Lantower Edgewater Apartments Austin Review: 8 Weeks Free on a 2018 Build That Accepts Broken Leases

When you look at as many Austin apartments as I do, certain properties raise questions before I even walk through the door. Lantower Edgewater keeps showing up in client searches for a reason that makes sense on paper: up to 8 weeks free rent, a 2018 build with W/D included, and screening criteria that accept broken leases and misdemeanors. Studios starting at $982 before concessions. One bedrooms at $964. As a licensed Texas REALTOR (TX #679806) who tracks pricing across 1,000+ Austin-area communities, those numbers on a property this new caught my attention.

But 342 Google reviews averaging 3.6 stars and 54 ApartmentRatings reviews at 3.1 tell a different story than the listing photos. Here’s what the listing sites won’t show you: broken gates that haven’t worked for years, towing policies that hit registered vehicles, and charges when you leave that dozens of former residents call predatory. This review breaks down the real math, the real screening criteria, and the real trade-offs.

Quick Facts: Lantower Edgewater

Best For / Skip If

This property makes sense if you’re in one of these situations:

• You have a broken lease on your record and need a property built after 2015. Most 2018 builds won’t touch broken leases. Edgewater will.
• You have a misdemeanor and want full-size W/D in your unit. Properties that accept misdemeanors in this price range usually come with hookups at best, or a shared laundry room.
• You’re working in the Tech Ridge or I-35 North corridor and need rent under $1,000 with concessions. If you land the full 8 weeks free, net effective rent on a 1BR drops to $816/mo.
• You have a pet over 50 lbs. No weight limit here, which is unusual for a property managed by a company as large as Greystar.

Skip this property if:

• Noise is a dealbreaker. Over 30 reviews mention loud music, pool parties with DJ setups, garage parties late at night, and an office that won’t do anything about it.
• You need responsive, reachable management. Dozens of residents report phones not answered, emails ignored, office unstaffed, and an AI chatbot standing in for actual humans.
• You’re worried about towing. Registered vehicles get towed without warning, there’s a “VIP parking website” nobody was told about, and the property won’t reimburse you.
• You want to get your deposit back. This is the complaint I see more than any other at this property. People get charged for normal wear, cleaning fees nobody told them about at lease signing, and stuff like “dirt outside the door.”

Looking for help finding the right apartment for your situation? I track screening criteria across 1,000+ Austin communities and know which properties actually approve broken leases and misdemeanors. My service is free to you.

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Location Deep Dive

Edgewater sits right off the I-35 frontage road at the 78660/78753 border. The mailing address says Pflugerville. It feels like northeast Austin. You’re in the Wells Branch/Tech Ridge corridor, one of the most active apartment markets in the Austin metro right now. Dozens of communities within a few miles are all fighting for the same renters, which is why the concessions here are this aggressive.

Commute Times

Transit: Howard Station on the Capital Metro Red Line is 3.2 miles away (6 min drive). That gives you commuter rail access to downtown, but you’re driving to the station. This isn’t a walkable location. The Walk Score is 40, and the Transit Score is 20. You need a car here.

What’s nearby: Wells Branch Parkway has the basics: H-E-B, Walmart, fast food, strip malls. Tech Ridge retail center is a 5 minute drive with more restaurants and shopping. Walnut Creek Park is about 3.6 miles away for trails and green space. North Austin Medical Center is 5.2 miles. If you want to see what else is available along this corridor, I’ve written about apartments in North Austin across different price points.

The I-35 reality: You’re on the frontage road. That means highway noise is a constant. Construction on I-35 has been ongoing and affects access, especially at the front gate. The construction has made the front gate approach harder to get to, which pushes more traffic to the already-broken back gate.

Schools: Pflugerville ISD serves this address. Northwest Elementary, Westview Middle, and Connally High School are all in the attendance zone. All three carry a 2/10 GreatSchools rating.

Pricing and True Cost

Here’s what you’ll actually pay to live at Edgewater. Good news: the property uses all-inclusive pricing, so the monthly price shown already includes pest control, trash, smart home services, and package services. No surprise mandatory monthly add-ons.

Floor Plans and Pricing (as of August 2026)

Net Effective Rent (with 8 Weeks Free on 12 month lease)

The current special is “up to” 8 weeks free. That “up to” part matters. Some units get the full 8 weeks. Others get less. The math below assumes you land the full 8 weeks. Ask the leasing office which floor plans and units qualify for the maximum concession before you run your budget.

8 weeks = 56 free days. On a 12 month lease (365 days):

Daily multiplier: (365 – 56) ÷ 365 = 0.8466

A net effective 1BR under $820 on a 2018 build with in-unit W/D is aggressive pricing. For context, many 1980s properties in this area charge $1,000+ without concessions. If you’re comparing options in this price range, I broke down some of the cheapest apartments in North Austin worth looking at.

Important: They qualify your income against base rent, not net effective. At 3x rent, you’ll need to gross $2,892/mo ($16.70/hr full time) to qualify for the cheapest 1BR at $964. That’s roughly $34,700/year.

Fee Breakdown

Required at Application:

• Application fee: $75/applicant
• Admin fee: $150/applicant
• Total to apply: $225/person before you’re approved

Required at Move-In:

• Security deposit: $500 (refundable, may increase based on screening)

Optional Monthly Fees:

• Garage parking: $125/mo
• Covered parking: $35/mo
• Storage unit: $15/mo
• Pet rent: $25/mo per pet

One-Time Pet Fee:

• $300-$500 per pet (no weight limit, breed restrictions apply)

Situational Fees to Know:

• Lease transfer: $285
• Returned payment (NSF): $75
• Renters liability non-compliance: $65/occurrence

Lease terms: 1-15 months available

Want to know if you’ll qualify before spending $225 on an application? I can check your situation against the screening criteria and tell you your odds before you apply.

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Screening Criteria

Here’s what I know about getting approved at Edgewater.

What the property confirms:

• Accepts broken leases
• Allows misdemeanors

What that means in practice:

Greystar manages over 700,000 units nationwide. They follow standardized screening, but individual properties can bend the rules when they need to fill units. With roughly 35-40 available units out of 328 (about 11-12% vacancy), Edgewater has plenty of reason to be flexible right now.

Credit: Greystar doesn’t publish a hard credit score cutoff. Their screening runs your credit through a third-party agency that scores you on “indicators of future rent payment performance.” If you come back below their threshold, you could be asked for a bigger deposit, a guarantor, or you could be denied outright. At a property running 11-12% vacancy that accepts broken leases and misdemeanors, the practical floor is probably somewhere in the 550-600 range. Below that, a guarantor or larger deposit is usually the path in.

Income: Greystar’s standard is 3x rent. At the lowest 1BR price of $964, that’s $2,892/mo gross income. Some Greystar properties drop to 2.5x when vacancy is high, which would bring the threshold down to $2,410/mo. If you’re using a third-party guarantee, 2.5x is typical. Worth asking the leasing office which multiplier they’re using right now.

Broken leases: The property confirms acceptance. How old the broken lease is and whether you still owe money to the previous landlord will matter. If you have active property debt (money owed to a former apartment), you’ll likely need a third-party guarantee to cover it. Broken leases over two years old with no outstanding balance should have a smoother path. I’ve written a full breakdown of how second chance apartments in Austin handle broken lease screening if you want more detail on what to expect.

Misdemeanors: Confirmed accepted. In practice, that usually means non-violent stuff that isn’t tied to property crimes or drugs. The specifics matter. If you have a misdemeanor on your record, check with the leasing office or work with a locator to pre-screen before paying the $225 application and admin fee.

Felonies: They don’t say one way or the other. Given the property accepts misdemeanors and broken leases, felonies may get individual review, especially non-violent ones over five years old. But this is not confirmed.

Evictions: They don’t advertise an eviction policy either. Properties that accept broken leases sometimes also accept evictions with conditions (over two years old, no active debt). Worth confirming before applying. If you’re navigating an eviction on your record, I keep an updated list of eviction friendly apartments in Austin that may be a better fit.

Third-party guarantees: Given Greystar’s size and the property’s current vacancy, guarantee services are almost certainly accepted here. If you have a broken lease with property debt or a credit score below the typical minimum, this is your path to approval. Expect the guarantee fee to cost roughly one month’s rent.

Application timeline: It’s a mixed bag. Some recent residents report smooth, fast processing (especially those who worked with Terrio in the leasing office). Others report a breakdown in communication during the approval process. One applicant in 2026 was approved with conditions, paid rent, received access, and then was told the approval was reversed. That’s an extreme case, but it’s worth having everything in writing.

Resident Reviews Decoded

I went through all 342 Google reviews, 54 ApartmentRatings reviews, and 56 Yelp reviews, plus the Birdeye aggregate (3.5 stars across 330 reviews). That’s over 450 reviews across platforms. Here’s what the patterns actually tell you.

Here’s something worth knowing: ApartmentRatings breaks out sub-scores. Staff gets a 3.1 out of 5 (below average). Neighborhood gets a 2.2 out of 5 (poor). And management’s average response time to reviews? 29 days. That tracks with what residents say about how long it takes to get answers.

Review Pattern Analysis

What’s actually good: The maintenance team gets consistent praise across both platforms and across years. When you put in a work order, the maintenance crew (not the office staff) tends to show up quickly and do solid work. This is a real bright spot at a property where almost everything else has problems.

What’s actually bad: The management office is the property’s biggest liability. Phones go unanswered. Emails get ignored. Need help? You get routed to an AI chat system. One reviewer wrote that you “canNOT get ahold of a real person ever.” Office staff turnover is high, and several residents say management has gotten a lot worse since they moved in.

The pattern that worries me most: Long-term residents (three to five years) consistently say the property has “gone downhill.” These are people who liked the place enough to stay for years. When they start saying it’s falling apart, that’s a signal worth paying attention to.

Management response pattern: Management responds to almost every review, positive and negative. But the responses are heavily templated. Negative reviews get a version of “we’re sorry, please email us.” There’s little evidence that emailing actually resolves anything.

The Uncomfortable Truth

Truth #1: The gate situation isn’t a temporary problem. Reviews going back years mention broken gates. One resident reported the gate hasn’t worked for four years. Another said the app logged them out and they couldn’t get into the property on a weekend. The “controlled access” listed as an amenity is barely functional. Semi trucks park along the back by the pond area. Non-residents come and go freely. Guns were drawn at the pool in 2024. This is a security concern, not a maintenance inconvenience.

Truth #2: Your departure will probably cost you more than your deposit. This is the most consistent warning across both review platforms. People get charged for “normal cosmetic issues” and cleaning fees that were never disclosed at lease signing. One person was hit with charges for “dirt outside the door.” One resident was charged $750 when they left while living alone with no damage. Another reported their $500 deposit disappeared into unexplained charges. If you move here, document everything with photos and video at move-in and move-out.

Truth #3: The property changed management, and the transition is still rough. Edgewater was originally run by Lantower Residential. Contact emails in older reviews reference edgewater@lantowerliving.com. Newer management responses direct residents to edgewatertx@greystar.com. Greystar’s logo now appears on the Apartments.com listing. That switch explains some of the communication problems and policy changes (like the parking/towing overhaul). But “we just changed management” only goes so far when residents are losing $240 to predatory towing because a parking policy change was emailed from what Gmail flagged as spam.

Truth #4: The vacancy rate is telling you something. Roughly 35-40 units out of 328 are sitting empty at any given time. That’s 11-12% vacancy. A healthy property runs 5-7%. When you pair that with up to 8 weeks free and total monthly prices starting at $964 on a 2018 build, the property is working hard to fill units. That can work in your favor (more negotiating power, better concessions). But it also means people are choosing not to renew. The reviews confirm this. Multiple residents flat out say they won’t be re-signing.

Truth #5: The bilingual review base reveals a pattern. A big chunk of reviews are written in Spanish. That’s not a problem. What is a problem: several of those reviews describe rent bills showing up $200-$300+ higher than the contract price, with no clear explanation from the office. One resident reported a lease at $1,370 but monthly bills of $1,690. The likely cause: a “convenience fee” tacked onto every rent payment, whether you pay online or in person with a check. Whether it’s that fee, utility charges folded into billing, or something else, ask the leasing office exactly what your total monthly charge will be before you sign. Get it in writing.

Dealing with screening challenges and not sure where to start? I know which management companies in Austin actually do genuine individual review versus the ones that just say they do. My service is free. The apartment communities pay my referral fee from their advertising budget.

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FAQ

How much does a 1 bedroom apartment cost at Lantower Edgewater? One bedroom apartments start at $964/mo total monthly price, which includes all mandatory fees. With the current “up to 8 weeks free” special on a 12 month lease, net effective rent can drop to about $816/mo on qualifying units.

Does Lantower Edgewater accept broken leases? Yes. The property confirms it accepts broken leases. If you still owe money to your old landlord from the broken lease, you’ll probably need a third-party guarantee service to get approved. Broken leases over two years old with no balance owed should have a smoother path.

Does Lantower Edgewater accept misdemeanors? Yes. The property allows misdemeanors. The best odds are with older charges that are non-violent and not drug or property related. Confirm your specific situation with the leasing office before paying the $225 application and admin fee.

Is Lantower Edgewater pet friendly? Yes. No weight limit on dogs or cats. Breed restrictions apply: Pit Bull Terriers/Staffordshire Terriers, Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, Chows, Presa Canarios, Akitas, Alaskan Malamutes, and wolf hybrids are restricted per Greystar’s standard policy. You can have up to 2 pets. Pet fee is $300-$500 per pet, plus $25/mo pet rent. They have a dog run and a pet wash station on-site.

What’s the current special at Lantower Edgewater? Up to 8 weeks free rent as of August 2026 (valid through 08/31/2026). The “up to” means not every unit gets the full 8 weeks, so ask which floor plans qualify. That’s still a big concession for a 2018 build and signals the property is working to fill vacancies. Around 35-40 of 328 units are available at any given time right now.

Who manages Lantower Edgewater? Greystar now manages the property, taking over from Lantower Residential. The building still carries the Lantower name, but operational management is Greystar.

Is Lantower Edgewater in Austin or Pflugerville? The mailing address is Pflugerville, TX 78660. Functionally, it sits on the Austin/Pflugerville border in the Wells Branch/Tech Ridge corridor off I-35. Schools are Pflugerville ISD.

What are the biggest complaints about Lantower Edgewater? Based on 450+ reviews across Google, ApartmentRatings, Yelp, and Birdeye, the top complaints are noise, broken gates, unexpected charges when leaving, difficulty reaching anyone in the office, and towing of registered vehicles.

Does Lantower Edgewater have in-unit washer and dryer? Yes. Every unit comes with a full-size in-unit washer and dryer. Not hookups. Actual machines included.

What is the application fee at Lantower Edgewater? $75 per applicant for the application fee plus $150 per applicant for the admin fee. Total cost to apply is $225 per person.

The Bottom Line

Lantower Edgewater makes sense if the math works for your situation. A net effective 1BR that can drop to $816/mo on a 2018 build with full-size W/D, no pet weight limit, and screening that accepts broken leases and misdemeanors is hard to find in the Austin market right now. The all-inclusive pricing is straightforward. The maintenance team is solid. The concessions are real.

But you’re trading off a lot for those numbers. The management office is unreliable. The gates don’t work. Former residents warn about aggressive charges when you leave. The noise from other residents is a persistent, years-long problem that management hasn’t solved. And the Greystar transition is still shaking out.

This makes sense if: You need a newer build that accepts broken leases or misdemeanors and your budget is tight. You work in the I-35 North/Tech Ridge corridor. You can tolerate community noise. And you’re willing to document everything at move-in and move-out to protect your deposit.

This doesn’t make sense if: You need quiet, you need responsive management, you’re sensitive to highway noise, or you’re not comfortable advocating for yourself when things go wrong. There are older properties in this same area with better management track records, even if they don’t have the 2018 finishes.

Need Help Finding the Right Apartment?

I’m Ross Quade, a licensed Texas REALTOR (TX #679806) and Army veteran. I’ve toured 500+ Austin apartment communities and track screening criteria across 1,000+ properties. If you’re dealing with a broken lease, a misdemeanor, bad credit, or you just want someone who knows the market to narrow down your search, I can help. My service is completely free. The apartment communities pay my referral fee from their advertising budget. Rent is the same whether you use a locator or apply on your own.

Call or Text me at 512-360-0852.