I lived off of E. Riverside for two years, and I have finally found a slight reward for such masochism. The flooding is nothing compared to almost being shot (literally) in my last place. Ultimately I think people expect too much from apartments. At affordable places, the staff will rarely care, and the buildings will be old. Until you're your own landlord, you can't expect a whole lot realistically.

I'll list the bad things first. When I moved in, there were roly polies everywhere. Living and dead, all along the walls. I vacuumed them all up (may they rest in peace), and after about a week they were gone. I think they just hadn't done pest control when someone wasn't living there. I didn't have bookshelves like the model, but it only took me a week or two of pestering to get them. The carpet was and still is in bad shape. It peels up at all the edges, but they're aware of it so I'm not worried about any crazy charges. People will sit in the parking lot across Penny Lane and play bass-heavy music in their cars from time to time, but it's really not a big deal, especially if you don't live facing the street.

The biggest problem I've experienced is my bedroom leaks when it rains. It doesn't affect either apartment next to me, so I can't say if that's indicative of the entire unit. It's damaged some of my property, but I keep taking off rent for it when it happens. I complained about this several times over the coarse of a year, but ultimately it was never fixed. New attempts to get it fixed have been used, but since it's June now it'll take a couple months for a good rain to test it. These apartments are very conducive to my outdoor cats, and I don't have the time to deal with civil suits for them to pay for my move.

The A/C units are really old, so they clog and leak water into the hall sometimes. Last year it took a couple of months of leaking before it was fixed with a sealant (imagine that).

I had a cotton scarf in the sconce in the hallway since I never turn the light on. The maintenance guy used the light without taking it out and caught it on fire. Of course I didn't hear about it, just found the burned pieces in the floor a couple days later.

I can say good things about the place. The one bedrooms are 750 square feet, which is spectacular if you're a packrat like me, especially since my boyfriend moved in soon after. Adding him to the lease was no problem at all. They provide *free cable* and even have crown molding and baseboards. The kitchen's my favorite, with real stone countertops and what appears to be a new *gas* stove, in mine at least. Over the bar is nice recessed lighting, and the bedroom has a built-in desk with overhead light. The apartment is split in half, so the bedroom's as big as the living/dining area. There's a coat closet at the door, a hall closet, and a decent-sized bedroom closet. The storage in the bathroom is really great, too.

The location is really awesome. I work at UT and take Burnet Road home, if I don't feel like dealing with Mopac, and it only takes about 20 minutes in traffic. (On that note, if your main artery is I-35 now, you should really do yourself a favor and find a community that allows for using Mopac.) It takes no more than five minutes to get to the Arboretum and Alamo Drafthouse Village, and I've discovered everything you need is on Burnet Road somewhere. I took lots of pictures before I had everything unpacked and whatnot, so if you'd like to see the inside of a one-bedroom you can go to https://webspace.utexas.edu/oakesc/apt/. It has the before and after of the bookshelves situation, in addition to a couple flooding pictures and my burnt-up scarf. Disregard the un-cool entertainment center and twin bed that have since been replaced. ;) There are pictures of my TV because I hadn't had cable in two years; I was a tad excited.

User Responses
From: Robbed4oneyearlease	Date: 07/06/2005
Don't be so pleased and so soon. The manager has a smile for everyone, but she is not looking out for your best interest. She is looking for ways to make money for Rainier Management. You may be fine if she likes you, but don't count on that lasting long, and you will certainly suffer in some way when she tires of the phoney friendliness. Very, very unprofessional.
From: Anonymous	Date: 08/25/2007
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