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I have lived here since May 2001, and I will most happily sign another 12-month lease when my current lease expires. I've read a lot of other reviews here, and the negative ones are TOTALLY off and written by people who obviously just want to talk trash. So let me give you the low-down on my past 4 1/2 years here, both as a resident AND an employee!
First, the neighborhood. No, it is not the greatest. It is highly Hispanic and lower on the socioeconomic spectrum. Some research I did once showed the average yearly income for this zip code (77081) to be fairly low. Obviously, there is a crime issue, with high numbers of robberies, car burglaries, assaults and what not. I, myself, have even heard the occasional gunfire. But hey, remember that NOWHERE is totally safe. Even in Sugar Land, down 59 South, where it is mostly white and there is a LOT more money, people were getting jacked in the driveway in front of their own homes, so get a grip. Crime is not exclusive to this neighborhood!
As an employee, I became aware of the liason our security manager has with the HPD. He meets with them weekly. Security here is very tight. In fact, one quarterly police report showed that of the HUNDREDS of crimes committed in this area, only ONE was on this property, and that was a carjacking that happened in an intersection and this property was the closest address.
That being said, I myself have had NOT ONE THING happen to me, my belongings or my car since I have been here. Not ONE. I park inside the gate, but also, there are tall fences with razor wire at all spaces between buildings. The only way in or out is through access points that are manned 24/7/365. There are also guards who walk the entire property every minute of every day, looking for problems and dealing with residents and visitors who are breaking the rules. There is usually also an HPD officer on the property as well. And, as I used to work those manned access gates, I can tell you that no, the security guards are NOT racist. In fact, most of the security guards are Black or Hispanic (right now, there are only two white guys working security that I know of), and the security manager is Hispanic. The people who are claiming that the guards are racsist are WRONG. They are just mad that their friends or family don't get let on the property because they don't carry proper ID or drive with a license. Security here logs EVERY SINGLE PERSON who comes on the property. EVERY SINGLE CAR is logged by plate number and the apartment it is going to. Even the residents have to show ID, be it the property ID or the parking sticker on their car, which are logged in and matched to the apartment number. There is NO ONE at any time on the property without the management's knowledge. Anyone here without approval is guilty of criminal tresspass. Trust me, the management here is VERY concerned with security!
Second, maintenence. Maintence here is AWESOME. Again, not racist, just about everyone on maintenence is Hispanic (and them -------- WORK!) I have never had to wait more than one day to have the anything fixed, and in 4 1/2 years, I have only had to call them about 3 times. But other people say the building are old and falling apart' Shouldn't I be calling them all the time, then'
No! Maintenence here does not just sit around waiting for you to call. Every day, they are working on making the place look and run better. Since I have been here, the entire property has been repainted, all the carports have been detailed, all the lighting in the parking areas have been totally replaced, every single roof on every single building has been totally re-tarred, every building has had foundations shored up...the maintenence crew here works it collective butt off! Plus the contract work, landscapers and others, are here twice a week keeping everything neat and clean. The neighborhood outside may be a little scuzzy, and the parking areas may be drab, nothing but steel and asphalt, but inside the buildings, especially the buildings with garden courtyards, it is like an oasis of green and calm within the city bustle.
As for bugs, I have not had them. Had an issue once with sugar ants in the bathroom, but exterminators took care of it. Have not seen one roach in 4 1/2 years, other than the big tree roaches outside which can't be helped. Exterminators are here just about every week, making rounds, hitting all the buildings in rotation. Simple fact is, anyone who complains about seening roaches probably brought the roaches with them when they moved in (and yes, roaches do travel in boxes!).
Finally, as to management. There have been comments that the manager/management is mean or uncaring or racist. This is flat out NOT true. Miss Mary (as she is called) is a tough old broad who is all business. She runs a tight ship, knows the rules and regulations and expects everyone to live by the rules. After all, everyone did sign a lease saying they WOULD live by the rules!
Miss Mary is very often not in the office because she is out on the property, making sure everything is running properly. Where she finds a problem, she gets it fixed. Where she sees residents or visitors breaking the rules or making life unpleasant for other residents, she fixes it. Anyone who has had Miss Mary be "mean" to them very probably had it coming and deserved what they got!
As to being racist or redneck...EXCUSE ME'!' I would have not ever worked here AND would have been evicted from my apartment for not being able to pay the rent if it were not for Miss Mary! I had lost a job, and was not able to pay rent. I was looking for work but could not find any. I half-joked to Miss Mary if she was hiring, and she told me to go talk to the security manager. She let me work there, when the rule was that they didn't hire residents! She ALSO let me out of the clause for employees that live on property that says if the employee ever quits or is fired, they have to move. So when I got another job and quit security, I did not have to give up my apartment!
Miss Mary bent over backwards to help me, a Hispanic man, and I will always be grateful for that, and I will tolerate NO ONE calling her a racist because I know it is NOT TRUE.
The management here is obsessed with the comfort and happiness of the residents. They strictly enforce the rules. They keep the riff-raff out. Working here really opened my eyes to that. You could pay a lot more and not get the kind of care and attention that you get from Lantern Village.
In a nutshell, Lantern Village is a diamond in a sea of ugly rocks. You can rest assured your time here will be good, and you CANNOT beat the value. THIS is a great place to call home!
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User Responses
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From:
Diva342006
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Date:
04/11/2006
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That says it all, you were given favors, so why would you have a reason to bad mouth the complex? Does she do that for everyone?
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From:
HappyLantern2005
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Date:
06/07/2006
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I have known her to do favors or grant exceptions for several tenants who were good and responsible people who hit a temporary glitch.
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Disclaimer: No attempt has been made to verify or assure the accuracy of the claims made by the author of this opinion or responses. You must judge the truthfulness of any review and accept responsibility for your use of this information.
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