The Grand Apartamentos

I recently moved into the Grand as a transfer from another Essex Apartment. It was really confusing time because I had to move suddenly due to plumbing issues in my previous apartment, at another site. Aa'Jahlee was so wonderful and helped me with grace and understanding, and I know my nerves were bad, so I applaud her. Since I've been here, the experience has been wonderful and the location is the BEST!!!.

I'll start off with the main reason I'm writing this review, which is that Essex/ The Grand have RAISED our rent during covid when the rest of the market has gone down by a significant amount.

We were told upon deciding on The Grand as our home that the lease would go month to month at the end of one year which was a plus. To go month to month, we will now be required to pay around $300 extra per month, while:

- The same exact unit, 8 floors higher, is currently on the website for below what... we pay now.

- I have not been able to use one single amenity for most of the year we've been here.

The apartments are overall Fine as you would expect for price and location. The carpeting is a huge negative, and the worst thing about the apartment is the low quality vertical blinds throughout. Even being extremely careful we have had 1-2 fall down every month or so which cannot be fixed without a maintenance request.

In terms of staffing, the maintenance folks are great, but I don't think I've ever gotten a single "hello" from the front desk. It took proactive action on my part to figure out pricing logistics for moving a pet in, and to get a storage unit took 3 months when we were told on the initial tour that one would be immediately available.

With current market rates and availability, if I were looking in the same area now would absolutely go elsewhere. Lee mas

I'll start off with the main reason I'm writing this review, which is that Essex/ The Grand have RAISED our rent during covid when the rest of the market has gone down by a significant amount.

We were told upon deciding on The Grand as our home that the lease would go month to month at the end of one year which was a plus. To go month to month, we will now be required to pay around $300 extra per month, while:

- The same exact unit, 8 floors higher, is currently on the website for below what... we pay now.

- I have not been able to use one single amenity for most of the year we've been here.

The apartments are overall Fine as you would expect for price and location. The carpeting is a huge negative, and the worst thing about the apartment is the low quality vertical blinds throughout. Even being extremely careful we have had 1-2 fall down every month or so which cannot be fixed without a maintenance request.

In terms of staffing, the maintenance folks are great, but I don't think I've ever gotten a single "hello" from the front desk. It took proactive action on my part to figure out pricing logistics for moving a pet in, and to get a storage unit took 3+ months when we were told on the initial tour that one would be immediately available.

With current market rates and availability, if I were looking in the same area now would absolutely go elsewhere. Lee mas

I've lived at the Grand for several years & have mostly good things to say, but there are some negatives too. Pros: 1. Location - Lake Merritt, BART & several Zipcar sites are all a 5-10 minute walk away, the free Broadway shuttle stops across the street, First Friday is 2 blocks away, & there are a number of restaurants/bars and Whole Foods within a few minutes walk. 2. Management: All of the staff on the management/leasing team are really friendly. Some of the security staff are friendlier... than others, but always helpful. Management tries to do some extras for residents, like offering free carpet washing if you renew your lease early & scheduling social events for residents several times a year (Halloween costume party, Christmas/Holiday party, summer BBQ, etc, with free food & drinks), 3. Amenities: 24/7 front desk security (except when they're doing security checks/rounds or on a break), they accept packages, assist guests access the elevators, etc; a pretty nice gym & a hot tub; a party room you can rent for a private event; outdoor space on the 6th & 16th floors; parking (with an extra monthly fee) & bike storage (which is new); 4. Pet friendly: I don't know if they still charge a pet deposit & pet fee, but many residents have pets; 5. Updated interiors: Though they don't upgrade anything in your apartment until you've lived in it for 5 years, everything is relatively new(ish) and the counters/fixtures, etc look pretty good; floorplans are also really great and having an in-unit washer/dryer combo is pretty fabulous. Cons: 1. Price - this is definitely my biggest issue with this place, rent increases 10% each year and they start out pretty high (if I moved out tomorrow from my 1-br unit, they would lease it out at about $1500 over my current rent); 2. Location - a pro & a con, depending on which direction your apartment faces; Southwest-facing apartments will get late afternoon sun (making it warm in your apartment) and will get a fair amount of noise early in the AM & late night: trash truck, recycling truck, street sweeping, bar crowd & music from bars on Grand & Broadway (including annoying cars that rev their engines & play their music very loudly at 2am after the bars are closing); 3. Maintenance - not sure if you have to ask or they don't do it, but they don't offer to do any preventative work like cleaning heating air ducts or dryer vents deep in the wall (air quality & safety?). In closing, if you can afford it, pretty good overall. Lee mas

I have lived at The Grand in a 1BR apartment for the past 4 years and couldn't have asked for a better experience. The apartment is spacious and modern and boasts unrivaled amenities on the 6th floor. The in-unit washer and dryer is great and all of the appliances are very energy efficient and durable. I just re-signed for another year at The Grand!