Stonewood

Austin

a week ago

"I'll try to be as fair as possible in this review.

I have lived at Stonewood for nearly 4 years at this point, since 2021. When I first moved in, I had little to no complaints. The amenities were nice, it seemed like management was on top of things, and overall it was a quiet area.

It has definitely declined a lot in the last year or so.

First, the gates. It is getting hard to remember a time when the gates were not broken. They constantly break and go through cycles of being repaired. At the current moment, they have not been operational for months (although they claim to be fixed soon). The reason this is a problem is because we live in Houston. Vehicular theft is the #1 crime here and you need to brace yourself.

Second, the noise. The walls here are super thin. You may get lucky and get a quiet neighbor, I was lucky until this year or so. I hear noise late at night, pantries being slammed, doors being closed, people yelling at each other. This is my biggest issue actually. I told management several times and to their credit, they said they made several phone calls but couldn't pinpoint it to anyone. However, I have since requested another phone call to my neighbor who has made the noise and the response was basically they can not do anything. Personally, it is hard for me to pay $1300 in rent to a place where I am hearing my neighbors through very thin walls. We are all professionals and we work early mornings/late nights and we deserve quiet spaces.

The 2-stars are only because the first two years here were nice. There is new management again so we'll see how things turn out, but things have been on the decline for a while now."

Austin Manahan

a week ago

"Samantha, who works in the front office, is awesome, but everything else kind of sucks. A new office manger just started recently- so maybe her and Samantha can help turn things around.

They don't answer the office phone-
I called three times on three different days leading up to out move in date and left voicemails. They did not return a call.

Old washer and dryer—The washer and dryer are by far some of the worst parts of our “renovated” unit. I honestly think they’re original appliances from around 2001 when the apartment was built. The washing machine lid is badly rusted (pictured), and the dryer needs to be run 3-4 times to dry a single load of clothes. It’s aggravating. Yes the lint trap is cleaned regularly.

Petty crime—Stuff gets stolen here. One of our neighbors recently had the wheels and tires stolen off their Corolla (pictured). I’ve noticed a man in a pickup truck circling the parking lot repeatedly, but he never parks. Homeless people defecate on the sidewalk near the bayou, and some homeless people set up camp under TC Jester near the bayou.

General half-assed maintenance—The maintenance team I’ve dealt with is friendly, but I think they’re stretched too thin and not given proper tools. We had what appeared to be mold or mildew growing on the caulking where the bathtub meets the tiles. I submitted a maintenance request to have it fixed. The worker arrived the next day and scraped at it with a razor blade, applied bleach, and used a half-used tube of caulk that wasn’t labeled “mold-resistant.” He didn’t remove the old caulk—just covered it up. It looked fine at first, but mold has started growing again about two months later. Everyone knows you need to completely remove moldy caulk before reapplying, and that mold-resistant caulk should be used in bathroom.

Fire alarm issues—Sometime in September or October, the entire building’s fire alarm went off intermittently from 3 a.m. to about 8:30 a.m. I stumbled into the parking lot half-dressed around 3 a.m. to see all the residents sitting outside waiting for the firemen to figure out the issue. There was no fire or emergency—just a malfunctioning fire alarm system they couldn’t turn off. The firemen left, but the alarm continued for hours.

Bad Stonewood employee etiquette—Employees don't knock before entering your unit. About two weeks after moving in, I was sitting in the kitchen when the front door opened. A man stepped inside, looked around, then left and shut the door. I ran after him, asking, “What the hell are you doing?” He claimed he had the wrong unit. I thought for sure he was a thief up to no good, as he was in regular clothes. Turns out, he was part of maintenance, but he didn’t knock nor identify himself. He was also not wearing a uniform. Who just barges into someone’s apartment?

About two months ago, a female Stonewood associate opened my apartment door- not sure if it was left unlocked or if she used a master key. I was at the door as it began to open. At least this time she had a Stonewood shirt on so I knew she was friendly. She said she had the wrong apartment number.

Today, maintenance was testing fire alarms again. I saw the front doorknob twisting, and someone pushing on the door from the outside. When I answered, it was maintenance again. They needed access to inspect fire alarms and sprinklers but hadn’t knocked. I asked why they hadn’t, and they said they had, but I didn’t hear them.

Excessive power outages—We’ve experienced 142 hours of power outages in our first six months."

Hari B

5 years ago

"Stonewood is an amazing apartment community. I stayed here for a year from April 2017 to April 2018 and enjoyed my time here. I am sad to leave due to job relocation to another part of town. It is close to downtown and just beside bayou cycling/walking trail. Lane and Courtney working in office are very helpful and kind people. Gym, swimming pool and bbq area are clean and well kept. Security is no issue as i have not heard anything about break-in and such during my time. After long day at work, it feels great to walk or cycle around bayou trail."

Jordan Thompson

2 months ago

"pros: affordable rent, convenient location
cons: roaches, spiders, power outages, and did I mention roaches

Ending my lease early because i can’t live like this anymore. It’s unfortunate because I really wanted to love this place.

I’ve been dealing with pests (roaches and spiders) since I first moved in which tells me the entire property is infested. It’s disgusting and speaks volume on stonewood’s “management.” I’ll spare you all of the pictures i took as evidence but definitely move in at your own risk.

In addition, I’m getting penalized with an early termination fee even though I am leaving due to Stonewood negligence on maintaining their buildings and eliminating the pest problem in the first place.

Save your time, money, and more importantly sanity. No one wants to live in unsanitary conditions. Rent somewhere else."

Ida Penelope Martinez

4 months ago

"Dear Members of the Stonewood Apartments Administration.

I am writing to you as a tenant of the condominium, to express my deep dissatisfaction with the lack of security in the facilities, which has resulted in several alarming incidents, including the recent theft of tires from several vehicles in the parking lot.

It is extremely worrying that, despite the fees we pay for the management and maintenance of the common areas, an adequate security system has not been implemented to protect our property. As residents, we trust that the condominium where we live is a safe place, and unfortunately, this is not being fulfilled.

Tire thefts not only represent a significant economic loss for the owners of the affected vehicles, but also generate an environment of insecurity and distrust among tenants. I consider it unacceptable that these incidents have occurred without effective preventive measures being taken.

I respectfully request that the administration take immediate action to improve security in the condominium. Some suggestions that could be implemented include:

I hope that management will take these concerns seriously and act promptly to ensure the safety and peace of mind of all residents.

I appreciate your attention to this matter in advance and look forward to a prompt response with a detailed action plan."

Rachel Kubichek

7 months ago

"I've lived at Stonewood for 4 years. The location is truly difficult to beat. Our back windows overlook the forest next to the bayou and we hear owls almost nightly! Tons of birds during the day. Easy access to bayou trails. Just a super peaceful respite from city life... but still in the city! Because the complex is bordered by the bayou and a train yard, nothing else will ever be built around it, which guarantees the feeling of being "tucked away." As far as bayou flooding goes, my understanding is that only the corner of the parking lot flooded during Harvey. And the train yard is not noisy except for the occasional short screech during the day. (Barely audible on the north side of the complex.) Maintenance guys are always super responsive/sweet. Like most apartments, walls are relatively thin, so we do often hear our upstairs neighbors walking around. But it's sort of just one of those things you get used to and stop noticing after a while. Overall, Stonewood has been a great place to live!"