Lenox Oaks — Local services in Houston

REVIEW IS 3.5 STARS (But google doesn't do halves).

Let me first start by recognizing the maintenance team for their prompt response to requests and quick fixes to problems we have had in our apartment. They alone carry a star and a half in my review.

The apartment complex itself is situated in a convenient area. Easy access to I-69 (north and south), the Galleria, Highland Park, and the Upper Kirby and Montrose areas. The amenities are great when available. The pool is a hot commodity and you need to get out there early to set up and secure your spot for the day.

The apartments themselves are nice and have updated appliances, and they have wifi set up in them so all you have to do is turn the service on. The service is fast and reliable as well.

The reason this review is 3.5 stars out of 5 is for the following reasons:

The parking garage...the garage is built in a way where when you first drive in, there is a wall that requires you to make a sharp left turn and then a right turn to get into the garage. When there is no traffic coming out of the complex, this isn’t a huge issue. When you’re leaving to work at 9 am with the rest of the apartment population, or coming home during rush hour, it’s a guessing game on whether the cars coming out and in will be driving carefully.

Trash Valet...This service is great if you need it, but some tenants keep their trash can out in the hallway and stuff it with trash throughout the day and it stinks up the hallways, as well as invites flies and other insects. Trash piling up or being drug on the carpet also contributes to some stains and some unpleasant smells being left in the hallway carpets. I'd like to see them cleaned more often if possible.

Mailroom...This is a huge problem and is a major reason behind my low star rating. The mail room is tiny and there is no additional room for packages. So, in addition to every tenant’s mail box being in the same small room, all of their packages are dumped in the room too. There are lockers that drivers can use, however the lockers are limited in size, space and quantity. Additionally, there is one general purpose locker for larger packages that the delivery persons use as an opportunity to try out their Tetris skills, i.e., packages stacked all on top of each other, leaving the retrieving tenant to be stuck with having to put all the packages back into the general purpose locker when they finish getting theirs. The result is that packages are regularly left out on the floor, or on a table in the middle of the room.

My old apartment complex had mailboxes, and a large parcel locker with different sizes in a separate room, as well as another storage room under control of the leasing office which held much larger packages. I’d like to see this complex do something similar.

Security...Overall, the complex is relatively safe. However, a big gripe I have is that some non-resident drivers regularly wait in a visitor spot to tailgate a resident in order to follow them into the garage since the gate only opens for residents. I’m not sure what the solution is here, maybe a quicker closing gate…but this is frustrating.

I’ve seen some reviews about mold. There are some problems with the humidity in the air entering the unit through the dedicated ventilation shafts for the kitchen and dryer. I’d like to see the complex come up with a way to handle this, but so far, any complaint I have had with any potential mold, our maintenance team has stepped up and cleaned surfaces with chemicals and seems willing to take any extraordinary measures to keep our units mold free.

We've never really had to interact with the leasing office since we first signed last year. They host events relatively often, and seem open to handling our concerns when they arise. I don't think that they deserve the hate they get in these reviews.

Overall: This complex has not given us enough problems that we feel we need to leave ASAP. Prospective residents should take the other reviews with a grain of salt; for the location and price, it's...

More cons than pros and I wouldn’t recommend someone to move here. When I signed, the 8 free weeks made it worth it. But it was expensive for what it was to want to renew my lease.

Pros. The move in process and tour was pretty smooth. Maintenance team is great. The unit was new since we were the first tenants and very modern. The closet was pretty spacious for the 770 sq ft unit. I love the valet trash and with it being a small apt complex— you’re not walking so much from the garage like other complexes. I enjoyed the pool, grill and gym amenities and how new/clean the common areas were. I liked being able to use my phone to unlock the doors. It’s also just a great location to just hop onto 59.

But to go through the cons: management has changed frequently during my lease here which made several requests difficult for us (explained at end of review)

The key fob was nice… until it deactivated exactly 1 year from my move-in date. So if you have a lease longer than 12 months…. You better remember that day and get that handled with management before the office closes for the day or you might not be able to get into your unit

During my time here, I noticed how thin the walls were. I could hear the muffled noises of my side neighbors listening to music whenever it was quiet in mine. Sometimes I could hear my upstairs neighbors walking around as well. The washer machine did not wash well in my opinion and didn’t have a delicate cycle. And the dryer was weak and i would have to run it again.

Security is an issue in the garage. There was a lack of cameras, thieves can just tailgate you in, and you have to pay $15/mo in your amenities to park here? Multiple cars have gotten their tires stolen several times during my lease here, cars were left in bricks, windows broken,and I’ve had a neighbor tell me someone tried to steal their car as well— the thief tried to reprogram their car to a new key fob which made their key fob not work! Who ever was trying to steal their car was unsuccessful though. It was constant for a while and everyone was pretty on edge. Hope you have wheel locks if you move here.

My fridge stopped working 12 months into the lease and they switched the whole fridge out from another unit instead of fixing it. Nonetheless it was inconvenient since everything went bad and we had to throw away everything.

Worst of all, I got mold on my closet ceiling and laundry room a month before my lease ended due to the upstairs unit. Half of my things were destroyed with mold and I had to file a renters insurance claim. I couldn’t throw anything away until the claim was closed and tried to save a lot of things so I had to move everything salvageable to the living room. At first they just came in and said that the leak above dried so all they did was patch up drywall…. Which it was not dry as the mold rapidly came back and they had to work on the issue again but they took even longer to fix it the second time around. Because management changed in the middle, it took forever for management to tell the insurance adjuster that it was not our fault and there was a leak coming from the apartment above. It was a headache to deal with since everything was prolonged. We had to constantly follow up. In the end our claim was approved after 5 weeks (literally just 1 week before our lease ended) but I don’t think it should have taken that long… we really just lived in a moldy apartment for several weeks which was a concern to our health as well since I have severe asthma but we had no where to go and we were moving out sooner than later. We also had to fight to ask for a rental concession for the inconvenience of not being able to use our unit to the fullest extent… Even after we moved out, they “forgot” to give us the rental concession with our security deposit and we had to inquire about that as well. Granted it usually takes 3-4 weeks for the security deposit to come back… It took an additional 3-4 weeks to get the rental concession.

Overall, not a...

I hardly leave reviews but feel like I must after I just signed another year with this property. When I first moved in, the building was pretty much brand new and it seemed like they didn't have the proper staff. The Property Manager position and assistants were like a revolving door. Ever since the new manager came in, Christoper, I have to give him credit...there really isn't anything to complain about (trust me there was so much to complain about with the previous managers handling of several issues).

Chris has really made sure this property is kept safe, any issues are handled asap and he makes things super easy and is friendly. I come from a major city up north so when it comes to pricing...it's a great deal but for locals I don't know if it's expensive or not.

Only thing I don't like is how all these little fees for services I don't use or need add up. Like I don't need Valet Garbage and the Conserve bill is a bit ridiculous (it's a charge for everything from water to sewer to stormwater...yes three different water charges and it's submetered so you don't pay what you use).

I also hate the fact you are stuck with using ATT Internet. No other internet service provider. They probably made a deal with them. It's a bit unfair.

Back to the good. I was the first occupant to occupy my unit, I feel super safe here (it's a bit overkill but I love it. You need to use your key fob or app not only to enter the building but to even enter certain hallways which is great!), beautifully designed and lots of nice ammenities like a Gym, A Private Gym Video Room, Game Room with bowling etc, a beautiful lounge area, gorgeous pool area, even a dog grooming room (although I don't use none of the ammenties) and they are all free unless you are booking it for a private event. Staff is very helpful and kind.

But...it's also an apartment community which comes with it's share of less than ideal practices like using Realpage's Algorithm can artificially inflate rental prices over night for a unit and how the management company that oversees the property is quick to deny any wrong doing. Luckily, the Property Manager, Assistant Manager and Staff are helpful enough to not get them involved unless necessary because ZRS can be a bit extra at times.

I chose this property because of it's easy access to the shops and nightlife, the accessibility to all areas of Houston and the location being safe and surrounded by beautiful homes where families live (it's not congested and these type of homes are the type to be very concious of any safety issues, have nice curb appeal and keep this area very upscale). I am currently building my home, which is the reason why I am renting but I would reccomend this property to anyone. I've never had issues with any neighbors, in fact I actually like all my neighbors. They also have good specials certain times of the year.

Why 4 stars? I had to dock a star simply for the Conservice, the Valet Garbage and other extra ammenties you are forced to pay for even if you don't use it. Also the fact you are stuck with ATT, they extra fee's you pay like 2.99 just to get a water bill and the management companies extra-ness (read that contract).

Long story short. Staff is great and the location and property is safe. They finally got it together because the previous staff was a mess! I just wish the snack store was located elsewhere because you can't access it after hours and sometimes I'm craving...