Review History for anonymous

San Mateo Apartments


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anonymous

Resident 2010 - 2011

10/12/2011

Things are mostly as they appear when they show you the unit and grounds, so I won't dwell on those, other than to say that the location is great in terms of there being a lot of useful stores within easy walking distance. A few items that may not be apparent from the tour: 1. The units do not have good insulation for noise. You can usually hear what is going on in adjacent units even when the other tenants aren't being loud (the guy learning to play guitar wasn't ideal, but you may have a greater tolerance for the Monkees' "I'm a Believer" than I). The most bothersome noise was that of the HVAC system. I could hear the fan spin up when the AC or heat would come on in nearby units, especially at night. Windows looked old and were single-paned. 2. Parking is inadequate. I don't have a car, so my metric for this is how often I need to chase people out of my assigned space. I needed to do that frequently there, usually once or twice a month, and usually a different car each time. 3. Garages are narrow. I had a carport, but if you look in an open garage with a car parked inside it is quite clear that there is not a lot of space to get out of your car. One of my co-workers lived there and had a garage, and she banged up her door a bit getting in and out. 4. Power, water, and sewer are the basic utilities you have to pay. Heat and trash are included in the rent. Water and sewer are billed by a third party (NWP), and run at least $25 for even minimal usage (as is usual for these kinds of companies). My power bill was $25-$30 a month, but I was in a studio, and used the AC infrequently. Complex is in the Cox Cable service area and served by AT&T for landlines. Cable internet speeds seemed fine. Available DSL speeds were poor. 5. Construction is a bit suspect. I was on the second floor, and every time one of my neighbors' door slammed shut, I could feel the floor in my unit kick up slightly (this was verified by a guest). The window screens were bent, and the front door's rain drip plate would sometimes catch on the threshold. The walls have seen too many coats of paint and the circuit breaker panel's latch was painted shut. I think there was a problem with the kitchen ventilation system in the unit below as I would sometimes get very strong cooking odors in my kitchen when I wasn't cooking (mmmmm...pancakes...). 6. I was surprised by some of the things I saw in the laundry room (the sunflower seeds in the washing machine being a middling example), but I can't say I've used the laundry rooms in enough different complexes to be a fair judge as to the habits of these tenants versus those at other complexes. Only the studios did not have a W/D in-unit, so this may not apply to you. 7. Leasing office staff seemed as friendly and responsive to existing tenants as they did towards prospective tenants. I never had a problem with them, but I usually don't--I'm a very low-maintenance tenant generally. After moving out, I was charged about $150 in cleaning fees. I'm usually very good at avoiding those (last three apartments: $0, $0, $30), so that surprised me. Part of that was a pro-rated painting cost that seemed entirely uncalled for. I requested a move-out inspection but did not receive one (next time, I will make my request in writing and have a representative sign an acknowledgement). Overall, I find this complex hard to recommend. Even if I didn't want to move due to my office moving, I would have most likely looked seriously at other complexes in the area when my lease was up. The experience there wasn't terrible, but the cleaning fees at move-out have pushed me from neutral to not recommended.

    Review 3 out of 26

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    San Mateo Apartments

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