Gables Post Oak

If there’s one thing I have learnt over the past three months since I moved in here, is that there’s no place in Houston that I can call home except Gables :)

I love Gables Post Oak! The property is beautiful and always well kept. And the staff is phenomenal! Always so friendly and helpful!

A very nice complex in the heart of it all; close to restaurants, grocery stores, night life, and highway access. Additionally, the complex is safe and secure with great parking too.
The amenities are first class, the staff is the most kind and professional I have encountered. They go above and beyond!

I have been living at this property since it basically opened. I have been here long enough to provide some insight here.
First, it’s an ever revolving door with the office staff and management. There have been five managers since moving here, mind you the property has only been open for a little over three years.
Secondly, the office is constantly closed for random reasons with little or no notice at all. When this happens, the mail person is unable to get in, delaying the delivery of mail. Also, if you’re expecting a delivery via UPS, FedEx, etc… You’ll have to wait for another delivery attempt. Which leads me to my next gripe. Thirdly, receiving your packages is never a simple process. First, they will not allow deliveries directly to your apartment, which is understandably a security precaution. But in doing so, your packages are held at the office. Now imagine you’re trying to get your package when there’s a line of people doing the same. Also, if you’re lucky enough to be the only one retrieving a package, you had better pray to your god that the staff is not on the phone or with a prospective resident, because they will ignore you all together, or make you wait until you get fed up and leave. This has been an ongoing issue since I moved here. I have had multiple residents express these same frustrations to me when waiting. They have implemented a new system where they email you once a package is received. This has not always been accurate, and if you go check on a delivery they will get snooty with you and tell you if you didn’t receive the email, then they don’t have it. The reason why this is imperfect is because on several occasions, I have tracked my deliveries only to not get an email. On top of that, the staff is hit or miss when it comes to searching for your packages. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been turned away with the excuse that they don’t have it, only to ask them to double or triple check and eventually have them find it.
Another thing to look out for is the cleaning staff/​women entering your apartment uninvited, or unnecessarily. I can recall one particular incident when there was a maintenance man in my apartment tending to a request. About 10 minutes later the older Hispanic female employee walked into my unit without knocking. She seemed very surprised and taken aback to see that I was home and had taken issue with her walking in uninvited. She then casually played it off as if she were looking for the maintenance man. So beware, employees may be entering your apartment without any notice when you’re not home.
Also, the office staff has a tendency to argue with you, all be it politely. If you have an issue or concern that you want addressed; their automatic reaction is to counter with an excuse, or counter argument instead of simply acknowledging the problem and working to resolve it. They seem to have a counterpoint to whatever it is that you’re bringing to their attention.
Lastly, the current manager has an air of condescension I had not previously seen in the other managers. At one point she flatly told me she would not show me a particular unit and I would have to wait for an associate to return. She was not the only one in the office at the time so that should not have been a reason to turn me away. On another occasion I wanted to officially meet her so, I asked her if she was the manager to which she said yes. Her demeanor was one of annoyance and total disregard. That of course changed once I mentioned to her that I was familiar the original property manager, now a district manager.
There are lots of issues at this property with the staff that doesn’t seem to change no matter how many employees they hire. As for the property itself, it’s nice, well kept, with pretty decent amenities. They also regularly host social events for the residents. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make up for the staff and office issues.

My experience has been nothing but first class here! The amenities are first class, the staff is the most kind and professional I have encountered. They go above and beyond! I feel safe and like I live in an upscale hotel!

Lived here for a year. Great place to live. :) All employees are super nice and friendly. Apartments have updated stainless steal appliances. Fob key security throughout. Reason for moving: buying a home.

This is not a matter of 3 strikes and you are out as said below — because if the resident has entitlement issues and is from some other country, it’s more like 2,000 strikes and you are out, while the rest of us lowly American white people are locked up in leases and expected to abide by the lease and yet tolerate the stuff that goes on here. Invite 100 of your closest friends to take over the property until all hours of the night and it will be just fine, as long as you are from some other country.
Update March 2016: After moving out of the 1200 sq ft apartment and into a 2600 sq foot house, my water bill dropped from $ 80 per month to $ 28.00 and — I have a pool at my house !! I am single with no dependents and this is the truth. — From my personal experience, there seems to be a water scam at Gables Post Oak.

I would not rent at Gables Post Oak again, nor can I recommend it to anyone else.
My husband and I moved into the complex when it was new and we were the first renters in our apartment. From the beginning we had problems with the staff, maintenance of the complex, etc. For instance, the parking garage gates have broken down several times as have the entrances to the building from the parking garage. We have gone through several almost 24 hour periods without water and electricity and not because of inclement weather. These outages have occurred on perfectly clear days throughout the year. Additionally, though our washer and dryer were allegedly new, the washer would not properly complete a cycle. We had informed maintenance and staff, in person and in writing, that we were having problems with it, but they ignored our requests and tried quick fixes which almost resulted in our apartment being flooded. Then our dryer had to be replaced as it kept leaving black streaks across our clothing. Again the complex tried quick fixes which did not solve the problem. Only when we demanded that Gables began paying for all of our outside laundry bills to have our clothes properly cleaned and not damaged, did they replace the dryer.
One of the reasons we initially chose Gables Post Oak was because of the supposed excellent security measures and remotes needed to access the building, residential floors, and the elevators. However, these measures have proved useless. While there we noticed several trucks and SUVs had been placed on blocks because all four tires had been stolen. At least three apartments were burglarized during a month’s span and I had to call the police myself because I noticed a car had been burglarized in the parking garage. People are probably gaining access through the loading dock doors which are frequently left open overnight. Also, there are always cars waiting outside the parking garage at all hours of the day and night, but they never go into the parking garage, which makes me suspect there is at least one drug dealer living in the building.
I’m sorry to say we renewed our lease once because my husband and I were too busy with our jobs to look for another apartment. However, we were sure to sign a shorter lease and not enter into another 12 month lease. The problems continued and there was a huge amount of overturn in the staff which resulted in some staff members being highly discourteous and staff members giving us conflicting answers about move out notice procedures. One staff member had refused to accept our written notice of our intent not to renew the lease though we had sent it in writing through email to the property manager and corporate officers. The staff member claimed that we needed to use the Gables notice form (which is only recommended and tries to bind you to additional obligations). We then went down to give our printed out notice in person to another staff member, who initially tried to tell us that we needed to use the Gables form, until we read the move out notice requirements listed in the lease, then he promptly accepted our notice.
Even after having left the Gables Post Oak we are still having problems with it. In early July, I contacted the Gables regarding the remaining water bill (2 month bill). I was told I would have 30 days to pay the bill. Less than 20 days later, I received an email from the same staff member who initially said I had 30 days to pay. The email was entitled «FINAL COLLECTION ATTEMPT» and stated «to contact the management office immediately» at a phone number (which was the incorrect Gables complex) to «arrange payment» otherwise they would report it to the collection agencies. I called the phone number listed, which was the wrong complex. Apparently the staff member transferred complexes and forgot to change her form. I then got in touch with the staff member and reminded her I was told I had 30 days to pay. She said I know. I then asked why she would send a threatening letter if I was not even late on the payment. She just replied that it was a form letter and that’s what they do.
I usually do not write reviews and had refrained from doing so even though we moved out of the Gables a month ago. However, this latest incident regarding the water bill was the last straw and I felt that people needed to be warned about this complex. This complex charges far too much for the lack of security, its rude staff, and the shoddiness of the construction (you can hear everything in the apartments from the constant dripping of the AC units, to the construction across the street, to people walking and talking in the halls, to the hall music).

Pros: The units are nicely done, some have pretty nice views. The office staff is always willing to help. *Added a pro: they’ve upgraded their package delivery system and we now always get email notifications when we have packages
Cons: You can hear road noise from 610 from the units that face that direction. You can hear your neighbors music/​tv, if it is loud (but, evidently the policy is pretty good and the office staff is good about informing the neighbor — three strikes, you’re out). The hallways and elevators are always dirty Saturday and Sunday mornings because of late night foot traffic… it would be nice to have a 24 hour porter to keep the facilities clean
As expensive as these places are, there should definitely be a camera system in the garage as opposed to just the entrance/​exit to the garage.

I am updating my review and downgrading the stars to 3 from my previous 4.
The thing is that I really like my apartment. The location is great and the apartment itself (layout, kitchen, closet space, etc) is also good.
There have been a few problems that have arisen with the washing machine and dishwasher but the maintenance staff is really good. I have also had several problems with the lights going out in my apartment but it was (eventually) fixed.
Staff turnover is very high — I am not sure why hey are rotating the staff from other Gables properties so often but every time I go to the office, it is someone different. Friendly and helpful — but different.
The bad:
Security has gotten worse. The parking garage is still a nightmare and theft abounds — and the building does not do anything about it other than to give stock answers. Also, now there have been break-​ins in the apartments themselves. which I would think would be difficult as you need key fobs to get everywhere in the building. Is someone letting these people in?
The other problem — and this is not the building’s fault — is that they are now constructing a new building across the street. And they start by 7 am every morning. Including Saturday.
I am uncertain at this point if I would re-​new my lease. I wanted to wait at least until 2016 as so many new apartment buildings would have been built by then. But if the security does not improve and if I have to listen to construction every day all day then I may very well go elsewhere.

This review is meant to compare the Gables Post Oak apartments with other apartments of the same price range in Houston and is from my point of view and not intended to serve as a comprehensive guide for all.
Apartment: Furnishings are standard as per other Gables residences, on the lower end as compared to the West Ave property. Bamboo floors scratch easily (eg. Vacuuming, dropping a coin, etc), paint chips off easily from walls and doors.
Leasing office: Packages can only be picked up 9am-​6pm most days, packages and dry cleaning will not be dropped off at your apartment so you may have to wait until the weekend to pick up or drop off if you work those hours.
High turnover in staff — perhaps a reflection of the work environment. The staff is overworked and frequently up and about showing apartments as well which results in an average waiting time of 15 minutes during weekends (when you’re lucky enough to catch them!).
Parking: Much has been said about the lack of security (~20 cars broken into over the Christmas period in 2013, can be read in the other reviews /​seen on news clip) and quite unfortunately more car break-​ins have occurred a number of times since then. The Management has strangely chosen not to install security cameras or personnel to prevent this from happening. Instead, focus seems to have been placed on employing a tow truck that tows unsuspecting cars (guests, residents without a parking label).
Rent payment: Online system is frequently down and late fees are $ 10/​day, even when the system down. Also, payment only by cashier’s check. Sucks if you’re travelling!
In conclusion, come stay here if you never travel, drop anything on the floors, don’t plan on receiving packages, have no car (or insurance that covers all glass damage) or no friends/​family that visit.
I for one, cannot wait until my lease is up in a couple of months!

We’ve lived here over a year and it’s kind of hard to rate this place since some things are superb and other aspects are down right awful. Sometimes reviews are too general and almost useless for comparison. So I’ll give specific examples to try to make this review more useful. Here’s what gets 5 stars from us:
— Location is perfect if you want the Galleria area
— Quality of the physical facility is upscale and really superb except washer and dryer
— Maintenance is superb! It’s a new building so we don’t have many issues but on those rare cases where it’s needed they ALWAYS respond within 24 hours and usually less than that!
— Staff are generally very friendly and cheerful. They will also try to accommodate your needs. Sometimes this isn’t possible (more later).
— They’ve hired a hospitality couple to set up weekly social events at the apartment TV room and in nearby restaurants. These people are superb and really made us feel welcomed. Plus we got to meet a lot of our neighbors! Very unusual for an apartment and a very nice touch.
— A young Houston Police officer lives in the building and gave us his personal contact information if we have any problems. Wow!
Here’s what gets 0 stars from us:
— The washer and dryer are the cheapest, lowest quality you can get. To make things worse you’re NOT ALLOWED to bring your own. We got an exception on this but they cannot do it for everybody since they don’t have storage room.
— Parking is very tight and the way it’s managed is terrible. It’s a very small 8 story garage. The benefit of this is you don’t have to walk a long way from the elevator. But the lane to get to a spot is extremely narrow in places when large trucks and SUV’s protrude and you don’t realize how long it takes to get to the 8^th floor ’till you try it. On half of each floor there’s only room for one car at a time. Imagine what this looks like at peak times. It’s downright dangerous especially when coupled with people that are late and drive too fast. The worst part to us is they’ve «changed the policy» since we moved in. We were clearly told it’s first come, first serve. Usually this means we can park on the 2^nd or 3^rd floor. As the building filled up some residents on the lower floors complained they had to go too high up. So then the manager started sending out notes encouraging everybody to park on their own floor. They didn’t require it but we sure felt the pressure and we wouldn’t have taken an upper level apartment had we known this.
–We get a lot of notices of reminders and new rules for the TV room, dog park, cold weather preparations, garage work that limits parking on some floors, get our flu shots… Some of these are also unnecessary intrusions and cross the line of reasonable from our apartment management. For example the same note that reminded us to get a flu shot also said they won’t do maintenance on an apartment if I have the flu! Wow! Also, the note reminding me of cold weather said if I don’t turn on my heat and the pipes freeze I may be liable for repairs! Really??? I don’t remember this in the contract. And what do I do if I travel and get this notice? Lastly, there’s the one or two day notices of «do not park» in a certain area because they’re re-​striping or cleaning the parking lot. I travel a lot on business so what am I supposed to do if I get this notice and I’m 2000 miles away for the next 4 days? Emergency repairs I understand but cleaning the garage??? This makes it very clear where customer service rates on the priority list. Is it all that hard to plan so that a week or two notice for non-​emergency «cleaning» can take into consideration their residents needs?
–They send out a notice when there’s been a break-​in to a car. That’s nice but it’s also coupled with an «of course you are also reminded that you are responsible for your own safety» disclaimer. How nice of them to make sure I know that too.
So there you have it. The good, bad, and ugly. I’d sum it up as Superb location, Superb Facilities, Great People coupled with management polices that range from accommodating to offensive, intrusive and more like slum lord rules. It’s a shame because I see no real value creation for Gables with the unacceptable policies and they will probably cause us to move.
I’ve been as factual as possible with this review and I hope it helps prospective renters make a good, informed decision.

UPDATED 12/​14/​2013
This place has become a feeding ground for criminals. Folks are breaking into vehicles in the garage. As residents, we all understand that safety begins with us, but Gables REFUSES to provide some sort of resolution to deter crime. Residents are met with scripted replies as to how to handle the break-​ins. Advice like, «lock your car doors». Well that’s why windows are bashed in, because car doors are locked! No actual assessment of the crime is taken and then handled appropriately. Sure, Gables is not legally bound to provide a guard, but it would be a wise business decision to have one.
I could go on and tell you what else is wrong with this complex and its management team, but I won’t bore you with those details. The following link covers ABC 13’s coverage of the recent break-​ins.
END UPDATE AT 12/​14/​2013
The Good: New complex in a well situated location of Houston. Leasing agents are usually quite attentive to resident needs. The common areas are aesthetically pleasing to the eye and the grounds are well maintained. Unfortunately, some of the common areas close early (I’m guessing because of a few bad & disruptive apples?).
The Bad: Fire alarm tests constantly being performed without sufficient notifications. Typically an email alert is sent only a few minutes before or after fire drills occur. Also, I agree with a prior poster about over-​sized vehicles being parked near the resident exit which block your view of oncoming traffic. I’ve seen an accident occur because of this.
The Ugly: Parking is pretty bad here. More than enough people do not park on their respective floor, leaving the first few levels unavailable for lower level residents. Add to this that visitors also park in the parking garage; there is no visitor parking in a separately designated area. And finally, layer in an added level of inconvenience with Gables employees parking on the lower levels.
I hope that once construction finishes, the basement level of parking is open to residents instead of being used as a staging area for construction.
Generally, I like the complex because of how quiet and peaceful residents are. Right now I see myself renewing at the end of my lease. The bad and the ugly are things that one may generally expect when living in an apartment community.

Where do I begin !! I love the staff here always on point for all your needs beautiful finishes thru out apartments buildings always clean!
The manager Penny is very hands on with residents she has very great staff!