The Emory Apartments Hutto Austin Review: 4.7 Stars, 6 Weeks Free, and a Hutto Address Worth Considering

The Emory keeps popping up in searches for newer apartments near Austin. The ratings are high (4.7 on both Google and ModernMsg), the concessions are aggressive (6 weeks free right now), and you’d expect these amenities at a higher price point. I’ve tracked apartment pricing across 1,000+ Austin-area properties for years. When a 2021 build in Hutto is offering studios under $1,100 with washers and dryers in every unit, I start asking: what’s the catch?

It starts with a five-letter word: Hutto.

This is not Austin. It’s about 28 miles northeast of downtown, in Williamson County, and you’ll need a car for almost everything. That changes everything about whether The Emory makes sense for you. I’ll show you the real monthly cost after fees, what it takes to get approved, what 368 reviews actually say, and the stuff RPM Living’s marketing photos leave out.

Quick Facts

The 4.7 Google rating across 143 reviews is strong, but not unusual for newer RPM Living properties. The ModernMsg number is the one I pay attention to: 4.7 across 225 reviews, with 160 of those being 5-star ratings and only 4 at 2 stars or below. I’ll break down what’s behind those numbers and where the negative reviews cluster below.

This Property Works Well If…

You’re relocating to the Austin metro and don’t need to be in Austin proper. A good chunk of residents moved here from out of state (Arizona, across the country), and The Emory worked out well for them. Hutto puts you in the northern suburbs with access to Round Rock, Georgetown, and Pflugerville without the Austin city tax rate. If your job is at the Dell campus, Apple’s northwest facilities, or anywhere along the 130/45 corridor, Hutto cuts your commute compared to living in central Austin. You can also compare options in the North Austin corridor if you want to split the difference between suburbs and city.

You want newer construction at suburban pricing. Studios start at $1,050 base rent. With the 6 weeks free special on a 12-month lease, your net effective rent drops to about $929/month for a 589 square foot studio with quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, smart home tech, and a washer/dryer in the unit. That’s hard to beat for a 2021 build. If you’re exploring more options across the metro, check out our north suburbs apartment guide for a broader comparison.

You have a dog (that isn’t on the restricted breed list). The dog parks, pet wash station, and fenced yards in select floor plans get a lot of love in the reviews. There are dog waste stations all over the property. Pet rent is $20/month per pet, which is below the Austin metro average. The fenced yard option on select units is a big deal if you have a dog. Just note the breed restrictions: Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, Chows, Presa Canarios, Akitas, Alaskan Malamutes, and Wolf-Hybrids are not allowed.

Skip This Property If…

You commute to downtown Austin or south Austin daily. From The Emory to downtown Austin is about 28 miles. That’s 30-40 minutes without traffic and 50-70 minutes during rush hour. There’s no viable public transit option. If your job is south of the river, this commute will wear you down fast.

You need walkability. You need a car here. Period. The nearest H-E-B Plus is about 1.5 miles away, which is drivable but not walkable. You won’t walk to a restaurant or a bar from here. The Co-Op District (a nearby shopping and dining area) is close, but “close” still means driving in Hutto.

Your dog is a restricted breed. That breed restriction list is standard for RPM Living properties and it’s enforced. If you have a Pit Bull, Rottweiler, Chow, or any breed on the list, this isn’t going to work.

Ready to See If The Emory Fits Your Situation?

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Location Deep Dive

What’s Actually Nearby

The Emory sits on Carl Stern Drive in Hutto, off the main drag through town. Here’s what’s within a short drive:

• H-E-B Plus: 1.5 miles (4 minutes)
• The Co-Op District: About 1 mile. Hutto’s growing retail and dining area with a handful of restaurants and shops
• Hutto Plaza: 1.1 miles
• Townwest Commons: Under a mile
• Fritz Park (Hutto’s main park): About 2 miles
• Old Town Hutto (East Street): 2 miles. A few local spots to eat and browse

Grocery is covered. Having an H-E-B Plus within 1.5 miles is a win. Dining is growing but still limited compared to Austin or even Round Rock.

Commute Math

The 130 Toll Road is the lifeline. It runs north-south to the east of Hutto and connects to 45 and I-35. If your commute uses 130, Hutto is surprisingly accessible. If your commute relies on I-35 through Round Rock during rush hour, add 15-20 minutes to the estimates above.

The Neighborhood Reality

Hutto is a rapidly growing suburb. Population nearly doubled between 2020 and 2025 (from about 27,500 to 46,000). That means construction everywhere, new developments going up constantly, and roads and services still catching up. The Emory is in one of the newer parts of town, with more housing going up around it.

One thing worth knowing: a resident called out occasional train noise. Hutto has rail lines running through town, and depending on which building you’re in, you may hear the train. It’s not constant, but it’s real.

You’re in Hutto ISD here. The district is newer and still building its track record. If schools are your top priority, check which schools this address feeds into before signing.

Pricing and True Cost

Floor Plans

Note: Net effective rent based on 6 weeks free on a 12-month lease. Total monthly includes $165/month mandatory fees.

Net Effective Rent Calculation

Let me show you the math on the most common search, the A1 one bedroom:

• Base rent: $1,199/month
• Special: 6 weeks free on a 12-month lease
• 6 weeks = 42 free days
• Daily multiplier: (365 – 42) ÷ 365 = 0.8849
• Net effective rent: $1,199 × 0.8849 = $1,061/month
• Monthly savings: $1,199 – $1,061 = $138/month

That’s $1,656 in savings over the lease term. But here’s what matters at renewal: you’ll jump back to whatever the market rate is, and 6 weeks free won’t be on the table. If base rents hold steady, your Year 2 cost goes from $1,061 to $1,199 overnight. Plan for that.

Required Fees (Everyone Pays)

Monthly fee breakdown:

That $50/month mandatory parking fee is worth flagging. You’re paying for a parking spot whether you have a car or not. And the $80 community amenity fee is on the higher end for the suburbs.

Optional Fees

True Monthly Cost Scenario

A renter in an A1 one bedroom with one dog:

• Base rent: $1,199
• Mandatory fees: $165
• Pet rent: $20
• True monthly cost: $1,384
• With 6 weeks free applied: $1,226/month Year 1

The gap between the advertised $1,199 base rent and your actual monthly check of $1,384 is $185. Over 12 months, that’s $2,220 more than the advertised number. The 6 weeks free covers a lot of that gap in Year 1, but it’s gone in Year 2.

Want to Compare This Property’s True Cost to Nearby Options?

I run these numbers across every property I recommend. If The Emory’s pricing is close to your ceiling, I can show you where you’ll get more square footage or lower fees for the same budget.

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Screening Criteria

RPM Living manages The Emory. They’re one of the bigger management companies in the country (240,000+ units), and they use a standard screening process across their properties. The exact requirements can shift from one community to another, though.

What I know about RPM Living’s screening:

RPM Living uses ApproveShield for screening. They pull your Equifax FICO 9 credit report, check your income, look at your criminal background, and go through your rental history. The Hutto website doesn’t publish their screening thresholds, so I pulled The Emory Plano’s full qualification document (same brand, same screening vendor) to get the specifics below. I’d still confirm with the Hutto leasing office before applying, since individual properties can tweak criteria.

Income Requirement

Note: 3x income confirmed through The Emory Plano’s published qualification documents (same brand, same screening system). If you make between 2.75x and 2.99x rent, you may still get in with an extra deposit equal to one month’s rent, deposit insurance, or a guarantor. Below 2.74x, you’ll need a guarantor who makes 5x the rent. Confirm current requirements with The Emory leasing office at (737) 227-0686.

Credit Expectations

RPM Living uses Equifax FICO 9 scores through ApproveShield (confirmed via The Emory Plano, a sister property running the same vendor and same rules). There’s no published minimum score. They’ll flag “unsatisfactory or not enough” credit, which can mean denial or an extra deposit equal to one month’s rent. Here’s what that means for you:

• 620+ credit with clean rental history: Smooth approval, standard deposit ($500-$1,500 range based on overall profile)
• 580-619 credit: Likely approved with a higher deposit. If you also have rental history issues, expect the extra month’s rent deposit
• Below 580 credit: Tough. Low credit plus any rental history problem and you’re probably getting denied. A guarantor making 5x rent may help
• Bankruptcies or foreclosures over 7 years old: Considered with an extra deposit if everything else checks out
• Outstanding debt to a previous landlord: This is the hard stop. Unpaid balances owed to a former landlord will likely get you denied regardless of credit score

Denial Triggers

Here’s what will get you denied, pulled from RPM Living’s qualification criteria:

Automatic denials (no exceptions):

• Sex offenses or sex offender registry status
• Murder, capital murder
• Aggravated sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery
• Trafficking of persons
• Manufacturing or distributing controlled substances

Felonies: If you finished your sentence, probation, or deferred adjudication within the last 10 years, expect a denial. Felonies older than 10 years get looked at case by case, where they weigh the type of crime, how serious it was, and what’s happened since.

Class A misdemeanors for drugs, weapons, violence, or property crimes: denied if you completed probation or your sentence within the last 5 years.

Rental history: Evictions, skips, late/NSF payments, damages owed, or outstanding debt to a previous landlord can all get you denied. If you owe money to a former landlord, that’s the biggest red flag in the system.

Lying on the application: They’ll deny you on the spot. They verify everything through ApproveShield, and if something doesn’t match, you lose the app fee and admin fee.

If you have any of these on your record, don’t guess. Don’t spend $250 ($50 app fee + $200 admin fee) to find out the hard way. That’s the whole point of working with a locator: I check before you apply. If evictions are your concern, our guide to eviction friendly apartments covers which properties actually say yes.

Here’s what separates working with a locator from applying blind: I can tell you whether your income, credit, and rental history are likely to pass The Emory’s screening before you spend $250 ($50 application + $200 admin) finding out. If The Emory looks tight for your situation, I know which nearby communities in Hutto, Round Rock, and Pflugerville have more flexibility. If you’ve got credit or background issues, take a look at our guide to second chance apartments in Austin for a broader picture of your options.

Resident Reviews Decoded

I pulled data from every platform I could find: Google (143 ratings, 4.7 stars), ModernMsg (225 ratings, 4.7 stars), RentCafe, ApartmentRatings, and a few aggregator sites. Yelp has a listing but zero written feedback. Apartments.com has nothing either. ApartmentRatings only has 2 write-ups (both positive, from early residents). The real data lives on Google and ModernMsg.

Review Pattern Analysis

What the Reviews Get Right

The staff is the story here. And it’s not the generic “great staff!” you see everywhere. Ashley’s name shows up in more than 20 reviews across both platforms. Nicole, Rowan, and Wilmer get called out by name too. Multiple residents who’ve been there 2-3 years have renewed their leases and say the staff is the reason. Courtney has been there 3 years with “zero complaints.” Mitch called it “the best leasing office I’ve seen” after 2 years.

Maintenance is solid too. Residents mention same-day response on work orders over and over. Diane described maintenance showing up during an after-hours emergency within 30 minutes. That’s above average for any apartment.

What the Reviews Flag

The negative reviews are few but specific. James Spencer lived there 2 years, loved it, then ran into problems with a new assistant manager and disagreements over his lease. Mandi (1-star Google review from 3 weeks ago) described weeks of back-and-forth trying to get a straight answer on her final bill, including charges she says shouldn’t be there. Savannah left a detailed 1-star after 3 years of on-time payments, frustrated over move-in date changes and what they wanted for renewal.

Management responds to every review, including the negative ones. The responses use the reviewer’s name and address the actual complaint, which is better than the copy-paste replies you see at most properties.

The Uncomfortable Truth

No listing site will write this section. That’s kind of the point.

You’re Not in Austin

The marketing calls this “Far Northeast Austin.” That’s technically part of the metro on a map. But The Emory is in Hutto, Williamson County. You’re about 28 miles from downtown. You don’t have city of Austin services. You’re in Hutto ISD, not AISD or even Round Rock ISD. If being in Austin matters to you for the food scene, nightlife, or school district, this isn’t it. Hutto is a perfectly fine small city that’s growing fast. But calling it “Austin” is a stretch, and listing sites do it because “Austin apartments” gets more search traffic than “Hutto apartments.”

The Year 2 Price Jump Is Real

Six weeks free on Year 1 is a great deal. But at renewal, that concession goes away. Your $929/month studio becomes $1,050. Your $1,061 one bedroom becomes $1,199. That’s about a 13% jump in your housing cost with no change to your unit. Savannah’s detailed negative review calls this out directly. It catches people off guard every time.

Pet Waste Is an Ongoing Problem

Savannah left three separate reviews over different time periods, and each one mentions pet waste not being picked up. Another reviewer flagged the same thing. Management hasn’t done much about it. The property has waste stations all over the place. But stations don’t help if residents don’t use them. If you’re walking a dog or have kids playing in common areas, this is worth knowing.

Move-Out Billing Can Get Messy

Two recent Google reviews (Mandi and James Spencer) both had problems with their final bill after moving out. Mandi describes being unable to get clear communication about her final bill for weeks. Two in the last few months, both from people who lived there 2-3 years, is enough to flag. Also worth knowing: the early termination fee is 200% of base rent. On a $1,199 one bedroom, that’s $2,398. Make sure you can commit to the full lease term.

Pool Access and Pest Concerns Are Real

One Google review lays out a whole list: nonresidents crashing the pool on weekends when the office is closed, pest control requests for ants, spiders, and scorpions, and patio ceiling cracks. Jiyoon’s ModernMsg review also mentions bugs. The property does run a pest control program, and you’re paying $7.50/month for it between the two pest fees. But newer construction in central Texas suburbs still gets scorpions and fire ants. Ask the leasing office about which buildings have had more pest activity.

Ready to Move Forward, or Want to See Alternatives?

If The Emory checks your boxes, I can help you through the application process. If the Hutto location or the renewal pricing gives you pause, I have 5-10 other properties in the north suburbs that might fit better.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does The Emory accept dogs?

Yes. Two pets maximum per unit. Pet interview required. $400 deposit per pet and $20/month pet rent per pet. Breed restrictions apply: Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, Chows, Presa Canarios, Akitas, Alaskan Malamutes, and Wolf-Hybrids are not allowed. Some floor plans include fenced yards.

Is The Emory in Austin?

Technically, The Emory’s address is Hutto, TX 78634, in Williamson County. Some listing sites call it “Far Northeast Austin,” but it’s about 28 miles from downtown Austin. Residents use Hutto ISD schools, not Austin ISD.

What’s included in the $165/month mandatory fees?

The breakdown: $80 community amenity fee, $50 parking, $25 doorstep trash pickup, $5 pest control, $3 trash admin, and $2.50 pest control admin. The parking fee hits everyone, even if you don’t have a car. These are on top of your base rent and are not optional.

Does The Emory have in-unit washers and dryers?

Yes. Every unit comes with a washer and dryer included.

What smart home features does The Emory have?

You get smart locks and a smart thermostat, both controllable from your phone. WiFi is included too.

Is there a train near The Emory?

Yes. Hutto has rail lines, and at least one resident called out occasional train noise. How much you hear depends on which building you’re in. Ask the leasing team how close each building is to the tracks when picking your unit.

What’s the commute from The Emory to downtown Austin?

About 30-40 minutes without traffic, 50-70 minutes during rush hour. The 130 Toll Road is the best route south. There’s no practical public transit option.

Does The Emory have garages?

Yes. Attached private garages are $125/month per vehicle. Covered carports are $50/month. Standard parking is included in your mandatory fees ($50/month).

How long has RPM Living managed The Emory?

RPM Living has managed The Emory since it opened in 2021. They built it, so there’s been no management change. If you want to see how different management companies stack up, our guide to apartments for rent in Austin covers the major players.

Is The Emory pet friendly for cats?

Yes. Cats are allowed under the same 2-pet limit. Same $400 deposit and $20/month pet rent per pet. No breed restrictions for cats. Pet interview still required.

The Bottom Line

The Emory delivers on the basics: 2021 construction, washers and dryers in every unit, smart home tech, solid amenities, and a leasing team that residents genuinely like. That 4.7 rating across 368 combined reviews isn’t inflated. People name specific staff members over and over, and maintenance shows up the same day.

Location is the trade-off. You’re in Hutto, not Austin. Everything requires a car, and commutes to central Austin take a while.

This property makes sense if:

• Your job is in Round Rock, Georgetown, Pflugerville, or anywhere along the 130/45 corridor
• You want 2021 construction with W/D in the unit at suburban pricing
• You have a dog and want fenced yard options
• You’re relocating from out of state and want a low-risk landing spot in the Austin metro

This property doesn’t make sense if:

• You commute to downtown Austin or south Austin daily
• Walkability matters to you
• Your dog is a restricted breed (Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, etc.)
• You’re budgeting tight and can’t handle the Year 2 price jump when concessions expire

My honest take: The Emory is one of the better newer builds in the Hutto/north suburbs market. The staff quality is what sets it apart from similar properties nearby. If Hutto works for your life and your commute, it’s worth touring.

Need Help?

Want help with The Emory? My service is free. I’m paid a referral fee from the property’s marketing budget, not from you. Your rent is the same whether you use a locator or walk in solo. But here’s what you get with me: pre-screening so you don’t waste money on applications, fee comparison against nearby properties, and someone who’ll answer the phone when the leasing office doesn’t.

Prefer to go direct? Call The Emory leasing office at (737) 227-0686. Just tell them “Ross Quade from Austin Apartment Team” referred you on your tour and application. Text me at 512-360-0852 when you apply so I can make sure everything’s on track.