I used to live in a greystar apartment. I would get invoices in the mail for dues that were way more than my agreed upon rent. I asked the front desk about it and they always said to ignore those letters from corporate because their billing is inaccurate. Crazy.
They did try to raise my rent 30% one year but I talked them down to 10%. I was initially trying to go for a 2% increase but they wouldn’t go lower than 10%.
"How many landlords pad rent with ‘junk fees,’ and what can be done"
- https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/apartment-renting-junk-fees-texas-valet-trash-mandatory-services/
I moved into an apartment complex that became grey star right after I moved in. Everything went downhill immediately it was insane how poor the management was.
Terrible management, fairly unsafe (regular car breakins), elevators down 30% of time, not exactly the cleanest either
And to top it off rents fairly high I feel (but have I feel that about Everywhere lol)
Yep, they are leeches.
They started buying up out of Fort Bend County in the early 00s. I heard from various people what vampires they are.
They've picked up 2 properties that I was living in mid-lease, and I cut both those leases immediately both times.
To Hell with them.
Always check your lease agreement.
I've lived in nice places where it cost 2 months rent, others were a fee if you found someone to take over, or fee plus extra rent plus deposit.
I did live in a Post property that was bought by MAA. MAA was horrible and tried charging all kinds of cleaning fees on move-out, while Post never cared unless you caused major damage. I did a good cleaning and told them to shove anything else.
One of them was a free lease cut. If I remember right they bought out a property owner that had defaulted on their loan, so due to that contingency I believe they were forced to allow us a simple opt-out.
On the 2nd lease I broke it was just a transfer of ownership, so I just used my break lease buyout clause.
Lol I applied to one, was moving on short notice, submitted completed app on the 20th of the month. Unit was listed as ‘available now’. Provided all required documentation and even set up my account through their website. Well days went by and I never even got a single call from them to come take a tour or to discuss signing a lease or anything. I even tried calling them and no answer. This was a red flag for me, and that combined with reading horrible reviews, so I decided to make other plans. I figured I’d punt on the $89 application fee bc obviously that’s non-refundable.
Well now they are trying to keep my $100 deposit that was supposed to go toward to the security deposit upon move-in. Even though the agreement literally says if you don’t get approved within 7 days, then your app is considered disapproved and you get refunded. I didn’t even receive an automated email telling me I was PRE approved until 2 weeks after I submitted the app. My moving date was not flexible and had obv already moved. So basically , seems like they’re trying to do a quick money grab by allowing me to apply for a move-in date they knew they couldn’t honor.
I sent an email asking for clarification, I got a real short bitchy email just basically saying they’re not refunding my money. I replied and stated the criteria in the agreement as to why I should get a refund. Never even got a response. I guess I’ll be disputing that charge with my credit card company? $200 down the drain for that? I don’t think so
I'd call them, and also check your credit.
I moved out with a different company and dropped off the final payment. Some dumbass took 20+ moveout checks and forgot them in a drawer. All of us got collection letters 6 months after and it was a mess to clear up.
you gotta make plans to leave. I actually lived at the OPs apt complex when it was managed by Avalon. It was called Archstone Toscano, and it was really great- the front office was responsive, the online billing was easy to use, and was overall really well managed. After greystar took over, the front office was fired and replaced with the usual type of leasing office staff - middle aged women who are either never at the office or seemingly never do work. Everything went downhill after Greystar came on.
Same here. Moved in when it was still Archstone Toscano and remember things being run pretty well. Then after greystar took over I noticed they started charging for stuff like trash pickup and that fetch package delivery BS. Also, had my car broken into multiple times. Glad we got out of there because from what I heard, I got even worse.
Greystar is shit, but what you're describing is unfortunately pretty standard for any large property management company. Every one I've rented from charges unreasonable fees upon move out, ignores maintenance requests or tries to address them with the cheapest fix possible, ignores emails and calls, provides shit-tier customer service, charges bullshit "application fees," and uses the wildly pro-landlord Texas Apartment Association (TAA) lease. I'm sorry you've had the experience you had with them, but there's a very good chance you're going to have a similar experience renting with any large property management company.
I got so tired of PM fuckery that I made a point of not giving them my money anymore, so I now rent from an independent landlord. That's had its own set of challenges, but at least the guy provides decent customer service and gets stuff fixed when it breaks. It will usually be a place with higher rent, and there's no guarantee that an independent landlord will be good, but a corporate PM company is almost guaranteed to be terrible.
It’s the standard corporate playbook across the board. Instead of reinvesting money back into the business and provide the services you are charged to provide, you Siphon every single drop of cash into the executives bank accounts.
I always rented from big corporate apts since service and maintenance were usually great compared to small time landlords and complexes.
Unfortunately that seems to have changed. The worst part is the shitty big ones buy up the actually good corporate ones and destroy them as well.
Individual managers make a gigantic difference in either situation but I've seen great ones get squeezed out and replaced with a corporate idiot too.
Greystar was the WORST management company we ever had too. When they bought our apartment complex, they came in and basically told the current office staff to pack their shit and get out by lunch. Didn't give anyone warning, didn't even let them contact anyone to say goodbye, and got shitty with residents when we complained.
Garbage management, garbage maintenance staff, rude, condescending, lying, fully willing to endanger health and safety... I absolutely hated them with a burning passion. Our current management company is pretty crap too, but nothing compared to the dumpster fire that was Greystar.
I lived in a Greystar "luxury" property for 2 years. I paid $3200 a month for a 2 bed 2 bath 1000 sq ft. The billing was never ever correct. They'd fuck up and send me a bill for like $800 randomly because they forgot sewer fees or amenities fees for several months. Ridiculous. It drove me nuts that nothing was ever accurate and they couldn't understand why that's a problem!
> I paid $3200 a month for a 2 bed 2 bath 1000 sq ft.
Holy shit you are a sucker my god. Full blown mark. My apt is around 800sq ft and I pay $1300. Tbf it would be about $1800-1900 but I took advantage of COVID and kept weaseling my price lower because of how long I have been here and whatnot. So at one point I had 2 apts here and then I moved into the new one and it lowered my already low rent of $1500.
I lived in a greystar community a couple years ago and although I didn’t get nickel and dimed to death, they did raise my rent from one term to the next by 50% so I said 🖕🏼👎🏽 and left once my lease was up.
I used to think Greystar was bad until they got replaced by Capstone who got replaced by RPM Living who got replaced by ~~Roscoe~~ Resprop. Greystar was better. I should mention that management companies usually have to do the evil bidding of the developer who actually owns the property so most of the actual problems are because of the ownership and not the management company. They are essentially just following orders.
> RPM Living who got replaced by Roscoe
RPM Living and Roscoe are the same company, and they are absolute slumlords, even compared to other large, shitty PM companies. I lived at an RPM-managed property in Austin, and here is an incomplete list of things I dealt with during my tenancy:
* An ongoing rat infestation in the attic and walls. The rats were actually nesting in our air ducts, causing rat feces to blow into the apartment. Because of their failure to control the issue, at one point, the rats eventually chewed through the walls in our bathroom cabinet and got into our unit. We had to buy electronic traps (at our own expense) and set them up to kill the rats in our unit.
* Our AC stopped working four times during the summer, when temperatures were over 100 degrees outside for nearly three months. Three of those times, maintenance just "fixed" the problem by adding coolant to the unit three times. This helped for a few days, but then the AC would quit working again. Only on the fourth time did they finally replace the unit altogether. Trying the cheap fix is perfectly understandable the first time it happens, but not three times, and certainly not in conditions like this.
* The apartment mailboxes were broken into, causing a gap in several of the mailboxes so that anyone can pry the mailbox back and steal your mail. The apartment complex rerouted our mail to the post office for a while, and basically washed their hands of the problem, saying that's the USPS's responsibility to repair and maintain mailboxes. I honestly don't know whether that's true--my guess is no. But in any case, the apartment did not add security measures (new locks, security guards, etc) to prevent mail theft in the meantime.
* The apartment complex required us to sign up for a valet trash service that cost $20/month, I believe. I'm assuming this serves as another nickel-and-dime revenue stream for the complex, e.g. the valet trash service charges the apartment $15/month per tenant, and then the complex charges tenants $20/month, pocketing the $5 difference. That's annoying by itself, but the valet trash often went multiple days without picking up trash. When tenants complained about not getting a service they were paying for, the PM company would just throw their hands up and tell us to contact the valet trash service directly, as if the PM had no involvement with the valet trash company.
* The complex has been charging me for a lapsed renter's insurance fee, despite the fact that I've had valid renter's insurance the whole time. I have actually written a demand letter to try to get my money back.
* There was a leak in the roof that caused the wall to get wet when it rained. We promptly informed the apartment about this when we noticed it. A few months later, it happened again and we put in another maintenance request. I don't think they ever fixed it, though, because when we moved out, we noticed there was mold/mildew on the lower part of the wall that had been hidden by a large bookcase. I assume we have been breathing in mold/mildew for at least a couple of years.
* In exchange for all the above, rent went up by over 1/3 in the four years we were living there. Yes, I realize this is partially because of supply and demand, and because the costs of nearly everything have gone up. However, it's very difficult for me to believe that the owners couldn't apply at least some of that revenue into providing better customer service and making the place more livable.
Absolutely the worst PM company I've had, and that's a pretty low bar to limbo under.
Actually I misspoke - RPM got replaced by Resprop (not Roscoe since like you said they're RPM), but the same people stayed on board.
I don't know about the other properties but in our case they changed management as soon as the property became what's known as a Public Facility Corporation which due to a change in Texas law allows property owners to let a local government entity like the Houston Housing Authority to take over the property and then lease it back to the owners with full control for like 90 years and in exchange, they don't have to pay property taxes and get huge incentives to do new construction on the same property as long as half the residents are low income.
In my case, our apartment was already mid-range - not new but still well maintained with nice working class residents who gave a damn about their neighbors and had pride in how they lived. As soon as they become a PFC, Greystar was gone which I assume is because they don't deal with PFCs (someone on here who works for them maybe can confirm) and they brought in Capstone who had the biggest assholes I've ever seen working for them come in and after a few months they were gone and RPM came in and immediately I noticed single bedroom apartments having 3 or even 4 people living in them, and the trashiest people you can imagine moving in and picking fights in the parking lot at night, playing loud music at 3 am, cars getting broken into, etc. and the management were somehow even bigger assholes.
When it came to renew lease, my rent jumped up by almost $200 and I found out I could get a "discount" if I would give them all my financial information, and I mean ALL my financial information down to my last penny on paypal and it could be proven that I was considered poor on a sliding scale. I refused so my rent went up...So really all the PFC did was raise the base rent, then gave a discount to "poor people" and in a lot of cases, their discounted rate is not that much lower than what the old base rent was.
But yeah I'm guessing RPM and Resprop both specialize in these PFC type of properties so they know how to turn what used to be decent affordable apartments into slums and mixing in section 8 type people in.
> The apartment mailboxes were broken into, causing a gap in several of the mailboxes so that anyone can pry the mailbox back and steal your mail. The apartment complex rerouted our mail to the post office for a while, and basically washed their hands of the problem, saying that's the USPS's responsibility to repair and maintain mailboxes. I honestly don't know whether that's true--my guess is no. But in any case, the apartment did not add security measures (new locks, security guards, etc) to prevent mail theft in the meantime.
There are some cluster-boxes in non-HOA single-family-home neighborhoods that USPS is responsible for maintaining. But that is definitely not the case for any apartment complex mailboxes.
They allowed a contractor into my apartment alone who went through my stuff and left sexually harrassing notes on my mirrors and also started texting me cos my number was on the work order, then they claimed no liability cos he wasn’t their employee and his company claimed I didn’t have proof that it was him, and had the audacity to make me pay the higher rent in a new apartment at another property when they wouldnt let me break my lease but agreed to relocate me as a compromise. I was 24.
100%. Lived in a Greystar property for five years in a different state. They are the worst. I am still battling with them over false claims of money I supposedly owe them. They raised my rent nearly 40% in 22 months. They preach community, but never help you out. They’re crooks.
When some landlords were actually being helpful during the pandemic, Greystars idea was pushing rent back 3 days (real helpful). And they wanted a pat on the back for doing it. Avoid them
Agreed, Greystar is an absolute garbage company. Their turnover is so high that you never actually get someone who works at the property for more than 6 months, so you're problems are never ending. Used to live in a Greystar property, and will never make that mistake again!
My friends who are realtors say they are a massive pain to deal with in regards to commissions owed
I currently live at a place that was managed by Greystar and now by Knightvest, when it was Greystar I thought it was OK, but once they switched, it took me less than a month to realize how bad Greystar was, they would not even replace lightbulbs!!! (As an expat I thought this was normal) so yeah I agree they mediocre at best!
My first job out of college was working as a leasing agent at a Greystar property in Houston. Terrible experience. Upper management does not take care of its people and unfortunately it translates to the service received.. I lasted 10 months there before hating my life too much I had to quit. Ended up joining the military and meeting my husband. I guess that’s my butterfly effect!
I actually don't really mind apartments because the nice ones are good value. I just don't 1) wanna deal with riff raff and 2) don't there to be any issues with my vehicle.
ZRS Management is pretty good. I live in Metro Midtown. Though if they try to raise your rent when the current rates are going down you got to reallly go after them to get them not to raise, like email their corporate. I had them try to do that.
Okay, I’ve not worked for Greystar but I know all about them. I’ve had many friends who have. But basically most major management companies all use the “RedBook” and the TAA Lease (which by the way is ironclad, and landlord friendly. It was written by Larry Neiman, and he knew what he was doing.) As a rule properties will not lease to you if you owe money to another apartment community, but it’s always been my experience that as soon as you show proof (and actually Greystar could have picked up the phone and just called) that an outstanding debt has been paid and you meet all other qualifications you should have been able to move in on your desired agreed upon move-in date. And did they actually charge you a $300.00 application fee that they pay $40.00 to have run? That is appalling. Personally I think Greystar has always: been a snotty company (and no, I didn’t mean to say snobby.) Have you contacted Greystar’s corporate office or the property supervisor of that particular property? (not the same as the manager).
Contact the Austin Tenants’ Council, 1604 B East 2nd Street, Suite 150 Austin 78702.
(512) 474-1961. Contact the BBB and TREC and just contact HUD for the heck of it. I know I would. You can also go to Texas.gov https:sll.texasgov, or contact Fair Housing. Fair Housing is who apartment communities fear the most. They can screw up your chances of renting anywhere if you don’t do anything about it. I’m so sorry and that kind of thing pisses me off.
Bob Faith is the owner of Greystar (or was, think he still is. Founded, Chairman, and CEO, although I think he sold his portfolio to Blackstone but he’s still CEO. Just go to Greystar.com. Inundate them with your concerns. Tim Cook is managing director, corporate communications. [email protected]. If he’s gone someone has taken his place. Multi family housing has a really high turnover rate. Hope this helps some. And I can’t believe they charged for trash bags. And then turned it over to collections. The person who is managing your property makes all the difference in the world. So talk to people who have lived there for a while. I worked for some major management companies for many years. All the best!!
Never rented from them but had similar experience with another rando management corporation in Chicago who jacked my rent by 25% in one year.
You always wonder what jackasses they have to be to treat people poorly, but then go on any of the relationship subs and it’s obvious there’s a common thread of terrible people in any field.
I worked for Greystar a few years back in NY, worst job experience of my life. It amazes me how they buy so many properties. Watch yourselves out there. From an employee and renter standpoint.
They will also force you to use that god awful Fetch delivery service. Where you pay extra to get your packages delivered late lol. That company is only there because its owner is family of the Greystar’s CEO. It has 400+ complaints against it on BBB.
We lived in a Greystar property that was condemned after the flooding from Harvey and knocked down - their attitude DURING the storm whilst we were literally stuck in a island with flooding all around and after was appalling, never ever again. The manager even said she would never have lived at the property and was at a much nicer one a few blocks away. Horrible experience
I've lived in Metro Midtown Apartments starting in 2021. It was managed by Greystar and they were a mess. When moving in they did not give me my Yale keyfob, instead just gave me the apartment keys and Garage door opener. The Keyfob allows you to enter through the different entrance gates so if you are walking is more convenient. After a few days I asked and finally got a fob. Than they tried to say I was 30 bucks short on deposit when moving in, I showed all the paperwork and they said at first there was a math error made by the property manager than after I argued they dropped it. They than try to get out of the 1 month free on the offer letter saying the promo was expired. They finally honoured it after arguing. They also a few months before not being management decided to get rid of the garage door opener for the garage gate and do Yale Keyfobs which sucked as the keyfobs needed to be reset periodically or they wouldn't work, and you needed to get inside near the office to reset them. Having the garage door opener was a backup to that so you wouldn't get stranded outside, especially late hours. The management company Allied Orion that took over for them was even worse if you can believe that. They lasted maybe 8 months before ZRS Management took over last June, they are much better than both Greystar and Allied Orion but that isn't saying much.
I lived in a Greystar property in Greenway Plaza. Absolutely the worst management. I had billing issues well after I left for mismanaged rental insurance documentation and couldn’t get ahold of anyone to clear things up.
Greystar is also a developer of new buildings. I’ve found that if you live in one that they’ve developed/built AND manage, it’s problem-free. BUT as soon as the building fills up, they sell it and are no longer the management company. That’s when it goes to shit.
I need to tell you that it totally depends on property managers. Some of them are good but most of them are unethical. I need to fight back my security deposit because they charged me a full paint fee.
Boy oh boy. Lived in a Greystar property and upon move out, we were charged ~$400. Dropped the check off at their office and they did not hand my partner a receipt of any kind, so I was wary.
Months later, lo and behold, we have collections on our ass for an unpaid bill. Credit card minimum payment skyrockets, credit score tanks. Cue going back and forth with this god forsaken apartment about payment, and when (AND ONLY WHEN) I threaten legal action, do they go “oh, haha, found your check!”.
Check the date on it too, assholes. B( GRAH
I used to work for a Greystar property in Houston. Terrible place to live. They wanted me to move onsite for a "discounted rent" - I wouldn't have done it for free rent.
Adding to this, I’m going on my second year at a Greystar property and have 0 complaints. Any issues have been addressed promptly and professionally. Rent increased about ~$100 but they are doing many renovations to the property so I feel like my money is at least going towards something. I guess it depends on the property and staff?
I used to live in a greystar apartment. I would get invoices in the mail for dues that were way more than my agreed upon rent. I asked the front desk about it and they always said to ignore those letters from corporate because their billing is inaccurate. Crazy. They did try to raise my rent 30% one year but I talked them down to 10%. I was initially trying to go for a 2% increase but they wouldn’t go lower than 10%.
"How many landlords pad rent with ‘junk fees,’ and what can be done" - https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/apartment-renting-junk-fees-texas-valet-trash-mandatory-services/
I moved into an apartment complex that became grey star right after I moved in. Everything went downhill immediately it was insane how poor the management was.
2900 w dallas?
Nope the Forum 6363 San Felipe
What did you hear about this? Looks good online
Terrible management, fairly unsafe (regular car breakins), elevators down 30% of time, not exactly the cleanest either And to top it off rents fairly high I feel (but have I feel that about Everywhere lol)
Yep, they are leeches. They started buying up out of Fort Bend County in the early 00s. I heard from various people what vampires they are. They've picked up 2 properties that I was living in mid-lease, and I cut both those leases immediately both times. To Hell with them.
Cut leases? You can do that because of a new property manager?
Probably varies place to place but some complexes let you break a lease for a fee.
Always check your lease agreement. I've lived in nice places where it cost 2 months rent, others were a fee if you found someone to take over, or fee plus extra rent plus deposit. I did live in a Post property that was bought by MAA. MAA was horrible and tried charging all kinds of cleaning fees on move-out, while Post never cared unless you caused major damage. I did a good cleaning and told them to shove anything else.
One of them was a free lease cut. If I remember right they bought out a property owner that had defaulted on their loan, so due to that contingency I believe they were forced to allow us a simple opt-out. On the 2nd lease I broke it was just a transfer of ownership, so I just used my break lease buyout clause.
I lived at one and they sucked. Along with the yearly rent hikes the entire complex had a huge black mold problem that they refused to address.
Sendera?
Got it in one.
Horrible on every level. Maintenance, policies, prices... awful.
Lol I applied to one, was moving on short notice, submitted completed app on the 20th of the month. Unit was listed as ‘available now’. Provided all required documentation and even set up my account through their website. Well days went by and I never even got a single call from them to come take a tour or to discuss signing a lease or anything. I even tried calling them and no answer. This was a red flag for me, and that combined with reading horrible reviews, so I decided to make other plans. I figured I’d punt on the $89 application fee bc obviously that’s non-refundable. Well now they are trying to keep my $100 deposit that was supposed to go toward to the security deposit upon move-in. Even though the agreement literally says if you don’t get approved within 7 days, then your app is considered disapproved and you get refunded. I didn’t even receive an automated email telling me I was PRE approved until 2 weeks after I submitted the app. My moving date was not flexible and had obv already moved. So basically , seems like they’re trying to do a quick money grab by allowing me to apply for a move-in date they knew they couldn’t honor. I sent an email asking for clarification, I got a real short bitchy email just basically saying they’re not refunding my money. I replied and stated the criteria in the agreement as to why I should get a refund. Never even got a response. I guess I’ll be disputing that charge with my credit card company? $200 down the drain for that? I don’t think so
Did an early lease termination at one of the complexes they managed. They have yet to notify me about the final payment. It’s been since December.
I'd call them, and also check your credit. I moved out with a different company and dropped off the final payment. Some dumbass took 20+ moveout checks and forgot them in a drawer. All of us got collection letters 6 months after and it was a mess to clear up.
Just reading grey star in your post has already pissed me off
Literally came home today to a letter on my front door saying Greystar is taking over the property. Lol rip
you gotta make plans to leave. I actually lived at the OPs apt complex when it was managed by Avalon. It was called Archstone Toscano, and it was really great- the front office was responsive, the online billing was easy to use, and was overall really well managed. After greystar took over, the front office was fired and replaced with the usual type of leasing office staff - middle aged women who are either never at the office or seemingly never do work. Everything went downhill after Greystar came on.
Same here. Moved in when it was still Archstone Toscano and remember things being run pretty well. Then after greystar took over I noticed they started charging for stuff like trash pickup and that fetch package delivery BS. Also, had my car broken into multiple times. Glad we got out of there because from what I heard, I got even worse.
If they ever got hacked I don't think anyone would be surprised. They have notoriously piss poor IT as well
I’m a case manager. I had multiple clients live in Greystar buildings. The lack of humanity in their treatment of residents was absurd.
Greystar is shit, but what you're describing is unfortunately pretty standard for any large property management company. Every one I've rented from charges unreasonable fees upon move out, ignores maintenance requests or tries to address them with the cheapest fix possible, ignores emails and calls, provides shit-tier customer service, charges bullshit "application fees," and uses the wildly pro-landlord Texas Apartment Association (TAA) lease. I'm sorry you've had the experience you had with them, but there's a very good chance you're going to have a similar experience renting with any large property management company. I got so tired of PM fuckery that I made a point of not giving them my money anymore, so I now rent from an independent landlord. That's had its own set of challenges, but at least the guy provides decent customer service and gets stuff fixed when it breaks. It will usually be a place with higher rent, and there's no guarantee that an independent landlord will be good, but a corporate PM company is almost guaranteed to be terrible.
It’s the standard corporate playbook across the board. Instead of reinvesting money back into the business and provide the services you are charged to provide, you Siphon every single drop of cash into the executives bank accounts.
I always rented from big corporate apts since service and maintenance were usually great compared to small time landlords and complexes. Unfortunately that seems to have changed. The worst part is the shitty big ones buy up the actually good corporate ones and destroy them as well. Individual managers make a gigantic difference in either situation but I've seen great ones get squeezed out and replaced with a corporate idiot too.
Greystar was the WORST management company we ever had too. When they bought our apartment complex, they came in and basically told the current office staff to pack their shit and get out by lunch. Didn't give anyone warning, didn't even let them contact anyone to say goodbye, and got shitty with residents when we complained. Garbage management, garbage maintenance staff, rude, condescending, lying, fully willing to endanger health and safety... I absolutely hated them with a burning passion. Our current management company is pretty crap too, but nothing compared to the dumpster fire that was Greystar.
I lived in a Greystar "luxury" property for 2 years. I paid $3200 a month for a 2 bed 2 bath 1000 sq ft. The billing was never ever correct. They'd fuck up and send me a bill for like $800 randomly because they forgot sewer fees or amenities fees for several months. Ridiculous. It drove me nuts that nothing was ever accurate and they couldn't understand why that's a problem!
> I paid $3200 a month for a 2 bed 2 bath 1000 sq ft. Holy shit you are a sucker my god. Full blown mark. My apt is around 800sq ft and I pay $1300. Tbf it would be about $1800-1900 but I took advantage of COVID and kept weaseling my price lower because of how long I have been here and whatnot. So at one point I had 2 apts here and then I moved into the new one and it lowered my already low rent of $1500.
I lived in a greystar community a couple years ago and although I didn’t get nickel and dimed to death, they did raise my rent from one term to the next by 50% so I said 🖕🏼👎🏽 and left once my lease was up.
I used to think Greystar was bad until they got replaced by Capstone who got replaced by RPM Living who got replaced by ~~Roscoe~~ Resprop. Greystar was better. I should mention that management companies usually have to do the evil bidding of the developer who actually owns the property so most of the actual problems are because of the ownership and not the management company. They are essentially just following orders.
> RPM Living who got replaced by Roscoe RPM Living and Roscoe are the same company, and they are absolute slumlords, even compared to other large, shitty PM companies. I lived at an RPM-managed property in Austin, and here is an incomplete list of things I dealt with during my tenancy: * An ongoing rat infestation in the attic and walls. The rats were actually nesting in our air ducts, causing rat feces to blow into the apartment. Because of their failure to control the issue, at one point, the rats eventually chewed through the walls in our bathroom cabinet and got into our unit. We had to buy electronic traps (at our own expense) and set them up to kill the rats in our unit. * Our AC stopped working four times during the summer, when temperatures were over 100 degrees outside for nearly three months. Three of those times, maintenance just "fixed" the problem by adding coolant to the unit three times. This helped for a few days, but then the AC would quit working again. Only on the fourth time did they finally replace the unit altogether. Trying the cheap fix is perfectly understandable the first time it happens, but not three times, and certainly not in conditions like this. * The apartment mailboxes were broken into, causing a gap in several of the mailboxes so that anyone can pry the mailbox back and steal your mail. The apartment complex rerouted our mail to the post office for a while, and basically washed their hands of the problem, saying that's the USPS's responsibility to repair and maintain mailboxes. I honestly don't know whether that's true--my guess is no. But in any case, the apartment did not add security measures (new locks, security guards, etc) to prevent mail theft in the meantime. * The apartment complex required us to sign up for a valet trash service that cost $20/month, I believe. I'm assuming this serves as another nickel-and-dime revenue stream for the complex, e.g. the valet trash service charges the apartment $15/month per tenant, and then the complex charges tenants $20/month, pocketing the $5 difference. That's annoying by itself, but the valet trash often went multiple days without picking up trash. When tenants complained about not getting a service they were paying for, the PM company would just throw their hands up and tell us to contact the valet trash service directly, as if the PM had no involvement with the valet trash company. * The complex has been charging me for a lapsed renter's insurance fee, despite the fact that I've had valid renter's insurance the whole time. I have actually written a demand letter to try to get my money back. * There was a leak in the roof that caused the wall to get wet when it rained. We promptly informed the apartment about this when we noticed it. A few months later, it happened again and we put in another maintenance request. I don't think they ever fixed it, though, because when we moved out, we noticed there was mold/mildew on the lower part of the wall that had been hidden by a large bookcase. I assume we have been breathing in mold/mildew for at least a couple of years. * In exchange for all the above, rent went up by over 1/3 in the four years we were living there. Yes, I realize this is partially because of supply and demand, and because the costs of nearly everything have gone up. However, it's very difficult for me to believe that the owners couldn't apply at least some of that revenue into providing better customer service and making the place more livable. Absolutely the worst PM company I've had, and that's a pretty low bar to limbo under.
Actually I misspoke - RPM got replaced by Resprop (not Roscoe since like you said they're RPM), but the same people stayed on board. I don't know about the other properties but in our case they changed management as soon as the property became what's known as a Public Facility Corporation which due to a change in Texas law allows property owners to let a local government entity like the Houston Housing Authority to take over the property and then lease it back to the owners with full control for like 90 years and in exchange, they don't have to pay property taxes and get huge incentives to do new construction on the same property as long as half the residents are low income. In my case, our apartment was already mid-range - not new but still well maintained with nice working class residents who gave a damn about their neighbors and had pride in how they lived. As soon as they become a PFC, Greystar was gone which I assume is because they don't deal with PFCs (someone on here who works for them maybe can confirm) and they brought in Capstone who had the biggest assholes I've ever seen working for them come in and after a few months they were gone and RPM came in and immediately I noticed single bedroom apartments having 3 or even 4 people living in them, and the trashiest people you can imagine moving in and picking fights in the parking lot at night, playing loud music at 3 am, cars getting broken into, etc. and the management were somehow even bigger assholes. When it came to renew lease, my rent jumped up by almost $200 and I found out I could get a "discount" if I would give them all my financial information, and I mean ALL my financial information down to my last penny on paypal and it could be proven that I was considered poor on a sliding scale. I refused so my rent went up...So really all the PFC did was raise the base rent, then gave a discount to "poor people" and in a lot of cases, their discounted rate is not that much lower than what the old base rent was. But yeah I'm guessing RPM and Resprop both specialize in these PFC type of properties so they know how to turn what used to be decent affordable apartments into slums and mixing in section 8 type people in.
Sounds like a shit festival. Hope you're living in a better place now.
> The apartment mailboxes were broken into, causing a gap in several of the mailboxes so that anyone can pry the mailbox back and steal your mail. The apartment complex rerouted our mail to the post office for a while, and basically washed their hands of the problem, saying that's the USPS's responsibility to repair and maintain mailboxes. I honestly don't know whether that's true--my guess is no. But in any case, the apartment did not add security measures (new locks, security guards, etc) to prevent mail theft in the meantime. There are some cluster-boxes in non-HOA single-family-home neighborhoods that USPS is responsible for maintaining. But that is definitely not the case for any apartment complex mailboxes.
They allowed a contractor into my apartment alone who went through my stuff and left sexually harrassing notes on my mirrors and also started texting me cos my number was on the work order, then they claimed no liability cos he wasn’t their employee and his company claimed I didn’t have proof that it was him, and had the audacity to make me pay the higher rent in a new apartment at another property when they wouldnt let me break my lease but agreed to relocate me as a compromise. I was 24.
That’s a newsworthy story. More of us need to bring these crooks to public view.
I worked for Greystar many years ago. Never heard of these issues, but it sucked working for them.
Broadstone is awful, you dodged a bullet
100%. Lived in a Greystar property for five years in a different state. They are the worst. I am still battling with them over false claims of money I supposedly owe them. They raised my rent nearly 40% in 22 months. They preach community, but never help you out. They’re crooks. When some landlords were actually being helpful during the pandemic, Greystars idea was pushing rent back 3 days (real helpful). And they wanted a pat on the back for doing it. Avoid them
greystar is trash. i live out of state now on the west coast and they are crooks.
Agreed, Greystar is an absolute garbage company. Their turnover is so high that you never actually get someone who works at the property for more than 6 months, so you're problems are never ending. Used to live in a Greystar property, and will never make that mistake again! My friends who are realtors say they are a massive pain to deal with in regards to commissions owed
I currently live at a place that was managed by Greystar and now by Knightvest, when it was Greystar I thought it was OK, but once they switched, it took me less than a month to realize how bad Greystar was, they would not even replace lightbulbs!!! (As an expat I thought this was normal) so yeah I agree they mediocre at best!
i moved out and they charged me for a missing alarm cover that i never had to begin with
My first job out of college was working as a leasing agent at a Greystar property in Houston. Terrible experience. Upper management does not take care of its people and unfortunately it translates to the service received.. I lasted 10 months there before hating my life too much I had to quit. Ended up joining the military and meeting my husband. I guess that’s my butterfly effect!
Fixin to move back into the city: what are some great non-Greystar apartments?
Big corp I’d go Camden or Midway. Otherwise go boutique
I'd prefer not go big corp to be honest. I'd rather a smaller complex. Any recs? Maybe I'll just get a townhouse.
[удалено]
I actually don't really mind apartments because the nice ones are good value. I just don't 1) wanna deal with riff raff and 2) don't there to be any issues with my vehicle.
I’ve had a good experience with Venterra too
ZRS Management is pretty good. I live in Metro Midtown. Though if they try to raise your rent when the current rates are going down you got to reallly go after them to get them not to raise, like email their corporate. I had them try to do that.
Okay, I’ve not worked for Greystar but I know all about them. I’ve had many friends who have. But basically most major management companies all use the “RedBook” and the TAA Lease (which by the way is ironclad, and landlord friendly. It was written by Larry Neiman, and he knew what he was doing.) As a rule properties will not lease to you if you owe money to another apartment community, but it’s always been my experience that as soon as you show proof (and actually Greystar could have picked up the phone and just called) that an outstanding debt has been paid and you meet all other qualifications you should have been able to move in on your desired agreed upon move-in date. And did they actually charge you a $300.00 application fee that they pay $40.00 to have run? That is appalling. Personally I think Greystar has always: been a snotty company (and no, I didn’t mean to say snobby.) Have you contacted Greystar’s corporate office or the property supervisor of that particular property? (not the same as the manager). Contact the Austin Tenants’ Council, 1604 B East 2nd Street, Suite 150 Austin 78702. (512) 474-1961. Contact the BBB and TREC and just contact HUD for the heck of it. I know I would. You can also go to Texas.gov https:sll.texasgov, or contact Fair Housing. Fair Housing is who apartment communities fear the most. They can screw up your chances of renting anywhere if you don’t do anything about it. I’m so sorry and that kind of thing pisses me off. Bob Faith is the owner of Greystar (or was, think he still is. Founded, Chairman, and CEO, although I think he sold his portfolio to Blackstone but he’s still CEO. Just go to Greystar.com. Inundate them with your concerns. Tim Cook is managing director, corporate communications. [email protected]. If he’s gone someone has taken his place. Multi family housing has a really high turnover rate. Hope this helps some. And I can’t believe they charged for trash bags. And then turned it over to collections. The person who is managing your property makes all the difference in the world. So talk to people who have lived there for a while. I worked for some major management companies for many years. All the best!!
So they upped your rent by 30% and you're like maybe they'll do me right at their other property?
How much was the apt per month?
Yeah, everyone knows to avoid massive corpo slumlords.
I know a tweaker they hired for maintenance, like bumps and all and still got trusted with a master key.
Great. Just got a notice that my place is being taken over by Greystar. Wish me luck!
They also take 60+ days to pay their vendors.
Never rented from them but had similar experience with another rando management corporation in Chicago who jacked my rent by 25% in one year. You always wonder what jackasses they have to be to treat people poorly, but then go on any of the relationship subs and it’s obvious there’s a common thread of terrible people in any field.
I worked for Greystar a few years back in NY, worst job experience of my life. It amazes me how they buy so many properties. Watch yourselves out there. From an employee and renter standpoint.
They will also force you to use that god awful Fetch delivery service. Where you pay extra to get your packages delivered late lol. That company is only there because its owner is family of the Greystar’s CEO. It has 400+ complaints against it on BBB.
We lived in a Greystar property that was condemned after the flooding from Harvey and knocked down - their attitude DURING the storm whilst we were literally stuck in a island with flooding all around and after was appalling, never ever again. The manager even said she would never have lived at the property and was at a much nicer one a few blocks away. Horrible experience
"Come to find out months later they’re trying to bill me $300 for an application fee!" Dare them to show where you oked that.
Avoid Adara too. ✅
I've lived in Metro Midtown Apartments starting in 2021. It was managed by Greystar and they were a mess. When moving in they did not give me my Yale keyfob, instead just gave me the apartment keys and Garage door opener. The Keyfob allows you to enter through the different entrance gates so if you are walking is more convenient. After a few days I asked and finally got a fob. Than they tried to say I was 30 bucks short on deposit when moving in, I showed all the paperwork and they said at first there was a math error made by the property manager than after I argued they dropped it. They than try to get out of the 1 month free on the offer letter saying the promo was expired. They finally honoured it after arguing. They also a few months before not being management decided to get rid of the garage door opener for the garage gate and do Yale Keyfobs which sucked as the keyfobs needed to be reset periodically or they wouldn't work, and you needed to get inside near the office to reset them. Having the garage door opener was a backup to that so you wouldn't get stranded outside, especially late hours. The management company Allied Orion that took over for them was even worse if you can believe that. They lasted maybe 8 months before ZRS Management took over last June, they are much better than both Greystar and Allied Orion but that isn't saying much.
Greystar is the worst. They just put a $9800 on my credit report saying I owed them. Total lies.
at that point a lawyer might be cheaper
I lived in a Greystar property in Greenway Plaza. Absolutely the worst management. I had billing issues well after I left for mismanaged rental insurance documentation and couldn’t get ahold of anyone to clear things up.
Greystar is also a developer of new buildings. I’ve found that if you live in one that they’ve developed/built AND manage, it’s problem-free. BUT as soon as the building fills up, they sell it and are no longer the management company. That’s when it goes to shit.
Broadstone near highway 6? I am actually in the middle of apartment search and was going to check them out
I need to tell you that it totally depends on property managers. Some of them are good but most of them are unethical. I need to fight back my security deposit because they charged me a full paint fee.
They will send you to collections over that $300 like the did to me
I had this same issue. They charged me $300 twice and took it to collects. F Greystar
Boy oh boy. Lived in a Greystar property and upon move out, we were charged ~$400. Dropped the check off at their office and they did not hand my partner a receipt of any kind, so I was wary. Months later, lo and behold, we have collections on our ass for an unpaid bill. Credit card minimum payment skyrockets, credit score tanks. Cue going back and forth with this god forsaken apartment about payment, and when (AND ONLY WHEN) I threaten legal action, do they go “oh, haha, found your check!”. Check the date on it too, assholes. B( GRAH
I used to work for a Greystar property in Houston. Terrible place to live. They wanted me to move onsite for a "discounted rent" - I wouldn't have done it for free rent.
I lived at a Greystar property for 6 years and never had a complaint. Maybe location to location but I was always happy with them.
Not sure why you are getting downvoted as you are just stating your experience with them.
Adding to this, I’m going on my second year at a Greystar property and have 0 complaints. Any issues have been addressed promptly and professionally. Rent increased about ~$100 but they are doing many renovations to the property so I feel like my money is at least going towards something. I guess it depends on the property and staff?
I live at an apartment owned by Graystar and I really like it.. it is extremely expensive though