Camden Vanderbilt

Yes, the staff is very friendly and the place is huge and beautiful with the peaceful lake. But a lot of crimes inside the property make me feel unsecured in my own home. Some actions had been taken but still don’t understand why the gate is always in maintenance and the same code for years. Theo should change The code and also take care with security cameras, change password and maybe put more people to take care the security.

I have enjoyed my stay so far! The office staff is great, although communication could use improvement. The community is beautiful and is always well-​maintained. Maintenance is prompt and courteous. Just signed another 15-​month lease so we will see how it goes in the long term!
Chase B.

I’ve only lived here for about three months, but overall it’s been a decent place to live so far.
The move-​in process was unpleasant. When I looked at the apartment I thought it smelled weird, but it didn’t seem that strange that an empty apartment would smell a little funky. Turns out that weird smell I couldn’t identify was cockroaches. A lot of them. I put out bait and had the place sprayed and it mostly worked (I certainly found one heck of a lot of dead ones after), but I still see them more often than I’d like (I think I’ve seen three in the past two weeks). And it’s definitely not me, I keep my kitchen spotless and they were here to begin with. Given how many cockroaches this property has (I’ve seen several dead ones outside on the sidewalks and I have a friend who lives here who also mentioned finding cockroaches when they moved in), I really think they should bug bomb the apartments after they’re vacated and before a new tenant moves in. But, to be fair, this is Houston, so I guess cockroaches aren’t that big of a deal. But that was not the only surprise that awaited me upon move-​in. The toilet also didn’t work. I called the maintenance number and told them my toilet wouldn’t flush and they showed up in an impressively short period of time, but all they brought was a plunger… not really the tool for the job. They disappeared and came back maybe 15 minutes later with some other equipment. That didn’t work, so they said they’d be back in like an hour to try something else. Three hours later they still hadn’t come back, so I called again. Eventually someone came out again and couldn’t do anything. They said they’d be back soon and then never came back. The cycle continued, and over 48 hours and at least a dozen phone calls later I had a brand new toilet. 48 hours is a long time for a one bathroom apartment to be without a toilet, especially when your apartment is nowhere near the front office and its bathrooms.
Also, they make it perfectly clear when you sign the lease so it didn’t come as a surprise or anything, but t think it’s kind of annoying you’re forced to pay for cable and valet trash. I don’t watch much TV, so I definitely wouldn’t have it if I didn’t have to. And I’d rather walk my trash to a dumpster than pay $ 30 a month for a trash service, especially one that doesn’t even come on Fridays and Saturdays, which is when I (and I assume most people?) generate extra trash from having people over.
So that’s the bad. There are definitely a lot of positive things about living here though. The common areas are really nice and a good place to hang out with people. It’s really easy to get to the med center both by car, bus, and bike. There’s a Randall’s literally right next door, which is awesome if you run out of milk or something. The apartments themselves are nice. Only the first floor units have hardwood floors, and that really seems to cut down on the noise. That or my upstairs neighbors are just very quiet people because I rarely hear them. Overall, the prices seem decent for what you get, which is a nice (even if marred by cockroaches) apartment in a beautiful complex in a pretty good location.

Probably the best apartment complex I’ve lived at. You can tell management knows what they’re doing. Maintenance is prompt, the facilities are clean, and rent is easy to pay online. As for the apartment itself, it’s an older apartment that has been remodeled with marble countertops and nice fixtures. Overall it’s clean and well put together. Valet trash is a plus, and it has a pretty lake with a walking path around it. The only downside is that they make you buy a cable package, when I normally wouldn’t get it. –Sarah Y.

Lived here 5 yrs… staff is always friendly and grounds and amenities are top notch… look forward to more years to come!
Scott T.

Wanted to wait atleast 6 months before i made any kind of review of this place.
I love it. When it comes to the staff, all of them are great but Sommer is my go to person. I love dealing with her for any issues and makes things very easy to deal with. Before I moved here she even remembered us from a visit we made a year prior and got us to the place we’re in now. Thats great customer service if you ask me.
The grounds. It is an older place but the property is well kept. But considering most apartments inside the loop, this is definitely nicer side. There are a few potholes on the property and the speed bumps can get annoying sometimes but my lowrider days are over.
Inside the apartments are very nice. Our unit had great looking stainless steel appliances, laminate hardwood and granite tops. The closet dark wood shelves were a great touch too. When i moved in, everything worked and functioned.
Now the big reason i moved here was the location. Definitely the biggest thing this place has going for it. I work in the med center off of Fannin. 10 mins from work… and thats with traffic. Your just close enough to what matters but tucked in West University neighborhood that you feel away from all the craziness. Neighborhood is great to walk in, especially at night. Even have easy access to 610 and 59 which is a plus.
Now with all that said there are some cons… i have one noisy neighbor upstairs that i swear has bricks for shoes. There are a lot of idiot drivers speeding through the parking… oh and a lot of assholes that think theyre the only ones living here that take up two spots. There have been a few car thefts/​break-​ins, etc…
But with all that said. ITS HOUSTON. NO MATTER WEAR YOU GO, NO MATTER WHAT YOU PAY, THAT WILL ALWAYS HAPPEN.
So looking at the elements that are controllable in life, this place is awesome.

Been here almost a month and so far I’m loving the experience. The service is great and the staff really friendly. The amenities are a huge plus especially the gym since I love working out. I love walking around the lake because the view is amazing! Georgina was my leasing agent and always eager to answer any questions I have.

This is my third camden apartment complex I have lived in and this is my favorite on so far. Seth is the best leasing agent. The apartment complex is gorgeous and I feel so at home here

I’ve been living at camden Vanderbilt for 1.5 years now. First off, the customer service here is really great. The leasing office staff knows the residents by name. Maintenance requests are promptly completed. The grounds are kept properly maintained. This is a great living community. In my past 1.5 years living here, I have been very happy. This is the best apartment management I have experienced!
One thing camden Vanderbilt can improve on is the lighting of the property at night, and the tailgating problem we have. We recently had a security meeting where these issues were discussed, and it has been mentioned that the management is allocating budget to improve these issues next year.
Overall this is a great place to live. With all of the amenities, I am very comfortable here. I have even referred two of my friends to live here, and they are happy here as well.

I just signed my lease to live here for another year. Camden in General is a great company and Camden Vanderbilt in particular is a great complex. It is so close to shops, restaurants, and bars. The maintenance is awesome — you never have to wait more than 24 hours to get anything fixed!

Experience so far has been great. Maintenance is prompt and fast and the property manager seems to take tenant concerns seriously. Rent is also reasonable considering the area.

Now that I’ve been living here for 2 months it’s actually been a good experience so far!
Maintenance is always responding in a timely fashion and the complex is very quiet at night.
They send email about community gatherings and also have different group exercise classes. They just sent one out saying the 5^th reviewer gets a free accent wall. I don’t think I won, but it’s all good. Lol
There is no problem finding parking. I’m very happy with my apartment and plan on staying for a while!!!
I actually recommended my friend move in to the complex after her lease is up at her place.

This is the best apartment living experience I’ve ever had. I lived at CV for about a year an a half and have very few complaints. Here’s the skinny:
Move in/​move out– Applications are online and the whole process is very smooth and seamless if you can use a computer.
Grounds/​Amenities– This apartment complex is HUGE. There are two entrances, one on the Buffalo Speedway side and one on Brompton. There are also several exits that all have gates. There are also walk through gates so that you can walk from the complex directly to the Randall’s/Barnes & Noble/​Panera/​Chick-​fil-​a without having to walk all the way around. Convenient. Except for when the walk through gate stops working and lets you exit the community, but won’t let you come back in and your hands are full of groceries. The entrance/​exit gates also break frequently. It can be a huge PIA when the one-​way exit breaks at 7 am and a line of cars has to reverse through the complex. The functioning of the gates is probably my biggest complaint. Besides the gates, the property is actually quite nice. There are a few pools (normally lots of kids on the weekends and during the summer), a gym, places to BBQ, and a big lake in the middle of the complex. It’s aesthetically pleasing and the complex is pet-​friendly.
Parking– There are several parking garages (no assigned spaces) as well as surface lot spaces, also unassigned. Then there is covered parking and garages that are available at a fee. Between the garages and the surface lots, I’ve never had trouble finding a space close to my unit.
Safety– I can recall one notice of an apartment break in during the holidays and several complaints of tires being stolen, mostly from the garage. I personally never had any problems and those things happen everywhere. I never noticed it to be excessive. There was a cab driver who was murdered outside of the Brompton gate in a robbery attempt gone wrong. I think the cab driver had just dropped someone off and some guys ran up on the driver. Again, could have happened anywhere.
Noise– My building was all 1 bedrooms so it was quiet. There are a lot of kids, so not sure how true that is of the larger units.
Location– Obviously, this is very close to the medical center, so if you work or frequent there, the location is ideal. Just beware, traffic on Holcomb can be heavy at rush hour. Otherwise, the complex is convenient to 59 and 610. (Take Buffalo Speedway rather than Kirby to 59 during rush hour.) It’s also just a 5 minute drive from Rice Village if you’re looking for some shopping/​eating/​drinking establishments and about 12 – 15 minutes from Midtown.
Staff– I never had to interact with staff very much because I paid my rent online. They have a package notification system and email you when there’s something for you. The notifications are almost always prompt.
Utilities– I lived in a small 1 – 1. My electric bill was alwaysreasonable. I’m also not home a lot. You have to have Comcast. It sucks. There is a ~$ 40 charge each month (in addition to rent) for basic cable from Comcast. If you want digital or whatever, Comcast will upgrade you and deduct that $ 40 from your bill. There is also a $ 25 valet trash fee. I lived on the 3^rd floor, so I actually liked the service. The only thing that is annoying is that the service runs Sunday-​Thursday and inevitably the neighbors all put their trash out on Friday and let their bin overflow and it stinks up the joint all weekend. I never noticed any consequences for doing this. Water is divided by building which kind of sucks, but mine was always around $ 35/​month.
Pests– I have a terrible fear of roaches and I saw 2 waterbugs in a year and half and one was while packing boxes for move out. An occasional small spider, but there is no bug problem to speak of. There are some frogs that hide in the sidewalk cracks which can startle you, but no biggie.
Maintenance– I did have my air conditioner crap out on me once. Maintenance fixed it quickly. My washer stopped working and they replaced it a couple of days later. A handle fell off a cabinet and they fixed it the next day. You can report your maintenance issues online, so you don’t have to talk to anyone and they will email you updates.
Price/​Renewal– I got a VERY reasonable rate when I moved in. Just over $ 1000/​month inclusive of valet trash and cable. I was worried they would jack up my rate hundreds of dollars at renewal time considering my lease was up in the middle of summer. My renewal increase ended up being less than 10%. Not sure how typical that is. I ended up not renewing because of circumstances, but I wouldn’t have hesitated to renew otherwise.
I searched pretty hard when I was moving in and to me this place was a no brainer. I had a great experience, so if you’re on the fence, I say go for it.

Super friendly staff who get to know you by name! Maintenance is surprisingly quick to fulfill your requests, amenities are great, very safe and quiet.

I lived here for a little over 2 years with my BF/​fiancé/​husband, in two apartments.
First we were in a 1 bed, 1 «study» (we totally used as a second/​guest bedroom), 1.5 bath apartment. It was in the front part of the complex, and very nice– stainless steel appliances, nicer cabinets that the usual apartment grade, granite counters, crown molding: in short, it felt like a real mini-​house, not a cheap apartment. The grounds are nice and well kept, lots of walking area for dogs, nice little lake (when it isn’t being decimated by drought), three pools that were all pretty nice/​clean/​well maintained, the gym was also clean and had pretty good equipment (not a ton though). Location was GREAT (I work in med center, about 5 – 10 minute drive), lots of excellent grocery stores nearby, close to freeways, West U is a very nice neighborhood, etc.
Overall I liked the actually living there aspects, except for the random days when water was turned off with little or no notice (happened more than a few times), or the random fire alarms (only once or twice). The biggest problem I had with this place was the nickel and diming style of management. When I first moved into the above mentioned apartment, my rent was around $ 1000 a month. BUT.
— They also charge you for «valet trash» (you put the trash in a box outside your door, and 4 or 5 nights a week it is picked up for you during a 2 hour time period — not on Fri/​Sat, and sometimes they came early or late, and sometimes they threw the bags over the rails to pile up at the ground level and then pick up all at once, which would leave some trash on the ground). Somewhere in the $ 30 – 45 range when I was there, don’t remember exactly.
— They also charge you for cable, whether you want it or not (only choice is Comcast, spawn of hell, you get very very basic cable, then pay for upgrades/​internet). About $ 50 for basic cable, closer to $ 120/​month for full cable (no movie channels) and internet.
— They now charge «pet rent» (didn’t with my first apartment, did with my second, even though I was already a tenant, and felt I should have been grandfathered in). For this fee, you will sometimes find poop bags available in the stands, sometimes not, and sometimes the poop trash cans will be empty, sometimes not: same as before pet rent was charged. Also they had pet parties once in a while, seeminly sponsored by Meadowlakes Pet Resort (so I’m not really sure why they added pet rent, other than it’s another thing they can charge for).
— The pet deposit was $ 400, and the pet «fee» (non-​refundable) was $ 400. At least they allow pets? Still have breed restrictions though.
When you add all that stuff, your monthly rent is actually about $ 75 – 90 higher than the quote, plus the cost of water/​waster water each month.
The issue continues when you go to re-​sign your lease. The first time we resigned, our rent went up about $ 150. Seemed kind of steep, considering it was the exact same apartment, and there had been no improvements. There had been deterioration, however– the drought had affected the foundation, so we had some cracks appearing in our walls and doors that were «sticking» when you tried to shut them. They tried to justify rent increases with offering social events, like a monthly wine and cheese social in the clubhouse, and later they also had a partnership with a fitess company who would hold bootcamp, zumba, and aqua classes on the grounds, but considering how many people live there (easily a few hundred apartments, I don’t think these offerings justified the rent increases. If people want that, I think it would be better to offer it with a fee for those who want to participate.
The next year our rent was supposed to go up $ 250, even when signing a longer term lease (14 mos, price actually went up for longer terms). Again, no changes to the actual apartment. That was just too much. We decided to sign up for a shorter lease (6 months) and actually downgraded to a smaller apartment for that lease and went house-​hunting. The second apartment was in the back of the complex, and definitely felt different, like maybe they were originally two different complexes. Still stainless appliances and granite, but no more nice cabinets (the handles kept falling off them), no crown molding, the fridge was smaller, the washer and dryer were older, etc. It was a one bedroom, one bath, surprise!, rent was about the same as we had just been paying in the nicer apartment.
We found a great 2000 sq ft house, 2 beds, 2.5 bath, small yard, 2 car garage, basically awesome, and now our monthly PITI payment is less than what our rent would have been in that first apartment if we had resigned for a third lease.
Moral of the story: this is a nice place to live, if you don’t mind paying a lot. I would definitely recommend this place if you are looking to lease only for a year or two, but not for long term living.

Our home was broken into, as well as two others, during mid-​day around 12pm-​1pm. The homes were broken into within 45mins, and I found my home tossed upside down. No one from the complex even checked on us, or asked if we were okay. Instead I received some old woman yelling at me, I believe her name was Jennifer.
We closed our lease early, and paid the $ 500 fine to get out as soon as possible. The rest of our neighbors also moved out as soon as they could. They will suck all the money they can out of you. About a month after our break in, there was another break in in the evening, around 7−8pm. Same types of details as ours. The doors are only held together by 1−2inch nails, so breaking the door down would be easy. They can change them to 3inches, but it must be requested.
For the first six months we lived there, MORE THAN SEVERAL CARS were broken into, I think the report stated that in 2012, a total of 18 cars were broken into and stripped of their rims/​tires. They finally send out a paper notice, thats all they did. Just a piece of paper at your door. There is a guard gate, but it «cost too much» according to the rude-​old woman, Jennifer.
They do NOT treat you with any self respect, the woman who we signed the lease with was very kind, and friendly. But she left the company. Every time I walk into the office, they are running around with their heads cut off.
They fool you with how the complex looks. The outside of the complex, looks great. But inside, it is old, and plain. We stayed in a one bedroom about 670sq.ft. on the third floor.
The ONLY POSITIVE, are the maintenance men — they were on scene after the robberies, and very helpful. I hope they get paid more than the front desk «so-​called customer service». Cause they were a lot sweeter, and understanding about the break ins.
***The complex across the street, looks a little bit smaller, but they did not deal with such crazy aspects. A friend of mine has been living in that one for over a year. And it cost a LOT less, and your car will be safer than this ungodly place.

I lived at Camden from 2008 – 2011, and overall I thought they were pretty good to me. At one point I moved from a one bedroom to a one bedroom plus den, and that was easy to coordinate through the leasing office, even though it was mid-​lease. I got wrongly accused and written up for a noise violation once, but I still stayed at Camden another two years after that.
You have to take it for what it is — the gym isn’t going to touch the LA Fitness down the street. The «business center» is no Kinkos. The pools and outdoor areas are better than many of the older apartment complexes around the Medical Center. They offer a lot of conveniences like trash valet (living in a house now, I completely appreciate that) and the online bill pay and maintenance is super convenient. The location is also really great if you work in the medical center and I love the shopping center within walking distance. I didn’t have any security problems and the maintenance staff was always on top of things. I even needed appliances replaced and that was always done quickly.
The main reason I wrote this review was to offer advice for current residents with rent increases — I always was able to negotiate either a minimal or no rent increase by going online to the Camden Vanderbilt website to see what my apartment was going for. It was never going for more than I paid. It is MUCH EASIER for the leasing office to retain you as a resident than it is for you to move out and they get someone else, so I’d email and ask if it would be possible to get the current rate for my apartment rather than what they were trying to charge to renew my lease, because I had seen online they were charging X amount for my same apartment in a different building.
If you aren’t happy there the price increase is a great reason to move, but if overall you are satisfied enough it’s worth negotiating, and it worked for me.

My opinion of this place just keeps going downhill! Camden brags about hosting two business offices. I use the copy machine off and on to conduct business. I have gotten used to there never being any paper in the machine, so I bring my own. I understand paper is expensive and I am not opposed to taking care of that. However, on my last trip I noticed they had removed the copy machine entirely! What they call a business office is simply a small square with two hardly working computers that only run internet explorer!
Everything about this complex is bad, from the management to the building. My electricity bill rose astronomically this month because there is a 2 inch gap in both my patio doors and front door that keeps allowing hot air in and cold air to escape. Even with the A/​C on its lowest setting, the apartment is always uncomfortably warm.
I move out in 2 weeks, and I couldn’t be happier!

So… I am tired of reading reviews about places that only mention the bad. I am going to share my good, not so good and bad experiences at Camden Vanderbilt.
The good…
–Jennifer is the best leasing person! She was alway chipper and ready to help with anything she could.
–free online bill pay/​maintenance request (maintenance request were always completed by the next day)
–Beautifully grounds that are well kept throughout the year
–fire pits for the winter months… a lot of fun!
–beautiful lakes
-$ 25 a month valet trash pick up
–new pool furniture at one of the pools
The so so…
–Safety…No on site patrol
–noise…its an apartment so its gonna happen… camden also has a 24 number to call for this or any problem you may experience
–enticing price point… BEWARE! YOUR RENT WILL BE INCREASED! MAYBE BY $ 100’s!
–the gym
–minimally upgraded units
–the 2 nicest pools are sometimes closed at the same time
The bad…
— My number one bad and why I’m moving is the $ 300 rent increase… Im a big believer in you get what you pay for, but the rent increase is obnoxious.
–we always had new neighbors… I’ve lived in apartments so I know people will come and go… but they offer 3 month leases, and thats not a good idea in my opinion
–my biggest gripe of all may sound a bit petty to some… but hey its my opinion and I think it directly reflects on the management. There was never hand soap in the mens public restroom! I witnessed a male leasing agent rinse his hands with water after using the restroom and even asked him for soap… He gave me the standard someone’s on top of that… This was a lie… I was so frustrated with this because after an hour of cardio and being asked to pay so much to live here… You should be able to properly wash your hands after using the restroom.
Overall I enjoyed my residency at Camden, however they have some issues to work through.
MORE TO THE STORY, I WAS TRYING TO BE FAIR BUT ITS GETTING BAD! 7÷30÷11
Okay, I got used to there being no hand soap. Now you can’t even clean the gym equipment because there are no paper towels!!! All of the trash cans are overflowing with trash and with all the employees working here, this is nuts! What’s up management! You want to raise my rent $ 300 and I can’t get a paper towel”‘
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I just moved in here last month, but so far I am a big fan!
There’s a very nice gym and two beautiful pools. There’s also a man-​made lake with a little trail around it and publicly available BBQ pits. It’s also really close to both Rice University and Brays bayou, so there’s nice places to run nearby.
One really nice thing is that you can pay rent and request maintenance online. My personal favorite amenity is that you can drop your trash in little valet bins outside your door and the trash disappears, as if by magic.
A very nice place to live!