AUSTIN, Texas — There's supposed to be no place like home – but last August, residents at The Standard at Austin apartment complex in West Campus said their home was no place they wanted to be.
"I know a lot of the higher floors were having really dirty water, some people's air conditioning went out,” former resident Greyson Moore said.
In August 2021, students moving into the complex informed KVUE of issues with trash-filled hallways, rats, unfinished units, dirty water and more. In November, KVUE followed up on the issues, asking the City of Austin why it greenlit the complex for move-in despite the rough conditions.
Moore had several issues with his appliances and said the situations weren’t remedied until much later.
"A lot of like, maintenance stuff. At one point, our washing machine just stopped working and it was like, filled with water,” Moore said.
He moved out when his lease ended, but others we spoke to said things have improved since the complex opened last year.
"It was pretty rough the first time I moved in. Not all the apartments were finished, we were lacking some appliances and stuff in the beginning. But they got that all straightened away, and so far, so good,” current resident Douglas Tolman said.
Over the past year, 19 complaints about the complex have been filed with Austin City Code. Eighteen of those have been closed and one is still active. The complaints have been mainly for structure condition violations and land use violations.
Two months ago on Google reviews, a resident at The Standard at Austin said they didn't have water for over four days. The complex apologized, saying the issue was because of work being done by the City of Austin. The complex said it made hotel reservations for affected residents.
The Standard at Austin sent KVUE a statement reading in part:
"The Standard at Austin has obtained a certificate of occupancy in 2021. Since then, a newly hired property management team has been actively working with residents to immediately identify and resolve any issues as they arise."
When we asked residents about some of the old issues, they said they were no longer problems.
"Just my roommates – it's the only thing I can complain about,” resident Serg Reynosa said.
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