I'm a current tenant and have been living here for about two years. I will list pros and cons:
Pros:
Large open floor plans
Granite counter tops(kitchen and bath)
Beautiful floors and cabinets.
Large pools
Nice, normal neighbors (for the most part). Lots of warm older couples and chatty, friendly individuals. Not a lot of unexpected noise for an apartment community. Be realistic people... this isn't a private home.
-Cute fireplaces
- great for pets
- underground parking is a +++ for weather
...concerns (not so great when it comes to maneuverability... but eh)
Cons:
Horrible management. I cannot express this point enough. As a business professional with years of service experience I am floored at the lack of professionalism amongst the staff. All the women are rude, unprofessional, degrading, and have appalling people skills. Examples for clarity:
- they do not return messages/phone calls
- act visibly annoyed (body language, facial expression, sighing, eye rolling) when asked to complete a task such as placing a work order.
- unprofessional work attire
- consistently demonstrate a lazy attitude
- disrespectful tones, demeanor and conversational skills
- I repeatedly get "I dunno" as a response to my questions regarding elevator breakdowns and building upkeep... with no further attempts to obtain the correct answers.
- You can't take matters to a higher management level either, the manager here is by far the rudest and poorly qualified of all the women.
- You also cannot seem to find any contact information on Management Support Properties either. And when I asked for the information I was denied. This seems like a red flag to me when I can't establish a trust in management hierarchy.
- Frankly the staff doesn't care about it's clients because they know they will have no one to answer to for complaints.
Maintenance issues:
-easy fixes are completed quickly and efficiently.
-however anything complex or considered a difficult(costly) repair is handled poorly, slowly(if at all) and in the cheapest way possible. (i.e. mold covered by paint, leaky pipes repaired with tape vs being replaced, etc) Basically if it can't be handled with paint and duct tape your problem will most likely not be addressed unless you severely press the issue.
Deposits:
-don't plan on getting ANYTHING back that they say is refundable. They nickle and dime every little thing in "move out repairs" to make sure it EXACTLY totals your refundable deposit.
Why do I still live here?
1) Because the management is so disorganized, rude and incoherent that, as a resident, you get a lot of leniency and forgiveness if you know how to ask for it. I've side stepped numerous fees and rules by knowing which strings to pull. Laziness does have its perks. :)
2) The good does outweigh the bad. Its a great floor plan/sq. footage for the price. I would be paying double for this anywhere closer to downtown/shops of legacy/austin ranch. But those places also have fantastic management so.... lol. You get what you pay for.
3) Neighbors are unified in the dislike for management, so we always have something to giggle about in the elevator.
4) Great pet community. Very receptive and good for training.
5) It's close to work and again for the price.... I couldn't afford to live this close and it still be this decent. I truly believe this is how this place continues to thrive. Despite it's failings they keep the rent just low enough and the upkeep just high enough that you cant really justify living elsewhere. Though, if I could afford the outrageous Dallas apartment costs.... I would leave here in a heartbeat.
All in all.....Chateau is a good middle ground for your cost effective renter who still expects to live a few steps above ghetto. But if you have the money or don't mind something smaller for a higher dollar.... just go with Post properties or UDR. They are pretty well respected in the area.
