If you are interested in renting at Stanford Villa, think twice before doing so.

These are the issues you will face:
1. Excessive power outages that last for hours. During the four months I have lived in this apartment, I have dealt with two electricity outages that have lasted over 6 hours each time. These two incidents occurred at night and it was a safety hazard as there were no emergency safety lights in the corridor. You would have to walk down the stairs in the dark. If you want to live here, make sure you buy a torch for such purposes. I suspect that these outages occurred due to overpopulation of the apartment. Most two bedroom apartments are occupied by four to six people.

2. Untimely repairs. We submitted a repair request for three times and the mechanic finally came after three months.

3. Disrespectful apartment managers. Needless for me to say, this is a common complaint among a lot of tenants. Managers often do not pick up the phone or return phone calls. They do not provide timely or courteous service. You also have to pick up your bulk packages in the manager's office. However, a lot of times, they do not have enough people on staff and you will not be able to reach them. Refer to the other reviews.

4. Noise. This place is very noisy because a lot of the renters are families with children. So you will be hearing a lot of crying babies and children playing the piano/violin on an early weekend morning. Also, CalTrain can be heard loud and clear. It's not fun when it's 3a.m. and you're trying to get some sleep before an exam.

5. Overly heated apartment. This apartment traps heat in the summer! And if you don't want to suffocate you would need to buy an A/C and have a hike in electric bills. A lot of times it was cool outside yet the interior of the apartment feels like a furnace. I assure you that you will not want to stay in the apartment during the summer months.

6. Lack of windows. If you are someone who needs a lot of light in your rooms, then this is not the place for you. The windows in this apartment are very tiny and you will not want to open them because you will hear CalTrain in the a.m.

7. Disrupted sleep. CalTrain can be an annoyance at 3am at night.

If you are a Stanford student looking for an apartment, this really isn't the place to be. Stanford pulled out its contract with Stanford Villa FOR A REASON. It's better to live in couple's housing or Stanford dormitories. There are also much better apartments subsidized by Stanford in the area.

We were first attracted by the cheap rents ($1400 for a two bedroom) Who can beat that in Palo Alto' But hesitate before doing so. There are lot of problems you will have to face once you sign the lease. I just don't want people to regret like I did and have to end the lease early. I really think that if you really want to consider this place, try a 6 month or short term lease before you make a longer term commitment.

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