University Estates

There’s tons of activities for residences to join in. The maintainance stuff are super nice and could take care of everything. Everyone is just so nice here. The only problem is thatvthe complex is too big it takes a long walk to get to the bus stop

I didn’t have a horror story of fines with this place, but I’d still offer a word of warning to the would be tenants here.
The lease is over 30 pages long! I’ve never had a lease even close to that length before moving here. You are responsible for basically anything and everything.
Their target demographic is college students and their parents. They know that they can hold parents responsible for their kids damages, and they will use that to their advantage.
They gave me hard time for being a sublease. I literally saw a sticky note with a sad face on my file. WTF. Seriously? The worst was that they «forgot» I had a cat. (I told them multiple times) They had ample time to get approval from all the roommates for the cat, and this didn’t happen until the day I moved in. I was in an extremely vulnerable position, having moved from out of state and only communicated by phone and email. I did not feel like the leasing agent or the manager even cared about my situation. They were only looking out for themselves. At one point I thought I would have to board my cat, I broke down in tears right there. They didn’t even care.
Other than that, the biggest problem with the complex was the shoddy cheap buildings that they are making money off of. Faux granite and a steel fridge does not equal luxury. There were paint splatters all over my room. Part of the tub was peeling away. The walls were paper thin, I could hear everything.
It just reeks if corporate greed to build cheap buildings, throw in a few amenities, and fill them with naïve inexperienced young adults, whose parents are footing the bill.
If you choose to move here, be aware that you will be treated like a number, not a person. Keep all your keys and parking passes, they’ll charge you if not returned. Honestly, this place reminds me why I moved off campus when I was in college.

Cheap and convenient… if they don’t find a way to fine you. The only problem here that has bothered me the most is getting fined repeatedly for my cats. They tried not to honor an agreement I had made after paying for my fur babies and are making me pay an extra $ 400 even though I already paid $ 1000 for my pets. Don’t ever believe anything they tell you unless you have it in writing and signed, because they will treat you like an idiot and get you on technicalities on the contract. If you are forced to live here because you’re on a budget, make sure to READ that contract METICULOUSLY. Also, maintenance requests take forever, and they don’t always replace outdated carpet (they told me I had to pay $ 250 to replace old carpet that was there before I even moved in and now its all dirty), there was a leak in my bathroom and basically just made a huge hole in the wall and patched it, and when new residents move in they just paint over everything. However, since I was able to find documentation proving that I made said prior arrangement for my pets, they could not fine me the $ 400 in the end. Like I said, read everything and document EVERYTHING.

The apartment it’s self is not bad, I mean you get what you pay for. But the biggest problems you will encounter is with the company it’s self. First starters, I Was Roomed With An Ex Convict which I don’t think is acceptable, not to mention he was covered in gang related and racist tattoos. I requested a new room and they never responded to my request. Also they scamed all the august students into paying all of august rent when we only lived there for a week.

My daughter signed lease to live here. I was not aware of the poor management. People say run… I say RUN FAST!!! She hasn’t even moved in and there is trouble communicating with management… to the point where I am ready to find an attorney. It’s ridiculous. Javier is not helpful (if there is even a Javier there). The leasing agent who assisted her in finding the apartment seemed to be very helpful, but apparently he has been fired. She was told she would be in a four bedroom with people she knows. Before she could do so, she was told she needed to go through the process of completing a «student questionnaire» and then they would assign her to a 4×4 with her friends. But then all of a sudden «Taylor» was gone and now she is stuck with two strange people who have totally different lifestyles than her. They will be attending ACC and she will be going to UT and studying Medicine. They like margaritas and she is a studious individual.
This complex will lie to you to get your money. As soon as you sign the lease you will become chopped liver. These reviews don’t lie. I read through every one of them last night, and only two of them were positive. That should tell everyone something. My daughter is facing a full year at this complex; starting out with no help or compassion from management. I was asked to prove why I felt she wasn’t placed with a good match. I sent pictures and letters for proof, one of which was life threatening. No compassion. Just a copy and paste reply from the lease. It’s all about money to them. You’re just a number. Stay away from this place. If everyone leaves their properties (Preiss), they will end up out of business. They’re not worth wasting your money on. Better to live in a tent in peace.

First things first about this complex, DO NOT MOVE HERE.
This place is the epitome of hell holes. There are several issues within the entire complex starting from the units and ending with the property.
First the unit: it’s cheap, so you «get what you pay for» however what you’re paying for would be equivalent to Motel 6 about 15yrs ago. The «updated» appliances aren’t really all that up-​to-​date. My first 2mo living there I was without a dryer due to it being broken, which didn’t surprise me since it was a dryer from the late 80s. I do repair work on these sort of machines and this was out dated, they replaced a part on it only for it to breakdown that next month. They took 2 additional months to replace the dryer. The stove, microwave and dishwasher were all from the early 2000s which wouldn’t be too horrible if it wasn’t for the fact that the seals on them were gone so the dishwasher flooded, stove heated the house if turned on and microwave never worked very well. Took them 5 months to replace them all after I talked to them daily about replacing them and sending in repair requests weekly for each one.
My bedroom was supposed to be furnished when I moved in, took them 2 weeks to give me my furniture. The furniture is what you’d expect for a dorm room. The bathroom however needed serious work, I had to place a maintenance request for the shower head to be replaced since it show water out the sides and never from the spout; the toilet never worked properly so that was a constant request until they replaced the septic tank components. My sink leaked constantly to where I eventually went out and bought my own Spaulding gawk to seal it since the maintenance could never do it. I had stains on the carpet, zinc and mold on the tiles in the shower, rings around the tub, carpet nails sticking up from the carpet, blinds that never worked and my door had to be lifts to close properly. They never repaired these things and when I moved they CHARGED ME $ 1000 FOR REPAIRS! I had made them aware of these problems and still charged me when I moved out. The balcony and walk way areas always had hornet nests, yellow jacket nests and other bug nests that would stir anyone away, they never took care of them. So be aware of the pest problem that is NEVER solved, however you will still pay for them to come through and «take care of it».
Management, they’re a joke. A complete mockery of the concept of business ethic. The leasing agents are a revolving door, they are never there for longer than 2mo expect for 3 people who are all males including the manager Joshua. If you have the displeasure of talking to any of them they will give you the ring around when you have a complain, request or anything that involves them actually doing work other than taking your money. When you have to break lease, you are unable to do so; you are required to find someone to take over your lease which I understandable however you are REQUIRED, let me repeat that REQUIRED, to pay 85% of your rent to them and whoever takes over your lease is required to pay a full months rent. They will not go around this at all, it’s completely ludicrous. Doesn’t matter what the reason it is that you have to move, for example I had to move due to needing treatment for stage 3 NHL cancer that if I didn’t move for treatment I would be living a very short life. I showed documentation about it and they did not care. I am now having to hire a lawyer because they are charging me for rent, breaking a lease, «damages» to the apartment when I had expressed the damages prior and for «skipping out» on paying my last month’s rent. They have not answered a single call or email from me since my lease has ended and they informed me of being sent to collection for all of this.
Do yourself a favor, DO NOT MOVE HERE. They will do all that they can to screw you, you’ll be in the same boat as me. The rent might be cheap but they will charge you fees for everything in which they will use to make the property look better, in my 9mo lease there they upgraded the gym, volleyball court, club house with new pool tables and arcade games and updated the office with furniture and drink machines. They don’t use the money for the property they use the money they receive to make themselves look better. And if you see University Village, don’t move there either it is their sister complex so you will run into the same thing there. They are incompetent and complete crooks. DO NOT MOVE HERE!

Horrific. I just moved out of the estates a month ago and I couldn’t be happier. I was fined over 1000 dollars for things I was not involved in. Once, one of my roommates left their trash outside and they fined ME $ 100. This place does nothing but suck students dry of money they didn’t have in the first place. Management has screamed at me and barged into my apartment unexpectedly. When they «cleaned» the apartment for an incoming roommate they barged into my apartment very early in the morning and painted all the walls. I had to deal with paint fumes for two days with no notice! Management is rude and only cares about money. Do not ever live here. This place claims it is cheap – true – but not after all the unnecessary fines you will be charged.

Alright… I’ve been waiting to write this review so here it goes. (Only thing that stinks is that University Estates won’t read this and will still treat residents the same)
First of all, if I could give this –6 stars, I totally would. There are countless stories I could write about but I’ll try and keep it brief.
THIS PLACE BLEW CHUNKS!!!
The management was horrible to say the least. Like others mentioned, they want your money, and then some more of your money. I hardly talked to anyone that was genuinely concerned or cared about the many problems my roommates and I dealt with.
1. Visitor parking was RIDICULOUS. Like, really? 20 spots to like every 50 – 60 spots for actual residents.
2. Putting in a maintenance request and getting a response AND getting the guys to actually fix the problem was such a hassle. There was literally this one time where they re-​modeled our kitchen, broke our sink and said…“tell the front office that this is broken.” Ummmmmm??? So the guys fix it and during the last two weeks, it just broke again (which we’ll probably get charged for.)
3. Pool hours blew. It was under construction for like ever and then they’re only «open» during the little business hours they’re open during.
4. The WHOLE YEAR, my roommates and I were NEVER charged for electricity. We never went over but all of a sudden, during move out, we find out that we went over (which also happened to other residents I randomly talked to.) I get in line which was extremely long and they said «oh, before you move out, you have to get a money order to pay that.» I was literally ready to move out but I had to get that money order and then get back in line. They could’ve easily sent me an email telling me I went over but didn’t.
5. And finally, we find out that we have to cover up all our holes caused by thumbtacks on our walls. They refer us to a paint store where they have some available for UE residents and make us pay for it ourselves? Like… why not advise us not to use thumbtacks at all?
UGHHHH…don’t live here. Please. Don’t give them more money. That’s all they care about. For real.
Poop you UE… poop you.

It pretty apartment is peaceful
That Great University Estates! I like live there this my first time and I feel kinda be comfortable roommate that very quite like peaceful. Have a good day

Corporate greed at its finest. If I was able to afford 1000 in fines for bogus shit I wouldn’t be living here. Had a lawyer write them a letter and of course no response… Why? Cause they had already taken the money. Can’t wait to see what they charge me for when I move out. Fun stuff! Javier is a. If you want to know what it’s like to live here watch the movie the money pit. The press company owns this crapshoot so beware of them where ever it is you live. They only want your $$.

I lived here for my sophomore year at UT (2013 – 14). The rent was super cheap ($ 600/​mo) and it was furnished too. It’s on a UT bus route, so if I didn’t feel like driving, it took me 5 min to walk over there and 5−30min for a bus to show up.
First of all. move in day. Got my keys, went to my apartment, only to find out that it was unfurnished when I payed for furnished. Luckily someone that worked there gave me some furniture to use while they worked out another apartment, and when they did, the same guy helped me move my stuff. Really nice, but I shouldn’t have had to deal with it!
After the 2^nd move, everything was fine. Had my own room/​bathroom, free cable and internet, didn’t have to pay water, electricity, etc. I had a huge window too. Also, HEB is right down the road and open super late!
Some problems:
–They took one of our dining chairs because «they didn’t have enough in some apts.» OK whatever.
–Little roaches. All the time. Sometimes big roaches.
–Visitor parking in impossible after 8 thurs-​sat so good luck.
–I was repeatedly cat-​called or whistled at while walking to my apt from the bus. Not really mgmt problem but still.
–Our fridge had no handle.
–Gym was under construction for 3 – 5 months.
–My bedroom door could not be locked with the key I was given.
–You can’t live there in the summer.
I have been told a lot about people getting robbed, having strangers walk into their apt, etc., but I was never approached or felt I was in danger. Maintenance took a few days at most to come by, though sometimes they did need to come back multiple times for the same issue. I was never charged any fees, even when moving out. I think most of the mgmt here know little about the apts or what to do, but some (like Zack) were helpful and not rude. I enjoyed living there, and really don’t think there’s anything REALLY terrible here. It’s student living, not luxury. You’re on Riverside, but all the apts arounf there are student, so you’re sectioned off from the rest of Riverside. Way better than living in a tiny dorm room, too.
NOTE: Hang on to those stupid amenities passes that you don’t actually need because they’ll charge you if you don’t turn it in when you move. Also, make sure you have a roommate you like! I’m positive they don’t use the «roommate matching» form they give you to fill out. ALSO, the «bed» they give you is a rock. Put a memory foam topper on that mofo if you like sleep.

I love living here! I love my apartment, the staff is so friendly and helpful. I think it’s awesome we have a 24 hour gym. If there’s a problem with light fixers, smoke alarms etc., it gets taken care of immediately.

Get ready for hypocrisy, double standards, lies to get you out of the front office and swindling ladies and gentlemen! That is what the current man and woman who manage this property thrive on. Once they have your money and a signed contract they honestly could not care about your issues unless you harass them enough and then they may half ass do something about it but not without some sort of retaliation or hypocritical accusation.

University Estates: DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT LEASING FROM THIS PLACE — unethical business practices, intimidation when attempting to collect arbitrary fees, threats, entering the apartment without notice, THIS IS AN IRRATE, TOTALLY DISGUSTED AND LIVID MOTHER!!! I will be contacting better business bureau and possibly a lawyer.
*Note from David C.* I second everything above. Don’t lease here. You think it’ll be affordable and convenient, instead they make your life as stressful as possible and milk you for more money. I could share even more stories, but frankly I want to just move on. Do yourself a favor and walk away…

Great times at this place while attending ACC-​Rio Grande and Pinnacle Campus and working downtown as a valet. I enjoyed the clubhouse, and the basketball courts and additionally the bus coming to the complex. Secure. Great gym, and hottub. Big pool and pool parties. I will never forget the one near Cinco de Mayo 2012. It was massive! Great staff. Good study areas, and had some good neighbors. Good times.

I’ve lived here for almost two years now, and have never had a problem. I’ve always felt safe, the staff/​maintenance crew have always been friendly and willing to help (and even know me by name!), and the actual apts not bad at all. Its not particularly spacious by any means, but considering the price, amenities, and location I’m happy with it.
Sometimes I can hear my neighbors through the walls, but that just comes with apt living and it’s never bothered me. sometimes you can hear couples arguing, but usually it’s just entertaining and never been a nuisance.
The location is great, it’s right on the edge of downtown, a couple minute drive to 6^th street, and as long as you don’t mind the occasional shady character on Riverside it’s not bad at all.
They’re college apartments, so everything is as expected — clean, nice, sometimes noisy, but there’s never any REAL problems :) If I had to do it over again I would definitely still live here.

I rented this apt during my 2 yrs in Grad school at ut– and I’ll be honest after reading the reviews online I was scared– I thought I would be robbed or stabbed or something but that didn’t happen so here’s the thing.
The apt is on a UT bus line so thats good. Riverside is not an upscale neighborhood however, the apt is surrounded by other student apartment housing so its kind of like a separate student community in the middle of a not so nice community– Now I haven’t wondered around but I don’t think the external community is that ‘hood’ so to speak but again I had no business being outside of the housing area so no worries.
I have had good experiences with maintenance. I have always been polite to them and them to me and as a result I have always managed to get issues fixed promptly. Eg. I’ve had broken blinds replaced (when I pulled the string thing it came off the walls and they brought new ones and replaced it), my toilet wouldn’t stop running and the tank overflowed. I shut it off and called the office saying it was an emergency it was fixed within the hour, and I have also had random things like having the tiles in the bathroom regrounted as there were some holes forming. The only thing which took a while to replace was the bed. The apartments come furnished and the bed which was in my unit was very crappy so I put in a maintenance order and the bed was ordered and replaced. Because the bed had to be ordered it took a while– I wasn’t pleased but they got it sorted out and I got a new bed.
The only thing which made my experience a bad one was that I moved into a 4×4 unit– unfortunately for me– one of my roommates was crazy and a bit hood. She had her bf living in the room with her and they’d fight all day long. This is against management’s policy but to their credit they did try to get him out. It’s something that’s pretty difficult to enforce but they did not evict her for repeatedly breaking the rules as there was no real way to prove he was ‘living’ there and not ‘visiting’. Again unfortunately for me I had to call the cops on the ‘loving couple’ once cause the bf was attempting to break down the front door– to their credit the cops respond to calls very quickly. Cops also respond to disturbance calls in this complex. Ive seen them shut down loud 3am parties which people were attempting to host in their apts.
The crazy roommate situation was a one off thing because as I mentioned in the beginning, I stayed there for 2 years and the subsequent roommates which came were excellent and were not crazy or loud or have homeless boyfriends.
I would recommend university estates if you’re on a tight budget and want a safe functional apartment. There is no glitz and glamor. The pool area is nice but i never cared to use it or participate in the parties they’d have ever so often. Actually my apt was in the back so I wouldn’t even be aware of a party if they had one. You can get to and from UT on the UT shuttle and on the 100 bus if it’s a Sunday so you don’t need a car. The complex now has both zip car and car 2 go. I used car2go everytime I would go shopping– there’s a HEB very close by

Great location, CP bus is right in front your door to take you to school… Staff has no idea they work in customer service though. Lots of managers, each is hiding behind the other one’s back. You get a call from a leasing manager who says that his manager says that… Don’t even try to call and ask to get something done. You have to go in, three times on average. Every time I go in, they’re all on Facebook or Pinterest or online shopping. They never tried to hide it, its very laid back and apparently everyone is aware they’re not working. Some look very busy time to time. Your blinds won’t be installed properly so you won’t be able to open or close them. Your washing machine will break and you will wait for at leas a month. Trick: go directly to the maintenance guys and ask them personally, show your work order.
Unfortunately no one can help you if its too noisy. Call the cops or not, everyone will shrug their shoulders. Lots of awesome policies the leasing office is not trying to improve. Like, they wont show you your room, they wont guarantee you your room, they wont get you furniture if you’re requesting it, etc. If you want a specific room, lease from the person who lives there now, that’s the only way you will know what you’re getting. And do not ever think that you would get a call from a property manager explaining a bad situation and apologizing/​asking how they can fix it… Like I said, they don’t know customer service.

I see that there are multiple bad reviews but I just have to give my two sense. I’ve lived here for 2 years (mistake!) and am in a constant battle with the leasing office.
–my apartment has been «renovated» probably 12 times in the past 6 months
Including my fridge being moved to my living room for 2 weeks and the replacement fridge having a dead rat in the back. Gross. Took over a month for us to figure out the smell of death coming from our house.
–I put in 7 maintenance requests about having zero hot water for 2 weeks and taking icy showers before we were given a key to more showers. It then took another 2 weeks to get a new hot water heater. GIRLS that doesn’t sound too bad but it’s hell on earth if you need to shave, wash your hair, etc.
–calling the office is just dreadful. Javier, the new manager, is just spawn of the devil. Hope he sees this;)
— the gates! You thought those were for safety? Oh, no. I’ve had my car and house broken into multiple times and complained about the gates NEVER being secure and I was told «the gates are not for residents safety» well you could have fooled me!
–I’ve been trying to break my lease for months now and nothing is working.
These problems are just the tip of the iceberg y’all!
If you have read these reviews and just think you situation will be different you will be mistaken! Pleasee if people stop settling for this and living here maybe they will realize and fix this place up a bit!

University Estates is, in all seriousness, the worst apartment complex I have ever had the displeasure of visiting in my life.
Give me roaches, give me a leaky ceiling, give me broken appliances: I’ll take any of these things over piss-​poor management.
My friends lived in University Estates at the beginning of last semester in a 4-​bedroom. We, as a group, had to face one of the most difficult times of our lives together last October when one of the girls, one of our very good friends, died in her sleep.
Imagine the heart-​wrenching pain. Imagine the stress, the tears, the impossible aftermath of losing a loved one.
For some reason, the management at University Estates was incapable of empathy.
Here’s what they did: when my three friends asked to break lease, University Estates told them they could not because «Nothing violent happened here.»
Excuse me? There is NOTHING more violent than the sudden and unexpected loss of a dear friend. These girls’ lives were absolutely interrupted, and they couldn’t even move out of the apartment where their best friend died.
Oh, well they COULD break lease, but only after paying exorbitant fees.
So they finally got out of University Estates. They’re still grieving the loss of their beautiful friend. We all are.
Today, exactly five months after she passed away, just under five months after my three friends moved out of this hell-​hole, University Estates texted them.
«If you have any questions about renewing, transferring or have any questions or concerns whatsoever about your lease, respond ASAP. Rates have increased.»
When my friends responded that they would dislike nothing more than moving back to UE, the management — or whoever was texting them — responded «haha, ok.»
So, not only did UE make it IMPOSSIBLY difficult for these girls to get to a new home and try to get their lives together four months ago, but today, UE STILL DOES NOT EVEN HAVE CORRECT RECORDS OF THEIR MOVING OUT?
UE has done nothing but trivialize their experience, their loss. UE has mocked them, charged them, threatened to evict them, and for what? To make a quick buck off of a vulnerable person.
This is just unacceptable. The complex looks nice enough, sure, but the people running the desk are absolutely inhuman and deserve to lose their jobs.