The Bradford Apartments

My wife 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 wasn t 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 month 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.

Stay away from Bradford Apartments in Webster !! I rented a two bedroom & signed a 6 month lease in June. 2 months prior to my lease expiry, I dropped off a written notice to vacate to an office worker in the leasing office. 2 weeks later while at the leasing office to discuss a different issue, another office worker indicated that I apparently needed to complete a specific form in the lease office for it to be considered proper notice. I promptly filled out that form. I moved out of the apartment on Dec 6th (2 days prior to my lease expiry as per the lease contract) and I attempted to drop of the keys and another office employee informed me that she could not accept my keys because apparently the original notice to vacate my apartment was invalid. She said that the notice was only valid if a specific form was filled out. And to and salt to injury, they cannot find my original notice to vacate the apartment. Furthermore, they are now charging me an additional $1000 for prorated rate for 7 days (prorated rent for an apartment I was paying a monthly rate of $1160. They have calculated 7 days prorate on a month to month rate of $2000) This is simply incredulous! The lease agreement only says that a “written notice” shall be provided. It does not state that the written notice need be in a special form available at the lease office. Additionally, not all the office employees are familiar with this process which explains why the original employee accepted my written notice without further advice. I cannot believe that sheer incompetence within the staff at this apartment complex combined with an unfair interpretation of the lease agreement are resulting in me being asked to pay $1000 for 7 days in an apartment I have already vacated. Take my advice and avoid this apartment complex entirely!!