Silver

I loved this property when I moved in, but it has continued to decline to an unacceptable level.
Since Essex has taken over everything has been made worse for the residents. They removed the onsite leasing office and never answer the phone or return calls. If they create an issue with their poor communication or planning you will have to deal with it because they wont respond until 3 days after the event. Calls never get returned and every email starts with "Apologies for the delay".
They… don't abide by the terms of your lease, provide any support, or take any action to improve your experience while significantly increasing the fees.
Unless you live on the top floor to avoid the constant noise of neighbors, never have packages delivered that can be stolen/denied delivery because there is no longer a leasing office, and are ok having terrible management that will only make your experience worse, I would suggest picking a different building.
This building used to be great. Such a shame Essex is so terrible. Read More

When I lived here I payed money every month to have my car kept behind a gate with security on the premise. Someone broke into my car and the security guards caught her in progress, and the security team notifies the front office. Thank you security team.

Then the front office doesn't do anything. They don't even let me know. My car sits with it's window broken out and the contents of the glove compartment everywhere for 3 days before I find out when I next planned to drive. The front office… lady told me she didn't notify me because she thought the security guard was emailing her about one of the several other cars in the "secure" garage that had also been broken into that same week. She then implies it's my fault because I don't drive often enough.

Also the rent is high and it's in a bad neighborhood. Read More

To Mari & the on-site staff, thank you for all the help you have provided! To the corporate management, this review is for you.

1. Urine smell in elevators. There are 3 of them, and each has a varying degree of urine smell. For a few months it was tolerable, but once the season warmed up it literally became intolerable. I complained enough that the carpets inside the elevators were changed, but the urine smell didn't fully resolve.

2. No grace period on the lease. Previous corporate chain… apartment complexes I've experienced allowed tenants a short grace period to decide if the unit was a good fit or not; if it wasn't, then they would prioritize finding out another unit that did OR they would potentially let you out of their lease. My unit was around 25% larger in raw square footage than my previous one, but due to the layout I actually has much less living space than I thought. Once my furniture and all was moved in after a few days, I disliked the cramped feeling and requested the option of moving into a larger unit. (This was also when MANY units were still available, as construction had recently finished and the units were still being filled). I literally offered to pay more money as I would move into a larger unit, but I was informed that I would not be allowed to relocate until at least half of my lease was up. To top it off, changing units would also forfeit the lease signing bonus--I would owe them ~$3,500 in addition to paying higher rent.

3. No assistance with overnight lock-outs. I worked very late shifts when I first moved in, and one night I found myself outside my unit with my apartment keys left in San Francisco. Based off of previous experiences at other complexes, I called the emergency assistance number with the expectation that I could be let into my room. Instead, I was directed to find a hotel for the night. The following morning management informed me that there is no means to access individual units after business hours. Either someone is lying to me, or they blatantly admitted they have no means to access individual apartments in the event of medical/domestic emergencies.

4. Neighboring complexes have nicer amenities, plain and simple. Had I taken more time to research before I signed my lease (the same-day tour & sign deal enticed me in) I would have moved somewhere else to begin with--and potentially avoided several headaches altogether.

5.Silver will significantly increase the rent to renew your lease. Read More

I loved living at Silver and it feels like a safe haven in the chaos of Bay Area life. It was so convenient to live near the VTA and Caltrain, as well as several good stores and restaurants. The soundproofing in the walls is fantastic (never heard my neighbors), and the gym is pretty next level - it never felt crowded. It is very pet-friendly and next to a bike trail/dog park/soccer field. While the immediate neighborhood is a little weird with a mix of industrial buildings, car dealerships,… vacant lots and construction, the Alameda and Willow Glen are both a short walk away. I often was out at night and did not feel incredibly unsafe -- usually security was around and patrolling when I was walking around. There is the odd weird person but that is city life. The soccer field almost always has practices and games lasting until 9:30 pm with the stadium lights on until 10. From the top floor, you can see the Santa Cruz Mountains in the morning. Gorgeous.

I will truly miss the in-unit laundry, package lockers, responsive management, hot tub, and garage parking. It really is the best of so many worlds for people seeking a cozy retreat in the heart of it all. Read More