Bradford apts Webster, Tx (Houston, Baytown: apartments, lease, appliances)

[bnsilly]

Sorry for all the questions...but
Anyone have first hand knowledge of these apts? They looked nice, but get bad reviews online, but not sure how much you can trust those reviews. Also..anyone know what the drive is like down Bay Area Blvd, ie, traffic, lots of lights,etc..Seems like it would take at least 40 min to get to Baytown, but mapped out, it is saying 30 min.

[tstone]

You could look farther east/northeast on Bay Area Blvd. There are some nice apartments near UHCL and Bay Area Park. You'd avoid all of that Webster traffic.

[DanielWayne]

My co-worker lives in the Bradford. Parking is horrible, and sometimes she has to park really far away from her apt at night. Otherwise, they -seem- to be quite nice and well kept.

Bay Area gets lots of traffic during peak times, but it keeps flowing DUE TO the traffic lights (i.e no freeway type clogs due to idiot drivers). It takes me approx 35 minutes to get from Webster to I-10 going up hwy 146, and sometimes that is going through Bay Area. So I think the 30 min time is accurate.

I second tstone's comments about looking further east.

[bnsilly]

Ok you guys gave me a whole new option..I appreciate it...
Looking at the UHCL area...where I would feel better with him being near students, and can find some student housing with furnished apts, etc..Can you tell me what that area is like??

[lonestarwvu]

Just to throw this out there, we lived in the Bradford for six months after we moved here. They were fine. It wasn't excessively noisy. The place is kept up. It's mostly young people with some older single adults. There is no loitering in the parking lots and we never felt unsafe. It also has some limited shopping and eating within walking distance. The parking does seem to get crowded, but because we generally never went out in the evening we never had problems.

Bay Area Blvd generally moves pretty well in the areas he would be traveling on. If you are looking farther east I know that the University of Clear Lake has a complex called University Forest. They seem to have a lot of international students in them. There is also the Park at Armand Bayou which sits in a very nice location next to Bay Area Park and (appropriately enough) Armand Bayou. There are also very nice running/biking paths in the area. When I am doing longer runs this is generally my favorite area to go through. Watch your speed around the park.

University Forest - Houston, TX
park@armand bayou

[tstone]

Originally Posted by bnsilly

Ok you guys gave me a whole new option..I appreciate it...
Looking at the UHCL area...where I would feel better with him being near students, and can find some student housing with furnished apts, etc..Can you tell me what that area is like??

It's fairly wooded around UHCL and Bay Area Park. There is kayaking/fishing at the park on the bayou, as well as a nice dog park, picnic areas, baseball field, kids playground, etc. Jogging/bike trails all around. Lots of single folks in their mid 20s down that way, probably the only suburban area with that kind of concentration.

Slightly further west, on El Camino Real just north of Bay Area Blvd is also a good place, if busy. There are lots of apartments & townhomes down there, plus a Kroger, library and a handful of restaurants and bars within easy walking or biking distance.

On Bay Area Blvd between El Camino Real and Space Center Blvd is another option, along with Space Center Blvd between Bay Area & El Dorado.

[bnsilly]

thanks everyone..appreciate it~

[texas7]

Lots of students live in Wolf Creek on Space Center Blvd. at Bay Area. There really isn't any student housing except for one complex that is for UHCL students only. And as TStone says - is probably better for you traffic-wise than Bradford. UHCL area is a safe area to live in and near everything one would want to be near.

[carol smith25]

My husband and I lived in this apartment for 14 months and the following are the highs and lows of our experiences
The inception: With a budget of around 800 dollars for a 2 bed, we chose this apartment because it is located close to the interstate and many convenience stores. Our first tryst with their reception on day one wasnt the most spectacular. We are not the kind who expects to be pampered with hospitality by the representatives at the front office but even we felt that there was lot of room for improvement. They showed us a few apartments but they were not within our budget. When we mentioned this they offered us an apartment which was on promotion; so don t forget to ask for them.
The stay: The apartment is on the expensive side and comes with a lot of hidden costs. Majority of the apartment blocks are old and the appliances definitely need an upgrade to reasonably match the rent they charge. After our 12 month lease ended they raised the rent by 100 dollars, the reason given for this was current market value . This is a factor worth considering before you sign the lease. During our stay we did not have many issues with appliances but on two occasions when the dishwasher and the toilet sink needed some repair the maintenance personnel took 2 weeks and 4 phone calls to respond. Our apartment was by the pool and a pretty garden so we loved the location. We had friendly neighbors. Our stay was mostly event free except for 3 burglaries that took place in the apartment neighborhood. For a 14 month period in Houston I guess this is normal?!
The departure: The moving out was the most unpleasant one. They slapped us with a ton of charges! The penalties for breaking the lease are through the roof. Less than a week after we renewed our lease we had to move out because I got a job in a different city. The apartment management was less than sympathetic; they milked every possible penny out of us. We had to pay 3 month s rent though we ended up staying only for 2 months after we gave the notice. In addition to this were had to pay another month s rent as penalty for breaking the lease. This costed us 1600 dollars. Well, there is more 50 dollars for cleaning the vacant apartment which we had already cleaned, 300 dollars to replace the carpet and another 50 dollars to clean the carpet which was going to be replaced anyways!!! When we questioned the cleaning charges the manager became belligerent and obnoxious. We were not even asking her to waive these fees so the least we expected was some civility.
Overall it was a bitter sweet experience with the rip-off management leaving a very bitter after taste.

[AlfredB1979]

Nevermind an old thread, but you broke your lease and you're complaining and the terms of a contract you agreed to?

okay.

If I break my lease right now, I'm paying through November. I guess I better deal with it.