Villas at Stone Oak Ranch

I had a very bizarre experience with the front office of Villas at Stone Oak. My friend and I stopped by to inquire about one bedroom apartment options. A man at the very front desk saw us walk in, but he didn’t bother to greet us or get anyone to help us. We had to wander around and pop into someone’s office. We told a woman, Hope, our budget and she told us she’d check the system, but she didn’t think she had anything in that range. Tell me why this woman said «We actually have more options in that price point than I realized» but never bothered to tell us about the units or the complex. Instead, she began talking us out of why this wouldn’t be a good area to live. But the most insulting moment came when I mentioned gentrification in Austin. Hope said «I didn’t think you’d know what that meant.» My friend and I both have our Master’s degrees and were frankly shocked that she would say this. Even if you were thinking it, what would possess you to utter those words to a potential resident? Overall, we felt unwanted and disrespected at this apartment complex.

After moving out, we were charged $ 700 to replace the carpet. We had no pets, didn’t do any damage, and were clean; it is absolutely ridiculous that we were charged that amount. With many better options in Austin, I would avoid this place.

I like the office staff and I enjoy living here, but as Candice said in her review, Valet Trash is spotty, at best (Many times I feel like I work for THEM, trying to figure out if my trash is worthy of being collected). As Candice said, we all pay $ 30 per month for trash removal and sometimes I end up emptying the trash since it’s not collected. I think I will do as Neal suggested and tell Valet Trash I am having problems with my trash collection. Other than that, I like it here and I like that there is a free coffee machine and fitness center. I don’t hear the train much and when I do it’s a distant sound, so nothing too bad.
Long story short, I like living here, it’s close to where I work, but I hope Valet Trash gets their stuff together and I don’t have to deal with trash collection issues in the future.

Ok place until I was given a tow warning for parking in a public spot? Been here for two years and never had a problem. There are no laws that defend this position — only the fact that because apartment parking is private property they can tow whomever whenever they see fit based on the lease you’ve signed. I guess I should have read the fine print more clearly.
Very disappointing, and I won’t be renewing my lease when the time comes for fear of random towing!

The apartments themselves are fine, but the neighbors are very loud and the office staff is very unfriendly. Regarding the valet trash, it’s mandatory, which would be fine, if it was a good service. I’ve followed all the guidelines and buy high quality trash bags, but I’ve found trash bags broken and trash sprawled outside my apartment. I’ve had to clean up the mess, and re-​bag the garbage. Now, I at least double bag all trash I put out. Also, sometimes the trash isn’t picked up on the days it is scheduled to be picked up.

I really like my apartment… I do not like valet trash! I think this is the worst thing about this complex. Now before you start saying you signed the lease let me explain why. I signed the lease knowing that within the next few months they would be starting the valet trash. I was not too thrilled that I would be paying $ 30 a month for someone to come and pick my trash up when I can walk to the dumpster in less than 1 minute but that was the only thing I didn’t like about the complex. Everything else was perfect! Hope (I believe she is the complex manager) even told me about the train that runs in the back so find a unit closer to the front. She explained that it might be hard to find a parking spot in the evenings but that it’s better than waking up to a train. So valet trash would be something the my un-​lazy self would have to put up with.
It was simple rules when they finally dropped off the cans… everything tied up in a bag and put outside your door between these times Sun-​Thurs. Easy… wrong! Trash is outside doors all day and night. You would think that they would fine you, well they don’t! Then you can’t really blame everyone because there are times that the company doesn’t come till after the time window or better yet they don’t even come! It drives me crazy to pay rent for a nice apartment and then walk out my door and see my neighbors trash… but what really pisses me off is that I pay $ 30 for someone to sometimes pick up my trash.
I would recommend this apartment to others with the warning that valet trash isn’t everything it’s made out to be.

I have just moved out of the Villas due to work relocation. If it were possible for me to stay I would!
The office staff have always gone above and beyond to ensure that every aspect of my stay was as pleasant as possible. Yes, things do go wrong in apartment buildings, but the maintenance staff was always prompt with their response and always resolved the issue. Hope and the rest of the staff were always very knowledgeable and helpful.
I really hated leaving my apartment with the attached garage — it made things SO much easier!
The community was generally very friendly but most people kept to themselves. Never once did I hear any loud parties or screaming matches. Most of the residents are technology professionals, some with families.
If you are looking to move to this area, the Villas is THE place to stay.

Our time with Villas at Stone Oak Ranch is finally coming to an end. Time to move into our own home. We have lived here over 4 years. We have had our ups and downs. We have loved the complex and sometimes been upset. Overall I’m glad we lived here. The location is fantastic and the apartments are very nice. The property managers turned over many times while we lived here, but some of our favorites like Hope and Joe were always here to help. I would recommend the complex to anyone looking to live North West especially if they work at Apple.

My husband and I lived in a two bedroom /​two bath downstairs unit at the very back of the complex — from ⁸⁄₂₀₁₁ to ²⁄₂₀₁₅. The week before Christmas of 2011 I caught 3 men breaking in to cars and called police. The summer of 2013 my husband’s Camry was keyed overnight while parked in his designated covered spot — at additional monthly charge. Securitas is hardly seen during its ‘patrols.’ Almost every time I tried to park in a designated handicap space, someone was parked without a visible placard /​license plate. I was told to report to Securitas, they told me to call towing number on handicap sign — no number on sign. I was stung by a scorpion twice while sleeping in bed in the master bedroom — I was told, ‘We live in a field,’ when I contacted the office go resolve problem. When my husband’s car was covered in sap from a tree that had fallen onto the carport months earlier, he and I both went to the leasing office on different occasions, and were both told the employees had no control over the gardening company. Finally once the sap got so bad that the driver’s door would not open, I took the car and had to have it detailed after entering from the passenger door. This is the one time the latest manager came through and he reimbursed the cost. Thank you, I genuinely appreciate that. When I was out of town our AC broke during the summer. A contracted laborer was sent to handle repairs while we were not home. He dropped the AC unit (located in master bathroom over sinks) or it dropped due to his error. My toilet was completely broken, blood was on the tile floor and shower surround, and numerous items of mine were gone — perfume bottles, etc. I was completely confused because my towels and rugs were found soaking wet in the tub, and toilet paper and tissue gone (including tissues beneath sinks) I called office and was treated horribly, I cleaned up mess, was not reimbursed for ruined linens or missing items. The same man was sent to repair! This is when our experience went sour at this complex. We were told the train goes by four times a day prior to signing lease — some days I counted over 30 times. The worst was when one would park for days on the track — it would make horrible hissing sounds until moving. We were told brand new carpeting was installed prior to our move in — spots began popping up within a month of move in and pet urine smell began in entry den and master den. Black mold was present in master bedroom under windows, master bathroom, second bedroom and bathroom. I was told by head maintenance the smell was from my cat’s litter box and that she urinated on floor. False and offensive. Mold on ceiling was painted over in second bedroom and molded vents were replaced and surrounding area spray painted. Under window was so bad carpet was replaced (after my husband stepped in and spoke with head maintenance on numerous occasions) in ¼ of master den but pad, rusted nails, etc were not — obviously water was entering from windows causing mold/​rusting — not my cat’s ‘problem.’ Our washing machine and dishwasher had to be replaced. Too much to list. I give two stars because certain employees were awesome and went above and beyond — most are no longer at The Villas. A couple of the new office staff are rude, and on their cell phones, looking at cars and shopping on the Internet, while ignoring me upon entrance. The rent increases, valet trash, etc are all other issues, but I’ve already said enough. We stayed here because with my declining health and my husband’s surgeries we couldn’t physically move again. After saving up money we have moved with the help of a moving company.

I moved here not even a month ago and my car was vandalized. I decided to go to the office to get some assistance, after all I don’t pay $ 970 a month for a 1 bedroom in a gated community for no reason. The least I expect is for my property to be safe and secure and most importantly away from hating people that would so such thing.
While in the office I was informed there was nothing they can do about this but follow up with the police report that I HAD TO FILE. I also shared with the office the lack of lighting around the property parking lots and that something had to be done about that and their answer was «We will look into that»
I asked if there were cameras around the property to try to pin point who could’ve done such thing but I was informed there were no cameras. I inquired if there was cameras in the entrance to keep track of goes in and out of the property to which their reply was «There is no way we can keep track of who goes in and who goes out at all times» So why do I pay to live in a gated community again?
I have lived in multiple apartment complexes (gated) and I have never had such a bad experience. The staff in the office was very uninterested in my situation and I felt disregarded. NO Follow up has been given to me from the office, not even to inquire if this has happened again or I was able to get help. Did I mention that when I asked the office to borrow their pressure washer they said it wouldn’t work on my car? What type of service is this?

This place is waaaaaay too expensive for what you get. First of all, several of the apartment buildings face an active train track. I’m talking LOUD trains flying by hour after hour all night long. Some of them are so loud they shake the walks & set all of the car alarms off. The apartments are dark, no overhead light or fans in the living room and crappy lighting in the rest of the apartment.
The «under cabinet» lighting in the kitchen hums so badly there’s no way you would ever want to turn it on. When I moved in the carpets had been steam cleaned but were still black with grime. Don’t bother bringing things to the attention of the office they’re nice but totally not helpful.
Greystar has several new properties in the Austin area and they could care less about this place. They don’t even have a freaking coffee machine in the office, you have to depend on the staff to remember to fill up a caraf (which hardly ever happens). Also, no newspaper delivery to the front office either.
The plastic levelors are also disgusting, 1970 called & wants their crappy, plastic window coverings back. Ive seen a few apartments recently with faux wood blinds so hopefully they are making a switch, they need to! They say the are going to do away with curbside trash, (which results in the entire complex being bombarded with trash bags at least 3x a week) but it hasn’t happened yet.
Not to mention they completely fail to maintain any type of standards for the patios and common areas. Trash, beer bottles, bongs, BBQ pits, strobe lights, you name it-​unless the «owners» are coming for a visit this place lets the tenants let their patios look like crap. I’ve tried to contact the office and the «owners» but it hasn’t improved.
The rents keep on increasing while the place itself is not worth it at all. Do yourself a favor & look elsewhere… trust me.

I can really say nothing but great things about living here. I work in the apartment industry so I understand what it means to provide great customer service, and the entire leasing staff and service techs are nothing but exceptional here. The community is clean, neighbors are either extremely friendly or keep to themselves, and anytime you need anything, the staff goes above and beyond, particularly Joe! Randall and Van Michael are always so sweet and helpful. It’s not the newest community in the area but they do such a great maintaining the property, you would of expected it was built only a few years ago. I have lived in apartments all over Austin, including Riata right across the street, and I have had the best living experience here. I highly recommend!

Rating: 4 of 5 stars for service and building upkeep
I took 1 star off only because I am having to move out due to rent increases. The only reason I’m moving out next month is because the annual rent increase was several hundred dollars. Why so much? Well, Apple is opening their gigantonormous new Austin complex literally across the street from Villas. I don’t blame the apartment management team, and in fact I think it’s important that one distinguishes between the people working at an apartment complex and the investor/​megabusinessstructure that owns an apartment complex.
The people working at the Villas are great people. In my 18 months living here, they’ve had regular changes in staff but never a noticeable change in service. Maintenance has usually been prompt (and admittedly, I’ve only ever had to call them once).
The single best thing Villas has going for it is the one thing management can’t take credit for. It’s the people living here. They’re all working professionals, so its quiet at night (because hey, we all have to work in the morning), and the general upkeep of the facility is such that you can tell people living here maintain a modicum of personal pride and self-​respect in how they maintain their living environment. I’m not saying this is true of everyone here, but its far more noticeable than at a complex I lived in when first moving to Austin, where it was nothing like this community. Interesting side note: My entire building is from India, and as Indian food is my particular favorite, I have enjoyed the exotic aromas that waft through the breezeways in the evening hours.
If you are fortunate enough to work for Apple in the new complex, move in here.

I lived here for one year and it was nice overall, except for one problem: ROACHES!!! I lived on the ground floor and saw more than 100 huge ones throughout the year in my apartment. And I kept my place clean and neat. Also, I had the place sprayed mny times. Disgusting.

I lived at the Villas for a year and I can honestly say it was a great experience. When I first pulled up and started looking, Hope, one of the property/​leasing managers, said they were at 98 percent occupancy. Now, I understand why.
First — and this was very important to me – the Villas were quiet and safe. No cars being broken into; no domestic abuse fights at 1 a.m. next door. A HUGE plus, to be sure.
Second, my apartment was very nice. The washer and dryer units in the units were very convenient. The kitchen appliances were pretty nice as well and one of the walls was painted a brownish/​beige color. Believe it or not, that goes a long way in helping increase the aesthetics of the place.
Third, the on-​site amenities were great — pool, gym, game room and movie theater. I was usually too busy to enjoy the theater or the game room, but the gym was great, although it would get crowded at certain hours based on when people would get home from work, etc.
Finally, the on-​site maintenance was timely, usually friendly and the front office staff was usually pretty helpful. Maintenance could usually fix something the same day. If not, they were on site the next day. They also took measures to make the outside of the apartments look good with new stonework. Pain in the butt? A little, but at least they’re dedicated to making the place look good.
I can’t vouch for everybody else in the front office, but Hope, one of the leasing managers, was the best. She was very understanding, and as long as you paid your bills on time and didn’t cause any problems for the front office, she would do her best to help you out.
Overall, it was a good place to live with a great location (hop on MoPac and you’re 10 minutes from a lot of places). The only reason why I didn’t give it five stars was because they kept jacking the rate up every time I renewed my lease (every six months). Not a big deal, but worth mentioning. Also, when you’re at 98 percent occupancy, you can do pretty much whatever you want. I would also say you get what you pay for with this place.

I lived here from May of 2008 to January 2010. Having lived at a variety of apartment complexes in Austin, I am a huge fan of the Villas at Stone Oak. First off, the apartments are gorgeous — they are huge, have nice carpet and appliances, and are well-​maintained. In the time that I lived there, I hardly saw ANY bugs — which is HUGE.
I loved the amenties on site — I used the movie theater for a night with friends and the game room. Both were free with a deposit and my deposit was promptly returned afterwards. There have been some upgrades to the gym and it’s pretty decent — not the greatest I’ve ever seen, but really not bad.
Management was always super nice and helpful while I lived there. Everyone knew my name and seemed genuinely happy to see residents in the office, unlike a lot of other places I’ve lived.
If you are trying to decide on an apartment in this area of town, I think this place is a much more amazing deal than Riata. It shocks me that Riata gets as much business as it does with the Villas just down the street.
Overall, this place is an amazing value for the price. The apartments are updated, management is super-​helpful and nice, and the maintenance staff is great. They always fixed everything within a day or two of putting in a request and were even willing to call me when they entered my apartment as I’d requested.
The only reason I’m giving this place four stars instead of five is because of 1) security and 2) new prices. While I lived here, my boyfriend’s car was broken into. While there is on-​ground patrol at night, I think the area is «targeted» by thieves because they know that the people who live here have nice things. Additionally, the onsite patrol is kind of useless. I’ve also called the police before because of noise complaints and they had to call me back twice to figure out where the complex was and how to get in — that kind of worried me. Management did have the local police station at a community meeting after a bunch of break-​ins, but it still made me slightly uneasy. All that being said, I was felt EXTREMELY safe in my apartment and management even offered to put up more lights in the parking lot when I mentioned I felt slightly creeped out walking to my apartment late at night. They are responsive and care, that makes all the difference.
Secondly, they recently switched to a new pricing structure that dictates prices based on when you move in and how long you are staying. These demand-​driven price programs are probably a godsend for management, but they screw the consumer. I’m not a fan.
Overall, even with the two small downsides, I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking to live in that area.