Note that this complex has been under new management for the last few years, which completed significant renovations and rebranded it "914 MVA Apartments".
I consider myself very fortunate to have snagged a 1-bedroom apartment here when I moved to the Bay Area, and I happily lived here for three years until I left the state.
PROS:
* The key benefit is the on-site manager, Mike, who is the friendliest, most helpful and flexible building manager I have yet encountered. The one time I had an urgent maintenance issue (water flowing up out of the shower drain in the middle of the night), Mike did an emergency workaround immediately and had the underlying issues fixed within two days.
* My few interactions with Ralston Management Group were perfectly pleasant. After I moved out, I requested and the leasing manager (Keith) was kind enough to provide me with a landlord reference letter that some rental applications require.
* The apartments are in great shape, with all fixtures installed new in the last few years.
* The downstairs backyards and upstairs balconies seem to be very popular. I didn't end up using my backyard as much as I'd hoped, but most of the neighbors seemed to use theirs.
* The rent was very reasonable for such a well-maintained complex. Also, the complex is subject to Mountain View's rent stabilization rules, so the maximum annual increase is 2-3%.
* The best electrical system I've ever seen in an apartment. Every room is on a separate circuit, and the kitchen has separate circuits for the microwave, the hood extractor, the refrigerator, the garbage disposal, and the other free outlets. You're never going to trip the circuit breaker or accidentally shut off your fridge by running multiple appliances at once.
* The kitchen has a huge amount of counter and cabinet space. And the hood extractor above the stove actually vents to the outside rather than to the ceiling (though note that the duct connects to the apartment above/below, so if your neighbor is cooking, you might also want to turn on your hood fan or the odors will follow the pressure gradient into your kitchen).
* The downstairs apartments stay quite cool during the day, usually at least 10°F cooler than the outside.
* The on-site laundry room, with per-apartment lockers for laundry supplies, is very convenient. There are three washers and three dryers, which were functioning the entire time I lived in the complex. Use of the laundry machines is included in the rent.
* The neighbors are generally quiet and considerate. (One new arrival took a couple of weeks to figure out that the sliding closet door can be closed without slamming it into the bedroom wall, but they got there eventually :)
* The neighborhood as a whole is calm and quiet. You don't hear traffic noise from El Camino Real a few blocks away (and the indoor air quality was great, too). One block south of the complex is a neighborhood of single-family homes, which is great for taking walks any time of day. Castro Street and the El Monte shopping center are within walking distance.
* The little courtyard in the middle looks charming in the morning after sunrise and in the evening when it's lit up by the decorative lights. I hope it survives the drought that's currently starting.
CONS:
* Except for a few of the upstairs units, there is no built-in air conditioning, and no convenient way to install air conditioners. Window units are not permitted, and all the windows slide horizontally, so even portable air conditioners' hoses are a pain to attach and insulate.
* The floor-almost-to-ceiling windows in the living room are not double-paned, and the sliding door's rail leaks a lot of air.
* Because of the above, it's very difficult to maintain adequate air quality during wildfire months.
* The heating is forced-air (unfortunately standard for the area), which is disruptively loud. Because of the leaky insulation, it stays on a lot during the winter.
* The bathroom sink and toilet are very low-flow. In the sink, this actually caused occasional problems with drain flies, which I had to clear out by pouring a pot of boiling water down the drain.
* The groundskeeping contractors come by with their leaf blowers a bit too frequently -- lots of noise and exhaust.
* There is some package theft, so you have to keep track of your delivery notifications and take your packages immediately. (If you know you'll be away, Mike is kind enough to offer to put your packages inside your apartment if you ask.)
* USPS and FedEx frequently confuse 914 Mountain View Ave with No. 918 next door or with 914 Rich Ave half a mile away, so you might occasionally have to exchange deliveries. This isn't the complex's fault, but worth being aware of. read more