The Oaks Apartments

I lived in a 1-​bedroom at the Oaks when I first moved to Austin. I hadn’t seen the apartment or even the specific building it was in — in-​person or through photos — before I moved in, so I was definitely nervous about what to expect. And I was pleasantly surprised at how cute it was! Arched doorways, a built-​in shelf nook, new countertops, (laminate) wood floors and carpet. The space was perfect for me and my kitty. (Later on, I added someone and their dog to my lease, which was an easy process.)
I signed my lease and did That Whole Process via email and phone with Emma, who was attentive and responsive. It’s worth noting that, during my apartment search, I emailed a bunch of complexes and received copy/​pasted form letters in response — none of which answered my specific questions. The Oaks actually answered my questions and interacted with me like I was a human looking for housing, versus a wallet overflowing with money. That definitely influenced my decision to go with them.
The location is awesome — literally down the block from an H-​E-​B, probably 10 – 15 minutes driving from downtown, close to a bus line, and just far enough outside of SoCo that traffic (well, as much as traffic here can be), and ambient outdoor noise were reasonable. Rent was steep on my budget (I needed a co-​signer) but not bad at all for the location and the accommodations. There’s a big lawn area and paths that are great for cookouts (there are charcoal grills residents can use) and dog walks… there are even little posts with dog poo bags. As a woman living alone, I didn’t feel unsafe walking around the grounds at night.
Residents are mostly «young professionals» in some capacity… there are some college students and small families as well. Most people seemed to be in their mid-​20s or early 30s, and were either aloof or friendly. My downstairs neighbors and I did not really get along, but that’s more our problem than it was reflective of the rest of the occupants.
I didn’t have the shiny new appliances shown on the website, but they were pretty new and I didn’t have any issues with them.
The problems I ran into at the complex related to management, I guess, which isn’t unusual for complexes of this size. The staff blamed «the owners,» which is understandable… but it was a little too Big Brother for me to come home to a note stuck on my door that announced that a pool party had gotten out of hand and next time when/​if it happened we all needed to be responsible and call APD, and that they would be doing annual apartment checks (where they literally come into your apartment and inspect it, and they ask that you find another place to put your pets for the day, and you only know which week it is versus which day), and that certain items were banned on the balconies/​patios, like «non-​outdoor furniture,» certain colors of curtains, and ashtrays of all things. It was a bit oppressive at times and I felt like I had to constantly be alert about not incurring the wrath of my lease-​keepers.
Also, I had some issues with shoddy maintenance in my apartment… I was missing a smoke alarm, the fridge door almost came off, the toilet paper holder just fell off, the toilet had constant running water, the windows weren’t fully sealed, there was grossness of some type left on my balcony from former residents… little things that couldn’t be fully painted over and out of existence. If you rent from them (and anyone, for that matter), make sure you examine everything in the apartment closely and bring problems to management’s attention before they can blame you for them.
Overall, I got most of my security deposit back, and I enjoyed my stay in my cozy apartment while it lasted.

Best place ever. The whole staff is great. They’re helpful, kind and friendly. I lived here for 2 years and I would love to come back to live here if I live in Austin again. Thank u The Oaks!

What an amazing staff they have!!! Kimberly Taylor is the best! She is efficient, pleasant, super nice but also professional! A rare gem when it comes to leasing agents! Also the location of these apartments are convenient to all the goodies Austin has to offer!

Sarah Thompson and Carol Martine illegally seized my deposit, violating Texas Property Code by charging outrageous amounts in excess of $ 1,000 for standard «wear and tear» on the carpet. I have photos proving that the apartment had no damage, but they sent this amount to ProCollect who called my broke ex-​girlfriend in Florida trying to get $ 900 from her. This is $ 900 on TOP of the deposit they took of $ 525. This was downright robbery. It’s been 5 years, but since I dug up these photos I’m going to try to take them to small claims court — I think it’s too late to do this but I’ve never seen anybody just send a debt to a collector without trying to contact me first, especially for over $ 1,000, with no proof or photos of damage, saying that’s what the carpet cost. This earned a BBB complaint as well. Pure criminals!

I’m new to Austin and this is the first place that I’ve lived.
The office staff are not just people who work here they’re now my friends. I might even say my slightly removed distant family.
If I have a free day I get up, get my cuppa and go down to the office just to shoot the shit with Kimberly and Melissa. They really do an amazing job of making this place feel like home.
The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because my appliances are a little old and don’t work the best and the rent is a little expensive. Not really that unreasonable but it’s not cheap by any means.
I’m resigning my lease!