Excellent practical choice, with a few notes for your info
From:
HappyLantern2005
Date posted:
1/28/2005
Years at this apartment:
1999
-
2004
1 response
Long commentary follows...lol
First I must say that there are some problems with this website, I have tried sending a note to four diffent contact emails for www.apartmentratings.com and for the new tenant forum. NONE OF the email addys work. I wanted to suggest that for additional publicity for thier websites, they could provide online flyers for web-site users to print and post around thier apartments. almost free for website mgmt, and it would help the users build thier own apartment online communities.
I have lived here for at Lantern Village five years this time. I am unlikely to move until I purchase another home. I have had two different apartments, one in each of the two main sections. It is true that the character of the two sections is somewhat different. The main section, where the management office and most amenties are located is busier and somewhat noisier. The smaller section (closer to Kroger) is quieter, friendlier and much less activity/ noise. Rarely are there noisy children even outside at the pool. When they are there, they are almost certainly visitors, and don't come back, at least not often. I have great long term neighbors. The maintenance has been excellent. The services/amenities have been excellent. My A/C is as cold as I could ever want it.....maybe colder it will easily get down to 65 degrees maybe lower, if I wanted it colder. They are always doing ongoing maintenance to keep the property and apartments in working order. Maintenance requests are promptly answered, if not within a few hours, the next day has always been my experience. 1789 apartments, 17 pools and hot tubs, a laundry room for each building (new equipment again twice in five years) free video rentals, weight room, free exercise classes week nights, tanning beds, 2 mini-markets on site, all bills paid! All for a very reasonable rate and in an incredibly convenient area. True, I would not allow children to walk around OUTSIDE the complex, the neighborhood does not look nice, and it is high crime (check the HPD website) there is, however a police substation across the street on the Renwick side in the shopping center. We have an incredible array of multinational neighbors, many are highly educated. I have never had any problem with any resident. The complex is quick to evict those who violate rules, the warnings are clear. I, for one, appreciate the resulting quiet, calm home at the end of my workday. Noisy residents are not tolerated. People who do not pick up after thier pets outside are not tolerated. Yes, visitors are required to present valid photo ID in order to come in through the gates. Residents can either use thier auto decal, or they too must present valid photo ID, even to go out and check thier mail. Ah, and applicants must pass thier credit check. These restrictions are what make this a pleasant, stable and safe place for those who chose to obey the rules. Yes, I would, as I would anywhere in a large city, lock my doors, car and secure my possessions. To do less would be foolish anywhere. Perhaps the restrictions and thier enforcement is why some have listed such viceral complaints on this site. My experience in no way resembles the negatives that they list. Perhaps they were disgruntled evicted tenants.
Here is the part where improvements could be made: I happy to see that they are finally taking care of the outside of the buildings, pressure washing, scraping the peeling paint, filling in the cracks, and repainting, and replacing rotting boards in the wooden walkways. It was getting kinda shabby, and I know it was ready to be fixed up when I moved back in five years ago. I am just surprised that it took them so long to get around to the work, considering that it seems that they are always fixing something! The painting project is estimated to take the next five months.
However, there are a few issues that might be better addressed if tenants spoke with a united voice.
NO hot water in half the washing machines: This one, has been a problem for about 2 1/2 years. Both the laundry machine leasing service and management have been repeatedly contacted, since the current contractor for laundry services installed thier washers for the first time. They only connected every other washer to the hot water. That means that whether you want to or not, you must wash your clothes in cold water. You may not even know that you are not getting hot water unless you stay by the machine and check to see that when you turn the selection dial to HOT, you get NO water at all, and if you turn it to WARM, you get only a trickle. You say, no prob...I want to save energy and use cold water. And I reply, Think again! Not in a public laundromat you do not. While I support energy conservation efforts, this one is only good if you have your own washer and truly know the "cooties" that you are soaking your clothes in. In a public washer, you are sharing cooties, (eg.: e coli, and staph, to name a few) with anyone who used the washer before you. Just think, your neighbors "skid marks" in his shorts and your other neighbors baby poo clothes, and any skin infections help contribute. This can make for all sorts of health issues, and just simple nastiness. There have been a number of scientific studies on this subject that strongly recommend that if you must use a public washer, by all means use hot water. Would you soak your body in used bath water, or a used bathtub, without cleaning the bath tub'... maybe a week's worth of body goo' Ok, you got it. btw, this one MAY have recently been fixed, just maybe, when they installed new washers in January and increased the price from $.75 to $1.00 per load. This co-oincidence makes it suspect as to whether the lack of hot water was a management decision rather than an accident as they tried to pass it off. After this one, I will double check issues with management, as my trust in them to be honest and do the right thing has been damaged.
Trash Valet-This is one of the few services that is not currently offered here, that I think would be a great benefit, especially for those of us with incredibly busy schedules and or upstairs apartments, and those with health issues that may make it difficult to carry things to the dumpster from time to time.
The parking area- the posts holding the awning over the parking spaces are poorly positioned, and for many cars this requires one to park a car at a slight diagonal, which in turn can result in a warning note from some of the more "power-hungry" little men who work for security. Most of the security employees are quite pleasant and business-like, mind you, but the have been a couple who are caricatures, and one who was totally out of line. At least one of the caricature security guards is still here. The one that was totally out of line (knocking on my door at 3am to "talk" with my young adult daughter who was visiting) was quickly fired. So some issues get handled quickly and decisively, and others take a long while. All in all, I think management has done a pretty good job, and I am especially pleased that they have been able to keep the rent increases quite reasonable.
If you want a good practical home in a convenient area (for Downtown, Galleria, Greenway, and lots more), and you are willing to be a good tenant, and good neighbor, all for for a reasonable cost, come make Lantern Village your home too!
Recommended: YES
Overall Rating
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User Responses
From:
cristexas
Date:
04/20/2005
I agree with this resident completely! I know exactly which power hungry little security men he/she is talking about as well. I have resided at Lantern Village for eight years. I am moving to live in a different school zone so my daughter can attend Lamar HS but I have been very, very pleased with LV. Maintenance is wonderful, they will recaulk my tub once or twice a year if I ask, they will change my air filter if I ask even though they may have already done it, I can run the air as cold as I like, they are HUGE! The only drawback other than the obvious surrounding area is that my daughter would be embarrassed to invite her friends over and I also could never let her play outside, no playground and I am not trusting enough to let her go to the pool without me or even with a friend. Other than that I have been very, very happy here and I loved management, Mary rocks!
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