she was out of the office this month and looped in two of the leasing agents stating they would check on things for me. I have since sent two emails asking for updates with NO response. I am beyond frustrated with the situation and how it is being handled.

That being said, while I originally loved living here, the customer service after the staff change absolutely breaks it for me. I am paying for an upgraded unit with a yard that I can barely use, and trying to communicate with anyone about it is like pulling teeth. If you are thinking about moving here, just know that after your move in, staff will be almost non existent in helping with issues or concerns may arise.

Original review- We absolutely LOVE living at the Kippford! Rebecca was our leasing agent and answered all of our questions from start to finish! The maintenance staff has been wonderful and quick to address any concerns we have had...

Rebecca and Kelsey were wonderful helping with move-in and setting up apps. Couldn’t have been better. I’ve also had Sabrina help me before. All three of these women do a great job and should get a raise!

Update: While move-in was great, everything went downhill after that. The 3 women who were so helpful in the leasing/move-in process left for other jobs soon after I moved in. Leasing office had new staff every few months.

The apartment-which was brand new-had filthy floors and the smelly water problem was awful. I was told before I moved in that the rotten egg smell from faucets was because the pipes were new, they would clean the hot water heater and flush the faucets before I moved in and it would be fine. It was not. It was awful. Each new manager kept telling me it was fixed. It was not. The last manager while I was there would never talk with me about the issues. Always too busy and when I’d ask if I could talk with her, the leasing agents always said, “No, she’s in a time-sensitive meeting.” I could see her in her office sitting and laughing with one of the leasing agents. I was told this every time I asked. The grounds and entrances to the apartments were rarely cleaned. Paid far too much for no service and stinky water from every faucet. When I finally got to speak to the manager to tell her I wanted out of my lease, that I’d been trying to talk to her for months, all she would ever reply was, “I’m talking to you now.” She told me my ceiling fan had been fixed, that she had seen the maintenance man fixing it. I told her that was not true. She then told me that they’d installed a new one in my apartment, that she saw the maintenance man putting it together. I told her that wasn’t true. She picked up the phone and called maintenance and they told her the fan was on order, hadn’t come in yet. She was rude and dismissive. I told her I was giving my notice to vacate, she gave me paper to write it down and she took it.

The next day, she was no longer employed at the Kippford. I heard she was fired, but an acting manager told me she quit.

I moved and left my apartment cleaner than when I moved in. The Kippford told me I owed $4200 for breaking my lease. They turned me in to a collections agency and ruined my perfect credit.

Be very careful before signing a lease at the Kippford. They are great at leasing; not so great at keeping residents. Every resident I spoke to was planning on leaving. The prices are ridiculous for such a poorly-run property. I’ve seen they still have the rotten-egg smell from the faucets problem.

Reviews are correct about Carlos, the maintenance man. He’s fantastic, but rarely has a helper. The property is far too large for one maintenance man. Especially since he spends so much time unlocking apartment doors for residents at all hours of the day and night because the lock system is awful. And there’s no way to give access to your apartment to a pet sitter, friend, etc, unless you pay $100 each for a key fob. Also, the parking situation is pathetic. Not enough spaces. They told me they’d be making more reserved spaces soon after I moved in. That never happened.

The property could be great. But the management is awful, and until they turn that around, be wary. You do NOT get what...

For what we pay, I have to say I'm disappointed.

The key fobs have to be "recalibrated" constantly. It's been 7 months and it's happened over a dozen times. 10pm after a long work trip with suitcases in hand, and I had to go all the way to the office mail room to recalibrate it. I got a new phone, so couldn't use my phone to unlock my door either. The system is flawed. I have to give my key fob to my petsitter or visitors which keeps me from having it. Very sketchy.

I have now submitted 3 services requests that, after 1-3 weeks, just automatically get marked as "resolved." I went to ask about my service request last week. They said "they're really busy so check back on Monday." I checked, today is Monday. It was marked as "resolved." Go figure. Now to submit a NEW one and wait however long. The maintanence staff are great, but the system is awfully flawed. Good luck getting a hold of anyone at the office. They seem nice, but again, it's flawed.

The trash. Don't get me started on the "valet" trash. God forbid the single, double-bagged, trash bag full of paper and empty cans/plastic bottles weighs more than 2 pounds and gets rejected. I pay for it and barely use it anymore. The real issue is that there is ONE DUMPSTER for the ENTIRE complex. And no trash collection on weekends. It's almost always overflowing even outside of the wall it's behind.

The constant texts and emails and updates about fees for not following the rules. Bike on your patio that you pay for? Get a fine. Shoes next to your doormat? Get a fine. Want to vape or have a cigar on the patio? Get a fine. I don't even smoke and I think that's crazy. You can't even smoke on the property without a fine.

No events or any kind of appreciations. The ONLY thing we get are food trucks (unless they're cancelled) for full price. There was supposed to be an event last Friday, and it got cancelled.

The other issues I have are small, but still relevant for how much we pay here. You could pay the same amount or a tiny amount more and live somewhere that's actual luxury. I was very happy when I moved in. Korah was great and very helpful. But as soon as the lease was signed it's like it just went...