These are older reviews of College Square Apartments prior to 2011
The Following Reviews Apply to the Old Management
Gym - While it looks really nice. Almost all of the weight machines are broken. Cardio machines work fine though. —MattHh
I have lived here. My apartment was near the front and fairly nice since I didn't hear the train often. We had brand new carpet and flooring since the people before us had a pet that tore it up. I had horrible roommate problems here and the management didn't do as much as I thought they could to help me get out of my situation (they did work out a break of lease deal with me—but that was after I moved out and risked being sued by my roommate and the complex). I eventually had to move out and break my lease (you can break the lease; they don't tell you that, you usually have to pay a break of lease fee and lose your deposit. I ended up paying somewhere over $500 to get myself legally out of this situation). I tried contacting the owners multiple times and never had a response—management's hands were tied by owners who would not address tenant issues—this made me feel like they were much more into money than caring about people's well being. When my friends and I first looked at the place, it was a pretty color and had a wonderful manager (we signed leases then). Then they switched managements and painted it baby kaka green with purple and other random colors. I've had four other friends that lived here, and they had crappier apartments. Maintenance man was nice, pretty good about fixing things. Rent was decent, and it's near bus lines. I have really awful memories of this place, so I would NOT live here again, but for those who get along with roommates, and get a nice unit, you may enjoy living here.
2005-06-22 15:59:03 This is the worst apartment I've ever had. I've lived in San Francisco's Mission District and South Central Los Angeles. Ivy Towne is the only place where I've seen so many roaches and rodents, the only one that's consistently dirty, with ugly, aging apartments, and a management team that has been rude, incompetent and unresponsive, if not all at the same time. As for the rent, when I thought it was high, even for Davis, it was raised. Do anything, but do not live here. Worst rental experience ever. —SC
2005-07-06 18:58:47 Am i The Only one who refers to this place as "That Ghetto aparment complex"? —StevoDragun
2005-07-08 18:07:26 I worked here for a short time and know for a fact just how "safe" and "secure" this place is. If you're even slightly considering this place, LOOK ELSEWHERE. Ownership/management are terrible, employees are rude and couldn't care less about the tenants, and the apartments are heinous. Stay away! —MeGodfrey
2005-08-30 16:21:47 Horrible place! They change management like I change my underwear. And they all suck! I agree with everything said above, and then some. They seriously don't give a damn about the people that live(d) there. No consideration. Horrible! Horrible! Horrible! —SohSage
2005-08-30 16:28:30 My kids refer to it as "the place with the Army Green pool" —RocksandDirt
2005-10-05 00:24:07 The hot water stops working here around once every week and conveniently around the time when management isn't around when you go shower late at night. —JjDeng
2005-11-30 23:39:45 I lived at Ivy Towne for about a year beginning in June 1997. It sucked! Big time! Our apartment was in poor condition when we moved in, and a couple of months later after a few days of steady rain our bedroom flooded with an inch or two of water. The management was amazingly unresponsive - it took almost a day for them to get a maintenance person out to look at the place, and he said something to the effect of "Oh, this happens every year." Even then, they didn't actually *fix* the problem, much less dry & clean the room, until I threatened legal action. Our 1-bedroom apartment was a mold-friendly studio for about a week because of this fiasco. And then they threatened to evict me and my roommate when my rent check bounced as I was switching bank accounts. (Our payments prior to that had always been timely.) I was unsurprised to find out a year or two ago that an acquiantance from high school was badly mistreated there as well. —GrahamFreeman
The Following Applies to the New Management
2006-02-06 14:53:47 Not the best place I've ever lived, not the worst place I've ever lived. At this time the new management seems to be progressing at moderate speed (not fast, not dead-slow) with renovating and replacing aging equipment. Potential for mold if you don't keep your place clean and dry, decent maintenance people, management... like I said, not the best, not the worst. Get everything in writing, which is a good idea anyway. If you're trusting, naive and have little apartment renting experience, be extra careful and extra aware. I've heard of stories about bike thefts, if you have an extra nice bike keep it inside with you. It's quiet enough, allows dogs and cats with deposit. A bit on the ghetto-ish side, but I don't feel unsafe walking around after dark. VERY convenient to the Co-op and a 10 minute walk from most of downtown. Exterior renovations are ongoing, but the base stucco coat is lots nicer looking than the old baby-poop-green paint. —BlancheNonken
2006-03-22 18:29:08 New renters beware, please, please don’t be fooled by their new and lavish office, it is merely a façade for their horrible management skills. This has to be quite possibly THE WORST APPARTMENT COMPLEX IN DAVIS. The ongoing renovations are a constant disruption at 7:30 AM EVERY MORNING!!! Hammering continues until 12, when the workers go to lunch, and then returns again shortly after. Mirrors and picture frames have come crashing down, all due to hammering. Our hot water has been turned off for days, so to compensate us the management asked us to come into the office, pick up some keys to a vacant apartment and shower there. But only during normal business hours. What a fucking joke. Then they decided to turn off all the tap water for 3 days, twice. The student population at this complex is close to none. Don’t be fooled by their name, there is NOTHING college about this place. The “new” management is rude and unapproachable, and is EXTREMELY slow to fix anything. We had to call the Health Depart —EthanLeavy
2006-03-22 18:32:20 We had to call the Health Department before they would come clean up the mold in our carpet. And I couldn’t forget our lovely upstairs neighbors who actually caused all the mold to form when they left their bathtub running, which subsequently leaked down to our shit hole. While they have nothing to do with the actual management we can constantly hear them above us. The walls are paper-thin. We toured the new renovated units, and they might be cheap and nice looking, but please don’t fall into this scam. Look elsewhere for your housing needs! We’ve hired a lawyer to get out of our lease early, don’t make the same mistake we did. —EthanLeavy
2006-05-24 10:01:29 The worst apartment management I have dealt with so far.. A few examples: i) water was off for almost a week no water at all for a day and we were charged 100% rent anyway. They said "they were working on it". ii) twice I was getting notes that I owe money, when I paid all in time and they did not file it correctly. iii) to have something fixed it takes at least three trips to the office. —SteveKee
2006-08-28 17:40:25 I don't live in these apartments, but a friend of mine does. Maintenance these past few months has been seriously messed up. Her apartment has been without consistent hot water for 22+ days (generally nothing even resembling warm after 8AM, sometimes out entirely for more than 48 hours at a time). Window screens critical to safety (the window starts about 2 feet off the floor, with a long drop from the second story) were missing for over a month despite numerous complaints - and then magically appeared within an hour of a call to the health department. They have been offered no compensation for either problem. —JessicaLuedtke
2007-01-14 21:14:08 Gym only open 9am to 5 pm... Great if you don't have a job or many classes, otherwise you're rents are higher to pay for an extra you can't use. Management is extremely difficult to work with and changes often. If you have repairs that need to be done, better get them in writing with a time limit or else you will never get them finished. Bikes get stolen all the time here and there are some homeless people that live along the treeline by the tracks that are always causing problems, thefts, assaults, etc. Also, walls are paper thin, you can hear everything, which is great if you're a deaf person but if you care about priovacy, plan on whispering. I have lived here for five months now and plan on movig out at first opportunity. Three management changes already and 4 maintenance crew chage-overs and still nothing gets done. Dollars spent greatly exceed actual value here. Be warned. —NekraKil
2007-02-06 16:03:50 This is definitely one of the worst rental experiences I have ever had. It is so bad that I am going to break my lease, which I have never done before. The complex is old and requires a lot of work, but the management hasn't hired enough people to do the work. Maintenance problems do not get addressed, or only get addressed after several trips to the office. We had to threaten them with withholding rent to get a leak in the roof fixed. The half-assed "renovation" has left my part of the complex with paint splattered windows and stair handrails that are not securely fastened. Even better, the workmen doing the renovation sprayed paint into my aprtment during the summer when the windows were open. The hot water is often out and the management will turn the water off without notice. They just shut down and locked up the laundry room for the C-block apartments without notice. Safety and security are terrible. I cannot stress enough: DON'T LIVE HERE. —TaniaMorgan
2007-04-04 20:29:41 First of all, Management is very very bad and not even helpful to students. Apartments are Next to railway traks and it gets very noisey every day in the morning. Apartments are in shitty conditions. For maintance, you have to call them at least 2 times in order to fix things in apartment. It's really hard to find parking during the night time..because every one parks their car here. Seriously, DO NOT RENT APARTMENT HERE !! GO SOMEOTHER PLACES WHERE MANAGEMENT IS VERY NICE. It's not worth paying money here... —PremPujari
2007-04-06 21:46:10 WOW I HATE THIS PLACE! horrible management, renovations were intrusive and FAR too drawn out. deadlines were NEVER made, and the contruction workers actually broke my windsheild while doing work around my car that they never fessed up to. there are no assigned parking spaces, so i would come home late and have to park a quarter mile away from my apartment. the renovations were hurried and done VERY sloppily. the stucco guys actually stuccoed over my apartment's outside electrical plug, the painters painted on the windows AND the peephole, gave me wrong info on when the paint was to be dry, so guests of mine got paint on their clothes. management did nothing to make up for it. the pools are gross, the tennants are trashy, lots of drugs, cops, crime (my car was broken into twice while living here, and my apartment was broken into once....oh, and if you only knew the history of all the shit that's gone down here, this place is notorious!). people steal clothes out of the laundry room when you're not looking (i lost a pair of $180 jeans this way), and basically this place is ghetto. even though it's been redone, the renovations cannot cover up the roaches and undeniable cheapness of this complex. it's still hood. it's still the same shitty ivy town. my ex used to work here, so i know all the dirt that went on behind the scenes, such as half assed cleanings on freshly vacated apts, black sewage bubbling out of people's sink drains, chemically unbalanced pools, and maintenance guys hiding from work orders in their apartments during their shifts. oh, and tennants: have fun listening to the train roll by 50 feet from your window every day and meeting bums in the bushes behind the parking lot....at night. —Lisa
2007-05-25 18:53:01 Considering moving into this complex. everyone seems to dislike it, but when i took the tour, it was nice. can anyone give me any inside info, i wouldnt want to get stuck at a bad place, but most of the comments seem to be about the remodeling (now over?) and old management. what can you tell me about it now? —domesticgoddesss
2007-05-30 00:45:02 CAVEAT EMPTOR!! The bad reviews about this place are NOT LIMITED to the old management!! Aside from the new appliances, carpet and walk-in closet, this place is the worst apartment complex I have ever lived in, including some pretty bad places in Berkeley (though they were heaven compared to this place). Two days after moving in, there was a huge bubble of latex paint in the bathroom caused from the apartment above mine leaking down. Either this was a preexisting condition they tried to cover up with paint or it was a really strange coincidence. I'm guessing the former. When I asked them to fix it, they came in, scraped off the paint, and for the next year, have left me with a huge, water-stained area of exposed wall. I put in at two additional work orders and after almost a year now have received no fix. After months, they did apparently come to my apartment one day and left a note saying it was fixed, but NOTHING was different.
There are cockroaches everywhere outside, and it is impossible to walk around at night without hearing crunches beneath your feet. In addition to the faint but undeniable smell of moldy, water-logged wood, there is visible water damage underneath all sinks and rust holes in the bathroom sink and tub. The walkway above leaks an abundance of water right in front of my door when it rains, and the walls are paper thin. Normal conversation can be heard even if it is outside my apartment. My rent is $850/mo., and I now consider this severely overpriced.
I'll try to remember to add an update about the whole of my moving out experience, but if it is anything like the shady stunts they have tried to pull thus far, my disgust will serve as my reminder. This place should be moved into only as an absolute last choice. —KyleWecker
2007-11-10 10:31:05 I have lived here for over a year and am cursing myself for signing a new lease. Don't be fooled by the models they show you. The apartment you get will look nothing like them. The renovations are incredibly sloppy. They painted over the kitchen cabinents without sanding them down, so now the paint is just peeling off. They changed the cabinent knobs, but only on the upper cabinents, and you can see the holes from where the old knobs use to be. The laminate counter tops were cut incorretly, so they just patched it up. Now that is peeling off as well. They also told me my kitchen would have a bar, just like the model. But guess what, ya, I don't have one. Moving on to other areas of the small apartment...The carpet in the model is not the carpet in my apartment- it is much cheaper. My bedroom door would not even close. I can't plug things into half of my electrical outlets. The upstairs unit leaked something into the ceiling above my bathroom, which was fixed within a week of my complaining, however I think mold grew since I had trouble breathing for the next few weeks. The walkway above my apartment pours water into my patio every time it rains. And by pours I mean floods. The outside storage unit has a leak, which ruined my luggage and camping equipment- things the managment did not want to replace. My bike, which had been my Dad's when he was in college, had the lock cut and was stolen. Someone keyed the word "fuck" into the side of my car. I once found pee soaked underwear in the dryer with all of my freshly washed laundry. Over the summer, tons of people- who i really don't think live here- partied at our pool. And by partied I mean peed all around, broke the glass tables, threw up in the pool, etc. And who could forget...they allow dogs. So I no longer need an alarm clock, since for the past six months the dogs at one end of the complex get into a barking match with the beagle at the other end around 7 am every day. I called to see what the management could do about the situation, which was a waste of time since nothing has changed. Oh, and my rent was raised. I'm paying $925 for a one bedroom all of these lovely accomodations. —kelly000
2008-03-28 23:46:25 I took over someone's lease who had been living here for 3 or so years. During the time the previous tenants had lived here the complex had changed hands, had a remodel and a near virtual turn over in staff. Because of this, some of the renovations on my apartment had not been completed. I have contacted the management here and they have been very helpful in resolving all this. They had replaced my shower assembly, all the electoral outlets in my apartment and offered to clean my carpets. My dog had chewed through the power cord for my AC and they came by and fixed it with no problems and no questions asked. The front end staff is fantastic; the manager, James, genuinely cares about the people living here and is very on top of everything. There are only three maintenance guys for 350+ units, so they are a bit swamped but the maintenance guys themselves have been nothing but courteous to me and have genuinely gone out of their way to help me out.
I really do feel like a valued customer here and I am glad to write a rent check every month. The downside is that there are only three maintenance guys and they are over worked, but they are doing the best they can and are not at all inept. The place is close to campus and relatively quite, although the train tracks are just right outside the complex but Davis is a railroad town and some train noise is to be expected. It is a bit pricey compared to some other places in Davis, but I still feel as if my rent check is money well spent; I am glad I renewed for another year. BrandonMinow
2008-04-08 15:25:35 Maintenance request takes forever. They never fix it unless it is real urgent stuff. The heater was broke at the end of Oct, the worker said they need to order a part. They finally fixed it after Thanksgiving. They keep saying management was bad with previous manager. I do not see any difference. Planning to move out. —SusieHah
2008-04-16 18:12:23 not as nice as it looked when we first moved in. They never fixed the vent, gave us a cover like we wanted. Management was helpful; James is sometimes helpful, but not enough room for me and my two roomates so we are moving out. This place sucks. The library and office are nice looking but that is just to lure in renters. They never unlock the library anyways. I would advise you not to rent here
2008-05-22 14:13:42 This place is terrible. From their website: "And no request is too small for our professional management team. At College Square, we take pride in offering our residents gracious, friendly and incredibly responsive customer service. Without fail." THIS IS A BIG JOKE. It is the opposite of this. They are completely NON-RESPONSIVE, bullying, cheap, and while the interior and the facade were renovated (with the cheapest possible materials), the structure, crappy windows and doors, and everything else was NOT. Expect to learn WAY more about your upstairs or next door neighbor than you ever wanted to. Expect it to take months and multiple calls to get anything fixed, and then they are guaranteed to take the cheapest shortcut possible. DO NOT RENT HERE!!!!!! —collegesquareisawful
2008-07-07 16:34:00 This place is a dump and the worst place i lived. Don't waste your time looking at this place. The management and maintenance team are horrible at their jobs and unreliable. It took them a 2 weeks for them to fix my neighbor's clog sink which backed up the pipe and almost flooded my kitchen sink. i could'nt use my kitchen sink for 2 week and didn't live there because of the rotten smell. The complex is beyond old. It seemed that they just painted over and over to make it look new. Living on the lower floor, I could hear the neighbors clearly in all 5 direction because the walls were thin. Also, when the train comes by, I could hear and feel the room shake. Since this place is an old rag, it smelled awful. People with dogs didn't pick up their dog feces. People left trash in the parking lot and the maintenance team didn't give a crap about it because the lanscaper blew it into the street when they came by to blow the dead leaves out into the street. There are hobos living in the bushes between the railroad and the parking lot, and come out at night to dig the trash. This is the worst place in Davis. —davidhung
2008-07-11 17:37:08 Hello All,
I am the Community Director at College Square Apartments. My name is James Hites. I have been reading some of the remarks left about College Square and I am concerned. While I know that some of the remarks hold some truth, what concerns me is that some have been exaggerated and are not altogether true. I have been reading comments regarding pest control issues, renovations on the property, and management and maintenance staff. I would like to respond to each issue:
1. PEST CONTROL
Although pest control issues arise in almost every apartment community, especially in Davis, College Square strives to make sure that each unit is treated prior to moving in. We also offer pest control service provided by TERMINEX each week. At each residents request, Terminex will come treat their apartment FREE OF CHARGE, as often as needed to remedy the problem. There is no reason why any apartment home at College Square should have Pest Control issues at any time. If there is a consistent pest control issue, I always look at surrounding apartments and also the apartment with the issue to find the cause of the problem. We then have the units treated. Sometimes it may take several attempts before the problem is remedied. As I read some of these comments on the Wiki, I know the majority of the complaints that have been noted regarding pest control issue does not derive from College Square Apartments, it derives from a housekeeping standards the resident holds.
2. RENOVATIONS ON THE PROPERTY
Our community has changed dramatically in the last 3 years. Our buildings are 40+ years old and have been updated from the original green shag carpet and olive green appliances to energy efficient appliances, newer carpet and flooring. What does one expect a building 40 years of age with a turn around rate each year of 50% due to student population to look like? College Square is one of the only apartment communities in the area that offer newer appliances, lighting, carpet and flooring in pretty much every unit that has been flipped in the last 2 years. College Square has also updated the exterior of the buildings and added a fresh coat of paint and stucco not to mention the green manicured landscape.
3. MANAGEMENT & MAINTENANCE STAFF
The friendly staff at College Square strives to make each and every one of our residents feel at home. I honestly feel we treat every resident with the utmost respect and attention that they deserve. We would never let any resident move into a unit that we feel is unfit or unsanitary. As I read some of the remarks left by past or even current residents, I feel that in many of these cases these residents have (a) never brought their issue to management to address or (b) they are retaliating back at College Square Apartments because WE the management are constantly on them to keep their apartments clean, pay their rent on time, serve them notices to keep the noise level down, or simply because they had one valid issue that was resolved and have unreasonable expectations for a rent credit. ie; one month free. As for the maintenance crew at College Square, my staff works extremely hard to make sure every unit is "Rent Ready" and make sure all requests are addressed in a timely manner. I will take reasonable responsibility. In some cases it may take a few days to order a part and have it shipped, in other cases it may be because an maintenance emergency was called in and those issues take priority over a window blind not opening. Although it may take some extra time in to get repaired; it gets repaired. If a Service Request is not up to resident’s standards, I invite you to call me, stop me when you see me on the property or email me. I can not fix it if I do not know it is broken. My number one priority is to ensure that every resident is happy with their apartment.
Please also keep in mind that College Square is one of the largest properties in the Davis Area. We are 240 units and stretch about 1/4 mile long. We are about 1.2 miles away from campus, on the E & L bus line, have GREAT amenities and offer a wide variety of rental rates for each floor plan to suit every budget. Realistically I know that I can not make everyone of my residents happy 100% of the time, however I honestly believe that the majority of my residents are happy here at College Square. We have had more people renew their leases this year than ever before. Please keep in mind that every resident and prospect must make the best choice for themselves. I invite any questions, comments and concerns.
If you are not one of our current residents and you would like to form your own opinion about College Square, please call us at 530.756.2654 or come into the office to take a tour. I would like to personally meet all of you and hear your thoughts. This year we are not showcasing a model, we are showcasing actual vacant units that are rent ready! Come see for yourself, what College Square has to offer.
Kindest Regards,
James Hites Community Director College Square
2008-07-16 19:59:48 Anyone who “knows" someone who lives here should not be commenting. If you are not or have not been a tenant, then you have nothing of value to contribute, so please spare me your two-cents about what your friend (who actually does live here) thinks about the apartment. Tell your friend to write a comment.
I am a current tenant at college squares and have been for the last year. Honestly, these apartments are probably the cheapest you will find in town that are actually WELL maintained. The carpet is clean, not a single stain (Unlike Arlington Farms whose carpets are disgusting and rarely get replaced). The appliances all work fine, and if something should happen, because let’s face it that’s life, the maintenance guys come within minutes. I’ve had 2 after-hours emergencies in a span of a year. I called maintenance and BAM! There they were, not a million days later like people like to complain, but right after I hung up the phone.
As far as management goes they’re chill. If you’re a good tenant they will go the extra mile to try and help you. Hell, even if you’re a bad tenant they will still make sure your place is running properly. But don’t go bitching up a storm about seeing a single roach in your apartment; this is Davis sometimes they wander in. BUT MOST OF THE TIME, if it is a consistent problem, that is your own fault. These people aren’t your mom. Keep your place clean and the roaches won’t come, simple as that. But for the rest of you who have to suffer because you live next to the “nasties” my heart goes out to you. My suggestion: ask James to transfer you to different apartment next year. I’m sure he’ll happily direct you the best place on the property.
Oh and as for the theft issue. As far as bikes go – THEY ARE STOLEN EVERYWHERE!!! Now as far as packages go – there are times I have been out of town for weeks at a time, and when I get home my packages are in front of my door (where anyone can see/ take them) and have not been stolen, and I do not live in a hidden apartment. I am exposed for the world to see. All in all these is a very nice place to live, so stop scarring people with the bad reviews, just because you are bitter about life and horrible tenants (I’m assuming. Some of you I’m sure are very nice people with minor issues). Now feel free to respond; my comment is staying up regardless!
2008-07-30 15:06:15 THE ABSOLUTE WORST PLACE IN DAVIS. This place makes south central look like beverly hills, and i've lived in south central all my life. I can sum it up like this: the maintenance worker scratched my car with his truck, then denied it (even though i saw him do it with my own eyes), and MY APATRMENT GOT BROKEN INTO TWICE!!! When I went to tell the management, they weren't least bit sympathetic to my situation, telling me that I still had to live there by contract. they didn't even give us a discount on our rent after we literally lost thousands of dollars worth of stuff. If anything, the maintenance guys were really cool and helpful when it happened but the management just didn't care. —Tron
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2008-07-30 16:30:22 The last posting that was just left by one of my current resident, who was given a NOTICE TO VACATE was "allegedly" allowing ILLEGAL ACTIVITY to take place in their apartment is obviously retaliating back at College Square. I am quite familiar with their situation. I also invite the resident who made that last comment to please bring your concerns to me if needed, I will see you shortly when you turn in your keys upon vacating. In College Square's defense,I know that the reason why their apartment was broken into was because of the anonymous foot traffic they were allowing to take in place in their apartment. This is why College Square has chosen not to renew their lease agreement and have asked them to leave. Furthermore, College Square informs every resident that Renters Insurance is available to them and is highly recommended. Pretty much any apartment complex will tell you that it is up to the resident to obtain this type of insurance if they choose to.
2008-07-30 22:39:19 I lived back here for a couple months back when it was Ivy Towne, good times.
You even got regular police patrols ! —StevenDaubert
2008-10-20 13:01:35 I LOVE COLLEGE SQUARE APARTMENTS!!!!! I have never had a problem that was not quickly resolved!!! HONEST. They staff there is awesome. I LOVE JAMES! i LOVE MISTY! I LOVE CHRIS..AND HIS ASSISTANT JASON :p! They are the nicest people!! PLUS college square was voted best apartments in davis for 2008, and they deserve it!! —annmadai
2008-10-20 13:02:48 P.S. for those who said its the worst place, well, they obviously don't know what they are talking about....... —annmadai
2008-10-21 16:16:17 I think what annmadai meant was that College square won the award for Best Apartments in Davis. I personally Love living here! this is my third year here and theres not one thing i would complain about. Management is great, the ameneties are awesome, the location is perfect and overall the atmosphere is nice :) I would like to add this: STOP Complaining! If theres roaches and roadents in ur apt its probably because ur messy and dirty, u dont like the fact that management was constantly changing? well forgive them for trying to get us the best management possible. If something is broken... why did u break it? Relax, it can be fixed! The guys will fix it,u dont have to take three trips to the office, JUST CALL THEM! duh! and remember this, the way u treat, talk to and act toward the people who run this place will be the way u will be treated. Try it, be nice it works! —nichi
2008-11-11 15:14:24 I like that James, the community coordinator guy, needs to address the serious concerns raised in this forum. Look at all the complaints from former tenants; College Square has an image problem for good cause. James starts out saying there are legitimate complaints, but in each of his points passes off the blame for what is overwhelmingly agreed to be a terrible place to live despite a couple of comments from James' friends:
1) Tenants are slobs explains the infestation. 2) A 40 year old building explains all the structural problems 3) Tenants with grudges or unreasonable expectations explains all the negative comments on the forum.
I think the third point probably says the most about how you should be expect to be treated.
In my experience with James and Ivy Town/College Square (three years total), problems aren't addressed in a timely fashion and the place is rather worn down. Most of the problems we had were cosmetic, except for the year a violent wife beater lived below us and had screaming matches at 3 am. But it is an old apartment complex with somewhat indifferent management trying to be "the ultimate living experience in Davis".
Let me tell you all one choice story. When the remodel was happening in the Summer of 2006 our apartment was covered inside with latex. Why? Because they didn't cover the windows or warn us to keep our windows shut before spraying . OK, honest mistake. We cleaned it all up and survived. Irritating, but...whatever. The thing is, though, that our windows were covered in some stucco/latex mixture for the next two years. We asked them to clean it up. We asked multiple times. In fact, at one point we decided to ask once per week just to see what would happen and under the theory of the squeaky wheel before we finally gave up. Oh, James was really nice. He sure did sympathize with us. He, and others in the office, filled out work orders every single time. It didn't make a difference, and it seemed a bit like we were being placated so they could get back to showing prospective tenants the really nicely remodeled apartments at the front of the complex. If that seems a bit nasty, well, one of the excuses we got for why they couldn't clean the windows was that they didn't have a ladder. Really? A ladder? What small fraction of my rent would a ladder cost to buy? And how was it possible that a 300 or so unit complex doesn't have a ladder? It was a lame excuse, but emblematic of living there. By the way, I locked myself out one night (we lived on the second floor) and I borrowed the ladder from the maintenance guy's porch to climb in through my window.
We lived there for three years because we got a two bedroom apartment for $900/month and stayed because moving sucks. It wasn't totally unlivable. I've certainly lived in worse places. But when you are paying incredible amounts of money to live in a place that gets the ringing endorsement of "I've lived in worse"...well...
What I found galling, what inspired me to write this, was how badly James deals with the problem. Management isn't particularly helpful. In fact, they seem at odds with the maintenance people who really are understaffed. And that nonsense about 'please come and talk to us if there are any problems' just doesn't comport with my experience or, apparently, with most of the other comments on this forum. Finally, dismissing out-of-hand all the comments on this forum, though you did it in a backhanded way, James, doesn't bode well for the future happiness of College Square tenants. —CassidyHouchins
2009-03-27 13:30:48 Hello, I am a current resident and I would never live here again...
There are many reasons that people should avoid living at College Square Apartments, but my main concern is the noise. If you are looking for peace and quiet look elsewhere.
Many of the current residents are younger Wyotech Automotive Technician Students, which means that they are constantly working on their POS automobiles. Though out the day this results in loud banging, engines loudly revving, window shaking subwoofers, and is accompanied by the screeching of tires and speeding through the complex.
If that wasn't frustrating enough, then they send in a fleet of gas-powered leaf-blowers, which are incredibly disruptive and a reoccurring annoyance 3-4 days a week. No joke, its excessive and unnecessary.
On top of the leaf-blowers (which sound like chainsaws) and the Wyotech lowlifes, there is the lovely train which also stops by from time to time to complete the trifecta of college square noise pollution.
Parking is also a problem...there is no permit system here and if you get home after 10p on a week night you will most likely be parking far away and on the street, which is also lovely.
I feel that the management is made up of good people, who want to make the complex better, but as my Grandpa used to say "you can't polish a turd...and even if you find out how, is still a piece of sh*t...
Good Luck —NickM
2009-04-06 10:33:20 I will be moving out of college square in august. The management is extremely rude and very unresponsive; there are issues with the apartment that were there when i moved in, and they've yet to fix them despite being called a number of times. Not only that, but the apartment i'm living in has the worst mold problem I have ever encountered! Additionally, there are a lot of sketchy people living here; it's loud throughout the night, no parking ever, and there are always people going through the dumpsters. Don't live here, it's not worth it. There are plenty of more affordable, cleaner places that won't have half the problems of these apts. —ohfoot
2009-04-07 23:07:06 I have lived here for almost 5 years and I can honestly say this place has improved. I am not a student, I work for the UC and I know 2 of my co workers live here as well and they seem to like it here too. Although my rent has increased a bit each year for my small 700 sq ft one bedroom apartment, I still plan on renewing. The people in the office are nice, the maintenance guys are cool and I have checked out other places in Davis and they are not as dapper on the inside and I find they are just as exspensive in price, if not more. However, I will have to admit.. although the grass is cut, it seems daily, the leaf blower guys are a bit OCD.
2009-04-18 15:06:47 Yup! Most of the gym equipment are broken! —Jordon
2009-06-09 15:05:57 It makes me really sad to read the negative comments that some people have posted about an apartment complex that has been so good to me for 2 years now. The management here is by far the best that I've encountered in my 5 years of renting in Davis. They are friendly and attentive, and even in this large complex, they make an effort to know everyone and will bend over backwards to help you in any way. The apartments are taken care of and very spacious, the appliances are modern, and the location is great for working on the UC campus. This is the only apartment complex I have stayed in for more than a year because they have impressed me so much and I have been so happy here. I have never had any problems that they couldn't take care of, and I have friends who live here who have also been happy for years. The 3 pools are beautiful and well kept, the gym is lovely (and everything works!) but most of all, College Square has the best management team a renter could ask for. There is so much more I could say but the gist is that I have been really happy here and I think a lot of other people have as well. There are negative experiences everywhere but your experience is what you make it! —Caroline
2009-06-17 15:35:54 Hello. I will start by saying the management at this apartment complex is professional and will not be an issue. However, the one complaint I have is the over abundance of brightly colored flyers they slap on your door. I would estimate we recieved about 25-30 flyers, atleast one every two weeks, over a 12 month period. Almost all were unimportant and unneccessary. I would also like to say Nick M's post is an extremely accurate depiction of what it is currently like to live in an unit at College Square Apartments. As he stated, the first major issue is the noise pollution which is mostly caused by excessive and uneccessary lawn care. A team of leaf blowers comes 4 days a week starting by 8am and continuing almost all day. During this time whether your windows are open or no you can't help but hear a constant, very loud, and unarguably annoying buzzing which can be heard anywhere in your apartment due to the paper thin windows.
Next, I would like to make a quick comment about Carline's idiotic comment "There are negative experiences everywhere but your experience is what you make it!" Obviously, it is wise to make the best of your current living situtation, regardless of how nice or terrible the place you live in is. However, it is idiotic to say "your experience is what you make it!". If an apartment complex is unsatifactory, negative experiences can and DO naturally arise.
Postives 1.) Main pool is nice, it is well maintained and cleaned daily at 6am 2.) The property is in a central location in Davis and close to downtown 3.) Parking is convient(on street)and not an issue, the lots gets full at night, but you'll always be able to find a spot 4.) Maintenance is friendly
Structural Issues (I'm sure most will apply to any unit) Absolutely Terrible Craftmanship-
The Apartments look Great(at first glance) new carpets, appliances, and freshly painted walls. However, NOTHING in the apartment is as it appears
1.) Window Screens are too small and bent, they constantly fall out of the windwows and on to the ground outside 2.) Window Panes are paper thin (You can hear literally every tiny noise coming from outside) 3.)Doors- literally every door in this particular unit, doesn't fit. It either has a gap on the bottom or rubs on the carpet. 4.) All mounted towel racks in the bathroom and kitchen are tearing out of the walls b/c they were poorly installed 5.) The outlets in ALL of the living areas/ bedrooms cannot be used without a power strip, because the outlet covers were replaced and standard plugs are too short to reach outlets under the covers.(Pain in the ass) 6.) Sliding closet doors in bedrooms are Junk, period.
—WCP
2009-08-11 10:22:33 No! This place is not RIGHT! Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, the lawn mowing crew will start working @ 9am in the early morning! They work extremely slow, they could spend up to an hour or more around your apt complex for one little bush! This is driving me CRAZY, I couldn't sleep @ all! I called the management, they said this is their schedule. They also said that there are not much that they can do. If you are a EARLY person, i guess it doesn't matter to you! But I do not think students would sleep @ 10pm and wake up @ 8am in the morning. it just ruin my plans and resting hours. THINK twice before you move in here.. or you will be a SQUARE just like me!!!! Also, as you can see the other comments about their "SLOW management", there wasn't any improvements after this many years! —Kelvin
2009-08-25 17:48:30 PLEASE SAVE YOURSELF THE HEADACHE AND DO NOT RENT HERE. I recently lived in college square and would tell anyone not to live here. The apartments are in terrible condition and have absolutely no insulation, unless you like waking up every 2 hours as the train goes by you need to invest in earplugs. Also as a previous user noted the complex is made up of mostly wyotech students who tear through the complex at 2:30 AM with there soda can mufflers... not pleasant to say the least. As for the apartment itself, the dishwasher was constantly breaking (and didnt even clean dishes when it did work), many of the cabinets in the kitchen couldnt be opened without opening the oven first (nice planning), 2 of my walls had GIANT cracks through them (as explained to me, its the foundation) and all the flooring in my kitchen was discolored (a shade of grey/black) from not being properly installed and condensation forming under them. Anytime you want anything fixed you have to ask.. and then ask again, and again and again (took over 2 weeks for them to fix my garbage disposal, which was pleasant because I couldn't use my kitchen sink that whole time, and over 3 weeks for them to look at my dishwasher). Sure the management seems nice and friendly, but try going to them with a problem, and all you will get is excuses and waiting... TERRIBLE PLACE TO LIVE, and I didn't even mention the gardeners, the parking situation, the pest problem, etc. etc. —davisaggie45
2009-09-20 20:41:21 My roommate and I originally moved into CS because of its good location. There is no doubt that it is a prime spot at about 5-7 minutes to the 5th/G edge of downtown by foot. There are two bus lines that will take you to wherever you want to go. But this is where the conveniences end. So let's go chronologically and have a look at all the problems I have encountered throughout one year of residency at College Square as a UCD senior.
When we were moving in, the main manager (the one currently leaving all of the feedback to negative reviews), James, informed us that although our apartment is literally 30 feet away from the train tracks, the freight trains (the only type of train that runs on that particular stretch of track) only run by day and sparsely so. I found this to be utterly untrue when i was awoken by the sound of a diesel train engine at around 1 am. And no, it didn't just pass. It felt like chilling there for a good 20 minutes, connecting or disconnecting its carts (which are frequently seen standing still on the rails with no engine attached). Having previously lived at the Arbors which is also very, but not as, close to a set of tracks that is much more frequently used by Amtrak trains, I have learned to ignore the sound. However, having lived at least 7 times as far from the tracks as in CS, but on the second story, I still very much felt the ground tremble. To CS' credit - little rattling took place in our apartment because I lived on the first story. I imagine that living directly above us this close to the train tracks can only compare to a routinely shelled or mortar-bombarded battlefield.
Speaking of trains... Sometimes during the day, the freight train will stop on the tracks blocking the intersection entirely. This means that for at most 20 or so minutes you will be stranded on the on either side of the tracks, forcing you to wait or bust a 17,000 point turn over a concrete barrier to go around and take 5th street. And that's given that the carts aren't backed up all the way to 5th. If you're on a bus, tough luck. Car? Stuck in traffic. Bike? Stuck. However if you are of the adventurous type and own a mountain bike, you, sir or ma'am can trespass into the luxurious gravel-covered pathway of death between the train and wall of bushes, and thus get to 5th street where you can safely cross to the other side of town. Once again, this is only if the train doesn't go back that far. This is especially convenient when you are late for a midterm and and need to shed 2 pounds of water weight just getting to class on your man-propelled vehicle of choice.
Our apartment would, from time to time, develop a nasty roach infestation. These buggers would crawl out of the kitchen (out of all places to crawl out of) and the bathroom. It's always nice to open your cupboard sleepily, cereal in hand, and find a roach occupying your only available bowl. I told one of the managers about this problem the same day that I discovered it. She literally pulled a random piece of paper from her desk drawer, hand-drew a table, and cheerfully declared that to be the new registry of insect infestations. She put my name and apartment number on that list and promised that the exterminator will be there soon. What happens at CS is that every Thursday, a exterminator from Terminix (or the like, i don't recall) is contracted to come and take care of insect problems. Thursday comes and goes. No exterminator. Big brown roach chillaxin' in my cereal bowl.. his friends moving into my apartment at an alarming rate, but by Moses, no exterminator. Fast forward a week to next Thursday. I come home from class at around 3 and find a hand written note from the exterminator saying that he came, but since our cupboards were not clear of food, he deemed it inappropriate to put my little brown friend and his gang out of their misery, and left. The hero of the day would be back in another week. Thankfully, this time I caught the exterminator guy while I was at home. He was very polite and even helped me clear the area of dishes and food before he worked his magic. The point here being that management at CS is highly ineffective. It should take no more than 7 days to get an exterminator to come, if not sooner. My brown friends hibernated for another quarter before re-visiting me...and the story repeated, with one week less of a wait. Read: A 2 week service time for a rather serious sanitation hazard. Its a good thing for CS that engineering students are not quite as picky about kitchen sanitation as regular mortals.
Another huge downside of CS is that the complex had a living arrangement contract with Wyotech (during 08-09 school year, not sure about now). For those of you unfamiliar with Wyotech, it is basically a car mechanic/technician school. So, CS was essentially, in part, a dormitory for Wyotech students. How is that a minus, you ask. Well, the parking lot at CS is an open parking type lot - no permits and anyone can park, even people off the street. The number of parking spaces is quite high, but the number of residents is MUCH larger. So, not only do we have the regular residents' cars, but we also have these teenage pimply 50 cent wannabes constantly working on their own AND SCHOOL/PROJECT cars in the CS lot - dumping oil in parking spaces, double parking, blasting all sorts of music, and busting out with the ever so classic "HEY!!! LET'S PULL ON THE THROTTLE CABLE FROM UNDERNEATH THE HOOD FOR 5 MINUTES AND SEE HOW THIS MAMA SOUNDS!!!!". That's a mighty fine idea, douchington, but the answer is ANNOYING! Who would've guessed? To their credit, the management is against any such work being done in the lot, but this is not enforced in the least. On a different note about the parking lot - have fun finding parking on a any given weekday (UCD breaks excluded) after about 10 pm. The lot is full over 90% of the time.
When we had just moved in, I noticed that our perfectly painted walls were getting a tad scuffed, so I asked the management to let me get some paint for touch up. I had to remind them 3 times over a span of 7 weeks just to get this touch-up paint. They flat out told me that they had more important things to do - preparing apartments for move-in. The CS maintenance staff is very knowledgeable and down to earth, but the management intentionally chooses to keep the complex understaffed in the maintenance department. Have fun getting ANYTHING done the same day or the next day that you request it, like it is meant to be (and has always been at the Arbors, for example). This applies to trivial problems like broken closet doors to severe problems like roach infestations or unpowered kitchens.
Which brings us to our next problem... Unlike most apartment complexes which actually meet the fire department's electrical standards, CS suffers in this category like no other. HALF of our power outlets around the whole apartment were either loose or sparking when connected when we moved in. It took them 3 weeks to fix these outlets after we moved in. This is, probably, the biggest maintenance beef I have had with CS, and for a good reason. Let's put this in the context of the kitchen... Unlike all other decently wired apartment complexes which split up your kitchen's outlets into 2 or more separate circuits, College Square apartments are wired such that every outlet in the kitchen is on the same power rail. For the non-technically inclined, this means that when you turn on your not-too-power-hungry microwave for one minute at the same time as your tea kettle or other heating device, the current running through the kitchen power rail is so high that the circuit breaker treats this power draw as a short circuit and turns your entire kitchen power rail off, stove and fridge excluded. Let's assume you have the patience for finding your food lukewarm after giving it a reasonable amount of time to prepare. Even so, the trouble is that circuit breakers can only turn off a limited number of times - in the neighborhood of 30, to be precise. So naturally, our circuit breaker had to crap out on us during spring quarter. This means no hot tea, toasted bagels, or microwaved food. Unless you want to wire your kitchen up with an extension cable and try your luck overloading the next circuit. EPIC FAIL.
Finally, let's get to the issue of the security deposit. The amount that CS charges at move-in is quite decent, at $400 total. Needless to say, having kept the apartment in pretty good shape, except for one wine stain on the living room carpet, we were very surprised to get only 189 back. The paint job for the entire apartment ate up 153 dollars. And this is having kept it in pretty good shape overall. The only scuffs I can recall were in the long hall to the rooms and maybe a few minor ones in the rooms. We were told THE SAME DAY WE MOVED OUT to not waste our time cleaning the floors all too much - "just sweep," said the head maintenance man, "The professional cleaning will be done for a nominal charge." The apartment cleaning charges totaled 140. Of course 400-(153+140) is far less than the 189 we got back, all thanks to the wear and tear allowance we received for one year of residence. Still, it was very much a ripoff given the amount of man-hours and materials it took CS to paint those few scuffs. Not surprisingly, the painting fee was not calculated for paint and man-hours, but as 1/3rd of a $461.76 fee that would automatically be charged after 3 years of residency. Here's the best part though. The check was mailed to me at my permanent address after I had moved back home from Davis. It was made out to "my name, roommate's name". Well, the nice folks at Wells Fargo instantly dissed the idea of me depositing it and told me that I have no right to cash this check because it is made out to two people JOINTLY. We would either have to have a joint account or have my roommate sign the check also. This came at a highly convenient time when my roommate was about to go abroad the next day. So we literally had to call into his bank and ask for permission for me to deposit the check into his account in my hometown, and for him to deposit my share back into my account. A LOT of time was wasted on both our parts thanks to the geniuses at CS who make out the checks. College Square was unable to get us two separate checks after I asked them the day we were moving out. Let me just state why I feel so had by this $189 figure. At my previous apartment complex, the deposit was 750. We got back 600 after living there for one year and having done significantly more damage done to one of the wall corners and carpeting. There was also the issue of my rabid roommate punching holes through things from time to time. Specifically, through a closet door and two in walls, one of which went almost completely through. And still, we got 600 smackeroos back.
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I just remembered another fun episode from life at CS. My friend and neighbor once frantically called me asking me to kill a rat in her house. I obliged, chasing it all around her house with a broom for a good 20 minutes before i was able to hit it with enough force to knock it half unconscious. These things are not your NY rats, but still do jump a surprising 5 feet up into the air, making them simply a blast to chase around for the avid rat hunting enthusiast. The courteous management of CS provided a couple of mechanical rat traps to take care of the problem, instead of actually dealing with it and patching up the holes in the kitchen wall or, God forbid, calling pest control. The rats chewed on my neighbor's food, shoes, and the apartment itself. The also left a few surprises in the form of rat stools all over the apartment. MMMM yummy. This mouse hunt at my friend's apartments also occurred twice.
In conclusion I would essentially recommend this apartment complex to the following types of people:
-EXTREME animal lovers or entomologists because CS provides you with pets! And NO, that's no minus — it's a feature!
-people who prefer waiting for maintenance for at least 4 days (usually weeks), no matter how serious the problem
-people don't need to get places on time (not CS' fault, blame the geniuses who operate the railroad)
-people without a car or those who don't mind parking far from the complex
-people who don't cook or those who can go without operating most electrical devices for an extended period of time after move-in
-people who occasionally like to play with Thomas the train for reals, at the nifty time slot of 1-2 am.
-people who have too much money and/or don't care if they get royally owned on their security deposit return
-people who enjoy the sensation of man-made earthquakes. 2nd floor is for you!!
The bottom line: College square has the potential to be a great complex, if not for the careless decisions on the part of the current management. —AntonUzun
2009-09-28 18:02:48 oh my goodness, in the words of my friend when he saw my apartment upon moving in "GHETTTTOOOOOOOOO"... this apartment had rodent problems, roach problems, ant problems, noise problems (train and wyotech students GUNNING their cars), and the worst management possible (maybe average intelligence, if you added ALL of their IQs together). AS the person before me said, it takes weeks to get ANYTHING fixed (for instance my garbage disposal took 2 weeks to get fixed, this meant no using my sink or dishwasher, for 2 weeks, nice) not to mention they lost rent checks, and then took all my deposit and charged me extra (my apartment came complete with cracks in the walls, discolored linoleum in the kitchen and the "fresh" paint already peeling), then when I paid that they still sent it to a collection agency and I had to spend a morning on the phone between the agency and the idiot, lieing, lazy, MANAGER at College square (hint: his name starts with a J and ends in AMES). If only he could repsond to the problems in the complex with as much care as he took in responding to all the problems that residents have posted on this site. Granted, no apartment will ever be perfect, but wow, to call this place a sh-thole dungeon would be like calling the management "adequate", an absurd overstatement. —leopoldstotch
2009-09-30 16:34:18 Damn, do you hate them that bad or are you an aspiring novelist?? —aggs4eva
2010-02-10 15:38:59 I guess these apts arent the ritz or anything, but they are decent. It sounds like a lot of you have never lived in an apartment before, probably just moved away from mommy. I have never lived in an apartment that is sound proof! Its not a house! You have to take the good with the bad when it comes to apt living.. Yes landscapers will come early in the morning. And they dont bother me anymore because I actually have to get up in the morning and do not have the luxury of sleeping in til 3 PM. And yes you will always have the random chance that your neighbors will be douchebags. Nothing that can be done about that. It really sucks but they do have a thing called fair housing where it basically says anyone (even doucebags) deserve a place to live.
I moved in 2 years ago, and i saw a vacant apartment, no model and was fine with it. They didnt trick me into moving in here. And rent is kinda high for my liking, but so is EVERYWHERE in davis! This town is way overpriced. So is the UC. and it blows. And the train has always been there people. No surprise.
And the people that work there are nice. They have never done anything wrong to me, and are always nice when I come in there. The wyotech kids are a little annoying, but not anymore than your avg. 18 year old undergrad. —biochick
2010-04-29 17:24:43 Luckily I did not read this webpage before signing a lease with College Square. After viewing dozens for apartment complexes within Davis, what really sold the place was the management. A friend and I moved here for six months to attend UC Davis from Australia, so as we didn’t have social security numbers or credit history within the country, we found it more difficult to sign the lease. Management was beyond helpful, prompt replying to emails and questions and made to process completely stress free. Additionally, they also printed us out a complete guide to the restaurants in Davis, printed us out timetables for the buses to UC Davis and gave us recommendations and tips about the bars and best places in Davis. I was aware it was completely out of their job description but they gave us the extra time to make us comfortable in a new place and genuinely asked how our time was coming along every time we were in the office. To say “The management is extremely rude and very unresponsive” is completely ignorant and has been behaviorally proved wrong countless times in my experience. In six months, I had two maintenance problems, BOTH fixed on the SAME DAY they were reported!!! Both matters were attended to efficiently and professionally. To publicly claim CS is for “people who prefer waiting for maintenance for at least 4 days (usually weeks), no matter how serious the problem” is again not representative of maintenance at CS and suggests sensationalism more than accuracy. The apartments themselves I would say are above average. Having researched several apartment complexes, CS is one of the more expensive places- however; we received a new dishwasher, new paint and furniture rental. The pool areas are aesthetically better than any other place I have seen in Davis. Granted, the barbeques could be cleaner/more hygienic- but this again is something that comes down to tenant cooperation as well. Having the gym and study room open 24 hours was also another huge convenience. As for security, Davis is about as safe as I have seen. Although my bag was stolen in Stockton, the management at CS (Robyn, in particular) replaced my keys on the spot with no charge and was genuinely concerned about the experience- reducing the stress of replacing everything else. Moving from another country and attending a new University was eventful enough, College Square was consistently one thing that I never had to worry about. Not once did I have to chase up phone calls, chase up payments, repeatedly ask for anything, wait around for maintenance or feel uncomfortable or unsafe. I COULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE MORE. After reading previous comments, I would seriously suggest taking the time to visit new managements and laugh at how ridiculous the comments seem after. —nlc851
2010-06-18 08:00:43 this is a warning to those who are thinking of moving here. first and foremost, i'm not here to blame anyone for the train since technically, i'm the one who decided to move here. but, the train is definitely an issue. for starters, college square is right next to the train tracks. you couldn't get any closer; if you were, you'd be sitting on the tracks. not an exaggeration. and, because it is right next to the train tracks, rent should not be as high as it is. whoever decided to construct an apt complex here couldn't have picked a worst possible spot. if you do your research, you'll most likely find another place for the same amount of money WITHOUT the tracks. less is more.
the train comes everyday. in fact, just this morning alone, i've heard the train at least 3 times, and it's barely past 8:00. btw, the only reason i've been up for almost 2 hours is because of it...kinda ironic huh? just so you have an idea of their schedule, the train comes by every weekday around 6:30 am. i suppose if you have class at 7, it's not such a big deal. you may be thinking "oh, that's not so bad," but trust me, you're gonna be living here for a year (5 days a week x 4 weeks a month x 12 months = 240 days). if you've never lived next to a train before (btw, i forgot to mention it's a freight train, not amtrak.), then you'll probably never get used to the noise. because college square sits next to the train crossing, the train by law (http://www.uprr.com/reus/roadxing/industry/process/horn_quiet.shtml) must sound their horn before entering the intersection. the sound of the horn blaring at 6:30 is even more magnified if your windows are open. the last thing anyone needs at 6:30 is an alarm clock that they can't turn off on their own. so, that's the morning schedule. i haven't even gotten to the afternoon! the train also regularly makes a pass around 5-6 pm, which isn't as annoying as 6:30 am, but annoying enough. there have been a few nights where i've actually heard it as late as 11 pm. as far as weekends go, i used to hear it in the morning (totally ruins the whole sleeping-in thing), but for some reason, i don't hear it anymore. not sure if it's because i just sleep through it, or if they've stopped their weekend schedule. someone, please confirm?
so, as much as you don't want it, the train becomes a part of your life if you live at college square. personally, i hate it and it definitely isn't worth the rent, among other things (which i'll detail in part 2 of my ongoing series). if you take the guided tour and ask them about the train, they'll simply tell you "oh, it's not that bad" or "people make it out to be worst than what it is." then follow that up with a question about where they actually live. you'll find that none of them actually live in the complex. even if they do, remember, it's their job to convince you to come live here.
2010-07-03 15:44:14 Seriously this place sucks ass. not even worth it's rents. there are a bunch of asshole students at an automotive college that live here, they come and work on their cars in the parking lot, they peel out, race up and down the streets at all times of the nights. so what it got voted "best in davis" you know it's obviously they paid for that vote. this place sucks asss, like there's no way i would live here and i feel sorry for those that live in the surroundng neighborhood. dirty, disgusting, ghetto! no wonder they have to get students from another town to fill up the apartments. it would be empty other wise. seriously what kind of a town like davis is bringing in students from another town? I thought this place had a low vacancy rate. perhaps they are manufacturing the vacancy rate and using it to justify their high rents. just like pretty much every other place in davis, this place is owned by a bunch of getto slum lords that are driving the quality of life down for the homeowners, it's only a matter of time before it catches up to the homevalues. i hope it drops fast. fuck this place it SUCKS!!!! and so does the management for letting these people live here. what a crock of shit —saralee778
2010-08-24 10:34:22 I just signed a lease with them. It is a bit small but management is great. They are really friendly and even let me move in a couple days early free of charge. I feel that most people who write on these walls are those who has nothing better to do but leave an essay of complaints. trust me, i've lived in worst apartments. ALOT worst. this is so far the better ones in relevance to its pricing —iamkareno
2010-09-14 21:53:54 I just moved in to a single bedroom here and I'm enjoying it. The noise isn't bad — there hardly is any. I sleep with my windows open at night. Sometimes car drive by and make noise, but it's a college town...?? It's going to happen! My apartment is clean, everything works, there are no bugs, and I've seen no rats. The comments on this page are from whiny people. I just got done living very close to campus near A street and trust me, this place is a palace compared to the properties over there.
I can't believe the negative comments on this page and I'm happy to rent here. —miguelsantiago
2010-09-15 12:40:30 In my time in Davis I've lived in, for various stretches of time, six different complexes, (Primero Grove, Uni Commons, Tanglewood, Lexington, Chautauqua's and College Square) usually spending about a year in each, College Square is undoubtedly the worst.
In 2009 on the very first day I moved in, a pipe burst and the entire kitchen, the entire bathroom plus roughly a quarter of the living room flooded. It took several days to dry off the floor after which nearly all the tile in the apartment was heavily water damaged. The tile was never replaced during the lease. Six months later, my dish washer broke down, spilled water into the kitchen and had to be replaced. About eight months into the lease, another pipe burst in an adjoining unit above, dripping water down the kitchen walls and from the ceiling. This resulted in a yard-and-a-half sized hole being knocked into the kitchen ceiling to drain the water out.
College Square presently (used to?) have a contract with the Wyotech Automotive College to relatively cheaply house some of their students at the complex. During my time here, at least two or more directly adjacent apartments to my unit were broken into, several cars were broken into in the parking lot in broad daylight, and I personally had two bicycles stolen from my yard. According to some of the Wyotech students I spoke to, the apartment robberies were presumably prior or current Wyotech students. These are only the crimes I'm directly aware of.
Additionally, living here, you can look forward to roaches, generally dirty pools, extremely loud trains @ 6:30 AM (the train tracks are 30 yards from the parking lot), large numbers of wandering cats, barking dogs, creepy ice cream truck vendors and a managing company that presently has an F rating with the BBB: http://www.bbb.org/northeast-california/business-reviews/property-and-building-management-investing/fpi-management-in-folsom-ca-28001385
Finally, the managing staff for day-to-day issues isn't so bad, but anything relating to deposits, late checks or anything regarding money and liability is likely going to be a problem. This seems to be the case for most of FPI's holdings (http://daviswiki.org/FPI_Management) Still, the local management doesn't seem to care much about their tenants beyond what they nominally have to and despite what they may say. As an example, I needed perhaps an extra hour or two to move out of our unit during Moving Day and the management completely refused. If I didn't get out of my unit at five o'clock sharp, as was stated on my lease, I was told all of my furniture and belongings would be moved to the dumpsters. Every other complex I've seen, as well as those of friends who have moved, has given AT LEAST several extra hours for moving out.
The only positive I can think of is that the maintenance crew is helpful and friendly, but really understaffed. I believe they only have four or five guys working, and they seem to be aware that there aren't enough of them to handle the massive amount of bullshit repairs necessary in the complex. They are, however, available for emergency issues 24/7 and have a night time hotline.
So while your mileage my vary, in general, if you value your money, sanity, and health (there IS asbestos in the units), stay far, far away from College Square and FPI. —termachy
2010-09-15 17:42:24 I just moved in to these apartments and everything seems fine with me. I recently needed a repair so I called around 4:30 p.m. on Friday, and while they said someone was going to be there that day, I had to call again on Monday, but after the second call the repair guys were here in like 5 minutes and fixed the issue quickly. I find that the repair guys, and the girls in the front office are friendly enough.
I have the middle level apartment, quality wise, and it far exceeds my expectations. So everyone that is complaining about the apartments really needs to get over it because what were you expecting for so cheap? A mansion? These apartments are about 40 years old, asbestos is to be expected, and I remember signing a waiver saying I understood that there was asbestos on the property, so if it was really a problem for me I could have just chosen a different place to live. The pools are almost always clean. And in Davis, cockroaches are to be expected, I'm really clean and I've found only two in the time I've lived here, and one may have just been a water bug.
My only complaint is that the parking alley that runs along the back of the apartments needs more lights and security!!! Its very dark out there, I'm afraid to take out the trash. Also, my car was broken into last night, and while my losses were minimal, it's still feels like a violation of my security, because next time it could be worse. I really hope that this is something College Square works on. —jwieland1989
2010-12-17 10:56:27 I love living at college square! Granted, the buildings are really old, but that is how most of the apartments in Davis are. What I like about living here is that the price is super good for the location. The apartment complex is right near downtown and UC Davis and I pay only 850 a month for a 1 bedroom. I live on the bottom level and have never seen any bugs, rodents, or other creepy crawlers. The people at the office are really nice and accommodating. As a law student, I had to move in August 1st, and they were really helpful. The office also has free printing, coffee, and cookies, a law student's dream come true. They do monthly mixers, in September it was free breakfast, last month it was a pizza party, and this month it was free gift wrapping. There is a train by the complex, and I live in an apartment close to the train, but the sounds doesn't bother me and it really is not that loud. The train only comes by 1-2 times a day, and I'm usually at school when it does. I have never heard the train on a weekend. Most of my neighbors are also grad students and young professionals, so it's a nice and quiet complex. I am renewing my lease for next year, and I would definitely recommended living here. —hkg
2011-01-02 22:18:04 @hkg, you probably work for College Square, because I also live in an apartment next to the tracks and sometimes I think the train is about to come crashing into my apartment it's that loud. —jwieland1989
