One Park Place Downtown Apartments — Local services in Houston

Nice on the surface, but live there for a while and you'll realize that it's not the best experience in terms of value for money.

Most of the residents have been from out of town and they don't know downtown Houston is a ghost town on nights and weekends (getting better, but not there yet). Most people who come expect a similar downtown experience to New York, London, Copenhagen or elsewhere. My sense is that there have been enough of a revolving door of these type of tenants that the management does not need to worry about it too much.

Rent is overpriced because of all the "amenities" they offer. While their monthly resident parties seem nice, they're usually not fully attended, which means you're paying extra for stuff like this (but it's OK, who doesn't mind being nickeled and dimed?).

They bought all brand new patio furniture last year which is only 1 season after having some of it replaced that was damaged in high winds (I guess they have enough money to do that). Similar thing with the furniture in the lobby and resident rooms, which was only a few years old, but apparently did not make enough of a posh impression, so it's out.

The building is only wired for AT&T, so hopefully you like slow internet and terrible customer service. Newer buildings are wired for multiple services, giving you a choice, if you like that sort of thing.

The unit seems to work fine most of the time. Garbage disposal has to be fixed every 4 months or so and rather than replace it they just do something to it that is equivalent to a Band-aid solution until it breaks down again in another 4 months.

They have a gym. It's nicer than some hotels, but not quite a full workout experience. They have actually taken equipment out in the past 2 years making it necessary for me to join a gym (so there's another surcharge incurred as a result of living here).

They have a pool attendant during the summer because apparently we all behave like children who can't control ourselves, and we're not allowed to have more than X number of guests at a time. Frankly, I can expect things got out of hand when they first opened the building and had a bunch of Rockets players living there. But this pool guy (nice guy, just doing his job) is completely unnecessary as I have never seen the pool overrun by any one group. There are always ample spaces to sit out, so why do I need this guy busting my stones every time I go out there to make sure I'm on the list to get in like some nightclub. News flash, I'm already paying for the privilege, thanks.

Valet staff are often clueless. I pull up in the car and they don't open my car door or the building door for me, looking at their phones (or something) instead. Takes them forever to get your car too. I had a guest a couple of days ago we parted company in the lobby, I went back downstairs 10 minutes later to pick up a package and my guest was still waiting for his car.

Most of the management staff are nice, but the building manager is a real piece of work. She's an old crank who doesn't negotiate with you, it's all a bunch of cheap parlor tricks to get you to pay more (like when I go to the grocery store and something I used to get for five bucks now costs six, but it's discounted from eight, so I'm getting a deal right?).

The building management actually sent me a renewal letter asking for a rent increase claiming they are at 99% capacity (where exactly are all these people, because they hallways, resident rooms and other common areas are usually empty...) with a long list of people anxious to move in.

Feel free to do so and you can join the marijuana smoking guy on my floor that the management says is only smoking a cigar. Or (probably the same) guy who left a lovely puddle of vomit on the floor a few weeks back. The response from building management, "We can't control stuff like that.. we cleaned it up right?" Actually, you can control it by not letting those kind of people into the building in the first place. As long as their money is green, it seems not to...

I was going to let sleeping dogs lie and not leave a review because of the great service by the concierge folks who work at this building, but the Finger Company (who runs One Park) has frustrated me to the point where I now feel I cannot keep quiet. I would not recommend living here for several reasons detailed below.

There has recently been a large exodus of renters from the building as safety has deteriorated and management has become focused on profits above all else. After a few months of living here, my car was salvaged for parts in One Park Place’s supposedly private and “secure” garage. Other residents in the building have noted this has been happening, yet One Park issued no safety warnings, did not increase security in anyway, and did not lift a finger to assist. While I considered this to be a breach of the warrant of habitability due to safety, I did not think it was worth the effort to fight it at the time. The most helpful part of One Park in this was not the leasing office, the management company, etc. who did nothing, but rather the guys at the concierge desk who helped me arrange for a tow truck to haul off my car, which no longer functioned. Sadly, the great guys who run the show at the front desk are often mistreated by the Finger Company. They are paid awful wages, possibly contracted, and many of them are forced to work another part- or full-time job just to make ends meet. It is despicable.

The above is a piece of the truth that behind the façade of quality service is greed. One Park might help out here and there, but with it comes the expectation that you will be milked for every penny whenever possible. Examples include, mysterious monthly increases in water bills without explanation, a massive lease listing so many possible fees that you might as well be signing in blood, and undiscussed fees upon move out that will eat up most of, if not all, of a security deposit. Specifically, I left no trash in the apartment and gave everything a once-over clean, yet One Park insisted on charging me individual fees for cleaning every last item in the apartment charging on an item by item basis, including things like “shampooing the carpet.” Never once have I lived in an apartment where a routine cleaning was not expected as an expense by management between tenants. Do they really expect tenants to do an industrial strength shampoo of their carpet prior to moving out?

Lastly, as a cherry on top, when a management company I was speaking with recently reached out to One Park, One Park had the audacity to say I had “outstanding fees” with them. This is simply not the case. I paid a security deposit of $1500, and even with One Park’s nickle and diming such as “shampooing the carpet” fees, it still all came out to around $900, with was far under my security deposit. I have no outstanding fees, and this badmouthing of my reputation really ticked me off. Bear in mind this was prior to my ever leaving a public review of any sort. As I mentioned at the start, I was going to let sleeping dogs lie, but after hearing that, I had to speak up. Any kindness that One Park shows is just to keep you as a tenant and make more money. The minute you are not paying them, their true motives are laid bare.

Save yourself the headache of having a management company that is only out for money and do not rent here.

Also your “longhorn” pool looks...

I am feeling compelled to write this review for a couple of reasons. First of all, I love living at One Park Place!! It's my Houston home!! I've been extremely happy with all of my experiences over the last 3 and a half years. I do have two major wish list items and those are gas ranges and a 1 bedroom 1.5 bath option, but those are probably impossible changes for an existing building. I can always wish, though.

We currently have a very comfortable 1 bedroom 1 bath apartment(1100+ sf) overlooking the pool and downtown. There is plenty of storage and space, and the balconies in every apartment are spacious. I have found the employees at all levels to be friendly, professional and accommodating....many who have been here for years and years. OPP's facilities are well-maintained and they are constantly upgrading amenities/facilities throughout the building. We recently were able to request a full-sized stackable washer/dryer which will be a wonderful improvement. I understand that they are replacing a certain number of the smaller sized ones each month. The building has 24-hour concierge service and great security. Complimentary valet service is nice for residents and guests, although I don't usually it. Gorgeous pool/outdoor area. Having Phoenicia downstairs, Discovery Green across the street and convenient access to sporting events and restaurants/bars can't be beat. Rent prices are pricy, but that doesn't seem to prevent OPP from staying almost completely occupied. The clientele is a little more transient than I expected, but there are plenty of residents who have lived here for quite a while. It's nice to have a feeling of familiarity and community. I would definitely recommend One Park Place if you are considering downtown urban living.

Secondly, this comment is in response to Glenn Williams's review below. Your negative review about OPP regarding your son needing a restroom and proceeding to another floor to find one is difficult to believe. Access in the building's elevators is fob-controlled and one cannot just go to another floor unless you are provided access by the concierge or another resident. You would have had to climb the stairs to the 8th floor to even access a floor as the parking garage is there. Even then I think you would have needed a fob to get through the door. Also, there is a restroom right off the lobby near the leasing office which your son could have used. Did you even ask anyone for a restroom before feeling free to wander around the building? If you were asked to leave, then the concierge had his reasons and was doing his job, in my...