Timbers Apartments Austin Review: Tax Credit Pricing Most Renters Don’t Know About

A two bedroom in East Austin for $1,325 with no pet weight limit, $0 monthly pet rent, and a 2x income requirement. Not a typo. Timbers Apartments on Clayton Lane is a tax credit property. That means rents are set below market rate on purpose. I track pricing across 1,000+ Austin apartment communities. Timbers is one of the few places where a two bedroom costs less than what most properties charge for a one bedroom.

The catch? You have to income qualify. And not the usual way. You have to prove your household income falls below a maximum cap. Too much income, and you’re out. That’s the opposite of how most apartment screening works, and it’s the detail every listing site skips over. Here’s what else they won’t tell you.

Quick Facts: Timbers Apartments

Google gives it a 4.0. ApartmentRatings gives it a 2.5. Big gap. But here’s what matters: those 8 ApartmentRatings reviews are all from 2012 to 2014 under a completely different management team. Every other platform (Yelp, Birdeye, Apartments.com, ApartmentList) has zero resident reviews. About 62 reviews total for a 104 unit, 28 year old property. I’ll break down what’s actually in those reviews below.

Best For / Skip If

This Property Is a Good Fit If…

You qualify for income restricted housing and need space. Timbers doesn’t offer studios or one bedrooms. The smallest unit here is a two bedroom at 976 square feet for $1,325. For context, regular two bedrooms in Windsor Park and East Austin run $1,500 to $1,900. If you’re under the income cap, you’re saving $200 to $500 a month compared to nearby properties.

You have pets that get turned away everywhere else. No weight limit. No breed restrictions. Two pets max. Zero dollars per month in pet rent. Good luck finding that combination at any other Austin apartment, let alone one at this price. Most communities charge $25 to $50 per month per pet on top of deposits. Over 12 months, that’s $300 to $600 you’re not spending. Got a large dog or a breed that shows up on restricted lists? Timbers is worth a serious look. For more options, check out our list of Austin apartments that actually allow large dogs.

You want a nonprofit landlord, not a corporate one. The Cesar Chavez Foundation is a nonprofit focused on affordable housing. That doesn’t mean everything is perfect. But their priorities are different from a corporate management company whose job is to squeeze every dollar out of your rent.

Skip This Property If…

Your income is above the LIHTC cap. Tax credit properties cap how much you can earn and still qualify. For a single person, the cap is $49,080 at the 60% AMI tier. For a household of four, it’s $70,080. If you earn above those numbers, you won’t qualify regardless of how great your credit or rental history looks. Call (512) 459-1038 to check which limit you’d fall under.

You need a studio or one bedroom. Timbers only offers two, three, and four bedroom units. If you’re a single renter looking for a smaller, cheaper unit, this property isn’t built for that. Check out our East Austin apartments guide for options starting under $1,200.

You need brand new finishes. This is a 1998 build. You’re getting vinyl flooring, gas appliances, and walk in showers. Solid but basic. No quartz countertops, no stainless steel, no smart home packages. If modern construction matters to you, this isn’t the right fit.

Wondering if Timbers fits your situation?

Fill out a quick form and I’ll reach out to go over your specifics: income, credit, pets, timeline. I can check whether you’ll likely qualify before you spend money on an application, and I’ll tell you about anything the website doesn’t mention. You’ll hear from a real person (me), not an automated system.

Get Help Now →

Location Deep Dive

What’s Actually Nearby

Timbers sits on Clayton Lane in the Windsor Park neighborhood, tucked between the Mueller development and Cameron Road. The Walk Score is 66, which means you can handle some errands on foot but you’ll still need a car for most things.

Groceries: El Rancho Supermercado is about 0.8 miles south on Cameron Road. Sprouts Farmers Market is 1.1 miles away near Airport Boulevard. H-E-B on East 51st Street is roughly 1.5 miles west.

Mueller is walking distance. Thinkery children’s museum, Mueller Lake Park, a handful of restaurants and shops. Bartholomew District Park is less than a mile south with a pool, splash pad, disc golf, picnic areas, and basketball courts.

One detail most listing sites skip: Timbers has a free after school program on site through the Cesar Chavez Foundation. That’s a real benefit if you have school age kids.

Public transit is limited. The Transit Score is 46. CapMetro buses run along Cameron Road, but they don’t come that often outside rush hour.

Commute Math

I-35 is about a mile west. US-290 runs along the northern edge of the neighborhood. You’ve got highway access from both, but I-35 through central Austin is notoriously slow during rush hour.

Neighborhood Vibe

Windsor Park is quiet. Mostly residential. Single family homes from the 1950s and 1960s mixed with older apartment communities. It’s not trendy, and there’s no walkable bar scene or boutique shopping. What you get instead is easy access to Mueller’s newer retail and green space without Mueller pricing.

Cameron Road has gotten some investment lately. Newer apartment construction is going up nearby. But it’s still a working class corridor. If you want East Austin character and walkability, that’s 78702 territory. If you’re looking closer to UT or North Loop, check out our Central Austin apartments guide. Windsor Park is for people who want to be near all of that without paying for it.

Pricing and True Cost

Floor Plans

*No active concessions. Tax credit rents are already set below market rate. Base rent = what you pay.

Why There’s No Net Effective Rent Calculation Here

Most of my reviews include a net effective rent breakdown because most Austin apartments are running move in specials right now. Timbers isn’t. Tax credit properties don’t compete the same way regular apartments do. The program caps what they can charge, and rents here are already $200 to $500 below what comparable units go for in this area. The “special” is the rent itself.

For comparison: two bedrooms within a mile of Timbers at regular properties run $1,500 to $2,200 at places like Bridge at Windsor Park, Highgrove, and Ella Parkside. A three bedroom at those communities can easily hit $2,000 to $2,500. Timbers’ three bedroom at $1,585 undercuts those by $400 to $900 per month.

All the Fees

The $21.50 application fee is one of the lowest in Austin. Most properties charge $50 to $75 per person. Applying with a second adult? They only pay $16. And the $0 admin fee is genuinely unusual. Admin fees at Austin apartments typically run $150 to $300, so $0 here really stands out.

True Monthly Cost Example

Here’s what a realistic month actually looks like for a two bedroom with one pet:

Trash, water, and sewer are included in your rent. That’s another $50 to $80 per month you’re not paying out of pocket.

Want to know what’s actually available right now?

I talk to leasing offices every week. Fill out the form and I’ll check what’s available, whether your income fits the program, and if there’s a waitlist. No cost, no pressure.

Get Help Now →

Screening Criteria

Income Requirements

Timbers uses a 2x income requirement. That’s lower than the 3x standard at most Austin apartments. Here’s what that looks like in real numbers:

At 2x rent, someone earning $15.29 an hour can qualify for a two bedroom here. At a standard 3x property, you’d need $22.93 an hour for the same rent. That’s a big deal for renters who keep getting denied elsewhere.

But here’s the part that trips people up: because this is a tax credit property, there’s also a maximum income limit. Your household income has to come in under a cap based on how many people are in your household. If you make too much, you can’t live here regardless of everything else.

Here are the current limits:

Which limit applies depends on the unit. Some are set at the 60% level, some at 50%. Call the office at (512) 459-1038 to find out which cap applies to what’s available.

Credit Expectations

Timbers doesn’t publish a minimum credit score. That’s common for tax credit properties run by nonprofits. In my experience, these communities care more about proving your income and checking your rental history than your credit score. That said, pull your credit report before applying so you know what the screening will show.

If you have credit concerns, the second chance apartments in Austin guide covers which properties work with different credit tiers and what your options look like.

What Likely Gets You Denied

Let me be direct about what usually gets people denied at tax credit properties like Timbers:

• Income above the LIHTC maximum for your household size
• Income below the 2x minimum (you need both: under the cap AND above 2x rent)
• Falsified income documentation (tax credit properties get audited on this stuff, and they take it seriously)
• Outstanding property debt from a previous landlord (almost every property in Austin will decline you for this)
• Recent eviction with judgment (how far back they look varies; ask the office directly)

Because Timbers doesn’t publish detailed screening criteria, I’d call the leasing office at (512) 459-1038 and ask what they’re looking for before paying the application fee. If you want to know more about your rights as a renter in Texas, the Austin Tenants Council is a solid resource.

The Application Process

1. Contact the office or apply through their site to check income eligibility first
2. Complete the application ($21.50 first applicant, $16 each additional)
3. Provide income documentation (tax credit properties need more proof than most)
4. Wait for screening results and income verification to come back
5. Sign a 12 month minimum lease

Why working with a locator helps here

Here’s what I can do at Timbers specifically: I can check your income against current LIHTC limits before you apply. I’ll tell you whether the 2x requirement works for your situation. And if Timbers doesn’t pan out, I know which other affordable and income restricted communities in East Austin have availability right now. My service is free. The community pays a referral fee from their marketing budget.

Resident Reviews Decoded

I searched every review platform I could find: Google, ApartmentRatings, Yelp, Birdeye, Apartments.com, ApartmentList, ForRent, Facebook. Here’s the full picture.

Google has 54 reviews at 4.0 stars. ApartmentRatings has 8 at 2.5 stars, all from 2012 to 2014. Everything else? Zero. For a 104 unit property that’s been around since 1998, about 62 total reviews across nearly three decades is thin. Hard to spot reliable patterns from that.

Review Pattern Analysis

What Residents Praise

Office staff get called out by name in the recent Google reviews. Roberto and Monica keep getting mentioned. Helpful, patient, willing to work with you. Shalanne Thomas said the office team “consistently gone the extra mile” for her and her son. Frank Lhrgs gave Roberto a shout out for being “helpful and patient.”

Loretta Buster lived here over eight years. Eight years. You don’t stay that long at an apartment unless something is working, especially an affordable one. She called the maintenance team “AWESOME” and said the property accepts vouchers and works with people no matter their situation.

On ApartmentRatings, a five year resident talked about how big the units are. Huge apartments, gas stoves, washer/dryer connections, big balconies. Another called it “one of the best apartments I’ve stayed in” and said it was “very quiet” with “excellent management.” Lisa and Ms. Mendez got specific shout outs.

What Residents Criticize

Those ApartmentRatings reviews from 2012 to 2014? Rough. Noise, drugs on site, roach complaints, and a manager described in harsh terms. One five year resident wrote that they’d “seen many managers, many changes and amenities giveth then taken away.” A dozen managers in five years. That kind of churn creates real problems. The same reviewer said a manager named Beverly finally turned things around.

Recent Google complaints look different. Trash not being collected. A dead raccoon left on the grounds for weeks. Repairs in apartments that never got done. Speed bumps that damage vehicles. One person called the manager “very dramatic” about enforcing rules. This is grounds and upkeep stuff, not the kind of serious problems people were writing about ten years ago.

Residents want a fitness center, card payment for laundry, online rent payment, and community events. You’d get that stuff at a newer place charging full price. At a 1998 tax credit property, those aren’t on the menu.

Management Response

Management doesn’t respond to Google reviews. That’s common at smaller properties and places run by nonprofits, but it’s worth knowing. ApartmentRatings? Same thing. When a property takes the time to respond publicly, it tells you they care about fixing problems. Timbers doesn’t do that on any platform.

The Uncomfortable Truth

No listing site will write this section. I’m not trying to kill the deal. I just want you to know what you’re signing up for.

You Might Not Qualify Even With Perfect Credit

This is the biggest thing listing sites gloss over. Tax credit properties don’t just have income minimums. They have income maximums. A single person earning over $49,080 (at the 60% AMI tier) gets denied no matter how clean their record is. A household of four earning over $70,080 is out. That’s the trade off for below market rent. The income window can be narrow: too little and you can’t prove 2x rent, too much and you’re over the limit. Check with the office before you pay the $21.50 application fee.

The Review Data Is Thin

I’m working with 54 Google reviews and 8 ancient ApartmentRatings reviews. For a 104 unit community that’s been around since 1998, that’s not much. At 90% occupancy, roughly 94 households live here. Only 54 have left a Google review in the property’s entire history. That silence isn’t necessarily bad. But it means I can’t tell you whether the trash issues are a one off or a pattern.

Weekend and Evening Access Is Limited

The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM. Weekends? Closed. If you work a standard weekday schedule, touring or handling leasing issues means taking time off. And if you have a maintenance issue Saturday night, you’re dealing with whatever after hours process they have. Common at smaller affordable properties. Still a real inconvenience if you’ve lived at communities with weekend hours.

Ready to move forward, or want to look at alternatives?

You’ve seen the full picture. If Timbers works for your situation, I can help you move fast. If it doesn’t, I know which other affordable properties in East Austin and across the city have availability right now.

Get Help Now →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Timbers Apartments income restricted?

Yes. Timbers is a Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) property. There’s an income cap based on what people earn in Travis County. For a single person, that’s $49,080 at the 60% AMI level. For a household of four, it’s $70,080. Call (512) 459-1038 to find out which limit applies to the unit you want.

What is the income requirement at Timbers?

You need 2x monthly rent in gross household income, which is lower than the standard 3x at most Austin apartments. For the two bedroom at $1,325, that’s $2,650 per month or about $31,800 per year.

Does Timbers accept housing vouchers?

They do. Multiple residents have confirmed it. Loretta Buster, who lived there eight years, specifically said they take vouchers in her review.

Does Timbers allow pets?

Two pets max. No weight limit. No breed restrictions. Pet deposit is $300 with a $150 to $300 non-refundable fee, and monthly pet rent is $0. Pets need to be spayed or neutered, and the property does a pet interview.

What utilities are included in rent?

Trash, water, and sewer are covered. You’re on the hook for electricity, internet, and gas. Gas appliances in the units can help keep electric bills lower than all electric buildings.

Does Timbers have in unit washer and dryer?

Not in unit, no. But every unit has full size washer and dryer connections, so you can bring or rent your own machines. Laundry rooms on site are an option too.

Is there parking at Timbers?

Free surface lot parking. No covered or garage spots available.

What school district serves Timbers Apartments?

Austin ISD. You’re zoned for Harris Elementary (GreatSchools 3/10), Webb Middle (2/10), and Austin High (7/10). The elementary and middle schools rate low, but Austin High is a 7 out of 10, which is solid. Reagan High is actually closer at 0.8 miles, but the locator database shows Austin High as the zoned school. Worth checking with Austin ISD if schools matter to you.

The Bottom Line: Is Timbers Apartments Worth It?

Timbers puts a two bedroom at $1,325 in East Austin. Comparable units nearby start $200 to $500 higher. The 2x income requirement means more renters can actually qualify. The pet policy? Among the most relaxed in the city. Zero monthly pet rent, no weight limits, no breed restrictions. And the Cesar Chavez Foundation running things means the property isn’t built around squeezing rent increases out of you at renewal.

The trade off is real, though. This is income restricted housing. Your household income has to land in a specific window. The building is from 1998, and it looks like it. No studios, no one bedrooms. Limited review data. And the office is closed on weekends.

Timbers makes sense if:

• Your household income qualifies under the LIHTC cap for Travis County
• You need a two bedroom or larger at below market rent
• You have pets, especially large dogs or restricted breeds
• You value an affordable, quiet location near Mueller without Mueller pricing

Timbers doesn’t make sense if:

• Your income is over the LIHTC maximum
• You need a studio or one bedroom
• You want modern construction with updated finishes
• You need office hours on weekends

If you need affordable housing in East Austin and your income qualifies, Timbers is one of the better options out there. The math works. The pet policy is rare. The fees are almost nonexistent. Just make sure you can actually qualify before you spend time applying.

Our new apartments being built in Austin guide covers what’s happening with affordable housing across the city if you want the bigger picture.

Need Help?

You’ve got everything you need to decide on Timbers. But if you want someone in your corner:

Fill out the form and I’ll text you. We can go over whether you qualify, what’s available, and what comes next. You’ll talk to me directly. Not an AI phone system.

Going solo? 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.