Cullen Oaks 4600 Cullen Boulevard, Houston, TX 77004

"Location is good but the service is poor. The charge $20 for electronic payments and don’t even accept personal checks making it very expensive and inconvenient for the students. Hefty bill is sent after the student checks out by charging excessive amount for petty things and even normal wear and tear. Try to find other place to live if you have an option. Update: I called and they made exception to accept a check but $20 for electronic payment “convenience fee” is correct if you have moved out. About the hefty bill for petty things when you move out stands and they won’t do anything about it. I will still say to avoid this place if you can."

"Horrible experience living here. I truly regret continuing my lease with them because they have been nothing but awful for the last three months. I switched units in May for the summer term, and was constantly told by the maintenance team that would randomly walk in unannounced that I wasn’t supposed to live there anymore. Even after informing the front office multiple times, they never resolved the issue, and it only stopped after I switched units. Then, my new unit had no AC for a full week straight. I would call the front office and file a request for maintenance every day of that whole week, and they would always tell me that they went and fixed it, and i would still come home to an 85 degree apartment. I literally caught them in a lie when i got a manager on the phone and he told me that maintenance would be there soon, and when I called an hour later they told me maintenance had checked the apartment and it seemed fine, even though I was home all day and no one came by. The issue wasn’t resolved until the general manager finally found out a whole week later. They also like to randomly deactivate people’s cards and deny them access to the apartment complex, so I had to get that fixed for the third time this summer. The first time it happened, I was waiting for an hour at 12 am in the parking lot after calling the RA repeatedly asking them to let me in. The RA picked up the phone and told me to wait 5 minutes, but never came to let me in, and I finally got in a full hour later by asking my neighbour to come out to open the doors for me. I got a call about a week ago from the front office reminding me to complete my move out forms, and I let them know that they were mistaken and there was no way I was scheduled to move out. The desk assistant put me on hold and spoke to the manager, and told me not to worry about it because they called by mistake. For the last two days, I have had people come into my apartment unannounced, wake me up, and tell me that I wasn’t supposed to be living there anymore. For $1300 a month, I expect to have a reasonable amount of privacy and not have a man come into my bedroom at literally 7:30 am on the weekend. I went in office today to speak to a manager and let him know to fix the problem. I get a call not less than two hours later telling me that I need to complete my move in paperwork to be allowed to move in later this week. When I switched units in May, they tried to charge $120 for cleaning fees and wall damages. Thankfully, i took pictures when I moved in and out, and used them to dispute the charges, so they were later dropped. The administration has serious communication problems and disorganisation. They will randomly turn off the water and power, and wait until it’s back on to make a instagram post and say sorry. The front desk is useless because they can’t answer a single question without putting me on hold for fifteen minutes to ask a manager. The maintenance team has a habit of coming in unannounced and barging in, even if I ask them to wait a second. Dont make the mistake I made of signing with them, choose another place to live."

"The website doesn’t do the place justice. Really nice outside area, nice inside as well. Bedrooms were bigger than expected. Kitchen and living room are big enough. And shout out to Kendalin for being a great tour guide"

"HONEST REVIEW: I feel like a lot of people rent at a cheap apartment building and then act shocked when there are minor issues. There is a reason why the rent is cheap. However I think the value for money here is acceptable. If you have a tight budget cullen oaks is not a bad choice. Here is my honest review: Pros: -proximity to campus -cheap -friendly staff -maintenance resolves issues very quickly -office has never misplaced my packages -great leasing specials (I was given a 55 inch smart TV as part of my leasing special) - wifi is good. There were issues when they first installed the wifi, since then it has only gone out like twice - the community is so nice. People bake here very often and they will announce it in the building GroupMe so that other people in the building can have some. I also needed a pair of pliers once and another girl in the building immediately offered. I needed cilantro once and somebody else happened to have some and gave it to me. -I have never felt unsafe living here. A few cars have had their catalytic converter stolen but if you want a crime free area go to rice university or something because no matter where you live on UH campus it is a “high crime” area -excellent roommate matching service. Me and my roommate get along great. -the outdoor areas are pretty nice. I study there when the weather is good Cons: -appliances are old -there were defects in my apartment at move-in (scuffed walls, white paint-looking marks on my couches) -apartment was not clean prior to move in (this is not a big deal just clean it) -we had like 2 roaches when we first moved in. After that I poured a little bleach down the bathtub drain (they kept coming from the bathroom) and the roaches never came back. -fire alarm sounds like some kind of nuclear bomb siren. The first time I heard it I almost peed my pants -mattress is hard. This is not a big deal buy a 2-3 inch memory foam mattress topper. It’s like $50 and you will get the best sleep of your life. -The parking lot is so fugly. I mean it. It is actually the only thing I actively hate about cullen oaks. But it’s just a parking lot it’s not like you sleep there -the parking police and tow truck are constantly out to get you. Make sure you get the right parking permit so you don’t have to deal with that. SUMMARY: If you have a tight budget, this is a good choice. I feel that the “problems” in cullen oaks are not a big deal and they should be expected if you live somewhere cheap. If you want something more snazzy, live elsewhere. Personally I have a bigger budget for next year so I will probably move somewhere else, but I did like it here."

"The proximity to campus is where the value comes in here. If you are willing to live a block or two further away, you can find much better accommodation for the price. My carpets were a disaster and I couldn't remove the smell. Cullen Oaks never responded to this complaint. I covered the odor with carpet deodorizer until I moved out. My refrigerator made strange noises that bothered me at night but Cullen Oaks staff assured me it was normal. You are not allowed to pick your room prior to signing a lease agreement (which is binding regardless of satisfaction thereafter). You may only choose your unit type and hope for the best. I was lucky to get a unit on the ground floor and near the laundry facilities. Finally, I was locked into an additional semester contract even though I hadn't signed anything. It turned out that my mom mistakingly signed an electronic form sent to her via email that was soliciting renewals. She was merely a guarantor, which they require without exception, and should not have been able to lock me into a contract without my consent. I ended up paying a contract termination fee for a contract I never signed! But I can rest assured now, because a Cullen Oaks representative said they were sorry. The positives: Basketball court; Proximity to campus"