Renaissance Villas
1627 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94703
(510) 849-3618  WEBSITE save favorite
AVERAGE RATING
recommended by:
25%

overall rating:
2.3
2.6
2.62 Parking:
3.0
3.0 Maintenance:
2.5
2.46 Construction:
2.2
2.23 Noise:
2.8
2.77 Grounds:
2.5
2.54 Safety:
2.2
2.15 Office Staff:
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Don't be fooled by good looks!

From: -Anonymous-
Date posted: 4/9/2002
Years at this apartment: 1999 - 2000
 
My wife and I moved into this complex because it looked so nice and the manager told us it was a quite building filled with professionals like us. What we experienced when we moved in was an exceptionally noisy, raucous, inconsiderate community full of party animals who made ridiculous amounts of noise all night long. The building looks new and modern, but the workmanship is shoddy and there is no noise insulation. Nothing like lying awake all night hearing the couple above you having noisy sex, while the people below you rattle your dishes with their surround sound home theater.
Many of the tennants would run, shout, and bang their way through the echoing interior halls and slam their doors, which you can hear throughout the whole building no matter what floor they are on. This would go on all night into the early morning hours. We were reduced to wearing earplugs every night in order to sleep and sometimes even they could not block out the horrendous amount of noise.
The garage parking is limited to one space per unit. There are only about six metered spots in front of the building, with meters that run until six pm each night except Sunday. They are usually taken all day long by customers of local businesses and all night by the lucky few tennants who can grab them. If you have two cars, you might as well sell one. Forget ever having company, they won't be able to park anywhere near the building.
The inconsiderate tennants often prop the security door open so that they don't have to be bothered with carrying their keys. This building is in a crummy part of a town that has overall high crime rates! We often came home late at night to find the front door to the street propped open so that anyone could walk right in.
Mail is frequently stolen as well as anything else you don't lock up, chain down, hide away, or keep a constant eye on. Much of the thievery perpetrated by other tennants!
The apartment managers were not particularly responsive, not on the premises all the time, and ultimately kept a large chunk of our deposit because we had to break our lease and leave the building because of the impossible living conditions.

All around the worst living situation we've ever endured.

Recommended: NO
Overall Rating
2 out of 5
Parking:
2 of 5
Maintenance:
2 of 5
Construction: 2 of 5
Noise:
1 of 5
Grounds: 3 of 5
Safety: 2 of 5
Office Staff:
2 of 5
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