Almaden Plaza Apartments

Cheap but not worth the $$ From: -Anonymous- Date posted: 1/28/2006 Years at this apartment: 1996 - 2003   When I moved into Almaden Plaza Apartments in 1996, management touted the place as being part of desirable Willow Glen, quaint neighborhood and great deal for the money. Scratch the surface and something else becomes visible: cockroach problems, wood was rotting, more concrete than trees, evasive onsite manager, police checking on neighborhood regularly. I spoke with one set of police men getting coffee at the 7-11 corner, asked if this was typical of Willow Glen. They clarified that this complex was not considered part of Willow Glen and that the 7-11 was nicknamed the Ghetto-11 by WG residents because it was associated with some of the ongoing problems. Maintenance was indifferent to the point of alarming. Little problems were okay - toilet or sink backed up, the manager would buy you a plunger to keep to unstop it. He called in the exterminators for the cockroaches. Big things were not so good. Gas leak was ignored despite tenant complaints until PG&E issued warnings and citations, and billed the owner for repairs PG&E made because the manager's 'repairs' did not address the problem. Suspected water leaks [ceiling tiles soggy, falling apart, damp smell] were reported but left untended. While swapping out existing toilets with new water conservation toilets, a county/city agency documented problems with rotten floor boards, confirming what tenants had suspected and reported, and cited suspected leaks. Manager looked and found leak, tried quick fix with sealant, leak persisted. When my toilet started tilting if sat upon, manager had the handy man prop it up with a block of wood and said that there was no need to replace all the boards. To repair holes on the stairs [again, rotten wood], they partially tore up the stairs and then closed them off for over two weeks until they were 'fixed'. People stayed there because they had nowhere else to go. They didn't make waves reporting the problems to the Housing Authorities because they were afraid of retaliation. Those with options left as soon as they could. I haven't been back there in three years, so can't speak for current status. I hope for the tenants' sake that things have improved. Wish I had known of a site like this back in 1996.

Recommended: NO Overall Rating

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