Subject title says it all. I wish when I was looking for apartments I had come to this website first. And beware of the overly glowing, positive reviews posted here: they are most likely the employees. A way to tell is that most contain the exact same language that they are conditioned to pitch you on when you first set foot on the property.

I've had the great misfortune of living here the past year and am quite happy to report that I did not re-sign another lease here. I was living in one of their so-called "high-rise flats." There is a laundry list of complaints I could describe, but I would rather point out the major issues in more detail, starting with my encounters with the employees, then billing, and wrapping up with the property.

With the exception of one individual (my leasing agent), I do not know why anyone else was hired. It started with trying to get some information about possibly renting. The initial leasing agent was so inept I had to request someone else. Also, whomever was managing the parking leases at the time was rude, impossible to reach, and even more impossible to get a complete answer from. Also, as far as the leasing office goes (or "resident relations" for that matter), it is rare to get a live person on the phone at any time of the day. Next, the maintenance crew. The laundry card machine in our building was inoperative, so I called maintenance to inform them. Instead of fixing the problem, I was given the number of the machine's company and told to do it myself. Wow. Moving on to "courtesy patrol." This is supposed to be something of the on-site security. The irony of course is that I often feel I need security from them. Forget the "courtesy" element; based on my interactions I have seen mostly apathy and lack of service. And if you haven't run into them yet, just wait for them to be speeding around the neighborhood or in the parking garages, banging up the vehicles provided by Parkmerced, that (guess what) a portion of your rent goes towards maintaining.

Speaking of rent, be sure to follow your statements closely. On multiple occasions I have had phantom additions included in my charges. While rent is consider on market for SF, given the location and property condition, rent should be lower than what they charge. I was also unpleasantly surprised by the cost of the utilities. While electricity is individually metered, water and garbage are prorated based on number of rooms in your apartment, not number of people. I've had water and garbage for a full-size house cost less than what I got charged here for a small, single-bedroom apartment.

And now the property itself. The past year they have been painting and re-painting everything. Much like an impressionist painting, the buildings look good from a distance but up close it's a mess, and moreover its just a facade for what in the buildings. The interiors, well, smell. Constant odors reflecting possible mold and mildew infections. Elevators break down somewhat regularly. Curious stains in the carpeting. Be aware as well, despite the, um, best efforts of the courtesy patrol, break-ins and burglaries are a fact of life here, both for apartments and cars.

Again, this is the short list from my experience. By all means, take the tour, see the rehabbed units and judge for yourself. And I take full blame for having put myself in this position in the first place and not doing my homework more thoroughly. Live and learn.

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