I am ashamed to say I lived in Brompton Court Apartments over the past 3 years. If you had asked me a year and a half ago where I lived, I would have been happy to recommend this complex, but now I severely regret even renewing the last and final year. If you take a full tour (not just the entrance) of the complex the grounds speak for themselves (halls that smell like urine with large cracks in the walls (which extend into apartments), pools closed with zero notice or reason why, at least half of the security lights out, random cars lining up to get in at any moment), however what is not visible is the horrible mismanagement. The complex is a training center for the owning company, however all they are doing is running the place into the ground. In my experience with this complex, these are the top 5 things I grew to expect:
1) Expect to have your apartment entered without your permission by management. I had my apartment illegally entered by both management and maintenance multiple times. While I understand that in emergency situations there is a need to enter (which are the only times they can legally enter without notice), none of these multiple entries were emergencies. On all of these occasions my pets were not secure (since no one had business there) and my pets could have easily run out the door (as my dog typically does to greet me). On one of these occasions my dog was even recovering from having cancer surgery! They were aware, but yet still decided to enter after being told when I would be home to ensure the safety of my pet. I had talked to verbally, and in writing, with management on multiple occasions and they had agreed not to enter unless I was home, however as obviously shown in these cases they choose to do whatever they feel like doing.
2) Expect to be lied to, even if you have it in writing. When I was signing my last lease I was told they were going to install security cameras at the gates and have an officer keeping watch on the grounds. A year later there are still no cameras and I never saw an officer. While there are police who live in complex, that didn t stop someone from stealing ALL 4 tires and rims off of vehicles MULTIPLE TIMES this spring not even 30 feet from where one of the police parks. On the last occasion where someone had all 4 tires/rims stolen, I was told in person by the office that a notice would be sent out same day (NO notice was ever sent). These lies come from not just the office, but manager April as well. I have had multiple e-mails exchanged with manager April where she states one thing, but does another.
3) Expect to receive notification to have a happy holiday but nothing else. If the pool is to be closed when it is 90 outside, do not expect to hear that it will be, why, or for how long. If laundry fees go up (twice this calendar year), if cars or apartments are broken into, or if they tell you in writing that they will notify you of your utility bill, do not expect to hear from them. If you try contacting them, good luck. Typically the phone rings, but is never picked up (don t bother leaving a voicemail, they are never returned). If you go into the office, expect a long wait. When I was turning in my keys, there was a point where only 1 person was in office and 8 people were waiting (most were people turning in keys also). E-mails are typically answered, but don t expect to see any results (or any truth in the replies).
4) Expect to have the finances of your account wrong, multiple times. For at least of my final lease I had to contact them about major errors on my account. When I renewed for the final time there was no valet trash, you simply paid a 1-time $50 fee for a 1-year contract. They tried to charge me 3x. I was charged a late fee when I had my payment in the drop box on time. I had my payments posted to another person s account multiple times. They even got my account mixed up with the account for the person who leased my apartment after me, crediting me their deposit. After I had moved out I received an e-mailing saying there was a balance on my account I owed, even though I have written proof that they owe me several hundred dollars. It also took them 4 weeks for them to properly fill out the paperwork for a check to be written to return my security deposit.
5) Horrible repairs Any and all work orders take forever to complete. I had to call them days on end, well after I was told the problem would be taken care of, only to be told it would be taken care of that day (never was). It took them almost 2 months to finish repairs from a busted pipe in my apartment, and it was finished soo poorly that it caused more damage to the floors. In that case the repair was only completed after I came into the office once and also submitted 2 written notices of needing the repair completed. It was only after the 2nd written notice where I had to point blank state my legal rights that I would have to exercise if the repair was not completed immediately. It took no less than 5 times working on my patio gate before it was finally fixed correctly. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS, there are renters handbooks available (houstontenants.org has an amazing handbook), you will most likely have to exercise your legal rights here.
The above are what I grew to expect from the management. If you enjoy being lied to, paying fees without prior notification or explanation, having your private living space entered illegally and living in an overall unsafe, un-kept complex, by all means, this place is for you. As I stated above, a year and a half ago I would have recommended Brompton Court to you. Now however, I say run, fast, to another complex.
