Arba, san-marcos-tx

My experience with ARBA Apartments ended on a very sour note due to unfair and suspicious move-out charges. First, they claimed I owed $220 for carpet replacement due to stains. This made no sense, as I had thoroughly shampooed the carpet myself and took clear photos showing it was in great condition. When I asked for proof, they changed their story—now saying the carpet needed to be replaced due to an “unpleasant odor.” They attached a cropped, unprofessional “invoice” for $293 from an unnamed company, with no date or real details—just a price and the apartment number. Different amount, different service, different excuse. It felt completely made up. To make matters worse, they turned my account over to an aggressive collection agency without giving me a real opportunity to dispute the charges or receive a proper explanation. I’ve always paid rent on time and left the apartment clean and in good shape. This treatment is unacceptable and unprofessional. If you’re thinking about renting here, be prepared to fight for your security deposit and deal with shady practices when you move out. Document everything. I would not recommend ARBA apartments to anyone.

WARNING: DO NOT LEASE HERE. ABSOLUTELY THE WORST PLACE IN SAN MARCOS. If I could give this place zero stars, I would. Do not let their fake, glossy marketing fool you. They charge premium, luxury prices, but living here has been an absolute nightmare. The management is completely incompetent, negligent, and they are running this property straight into the ground. First of all, the security is a complete joke. The main gates have been left wide open since August of last year. I literally haven’t had to use my gate code a single time since the day I moved in because anyone can just drive right onto the property. Thanks to their total laziness, my roommate’s car was stolen and my own vehicle has been broken into TWICE. When I demanded answers, they told me they don't even have security cameras on the property. Are you kidding me? Your packages aren't safe either—they literally gave my mail to a random person and it got stolen because nobody monitors anything. The actual building is falling apart. The elevator is constantly broken. I live on the 4th floor, and having to lug heavy groceries up flights of stairs because they refuse to fix the elevator is infuriating. The bedrooms are tiny, and I’ve had nothing but issues with the AC, the internal doors, and the locks. On top of that, ever since new management took over and switched internet providers, the WiFi is garbage. It cuts out at least once a week, usually from midnight until the next morning. If you try to call the front office to get them to do their jobs, they just ignore the phone and refuse to answer. They have the nerve to charge a monthly maintenance fee, but the amenities are completely neglected. They advertise a hot tub, but it’s a total lie. It is never heated—it’s the exact same freezing temperature as the pool. And the valet trash that we are forced to pay for? They leave the garbage sitting in the hallways for days. It's disgusting. I am finally about to finish my contract and leave this dump, and I am fully expecting them to try and slap me with ridiculous, shady move-out fees next. Save yourself the massive financial regret and do not sign a lease here. You are paying top dollar for zero security, broken amenities, terrible internet, and a management team that completely checks out. Look somewhere else in San Marcos!

I had the pleasure of speaking to Iliana Perez and she was absolutely delightful. She was very kind answered all of my questions and made it very easy. She made me feel confident in my choose and I would recommend her to anyone that needs help and wants to lease at the arba !

As you can see I thought the yellow tape ended where the handicap spot is due to the wind knocking it down and writing a very small letter that’s supposed to indicate no parking. When I had parked at night where you can barely see the note or the tape, as a resident by the way with a parking pass I woke up to get on with my day and sure enough my car wasn’t there and was confused until the office explained to me the non sense 🤦‍♂️

New management has been horrendous. After being a resident for almost 3 years they have raised my rent. And then proceeded to charge me 110 dollars for a carpet replacement that was already in the process of being replaced with hardwood, I’m not even moving out and the damage is from a previous renter, and due to management switching they “no longer have access to initial reports” so they cannot confirm that I am telling the truth. Along with this during new maintenance workers proceeded to turn on every fan and turn air conditioning down to 60 degrees ultimately breaking the AC as it was left running. This has happened multiple times over multiple maintenance requests. New management also lets renters know very last minute when they need to move items due to maintenance. Email to move cars or towing would insure was sent out at 5:35 and the cars were expected to be moved by 5:45, forget it if you’re in class or at work let these people make it worse. Nothing like coming home from work/school to an apartment that’s 80 degrees mid summer, a towed car, and an extra 110 dollars to pay on top of paying your rent a day the next day. Thank you Arba for showing how new management can ruin a once peaceful and calming environment to one that is hostile and irritating.