There is an ongoing cockroach problem happening in my aunt's apartment thankfully we are moving. Cockroaches were found in the kitchen near food storage and also on a dresser while moving out, which raises serious concerns about cleanliness and building-wide pest control. This situation needs immediate attention to ensure safe and sanitary living conditions. Staff is very rude and not helpful read more

Vara Apartments - I found cockroaches in the kitchen - Apartments Near Me - San Francisco, California

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When you apply for an apartment, they force you to pay a $250 "holding fee." If you don't move in and wait more than ~3 days, they get to keep it. If you get them to give it back to you because you choose not to take that apartment, it will take over a month to get that money reimbursed. read more

The street around the apartment is very dirty and not well maintained by this apartment, where I am a resident of. I am shocked at how rude the customer service is by the building staff, I have never felt so mocked and ridiculed by staff. I am more often ignored by them. I am very upset by how I was treated today by a staff member via text message with the office, I expressed to them my plan to write this review. read more

Living at Vara has been a phenomenal experience. Management and concierge are super friendly and go out of their way to make residents feel at home. Beautiful rentable space available to host events in the building. Gym and coworking space are included in rent. Very easy access to public transportation with BART stop one block away and several bus lines. Highly recommend. read more

My experience at Vara has been nothing short of a nightmare. Future tenants, read this review! Let's start with the entrance - a welcoming sight, tarnished by the presence of fecal matter that seems to have taken residence in front of the building. It's not only disgusting but a blatant sign of the management's indifference to basic cleanliness. As if that weren't enough, navigating the area around the building feels like tiptoeing through a hazardous waste zone. An illegal marketplace pops up around the building every Friday-Sunday! Syringes scattered around, making every step a gamble. It's beyond comprehension how management can turn a blind eye to such blatant safety hazards. The lobby, rather than a sanctuary, has become a haven for the homeless. It's disheartening to witness the lack of empathy from management, who seem content to let residents share their space with those in need or folks who just need to charge their phone in the lobby. It's a blatant disregard and just gross for the safety and comfort of paying tenants. In conclusion, Vara Apartments is a breeding ground for unsanitary conditions, safety hazards, and an overall lack of empathy from management. Save yourself the stress and avoid this place at all costs. There are far better options in the city that prioritize the well-being of their residents. Please management do something. Residents feel unsafe, the common spaces are often taken over, and I don't know what I am paying for anymore! read more

This is a beautiful apartment community located right in the middle of San Francisco in a super walkable neighborhood with excellent accessibility to shops, public transit and everything the city has to offer. The community offer a great outdoor space, 24 hour staff, parking, fitness center and more. If you in the market for an apartment make sure to add it to you list! read more

If you are looking for an apartment where the management will go above and beyond to help you, Vara Apartment is it. I've lived in 7 different apartment complexes in the city over the last 7 years. Katherine and Kurtis are the best management team that made living in an apartment complex easy. If you do most of your shopping/groceries on Amazon/Wholefood/Instcart. Katherine and Kurtis's team made sure you get your deliveries. They follow up, and they know if you missed a delivery. Moving in and moving out was easy. This is one of the very few management teams that care about your moving in and moving out process. And not just when you are about to sign the lease. I had no problem with my unit. Whether it's the blinds, the microwave, or the fridge, there will be some wear and tear over time because no apartment is perfect. How quickly the management helps you resolve the issue really makes a difference in your lifestyle. And this management team jumps on whenever I need something fixed in my unit. Lastly, everyone hates noise at their apartment complex. But we are in San Francisco, it happens. Every time any noise out of the ordinary happens, Katherine and Kurtis are on it. I can't give enough positive feedback to this management team. And would highly recommend people to Vara Apartment Complex for its location, quality of the building, and most of all, their management! Thanks again, Katherine/Kurtis! read more

I've recently finished a lease with Vara and I really loved living here. Below are my PROS/CONS: PROS: -- Nice amenities! Great for groups and the gym has a barbell! -- Quiet community. I had a corner apartment so I've never heard any of my neighbors. -- FREE Hello Alfred service! An apartment attendant will clean your apartment, make your bed, and deliver groceries once a week! -- Rent is fairly cheap for this kind of luxury, modern living space. -- Secure package room -- Amazing leasing office and staff. (I forget her name) The woman in the leasing office behind the front desk is so helpful and she has the best memory with names. -- The building is really secure with key fob entry and adequate night security. I want to give a special shoutout to the night desk guy named Manny!! He is so friendly and attentive! My roommate was FOLLOWED into the building by an unknown man, he slipped into the building right behind her as she beeped in. She did not notice and she almost got into the elevator (alone) with him. Luckily, Manny stopped him and kicked him out. I haven't seen Manny around recently so I'm not sure if he still works here :( CONS: -- Not the best neighborhood. Vara is located a block away from 16th street BART which attracts crime and the streets are dirty. There's actually weekly "bartering" markets where homeless persons sell their dumpster dive goods; It's a lot of people crowded on on the corner of 16th and Mission. I've personally never encountered issues with the homeless population but I also do not walk around at night. -- Moving here is complicated. The front entrance has steps which make moving furniture difficult, and the loading dock is actually the dumpster room so there is trash everywhere. Also, you need a special key to open the garage door to the moving dock and there is not enough space to park a car inside so the garage door will be open during your move. During my move, 3-4 homeless men started dumpster diving in the loading dock and I had to make sure they didn't take my furniture. All that being said, I really loved my time at Vara and would recommend it to anyone looking for a nice, modern, reasonably priced living space. read more

I lived here for 7 months and it was not a great experience. Initially planned to be here long-term and really wanted to like it, but changed my mind after moving in... Pros: *Complex was nice and more on the modern side with lots of outside lounge space and a nice lobby. *Staff were mostly friendly. Curtis was great - would go above and beyond to be helpful. Cons: *Parking was awful -- you have to wait 5-10 minutes to get your car slot to the ground level, then open the gate, take your car out, and go back to close the gate. *Garage door was very finicky - would sometimes be outside trying to open the garage 5-10 minutes. *Security Deposit -- Less than half was returned despite leaving the apartment fully cleaned and with only minimal wear-and-tear. During the walkthrough, they said they had to deduct a portion because we didn't clean behind the fridge and stove! *Although the complex was nice, no amenities were available to tenants due to COVID, which is fine, but they offered no discount or money back to compensate. *The area around the complex feels very unsafe. I would not go out after dark. read more

I will give two stars because security is better than expected and the leasing agents were nice. BUT... the insulation is horrible if any at all. Lower floors run the heat all day, I'm on top floor my apartment is 83 degrees no matter what I do. No ceiling fans. No central air. To make matters worse, they moved all the unwanted street vendors mostly illegal items to the Latino community center behind the buildin. Every Saturday and Sunday expect homeless, smelly people sitting on rugs blocking 3 square blocks of your walkway for 8 hours leaving trash and smell. It's also loud so when you open windows all you hear is someone yelling on a loud speaker trying to attract visitors and sirens from the relentless police and ambulance responses. The tennants are half subsidized which means half of the building gets free rent while you pay 3 to 5k a month. The elevator smells not long after the nice cleaning lady cleans it due to people who have bad hygiene, not sure if that's homeless sneaking in or tennants. Building is nice and well kept but like everything in SF you have to share your space with a lower standard of living. read more

Do you like only being able to dispose of garbage during a two hour window, five days a week, in the early evening? Do you enjoy coming home to hallways filled with trash just sitting outside? Does the idea of your composting rotting away on a hot weekend from Thursday evening until Sunday evening sound delightful? If the answer to these questions is YES! then Vara by Greystar is for you! For the rest of us, it's a lousy management company that clearly doesn't care about the opinions of its residents as long as it saves the company money. Never mind the "luxury living" talk; this place is all about whatever is cheapest for them while squeezing out high prices anyway because they know they can get away with it in San Francisco. Greystar has an F rating from the BBB. That shows how much they care. Oh, and if you tour the building and think "huh, I'm not seeing piles of trash everywhere like this guy online said", then you've uncovered the reason for the ridiculously short window that we're allowed to dispose of trash. They don't want to scare off new people, so they push the problem onto their existing customers and force everyone to hide it away. read more

If you're looking for a building that is both very expensive and very unpleasant to live in, then look no further, this is the spot. If having your emails and other communication ignored by staff is something that will bother you, then definitely steer clear. read more

Amazing building. Amenities like a gym, multiple common areas, BBQ, party room. Just about the only thing they don't have at Vara is a swimming pool. The building is heated/cool in the hallways, making the building have a sort of core air conditioning system. Even at 40 degrees outside, there is no need to heat the apartment, which translates to extremely affordable utilities bill. Vara also cares about the little things and making tenants happy, like 24/7 coffee maker, happy hours in the lobby, events, and more. The staff is extremely kind and always there to help. Best apartment ever. read more

Vara Apartments - Lobby - Apartments Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Lived there little over a year. Staff were friendly but absolutely unless. They never were able to locate our safety deposit. Additionally large homeless encampment directly outside that made me feel less than safe. Over not worth the price tag read more

Just moving out for work reasons after five years living here. Great community, great building. There were times over the past 5 years where the staff wasn't great, which is reflected in some early reviews, but the current staff is fantastic -- best it's been here. Katherine and team are helpful, fast and friendly. There are definitely issues outside the building as other reviews mention, which is true in other areas of the Mission as well, but the team here is doing what they can to make it better -- discussions with SF officials, increased security, etc. And of course there are still plenty of awesome things about the Mission, too -- so many amazing spots within a 4 block walk of Vara. I'll miss those spots, and the community here! read more

Vara is very conveniently located near Valencia, a number of grocery stores, bart and almost anything one would need to live happily! The staff is extremely helpful and service requests are completed very quickly. Hello Alfred service is just amazing and saves a lot of time and effort! Parking conditions are similar to anywhere else in SF so brace your luck. Overall an amazing apartment with a nice gym and retreat area and 24/7 doorman service. Would definitely recommend to get started in the city and enjoy the Mission! read more

The units in this building are OK, but I also have a pretty strong dislike for how this place is managed and the high cost of living relative to what you get. Here are some specifics: 1. Unexpected charges on your bill: $35/month for a trash removal service (that you can't opt out of mind you) through Valet Living, another $5/month from ConService for some useless bill notification service, and they even make residents pay for water usage which can be anywhere from $5-20 from what I've seen. I get the sense that management doesn't care about keeping residents happy and just wants to milk people for extra money. 2. Almost no useful amenities included in the rent except for the gym, and they charge extra for every little thing including car parking ($350/month, which is above market even for SF), motorcycle parking, community lounge access, etc. There's really nothing luxurious/nice about this building even though that's what they try to sell it as. 3. This Valet Living trash removal service is the dumbest thing I've ever heard of and the trash cans make the hallways smell like shit. Management didn't even give me a Valet Trash bin with my unit nor did they send me one when I requested one, so I'm paying $35/month for nothing. 4. They used to have a community portal where you could talk to other residents, then they just removed it randomly. I'll be moving when my lease is up unless things change quickly. There are better deals to be had in nicer buildings elsewhere in the city. read more

I have lived at Vara since 2014. I personally know many of the reviewers here, including Emilie. I respectfully disagree with her point of view on this, as I am someone whom has resided in this building for twice as long, watched it deteriorate, and am moving out along side residents of 6 other units in the next 60 days. I have lived in several countries and many American cities, primarily in buildings like Vara. I would agree that expecting anything to be perfect is unrealistic. What has been nice about living at Vara is that the community of residents has been diverse. Upon first moving in, there was high % of Europeans living here which definitely gave the place a more worldly feel. Initially my experience at Vara was wonderful. The management was supportive and friendly and involved. They engaged actively in the building to build community and help us meet. As someone new to the city I began using the 2nd floor space as a way to bring people together for recurring "Vara Family Dinner". It was my way of meeting new people, being a good neighbor, and leveraging the beautiful space. Management encouraged us to use the space. Unfortunately, management fully turned over. Through change there will always be uncertainty. With the entire staff turning over at the same time one can expect a revolving door of coverage as the building staffs up. However, what I did not expect was the long term impact on our experience as residents. The majority of the new staff is not friendly. The lead manager of this building has not been respectful to tenants until the last two weeks when this building has seen residents resort to Twitter, Instagram, hand made signs, and reporting to regional management around her. I have experienced theft from the mail room and from my unit. When I reported the theft from my unit in email, left a message, and called to follow up the team was unresponsive. Finally, catching them in the office, the lead manager walked away from me mid sentence and sent someone else to finish the conversation while I was explaining the situation. This is inexcusable behavior. Upon entrance of the new management team, our key fob access to the community space on 2 was turned off. Goodbye Vara Family Dinner. They changed policies and now would charge us to use this common space. The former policy allowed residents to gather informally in the space but required payment for a private event with outside guests. I have also used the space for formal events and can attest that even with 2 weeks notice and a special request that the speaker system be fixed, it was not. The speakers are permanently disabled. Trash has always been a problem in this building. I live on Floor 4 near the trash room and it will smell on occasion. The primary cause for this is people put cardboard into the chute and it gets stuck causing things to back up. The former management team brought visibility to the issue and had it resolved. With so much tenant turn over these days I imagine the problem has resurfaced, as this week was quite unbearable of a smell - especially on the lower floors. And lastly, to address is the state of the building. Things break in living environments of this size. That is expected. What is unbelievable and unacceptable in my opinion is having a broken front door for over 3 months. Broken to the point a security guard was hired to let us in. There are 3 elevator cores, 4 elevators total. And yes at any given time we often go down to 1-2. So, while you can access the building from the sides, you can only use the elevators in the middle. Its frustrating. It would be annoying if it happened occasionally but its not occasional. While surfaces are always clean common space is not adequately maintained, the grills won't start without a lighter, entire burners on the stove don't light in the common kitchen. The kitchen dishwashers are clogged and filled with food and no proper d/w soap is provided to help the residents be proactive and keep these in proper order. We have recently seen an influx of cockroaches in the building. Mostly impacting the lower floors. We have had our units sprayed individually upon request and have been told that "this is the Mission and this is expected". I beg to differ - cockroaches can be solved at a building level with proper pest control. Further, cockroaches were not a problem for the first 1.5 years I lived here. This is a NEW problem - not a Mission problem. Management, again, is not taking mature responsibility. Finally, for those considering the building, consider the area which ads to the friction. Vara cannot control what happens outside these walls, so it is not fair to blame the building. That said, it is a fact that there is a tent city next to our units with an airhorn being blown all night long and a fully functioning bicycle chop shop set up. SF rents are high, however, Vara's rents are no longer competitive in this market. Look elsewhere. read more

I was asked by staff to update my review, I'm guessing because my point about renting the common spaces is out of date. Fair enough. I'll also use this opportunity to add that the gym has been closed without warning the last two Sundays - Is an email letting the tenants know that out of the question? read more

I can assure you that life in corporate America apartments growing like weeds in San Francisco will be the bitch box for the next two decades. Expect the red carpet from Vara until the lease is signed and hold you breath because the ride will get bumpy. Don't have a heart attack or get raped. It might alter life a bit so you might miss work. Not intentional to be a little bit late in the rent but shit happens. You'll get the swift kick out the door regardless. The crew (not all) have your best interest. You'll be told certain features of the apartments and use of the property are at full access at signing of lease but suddenly not longer available so you might get something that says your lease will not be renewed. Never any reprimand for a leading crew member (Sophia) yelling and screaming at me. Never a reprimand for tampering with US MAIL. THIS corporate apartment living sucks ass and will suck the marrow from your bones. This will get only worse and you will feel the shit knocked Out of you like me after 25 years of being a devote member of the San Francisco community. Vara ( a unit measurement) gives just only about an inch of respect our courtesy. This building is large cardboard box and looking like a hunk of junk and the quality of materials used to construct this building were purchased from some bargain barn. I must say one good that comes out of this big bad experience was meeting some really cool people that used to live here. Many left at the point of lease renewal before the last of the bone marrow would be sucked out. read more

As a tenant, when I first moved in the apartment was pretty decent. About half a year in and potentially due to a rotation in management or something, the service levels at the apartment started going down hill... 1) for a relatively new apartment, I was surprised when we started having a roach problem, especially on the top floor (which suggests the entire building is compromised). Even after calling in pest control, it was a consistent issue for almost a month. Expect to see roaches during the winter if you move in... 2) we had a period of ~2 weeks where many things broke down without repair (treadmills in gym, all except 1 elevator and the down button, etc.) which feels ridiculous given the price point of rent here. 3) coupled with the deterioration of service levels, they followed up with an annual 10% year over year rent increase. They charge a 90% premium to rent monthly after your first year as well, even though it's SF and it's not hard to fill a vacancy... I plan on moving out because of the factors above. I left a star because the staff were generally helpful and the security guards were chill. read more

Vara Apartments - Cockroaches getting into our bedroom on the 6th (top) floor even after two pest control requests. Only one request was answered... - Apartments Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I have been a resident at Vara for 2.5 years now. The quality of the management has steadily declined throughout that time. There was a steep decline most recently when the property management company changed to GreyStar Management. Few notes: 1. All perks that attracted us to the property: community events, weekend breakfasts, happy hours, maintained gym equipment have all been eliminated. 2. The garage was left largely insecured for multiple months due to a gate issue. The company provided no email communication on timelines and rarely provided security at that entrance. 3. They are borderline scamming us on late fees. Recently, they changed their online portal where we make rent payments. For the past month, their rent reminders were sent with the old portal that was inactive. They never communicated to the residents about the new portal or requirements for paying rent (many of us travel in the new year). Even when sent communications (we called to ask how we could do this on 1/1), they ignored us. Conveniently, on the 4th, they slapped residents with late fees. The only way we figured out how to pay online was seeing a flyer in an elevator about the new resident portal. 4. The property management team does not respond to our inquiries anymore. We have sent multiple emails on critical items such as safety and rent that have received no response. We will most likely be moving out at the end of our lease. New residents, beware, this may look fancy but its only window dressing. read more

I find Vara a great place to live! Sophia, Sara and Jolene are always helpful and the maintenance staff is quick when problems occur. The apartments are small yet well planned, in-unit washer and dryer, dishwasher, bedroom fitting king size bed. Pet friendly and a nice AW every Friday with free vine/beer. The area is great: The sunny (weather is really local in SF!) Mission district with all it has to offer, Valencia Street with all its restaurants, stores and bars, close to 16th/Mission Bart station, several busses as well. Sure; living in this area also means a lot of homeless, urine smell, drugs - though I never find it hostile. The common areas, both indoors and outdoors are great: big terrace, BBQ opportunities, small yet useful gym with AC. Possibilities to sit and work/study as well as throwing parties and watching TV/movies. Place to store bikes and also possibilities to rent extra storage. City Car Share has to carpool cars in the garage in the basement! CONS: No swimming pool. The coffee machine is more often NOT working than working. I've asked for more weights/kettlebells to the gym though nothing has happened. The Wi-Fi is not working out on the terrace. Bikes has been stolen in the garage! When we renewed our lease the rent went up with 14% for the same lease period! When we prolonged for 9 months instead of 6 it was "only" 7% A bit noisy: If you have an apartment facing north you have the flea market every Saturday and Sunday (9am-4pm) outside your window. If you're facing east you have heavy traffic on Mission St. read more

I've been at vara for just over four months and I've been thoroughly impressed by the maintenance teams responsiveness and willingness to help. On two separate occasions Che has gone out of his way to assist beyond what was necessary. On move in day he went out of his way to help locate a hand truck for heavy furniture which was a life saver for my back. It took a while to track down because it was not returned but he didn't give up. Recently, I switched cars which required a new parking spot. Che went out of his way to move vehicles around and find me a spot. This was not an easy task and it makes my daily life commuting so much better. Very impressed and thankful resident! read more

The apartment complex is quite nice and spacious and is extremely close to Valencia street. It's hard to make food at home with lots of great restaurants. The area is picking up, but there are days with a few crazy people lurking around. read more

Vara is a fun, modern, and friendly apartment complex in the Mission district. The building is clean and has many areas to relax with friends and to bring your dogs. They have thought of the extra amenities such as doggy bags, a hangout area, and a place to store your bike. The staff was very friendly and courteous. Jolene took time to show us around and answer all of our questions. As a new person to the area I felt welcomed and listened to. I called several times right before closing and Sarah was very kind and answered all of my questions. I was only looking at 1 bedroom/ 1 bathroom apartments. Coming from Colorado the sticker price is a shock but comparing to other places in the area Vara gave the most space for the price (from what I looked at). I'm excited to live at Vara! read more

There are some great things about living here, mostly the helpful staff. Robert has done amazing things to build community engagement and is a joy to have around. Che is part of the maintenance staff and is willing to go any extra step to help someone out. He is also very friendly and skilled at maintenance work. Would love if there were fire pits. Seems like something everyone is asking for. The rent is very high and they like to raise it every year. Overall: good community, very expensive, and could have more amenities for this price, like fire pits. :) read more

I have been living at Vara apartments for about 3 years and am one of the longest standing residents. When I first arrived, the building was very poorly run. The was a succession of managers, each lasting just a few months, that took no interest in the building, and it showed. Dirty facilities, broken fixtures, poor attitudes, etc. Mario took the helm about a year ago, and the difference has been dramatic. Staff maintain an interest in the property, it is clean, and everything functions. When something breaks it is fairly quickly fixed. It is surprising what difference a skilled manager can make in a property. I am leaving Vara , but I hope that for the benefit of residents here they are able to keep Mario as a manger. read more

I was so excited when I first moved here, but I would NEVER recommend it to anyone thinking about it now. In the past year, management has completely changed and hit an all time low with Rochelle, apartment manager, leading the race to the bottom. We moved in 2014 and were so excited to live in a new, updated building in the Mission. Here's what you can expect while living at Vara, and what we experienced for a year before we had enough. I asked Rochelle numerous times if I could address my concerns with her manager, but to this day (I moved out 2 months ago) she has evaded the question and refused to give me their information. So I'll go ahead and share my grievances here, hoping someone from management cares and reads this, and I DO NOT want a generic response from your social media intern. - Bikes are constantly stolen from the locked bike room, DO NOT leave your bikes there. We left ours with multiple Kryptonite locks on them, but they were stolen and the security breach was never reported to the residents, we had to find out by talking to each other while management hid this information. Then when we got police involved to investigate, they said their security tapes no longer exist because they are erased every 2 weeks. Rochelle and the rest of management have a "not my problem" attitude, and took no accountability for their part in the constant thefts at Vara. - You'll be asked to prove you live there even if you pass through the gates with your keys. I don't pay an exorbitant rent to be interrogated like a criminal when I come home from work. - You will be kicked out of the common spaces even when no one else is using them simply because you didn't reserve them (which costs $250 by the way). The "rules" changed with the new management, we never had this problem before and were all able to enjoy the common spaces and share them when they were un-reserved by others for private events - None of the audio equipment in the common spaces works so don't bother hosting a get together there - The leaf blower starts bright and early before 8 am on weekends, waking up everyone and surrounding neighbors - The security guards are never there when you need them and the package room pick ups revolve around Vara management's schedule. Hopefully you can rush home in time for someone to be there and give you your package, otherwise you'll have to wait and try again the next day, and the day after that - Packages have been stolen from the package room numerous times. Again, with no accountability and a "not my problem" attitude from management when you ask them what happened. I had to eat the cost. - This shithole isn't worth the rent we paid to live there, I've lived all over San Francisco and have since moved to another neighborhood in the city, thankfully free of people shooting up heroin in front of our balcony and feces/condom covered sidewalks I've NEVER been happier to move than I was the day we left Vara. Take these reviews seriously before you move there, we can't all be lying. read more

My fav place to be HOME! Great amenities great staff but not so friendly neighbors. Loved the outdoor patio and gym. It's so close to everything and so convenient to the local shops and downtown. My only issue is the security who's never around when I have to pick up a package read more

I've lived at Vara for close to a year, and amazed how many problems the building has, and how much was promised when I moved in. The description and pictures made it sound exciting with the sales pitch of high-end apartment living and plethora of amenities. Then come move-in time, the building was bought by an financial investment firm that clearly puts their numbers ahead of customer satisfaction with no longer term vision. Things are constantly breaking the building due to poor construction or engineering, I feel sorry for the maintenance staff who are good but appear to be overwhelmed. I've lived at Vara for close to a year, and amazed how many problems the building has, and how much was promised when I moved in. The description and pictures made it sound exciting with the sales pitch of high-end apartment living and plethora of amenities. Then come move-in time, the building was bought by an financial investment firm that clearly puts their numbers ahead of customer satisfaction with no longer term vision. Things are constantly breaking the building due to poor construction or engineering, I feel sorry for the maintenance staff who are good but appear to be overwhelmed. There is a constant drone of fan noise on the upper floors too, which they've done a lot to fix but we gave up complaining about. There are flood lights in the courtyard, that are bright enough to cast shadows through the cheap blinds on the 6th floor, all night, and after 8 months of complaining they finally turn them off at night. We were promised air conditioning, and even told the rules for using it. While AC is not that normal in SF, it is for larger, new buildings, as it makes sense for apartments getting a lot of direct sun.  Later found out that it didn't have it, or it wasn't working. Never got a straight answer. Utilities were not well defined, and at some point we were informed of a rate change, that they needed to back charge us for. Never got a coherent explanation for this, leaving a lot of us residents annoyed and scratching our heads.  Since realized that this was not likely not legal, and they should have swallowed the costs at a minimum. Lesson learned. You're charged a very high rate for parking, in a garage that has a parking lift system for every car, but the system has broken down an average of 1-2 times a month, leaving me late to work or kids late to school.  I've only received excuses for it. The building is full of dogs. I really like dogs, but they are constantly peeing in inside the building everywhere. Getting anyone to clean it up is a huge hassle and you have to constantly remind the staff, who thinks it's been cleaned and two weeks later you're having to nag them about it. This many animals, the common areas should be cleaned almost daily (which it was last year), and not just areas that they show prospective new tenants. The neighborhood started getting better in 2013, but has gotten worse in the last several months. Between the assault and drug deals happening at all corners of the block, hostile neighbors and constant urine smell on the sidewalks, it's a real test to your sense of security. As much as I love the community of people, and know urban living really well (NYC, London, Paris, etc), you'd be better off trying to get into another building elsewhere. It'll likely be cheaper, better neighborhood and less hassle over time. read more

I've lived here for about 9 months (long enough to get my renewal notice), and I've overall been very satisfied. The pros: - The staff are amazing. Sophia and Sara are the absolute best. They're super-friendly and really do try to make this a welcoming place for the residents. - Location is convenient to a ton of great stuff - restaurants, coffee shops, thrift stores, etc. and there's a nice dog park a short walk away plus Dolores Park nearby. Also convenient to BART for commuters. 22nd St Caltrain station is a ~15 minute bike ride. - Units have great amenities by San Francisco standards. My last place in the city did not have a garbage disposal, dishwasher, or in-unit W/D, all of which I have here. - Prices are in line with everything else in the market (i.e., crazy), and my increase for a renewal actually put the price for my unit over $100/mo below what they rented the same floorplan for last month (so while rent is rising as market rents rise, it doesn't seem like they're bringing current tenants all the way up to market prices). A friend in the building had the same experience with his renewal. - Maintenance has always responded to service requests within 48 hours. The cons: - Prices in SF are crazy, and you're exposing yourself to the risk of things getting crazier in a place that isn't rent-controlled. - If you're facing into a courtyard, sound from the common space and from the other units echoes if you leave your windows open (not a big deal, but annoying if it's a warm night and you have an early meeting). Actually, if you leave your windows open, it's loud in general in this area. - Maintenance can tend to look for easy rather than lasting fixes (my dishwasher was leaking and I was told it would stop leaking if I ran it less full). To respond to a couple of other comments, yes this place is in the Mission and very near the 16th St BART station so it can feel a little dicey sometimes, but I walk everywhere and haven't had any more legitimately sketchy encounters here than anywhere else in the city. read more

In theory this building should be amazing, BBQ area, security, pet friendly, gym, common areas for entertaining (which is needed when most apartments are ~800 sq feet). However, the gym has been closed the last few Sundays for repairs, the appliances in the shared space don't work for weeks on end (ice maker, grill, oven/range). The fire alarm goes off multiple times a month. We randomly received a bill to back pay utilities for months because the staff wasn't charging correctly. The lights in the hallway go out and aren't replaced for weeks. They never tracked or registered key fobs so bikes were constantly getting stolen from the bike room. These normally wouldn't be huge issues if rent didn't just go up 10-17% depending on how much your apartment was "under market price". I am all for paying market value when you get the amenities you were sold on. Don't be wooed by the inexpensive security deposit, they will find one way or another to get more money out of you eventually. Hell even pet rent went up. read more

I live across the street and have been woken up by their leaf blower. It is very inconsiderate and disrespectful. I work all week and like to sleep in on the weekends. I have called to complain but they apparently don't care. I see in the reviews that even the tenants are woken up. Very strange that management would continue to do this and disregard their own paying tenants Sunday Peace. read more

Horrible experience while moving out. Our stuff was stolen from the apartment. Staff said that they let the moving crew into the apartment by "accident". Stole our lamp. The response we got from the staff after 3 weeks of research was that they don't see any one taking anything in the surveillance camera. If you love your security, do not live here. #worstplacetolive read more

The bicycle room door has been broken for several weeks, and does not close properly. Anyone can walk into the room and take a bike. Thieves are very aggressive and break the lock right off of the bicycles. Many have been stolen. Staff is terrible. they ignore the problem, even after multiple reports. The security guard shrugs. The building does not even have a manager anymore. read more

When I signed up the lease, I was so excited to use the common spaces. However, the nice amenities are for show only to get new tenants. I get that if you want exclusive use of the space, you should pay a reservation fee. But, if you have a couple friends over and want to hang out there, you have to reserve it too! The manager will kick you out of the room even though no one else is using it. In summary, you really only get the nice apartment but no real amenities unless you want to pay 250 dollars every time. read more

Beautiful building, friendly staff. Nice amenities although a limited gym. Great location.

I've lived here for about 3 months now and the place is really really good. The units themselves all very modern. All the appliances are brand new, including the in-unit washer and dryer (so nice!). The location is pretty awesome. It's right next to a BART station and Valencia street has plenty of good bar an restaurants. But if you'd rather stay and cook your own food, the communal grilling and bar area is fantastic. The staff is also top-notch too. They've been really flexible and understanding from the get go. A++. Would rent again. read more

Located close to BART and Valencia Street restaurants, shops, as well as many Mission Taquerias and grocery stores. Brand new building, lovely common areas, great units, friendly staff (ask for Brad!). read more