Flora Apartments

I've lived at Flora for six years now, through three or four property management companies coming and going, and many, many changes. And I signed a new lease again just last month. Rolando, who is the lead maintenance person, deserves special praise for being there for so many years and always being on top of it Overall, I have paid reasonable rent for modern accommodations in a very good location close to downtown with a very manageable commute. And a variety of great cultural amenities within walking distance. Let's start from the beginning (scroll down to see the most recent Equity Residential experience and current final TLDR) Flora started as a pristine property with free espresso from a superautomatic machine and EV chargers that worked for free and bimonthly catered parties and events. It was great. I had no complaints then. This was in 2019. It then got bought out by a management company that really let the place go to crap, for lack of better word. Hallways weren't cleaned (and they're carpeted and do get dirty easily!) and zero communication from management and so on. They also had Fetch, which is a package delivery middleman rent seeking entity that is a nightmare to deal with - - a nightmare we paid extra for, mind you. Finally, Flora got bought out by Equity Residential, which is a national publicly traded REIT that has mostly been quite good to the place and its tenants. They've been good with maintenance, installed new safety gates, kicked Fetch to the curb in favor of a package room, and even got robotic vacuum cleaners for every floor to keep them shipshape. In the middle of my stay here, I transfered to another unit within the complex and had no issues doing so. And now I've got a reasonably priced unit I like even more than the one I had before. Has the place got problems still? Sure. It's located in a dynamic, "sketchy" area of North Loop and Airport that is by car lots and an old dive bar, and it does draw some characters at times. Yes, cars can be broken in to if left out on the street. But keep your wits about you, as you would in any city. It's Austin. It's one of the safest cities in the country, and it's a safe area. I'd call the sketchiness an aesthetic if anything. Maybe an acquired taste. Ultimately, this is in the heart of a city, even if not downtown. This isn't a sleepy suburban vibe I've been out walking my dog late into the night and had no issues. The actual unit is behind three keypads for security, and the complex feels like a fortress. Solidly built with insulation, quiet unless you're facing the train tracks or street, no electricity or water issues during freezes and whatnot over the years, and excellent Spectrum community wifi. No complaints there. Over the years, I've renewed my lease because they didn't raise my rent like mad when they could've. This was especially the case in the post pandemic mad rush to Austin era. And the problems are manageable, if annoying. I've lived in a bunch of places, and Flora is still the best place I've lived. Every place has its problems. Especially apartment complexes. Still, the current Flora at the prices it offers and its floorplans and modern finishes strikes an excellent balance I've yet to come across anywhere else. The only advice I can give for prospective residents is to pick your unit carefully! In terms of floorplan and exactly where it's situated within the complex, for noise and privacy reasons. I hope Flora continues to get even better. I'm happy to have called it home for so long. If you want more questions answered about Flora, reach out to me on Rentgrata, a platform specifically for connecting renters and prospective residents