The Cottages

I love living here! I have lived here for about 6 months and I am looking forward to staying. I had to relocate to a different apartment and they’ve helped make the transition smooth! The office staff and maintenance is always super helpful and personable.
When I have had any maintenance issues they’re usually here pretty quick and they’re super nice.
Thanks for being awesome Cottages!

I came home today after an online call @ 10:00 a.m., and couldn’t find a parking spot. I live right next to the pool. My real issue is that there are people in the pool that are drinking beer out of glass bottles. You might want to look into that, as if the break a bottle in the pool, it’s you’re company will be sued if something happens prior to draining.

You should put that you close at 4:50 on Sunday’s instead of 5 since you aren’t there till 5.

Moved in April 2013, moved out Dec 2014.
Pros: The complex is nice and secure, pool is pretty. Quiet neighborhood, close to Southpark Meadows and quick to get on and off I-​35. There is regular trash pick up (it does get overflowed on the weekends), 24hr gym and two nice dog parks. The apartments themselves are fairly modern and nice. Maintenance is usually pretty quick to respond to most requests. The ladies at the counter are sweet, but don’t let it fool you.
Cons: Previous management obviously cared about the grounds far more than the current management and grounds keeping has been steadily declining. It took nearly 2months for maintenance to fix our AC in the dead of summer, when temps would reach over the 100s. The people in charge now lost all of our previous paperwork, including our contract and $ 500 deposit, and despite being told we had a balance of $ 0 when we moved out, we’ve been informed we were reported to a collection agency for outstanding balances!
We left because we originally rented our 2bed/​2bath for $ 900, but by the time we were set to renew, they wanted to up rent to $ 1400 – that’s more than the mortgage for our new house!
I wouldn’t rent here again, for sure.

The Cottages are a great place to live. We moved here in mid April. Everyone in the office is incredibly nice. The maintenance staff is also very friendly. We’ve had a few minor issues but they’ve all been fixed rather quickly. We love how dog friendly this complex is as well. The dog park is great. My only complaint is on Sunday’s the trash seems to be overflowing! I am guessing that is because of the folks moving in that weekend.

I moved here in July, so while I haven’t been here too long I am really a big fan of this place.
Great, quiet apartment complex with friendly neighbors and helpful office. Maintenance requests (few and far between) have been promptly addressed, and our apartment is nice and spacious with updated appliances.
The fact that there’s an exit and entrance off of 35, as well as West Slaughter is a big plus. Trash does sometimes pile up on Sundays, especially with so many people moving in, but it is just incentive to make your trash day another day of the week.

the cottages are some of the worst I have seen. Maintenance is terrible. Not enough parking. We had no hot water for over 4 months. They kept coming to work on it but didn’t fix the problem until we threatened to leave. Gate often broken. Pool closed for repairs. BBQ grill broken. Then when we left they never sent us a final water bill. Then debt collectors started calling. We asked for the final bill and never got it. Overcharged for water; it was more than double the cost at better place nearby. Small kitchen without enough storage. Lots of vacant apartments there and easy to see why.

This place sucks.
Look at this fun clubhouse we have for our guests! It’s only open while you’re at work. Isn’t that a nice TV we have in here? I hope you’re here to watch CNN because «we don’t allow access to the remote». Fun! Also, if you even come in here– be prepared to be rudely interragated on whether you live here and asked condescendingly *exactly* which apartment. Not a welcoming place, to say the least. Oh and the «free wifi» doesn’t even work. No wonder its empty.
Ant infestation everywhere, can’t even walk you’re dog without getting attacked by fireants. The «dog washing station» = a hose. That leaks. Mosquito breeding ground.
«Car wash».yep, doesn’t work and looks as if it hasn’t worked for a very long time.
Which would have been nice considering there are only 2 dumpsters on the entire property so you have to put your trash in your car. Unless you’re one of the lucky ones to live right next to the dump…
The pool is small, 4ft so no diving. The gym is disgusting! They don’t provide anything to clean the equipment with so naturally people just don’t.
Honestly, they make it look and sound good on paper but this place isn’t worth the money.
The employees only give a shit to be polite if you’re a prospective tenant… after that who cares, right?

The only reason I am giving this apartment a one star is because I can’t give it zero. I moved to the complex and June with my husband and a couple of roommates (DO NOT move in with roommates if you can help it. I learned the hard way.) We were told that they would assist us in any way possible if military circumstances had come up i.e. relocation or coming home early from a deployment so we were initially excited. Of course after a few months passed, the old property manager has been fired and a completely new and HORRIBLY RUDE property manager (Brooke Schumacher) and staff has taken over. The military clause was NOT upheld and caused a greater pain than the initial staff had promised to avoid. Yes the apartments are gorgeous. However the prices are steep and the RUDE staff is not worth any of it. ALso, the pool is pretty too look at and lounge around yet it’s only about 4 ft deep. But it’s not that huge a deal if you’re not a serious swimmer. Again, I would hope that any military family or person would NOT consider moving here since they certainly will make your life utterly miserable in the process. Save yourself the headache and find a new complex. Needless to say I will be recommending this complex to be BLACKLISTED.

4 mice, on second floor… you do the math

The Cottages, conveniently located just off I35 S, in a decent part of town, so it would seem. Well, there are some things you need to know before moving here. The Cottages is your kind of place IF you like pets (three or four dogs per apartment), parking problems, drug problems, noise problems, and astronomical rents.
Read on.
#1. There are more dogs living here than people. I’m not joking, and If you don’t like waking up to the sound of barking dogs 4 – 5 times each night, don’t move here. I have four dogs to my left, two under me, and two to my right. Yep. there are no limits. Bring all of your dogs to the Cottages!
You won’t find any shelter mutts here either.
Tenants got their designer dogs from area pet stores or from breeders. Anyway, we’ll have one dog that gets to moaning and before long; the whole building gets to sounding like an animal shelter. At 2AM, that gets old quick. At this very moment, my neighbors are «talking to their dogs.» This happens SEVERAL times per day, only after 12pm until four AM. What are neighbors doing «up» at four AM anyway?
They don’t work. What? Are they rich? No…
Management just says «we’re pet friendly», but the buildings themselves are not robust enough to mask the endless barking and the stupidity of Cottages tenants.
Oh yeah, and there’s the dog excrement (everywhere). Don’t risk stepping off the concrete around here! Don’t even step off of the path leading to your apartment!
#2. There’s no parking. If you arrive home after ten PM, be ready to walk ¹⁄₈ of a mile or more, to your apartment. Without assigned parking and/​or parking controls/​security, there’s just no place to put your vehicle. Some people here have 5 – 6 vehicles. Where does that leave you? You can’t park on the street!
Sometimes I have to leave my car at the Home Depot…
Costs: Because tenants pay extra for water and garbage, rent here is roughly equal to what you’d pay for the same apartment — in the San Francisco Bay Area. Costs even more with that 200 dollar per month utility bill tacked on. Paying California rent (plus), on Austin wages isn’t easy, but many people come to Austin for jobs, so property management companies charge whatever.
It’s also a prudent to focus on local jobs. Few people here appear to have one. People here never leave, which makes you wonder what, besides dinner, they’re cooking, and why they never sleep. I guess they come up with rent money (somehow).
Finally, other folks told you the good things about living here, leaving me the unpleasant task of telling the not-​so-​good.
If I were you, I wouldn’t move here. This place is like «living in the hood.» Stereos blaring, dogs barking; it is the WORST place I have ever lived. You can stay at the Red Roof Inn for less and it’s quieter. Closer to downtown too. Yep, this place IS that bad.
It sucks monkey balls. It’s got drugs, 24-​hour music + alcohol related stupidity, absolutely no security, no parking, and hundreds of barking dogs, all at twice the price of the competition!
Oh boy!

I came to the Cottages when it first became open. This was my first experience with a brand new apartment. Being the first one in my building, I knew quickly that I had to secure the carport next to me, or become a person who was never able to find parking.
Immediately, I had a pest problem. The builders left a mouse in the apartment. I had to trap it myself, however, after complaining to the management, they gave me Target gift card. Ants were in the apartment twice, once really bad, but a few sprays took care of them over a few months time.
My last complaint is the dogs. They should not let dogs live in apartment complexes. I understand the current economic situation with families losing their homes. It is not that I even really have any problem with dogs either, it is just people with dogs are so irresponsible. Especially people who live in apartments. The last thing I want to see is piles of dog mess everywhere. Problem three.
So why five stars? I was at the Cottages for over 2 years. I saw management come and go. All of the problems I had were fixed immediately. Even dog messed, was removed when I complained. It is quiet out there as well. You really can’t complain about noise when you live in an apartment. It is just part of life, I never had any problems with my neighbors.
The Cottages are a great community for couples and singles. It is not really a place you want to raise a family, unless you have older or mature children. If I didn’t have to move for job, I would probably still be there. My current apartment, although still a Windsor Community, doesn’t hold a stick to The Cottages.

The Cottages are conveniently located just off I35 S, in a decent part of town. However, there are some things you need to know before moving here.
#1. There are more dogs living here than people. I’m not joking, and If you don’t like waking up to the sound of barking dogs 4 – 5 times each night, don’t move here. I have three dogs to my left, two under me, and two to my right. There are no shelter mutts here. Tenants got their designer dogs from area pet stores or from breeders. Anyway, we’ll have one dog that gets to moaning and before long, the whole building gets to sounding like a dog pound. At 2AM, that gets old quick. Management just says «we’re pet friendly», but the buildings themselves are not robust enough to mask the endless barking.
#2. There’s no parking. If you arrive home after ten PM, be ready to walk ¹⁄₈ of a mile or more, to your apartment. Without assigned parking and/​or parking controls, there’s just no place to put your vehicle.
Sometimes I have to leave my car at the Home Depot…
Costs: Because tenants pay extra for water and garbage, the Cottages is roughly equal in costs, to what you’d pay for the same apartment — in the San Jose area. Paying California rent on Austin wages isn’t easy, but many people come to Austin for jobs, so management companies can charge whatever. It’s also a good time to focus on local jobs. Few people appear to have one. They never leave, which makes you wonder what, besides dinner, they’re cooking, and why some of ‘em they can’t seem to close a cabinet (or apartment doors) without the entire building knowing it (all day/​all night)
Finally, other folks told you the good things about living here, leaving me the unpleasant task of telling the not-​so-​good.
Woof!
Update: You can see this review has been «filtered», meaning that it’s true and that folks with more money than I, don’t want YOU to see it. Those same folks don’t want you to know that the guys across from me are outside their apartment right now, playing loud music and drinking beer. It’s 3:00AM. You can get the same kind of neighbors and no security :-(, just off of Stassney, at half the price.
Woof!
If you mask me again, I’ll just re-​post and when you mask posts, you put the site’s credibility on the line. This is «how it is» at the Cottages. Want some?

Still live here… so that’s usually the first good sign!
I really like the private entrances… no sketchy outdoor stairwells where Mr. or Mrs. McCreeper could be lurking.
Also, The staff is definitely friendly, especially when it comes to maintenance. I was craving a midnight snack around 2am when i noticed that my fridge was leaking everywhere… I called it in and about 30 minutes later there was a knock on my door. Maintenance… at 2.30am? Really? Wow. I was quite impressed. They couldn’t fix my fridge but brought me a new one!
Dog park is a huge plus for me, Fitness center, Pool, hot tub, grills, picnic tables, conference room and business center, lounge… is this a 5 star hotel?

I have loved living here. The staff are all really nice and helpful and I feel like a rich person when I walk into the leasing office. The place is really clean, landscaped, and generally well kept.
Sometimes I steal rosemary from the grounds for cooking. Sorry! It’s just too convenient!
I would’ve given 5 stars but one day my car was broken into. They do have gates but I guess someone got in. Bitches stole my glasses.
Also I wish I the back gate wasn’t an exit only.