Sonterra Apartment Homes

Current Resident 929993

Resident • 2005 - 2006

management just doesn't care

management just doesn't care

Current Resident 966389

Resident • 2005

It's decent

I have to agree with the kind of people that have moved in. I have had to make 911 calls because I could hear neighbors being beaten and slapped around. Not a good way to come home at the end of the day. There are issues with ants and other bugs, but hey, you are out side of town and have to deal with it. The maintenance staff is inept though. The garage door would open on its own in the middle of the day or at night and after two call to management we gave up and just stopped using it and unplugged it. I have lived in two of their apartments here, and if you dont like it warm, avoid the third floor at all costs. All in all, I wouldnt praise it, but I wouldnt completely dismiss the place

Current Resident 798710

Resident • 2004 - 2005

Absolutely

This was a great apartment complex. The management and maintenance staff were great and prompt whenever we needed anything. We had good neighbors and always felt safe. The neighborhood is fantastic and we loved to walk down to the park less than a mile away. A commute if you work in Austin, but the overall experience here was great.<br><br>A strong recommend

bbubbaaagump

Resident • 2005

no

friend lives here and they screw up a lot

sauron846

Resident • 2003 - 2005

Very nice complex

I will qualify the title of this post, but before I do, I'm going to list the imperfections I've run into. I've lived in two different apartments (both in Sonterra II). My first apartment was a 2/2 with garage on the second floor. I was in that apartment for a total of 16 months, with people living in the apartment above me for a grand total of 2 months of that time. While you can definitely hear the footsteps, it wasn't much of a bother, and no worse than any other apartment I've lived in.<br><br>My first apartment experience was virtually flawless, with the sole exception being the parking. Yes, they need more parking spots, but if more people took advantage of parking in front of their garages, it probably wouldn't be a problem. The complex is very quiet, the residents are friendly and don't bother anyone else, and the staff was always superb.<br><br>My second apartment wasn't quite as flawless as the first. The day before moving in, I discovered that no carpet had been installed into the apartment. The manager got on top of it and they did manage to get the carpet in pretty quickly, but it did delay my moving a bit. Also, after the first month and a half of living in the second apartment, I received a notice stating that my first month's rent was never received (I paid it on move-in day). It was an issue I was able to clear up quickly, but it would have been nice if they would have notified me of this a bit less than 2 weeks after the fact. It also would have been nice if I could have received some kind of discount on one month's rent for these problems. These problems probably could have been avoided, but they were both handled to my satisfaction.<br><br>Having said all that, the excellent service I experienced in the first apartment has continued. The staff is always very friendly whenever I need to visit the office, and they all seem to remember me. Considering that I rarely visit the office, that's pretty impressive. The section of Sonterra II I live in now has absolutely no problem at all with parking. They really do need more dumpsters though, but that is a minor complaint.<br><br>My post may sound a bit negative, but trust me, I do NOT have negative feelings about my experience here. This is by far the best apartment complex I have ever lived in. While Sonterra may not have the amenities offered by the neighboring complexes, you will easily get the best value for your money here. As of right now, I have no plans of moving out of this complex.

reggie87

Resident • 2000 - 2004

Large apartments, decent prices, few amenities, very poor management, noisy

I've lived at Sonterra for almost five years. During that time, the complex has gone from good to bad.<br><br>First, the good news: the apartments are large and many have huge wraparound balconies. Rents are relatively cheap. The maintenance staff has always been courteous and efficient.<br><br>Now the bad news: I wish I could say the same for the management staff. While they are quite friendly and courteous, they are also unprofessional. They make promises they don't keep, about your lease and about repairs or imoprovements. Very poor.<br><br>In addition, the construction of the buildings is poor. When I first moved in (to a brand new building), there were paint splatters everywhere, the counters were unfinished, and the fixtures were cheap and already starting to corrode!<br><br>Noise has become a significant problem, more outside the buildings than in. The company has dropped their rent considerably over my stay and this has apparently attracted a, shall we say, livelier crowd. There are frequent occurrences of loud music and noise in the parking lot (even at 2 or 3 in the morning).<br><br>Security has also become a concern; not so much personal safety as a lot of car break-ins. Ironically, the grounds are VERY well-lighted. Indeed, to the point of disrupting your sleep unless you close the blinds.<br><br>Overall, I can't recommend Sonterra. While the rents are low, there are few amenities and significant other problems.

Current Resident 809847

Resident • 2001 - 2004

Best one I've ever lived in!

I love living here! I have an attached garage, a great view from my balcony and I never hear my neighbors (unlike my last apartment!) Have lived here for 3 years. Shopped around when it was time to renew and they still have the best rates around.

Current Resident 635565

Resident • 2002 - 2004

No plans to move

I am a value shopper, and compared to how low the rents are right now, Sonterra II is probably the best bargain in Austin. The apartments are huge, and not having to pay for a gym membership is a big perk. I can't speak to the parking issue, since I have an attached garage, but my friends have never had an issue when they come to visit. Sure, I can hear my upstairs neighbors sometimes, but I figure that's the price I have to pay for living on the 2nd floor. It was the only way I could get both a garage and a fireplace. The buildings are well insulated. My utility bills are the lowest they've ever been, even in summer. The staff is more than attentive. Maintenance requests have been completed same day. I don't know, maybe I just got lucky, but unless my rent goes up $200-$300 bucks, I'm renewing my lease again.

Current Resident 572914

Resident • 2004

Best Apartments in Austin

I would just like to say to all of the people that have nothing but bad things to say didn't your mother tell you not to speak unless spoken to anyway i have lived at sonterra for over 3years and have NEVER had any problems maybe the ones that are complaining are the ones with the problems not the management i dont know how long any of you that are complaining have lived their but the staff that is their has been their the longest has shown the most concern and same for the maintenance staff i know they have all been their since the property opened and if you have so many complaints why do you still live their??

Current Resident 573224

Resident • 2001 - 2004

Re: You will regret it

Everyone needs to judge an apartment complex for themselves. Everyone has their own experiences. Did you ever think that your own attitude might affect the people you meet. Maybe you said something to the leasing staff to make then act the way they did to you. I have lived at Sonterra for 3 years now and have always had great experiences when I talk to the leasing staff. They have been onsite for 2 1/2 years now and have done wonderful things for the property. They are all very pleasant and friendly. They have a tuff job having to deal with so many different people, different view points and different attitudes. Give them a break! You couldn't do any better!! Staff at Sonterra, keep up the good work! <br>

Current Resident 567334

Resident • 2002 - 2004

Beautiful Apartments / Lousy Lookout by Office Staff

I'm sorry to say this because the apartments are beautiful and the specials are awesome BUT when you need something done management either takes their time or NOTHING is ever done about it. I am recently still there due to the rent being very comfortable but I will be leaving at the end of the lease. If you move here make sure you live on the TOP FLOOR because those who live above you are permitted to jump/stomp/do their kick boxing and other stuff during all hours of the day and night and if you complain all staff tells you is that they will be sending them a notice. Now you tell me, if you are reprimanded by management about doing something, I'm pretty sure that common sense would tell you NOT to do it repeatedly after that. However, these people seem to continue to do it..DAILY! Oh, and when I first went to look at these apartments I specifically asked about the tolerance of people being loud, period, and was told that if they had 3 complaints on them they were evicted. So I automatically thought .. cool, I don't have to deal with inconsiderate people. Boy was I wrong because apparently it's ok to blare your music to the point where you can sing along the words to THEIR song playing in THEIR apartment. Another thing, if you pay for covered parking you better make sure you work decent hours so you can come home to your parking space because even though YOU are paying for it, YOU don't have the right to tow it unless you are having it towed during management's working schedule because only MANAGEMENT has the right to tow them. Other than that your SOL because even though the person parking illegally in your spot is in violation of THEIR LEASE, YOU are the one that has to end up parking half way around the complex. Oh, and don't bother talking to the regional office because they don't return your calls. Another thing, if you like smoking marijuana this is the place to do it because no matter how many complaints you have against you, you're not evicted. One more thing that is beyond OBVIOUS...and this is not to offend any of these particular tenants, but it seems that the majority of the tenants are white .. very few ------ and --------- there. It also seems that if you're not a minority things possibly get done but minorities seem to be overlooked. So people, don't let the smiles and the staff fool you because that's what they are paid to do. Once you sign that dotted line, they don't care because they are getting their money regardless now. Two more things before I go, there is NO security there. Staff may tell you there is like I was told but ask all those people that are getting their vehicles broken into. I have lived there a little over 2 years and have NEVER EVER seen security. And last but not least, for those of you arguing with those who give a negative review, remember not everyone is treated fairly or equally so we each have the right to our own opinions of the place. But like another already pointed out, if this place was as good as you all claim it to be, then ask yourselves this, why are the MAJORITY of the reviews NEGATIVE?

Current Resident 384589

Resident • 2002 - 2004

No Problems

My Husband and I have lived in Sonterra II for almost 2 years now and have had no problems. Their rates have stayed lower than all competitors and the staff is usually willing to help. Sometimes you have to push them a little, but it would be the same any where. I love my apartment and the area is pretty quite. Overall I give Sonterra thumbs up.

Current Resident 194962

Resident • 2001 - 2004

ree: you will regret it!

I was the one that wrote the "you will regret it" and I am writing back. I still stand by what I say. You are exactly right, people should judge for themselves. The whole point of this web site is to aware apartment seekers of what they are getting into. I am a pretty logical person and don't expect much. I work in management and understand how tough it can be. However no matter what a customer/tenant has said in the marketing world you have to bite your tongue and still put their needs first. I have never said anything to offend anyone. But when things don't change and you hear the same issues over and over from other people, there has to be a problem. People are intitled to thier own opinions. However, I have never read a review as defensive as yours. I would have to say you work for Sonterra.

Current Resident 57911

Resident • 2004

i love the apts

i love the apts

Current Resident 641054

Resident • 2003 - 2004

Not bad at all.

I´ve never had any real problems here. The only annoyances I´ve ever had wouldn´t bother people with normal sleep and work schedules. Wednesday seems to be lawn service day. Since I don´t wake up until afternoon, the lawnmowers and leaf blowers at 10 a.m. are pretty bothersome. The same goes for children playing in the parking lot in the morning. I haven´t heard them in months, though. <br> <br>I´ve never seen or heard parties late at night. I´ve never seen these mysterious mountains of trash spoken of by previous reviewers. I´ve seen two bugs in my apartment in 8 months of living here, and they weren´t even big or scary. I´ve never had to park more than 100 feet away from my apartment. <br> <br>For the price, I can´t imagine a better apartment in a great location like this. To further illustrate my satisfaction, I just renewed my lease for another year.

building9

Resident • 2001 - 2003

I loved living there

My wife and I lived there from July 31, 2001 to June 10, 2003. We miss the apartment and community dearly. The people in our building were so nice that it pained me to leave, and the staff was absolutely wonderful. If I could, I´d move back to our apartment today. If only Austin was closer to the rest of our family.

Current Resident 431959

Resident • 2002 - 2004

re:awesome

i mostly agree with you kellyw...the apartments are nice..."luxury" though...not so sure. it is alot better than many many others and priced extremely low for what you get. but we all know that apartment living has a lot to do with the staff. and they are better than most. you made a comment about one of the leasing agents (jenna) and she leased my apartment to me and she was wonderful. everytime i saw her on the property she remembered my name and said hello. <br>at any rate, the staff is mostly young and i am actually surprised at the professionalism they have for their age. i do recommend sonterra.

Current Resident 387877

Resident • 2003 - 2004

Overall...good experience

Overall, I would say I have had a good experience. Barbie (the manager) has always been helpful. I have been here for a year and have seen the majority of the same people in the office...the management must be doing something right. In my opinion the only thing I dont like about Sonterra II ( I have lived in both I & II) is the trash dumpster. I think they need to install a few more.

Current Resident 240627

Resident • 2002 - 2004

re:Worst slum hole in Texas

The fact that you gave EVERY single aspect a 1 tells me I can´t believe a word you´ve said. I´ve lived in many apartments, I´ve yet owned a home..and you will always have noise upstairs, it´s part of apartment life. If you feel the need to be prissy about it, maybe you should live on the third floor so that you will have no one above you. <br> <br>I have a 2/2 and I the only "wall I share with anyone is my ceiling. Of course I hear the people upstairs and yes it can be loud, but no louder than any other apartments I´ve ever lived in. <br> <br>Why you marked a "1" for construction I don´t know, because I think these apartments are made rather well. Maybe you should check out some other apartments in the Austin area, particularly ones that have not been built in the last 5 years or so and you´d appreciate the construction of these more. <br> <br>I´ve seen no issues with security, but I did get a flyer from the office about a security meeting. I´ve since found out what it was about and the fact that they are attending to it shows me that they´re working on any issues they are being told about. I´ve had maintenance come out twice in the 2 years I´ve lived here and both times it was for something that *I* broke and had nothing to do with anything malfunctioning. Needless to say, the maintence crew came out immediately. <br> <br>I´ll agree on the parking in Sonterra II, it could be better, however I have seen much worse. Luckily, you can park in the handicap spots and not get ticketed because they know they have too many. <br> <br>I´ve never found the grounds to be disgusting. Some of the things you´re saying make me wonder if you´re talking about the right apartment complex. <br> <br>The pet deposit is your fault, you should have talked to the manager about that. I had to pay a pet deposit up front as well as my friend who lives in Sonterra I

Current Resident 93842

Resident • 2003 - 2004

Apartments are nice, did not like the STAFF

I already saw someone put in the same complaint as I. I went in to give my notice one month in advance even when my lease was up at the end of that same month, they wanted to add on another month to my lease because of there policy is a 60 day notice. And like the other resident I never got a notice on my mail box.

Current Resident 916925

Resident • 2001 - 2003

re; worst slum hole......

Well princess you just go get that "silver bullet trailer". Try Verandah, pay that first $200 electric bill and see how you feel then. It´s an apartment you ninny. Of course you are going to hear people above you. What do you expect mgmt to do, weigh people before they move in, issue slippers? <br><br><br> No, I don´t work there or even know anyone who does but my experience has been totally different. Maintenance has been responsive the few times I´ve needed it. Some of the staff aren´t the sharpest knives but they are friendly and try hard. I pay my rent, they leave me alone. It´s a good arrangement. I don´t know where you come from but bugs happen in the Texas Hill Country. You are living in the woods, their territory. Get used to it. If they used chemicals strong enough to kill scorpions and centipedes you´d probably be complaining about the smell, or how it made you sick. Some people aren´t cut out for apartment life. Anyone who get on here exagerates everything and has nothing good to say is one of them. Fortunately there are lots of $1,000,000 homes in the area. Try one of those.

Current Resident 896217

Resident • 2002 - 2004

Worst slum hole in Texas

I have lived in apartments for 5 years...in multiple states. Moving into Sonterra II this year proved to be the worst mistake possible regarding apartment living. I would be better off and happier in a trailer park in a silver bullet camper. I have never lived in an apartment this disgusting, loud, annoying, dirty, unsafe, obnoxious, etc...EVER. My lease will not be up soon enough. My husband and I were lied to when moving in regarding pets. We were told "don´t worry about having cats...I won´t tell if you don´t tell." Now...they have changed their story. What´s worse...is we asked how much the pet deposit would be...VERY willing to pay whatever it would be. Lies, lies, lies...just to get tenants. The noise level...I don´t have enough time in this lifetime to explain. Cows and elephants lived above me it seemed, and the management would do nothing about it. Numerous phone calls were made...no response. When a crisis occurs at these apartments, the management and maintenance are idiotic, inexperienced, useless, worthless, ignorant excuses for professionals. It takes 3 hours for a crisis to be responded to...CRISIS...meaning an emergency. Malfunctioning sprinklers flood apartments, a timely response is not made, and the apartment (including personal belongings) are destroyed...all because maintenance is dispatched to the WRONG location..wrong apartment complex compeletely. The fire department even commented on their (managment´s) lateness in arriving. It should be an embarassment to Sonterra for such irresponsible acts. They refuse to admit their faults and refuse to work with the tenants with issues. Sonterra II has no parking, and trash lives everywhere around you. I came to Austin believing it was a nice, clean, beautiful city to live in. I learned within 2 weeks--based on Sonterra--that it appeared to be the opposite. I live in a forest, with coyotes, with scorpions invading my apartment, and with extremely weird worms (possibly centipedes?!) Additionally, expect to have dog feces infested shoes that you constantly have to clean because irresponsible owners do not clean up after their nasty dogs. More than 1 person lives in these apartments...and end up stepping in many dog messes. Does management respond to this? NO. Will they ever? NO. Avoid this dump at ALL COSTS. Go next door to the Verandah...or anywhere for that matter.

KellyW

Resident • 2003

Awesome!

We´ve experienced quite the opposite while living at Sonterra II. <br> <br>I´ve never seen or heard of anyone having their cars vandalized and we have friends living in both sections. The apt personnel has been nothing but friendly to us, however I will say that a friend we referred to Sonterra said that Jenna was less than cordial with them. <br> <br>The apt grounds are clean. I sit on my patio ALOT and I´ve seen the groundskeeper NUMEROUS times walking around cleaning the place up. I´ve also seen the "security" personnel. Like I said, I spend alot of time out on the patio, and he´s always out there! We´ve had an issue before with someone suspicious in the parking lot and he was on top of it talking to several residents that had seen this person. <br> <br>I´ve never seen anyone in the pool with their dog, however many people do bring their dogs to the pool area. They´ve always been on leashes and have been friendly animals so far. <br> <br>Before we decided to move here, we read the reviews on this site. We were a little concerned with the amount of reviews stating the noise was bad here, and we brought that up with the apt manager when we came to look at the apartments. She stated that they had a noise problem and those people who continually violated the rules had been evicted several months before we moved in. Of course we didn´t believe her, but we fell in love with the apt we looked at and chose to move in anyway. Every now and then on the weekends or during a college football game, you´ll hear a party or two going on. In fact, our new neighbors upstairs have had several parties since they´ve moved in, but have always been nice and courteous once we´ve asked them to tone it down. <br> <br>The people we´ve met here have been awesome. Our apartment is awesome. The rent is great. Answers to our maintenance calls have been answered promptly (btw, we have had no maintenance issues with our apartment since we´ve been here). We asked to have a ceiling fan put up in the living room and when we moved in they explained that they would help with that, but it would be a low priority. Well, they came out the same day to do it. They have community activities to try to bring neighbors together to meet. It´s a great place. <br> <br>One issue I have is the parking at Sonterra II. There are FAR too many handicap spaces. I have yet to see another handicap person other than myself. It forces people who are not handicapped to park in these spaces and risk being towed or fined because there´s nowhere else to park.

Current Resident 429264

Resident • 2002 - 2003

I love my apartment!!!

I just found this website and I am appauled at some of these reviews. I have lived at Sonterra for a year now and couldn´t be happier. The office staff has been onsite for a 1 1/2 years now and the maintenance staff has been onsite even longer. Every time I visit the office I am greeted with happy faces and warm hellos. They truly care about the residents. It is very sad when someone can voice some of the most slanderous opinions. You just need to judge for yourself. But I know anyone would love living here.

Current Resident 323399

Resident • 2003

Why Risk It?

I was surprised to read a "rebuttal" to another resident´s review of Sonterra. I find it unsusual that a resident would find time to spend so much time discounting a negative review of a property. Especially since it´s the only review that´s been rebutted. Of course I guess anyone has access to this site, including Sonterra mgmt. I lived in Sonterra II, and I can personally vouch for the fact that this property is very poorly managed. I don´t know how long "Awesome" has lived there but I signed a long lease and I want all apt shoppers out there to know, that it´s simply not worth the risk moving in there. I´m not saying everything about Sonterra was bad, the area is nice, and the leasing staff is kind to a degree, but why risk the headache a lot of us had to endure there. It is true what "Live Anywhere but Here" and most others have stated. I personally contacted mgmt. regarding residents letting their labrador retreiver fetch balls in the pool. I live next to the pool, and there are frequent parties during the week, and some residents(usually children of residents) are very noisy until all hours of the night. There WERE residents shooting fireworks off of patios last December. Drinking, throwing glass bottles, screaming/yelling, you name it. There most definitely have been vehicle breakins and vandalism, there were notices distributed on each residents door describing such crimes, and to be aware of them. I guess "Awesome" didn´t live here yet or maybe doesn´t live here at all. ;-) The maintenance staff is overworked and understaffed, due to the properties´ size. It´s simply too large, with too many apts for them to attend to everything promptly. If you are looking for an apt complex feel, by the way, this is your place. Cars being worked on in parking lots, teens drinking beer outside in parking areas, partying etc. I could go on and on but who needs to, everything has already been said. The obvious fact is that there ARE many unhappy residents there, and there are a lot of well managed apartment communities in Austin. Let´s see, there are 16 reviews of this property, and I count 11 that are negative!! You do the math. That´s not even listing all the negative reviews for Sonterra I, which is the same property! If it was a nice place to live, I seriously doubt you´d have that many current and former residents finding the time to list negative reviews on this site. Just look at some of the other properties listed on this site. They have fantastic reviews, and some with no negatives. I know I will personally be contacting some of those properties, and all those I meet looking I will refer to this site so that they can get the truth on bad properties and good. After all who better to get info from that someone that´s lived there before. Just read some of these reviews on Sonterra I and II, and ask yourself "Is it worth the risk?" Great Website! Good luck to all you apt shoppers! Avoid Sonterra! :-)