While I lived at the Argosy Apartments for four years, this review primarily reflects the last 18 months or so I was in the apartment complex after the new management company (Pinnacle) took over. I had no real problems with the office staff, maintenance, or community before this change. And as the location was perfect for a graduate student who planned on being a renter for several years in Austin, I was happy to stay here under the old management. However, I would definitely NOT recommend anyone move here under the new management.
I noticed things beginning to slide downhill December '12, when the complex under new management began renovating one of two on-site laundry rooms to turn it into a "fitness center," cutting the available number of washers and dryers to serve 14 buildings to 10 each on the rare occasion that all were in working order at the same time. As of July '12, the small fitness center was complete but could only be accessed during office hours if you took an ID to the office and had them open the door for you. Up to the time I moved out, the fitness center sat practically unused, while it was hard to find more than 5 working washers and dryers to serve the majority of the community population on any given day.
In February '13 I received a voicemail from the office staff claiming I had never turned in a proof of my insurance to the office. After calling my insurance company - who had records of faxing proof of insurance the previous August - to have them again fax the office my information, I was told by 5 other residents at the complex that they had gotten the exact same phone call. I can only imagine that the new office staff is so disorganized that they lost this paperwork, but rather than admit this and ask politely for a new copy, they placed the blame on the residents.
The reason why I ended up leaving the complex was that I heard - from another resident - that anyone with an apartment that hadn't recently been renovated (one wall painted an accent color and new appliances, essentially) wouldn't be allowed to renew their lease so that they could increase the rent an exorbitant amount for each unit. When I stopped in the office to ask if this was the case (about 4 months before my lease was up) I was offered the opportunity to immediately move into an updated unit - but my rent would go up almost $200/mo for a 1-bedroom apartment. I was never even officially given notice, at any time, that my lease would not be renewed, though the office staff would confirm this verbally when I made them talk about it with me. The entire process of me moving out from the complex was a disaster as well, from the manager signing off on, and then forgetting, a new move-out date we had negotiated since they were eager to renovate the units and get higher-paying residents, to my file disappearing completely from the office any time I'd go in to make sure everything was ready for the move-out. Throughout the entire move-out process the office staff, particularly the manager, was beyond unprofessional. I am now happily at a different complex, paying less than the Argosy's ridiculous prices with an office staff that is both cordial and competent. read more