Full Disclaimer - I own property here and have lived at Bayside for over 7 years…read more It makes me sad to see the low reviews - although in some cases, I can definitely see where folks are coming from. The good: - I purchased this condo as a single woman and it was a great stepping stone into home ownership. [I now own a house in Oakland and a house is a LOT more work.] Bayside always made me feel safe ... multiple layers of security (locked doors, gates etc) and that peace of mind is priceless. - Great location (convenient to the freeway) and residents are eligible for the Albany school district (which I hear is very good). Casual carpool is right outside and for many years I commuted to San Francisco via carpool, the AC transit or walked to BART. - Lots of other good things to say - which were important to me as a home buyer, but then this would start to sound like my Craigslist ad! The bad: - The HOA fees are definitely high ($485 a month) - although it does include water, garbage and cable. That's money you can't write off. - Freeway noise - depending on which direction you face, although many of the units closer to the freeway have double pane windows. - Strict HOA rules around number of dogs, weight limit of your pets, and although this never impacted me - I always say posts about pool and hot tub usage. Probably less of an exercise lap pool and more of a pool for kids. The current office manager Paul is the best one I've seen since I've been there (I think that's been 3 different ones). He's certainly the most friendly and helpful. Or maybe he's just nicer to me b/c one time the trash bin got away and crushed my fiance's truck (srsly!) I am renting out my condo now b/c I intend to either move back one day or let my parents move in when they get a bit older - the Pacific East Mall is within walking distance.

URGENT RESIDENT ALERT: HOA Governance & Financial Red Flags…read morePosted by: Concerned Homeowner "I am posting this to protect our community's property values and financial security. Every owner and prospective buyer should be aware of the following documented concerns regarding Bayside Commons: Commercial Activity at a Residential Address: Public records show that a private entity, LCR Property Management LLC, was established approximately 9 months ago using our main condo complex address (535 Pierce St) as its official business headquarters. Using the building's residential address for a private commercial management license is a major red flag for lenders, the City, and the IRS. Coordinated Conflict of Interest: Shortly after this business was established, homeowners were instructed to send HOA checks 'Care Of' (c/o) this private company belonging to the Board President. Under California Civil Code § 5350, board members are strictly prohibited from voting on any contract or matter in which they have a personal financial interest. Treasury and Payment Oversight: The Treasurer, who manages the association's payments and financial records, is reportedly operating without the professional line-item transparency required by California Corporations Code § 7233. By reporting funds only in 'lump sums' and cooperating with the President's private management setup, the Treasurer has removed the checks and balances necessary to protect our reserve funds. Failure of the Full Board: The entire Board has remained silent while these conflicts of interest occur. By failing to insist on a neutral, third-party management firm and an independent Treasurer, the Board is neglecting its fiduciary duty to protect the homeowners. Impact on Your Investment: It is unethical and a conflict of interest for any Board member to use the community's assets or address for a private business. This environment can make the building 'Non-Warrantable,' meaning banks may refuse to provide mortgages to new buyers. This directly lowers the resale value for every owner in the complex. Requirement for our Community: For the protection of all owners, Bayside Commons must return to neutral, third-party management and an independent Treasurer. I encourage all residents to search the California Secretary of State (BizFile) website using our building's address to see these private business filings for themselves. We deserve an honest Board that protects our homes and our money."

Allan Bolte with Albany Hill Realty did an exceptional job selling mom's condo at Gateview…read morerecently. Everything went smoothly and either met or exceeded our expectations. Allan is a fantastic realtor and property manager. His communication and interpersonal skills were excellent. Allan has the highest level of integrity. He gave us great advice during each step of the process. His kindness helped relieve our stress, which made the whole process easier for us. Allan was invaluable during the many years that he managed mom's condo rental at Gateview. We would highly recommend Allan for your real estate needs and are grateful for his many years of loyal service. Specifically, Allan has lots of real estate knowledge; especially, at Gateview. Even during this challenging market, Allan was able to sell the condo in a timely fashion. Thank you Allan for all the help that you gave mom!!

Albany Hill Realty is a very good real estate company. Allan and Cathy helped me to get my unit…read more I would recommend them if you would like to live at Gateview. But I will give you a head's up that Gateview has become severely overcrowded, with all of the inevitable problems associated with that: hot water issues, long waits for washer/dryers and ill will among residents because of that (we can't have our own washer and dryers), horrendous noise problems, dog poop in the hallway, cockroaches, etc. . . what you would expect with severe overcrowding. The take away: If you decide to buy here, Allan and Cathy are the ones to go to. They are very kind and very experienced. But think twice about buying here. It is a very stressful and chaotic place to live.

I have been a tenant of Charles and Cindy since May of 2007 and I have never had such a positive…read morerenting experience. When I first went to rent the apartments I was a student at the University of Illinois and I moved out here due to graduate school at Cal. Cindy and Chuck were the only people who were friendly enough to do all of the renting and showing of the apartments by email and phone. If things would have been different my moving experience would have been much less fantastic. Additionally, they let me ship all of my things to their home before I moved to California -- this saved me so much trouble. Even beyond my initial experience, Cindy and Chuck have constantly proved to be amazing both as landlords and people. They are constantly working on the apartment and surrounding yard and garden to make the place look immaculate. They are friendly, honest and genuine -- hard to find in people, let alone in landlords. The apartments themselves are furnished and well taken care of. ANECDOTE ALERT! In the past, they have made me cookies and pie and dropped them off freshly baked. In fact, one evening, I got a call from Cindy saying she just baked a peach pie for me and she wanted to drop it off while still warm. Much to my chagrin, I was unable to return to my apartment that evening. So, what did she do? She said, "no big deal, we'll bake you another pie tomorrow because we want you to have it hot". Awesome! Needless to say, that pie was eaten in one sitting. Beyond the food, and hard work ethic, I genuinely love living in my apartment and it feels like Cindy and Chuck genuinely care for their tenants and their well being. Sometimes I think about the fact that someday I will move from this apartment and it saddens me a bit -- I know that as far as landlords go, this is absolutely as good as it gets, everything else will pale in comparison.

Hands-down the nicest owners/landlords in the world. Chuck and Cindy have not only been great as…read morelandlords but they have also become friends. On many occasions we have received fresh cookies, pies, cakes, and anything else Cindy has made a bunch of. I will review the different aspects of the Channing-Milvia Apartments experience. Apartment itself: The apartments are around 600sq. ft. This may seem small but we, my wife and I and soon to arrive daughter, have found it to be the perfect size. The kitchen is large enough for anyone who cooks a few days a week to every night. While they aren't huge they have allowed me to cook quite a bit of food at a time. The living room is large with a desk, bookshelf, futon, and two windows. Apart from the kitchen and bathroom, the apartment has hardwood floors which help to brighten even the 1st floor apartments(we have lived downstairs and upstairs). The bedroom is perfect for a couple, two roommates or a single person. There is a nice closet and a walk in storage room with shelves. The bathroom is small but it really is big enough. Outdoor scene: The backyard is fantastic! Not only is there a grass area capable of holding 15-30 people for a BBQ, but there is a large garden that residents are allowed to use to grow food. There is a peach tree in the garden and a lemon tree along the driveway, each of which produce an abundance of fruit in season. There is a large charcoal grill and a smaller charcoal grill, which residents are free to use at their leisure. Furnishings: Wow, these apartments come with everything you could need. I love to cook, always have(my dad owns a restaurant) and these apartments are supplied with more than enough stuff to prepare holiday feasts. The linens are great and the rest of the furnishings are in great shape. We have just about everything we could need/want here. What if a problem arises? Chuck and Cindy are skilled handy-people. They can fix anything from a leaky faucet to problems with your stove, light fixtures or plumbing. If you report a problem, any problem, they are extremely quick to fix it. We could not wish for better landlords or friends, we will be sad to move in May. We HIGHLY recommend renting here, you will not regret it!

Clean, safe, and super warm cozy apartment neighborhood. Management really takes care of the…read moreresidents from all parts of the company! Moved here from the Lark (part of the company in San Mateo) and it still feels like home here in Berkeley!

I want to express my sincere gratitude to you and the entire team, Ruby, Nila and Cesar . Everyone…read morehere has been so kind and welcoming, and I've truly enjoyed my time at Blake. I consider it my second home, and for that, I am deeply thankful. In the future, if any of my friends ask for apartment recommendations in Berkeley, I will certainly recommend Blake at Berkeley:)

I have had ~9 different landlords in my lifetime; we recently purchased our first home and…read moreunfortunately had the extreme displeasure of dealing with Castle Rock and Irma Armstrong until we closed. During the past 20 years my family and I have lived in Utah, Idaho, NYC, and California. I have never encountered more red tape, basic communication issues, ability (re: inability) to fix basic issues, poor response time, and unprofessional behavior. This includes the notorious NYC Irma Aldama Armstrong was our landlord representing Castle Rock. I wouldn't recommend her or Castle Rock (based on our awful interactions with her for three years). If there was an option for zero stars I would choose it.

I see from other comments that people seem to find Keith to be helpful but we only worked with…read moreDavid Ratoosh and felt that he was incredibly rude and required follow ups. I also see that Keith commented that some people gave poor reviews because they were bitter about not getting a rental. I can't speak to that but in our case, yes we were disappointed but you can also be kind and respectful to people who come to you with potential business. I'm a strong believer in treating people with kindness and respect because you never know what when the person you snub could have been of help or a big client. We need to rent a place so that we can put an addition on our house that we plan to rent later on. We will definitely NOT be using this service.

My husband and I lived at Hopkins Park Apartments for about 3 years and we had a fantastic…read moreexperience at Hopkins. The complex is well maintained. For any big maintenance projects scheduled (e.g. complex exterior re-paint, parking lot renovation), we received letter of notice 1-2 weeks ahead. For small maintenance requests, they are always handled promptly (next day). Onsite maintenance also responds quickly to emergency phone calls. When we do have questions for the management team, their response time to emails is usually the same day / next day. Be ready to get cards / candies from the management team at holiday season : ) Neighborhood is quiet and convenient. Bart and AC Transit are both close. Parks, restaurants, grocery stores and farmers market are all in 10 mins walking distance. There's also a Whole Foods and a Japanese market, about 15 mins walking. Most people live here are very friendly and they keep an eye on your apartment when you are away. It did happen that some tenant party loud at night, but only about once in a year. Our move-out experience is very smooth, too. We scheduled a pre-move out inspection with the management team a few days before the move-out date. They provided us a detailed cleaning list and the corresponding cleaning fee for each item. We cleaned the apartment by ourselves and received the FULL security / pet deposit before their promised date. The rent is high in the whole bay area, but Berkeley has rent control. At Hopkins, the rent only goes up about every 3% (or 2%?) every year, which is nothing if you compare to other apt which does not have rent control... A few minor cons: * As other reviews said, the big wall between living room and kitchen and the water heater makes you feel the apartment is smaller even than said. * Leasing office does not take packages for you. Your package will be left on your front door. * Sound insulation can be improved.

Hopkins Park Apartments has been not just where I have lived for the past six years, but where I…read morestarted my family. My wife, daughter, dog, and cat are lucky to have been able to find such an incredible apartment complex. It's situated right behind a park and playground, in walking distance to Monterey Market, Acme Bread, BART, and much more. It's well maintained and the maintenance team is superb. The management team, especially Nicole, is awesome. They're the friendliest and most helpful ones we've ever had. They're very pet friendly and family friendly. We would stay here forever if we could; the only reason we are moving is due to work. We loved our time here, was fortunate to be able to call it home, and can't recommend it highly enough!

Such a sweet, quiet, garden oasis off of San Pablo! Good juju must have helped me find this…read more"diamond in the ruff". =) I love my lil cozy apartment and the kind, friendly community! I love the fact that my neighbors come from such diverse backgrounds too. The apartment complex is always so clean and well taken care of. Beautiful flowers bloom all outside of my front door most of the year! Such a sweet spot!

Sam is an excellent Landlord and very very nice ! I love my apartment it's very cozy. When I have…read more a problem with something he fixes it right away either the same day or next day . The entire complex is very nice ! Everything around me is convenient grocery store ,clothing store , gas station, bank and a lot more Just a block away. The best part I don't even have to drive ! Everyone in the complex is very nice . I don't have a problem with anyone . It's very quiet and peaceful it's what a home should be ! I'd rate this place a 10 if I can ! :D Absolutely 20 times better then the previous landlord for sure !!

I'm not very familiar with this dwelling just went to a…read more Family members apt seems very nice , a little pricy For me though

I've lived here since Summer of 2019. I renewed my lease earlier this year because it's a great…read morerental building. The building is kept clean, service requests are answered immediately, and the building manager and the Asset Manager are prompt and very helpful. I feel safe living here, and it's so close (walking distance) to everything. The apt amenities (W/D, AC) are great to have too. And best of all - it's a new building that's clean and well maintained. I've overall had a super positive experience living here.