Questions
Why choose us?
Do you allow pets?
Is the room furnished?
What does fully furnished (FF) mean?
What length of lease do you require?
Which utilities do you pay?
How fast is the internet?
Wait, really a free Netflix account?
Is there a security deposit? If so, how much is it?
What do you look for in the background check? Do you have other roommate criteria?
What is the total move-in cost?
What are my options for paying rent?
How many people will I share the bathroom with?
How big is my bedroom?
What other furnishings are provided?
Is there any storage space?
What does ABP mean?
I don't have a car. Is there a bus stop near any of your properties?
Is there a way I can get an email alert when a new room becomes available?
How do I unsubscribe from vacancy notification emails?
Why choose us?
Simply, our value is the best in Austin. Our low rent includes ALL utilities. We keep your house clean by providing maid service. We keep you safe by doing background checks. We are close to where you work. Paying rent is easy and your roommates are all cool. It's the best in Austin!
Do you allow pets?
No, we do not. We have found through many previous experiences that pets (dogs and cats) don't work out very well in a roommate situation. The only possible exceptions are fish and small reptiles kept in aquariums. If you have any questions about a pet, please contact us, but please know that we won't deviate much from these guidelines.
Is the room furnished?
We always have furniture available for rental. We can furnish the entire room with a twin bed, mattress, and dresser for $35 per month and a $45 deposit. There is a 3 month minimum for the rental. You can also rent sheets, pillow, and comforter for an additional $5 per month and a $20 deposit. Click Here for more information.
What does fully furnished (FF) mean?
Fully furnished is the price for the room including furniture. A fully furnished room includes a twin bed, mattress, and dresser. There is an additional deposit of $45 and a 3 month minimum on the furniture rental. If you choose, you can also rent sheets, pillow, and comforter for an additional $5 per month and a $20 deposit. Click Here for more details.
What length of lease do you require?
In general we do 9 month leases. We have found that 9 month leases are a good balance between flexibility and roommate turn-over. We are generally negotiable on this aspect, but it is on a case by case basis. Usually, a 6 month lease will cost about $25 more per month over the 9 month lease. We will do short 3 month leases for interns when there is availability.
Which utilities do you pay?
We pay all utilities. This includes water, gas, solid waste, waste water, electric, over-the-air HD TV, high speed internet, wireless internet, and Netflix! We also pay for a maid that cleans all of the common areas every few weeks. Remember that there is no telephone land line or cable television, but nobody uses those these days anyway, right? If you do want a telephone land line for whatever crazy reason then you can have one installed. If you want cable TV, really?, then you can have it installed, but we recommend SlingTV as a better alternative.
How fast is the internet?
Super high speed fast! We have at least 100 MB download and 20 MB upload, but most of our houses have 200 MB+ download. All of our properties have the newest modems and wireless routers available. We continue to improve the bandwidth at the houses as it is available in the area. Many of our rooms have wired connections so you can really take advantage of the bandwidth.
Wait, really a free Netflix account?
Yes! We pay for several of the high-end Netflix accounts that allow multiple simultaneous streams and UltraHD for the houses that are shared among the housemates.
Is there a security deposit? If so, how much is it?
Yes, there is a security deposit of $275 due at the time of the lease signing. $35 of the deposit is non-refundable and used to do a background check. The remaining portion of the deposit ($240) is fully refundable on move-out if there are no damages to the room. Additionally, if you would like to lock-in the room for a move-in date more than 2 days in the future then you must pay the deposit to reserve the room, or else we will continue trying to lease it to someone else.
What do you look for in the background check? Do you have other roommate criteria?
With regard to the background check we only allow roommates that fit the following criteria:
No felony charges in the last 7 years
No misdemeanor charges in the last 2 years
No one on probation
No violent felonies
No sexual assaults
Additionally we have the following general criteria:
All roommates must be over 18
Only one person per room including master bedrooms
We reserve the right to maintain same sex housing
What is the total move-in cost?
On the day you move-in, if you haven't already paid the security deposit you will pay that. In addition you will pay the pro-rated amount of rent for the rest of the month. For example, if you are moving in on June 20th then you will pay for that day plus the remaining 10 days of June (11 days total). There are 30 days in June, so if your rent is $500 per month then you will pay $500/30 x 11 rounded up to the nearest whole number, which is $184.
What are my options for paying rent?
We provide many options for paying rent. Most roommates prefer to pay rent via automatic bank draft from your checking or savings account. We can also take debit and credit cards through PayPal for a $15 fee or 3% of the payment, whichever is greater.
How many people will I share the bathroom with?
If you are thinking about renting a master bedroom then you will have your own private bathroom. If you are thinking about renting any other bedroom then you will share all of the other bathrooms in the house with the other roommates. Generally, 2 bathrooms (one with shower, one with just a toilet and sink) are shared between 3 roommates. We have never had complaints about the shared bathroom situation; people tend to wake up and shower at different times according to their own schedule, and it works pretty well.
How big is my bedroom?
Generally, it's about 12x10 feet. There is a closet in each room which varies from room to room. For the most part, we have included the precise room dimensions on the web page about each particular room.
What other furnishings are provided?
The common areas are furnished with basics-couches, lamps, TV, tables, basic dishes, silverware, etc. Nothing fancy, but enough to get the job done. If you have special furnishings that you would like to use in the common areas (subject to other tenants being able to use them as well), that's fine. Just check with us before you move them in to make sure it's okay. For example, if you have a really great TV that won't fit in your bedroom and you wouldn't mind letting the house use it, let us know and we will most likely be able to accommodate you.
Is there any storage space?
Limited garage space is available for storage. You won't be able to hold your whole apartment in there, but from time to time we can make space available. You'll need to check with us as to the specific house and timeframe if it's a lot of stuff, but storing smaller items that are appropriate for a garage aren't usually a problem.
What does ABP mean?
ABP stands for All Bills Paid. This means that we pay for ALL utilities and it is already included in the price you see on our site. See the 'Which utilities do you pay?' question for more information. Note: It can also stand for Austin Bouldering Project, check it out if you haven't been!
I don't have a car. Is there a bus stop near any of your properties?
All of the properties have some access to a bus stop, though some have much better access than others. The Loyola House has the best access to the local bus system with a stop for the 20, 37, 137, and 323 right across the street. The Matador Duplex has the second best access to a bus stop (7 and 300), which is about a 10 minute walk. All of the remaining properties it is ideal to use the bus in combination with a bicycle. We have had several tenants in the past successfully get around using only their bicycle and public transportation. You can find out more information about Austin's public transportation system at www.CapMetro.org. They have a travel planner application on their web site that can be very helpful.
Is there a way I can get an email alert when a new room becomes available?
Yes, you can go to this page and submit your email address. After subscribing you will receive an automated email from Austin Housemates each time a room becomes available. You can unsubscribe at anytime and will receive no other emails from Austin Housemates. We do not sell your email address.
How do I unsubscribe from vacancy notification emails?
Click Here to go to the unsubscribe page, submit your email address, and it will be removed from our list.
