Windsor at West University

The new management team is RUDE and HORRIBLE. I would talk everyone I know out of moving here!!!

If you are planning on living at an apartment for longer than a year, this is not the place to choose. My renewal rate increased $ 210 per month for the smallest one bedroom floor plan! The renewal process has been ridiculous — management is not helpful or willing to budge even though I pointed out that the website is offering better rates and specials than what I was quoted after living here for 15 months. I feel totally taken advantage of through this process. I patiently stuck with the company despite significant delays on project completion when I was first moving in when the building was new. Even worse, other people who renewed a couple months before me had no rate increase in their rents.
I also offered to transfer to a new apartment within the complex that would fit my price range better, and they agreed to treat me like a new resident. But when I went to look at the available options, they again refused to extend to me all the specials that are offered to new customers on the website. Stay away or be prepared to move in a year! Overall not a bad place to live, but I would not stay here if I could do it again due to the management not being trustworthy and not employing honest business practices.

As nice as this place is, we decided it just is not the right place for us. We did our homework. We began our quest many months prior to our lease renewal. In fact, we have yet to receive a notice that it is that time of year to renew or not to renew.
The location is great. West University is a very safe area. You can get to the Galleria are quickly. I am not a mall kind of a gal, but if you are go for it. If you work in that area, this location would be ideal. Also. it is a nifty location for working in the Medical Center or downtown. It has many pluses.
We just found something that met our needs a little better. Who knows, maybe at another time we will come a knocking again.
It is truly a lovely property and the floor plans are nice. The amenities are fantastic. The outdoor sanctuaries are unparalleled.

I’ve moved to this complex in March when capacity was half-​reached and loved it then, the location is amazing, and my unit was brand new. Gym was always maintained clean, lobby and pool areas were reasonably busy, hallways smelled fresh and looked clean all the time, and the staff were amiable. Getting in and out of complex was time-​efficient, and easy task. Overall, I wanted to call the Hanover home for quite a long time based on my first 4 months experience living here.
Once the complex filled up, the parking became a nightmare because unless you pay an additional $ 50 a month on top of your already overpriced unit for a reserved parking spot, you have to hassle to find a parking near your floor, or park in the street and risk your car being broken into.
Nowadays, The gym is too crowded most of the time to be used anymore. Hallways oftentimes are dirty with stains and spelled trash from apartments. Management took notice of the aesthetically «BEAUTIFUL» recycling containers, and decided to place them at the entrance of the first floor which unfortunately where I live.
The staff are also certainly more suitable to run a political campaign than an apartment complex, they are always nice. polite and friendly to an extent where it actually insults your intelligence with their politically correct answers and statements. However, they never solve any of your concerns or problems. Kerri would be the only exception where she tries her best to be accommodating.
I find it now too expensive to be paying a premium of almost $ 700 a month only for the unit I live in when I compare prices with other properties within the same location and amenities offered through these communities.

Lived here for a few months and while the location is optimum, its not worth the price tag in my opinion.
Lets start from the beginning, upon moving in, all I received was my front door key. No mail key, parking pass or codes for the dial in (which I will touch basis on later.) While waiting in the office to ask for my keys I hear one of the office personnel asking a resident to write a good review for them (how genuine). I later get a sticker placed on my freshly waxed car saying I need to get a parking pass or be towed which annoyed me because I had never been given one.
The garage is residents only and theres literally nowhere for your guest to park esp on the weekends when the streets are lined with cars for the nearby bars. Not only that but its nearly impossible to see the street so when I pull out I have to say a silent prayer that I don’t get hit. The garage is poorly designed and you have to watch for people whizzing around the corner since the turns are so tight. In the few months I lived there my babysitters car got broken into, close to the gate at that where the so called security guard should have seen or heard something. A month after that my boyfriends car had been broken into and he said it looks like someone tried to steal the whole car because his keyhole was jammed up and things were thrown everywhere.
The dial in system for the guest is ALWAYS down so you will have to drive all the way out the garage just to get them. While staying here there was a robbery on the 4^th floor at gunpoint. After this they so called «beefed up security» which was really just various young 20 somethings with not even a flashlight or pepper spray, listening to music and sitting on a fold up chair at the gate. (Wow way to go hanover I felt really safe then). One time when my boyfriend came over late night, he said he saw the security guard sleeping in his car. Which I later found out he didn’t get fired just suspended for a few days. (Free vacay that’ll teach him a lesson alright).
The 1^st floor smells rotten like dirty diapers (seriously not joking go and you will see) and the office staff is laughable. Kerrie is very condescending and will over talk you if you say something she doesn’t like. The floor plans are poorly put together as well. I was in a 2×2 and the master bedroom had the small bath and the master bath attached to the smaller room (whose great idea was that?) In addition to not having a balcony like other apartments in that price range, you can find quality for about 1,000 less 2 blocks away.

Hanover West U gets 5 stars because of the people … both the staff and the residents. There are lots of «luxury» apartment buildings in Houston. Yes, HWU looks amazing on paper and in person, whether you are a newcomer to town with just a few days to find a place, or searching afar based on what looks good over the internet. But what differentiates HWU is THE PEOPLE.
I’m 39 years old, going through a divorce and moved to Houston for the birth of my daughter and follow-​on medical treatment at Texas Children’s Hospital. I left my home, job, possessions, friends and family to come here, expecting things to be immensely difficult given all of the life changes, the medical crisis and the lack of stability and support.
HWU has been the one constant positive in my life for the past 6 months. If living in the West U area has been the «silver lining» in the clouds (moving from Austin), then I’d say the people at Hanover have been the «rays of sunshine» … The staff not only goes above and beyond delivering the «Ritz Carlton Experience» … Kerrie, Sam, Erica and Jackie in Leasing make special efforts to make our building feel like home … delivering a «Community Experience.» Weekly get-​togethers (e.g., food truck night, weekend breakfast, etc.) and impromptu «game watch» parties bring «life» to the amenities. Imagine this Chicago Boy’s surprise when he received an email from a Houston apartment building that there would be a «Blackhawks Game Watch» ! The cool thing is that HWU provides the «community» feel without it being over the top or weird … for those who prefer the simplicity/​privacy of living in just another luxury building. I would imagine that these individuals are just as stoked to know that the leasing staff is super responsive to meeting expected needs or solving unexpected problems as they inevitably arise. The big thing here is the leasing office’s culture of service and continuous improvement.
And it’s not just the leasing staff … The maintenance guy stops and asks how my move in is going («Do you need a hand lifting that?»). The security guy (s) seems to know everyone and he definitely knows me … («How’s your little boy?»). Last but not least, it’s the residents. Who knew that my 2.5 year-​old boy could make so many friends in a downtown apartment building? Who needs play dates? … when it’s a guarantee that he’ll have a friend at the pool or a «neighbor» to point to and say hi to walking the hallways. This is the kind of community where if there is a conflict or if someone has a problem … it doesn’t become a passive-​aggressive thing. In my book, a knock on the door and a polite conversation is always better than receiving a nasty note or a notification of an anonymous complaint from management.
Today I met with the leasing office to discuss the renewal of my lease. Just walking into the office is always a treat … everyone’s ready-​on-​demand to help out however they can and quick to smile to brighten the day. Today’s visit was especially warming and a reminder of what makes HWU great … I made a special request having to do with my family situation, and it was great to have a Leasing Manager who took the time to learn about the background for my request and come up with creative solutions to explore.
i hope this review helps with anyone considering apartment buildings in the Rice /​Med Center area. My goal was to describe some of the positives that aren’t as easy to glean from just a tour of the building or the website.
Dave

Just wanted to give an update… I’ve been living here for almost two months and couldn’t be happier. The apartment itself is gorgeous and spacious, the way the storage space was designed is genius, you literally cannot run out of places to store stuff… even in the closet. The staff here is exceptional, one of the things I really loved when I first came here was that most of the staff lives in the building, which says a lot for me. Everyone is always so friendly, welcoming and helpful! The amenities are awesome as well, the pool is gorgeous and the gym is a great size with tons of equipment. Overall I’m loving life here and couldn’t have picked a better place to call home!

My roommate and I were looking for a place that has literally everything, and while that’s virtually impossible, especially since our views on «everything» differ slightly, Hanover West University comes pretty damn close! In fact, we searched over 30 properties, and you just can’t get better than this.
Right from the beginning, our leasing agent, Sam was awesome! She must have showed us the property three or four times and always had a genuine smile and eagerness to do so. Not exaggerating, this was the easiest, most efficient, and best leasing process I’ve ever had to go through. The rest of the staff has been great too. Very friendly, and our new property manager, Jackie has been nothing but help.
The property itself is beautiful, PLUS you get to choose from 3 different interiors!!! The apartments are spacious, and plenty of parking in the garage. The pool area is a great place to lounge, plus they have a nice back courtyard for reading or grilling out. Not to mention the gym is the biggest and most state of the art I’ve ever seen.
Now I know you’re all thinking that I probably work there or something, but I assure you I don’t. I’m just a resident who’s been there for 2 months and extremely happy with my decision. I even looked at all the other Hanover properties in Houston, and while they were all nice with a friendly staff, Hanover West University just felt like home.

I’ve been here since April 2015. There’s a lot to like about Hanover West University. Here’s just a few off the top of my head:
— Location. Hanover is across the street from a chill/​fun bar called Marquis II and a swanky and subtle wine bar called Bacchus. You can walk to either one in a minute or two. Almost everything you could possibly want is a few minutes drive from this location.
— Staff. Incredibly friendly, prompt, and accommodating all across the board. It’s not just one staff person that is impressive, it’s the whole lineup.
— Convenience/​packages. The office gives you immediate notifications of not just package arrival, but ALSO package pickup. This is good if you have someone else pickup your packages — you will not that your package was picked up.
— Parking. The parking garage is in the middle of the apartment, so you don’t have to go outside (e.g. in the rain) to get to your car.
— Facilities + pool. Exercise and conference facilities are top notch. I would feel comfortable having very important business meetings here in the conference room. There are two iMacs here as well that always work and are always on so your guests can knock out some quick work, as needed. On sunny, warm days I almost always try to make it out to the pool. It is rarely crowded as to be obnoxious as of mid-​2015. I believe the apartment is starting to fill up the vacancies.
— «Space». The apartment building is huge and it feels like there is a lot of vacancy, giving the place an ‘open and breathable’ feeling. I personally enjoy this aspect versus a jam packed ‘always on’ kind of apartment building. I have a ‘corner office’ apartment, and from a neighbor standpoint, I have literally never heard any noises enter my unit.
Improvements. Minor stuff here, but worthy of being said.
— WiFi. Very spotty and the speeds are often slow. The quality is such that I’m unable to rely on it for business, so I tend to use my iPhone hotspot instead. Last I tried at the pool or ‘loggia’ I was unable to connect and I consider myself fairly tech savvy.
— Parking space and parking gate. In the evenings it is difficult to find a parking spot on my level. I often have to park on a different level than my apartment making it difficult to find my car the next day. The gate is quite narrow, especially on exiting. I feel if I’m not very careful I could easily scratch my car.
— Pet policies/​fees. There is a $ 200 refundable pet deposit + a $ 200 one time upfront pet fee + $ 15/​month pet rent. The apartment is already highly priced and these fees/​deposits I feel are either too high or unnecessary. At a minimum, I recommend to remove the upfront fee or the monthly rent.
— Electrical. When I moved in there were some electrical issues and some of the lights were blowing out. The maintenance person resolved this quickly and to my satisfaction. Separately, the electrical outlets, for whatever reason, cannot accept all kinds of plugs. I can plug in certain types of appliances, but not others. I’ve been told that I need to force the plug in in order to break some kind of plastic upon initial use, but that has not been the case. I have not resolved this yet.

My experience living at Hanover has been great. The office staff is very helpful. My apartment was brand new and maintenance was quick to respond to all of my requests. Bianca was particularly helpful when I moved in, helping me find the perfect apartment. The gym has big flat screen tv’s with plenty of equipment and the pool area is well kept and has plenty of lounge chairs. Only downfall would be the lack of patios.

I have lived here for about one month now. Kerri is the person who assisted me at the property when I came in April to sign my lease but her assistance did not end there. Between then and now, Keri has been kind enough to measure my windows and bar/​desk heights so I could buy furniture and curtains. On the day of move in I had several problems due to my car and when Keri became aware of this she sat down listened, most of all she helped above and beyond the call of her duty (like helping me carry heavy boxes to my apartment).
The apartment they are VERY nice, modern, clean, spacious. The neighbors that I have met are also very kind — lots of young professionals and professional couples (young and old). I feel safe coming home at 2 am from work. There is a security guard that sits out front at night — he isn’t there all the time but is there more times then not. There were some issues recently regarding some bikes being stolen — not sure if they have resolved. I personally have not had any kind of safety issues. Maintenance is quick and very helpful.
In terms of sound I have not had any issues. I however do like it very quiet that is why I am paying more money to live in the top floor. You have to remember its an apartment complex NOT a house — so if your neighbors are loud that will be a problem any where you live, not just at hanover. My neighbors are quiet — in fact i didn’t even know I had neighbors until recently.
Also, I am not sure why the other reviewer mentioned abt the AC — regardless of where you live you can always hear the AC kick on.
I don’t have many guests over so the guest parking is not an issue for me. If you have guest they have to park on the street out side.

Moved in a month ago, it is new and not everything is open yet, but so far I really enjoy living here. Everything is close within walking distance, lots of good restaurants, grocery stores. .. It seems quiet, haven’t really heard the neighbors. The common areas are outstanding, great gym! The employees are always nice and very responsive. We have had to have a couple of small things fixed and the maintenance was fast and competent. The only reason I give this a 4 star is because it doesn’t provide coffee service like most of the other apartment complexes around this area.

Staff is extremely friendly and has gone above and beyond helping with applications and getting us our apartment. Rachael in particular has been very helpful and did all of my rental application via phone and email.
The apartment is still being built so there is construction, however it has not caused any problems. Move in was extremely easy with the elevators. The apartments are laid out well with spacious closet space and large bathrooms.

So nice! I love everything about my new apt! The staff is sweet and they truly make you feel at home.