These are reviews of Cambridge House Apartments from 2008. For more current reviews, visit the entry.
2008-01-17 15:10:27 Where do I start: 1) If you like not knowing month to month who is in charge of the complex, this may be the place for you.
2) If you enjoy cleaning pet poo from your shoes, then you will love the fact that the office staff does not enforce the pet policies that you sign when you enter into your lease. Cat owners are the worst offenders to this policy (although there are many dog owners that REFUSE to leash their pets and REFUSE to clean up after them when they do their "natural" business in the common areas) . Cats are allowed to run around the complex and use the bushes around the complex as their litter boxes. I could go into detail about the health risks related to this matter but you can do your own homework. WOMEN REALLY NEED TO EXPLORE THIS ISSUSE. IT IS A MATTER OF YOUR PERSONAL HEALTH!
3) Rodents and roaches!!! This is a huge problem here. They may make good play toys for the cats, but are another health risk for everyone living in the complex (and expensive to the individual who must pay for outside help with this matter).
4) If you like to have a "quite night in", dont even bother looking here. It seems that when the bars close downtown, the party moves to the Cambridge House Apartments. (This may be nice for college freshman or others who do not need more than 4 hours sleep on average per night).
5) Parking here is a joke. There are as many cars in the parking lot without permits as there are with them. You can usually find a parking spot if you return to the complex before 5:00 - 6:00 P.M., but after that-Best Of Luck! There are cars that I have seen in the same spot for more than 3 months at a time (some of these cars are not even in running condition). I could go on about this problem, but as you can guess, what is the point!
I am not going to continue with my rant any more. There are soooooo many other problems with this complex! I feel that I am just rambling on and on about things that will NEVER be addressed (not that the staff will be here next month to address these, or other, concerns).
All in all, I would give this place a rating of 3 (on a scale of 1 to 10). If you must rent here, I am sorry! Just make sure that you cannot find an apartment somewhere else. —heretoolong99
2008-01-17 15:53:50 After reviewing the comments on this page, I feel a need to actually defend this place. Yes, it IS apartment living and so you can hear your neighbors shower, stomp, and do other things...There were many repairs that needed to be made before we moved in and the apartment smelled funny, but maintenance was really good about taking care of all of our needs in a timely manner.
Many of the residents with dogs kind of suck (not the dogs, I love dogs) because they do not pick up after their pets. I haven't noticed the cat problem. Parking can be a problem, but it's only usually bad on Monday nights—it seems that's when everybody in the complex has their boyfriend/girlfriend stay the night. We did have a roach problem and it was pretty disgusting, but management was good about getting pest control here. Roaches haven't come back yet...
So overall it isn't that bad. The rent is cheap, and you get free hot water (keeps utilities down), cable, and internet (although it isn't always super fast). Roaches are gross, but this isn't the first time I've seen a roach in Davis. The core problem seems to be the residents. Most seem to be generally unconcerned with the rest of the community, but this is a college town and you're going to have to put up with it if you're living in an apartment.
2008-02-03 19:37:27 While I haven't had as many problems with this complex as others have, this place is definitely not the best. My biggest complaints are the lack of soundproofing and my roof. I live right next to the parking lot and I am frequently woken up by various things in the parking lot - I can literally hear conversations word-for-word in the parking lot with my windows closed! Also, I believe there is an old folks home on the other side of the fence and sadly people seem to die frequently as fire trucks and medical vehicles are constantly arriving at all hours with their sirens blaring. By far my biggest issue is my roof. It has leaked 4 times in two different spots in my bedroom in the last month. While I really like the maintenance crew (Marco is really nice, always say "Hi" and even came over in a relatively short time on a Saturday), attempts to fix my roof obviously haven't worked. I'm going to try to break my lease and move soon if I can as the living conditions do not meet tenant rights "habitability." —ea
2008-02-23 19:44:24 Same problems as people have posted above. No sound proofing in the walls or ceiling, leaking ceilings in both downstairs and upstairs apartments, lots of spiders/bugs, very old carpet and appliances, multiple problems with the plumbing (tiolets overflowed a number of times as well as the bathroom sinks overflowing with food particles from neighbors sink), windows do not lock, very bad paint (paint over sloppily every year), gross hot tub (only cleaned during the time period they try to sign on new leasers), unsafe area, when it rains it floods the area outside the door, very very bad parking-can't park anywhere near your apartment at night and difficult/unresponsive management that don't care and don't respond to your phone calls as soon as you sign the lease. Anywhere would be better than at Cambridge House, trust me. —hmm
2008-03-03 15:12:32 RE:hmm's post... I lived at a lot of apartments and not one of them has ever been been perfect, Cambridge House is not perfect, but I've never had a bug or spider problem. Every time something breaks, the maintenance staff is there the same day to fix it and they do a really good job. If you're looking for an easy apartment to park at, good luck. Sometimes you have to kinda search around for a spot, but you don't have to park "a mile away (thank you ninette santos)" I've never seen a snide employee. Generally I think the people who aren't happy here are the people who wouldn't be happy anywhere. For some it might be that apartment living should be serene and tranquil with their every need provided. It's an "Apartment" which means your house is a part of your neighbor's house, etc... What do I like about Cambridge House? 1. Awesome sweetheart managers and cool maintenance staff guys 2. Great landscaping, pool, exercise room 3. Great neighbors 4. High Speed Internet 5. Close to Safeway (3 minutes on a bike) 6. Close to Campus (12 minutes to Engineering side) 7. I don't have pets, but a lot of people here do, so that's fun.
What do I not like about Cambridge House? 1. Parking is a constant battle, but what I do like is that the manger will tow you if you're not supposed to be here 2. Windows are old, but take heart! They are being replaced as we speak. 3. The game room is great, but not cared for by a few who ruin it for everyone else.
Everything else considered, I would recommend this place for anyone who is a little older, in grad school, or working. If you want crazy, there are plenty of places closer to campus. If you want your own house, then get ready to cough up $2200/month. Peace Out —KS (This review is the only edit this user account has made on the wiki. While it does not invalidate this review, please keep this in mind)
2008-03-05 00:17:13 I guess to respond to KS post, I would disagree that this is a place for a grad student/working person, I would think its more for a party person who doesn't care about noise (because there is a lot). If you want to have a party house that you don't feel bad about trashing, this is the place for you. As for the spiders, everyone of my neighbors I have talk to has the same problem with excessive spiders and the "high speed" internet is not high speed at all! Halfway through our lease the management started charging us $10 per person who wanted to pay their rent with a credit card after it was previously free. I don't even think this is legal!I don't know even one of my neighbors who is renewing their lease, so that sould say a lot. If you do decide to rent here, you have been warned! *Also the warning about KS reputation above should be considered because it sounds a lot like a property manager—hmm
2008-03-19 21:07:45 This place is horrible! Our mailbox has been broken into twice since January and they have done nothing to fix the lock. Tonight, my underwear got thrown around the laundry room. People never pick up their dog shit and you step in it all the time. The internet never works right and if you get home after 7 you're screwed because there is no place to park. If I could figure out how to get out of my lease right now I would!! It's horrible!! —CrissyMel
2008-04-12 14:08:15 I've lived at Cambridge for almost a year and these people are totally blowing things out of proportion. It's actually pretty great here. I have NEVER ONCE had problems with my internet. There is not a pest problem and newsflash to the person who says its infested with spiders: they're spiders. and they're outside, and the whole city of davis has spiders outside. lol. I pay $960 for a one bedroom and they only charged me ten dollars more to renew for another year. Which is totally worth it because I dont pay cable or internet. Parking is not more of a problem than anywhere else is Davis. It gets more full at night because everyone is coming home. Thats how it is EVERYWHERE. My heater and my AC work just fine. The girls in the office are super nice and the maintenance is always nice and quick. I won free tickets to a comedy show! and they had a movie night with free pizza a couple months back. The pool is super nice especially cuz its getting hot these days.. It's no where near as bad as people are complaining it is. I'll probably be here until I finish with my undergrad. —MD324
2008-05-08 20:05:00 I'd sure like to live in the same fantasy world the previous poster is living in. I'm not impressed with this place at all. It is old, dated and very run down. I literally moved in to find one of my sink pipes duct-taped to the wall, stained carpet, broken cabinet door and a cracked window. This is AFTER the place is supposed to be repaired for the new resident! Parking is a very big problem, more so than what I found at Greystone or Alhambra apartments. I've had to call for repairs on the shoddy construction about once a month. The repair guys are very professional and nice and fix the problems quickly. It seems they just got stuck working at a bad place. It is overpriced for what you actually get. The girls at the front desk are nice, but the policies of management are pretty silly. Internet is a big problem. It seems to go out for about a day twice a month. It never seems to get fixed until you call the office to complain. The place has gotten a facelift, but in reality, it is very superficial. What really counts, the places you actually live in, are still pretty bad. I'd much rather have good plumbing and efficient A/C than a "pretty study/game room" that I never use. —DaveCar
2008-07-13 00:13:43 I have lived here since September of 2007 and after reading the reviews on here, I feel I have to add something. The apartments aren't all that bad here. The maintenance staff is very polite and helpful in making repairs, the management seems nice and polite to my husband and me, and the pool is cleaned every day, so that's great. However, the apartments are old. The paint is peeling, the AC/heat is a joke, the windows don't seal all the way, and the carpet is threadbare. It would have been nicer to see all the money that management put into their game room into upgrading the apartments instead. Who cares if there's a great pool table or Air Hockey game (that doesn't work very well) if I can't get good AC in the summer heat? And the laundry prices are outrageous. I pay $1.50 for each load for wash and $1.50 for each dryer. And half of the washing machines do not work, most of the time. There are noisy people here, and we came close to calling the police once because of a late party (but someone beat us to it), but this is a decent place to live. We renewed our lease once, but we will be moving next summer, for sure. Overall, I'd give this place a 7/10; despite all it's pitfalls, it's still a nice place to live. The ground are generally clean and I feel safe living here. Parking is a pain, but that's what the DMV lot next door is for. —HAS
2008-07-15 07:49:33 Yeah, it's not that bad if you've never lived in an appartment before, or have incredibly low expectations for anything. Here's another tenant with an AC that hardly works, thinks the managment is unresponsive (they SOMETIMES don't have much choice with some of the stupid policies here), when the parking doesn't suck and there ARE open spaces in the parking lot, their parking patrol company is incredibly over zelous (ok yeah, my car, A RESIDENTS CAR, was just towed, sure I could have parked on the street, but the parking lot was half empty, I LIVE HERE, HAD GOVERNMENT PLATES, and it was 6pm and no one was in the office to give me a parking pass. My car was gone by 6am).
The free internet might as well be no internet. I've also had my mail stolen at least 3 times (so has my neighbors). After reporting it to the management and police, the police mandated the complex change the mailboxes... still hasn't happened. To their credit, they are doing other upgrades... and giving you less than a days notice to have your appartment ready for them (Yeah they're doing construction on appartments while the residents are still there). This is not an appartment I would ever recommend. I'd also suggest you consider how many places a positive reviewer has actually lived.
Just because there are a lot of shity places to live doen't mean it's ok to settle for one. Having any sort of standard will keep you away from Cambridge House. —TealPeterson
2008-07-15 11:44:30 I've been a resident for almost a year now and have never had any (EDIT: parking) problems. My car was towed last night which is amazing as my parking pass was clearly visible, as it has been for the past year; right on the dash. When you sign your lease, they also take down your car's information - with the express intent to double check to make sure you're truly a resident - before they tow you incase the parking pass is not visible.
Now, I have to get a ride to the towing place, pay $220 and miss part of class (I'm a college student) and be late to work all because they're too lazy to double check to see if the car belongs to a resident.
They use Patrol Plus to check for the parking passes. After speaking with the manager I was told that Patrol Plus doesn't have access to our information, so they cannot check to see if the car belongs to a resident. Why then, would they take down our car's information if not to use it as intended?
If the fee is not refunded, I'm going to file a complaint with the City of Davis, the Better Business Bureau and pursue legal action if neccesary. If your car has also been towed wrongfully, please let me know. I know of three other cases where this has occured recently. —DaveCar
2008-07-16 16:21:27 Update: So it turns out the manager who told me we'd be contacted first before our cars would be towed was wrong and has since left the company. As the guys at All About Towing said, "Cambridge House has a very high turnover rate with their managers." My parking pass had fallen off my dash and into the car as I showed it to the All About Towing guys as soon as I could get into my car. They felt terrible as they could see the pass was literally "right there" - visible as soon as I opened the door. They offered to void the towing fee if the management at Cambridge House would give them a call and tell them to void it. They couldn’t void it themselves as they are contracted by Cambridge House and would need the “ok” from them.
Unfortunately, the upper management at Cambridge House decided not to make the call as they'd be liable for all the other residents who have also been towed due to similar situations. I pointed out that they wouldn't have to actually pay the towing fee - All About Towing would simply void the transactions, but they declined anyways. It is unfortunate as the manager who actually works at the property, Monica, has been very kind and patient about the whole thing. It was her boss's call and there's nothing Monica could do. This case really solidifies the impression that the employees who work here just got stuck working for people with poor management skills. As I've said in a previous post, the maintenance guys are awesome and do good work - it’s just unfortunate that they have to work at a place that is in such poor condition.
When I lived at The Seville and Greystone, they had mechanisms in place to prevent residents getting towed if for some reason their parking passes weren't visible. The Seville used to patrol the parking lot at night, themselves, (as a manager lived on the property) and same with Greystone. In addition, at Greystone, if someone was parked in your spot, you literally had to show your lease to the tow truck driver (with your car's info) and prove that you owned the spot, before they'd tow the car. As the guys at All About Towing said, "most apartment complexes are careful to not tow their own customers as that only pisses the customer off". I have to agree. I guess Cambridge House couldn’t be bothered to do the same.
Basically, some places care about their customers and others don't. Some are willing to introduce simple measures to prevent situations like these. What makes matters worse is Cambridge House is talking about switching to using Jed's Towing, out in Dixon, so not only will you get towed if your pass isn't visible, but you'll also have to drive out to Dixon. All in all, it’s very poor management and obviously not geared to retaining customers or maintaining good relationships with current customers.
It was my fault for not making sure the parking pass was on my dash. Since I’d never had a problem before, I didn’t even think to double check as I got out of the car. As frustrating as it is, I decided long ago not to renew my lease as Cambridge House is overpriced and in terrible condition – even as far as Davis apartments go. It is clear that the management doesn’t care about their customers and instead only wishes to cover themselves. As past and current residents of Cambridge House, along with All About Towing mentioned, this happens quite often. Patrol Plus is over zealous in their reporting of cars without “clearly visible parking passes” and most likely receives kick backs from All About Towing.
Anyways, don’t take my word for it; the majority of past and current residents’ opinions are clearly negative here, (only 33% of past or current residents recommend Cambridge House according to ApartmentRatings.com). It’s a shame as the employees who work on site have always been kind and good at what they do. I’m impressed with them and think its sad they just got stuck working for bad upper management. I apologize for the long post but felt it was important to present the whole picture as best I could.
Also, tape your parking pass to your windshield, no matter where you live.
Ack, double post, sorry. The internet went out as I was trying to post my comment. Another benefit of the "free high speed internet" here is that its not really that fast and isn't exactly "working" all the time.
2008-07-22 19:40:10 They recently did an upgrade on their internet and I can totally see a difference. Before a Youtube video was something you let load up for 20 minutes, now it might take just a minute or two. I've only had the internet cut out on me once after living here for 7 months and it was only for a few minutes. —DominicBulone
2008-07-25 12:35:04 Dominic is right, the internet seems to be faster and more reliable now. The company that provides internet for the property, ApartmentHost.com, just made some changes on their end. If your old programs (such as online games, etc) no longer work and you're a resident, just call ApartmentHost.com at 1-888-755-0445 and they'll let your program through their new firewall setup. They're very friendly.
Also, thank you moderators for catching lisagoetz when she tried editing and deleting some of my comments. I think she may work for Aspen Square mgt. —DaveCar
2008-07-25 12:39:47 Also, as for Cambridge House possibly switching to Jed's towing, it was the guys at All About Towing, Mark specifically, that told me that. —DaveCar
2008-07-25 13:16:17 Yeah, I just checked, Lisa Goetz does work for Aspen Square management. This is interesting though as she's the lady I signed the lease with (who told me they'd call before they'd tow). I was told she no longer works there and had spoken in error when she said I'd be notified first. I know this because her signature is on my lease, holding deposit receipt and other forms. I'm shocked that an employee would try to delete and edit my comments. (See the edit history for this page). I'd say more, but Aspen Square's actions speak louder than my words ever could. Sorry for the multiple posts. I'd be happy to consolidate them if the moderators would prefer that. —DaveCar
2008-07-31 11:04:15 Ever since the upgrade, the Internet is not working. I get very inconsistent speeds, which render my VoIP phone useless. I thought I was getting a deal with the "free" Internet, but I'm just stuck now with bad Internet. The worst part is that one cannot do anything about it. As they point out in the office "it's free". I guess you get what you pay for.
On an unrelated note, the pool is getting a little scary with all the dirt and the number of trespassers who feel they can just walk in from the street and use it at any time of day. I saw a couple in the pool the other night who seemed to be having sex. I think I'm going to skip using the pool for a while and let the water filter clean out whatever they may have left behind. —MikeO
2008-08-17 14:38:32 You can get around the free internet by getting your own internet, like I ended up doing out of frustration... Just a note for those who do end up living here, you can upgrade your TV service for the difference between what you want and what Cambridge house provides... (premium tv for $20 or whatever it is I pay). —TealPeterson
2008-09-15 13:51:37 It doesn't seem to stop. Landlords are legally required to return damage deposits within 21 days of the end of a lease with an itemized statement of charges. Once again, Cambridge House is edging toward the wild side of the law. I'll be taking them to small claims court for taking more than 3 weeks to return it to me. I guess I can't complain too much. They're liable for 3 times the amount of the damage deposit.
Nice appearance or not, shitty management can make or break your experience at a place. It's not enough to do your job half the time. —TealPeterson
2008-09-17 15:34:02 After some talking around, I've found out that I'm not the only tennent to have not recieved their damage deposit yet from their move out/end of lease on August 24th. —TealPeterson
2008-09-17 15:47:34 I've had the same problem as Mr. Peterson. My damage deposit was also not post-marked within the legally required 21 days. If you've had similiar problems, this link is very helpful in getting them resolved. Tenant Rights
Update: 2008-10-06: I didn't want to post the full details until the issue was resolved. The check that reimbursed me what was left of my security deposit wasn't even made out until three days after the date it would have been post-marked to legally arrive within twenty-one days. From my security deposit, Cambridge House tried to keep the full, additional pet deposit I paid, listing them as "pet fees" - which is illegal as explained in the "Tenant Rights" link above. This was particularly interesting (and sloppy) as the pet deposit is listed as a "deposit" on my contract and not a fee. In fact, on the contract, in the space provided for "fees" it clearly says "$0". However, on the itemized security deposit refund (which wasn't itemized in that it didn't detail each charge), the pet deposit was clearly listed as a fee.
I wish I could say I was shocked, but honestly, I was expecting something like this based on past experiences. I called and politely asked for my full security deposit back after explaining why I deserved it. I stated that I would take the case to small claims court immediately if the full deposit was not refunded. I was told they'd contact their manager and get back to me. The next day I was told I'd get the full deposit back, which I did a week later.
The issue is now resolved, and apparently I'm not the only resident this has happened to. If something similar has happened to you, I highly recommend fighting it as most apartment management companies do try this. They know the average person is too lazy to stand up for their rights, or doesn't know any better. Lastly, the employees who worked on the property were very kind, professional and helpful with this process. It seems they just happen to work for an incredibly deceitful company (see past resident comments being edited, false posts from the same IP Address, and illegal business tactics).
I'm thrilled to be done with this place and glad to get my deposit back. —DaveCar
2008-09-23 18:05:12 I have lived in Davis for over 5 years now, and at Cambridge House for over 2 years. This is by far the best place I have lived at in Davis! Management is always friendly and helpful while the maintenance always gets things done in a timely manner. If I have printer issues and I have a paper due and it's 2am, I can easily print my class work in the study lounge and not freak out. I like to frequent the pool and it's awesome cuz it's rarely used but always clean and clear! I haven't ever had to park on the street but I rarely get the spot right in front of my room. Safety is a big concern for me being a single female and I have always feet safe living here and walking to surrounding stores being we're only 1 block from the police department. Everyone's experience varies but I have had nothing but good experiences while living at Cambridge. Good job gals and keep up the good work! :) —beebeewoof
2008-09-26 12:40:54 It looks like, once again, a poorly reviewed business is trying to add positive comments pretending to be customers. (See Dave Palmer, HeatherClaire, BeeBeeWoof, KS's IP addresses).. I mean, it seems obvious that overly positive reviews must be fake, especially when they include the term "reasonable monthly cost" in it. But I thought I'd mention it anyways! —VanessaZ -I'm enjoying how now those "people" are going back and deleting their own comments. Awesome. :)
2008-09-26 13:02:43 Good call VanaeesaZ. beebeewoof and HeatherClaire sound like poorly written "testimonials" from a late-night infomercial. My BS detector was going crazy, then I read your comment. Maybe if they are real people they will respond. When we moved to Davis we looked at Cambridge House and I swear, the sales pitch was almost identical to those 2 comments. —aharjala
2008-10-06 00:21:46 I do not recommend living on the first floor if you have heavy neighbors above :X. Also, I think it's a bit outrageous that I pay an extra $10/mo for my patio and not get to have whatever I want out on my patio. They say only bikes and patio furniture—nothing else. :( —MichelleV
2008-10-20 16:36:18 Hi, as stated on the Cambridge House Apartments page, we provide free internet to all of our residents, which is why both positive and negative comments are posted from very similar IP addresses. The office computers run off of a different system than what we provide for our residents, so our IP Address in the office is not the same. Cambridge House staff would not post positive comments posing as residents. We appreciate the feedback and if you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us in the office. Thank you. -Cambridge House Management —Cambridge
2008-10-26 21:16:42 Regarding the IP addresses, perhaps, but Cambridge House HAS edited residents' comments in the past. Specifically, see revision 74, 75 and 76. Lisagoetz works for Cambridge House as I have her signature on my old lease. The user "cambridge" also got caught trying to silence bad reviews. See revisions 37 and 41. Editing comments goes against the core idea of what the wiki is. It is as bad, if not worse than posting false positive comments. —DaveCar
2008-11-04 17:37:28 As the days grow shorter and the nights grow colder, it is often easy to forget the simple things in life that help us in pursuing our dreams. Things like shelter and food. Cambridge House has volunteered to be a drop off point for any non perishable food items to donate to less fortunate people. All food will be donated to Davis Community Meals where they will give the food to people in our community that truly need our help. With the holidays just around the corner and the economy at a standstill, let's come together as the community we are and make a difference. Stop by the Cambridge House Office anytime Monday - Friday from 8am to 5:30pm. Thanks and have a wonderful holiday season —Cambridge
2008-11-13 16:57:06 So I've lived here for 3 months now and its not that bad. People complain about the parking but I don't think I've had that much trouble with it. People leave late at night so every now and then you get lucky. If worse comes to worse, I just park down the street next to the other apartment complex. I'm not to keen on the management here. They waste so much paper with the flyers they post on your door and its kinda useless. They even remove bikes that are chained to the pillers and stairs bc it's "unattractive to the apartment." They do ridiculous things here and the still have the sprinklers on even when its raining. The location isn't so bad, the buses is walking distance. The internet it kinda slow and it goes in and out. There's no central heating or AC so its pointless when I'm in my room most of the time. I had to bring up my own heater and fan. Honestly i wouldn't live here again. —h3llokitty
2008-12-07 21:18:19 I've lived here a few months and would say the earlier complaints are exaggerated or things have changed since then. Yeah, it's an older complex (under the 6 layers of paint) without central heating/AC or a garbage disposal (which I miss from my Sac apartment). Yes, the internet is pretty bad (high latency, terrible bandwidth). Yes, the rent is rather high (compared to Sacramento, anyway). But it's not the hellhole people make it out to be. Also, parking hasn't really been an issue for my wife and I more than a couple of times. When it was, we just parked a little ways down the street—like a minute walk, if that. You're right next to the A, M, Q, P, and L bus stops, too, which is great if you're a UCD student. If you're interested in maybe living here, just do a walk-through of a regular apartment here and what you see there is what you get. It's not luxurious by any means, but it's not *that* bad. —RobertM525
