Mark Embers

This review is meant to inform future renters of this particular apartment complex. Although I had a poor experience with the employees of Rainier Properties, I will focus this review on the shoddy conditions of my unit. As an unexperienced renter, I admit that I could and should taken extra precautions when I first toured The Marks and the unit I rented. However, certain things were not easily observable during the initial tour. For example, after moving in, I noticed that my bedroom and bathroom floors were unusually warm. At first, I thought that this was normal since Austin, TX is a hot place. However, as time went on, I realized that the hot floors were a structural issue. This was corroborated by a maintenance worker who told me that there are pipes running beneath my apartment and there was nothing I could do about it. The heated floors made both the bathroom and bedroom unreasonably warm, unless fans and air-conditioning were left on constantly. In addition to the hot floors, my apartment's shower began acting up shortly after I moved in. The water pressure fell to almost nil and the water was either scalding or freezing with no in-between. However, the bathtub faucet worked perfectly and did not have any issues with temperature. Someone from maintenance investigated and told me that it would a three week process requiring demolition and outside contractors to fix the shower. I could not abide by this, so I cancelled the request and installed a device that diverts water from the tub to a separate shower head (it was meant for washing dogs). A few cable ties later and I had a perfectly functioning shower. There were other "quirks" to the apartment such as incredibly loose power outlets that prevented me from plugging electronics in. There was also no screen on the sliding door when I first moved in. However, the thing that haunts me the most with my time at The Marks is the ongoing rat infestation that was never truly resolved. I had rats in my apartment from when I moved in and I had them I moved out. Rainier Properties, the company that manages The Marks, showed little to no concern for my welfare when it came to the rats in my apartment. Emails with pictures of the holes made by rats were sent, phone calls were made by not picked up by the staff, and even in-person complaints that I made in their office were met with obvious indignation. It looks months for holes to be addressed let alone fixed. Staff at Rainier told me that pest control from an outside company deals with rodents and said company never arrived in a timely manner. When they did arrive, they seldom did anything helpful. They confirmed I had rats and left the scene without providing any real help. The maintenance team provided by Rainier were incredibly sluggish to visit my property. When they did arrive, they either were helpful or seemed bothered by my issues and did only the bare minimum to help. Both the hole under the pantry and in the bathroom were sealed securely; however, the hole behind the oven and the other one in the corner of the kitchen was simply stuffed with steel wool. This proved to not work 100% of the time, so I personally had to buy rat traps and kill the rats myself. Having to dispose of dead rats or perform a mercy kill on the rats that had not totally died from the trap was a horrible experience that a renter should never have to deal with. In addition to my aforementioned woes, I would also like to add the glaring lack of responsibility when it came to the shared washer and dryer units in the apartment complex. Between all of the residents, there were two dryers and two washers. Most of the time, at least one washer or one dryer was broken. Although servicing the dryer and washer was done by an outside company, Rainier Properties neglected to contact the company when the dryers or washers broke down. It was on us, the residents, to call the service to place a work order. TL;DR: My unit was infested with rats and had other issues that were never properly handled nor resolved. Do not rent from Rainier Properties.