The Verandah at Grandview Hills

Complex is nice and a great location but my favorite thing is the fitness classes for residents! Awesome

We’ve lived here for almost 4 years. Our first 2 years was BAD! We were treated badly by staff and security that acted like gestapo. Any descent staff were let go very quickly, it was bizarre. Issues on proprty that needed to be addressed typically were not. But things that weren’t even broke were tended to. We felt micro managed by a dictatorship! Nobody wants to feel controlled like that.
Things have improved DRAMATICALLY over the last year however. No more harrassing security at the pool or on property. Things are steadily being fixed, there’s just so much it’s taking a long time. I agree the landscaping needs tending in a few places. Our backyard is a mud pit after they told Benchmark Landscaping several times to fix sorinklers so they stop shutting off for weeks or months in the middle of summer. Something must be wrong with the timer. (See picture) I know it’s not management on that. That landscaping co. has been let go twice by other managers since we’ve lived here. We even watered and babied new sod 2 summers ago that is now dead.
We will be moving next year, but not because of issues with management. We are buying a house. The current manager is fantastic! She’s always listened and followed through on promises. If she falls through on anything between now and when we move, I’ll be sure to post an update.
If you don’t like a community with children, it’s not for everyone, don’t move here. They are kids, they need to play. I’ve never seen unsupervised kids at the pool. We have an Autistic kiddo and we’ve felt more welcome here than at any other place we’ve ever lived. The staff has been very supportive with the quirky behaviors, so have the neighbors and other residents.
There’s always going to be something to gripe about, no matter where you live. To think other wise is just unrealistic, intolerant, and reeks of entitlement. We will miss this place and the friends we’ve made here. Realistically, however, I will not miss FM 620 traffic. Get off your butt with it already City of Austin!

I think the previous reviews are bogus. People complaining about silly things like you’ve never lived on your own before. The apartment complex is just fine. The maintenance people are ALWAYS working. The staff is always pleasant, cooperative and understanding. If you ask for something nicely you shall receive.

Rudest staff in history of 20yrs in renting!!! Online pay my rent service is down and not fixed and staff refused to help and waive late fees when I was out of state on emergency!!! Staff always talks to residents in a condescending degrading manner!!! A/​C constantly goes out! Its cheap for a reason NEVER move here

If you want a new manager and new staff about every week. this is your place! And they always blame everything on «previous management». If they make it two weeks? They say… «we are working on it»…but of course, you know how that ends! Drug dealers abound… nothing but dirt and rocks for landscaping… except by the office of course!
Some pretty decent residents… but are slowly being replaced by scum… because management doesn’t give a crap… the decent people are bailing quicker than rats on a ship…
If you go to the pool? many… MANY. screaming children… with no parents. but beware: the «courtesy officer» comes by every 10 minutes to check your drinks… If your car gets broken into: no response what-​so-​ever. Management? no response… leaks in building? no response… people that have 6 people in a 1 bedroom?. no response…
Why, you say, no response? They know damn good and well (or suspect) they won’t be there in two weeks…

I’ve lived here for 3 months and I’ve had friends that have lived here for a couple of years. The apartments are spacious, front office is friendly and helpful, and I love the amenities. This is a fantastic place to be.
Update.
I’ve now been here 8 months and I have continued to have only positive experiences. Maintenanceis quick, the staff is friendly, and parking is easy.
I love this place.

My husband and I just moved out of the complex a few months back, and overall I would say I was pretty happy there. The only reason we moved is because of the traffic on 620 and because of their pet deposit fee. We had been wanting a dog, but when they told us the deposit was $ 800 we pretty much thought they were nuts. The complex itself was nice, a little older on the inside and could tell that a few things were pretty cheaply fixed. The pool was really nice and I loved their outdoor lounge area. The reason I’m honestly giving this place such a high rating is for the staff. Although, they seemed to go through some changes during the 2 years we were there we never had any issues. Everyone was very knowledgable and professional. Any maintinence issues we had were always fixed by the next day. And in the end, since this was our first apartments we were nervous about our deposit since we always here horror stories about apartments charging for everything. We cleaned the crap out of our apartment, and even with a few stains and scuffs, we still got our full deposit back. I would recommend these apartments to anyone looking in that area.

This is the worst apartment complex to live in. It may look beautiful and have an amazing pool but the front office and maintenance are a joke. We could not put light bulbs in half the socks for fear a fire would start and half the outlets did not work. We lived there for three years and constantly complained. No one would fix anything. Our air-​conditioning unit would freeze up. So it would constantly run but not cool the place down. This made our electric bill go through the roof. For over a year, we kept getting told nothing was wrong and they would not replace it. Only when we put in our notice did they replace the unit. Now they are trying to charge us for stupid things. I went through that apartment with a fine tooth comb to clean it but they are saying it wasn’t to their standards. I’m OCD for crying out loud! That place was cleaner when we left then when we moved in! In the past year, all of the friends we made moved out because this complex is such a joke. I do not recommend it at all.

This complex is great! I don’t really know what anyone else in these reviews is talking about because I had a wonderful time living here. If I hadn’t moved out of state, I could have stayed here forever.
To start with, the apartments are HUGE. You pay less per square foot than pretty much anywhere else in Austin without sacrificing any amenities. They have great, modern fixtures and extra large kitchens and patios.
The staff was always really helpful and polite. Maintenance is also really fast, but don’t submit online because they don’t always answer. I don’t know if they don’t see it, or someone just ignores it, but every time I put in a request online nothing ever happened. I would suggest just calling the office.
The only other thing that’s a little disappointing is that paying online is slightly problematic because they charge something like a 2% processing fee. So, if you’re rents $ 1000, you have to pay twenty extra bucks. I would suggest just getting a money order down the street at HEB or Walmart. They only cost a few cents.
But overall, I love this place! If I ever move back, I would definitely live here again!

How can tenants find out the owners of this complex now? Used to be a great residence and above board. It’s like slum lords run it now with a terrible management team. The BBB has received a lot of complaints.

The Verandah is the worst place you could ever live. For starters they have no way of paying your bill online. And they don’t accept personal check, so every first of the month you have to purchase a money order. They said they were working on an online service the day I moved in, I lived there a year and no service was ever created. However the year I lived there I had no problems I did my thing and everyone else did there’s. despite having to go out of my way to pay my rent it was always on time and I never had any late payment. I would say I was a good resident. But upon move out I get a call a week later saying I own them $ 500 to replace the carpet and I had a month to pay it. Are you kidding me?! I am a student and just moved to Dallas?! How am I going to get $ 500 in one month and then hand deliver you this money, since you still don’t have an online payment service?! They were rude about it and unwilling to work with me! They said if I don’t pay in one month they will send it to collections. Worst experience ever! Unprofessional staff and unwilling to help you out in time of need and could care less about their residents. They just want their commission check! Will never reside with them or any of their sister properties!

Moved in last week, needed to get my keys the day before my move in date, no problem. the office staff is wonderful. The few things that needed to be fixed were fixed asap. This place is clean and well kept up. Some of the older ladies downstairs have adorable little dogs and are oh so friendly!
Ok now if you get home after 10pm parking is not the best, but this is a large community so if you are not expecting that you’re crazy.
Back to I love this place. the views are amazing! The everything is amazing! Really if you’re looking for a reasonably priced place that is lovely this is where it’s at!

I am currently living at the Verandah and cannot wait until my lease is up. Parking is terrible after 5 pm. We got a garage, but it’s a hike to our apartment so we rarely park our car in there. Regardless, you can’t get home after 5 pm without having to fight for parking. The garage we rented was broken the first whole month we lived here, and it took almost the entire month for them to actually get it fixed — despite us calling and putting in multiple work orders. They also refuse to put you on a waiting list for a garage that is actually attached to the building that you live in. I saw that someone had moved out of the garage of the building that we are living in, so I went down to the office and asked if we could transfer our garage to that one. They said that they had already assigned it to someone else who isn’t even living in our building.
They have a one pet policy, but it appears that everyone seems to have two or three dogs without getting in any trouble. Unfortunately for me, there is a grassy patch that you have to walk through in order to get to the parking lot and it’s covered in dog feces. I can’t tell you how many times I have stepped in dog feces on my way to my car in the morning before work.
There are three spots next to the apartment building that you can park in that allow you to walk into the building without having to cross the grassy patch of dog feces. However! Someone with a white pick up truck has parked his/​her car in one of those spots and has not moved the car in two months. Prior to that, someone was using up two of the parking spots for one of those moving pods and left their moving pod there for a month. So I have seldom actually been able to park in one of those spots. I asked the lady at the office if she could find the owner of the truck and get them to move the truck to a spot farther away — GIVEN THAT THE PERSON ISN’T EVEN OPERATING IT — and she said there was nothing they could do. I’m sorry, but every apartment complex I have lived in has towed cars that stay in the same spot for 2 weeks — let alone 2 months.
The neighbor below us is awful. She called in a noise complaint at 11:30 in the morning when I was running my vacuum. She sent some person to my apartment who presented himself as a courtesy officer for the apartment complex. He got in my face and threatened me. I contacted the apartment complex who then notified me that this guy was not in fact a courtesy officer, and that they would get back to us after they dealt with her. Come 6 PM that day, we had to call them only to be told that the manager was heading out for the day. So much for getting a phone call. Finally when we got the manager on the phone, she said that they couldn’t tell us what they had discussed with the tenant because it was confidential, which tells me that they didn’t do a single thing.
They have no setup for electronic payments for rent which is absolutely ridiculous. You have to pay by check. It’s 2013 people — If I can pay my toll bill online, I should be able to pay my rent bill online as well.
The apartment is so overpriced, you can’t enjoy the landscape because there is dog feces everywhere, and the people here so far have been unfriendly and rude. Oh, and the management here is worthless. Don’t move in here. Seriously. Don’t move in here.

I am writing this as I fill out my «Notice of Intent to Move Out».
The short: Don’t move here!
The long: Don’t move here because:
1) Management used to be awesome when we moved in about 2 and a half years ago. Very easy to work with, understanding, professional, etc. About a year or so ago, though, this has all changed. The current management is very unprofessional. When there is a problem they are very happy to leave notes on your door, but actually call you or return your phone calls: not so much.
2) Vandalism… This has gotten ridiculous as of the past 2 – 3 weeks. At current count there have been 10 – 15 cases of vandalism at the apartments. It ranges from car windows broken and pots and planters smashed to breaking into garages. The managements response to all this: deal with it. This seems a bit odd to me when the sign at the gate clearly states that the complex is being monitored by cameras solely for the purpose of preventing vandalism. I feel like the cameras should be used to prevent this vandalism…
3) Landscaping… The landscaping is all nice and pretty when you first walk up (and where they take you on the tour). Once you get to the actual apartments, though, the landscaping just plain sucks. Most of it consists of dirt, patches of grass, and shrubs that are usually a brown color. Sprinkler system = always broken.
4) The cliental… Seems they will let anyone move in now as their numbers start to drop. Since i’ve lived here (which is a short 2 and a half years) only two of the original tenants at our building are still around. A few new tenants in our building always seem, well… fishy. People constantly going in and out, hanging down by the stairwell at 4:30 in the morning, and the aroma of weed as you walk by. It’s beginning to look like the majority of the «old» tenants are getting out while they still can.
Overall… so happy to be getting out of here when our lease is up in January. Don’t listen to their sweet talk and beautiful pool/​landscaping. When you see this place off 620, just keep on driving.

I had lived here for 4 years without a complaint (on my behalf or theirs)…great location, great school, great floor plans… and then… new ownership took over and thus new management. Unbeknownst to many in the apartment community, they implemented a new rule that if you are late w/​your rent more than 2 times in a year they will not renew your lease.
Rent is due on the 1^st and is late after the 3^rd. My lease stipulated if I paid late I would be subject to a $ 75 late fee plus $ 10 per day. I was late 3 times… twice on the 4^th and once on the 7^th… I paid my late fees and carried on. Well, I and many other renters at the Verandah, got notices that due to this new rule that no one knew of they would not be renewing our lease.
Now as we all know moving is a huge expense, very stressful and plus I have two children in area schools. I begged, pleaded, even wrote a letter to the owner that he basically ignored. Still… they would not be willing to budge and I was forced to move. Now I understand a landlord can decide not to renew a lease for no reason at all… I get that… but this particular situation is clearly a case of wanting to move out long time residents to move in new residents with higher rents due to the new development right next door (Trails at 620). There have been absolutely no improvements in the property since the new management took over… as a matter of fact it has declined… specifically the landscaping and outdoor areas.
Long story short the new management has no real care or concern for their tenants. They are callus and ruthless. Even a mortgage wouldn’t be so strict… no other creditor would be so calloused… but the Verandah sadly is. I would suggest Riverlodge, Alara, and Alexan. All have great personable staff, great properties and floor plans.
…now on to a more positive review SQUARE COW MOVERS!!! woo hoo!

I moved into the Verandah in the fall of 2010. I will be moving out this summer. I was new to Austin and this place was featured in an apartment guide book. The place has gone downhill rather quickly. If you enjoy the following you will like the Verandah:
1. Other tenants who act like animals: leave garbage all over the place.
2. Other tenants who act like gangsters: play obnoxious music for the world to hear
3. A front office staff that treat their tenants like a hassle rather than their client.
In general the outside of the complex has gone way downhill. I live in Bldg. # 16. The whole building needs a good scrubbing. One tenant in this building let their dog defecate all over their back porch and never cleaned it up. The apt. staff never did anything about it. The interior walkways of the buildings look like a drive by shooting took place on them. The concrete has stains from spit, feces, blood, etc. NOT EXAGGERATING.
The most infuriating thing about Verandah is that you will not receive at least 25% of your mail. I constantly receive mail for others and constantly do no receive; letters, bills, etc.
Lastly, if you ever need something fixed in your apartment and don’t speak Spanish. Good luck explaining it the repair people that they will send to fix the problem.
Justin

I still love this apartment complex. This will be the third year I have lived here. The management did change and sadly, Brandy is no longer working here. The transition between management companies seemed to go smoothly. Lately though we have been dealing with newer neighbors that are just horrible. I, as well as my other neighbor, have called the office several times complaining abut the new couple, and it seems like the neighbor either never spends time here anymore or finally got the picture to keep it down. I just wish we didn’t have to complain to the office so much before something is done. Responding to my previous comment, I am starting to believe there is something wrong with my A/​C /​Heater.

When I moved in I really liked the place, pretty and seemed like a resort. However, it was like the money pit soon after. Anything that has gone wrong has been ignored taking 10 calls to get back to you and that is only after a threat. I have had: them mis crediting my rent, a moth issue that put holes in around $ 400 minimum of my clothes before they fixed it (they still have some of my clothes) finally got a garage and they changed it three times, and still don’t know which one they gave me, and the one they programmed my remotes to continues to be opened by someone else multiple times and we have had things stolen from there. They act like it is our fault (even the service guys joked about how it is kaos). kaos that has cost me much money. Just hope and pray if you live here that nothing goes wrong, or else you will pay, pay, pay. and when you asked for management or owner info, they all the sudden «me speakee no english» just the way it is

I’m updating this review. I think the staff is doing what they can with what they have. It was just a very stressful situation.
I always thought the horror stories on these sites weren’t true, but I am a believer now. See my story below. Leasing with them was very complicated (at least for me).
I went to The Verandah in June 2011 to look at leasing an apartment. I looked at the unit and property and decided to proceed with the lease. I was assigned a ground floor apartment and garage in the same building. I thought everything was done. A few weeks later I received a call from another agent at the property telling me that the unit I was offered was not really available. It was a glitch in their systems. They told me that they had another unit available for me, but it was not ground floor. It was actually downstairs. They also had a garage across from the apartment building, and I was told that it would not be that far.
Ok. Since I do not live in Austin and this is a relocation, I thought that I would just take it rather than making another trip back to Austin to apartment hunt. During this process, the garage I was told that was on hold for me was leased to another person. Really!!! An alternative garage was found, and it was a «hike» away from my unit. Well that makes no sense. Garage parking is for convenience. I still took the garage because I did not want to rent offsite storage. My original move-​in date was supposed to be August 13. I requested to move it back to August 20. I was told this would be no problem. When I started lining up the move, I asked for a Friday Aug 19 move-​in because I could not get all the services installed on Saturday and needed this completed before I went back to work.
It was just one thing after another. After dealing with this for 30 days, I withdrew my application. It shouldn’t be this hard. I was told they are working in the office to avoid mistakes like this in the future. And I do think they are trying. I was just one of those that got caught in the clean up.

I lived here for 2 years. Here goes nothing.
Pros:
–I really liked the place.
–Beautiful views, very nice pools and amenities. The staff is competent, friendly and generally stay out of your way.
–I payed .93 $/​Sq ft both years and they never raised the rent on me.
–I couldn’t hear the neighbors (perhaps because I was on the top floor) save for a few times they did the dirty — this could be a pro or a con in your book. I’ll just leave this right where it is.
Cons:
–The pet rent was a little high so I decided that I «didn’t have a dog».
–I was late on rent one time — which you think wouldn’t be a big deal considering I had no past issues. Wrong. Evidently their policy is to get an eviction notice to you (either in person or place it inside your dwelling). So they knock on my door at 3 in the afternoon when my girlfriend was home. She asks who it is 4 or 5 times with no answer — and they unlock the door on her and walk in, scaring the piss out off her. (see also: How you get shot in Texas)