The Ranch

I’ve lived here for 2 years.
my dryer has been broken for the entirety of those two years.
My ceiling began falling into my bathtub around July and the maintenance didnt fix it until my mother called and sent pictures to the management complaining in December, dispite the multiple maintenance requests we submitted.
its an okay place to live, just not long term.

Horrible maintenance. If something happens (microwave brakes, light bulb brakes, etc.) they will be there maybe in one week… they charge extra for the littlest things (that’s how they get their extra money since they charge so cheap for rent) and if you move out they will charge you for anything not looking brand new, so a desk chair is $ 80 just for a heads up. Dog poop is everywhere, right outside your door. People are very trashy. Extremely.

I lived at The Ranch, when it was called The Reserve, for 3 years while attending TTUHSC. Although I had no problems with management, nor them with me, they really tried to screw me over when I moved out and I’m still paying for it on my credit report.
I moved out in July/​August 2010, right before the entire complex underwent renovations and updates to transform the property. A few weeks later, I was billed for unpaid «carpet replacement» fees. After three years of living there, my carpet was still in great condition and didn’t need replacement. I spoke to the then manager and explained to her that I shouldn’t be charged to replace a carpet that didn’t need replacement, but was being replaced as part of the apartment complex updates for their image and branding. She verbally agreed to remove it and I never received another bill or notification.
Fast forward 5 years and it’s still on my credit report. It’s an easy $ 144 to pay, but I don’t feel it’s justified and I refuse to pay a cost associated with their business image and appeal.

Complex as a whole:
PROS
–Walmart within walking distance (you should probably still drive though)
–VERY affordable. Probably cheapest student living in Lubbock.
–Staff is friendly.
–Clubhouse with pool table, small gym, free printer.
–A fairly regular bus comes every 20 minutes (give or take a few). Bus ride takes another 20 minutes, but it’s pretty reliable. Drops you off at Rawls.
CONS
–Gates are JUST for SHOW. They DO NOT work.
–Absolutely no security — example: my car was broken into, iPod and other valuables stolen. On site officer did nothing, neither did the office.
–Drunken idiots and very loud music are both guarantees Thursday-​Sunday nights, even during finals. Hard to get around this in a college oriented apartment complex though.
–At LEAST a 10 minute drive to TTU campus. One of the farthest student living options available.
–While staff is friendly, they’re generally incompetent. They know how to reset the electronic keys and retrieve packages. Sometimes they know how to deal with various fees, but not always. Manager is almost always M.I.A.
–Maintenance crew was generally quick, but often didn’t know how to fix household appliances. e.g., my dishwasher soap lid was broken and we were told to simply not use the dishwasher all year. After that, the washing machine stopped working on loads larger than «small» after about 6 weeks of that, they just bought us a new one (which was actually pretty nice).
MY INDIVIDUAL APARTMENT/​EXPERIENCE
I was asked what my preference on room/​location was. I told them first floor of building 10 in a 3bed/​2bath. I was placed on the third floor of building 3 in a 4bed/​4bath. I called a few times before my lease started so I could get an address and a list of who my roommates were. They told me they could not give me any of that information. I didn’t know which apartment I was in until the day I picked up my key. I was randomly paired with 3 other roommates who all turned out to be pretty cool. A few months into my lease my car was broken into while locked and parked at The Ranch. An iPod was stolen, as well as other valuables. The office told me there was nothing they could do, as did the on site police officer. Several times, drunk people from parties my neighbors threw would find it hilarious to pee on my balcony or would somehow find their way into my apartment. Funny the first time but felony the second. After these big parties the Ranch hosts, the pool is a lovely shade of vomit green and the surrounding area glistens with a thousand beer cans, but otherwise the grounds are clean.
THINGS THEY DON’T MENTION:
The bed provided is basically a full size dorm bed, so bring a nice memory foam mattress pad and its not bad. Closet size is good, the built in desk is sturdy. The room can’t really be rearranged, the desk gets in the way, but the layout really isn’t bad. The appliances were, for the most part, functional which is all you really need. There are a TON of covered parking spots, but they all cost quite a bit per month (and have been known to collapse during particularly bad storms). Other parking spaces tend to fill up quick, leaving you to park pretty far from your apartment, but at least it’s free. Water pressure in the shower is good and the internet is usually pretty fast. (Gets a bit slow when everybody is using it, but you can still watch Netflix.) Walls are thin. If your roommate in the next room has company, you can tell. There’s a $ 10 surcharge when paying rent online, so you might as well get a money order from Walmart. The only construction I can think of is when they put in the horseshoe pit. It was quick and quiet.
If you’re looking for cheap: this is it. You won’t find anything cheaper, but remember: you get what you pay for. They new management tries their best, but there’s only so much they can do. My point is not to be mean, just honest and accurate. I lived here a year and won’t be returning.
SIDE NOTE: I submitted this exact same review to The Ranch’s website. About an hour later, I received a phone call from the manager, Amy. She said she saw my review, thought that I sounded upset or angry with my experience and asked if there was anything that needed to be done in my apartment. As I only have a month left in my lease… seems a little pointless. The only specific topic from my review she mentioned was the bit about her being M.I.A. I noticed after we got off the phone that my review had not been posted. I’m sure that is because I gave the complex 2 stars and stated that I would not suggest these apartments to a friend. I find it hard to believe that 17 people have all given the Ranch an average of 4 stars and all would recommend to a friend. It has now been two days since originally posting to their website and my review has still not been published, so I’ve decided to share my experience on a wider range of social media. Again, the reason for posting this is not to vent or be angry, just to inform, or rather, to warn.

THE NEW MANAGEMENT IS STRIVING TO CHANGE THEIR IMAGE, BUT THIS MANAGEMENT OFFERS NOTHING BUT INCOMPETENCE, DANGEROUS APARTMENTS, AND A SCHEME TO RIP YOU OFF IN ORDER TO FIX PROBLEMS THAT EXISTED YEARS BEFORE YOU EVER MOVED IN. DO NOT LIVE HERE. RUN FAR AWAY AND RUN FAST!!!
I am writing this to inform everyone of the SERIOUS PROBLEMS I experienced at the Ranch (formerly the Reserve on Frankford). This is 100% true and I hope everyone takes it in earnest and DO NOT SIGN A LEASE with them.
Upon moving in we experienced GIANT ROACHES, SPIDERS AS BIG AS OUR THUMBS, and an assortment of OTHER BUGS.
We had a MICE PROBLEM and they sent out pest control that only laid down sticky traps and they told us to call them when we caught a mouse and they would be back to take care of it. We ended up catching TWO MICE on one sticky trap, but when we called the office to have them removed from our living room, the office (at this point the new management was already installed) said «Can’t you just pick it up and throw them away?» This was 1.) not what the pest control told us to do and 2.) unsafe because the mice were ALIVE ON THE TRAP AND COULD HAVE BITTEN US. The office reluctantly called the pest control to come back out, but by the time they got here BOTH MICE HAD ESCAPED FROM THE TRAP. At this point we took it upon ourselves to catch the mice in old fashioned snap-​traps and caught one within a day.
There was a HOLE in the wall near the dishwasher that extended TO THE OUTSIDE where the bugs and mice were entering the apartment. The maintenance team NEVER FIXED THIS.
The porcelain sinks and tubs were in disrepair and were CHIPPED AND STAINED. The vinyl flooring was PEELING UP IN PLACES. The walls were THIN ENOUGH TO HEAR EVERYTHING THAT WENT ON ABOVE AND NEXT TO YOU – my roommate was often kept awake at night listening to the people next to us play Halo and have sex at all hours of the night.
The NEW MANAGEMENT tried to fix up the place by renovating the roof, but in doing so several tenants CARS WERE DAMAGED FROM FALLING DEBRIS. They also chose to repave the parking lot and would TOW CARS TO AND FROM VARIOUS AREAS OF THE LOT SO OFTEN THAT CARS’ PAINT BECAME CHPPED AND DAMAGED.
Seven months after moving out, I received a call from a collection service that stated that I had an overdue balance at the Ranch and needed to pay ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR A CLEANING FEE. I had moved out a MONTH before my other 2 roommates and had cleaned the apartment and my individual bedroom at this time. After speaking with me twice about the issue, and telling me she would continue to talk to her manager about my situation, the accountant (Jennifer) began to screen my calls and the following TEN TIMES I called the office she was «in a meeting» or «with a resident» or «on the phone». I honestly believe the management was trying to MILK ME FOR MONEY so they could fix the above problems in my unit. Why else would they charge the resident who moved out a MONTH before her two roommates with a $ 100 cleaning fee? I COULDN’T have even sustained that much damage in my bedroom alone, it’s impossible.
ANYTHING THAT COULD GO WRONG, WENT WRONG. I WOULD RATHER LIVE IN COLLEGE STATION THAN LIVE AT THE RANCH (as a Red Raider, I could think of no greater insult).