The Merle on Howard Apartments Austin Review: A Brand New 444-Unit Pflugerville Property With 2.5 Months Free (Is the Math Worth It?)

When you’re comparing new construction apartments in the Pflugerville corridor, The Merle on Howard keeps coming up. A 4.6 Google rating across 94 reviews. Studios starting at $1,145. A 9,000 square foot dog park with a splash pad. Pickleball courts. A golf simulator. And right now, 2.5 months free rent plus a $500 look and lease incentive. As a licensed apartment locator (TX #679806) who tracks pricing and concessions across 1,000+ Austin properties, I can tell you that combo on a 2025 build is hard to find out here.

But here’s what the listing sites won’t tell you. Thin walls are already showing up in reviews just one year in. The fee structure adds costs you won’t see on any listing page. And there are screening details RPM Living doesn’t publish online. This review breaks down the real numbers, the real resident feedback, and what I’d want to know before spending the $75 application fee.

Quick Facts

The 4.6 Google rating is strong. The 3.9 on Apartments.com tells a different story.

That split is worth paying attention to. Google reviews are mostly from people who just toured or just moved in. The Apartments.com and ForRent reviews come from residents who’ve lived there long enough to hit the fee surprises, the EV charging controversy, and the water issues that don’t show up on tour day. I’ll get into all of it below.

Who This Property Works For

You want new construction with serious amenities but don’t want to pay downtown prices. What you get here competes with properties charging $300-400 more per month in central Austin. Pickleball courts, a golf simulator, a 9,000 square foot dog park with a splash pad, co-working spaces, and in-unit washer/dryers all come standard. At a net effective rent of $934/month on a 1BR (after the current special), you’re getting a lot of building for the money.

You have a dog and you’re tired of 50-pound weight limits. The Merle allows cats and dogs with a 2 pet maximum. I’d confirm specific weight and breed restrictions directly with the leasing office, but the 9,000 square foot dog park with splash pad tells you this property was built for dog owners. And 8 out of 94 Google reviewers brought it up without being asked, which says something.

You work at Samsung, Dell, Amazon, or anywhere along the I-35 corridor between Austin and Round Rock. The property sits right off Howard Lane with direct access to I-35 and 130 Toll. Samsung Austin Semiconductor, the GM plant, and Tech Ridge are all short commutes. Some of these employers qualify for apartment rent discounts that most renters don’t know about. If your commute heads northeast, this location makes sense on a map.

You’re relocating to Austin and don’t want to manage the search from 800 miles away. Several residents who moved from out of state (including California) say the leasing team handled everything long distance and made the move easy. MaKayla Clevenger, the assistant manager, gets called out by name in 15+ reviews for doing exactly that.

Who Should Skip It

You need quiet. I’ll be direct: at least 2 residents in the past 6 months have complained about thin walls, floors, and ceilings. One review specifically says you can hear neighbors talking, walking, music, and doors closing. Garden style construction with 3 stories means shared walls, and the walls in this building aren’t blocking the sound. If noise is a dealbreaker, be picky about which unit you pick and ask the leasing team which buildings share fewer walls.

Your commute heads downtown or south. From The Merle, you’re looking at 25-40 minutes to downtown Austin depending on traffic, and it gets worse heading south. If you work at UT, in the Capitol complex, or anywhere along South Congress or South Lamar, this isn’t the right location. You’d burn the rent savings in gas and time.

You need a management company with a long local track record. RPM Living is a major national operator (90,000+ units), but The Merle is only a year old. The leasing team gets praised constantly, but 94 reviews from one year isn’t enough to know how this property handles renewals, rent increases, or how maintenance holds up when every unit is full.

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Location Deep Dive

What’s Actually Nearby

The Merle sits at 2500 E Howard Lane, which puts it on the northeast edge of the Austin metro in Manor’s city limits. The mailing address is Manor, TX 78653, but the school district is Pflugerville ISD, and day to day you’re shopping and eating in the Pflugerville/Tech Ridge corridor rather than Manor proper.

Grocery runs land at H-E-B on Howard Lane (about 2.5 miles west) or La Casa Supermercado (0.6 miles). Old Gregg Brewing Company is right down the road. The Tech Ridge shopping area (Target, Best Buy, restaurants) sits about 4 miles southwest on I-35.

Northeast Metropolitan Park is close by with 420 acres of trails, sports fields, a BMX track, and one of the largest skate parks in Central Texas. For families, the property falls in Pflugerville ISD. Austin Community College has a campus nearby.

Commute Math

The northbound and eastbound commutes are painless. Southbound toward downtown during rush hour is where things get ugly. I-35 between Tech Ridge and the airport is one of the most congested stretches in Texas.

Neighborhood Reality

Suburban and still developing. Construction around you, commercial infrastructure growing but not fully built out. You’ll drive for most errands. If walkability matters, this isn’t the right fit. But if you want newer construction and value in the northeast corridor, Howard Lane is where the inventory is landing right now.

Pricing and True Cost

Floor Plan Breakdown

Nine floor plans is a lot. Most of the open units right now are studios and 1BRs. Townhomes with attached garages are almost gone (only 1-3 left per the property website).

Net Effective Rent Calculation

Here’s where the math gets interesting. The current special is 2.5 months free + $500 look and lease incentive on a 12-month lease. Let me run the numbers on the A1 (1BR/1BA at $1,233/month), since that’s the entry point for a one bedroom.

Step 1: Free rent value 2.5 months free = 75 free days 12-month lease = 365 days Daily multiplier: (365 – 75) / 365 = 0.7945

Step 2: Apply the multiplier $1,233 × 0.7945 = $979.62/month (net effective from free rent alone)

Step 3: Add the $500 look and lease credit Total annual rent: $1,233 × 12 = $14,796 Total concessions: ($1,233 × 2.5) + $500 = $3,082.50 + $500 = $3,582.50 Net annual cost: $14,796 – $3,582.50 = $11,213.50 Net effective rent: $11,213.50 / 12 = $934/month

That’s $299/month in savings off the base rent. For a 1BR in a brand new building with everything this place has, that’s a really good deal. Use the net effective rent calculator on my site to run your own floor plan.

Fee Breakdown

Required Fees (everyone pays):

Optional Fees:

The Merle’s fee structure isn’t fully visible from public sources. Residents on ForRent and ApartmentHomeLiving say there are mandatory monthly charges for amenity water and electricity on top of base rent. One resident put it bluntly: the fees “have been getting out of hand.” Ask for the Community Fee Guide before you sign anything.

True Monthly Cost Scenario

Here’s a realistic estimate for a renter in the A1 (1BR/1BA):

Your actual monthly number will depend on those mandatory charges no listing site shows you.

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

I track pricing and concessions across the entire northeast Austin corridor. I can run a side by side showing your net effective rent at The Merle versus nearby options, so you see exactly where your money goes furthest.

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Screening Criteria

Income Requirement

The Merle requires 3x monthly rent in gross (pre-tax) income. Here’s what that looks like across the most popular floor plans:

The 3x requirement is standard for a newer property in this price range. No surprise there. If you’re not sure whether your income clears the bar, check what rent you can afford before applying.

One thing that trips people up: they qualify you based on the base rent, not the net effective. So even though your actual payment with concessions might be $934, you still need to show $3,699/month income for the A1.

Credit and Background

Here’s the gap. RPM Living doesn’t put their credit or background requirements online for The Merle. I checked every listing site, the property website, and RPM Living’s corporate site. Nothing. Here’s what I can tell you based on how newer properties managed by RPM typically screen in Austin:

What to expect at a 2025 property in this price range managed by RPM Living:

• Credit score: most newer properties in Austin want 600+ for clean approval. The 550-599 range may still work with a higher deposit. Below 550, options at this price point are very limited. These are industry patterns, not confirmed Merle thresholds.
• Background check: properties in this tier typically run a 7-10 year criminal lookback. Violent offenses and sex offenses face longer lookbacks or auto-decline.
• Eviction history: newer properties in this price range rarely flex on recent evictions. If you have one on your record, I’d call first before you spend any money.
• Income check: The Merle uses Payscore, which is a digital system, not a manual paystub review. At least one reviewer found it frustrating. If your income comes from freelance, cash, or multiple jobs, ask the leasing team how Payscore handles that before you apply.

What Gets You Denied

Based on typical RPM Living screening at this property type (confirm with the leasing office):

• Active property debt (money owed to a previous landlord): almost certainly an auto-decline. If you have property debt on your record, read how broken leases affect your apartment search for options
• Recent evictions (under 2-3 years): likely declined
• Not enough income (below 3x): declined unless a co-signer or guarantor service is accepted. RPM Living doesn’t publish whether The Merle works with guarantor services. I can call and ask on your behalf.
• Fraudulent documents: automatic decline at any property

Here’s what separates working with a locator from applying blind: I can call the leasing office at The Merle and ask about your specific situation before you spend $75 finding out. If The Merle looks tight for your situation, I know which nearby communities in the northeast Austin corridor have more flexibility.

Resident Reviews Decoded

Review Pattern Analysis

What Residents Praise

The staff at The Merle is the story here. MaKayla Clevenger (Assistant Manager) gets called out by name in 15+ reviews. That’s one of the highest individual shoutout counts I’ve seen at any Austin property with under 100 reviews. Mike (Community Manager), Terrell, Brandon, and Summer also get called out repeatedly. The leasing and maintenance teams get real, specific praise, not just “great staff” throwaway lines.

On the maintenance side, KB and Tony both get named for fast turnaround times. One resident reported a maintenance request completed the same day it was filed, even though it wasn’t urgent. That’s above average for any apartment in Austin.

Residents who’ve lived there 12+ months describe the property as quiet, clean, and well kept. Andrew Harper’s review at 14 months calls it one of the most peaceful communities he’s lived in.

The Spanish-language reviews are positive too. That tells you the community is pulling people from different backgrounds.

What Residents Flag

Fees that keep growing. This is the pattern that showed up hardest when I checked every review site. One resident broke down the EV charging situation: $0.30/kWh plus $6.50/hour after 4 hours, which means an overnight charge runs ~$70. The same resident called out a 10% late fee when their automatic payment didn’t go through. Another resident’s only complaint was “additional charges for amenity water and electricity” on top of base rent.

Thin walls and noise. Zaria Aguilar’s Google review from 3 months ago is specific: walls, floors, and ceilings let neighbor noise through (talking, walking, music, doors). Other review sites back this up too. Management says they reached out to her neighbor about community guidelines, but that doesn’t fix the construction. Garden style buildings with wood frame walls let sound through. That’s just how they’re built.

Water damage and mold. At least one resident reported mold in the sheetrock from water damage. On a building this new, that’s worth asking about. Single report, but serious.

Guest parking and towing. One resident warned that guest vehicles can get towed with no warning beyond gate signage. Make sure visitors know the rules.

Kavya Reddy posted a 1-star Google review titled “Severe Safety Concerns & Management Negligence” three weeks ago. The review is truncated so the full details aren’t visible, but the title alone is worth asking the leasing office about. Management responded that they’ve maintained communication.

Management Response Pattern

RPM Living responds to nearly every single review. The responses are pretty templated (you’ll see the same phrases recycled), but they use names and talk about specific situations. On negative reviews, they invite further contact by email or phone. They don’t get defensive or confrontational. When they can’t identify a reviewer by username, they say so and ask them to call in.

The Uncomfortable Truth

No listing site will write this section. I’m not trying to talk you out of The Merle. I want you to know exactly what you’re signing up for.

The Walls Are Thin

This is a 2025 garden style build with wood frame construction. Shared walls between units. And residents on Google, ForRent, and other review sites are all calling out noise between units.

You can hear neighbors walking, talking, and closing doors. RPM Living can remind neighbors about community guidelines, but they can’t change how the building was built. If noise bothers you, ask for an end unit or a ground floor. No leasing team tour will show you what the building sounds like at 10pm on a Friday.

The Fees Stack Up Fast

Here’s what I found across review sites that the listings don’t show.

Residents report mandatory monthly charges for amenity water and electricity on top of base rent. The EV charging stations advertised as an amenity actually cost $0.30/kWh plus $6.50/hour after 4 hours, which means an overnight charge runs roughly $70. One resident got hit with a 10% late fee when their automatic payment didn’t clear through the property’s system.

RPM Living posts a Community Fee Guide on their website, but the actual dollar amounts for monthly charges don’t show up on any listing site. Get the complete fee schedule in writing before you commit.

Water Damage in a One Year Old Building

At least one resident has reported mold in the sheetrock from water damage. On a brand new building, that’s a construction or plumbing problem, not normal wear and tear. Single report, but worth asking about. Ask the leasing office if they’ve had any water or mold issues in other units, and if so, what they did about it.

Renewal Pricing Is Unknown Territory

94 reviews in one year is good volume. But it’s still only one year. Multiple residents are already worried about rent increases at renewal. And here’s the math on that: when your 2.5 months free burns off, your actual rent jumps by $299/month on a 1BR. If the property then raises base rent 3-5% at renewal on top of that, year two costs a lot more than year one. Ask about renewal pricing before you sign.

Ready to Move Forward, or Want to See Alternatives?

Whether The Merle fits or you want to compare a few properties in the northeast Austin corridor, I can put together a shortlist based on your budget, your situation, and your timeline. My service is free. I’m paid a referral fee from the property’s marketing budget, so your rent stays the same whether you use a locator or apply on your own.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does The Merle on Howard accept dogs?

Yes. Cats and dogs are allowed with a 2 pet maximum. Contact the leasing office at (737) 351-8928 to confirm current weight limits, breed restrictions, and pet deposit/rent amounts. The 9,000 square foot dog park with splash pad and dedicated dog wash station come with the property.

What school district is The Merle in, and is it Pflugerville or Manor?

The mailing address says Manor, TX 78653, but the property sits on the Pflugerville/Manor border. It falls in Pflugerville ISD: Dessau Elementary, Dessau Middle School, and Weiss High School. Day to day, you’re shopping and eating in the Pflugerville/Tech Ridge corridor.

Does The Merle have garages?

Townhome units include attached garages. Other floor plans can add detached garages or covered parking for an extra monthly cost. Pricing isn’t published online.

What is the current special at The Merle on Howard?

As of August 2026: 2.5 months free rent plus a $500 look and lease incentive on 12+ month leases. Specials vary by floor plan and can change without notice.

How much income do I need to rent at The Merle?

You need 3x the monthly rent in gross income. For a 1BR starting at $1,233, that’s $3,699/month ($44,388/year or about $21.34/hour). Use the 3x rent calculator to check your own numbers.

Is EV charging free at The Merle?

No. Residents report $0.30 per kWh plus $6.50 per hour after 4 hours. An overnight full charge runs around $70. If you drive an EV, factor this in or plan to charge elsewhere.

Does The Merle include washer and dryer?

Yes. Every unit at The Merle includes an in-unit washer and dryer. All units also come with wood-style flooring (no carpet), quartz countertops, stainless appliances, and walk-in closets.

What is the application fee?

$75 per applicant. You don’t get it back. The admin fee is $250 per unit on top of that. Between those two fees, a single applicant is looking at $325 before the security deposit.

The Bottom Line

The Merle on Howard gives you a lot of building for the money. A 2025 build with 444 units, 9 floor plans, and amenities that compete with properties charging $200-400 more per month closer to Austin proper. The 4.6 Google rating is backed by specific praise for the leasing team and maintenance staff. And the 2.5 months free plus $500 look and lease drops a 1BR to $934/month net effective. That’s hard to beat for new construction out here.

The trade-offs are real, though. Thin walls in a garden style build. A fee structure that’s not fully transparent from listing sites. A track record that’s only 12 months deep. And the commute to downtown Austin is rough during rush hour. If you’ve got anything on your background, RPM Living’s published information gives you almost nothing to work with. That’s exactly the kind of situation where a locator saves you money.

This property makes sense if you work in the northeast corridor (Samsung, Dell, Tech Ridge), you want new construction amenities at a suburban price, you have a dog and need a property that’s built around pet owners, or you’re relocating and need a leasing team that can handle the process remotely.

This property doesn’t make sense if noise bothers you and you’re not willing to be picky about unit placement, your commute heads south or downtown, you’ve got credit or background issues that need a property willing to do individual review, or you want a fully transparent fee picture before you even tour.

My honest take: The Merle is a strong property with a strong team, priced where the math works for a lot of renters in the northeast Austin corridor. Just make sure you get the full fee breakdown and pick your unit location carefully.

Need Help?

Work With Me

My service is free. Apartment communities pay me a referral fee from their marketing budget, so your rent is the same whether you use a locator or not. I can check your info against The Merle’s criteria, compare the true cost to nearby options, and make sure you don’t waste $75 on an application that gets declined.

Go Solo

If you’d rather handle it yourself, contact The Merle’s leasing office directly at (737) 351-8928 or visit themerle.com. 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..