Memorial Hills Apartments — Local services in Houston

have lived here since the Fall of 2015 and for the majority of the time I've lived here it's been very enjoyable. The community area and pool area are both very well done and I've hosted a number of events in both areas. The apartments themselves have floor plans that I really like (have lived in two separate apartments in the time I've lived here.) There is a free to use Starbucks coffee machine in the public area that makes decent drinks and the girls in the office are always pleasant.

The negatives to living here would be the following: The apartments are pet friendly and it seems there are always residents who have no comprehension of how to clean up after their pets. This consists of them leaving dog urine and feces in the hallways and elevators. The elevators in the garage constantly smell horrible, so I've always used the indoor elevators which seem to be a bit better.

The parking garage has an electronic gate to get in, though it's almost always open and my bicycle was stolen within a week of being placed in the garage with a lock around it. I'd recommend keeping bicycles in doors or on your balcony. There have also been numerous accounts of people having their windows broken on their vehicles both on the streets in front of the apartment and within the parking garage itself (latest incident involved 3 cars that were hit last night, 12/27/2017.

Recently a complaint was filed against the apartment for noxious odor and smells on the first few floors. It was discovered by some of the tenants that this apartment was built upon an area that has ground water previously contaminated by chlorine and other industrial solvents that seep up as gas into the apartments. Upon the City of Houston being notified, we suddenly had construction at the apartment to install a vapor extraction system that is now visible on the parking garage and on the first floor.

A new management has taken over this location starting in December 2017 and they've already started making immediate changes without any warning. The most aggravating would be forced valet trash. I left work one day and came home to see black trash bins in front of every single apartment door. Since this apartment complex in door hallway access to every apartment (think hotel style with a shared public hallway), this means every single apartment now has a trash can in front of it and everyone is expected to have their trash out by 9 AM each day. Unfortunately, not everyone follows this and when I get home the hallways smell horrible, from rotting food, to dirty diapers and who knows what else. We have a trash chute on every floor that we've always used and we are all adults who can manage to take our own trash out. At other locations this same management company forces the use of this service for $25.00 a month, which equates to over $90,000 a year income for the management company while only aggravating many current residents.

At this time I certainly do not recommend leasing here, and gave 2 stars instead of 1 due to the previous time I've lived here before the new management company. This company is apparently just trying to maximize revenue at the expense of tenants. This includes the fact that they let go the entire maintenance team right before the holidays along with a few office workers.

Update: My mother lives here because I recommended it well before the management change. In the time since I've left they have restricted the use of door mats (may not have any door mats!!) They require DNA tests on your pets in order to identify if you leave pet waste on the premises. They only just fixed her hot water after months of not having any.

These fake reviews of giving this place five stars are either staff, friends, or they literally just moved...

I am a new resident so I'm trying to provide my honest feedback. I'm disappointed. Promises are made before signing the paperwork but nothing is real. You may have particular things you are looking for regarding position of your apartment or in apartment features - they say a lot of words but when you move in, you realize everything that was said was false. They are nice about it, but it's hard to overlook the disappointment and feeling of being misled. They (complex in general) seem more concerned with aesthetics than with things actually working. Doors that seem to pose as security deterrent (requiring a fob to get in) open easily without a fob. And the doors that do work, the fob is useless and takes about 10 seconds of standing there pushing to get it to register. (Something to think about while standing in the rain). Water fountains don't work, the gym equipment hasn't been serviced in so long that the cable machines aren't fluid motions - more jerky pulls to get the cable to go through smoothly. Useless. Even the mirrors in the gym are misplaced and you would expect them to be somewhere useful where you could get an arm workout in with full extension without hitting other equipment or squats to ensure form, unfortunately, no - but aesthetically, looks good. The coffee machine doesn't even work. It seems to be like everything else. It has a lot on the menu and promises a lot but it just gives two kinds of coffee and nothing else. The only thing that is not maintained for it's aesthetic nature seems to be the dog path and cleanliness of the complex. Again, I was misled. I was told there was easy access to the dog run provided by the complex from the front and back - not so. There is only ONE entrance and if it's not close to your apartment, be prepared to walk a long way. It's also not maintained and some residents aren't responsible pet owners. Wear old shoes and be prepared to get muddy every walk. Only a small portion of the dog run is grass and/or paved. The rest is mud, dog crap left behind, and gravel...because dogs love gravel? There is no easy way for any guest to get in. They have to go to the back of the building through the garage (which is not intuitive to most and there is no sign directing them) so deliveries and guests need to be met up at the front of the building and walk around (a long way). Cars are broken into weekly in the front of the complex. Broken glass is a frequent sighting. I made a service request and it took 10 days for maintenance to arrive. There is no trash pick up and only one trash chute - in the garage. So again, be prepared for a nice long walk with all your garbage in tow but seems like trash service at these prices would be something expected. There are frequent pet messes everywhere (inside hallways and elevators) and every weekend expect the community room to be a nightmare with cups and trash thrown about, even into the halls. The carpet isn't replaced between moves and is an unsightly brown color (was told it would be replaced prior to move in but -...

I lived here from 05/2016 – 05/2018. Note that Alliance residential took over from CIM group at the end of 2017, which is where a noticeable negative change happened and all the staff switched out.

PROS Location: Great location you can walk straight on the trails of the Bayou, and near to Washington Ave. Maintenance: Always very swift and do a great job with the usual things like light bulbs, air condition or appliance issues. Building: The apartments themselves are well built and nicely equipped. Communal areas are also useful and well kept (although as noted there was the issue of being built on an old waste site so they added extra ventilation – wasn’t affected on the higher floors). There have however been ongoing intermittent issues with the water supply over my time here.

CONS Security: Very lacking. Used to have live-in officer/security in 2016 but no longer. Car break-ins are common... Gate is usually open, and no CCTV. Just look at the amount of broken windows glass on the garage floor. Multiple requests for improvements get the responses of ‘looking into it’ yet nothing changes, just emails to remind people not to leave belongings/valuables in their cars. Apparently, it’s more of a priority to employee sign spinners or install a pet bath, and you can see from the other recent reviews I am not alone in the opinion that security is a joke. Leasing Office: The staff are very approachable, amenable and courteous. Since Alliance took over however, the processes are inefficient and any issues take a long time to resolve. Examples 1. Adding someone to lease over 1 month. 2. Utilities incorrect for 6+ months because the meter can’t be read 3. Office closes frequently with no notice. 4. Never respond to emails.

There are lots of pet owners here, some of which don’t clear up after elevator or hallway accidents. Also, the gym is not treated well by residents who don’t put back weights, wipe down equipment etc. One out of the 3 running machines has been out of order for over a year.

Overall, the new management has plans to introduce things like parcel lockers, update pool furniture etc. but until they address resident’s fundamental concerns around security then I would not recommend this place – it seems they’d rather focus on attracting new residents than keeping existing. This is the main reason I did...