Lakeside on Spring Valley

haleleka

Resident • 2007

It was a haven

I've read the other reviews, and I have to respond. I lived here while I was going through a horrible divorce, and it was the best place I could have been. Tanya left me roses on my kitchen table for my first Valentine's Day alone so I would know that someone cared. Any maintenance issue was IMMEDIATELY attended to, I felt safe in my apartment, and my neighbors were very friendly but not intrusive. Management (Tanya) also welcomed my pets so that I didn't have to lose them when I moved out of my house. I can't say enough good about her and about Elizabeth (the other lady working in the office). It truly did feel like an oasis in the middle of a bad part of town. Now, the part about the air-conditioning/heat is real. You do not have the ability to pick which is available in your apartment from day-to-day, as that is determined for the whole complex at once. This does make for some uncomfortably warm days when summer and fall are coming together. But I would recommend this place to my closest friends as a good home with good people. MANY residents are long-term and have been there for years and years. That alone says a lot. Also, the lake behind the property is a great retreat from the stress of the city all around. Look for yourself.

Current Resident 814903

Resident • 2007 - 2009

Pretty quiet, close to 75. Safe.

I am currently living at Lakeside on Spring Valley. The immediate neighborhood isn't great, but I generally like living at these apartments. I haven't had any problems with Tanya or snooping, although she can be a little chatty. I think she's pretty friendly. Maintenance is friendly as well, and they take care of things. I have had a few maintenance issues, but no really serious problems. During the summer or after a heavy rain, large roaches/wood roaches/waterbugs may make an appearance in your home occasionally. We've never had any problems with the small german roaches though. Yes, the A/C and heating is centrally managed, so you do have to wait for them to turn it on, and they usually wait for a three day trend to switch from heat to a/c or vice versa...so when you get those freak hot days in a generally cold/cool week, the heater will be on, and you will probably be uncomfortable. The A/C will sometimes break in the summer. It hasn't happened yet (knock on wood), but I won't be surprised when it does. There is plenty of covered and uncovered parking, and I love that there is a small lake behind the complex. My apartment has a view of the lake that a enjoy. It's a pretty quiet place to live, and you don't see a lot of children. It is gated (with the gates closed at night, you need a keycard to get in). The laundry rooms are well-kept, and I've only had two instances where a dryer didn't work in the 2 years that I've been living here. They are also always locked (you are issued a key at move-in). My clothes have never been stolen. I have never felt unsafe inside the complex, and I haven't heard of any crime or break-ins (neither apt nor car). I am pretty comfortable checking my mail or doing laundry in the middle of the night, although I definitely would NOT walk around outside the complex at night. I see a lot of cops driving around Spring Valley (and Waterview pkwy); watch out for tickets. I agree that utilities are a little high. There is one utilities bill that covers everything (garbage/waste, water, electricity). You pay for your own electric bill, but water is one bill that is totaled and divided up amongst all the residents and you pay the bill by the size of your apartment and number of residents. My utilities bill have been as follows, for a 1 bedroom apt with 2 people: Dec. $111.11; Jan. $115; Feb. $129.16; Mar. $95.29; Apr. $102.08; May $84.23; June $83.98; July $93.53. Billing is done in 45 day arrears, so the bill I paid in July was for utilities I used from mid-may to mid-June. We pay $550 for about 700 sqft? We have plenty of closet space. We are going month to month now, but on our first 6-month lease, our rent was $525. Overall, I like it. I wish the A/C/heating was better, the utilities were lower, and that I never saw any bugs (Bugs are occasional, but they make me cringe.) Otherwise, I am satisfied here. One last thing-we tried to get DSL, but Roadrunner doesn't have lines that connect to us? So we had to get cable internet.

Current Resident 817015

Resident • 2007 - 2008

High utilities make up for low rent; AC is terrible.

If you are accustomed to modern conveniences like air conditioning, don't live here. If you do, be prepared to sweat your butt off many days out of the year. The rent is low for the square footage, but utilities are outrageous. Even if you are conservative with your energy usage, forget it. You're still paying way too much. The interiors are old and in dire need of updating. Everything inside looks dirty and ugly. Occasionally, large roaches and other critters do make an appearance. This place is generally a drab, sad and uncomfortably hot place to live. I don't know about the staff being nosy, but if you value your privacy from other tenants, this may not be the place for you.

Current Resident 998065

Resident • 2008

Management is great at Lakeside. I find the property well kept and maintenance very good. Everyone is very friendly.

Current Resident 865664

Resident • 2006 - 2008

Nice Place

I have lived here a couple of years now and find it very pleasant. The grounds are beautiful and well kept. The Manaager is strict (helps keep out the low-life), but very fair, and she gets the job done. The apartment has a lot of character. I wouldn't live anywhere else.

Current Resident 850231

Resident • 2007 - 2008

Horrible.

Tanya is indeed snoopy, I know we've been spyed on since we moved in. This place has the worst air conditioning system I've ever had to deal with. It's almost never working. Horrible.

DISGUSTEDwithSNOOPS

Resident • 2008

Nightmare On Spring Valley

Boy! Scary! Tanya is a wigged out manager. I warn you that she and others go through your belongings! I am going to camp out and catch them...Argh! Air system is aweful, Light bill is crazy--3 charges for electric...2 charges for gas water and sewer and trash collection--Your actual useage is 40 dollars, but by the time they add all their garbage ad-ons your bill is $140. Roaches and maintenance issues. Worst thing is knowing someone is going through your personal effects. Snoopy manager!

Current Resident 296262

Resident • 2001 - 2008

Love this place

I have lived here for 7 years now, and have known people who have lived here previously. I have yet to have a problem that hasnt been fixed with in 48 hours though usually is done the same day.

Current Resident 96281

Resident • 2007 - 2008

nothing special bad staff

nothing special about these apartments, the manager tanya is a not a nice person to deal with. aparently rest of the reviews were written by some of her affliate which mark the apartment and her as top of the line. I did nt had any big problem stayin in the apartment apart from the fact that tanya used to send someone on a weekly basis to go thru my stuff, i understand that the owner can inspect the place but i dont like people going thru my closet every week. there are a lot of hidden charges and gettin a security refund is next to impossible as the property manager would bend every term in the contract to get money out of you. another drawback of the apartment is the single pane windows and the fact that you cannot switch between the heat and airconditioning, so if it is cold in april better buy a big blanket because there is no heat and the same goes for airconditioning. gist of the story: okie place, crappy neighborhood, bad heating/cooling system and worst manager. I am glad i was out of this apartment before any major financial damage.

Current Resident 539946

Resident • 2003 - 2007

Truly a nice place to live

This has been our best experience with apartment living. We are greatful to Tanya and her staff. They care. Your neighbors care. We are buying our first home.

Current Resident 85762

Resident • 2007

nice place

I am here for 5 months and unfortunately I have to move to California and I am sorry to leave this great place. The place is quite and calm. People around here are friendly. Management is prompt and good. Parking is no problem and there is lot of space. Moreover the rent is reasonable.

Current Resident 531831

Resident • 2001 - 2007

Home when it comes to apartment living

This property was a good place to live. The people care. Good people live around you. The apartments are quiet, clean, lg. rooms, good maintance and manager,lake, cheap for what they offer. You will like this place despite the appearance of some surrounding apts. If I come back to Dallas I will live there again.

Current Resident 461934

Resident • 2009 - 2012

Very disappointed.

If you want to live in a cheap apartment, this is the place. Poor landscaping, trash does not get picked up on a daily basis, children running up and down the stairs, tacky homemade signs that say keep off grass, poor running AC unit, no sprinkler system, no amenities unless you call the laundry room an amenity. The only good thing is the maintenance man, Arnold, who can fix just about anything.

Current Resident 297855

Resident • 1997 - 2006

A wonderful place to live

Lakeside on Spring Valley (was Spanish Trail Apt.) is a wonderful place to live. The grounds are kept, habitat at the lake is breath taking, great neighbors, clean laundry rooms, plenty of parking , you will always see a friendly face walking around, reasonable rent, and good location.<br><br>The management enforces the rules and is very friendly. The maintenance is done same day. I never had a problem with crime the eight years I lived there.<br><br>You would never know on Spring Valley there is a "hidden secret". Some of the surrounding apartments are "Yuk". You must check this out if you move to Richarson When you walk through the gates it is a place you can call home. Unfortunely my company transferred me out of state

exChicagoan

Resident • 2005

Recommended

Quiet, gated community. Some of my neighbors have lived here for decades.<br>Manager runs a "tight ship" and she is friendly and patient, even when asked "obvious" questions (we moved here from up north and didn’t have a clue about local stuff).<br>Maintenance requests were completed within hours of reporting a problem. <br>No beer drinking in the parking lot is allowed, you can't work on your car here, no loud music, and no other ------ BS. This makes you feel a lot safer especially after dusk. <br>Very well built, can't hear your neighbors.<br>Plenty of parking, even covered spaces are always available.<br><br>Next to hwy 75, if you work in Richardson or Plano this place is quite convenient.<br>It is now called Lakeside on Spring Valley.<br><br>We have signed our first lease here for 6 months, but will renew - cant beat this deal.<br>

Current Resident 867403

Resident • 2002 - 2004

great place

I lived here for over 2 years and loved it. The apts. are nice, big, and clean. The tile is beautiful. The rent is cheap as are utilities. The grounds are very well kept. The manager and employees are nice. I love the lake; I could look out my backdoor and see it. The neighborhood is fine. The houses behind the complex are very nice. I never had any problems and I was never worried. It is very quiet. If I ever move back to the Dallas area, I am moving back to this complex.

naomi6565

Resident • 1999 - 2001

Great complex, bad neighborhood

In the two years that my husband and I lived here, we never had to fill out any type of complaint or work order. The management is very personal and friendly, and we knew everyone on a first name basis. The apartments arent anything to look at on the outside, but the units are HUGE and we had all modern fixtures and appliances. The pool is gorgeous though. The price is extremely reasonable, we paid 675 a month for a 1000 sq ft two bedroom, two bath with fireplace and huge balcony. The water is paid for and electricity is very cheap as they use commercial electricity. Very quiet neighborhood and very clean area, but the complexes around this one make it an unsafe area to live. I would have stayed here for a lot longer if it hadn´t been for the neighborhoods surrounding the complex.

Current Resident 84727

Resident • 2001

I never lived here, but knew people who did.

They got out as soon as they could, this is a scary area of Richardson.