# What Is a Build-to-Rent Home? How Leasing Works > Build-to-rent homes are new detached homes or townhomes leased like apartments. Yard care, fees, and specials explained. URL: https://newapartmentsaustin.com/guides/what-is-build-to-rent/ Last-Modified: 2026-10-25 Guide · Build-to-Rent # What Is a Build-to-Rent Home? Build-to-rent homes are new detached homes or townhomes leased like apartments. How leasing works, who maintains the yard, fees, and specials. Written by New Austin Apartment Team [/about/#new-austin-apartment-team →](/about/#new-austin-apartment-team) · Reviewed by the team, Spirit Real Estate Group, LLC · Updated October 25, 2026 · 4 min read - Free to you, and your rent is the same either way - 144 new communities tracked (as of Oct 25, 2026) - Prices pulled every morning ![Row of new build-to-rent homes with small yards in a Central Texas community](/images/featured/row-of-new-limestone-and-sage-build-to-rent-homes-.webp) - Licensed Texas brokerage Spirit Real Estate Group, LLC, TREC #562021 - Free to renters Communities pay the brokerage. Your rent is the same either way. - Prices pulled every morning Every card shows the date and time it was pulled - Score can't be bought Commission rates never affect score, sort, placement, or picks ## What is a build-to-rent home? A build-to-rent (BTR) home is a new detached house or townhome built to be leased, not sold. Whole neighborhoods are designed this way and run by a management company, with a leasing office, a maintenance team, and a standard lease. You get a private front door, often a yard and a garage, and the services of an apartment community. We price build-to-rent homes around Austin [/build-to-rent-homes/ →](/build-to-rent-homes/) the same way as apartments: net effective plus required fees, electric, and water. ## Common formats | Format | What it is | Typical features | | --- | --- | --- | | Detached single-family rental | A standalone house | Private yard, attached garage, 2-4 bedrooms | | Townhome | Attached homes sharing walls | Small yard or patio, garage or carport | | Cottage or duplex | Smaller detached or paired homes | Compact yard, single-story options | Many BTR communities sit on the edges of the metro, in places like Hutto, Georgetown, and the Leander ISD area, where land allows yards. ![Attached garage and fenced yard of a new build-to-rent home](/images/content/attached-garage-and-fenced-yard-of-a-new-build-to-.webp) ## How leasing works Leasing is much like an apartment: you apply through the community, meet its income and screening criteria (often about 3x the rent), and sign a Texas lease with addenda. New BTR communities lease up like new apartment buildings, so many offer move-in specials while they fill. > **What it means for you** > > Decode a BTR special the same way: net effective, true monthly with fees, and year two at 0% and +3%. ## Who maintains the yard? This is the question to ask first. Options: - **Yard care included** in a required monthly fee - **Front yard maintained**, back yard yours - **Resident maintains** the whole yard, sometimes with irrigation rules Each changes your monthly cost and your time. ## Fees you may see - Yard maintenance fee - HOA-style community fee for common areas or a pool - Trash and recycling - Smart home package - Pet rent per pet Many BTR homes have a separate water bill and a larger electric load than an apartment. Utilities depend on the address; outer-ring communities are often in Pedernales Electric Cooperative or Bluebonnet territory. We’ll help you set it up before move-in. ## Is build-to-rent right for you? It tends to fit if you want a yard for pets, a garage, or more bedrooms. If you have a dog, our guide to renting with pets [/guides/renting-new-apartment-with-pets/ →](/guides/renting-new-apartment-with-pets/) covers pet rent and rules. If you’re weighing a BTR home against a new apartment, our build-to-rent vs. apartment [/guides/build-to-rent-vs-apartment/ →](/guides/build-to-rent-vs-apartment/) guide puts the two on the same true-monthly basis. Learn more about Build-to-Rent New detached homes and townhomes leased like apartments, priced the same way: net effective plus required fees, electric, and water. Open Build-to-Rent [/build-to-rent-homes/ →](/build-to-rent-homes/) Why it goes wrong ## Why a rental home's monthly number runs higher than the listing Problem 1 ### Yard care isn't always included Some communities include lawn care in a required fee; others leave mowing and irrigation to you. Both change the monthly number. Problem 2 ### Utilities bill differently A house often has its own water bill and a larger electric load. Pedernales or Bluebonnet may serve the address instead of Austin Energy. Problem 3 ### Community fees stack up HOA-style community fees, trash, and amenity charges can sit outside base rent, just like apartment fees. So we price every build-to-rent home on true monthly, with yard care and utilities itemized before you tour. Straight answers ## Questions about this topic Direct answer first, then the source and date. If your question isn't here, ask us on the form or by text. ### Do build-to-rent homes offer move-in specials? Many do during lease-up. We decode them to net effective and year two the same way we do for apartments. ### Who mows the yard? It varies. Some communities include yard care in a required fee; others leave it to the resident. We confirm before you tour. ### Is a build-to-rent home the same as renting a house from an owner? No. A build-to-rent community is professionally managed like an apartment community, with a leasing office, maintenance team, and standard lease. ### Can you guarantee a price or approval? No. The community sets both. Keep reading ## More guides on this topic ![New build-to-rent townhome and a new mid-rise apartment building](/images/featured/new-build-to-rent-townhome-and-a-new-mid-rise-apar.webp) ### Build-to-Rent Home vs. New Apartment: How to Decide Compare true monthly side by side, plus space, garage, and yard against amenities, utilities, and commute. [Build-to-Rent Home vs. New Apartment: How to Decide →](/guides/build-to-rent-vs-apartment/) ![Dog resting on a new oak floor near floor-to-ceiling windows](/images/featured/dog-resting-on-a-new-oak-floor-near-floor-to-ceili.webp) ### Renting a New Apartment With Pets: Fees, Rent, and Rules Pet deposit vs. pet fee vs. monthly pet rent, breed and weight rules, and how pet rent changes true monthly at new Austin buildings. [Renting a New Apartment With Pets: Fees, Rent, and Rules →](/guides/renting-new-apartment-with-pets/) The 60-second form ## Tell us what you need. We make the calls. You don't have time to call 20 leasing offices. We do, and confirm the unit, the special, and the written fee sheet the same day during hours. 1. 1 Same day We call or text during hours with a shortlist plan. 2. 2 In writing Unit, special, end date, and fee sheet confirmed before you tour. 3. 3 Year two shown Every pick shows year two at 0% and +3%, plus a 24-month total. Prefer to talk? Call or text 512-000-000 [tel:+1512000000 →](tel:+1512000000) , Mon-Fri 8 AM-8 PM · Sat 9 AM-6 PM · Sun 12-5 PM. Free, same day during hours ## Get my shortlist Step 1 of 3 ### Thanks, we have your details. We'll call or text the same day during hours with your shortlist plan. Related pages ## Related board views Board view ### Build-to-Rent New detached and townhome rental communities, priced on the same true-monthly basis as every apartment on the board. Open Build-to-Rent→ [/build-to-rent-homes/ →](/build-to-rent-homes/) Board view ### New Build Board Every in-scope community on one map, with base rent, the special, net effective, true monthly, and year two pulled every morning. Open New Build Board→ [/new-construction-apartments/ →](/new-construction-apartments/) Board view ### Lease-Ups Buildings already open and filling, sorted by stage and fill estimate, with what's finished and what the special does to your monthly cost. Open Lease-Ups→ [/lease-up-apartments/ →](/lease-up-apartments/) ![](/images/misc/dusk-view-of-new-limestone-and-glass-apartment-tow.webp) Free to you, and your rent is the same either way ## You don't have time to call 20 leasing offices. We do. Send us your move date and all-in budget. We confirm the unit, the special, and the written fee sheet the same day during hours, then show you year two before you tour. Get my shortlist → [/contact/ →](/contact/) See the New Build Board [/new-construction-apartments/ →](/new-construction-apartments/) Call or text 512-000-000 [tel:+1512000000 →](tel:+1512000000) We don't guarantee pricing or approval. The community sets both, and we confirm them before you sign.