Thornton Flats Apartments

I have lived in Austin for nearly a decade, lived in 4 different apartment complexes across town, and Thornton Flats is truly the best. I am also a huge fan of the company it is a part of, Storybuilt. Apartment management companies in Austin are notoriously bad, but that is NOT the case with Storybuilt. The company actually cares about people and it shows in the way they design their buildings and choose kind, highly competent management. Of the MANY reasons I have loved living at the Thornton... Flats, here are a few:

1. Excellent, well-built interiors. They did not take shortcuts when designing these buildings. The kitchen, flooring, and layout are high-quality and classic. In nearly 3 years, I have not once had to call maintenance about an issue. Nothing breaks here. No bugs or vermin. In addition, the smaller size of the whole complex makes parking very easy and other amenities very accessible. The new-ness of the building makes it more energy efficient and your utility bills will be pretty low.
2. Amazing location. The complex is only a few miles from downtown. You can drive or take the Metro rapid bus very easily. I have even walked all the way from Zilker park to the complex after ACL. If you are from out of town reading this, 78704 is truly the nicest zip code in town to be located in, and the Thornton flats are perfectly situated in a quiet but accessible neighborhood within it. Walking distance from two local treasures- Opa! and Austin Beer Garden Brewing Company (ABGB). Scooter/Biking distance from the shops and restaurants on South Congress.
3. Great management. The complex has on-site management that actually cares about its residents. After living in Austin for years, I have dealt with the worst of the worst with management companies, but the management here is truly excellent. They are extremely responsive, kind, and customer service-oriented. The re-signing rates are very reasonable considering how much growth Austin has undergone. Having great management in a city/state that is notoriously bad for renters is worth A LOT. Additional bonus: they occasionally host community events with free food.

When I first moved to the Thornton Flats, I was afraid the train nearby would be loud, but I can barely hear it unless I am really listening for it. Don’t let it scare you off! If you want to be in Central/South Austin, this is the best place to be.
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The staff is great here. Very dog friendly and it's a nice place and well located. Hands down some of the nicest people you could meet.

What is not great is the cardboard ceiling/floor of the upstairs apartment. All I hear is footsteps and what sounds like furniture sliding around. Not sure what the heck is going on up there but I should not hear 90% of it.

If you lived in a dorm in college or a cheap apartment before, you know how irritating that can be at all hours. I would expect that... the builder would have taken that into consideration when deciding on the materials.

People have mentioned the train, I don't hear it but i'm not in the section closest to the tracks. I have my own personal train above me. Which is nice. I'll take the five times a day locomotive over the All the time foot traffic. Take that into consideration. If you can't get a 3rd floor corner you may have a roomate, So to speak. Read More

Residents are uppity, rude, and discriminate against those who aren't like them.

I'm a single female mobile developer, that is allowed to dress casual for work, and most days it's jeans and a nice shirt with a back pack. A lady walked by me and from behind said she couldn't believe they would let someone like me live here and how unlikely it was that I was able to afford this place. She definitely meant for me to hear it. I had a friend come over with his wife and child for dinner, he is a... mechanic and was still dressed in work clothes, he went to get something out of his truck and was accosted and questioned if he belonged on the property.

Noise complaints are rampant, I can't even walk out my door without someone complaining about it. I have to tip toe around my apartment in fear that my downstairs neighbors will start pounding on my floors.

There is no sound proofing, the hallways echo, terribly. I can hear people talking outside on the sidewalk from my bedroom like they are in my living room. I can hear the small child that lives across the hall crying from my bedroom. While walking out and about on the property you can hear most of what is going on in the apartments.

Additionally, there is a train that goes by at least 5 times a day. This was never mentioned anytime during my visit. It shakes my apartment constantly.

They say they are dog friendly but if a dog so much as barks, someone is complaining about it guarantee. DO NOT LIVE HERE WITH A DOG!!! I've never had so much troubles as I've had at this place.

Mostly I've been trying to ignore things, but it it's miserable living here. I've lived here since August and it's just been getting worse, hence why I'm finally writing this review. Read More

The in house management team is great here. And the apartment themselves are tucked away in a nice location. However, the apartments are not properly sound proofed. I can hear any time my neighbor walks around (a woman who wears heels and wedges) plus there is a dog. I can also hear the water through the walls (loudly) when the toilet flushes, which is gross. Let me say this is NOT my neighbors fault, they didn't build this complex. On top of that, the complex was built next to a train, which is... in a no blow zone but 2 times out of 10, a conductor blows anyway and the noise from the train is loud without the whistle. There was also no mention of a train in the renters agreement or in verbal communications before I moved (I moved from out of state so didn't get to view the apartment myself, which wouldn't have mattered sound wise because at the time no one lived in the apt above me) and I liked the 2nd floor unit I'm currently in because no one is under me and I didn't want to worry about bother someone with my movements. I have recordings of all of the noises I've decided above, and YOU can decide if the decibel levels are "standard." The finishes (flooring, counters, railings) in the apartment look nice from the outside but they're pretty cheap. The walls are thin, which is contributing to the noise and covered in a cheap paper like material. The neighbors (include the dogs) are great, though. I'm working with Thornton Flats on finding a solution, and when we find one, they can have their stars back and I'll update my review. Read More