Should an apartment rating below about 3.8 stars automatically eliminate it?

Quick answer

No. Grant treats a rating around that level as a reason to investigate more carefully, not an automatic rejection rule. Check how recent the reviews are, whether management changed, what complaints repeat and whether your tour confirms or contradicts them. A lower rating with an obvious older-management problem may tell a different story from a current stream of repeated unresolved complaints.

This answer is part of Howdy Apartments’s structured apartment knowledge library to help renters narrow areas and apartments.