Rainier Management

This outfit is a clown show. They can’t adhere to their posted business hours at their properties, staff rotates in seemingly weekly, and they’re immensely unresponsive and uncooperative. Good luck trying to get any packages you have if you’re a person with a day schedule, they’ve decided they don’t need to be open Saturdays anymore and they’re prone to just closing up shop in the middle of the day if you struggle back during lunch.
They don’t communicate changes with residents unless it’s raining too hard, so oops, time to close the office again. When apartments flood from the poor drainage their response is basically a shrug. Rainier Management themselves don’t answer their phones, ever, so good luck trying to talk up the ladder.
I live in Abbey Road apartments specifically and the buildings are aging. They get remodeled a bit inside but the hot water still cuts out randomly, the fire extinguishers are located outside in the courtyard, the walls are thin and there’s basically no pantry space. The design is old so there’s no place where a washer/​dryer hookup could be installed. All of those problems would be tolerable if they didn’t want to jack up rent as high as possible each year, and of course the management is amateur hour.

I live in the Su Casa apartments on 39^th and Speedway. The complex itself is the perfect size, opens up to a courtyard perfect for sunny days, and is the perfect balance of groomed and ivy-​covered.
Moving in/​figuring out the lease was made very easy with the help of a great management staff. Was very impressed with how clean the apartments were upon moving in. Though not a new complex by any means, everything is in great shape; the cabinets had even been freshly painted. Though we’ve only ever put in minor maintenance requests, they’ve always been addressed quickly.
As far as the location, our apartment is half students half full-​time employees, and it couldn’t be better. Su Casa is super close to two major bus stops. Free parking in front of the complex makes it super easy to hop in the car on the way to work. The neighborhood is super cute and great to walk around. The complex is quiet and neighbors are all pretty low-​key.
Generally, very happy with our apartment itself, the complex, and the management team! My roommates and I wish we had found this place years ago.
SS

I live at the oak park complex on duval and 45^th, me and my roommate moved out in a hurry from our old place after a fire, and the management was super helpful and accommodating. Maintenance request that I’ve submitted are always on time and the staff in the office is always helpful.
I haven’t had any real complaints, from the outside the place looks kind of like a maze but the apartments inside are very spacious and nice. A huge plus for me is the big windows and access to natural light.
–CB

Things have really been changing and more attention to the building. Most recent issues I have had were handled very fast and professionally.

Reading the other reviews, I guess I should be grateful that here at Abbey Road there’s a nice-​seeming manager right now, though it’s the fourth one since I moved in a little more than a year ago.
The buildings are old, though, and it shows. They’ve been cosmetically renovated, but there’s still a wide strip of daylight between the door and the frame, the windows aren’t tight and the screens fall out, the kitchen is the smallest/​narrowest I’ve ever seen, the shower goes between hot and cold repeatedly (if you can even get hot water, which you can’t always), the water is frequently off altogether, the floor is not totally flat (it slopes). We thought it was odd that our neighbors had sandbags in front of their door until it rained the first time, then we got some. But we’re not sure what to do about the mold that appears in one of the rooms every time it rains; the office hasn’t done anything.
The office is only open from 9 – 5, and I don’t know anyone who works shorter hours than 8 – 5 or 9 – 6. They’re open briefly on Saturday, but often when I go there during their posted hours, the Closed sign is up. That also has happened the last several times when I’ve tried to get some packages (because they don’t have package lockers and no plans to install any) — I get there well before 5, closer to 4:30, after racing home from work, and the Closed sign is up and no one is there. Thanks for giving a crap about your tenants, guys. There’s no reason I would particularly need to pick up packages promptly the week before Christmas, after all.
The prison-​gray paint job was a really unfortunate choice.

The. Worst.
It’s bad enough that management at Rainier Properties does not know the difference between an application fee and an application deposit. It’s even worse that upper management staff refuse to answer their phones or reply to voicemail.
If you’ve been swindled by Rainier Management I recommend that you read the law for yourself. Despite having «non-​refundable *if accepted*» in clear writing on their paperwork regarding application they will claim to be entitled to your deposit upon rejection.
Don’t deal with Rainier unless you look forward to filing a court hearing when something minor goes wrong.

WOW. I have lived in so many apartments and I have never experienced anything like this before. I would never let anyone I care for move into one of these places. Maintenance people constantly coming in with no warning, flooding, broken windows, loud neighbors, unfinished construction etc. I never received a bathroom mirror the entire year I lived there. The day I moved in they hadn’t even finished the bathtub (never did) and there were box cutters on the floor. When I moved out they told me I would not receive my $ 800 deposit because I did not sweep and one of the blinds was broken… Which they actually broke doing maintenance. I came home from work to my entire bedroom window cracked and broken with painters tape on it and my dogs hiding in the bathroom. I received no phone call about it and when I finally got ahold of Laura the property manager she denied it was their people until hours later admitting to it. I was also told it might take a few days to fix… Worst people I’ve ever had to deal with. I have had so many conversations with Laura and every time I am more and more shocked over her complete incompetence.

Please be aware that if you lease with a Rainier property, you most likely WILL NOT receive your safety deposit back.
After moving out, I received an invoice stating that I owed roughly an extra $ 75 for «light cleaning» (listed on their memo as «sweeping, mopping, touch up paint, etc.») Ok, maybe I moved out in a hurry and wasn’t as thorough with my own sweeping as they’d like. $ 75 seems a bit exorbitant though. Here’s the kicker: that $ 75 was in addition to my entire $ 175 security deposit. I don’t know what kind of broom they were using, or how much paint it requires to cover a chipped door jamb, but it’s obviously not $ 250 worth.
Anyway, the apartments are «updated» with some nice and some cheap ikea-​like fixes. The kitchen isn’t bad, gas stove and all, but there’s not much storage (only 1 single drawer) The bathrooms are extremely small and outdated, and feature a lone shower stall with no way to attach a curtain. The «hardwood» flooring is not even passable laminate flooring, it’s the bubbly, warped plastic wood-​colored covering. There’s an extreme roach problem that seems to come and go.
One last thing, please be aware that from roughly mid-​November to March, you won’t have air conditioning. Since the whole complex runs on a water cooler system, they simply CANNOT turn the air back on until it’s hot again outside, which in Austin, will probably be tomorrow. There are no ceiling fans, and you can’t install one due to the ancient wiring. I ended up buying a portable air conditioning unit and blowing the exhaust out the washer/​dryer vent because the connections in the apartments are only compatible with one type of stackable unit at Sears and no rental companies will work with those connections.
Do yourself a favor and read all the reviews. I made a Unilocal for the specific review because I, and countless others, felt so strongly.

I always wanted to live in Clarksville and I should of looked into Rainier Management before I signed the lease. My unit flooded two weeks ago, along with 9 other units. Rainier Management claims hardwoods are indestructible and they won’t do repairs. They offered me the option to get out of my lease but that just means they’re waiting to get you in here and not tell you about what is growing in your unit floors and walls. *My unit was renovated a year ago. They have sandbags across the parking lot as a temporary fix with the constant drainage problem. When it rains, the drain in the parking lot isn’t able to handle any amount of rainfall. Rainier Management is awful to deal with. I had black insects flying from the base of my toilet this summer and it took them a month to «fix» the problem. If you want to live in Park Place, heed the warning: Unit 101, 102 and 107 all have flooded multiple times! That would be in the yellow building at the bottom of Winflo. Also on the first floor you have problems with pill bugs in the spring and worms in the fall. Trust me: Don’t live here!

Ethical Issues at Rainier Management
My story is I was told twice if I wanted to move out of our apartment a few days before the lease expired, they would refund the pro-​rata rent for those days. They said they wanted to start construction on the unit. We moved out five days early and never got the money. I called the property manger twice but never heard from her. I called again and she didn’t remember our conversation or thought I was lying. I should have gotten it in writing but didn’t think it was necessary. I called the president of Rainier but she sided with the property manager. I think the property manager is lying and trying to get out of paying us. I was surprised the president sided with her since they own hundreds of millions dollars of real estate and they are trying to squeeze $ 150 out of me.
In hindsight, there was other unethical behavior such as: all the bad reviews associated with them, the complex planning to put up energy efficient window darkeners and then taking them down after they get the energy efficient rebates, showing us a nicer show unit than our actual apartment, etc.
Advice: get everything in writing from them.
Better Advice: don’t deal with them.

We’ve only been in a Rainier apartment complex for a month now, but we love it so far. The rent is cheaper than our former apartment, the apartment itself is nicer, and the grounds are wonderful. They keep the pool clean and the landscaping on the property is really great. We’ve only had a few maintenance concerns and they have been attended to quickly. I only put in three stars because we haven’t been here that long. I’ll come back in a few months if I need to take away a star or two, but so far that doesn’t seem likely.
We’re at Abbey Road, which is in north Austin.

My review is in regards to the Bouldin Creek complex. The office staff and maintenance here are great– quick, responsive, and the maintenance team takes the time to clean up after they are in your unit.
The 2 star rating takes into account the current state of the apartment units, however. I was really looking forward to staying here, and thought I had found the perfect spot. The rent was reasonable given that most one bedrooms cost over a grand now in central Austin, and the unit had new flooring.
I was not told at any point, however, that the community was smoking, which means people can and do smoke in their apartments. The older construction means that, yes, all the ducts are connected across the units. So my unit smells like an ashtray, and so do all my clothes, and my couch, and… you get the point. The bulk of the smoke enters through the kitchen, so cooking & eating while inhaling the fumes makes me feel sick. I am also sensitive to smoke, so I have had a terrible time breathing and sometimes wake up in the middle of the night coughing. It’s also embarrassing to show up to work at an office that is non-​smoking smelling like smoke.
Some smaller problems I was able to overlook were: AC going out after moving in in the summer (fixed promptly), a large 1.5 inch gap under the door letting all the cool air out (also fixed promptly), heater going out (fixed), hoards of crickets invading the apartment (I had flip flops all over that I used to smash them), water temperature is either freezing or too hot or runs out of warm water in the morning, all the faucets drip and water bills are the highest I have ever paid anywhere (about $ 50 for one person), bands, yes bands, practicing in some of the units, loud music at 3am every weekend, and the train running right by the complex which wakes you up every other night along with the smoke.
I am really easy going, and none of these things would have made me decide to move, but the smoke just made my unit unlivable as a non-​smoker.

I don’t usually review things, but I feel downright obliged to in this instance if not simply because the majority of negative reviews on this site almost deterred me completely from securing an apartment in Oak Park with Rainer Management. I cannot speak for the experience of others, but I can speak for my own, and thus far the team at Rainer has been 100% friendly, hospitable, and super efficient. Oh, and I love my apartment, too.
It all started in April when I was looking for a place to live. I came to Oak Park and was told that if I move on or after July 15^th that I would be entitled to free rent for the month of July. Basically, no pro-​rated charges. Score. It worked perfectly because my old lease ended on July 25^th, and I wouldn’t have to scramble to move from one place to another. Problem was that there was only one apartment available that was a bit out of my price-​range, but I took it anyway.
Turns out that the representative who quoted me was rather new and accidentally quoted me at a lower price than the one apartment that was available for my move-​in date. But what did Rainer do? Did they tell me that I’d have to pay more for the apartment or that I was SOL? No. They honored their price and gave me a much larger apartment for the same price of the smaller one that I was anticipating. Amazing.
When I moved in, everything was first-​rate. The apartment was cleaner than just about any other new apartment I’ve ever moved in to. The floors looked brand new. The place instantly felt like a home, unlike the rather crappy apartment that I had just moved out of.
Also, the Rainer management staff are so on the ball when it comes to maintenance issues. My AC broke last night, and after I called them this morning, they had someone at my apartment within an hour. They fixed the problem right away. Same as with my garbage disposal a few weeks back. Again, someone came the same day, and the next day one of the office people called me up to ensure the problem was fixed in a timely manner. Nice. The apartments are a bit old, but that’s part of the charm of this place, so repairs are probably frequent. Regardless, they get the job done. And fast.
I’ve written this because I really enjoy living here and would hate for someone to be turned away because of other people’s opinions. I think one of the other reviewers got it right. It might be a change in management or something because there are no traces of disrespect or annoyance whenever I call the office for a maintenance request or anything. The neighborhood feels safe, and though a lot of UT students live here, the place isn’t too loud.
The walls are a bit thin above, but that’s the only problem i have. Oh, and the shower head only comes up to my chest, but then again, I am 6’2″. :-) No problem bending down to shower.
Basically, I love it here. And I wanted to share my experience. Thus far it has been great. Moving here was the best decision I’ve made in a while. The staff is friendly, the apartment is super nice (two-​door closet :-)), and for the first time in a long while, I have a place that actually feels like a home.

Our office has been in a Rainier complex for 10 years. I can certainly understand the negative reviews on here– the previous manager was a hair north of godawful. But in 2011 they brought on a new gal to manage their office, and the change has been TREMENDOUS. Within 14 days of her arrival, there were clean ups and renovations all over the property. Maintenance calls are always handled within 24 hours now, most within the same day. New mail boxes, remodeled bathrooms, fresh coats of paint on everything, and when I mentioned that our carpet hadn’t been replaced in ages, she immediately sent a contractor over to handle it. It’s only been a few months, but the experience gets better by the day. Give them a try. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

I lived at the Penthouse on Rio Grande, which is managed by Rainier.
It was dirty as shit when I moved in. I spent a solid day cleaning the place before I moved my belongings in. There was white spray paint all over the windows and the fridge reeked for months, among other things.
I won’t even delve into the shitty lease terms (I moved here last minute in a pinch before starting graduate school last August.), but I spent just as much time cleaning before moving out as I did before moving in, if not MORE. That place was sparkling clean. Sadly though, I was unsure of how to get the spray paint off the windows that was there before I moved in, especially since I needed a ladder to reach half of those windows.
Just found out I am only getting $ 21 back from my deposit back. This is after they already gave me a financial reaming because I assumed it was a standard lease and it was not. (Definitely that was my fault for not reading the lease better; but they were assholes about it and they made a TON of extra money off of me.)
I feel completely taken advantage of. Rainer management is completely sketchy and stingy and will nickel and dime you to death.
Their apartments aren’t even that great. They are lead paint laden and maintenance is a joke.
Oh, and speaking of maintenance, the guys would often just walk in WITHOUT KNOCKING. Once I asked a maintenance guy to come back later because I was getting ready for class, and he came back literally only 15 minutes later and just walked in without knocking while I was taking a dump. Awesome.
IF YOU VALUE YOUR MONEY AND DIGNITY, NEVER RENT WITH RAINIER. They are the absolute worst, and it takes a lot to get me to say that. I actually joined Unilocal just so I could spread the word of how horrid they truly are.

Where Do I even Begin…
And to people who say take their reviews with a grain of salt well I say when there is this many bad reviews it probably means it is this bad!
First day I am supposed to be shown the apartment, a two bedroom, but instead I am shown a one bedroom.
I ask simple questions as to whats different and cost of bills and she can barely articulate anything other than… «IONO»
Secondly before this meeting of showing the apartment even began it would have been nice to be told what to bring
So there I was have to go pick up money orders and having to chase around Fucking Austin to meet up with her at a different location now
Might I remind you this is the first day I made the mistake of not trusting my instincts
Don’t sign with this place you will regret it!
Later before I am about to move in I called a week or two to change my move in date. I WAS TOLD «ya that’s fine»
A day before what I thought my new move in date was I called to see when I could pick up my keys… THEY Say that They have NO FUCKING CLUE WHAT I“M TALKING ABOUT!
WELL FUCK YOU! Maybe you should look in the mirror because if their is this many reviews that are negative about ya’ll it probably isn’t just an unintentional angry customer
BUT THAN THE SIMPLE FACT THAT RAINIER MANAGEMENT IS POORLY MANAGED

I visited with rainier mgmt to inquire about 24 flats around 5pm & was so disappointed. I walked in & was not immediately greeted by the staff member working that day, who was on the phone & couldn’t even signal that she would be with me after her call. after a few minutes of looking around & waiting, I was finally acknowledged. I asked a few questions regarding remodeling taking place in the unit showed to me by an apartment agent & the staff member did not have any concrete answers for me. instead, she was guided by another staff member who was yelling the answers from the other room. it was obvious that they just wanted me out so they could go home, even tho there was still about 15 minutes before they were due to close.
regardless of what time of time it is, even if it’s a minute before closing time, staff should be willing to assist their customers, especially if they’ve expressed interest in possibly leasing a unit. rainier definitely lost a customer due to this.

If there was a –5!
I just moved to Spring Oaks. great location! Beautiful neighborhood… I’d love living here if it wasn’t for the Mgmt …
like some ppl said. they are all sweet and lovely when they want you to sign but as soon as you sign it’s a nightmare!!!
They are just unprofessional and rude!!!
I’m putting a complaint tomorrow and I’m usually the kind of person that’s all chill and tries to be reasonable and patient.
Well this people will treat you like crap and get the worst out of you.
Too bad it can’t just be the perfect place because of this ppl.

First of all, read all reviews with a grain of salt. Everyone will have one thing to say or another. Honestly, I think all apartment management companies can be pretty much tools. A lot of them are fake, prententious, or just annoying. At the same time, they do have to deal with US ²⁴⁄₇. It’s a customer service type of job. They have to deal with all sorts of crazy people at the same time placate hundreds of normal, average tenants.
So YES, they can be terrible but do give them a TINY break.
Secondly, people NEED to read their contracts thoroughly. Management companies cannot just do whatever they want. They are bound by law and so are we. Read the Texas Property code, get familiar with your tenant rights and then bitch and complain. If they are really acting outside the legal framework, SUE the suckers. This is America right?
My experience with Rainier has been pretty good. I don’t think they are perfect. There was a bit of misunderstanding about our apartment in the beginning (we were supposed to get 2 b/​2ba but got 2b/​1ba). It didn’t really matter at the end. My roommate and I still like our apartment and the people living near us. Moral of the story, DONT expect perfection from Rainier-​if you have questions about the lease, ask them. they have to be open about their policies and rules.

I would definitely recommend that anyone considering a Rainier property turn and run. They reel you in with the convenient locations and decently priced rent, but once you’ve signed a lease things go downhill quick.
First, my air conditioner has not properly cooled since I moved in. I’ve called maintenance to check it out several times, and each time they’ve come in, confirmed that air is flowing out of the vent, and left claiming I have a functional AC. The problem is that hot air flows from the vent, and save for early morning hours of cool, my apartment is stagnantly humid. During the afternoon hours it probably averages about 80 degrees, cooling to a nice 75 in the the evening.
Also, my freezer will not keep ice cream solid. When I complained to maintenance and cited the FDA standard that frozen foods be kept at 0 – 4 degrees, I was informed by management that they were only legally required to keep the freezer temperature at 10, so a 6 degree non-​ice-​cream-​freezing appliance was perfectly suitable.
Parking is very limited at my building and has recently become even more so. Several people moved out over the weekend and left trash and broken glass piled up in the parking lot. It has been sitting there for 4 days. I have called the management office twice and they have assured me someone is on their way to pick it up. The picture I’ve uploaded was taken 4 days after the trash was left. It’s started blowing down the street now.
I will never rent from Rainier again. RUN! RUN AWAY!