Cortland River Oaks — Local services in Houston

I would strongly discourage anyone from leasing at Villas. For what they are charging per unit, one would hope to receive a higher quality of living. I believe potential renters would be much happier looking elsewhere.

I have lived at the Villas for over a year and my only motivation to renew my lease would be to avoid the hassle of moving. I would not say I've had a bad experience while living here however this complex is mediocre in everyway possible.

Some Pros: -The location cannot be beat -Maintenance is pretty quick to respond to requests (usually 48hrs or less) and is very friendly -Residents were able to use amenities during covid

Issues found at most apartments, so I won't hold against it them: -Walls are very thin so you are going to hear everything -People do not pick up after their dogs so it smells. Most mornings maintenance goes around picking up what people left -Parking is a mess -Dealing with the front office for anything other than move in is a pain. You will have to constantly follow up with them in order to accomplish anything.

Some Cons: -Security. The gate codes do not change. I was speaking with a neighbor that had lived at the complex for 5 years and they felt that it had been at least 3 years since these were last changed. Given the amount of foot traffic in the area and number of people (guests, contractors, deliveries, etc) going in and out of the complex, it would be nice to see these codes change regularly. It is shocking how easy it is to get into this complex. -These apartments are showing some serious signs of aging. Covid was at its peak when I was looking for apartments, so had I been able to tour in person, I would have never signed. The model that was shown to me over facetime was not representative of the apartment that I got. -Mandatory Valet Trash. Residents are unable to opt out of this charge and more often than not, trash does not get picked up. -Packages. We are forced to pay for a delivery service called Fetch. With this system, your package has to be shipped to an offsite address and then you must schedule a time for delivery. Not sure why the complex does not move to a package locker system that gives users an individual code. Fetch seems to only benefit the front office workers and not the residents. If anything that is sent via USPS does not fit in the mail box, it will be left in a pile next to the trashcans or you have to pick it up at the post office

Overall, Villas is not a terrible place to live but understand you are paying only for location. Without a doubt, you will happier and get more bang for your...

READ BEFORE YOU CONSIDER LEASING!!

highly advise against renting with Villas at River Oaks as well as a Grey Star managed properties if you can. I was charged a series of fees including a large fee upon moving due to "carpet damage" ( as a result of my computer desk being “too heavy”, and left indentations. So don't get a computer desk, guess its not allowed) after living in the units for almost three years. You will be responsible for replacing their carpet even if you lived their for three years. Smart move when you think about it

The apartments themselves are very old and run down so you will be taking a risk for paying for the natural wear and tear when you leave. They are also VERY overpriced. You can get a much nicer unit in the area in the same price range. These are not very nice if I have to be honest. You can also expect roaches and bugs regularly.

I took very well care of my apartment, to the point where I would not wear shoes in there, but it looks like they will charge you for what they can. Greystar as well as management refused to resolve any matters.

Never in my 10+ years of renting have I had a situation like this so clearly they would like to take advantage where they can so its very disappointing. Definitely will never be renting from a Greystar managed unit (and encourage others to not do so as well). Highly recommend you stay away from this unfortunately terrible ( that's putting it generously if I had to be honest) apartment complex.

My hope is that by posting this review that if I even helped one Houstonian avoid this place then it was worth it, otherwise I would not have posted this. Many other great neighboring complexes in the area feel free to reach out for recommendations.

Don’t fall for the nice “response by owner” comment that will probably come with this review. I’ve talked to them for three days and they refused to reach any kind of agreeable resolutions. Just for show. They were firm and fairly rude.

See image below for the carpet charge from my computer desk for a good laugh.

UPDATE:

As expected called their number per their request in their comment below said they would return my phone call in regards to this matter. have yet to hear from them. Clearly it’s just for show. In addition, they would have directed me to the same people I talked to who refused to come to a agreeable terms. Still stands, will not lease from Villas/ Grey Star and encourage others not to. At this point the fee was worth it to...

Mark Davis was so friendly and super-helpful in getting my girlfriend and me into a home quickly. We were recently displaced due to a fire right after Christmas and the thought of spending the weekend before the new year looking for places was unexpected and very stressful. We visited a place we saw online prior, and it felt as though we were bothering the person at the front desk. She was texting as she was showing us apartments and rushed through the information she was giving us. We stepped into an elevator that smelled of animal urine and she waived it off as nothing. This felt like a preview to a year we might have committed to and I was less than thrilled. How many more times were we going to have to experience something similar just to get what we wanted in such a short period of time? We were tired, hungry, irritable, and frustrated about everything but we had no choice. We were in no position to stop searching.

It's funny how life throws things at you that make you realize just how good other things can be. Mark was amazing! The Villas at River Oaks Apartments was our second stop, but being greeted by Mark's warm smile and eagerness to listen to what we wanted and find the right fit made me want to sign right then and there! We had a couple of other places to check out, but we felt like he and the property itself (the Villas) set the bar. It is such a clean, visually welcoming, well taken care of property. He never was pushy, he sympathized with our situation, and was genuine in wanting to help out. We appreciated his effort and time spent with us. He is the reason we are here.

Our new apartment was so clean - thanks to the maintenance and cleaning crews and everyone else involved. We came across cute, welcome home gifts and messages that made us feel special and therefore, confident in the choice we made. Two weeks later we are still trying to put our lives back together, though extremely happy because of our recent move. The Villas at River Oaks Apartments and Mark Davis made it so that we could focus on other stuff (insurance issues, cleaning out old apartment, replacing everything, etc.) and still come home to a comfortable living...