Frequently Asked Questions
The homes
Are these apartments or houses?
Houses. Every home is detached and stands on its own, so nobody shares a wall with you and nobody lives above or below you. There are no interior corridors and no shared entryways. Thirty homes on two acres, twenty-eight of them two bedrooms across two floors.
That is the whole idea. You get a front door that is yours, a driveway that is yours, and a yard that is yours, for what a two bedroom apartment costs.
What floor plans do you have?
Twenty-eight of the homes are two bedroom, one bath, 822 square feet across two floors. One home is a single story one bedroom, one bath at 800 square feet.
Layouts, photographs and whatever is available right now are on the floor plans page.
Is there a washer and dryer in the home?
Yes. A stacked washer and dryer in a laundry closet on the ground floor of every home. No coin machines, no hauling a basket across a parking lot.
There is also a shared laundry room on the property if you ever need a second machine going.
Does every home have a fenced yard?
Yes. A private back yard fenced in six foot horizontal cedar with sod, not a shared lawn. Shape and size vary with where the home sits on the property, so ask to see the yard for the specific home you are considering.
Is there a garage? Where do I park?
There is no garage. You park in your own driveway at your own front door, and it fits two vehicles. There is additional free parking at the front of the property for guests.
No permit, no assigned space to hunt for, no monthly parking charge.
What is inside the homes?
Quartz counters, stainless appliances, a gooseneck faucet, tiled showers behind glass, vaulted ceilings upstairs, and walk in closets with built in shelving. Wood-look flooring throughout, and no carpet anywhere.
The photographs are all post-renovation and all of this property. Nothing on this site is a stock image.
Are any of the homes furnished?
Two of them. The furniture conveys with the lease, and those two homes lease from one month, which is why they suit contract and travel work.
If you are on assignment in Taylor or north Austin, call and ask which one is open.
Applying
How do I apply?
Applications run online through the resident portal linked from each available home. Every adult eighteen or over applies separately, and each application is $95.
Screening looks at credit, income, rental history and background. Gordon & Bilyeu, the property manager, handles it and will come back to you directly.
What credit score do I need to rent here?
600 or better. That is the minimum on the screening criteria, and it is a real floor, not a suggestion.
If you are close and the rest of your file is strong, apply anyway and say so. A co-signer is an option, and a person actually reads these.
How much do I need to earn?
Gross household income of at least three times the monthly rent. Household, not per person, so two incomes count together.
Do you accept a co-signer or a guarantor?
Yes. If you clear credit but not the income test, a co-signer can bridge it. The co-signer is screened too.
Do you accept Housing Choice Vouchers?
No. The homes are not part of a voucher program.
Can I see the screening criteria before I pay the fee?
Yes, and you should. Texas requires a landlord to make the tenant selection criteria available in writing when you receive an application, and to tell you the grounds on which you can be turned down. Ask for it before you pay.
If a landlord ever rejects you without having given you that notice, Texas Property Code section 92.3515 says they owe you the application fee back.
I am approved. How do I actually hold the home?
Three things, and the home stays on the market until all three are done: sign the lease, pay the security deposit, and pay the prorated first month's rent.
Approval on its own does not reserve anything.
What it costs
What does it cost to move in?
Three line items and no hidden fourth one.
- Application
- $95 per adult
- Security deposit
- Two thirds of one month's rent
- First month
- Prorated to your move-in date
- Administrative fee
- None
Current rent for each available home is on the floor plans page, read live from the manager's system, so it is never a stale number on a brochure.
Is there an administrative fee or a lease fee?
No. A lot of communities around here add one on top of the application fee, usually somewhere between one and two hundred dollars, for the paperwork. We do not.
The $95 application fee is the only fee you pay to apply.
Is the application fee refundable?
No. It pays for the credit and background screening, which happens whether you are approved or not.
The one exception is the legal one: if you are turned down and were never given the written tenant selection criteria, Texas requires the fee back.
How much is the security deposit, and when do I get it back?
Two thirds of one month's rent. It is the same formula for everyone, not a number that moves with your credit score.
Texas Property Code section 92.103 gives a landlord thirty days to return it after you hand back the keys and give a written forwarding address. Deductions are limited to unpaid rent and damage beyond normal wear and tear, and you are owed an itemized list of anything withheld.
What do I pay every month besides rent?
A short, flat list, plus your share of the water bill.
- Trash
- $15 per month
- Pest control
- $8 per month
- Utility billing
- $3.50 per month
- Water and sewer
- Your portion, billed monthly
- Electricity
- Your own account, paid direct
That is $26.50 in flat monthly fees. Nothing else is added later.
Which utilities do I set up myself?
Electricity and internet. You open those accounts in your own name and pay the provider directly, so you choose the plan.
Water and sewer are billed through the property each month as your portion of the bill. Trash and pest control are the flat monthly amounts above.
When is rent due, and what happens if it is late?
Rent is due on the first. It is late after the third, which gives you a real cushion rather than a same-day penalty. The late fee is ten percent of one month's rent.
For context, Texas Property Code section 92.019 treats a late fee at or under ten percent as presumptively reasonable for a property of this size. Ours sits at that line, not past it.
Do you run move-in specials?
Sometimes, and it varies by home and by season. Whatever is actually running is shown on the floor plans page next to the home it applies to.
We would rather show you the real number on the real home than put a banner on the front page.
Do I need renters insurance?
Yes, it is a condition of the lease. It is inexpensive, usually in the range of ten to twenty dollars a month, and it covers your own belongings, which the property's insurance does not.
Pets
Are pets allowed? Any breed or weight limits?
Dogs and cats are both welcome, with no breed restrictions and no weight limits.
That is unusual in Round Rock, where a thirty-five or fifty pound cap and a banned breed list are common. If your dog has been turned away somewhere else, ask here.
What does a pet cost?
- Pet deposit
- $350, refundable
- Pet rent
- $25 per month, per pet
The deposit comes back the same way the security deposit does, less any damage the animal actually caused.
How many pets can I have?
There is no fixed cap written into the policy. Tell us what you have when you apply and we will talk about it honestly rather than send you a rule sheet.
What about a service animal or an assistance animal?
A service animal or a verified assistance animal is not a pet. Under the federal Fair Housing Act we cannot charge a pet deposit, pet rent, or apply breed or weight limits to one, and we do not.
Your security deposit still applies as it would for any resident, and you remain responsible for any damage the animal causes.
Is there a dog park?
Yes, on the property. Which matters less here than it does elsewhere, because you also have your own fenced back yard and can just open the door.
Living here
What lease terms do you offer?
Twelve months on the unfurnished homes. The two furnished homes lease from one month.
Who mows the yard?
The property maintains the common areas, the green space and the landscaping around the community. Your own fenced back yard is yours to keep up.
It is a small yard behind a six foot fence, not an acre. Worth knowing before you sign rather than after.
How do I put in a maintenance request?
Through the resident portal, any hour of the day. Routine requests go into the queue and you can see the status.
For a genuine emergency, water, no heat, anything unsafe, there is a live twenty-four hour line. Call it rather than filing a ticket.
Is smoking allowed?
Not inside the homes. Outdoors on your own porch or in your own yard is fine.
Is there a leasing office on site?
No. Homes are shown by appointment, seven days a week, and someone meets you there. Office hours for the manager are Monday through Friday, nine to five, with weekends by appointment.
Call (512) 861-5152 or book a tour and a person will answer.
What internet is available?
Fiber is available at the property, and you set up your own account with the provider you want rather than being locked into a bulk contract.
Round Rock is served by fiber and cable providers both. Confirm the exact speeds at the specific home before you sign, the same as you would anywhere.
Who owns and manages the homes?
A single private owner, not a national build-to-rent operator, with day to day management by Gordon & Bilyeu, a local Austin-area property manager.
Leasing is handled by people who actually work on this property, which is why the phone gets answered.
The area
What schools serve 20 Tate Lane?
Round Rock Independent School District. Running this address through the district's own School Zone Finder returns Redbud Elementary, Hopewell Middle and Stony Point High.
Boundaries do get redrawn, and this address was moved once already, so confirm with the district before you enroll. More on the schools page.
How far is the commute?
Dell's Round Rock campus is 7.1 miles. Samsung in Taylor is 14.9 miles. Downtown Austin is 28.2 miles.
Measured drive times to the major north Austin employers are on the work from here page.
What is nearby?
Kalahari, Dell Diamond, Old Settlers Park, the Brushy Creek trail system and downtown Round Rock, all within a short drive.
The neighborhood section lays it out by measured distance rather than by adjective.
Still wondering something?
Ask before you tour, not after. Nothing here is a sales script, and the answer will be the same on the phone as it is on this page.