| Location |
| 500 Pole Line Road |
| (East Davis, at the intersection of 5th Street & Pole Line Road) |
| Phone |
| (530) 758-3240 |
| [email protected] |
| Features |
| Central heat/air |
| Dishwasher |
| Handicapped access |
| Laundry |
| BBQ area |
| Patio/balconies |
| Pets allowed |
| Pool |
| Free wireless DSL |
| Assigned parking |
Fifth Avenue Place is probably one of the more strangely named apartments in Davis since not only is there no 5th Avenue, but its address is not even on 5th Street! This mix of single- and double-story units offers one- and two-bedroom apartments, one bedroom is $935/month and two bedrooms are $1095/month [May 2008]. It is located on Unitrans A bus line and P/Q Bus Line, kitty-corner to both DMV and the main branch Davis post office; the Davis Police Department is just down the street.
This complex features a pool that is visible from Pole Line Rd. where most other complexes have pools surrounded by buildings, and a sculpture of a nude woman in bronze standing on two girders stacked on top of one another. The pool and the two story buildings are infill added around 1999. It is managed by Ally Property Management, which was the subject of a negative article by the California Aggie in 2008. The firm requires its tenants to sign a stricter form of lease than the more common Davis Model Lease. The property management firm has also been the subject of numerous other complaints by residents (see Ally Property Management, Inc.).
To learn more about rental housing options in Davis, check out our Housing Guide as well as our Apartments pages.
Woman On Balance Beam 
Corner of Pole Line Road and 5th Street
My friend lives here — it is decent.
2005-02-01 02:31:10 I figured it was a reference to Fifth Avenue in NYC. Sorta like Times Square Comics. —JabberWokky
2005-06-29 22:27:39 Visited recently... all the cabinetry and wood is 70s brown... too dark for my tastes. One unit has iron gating over the front door, scary to think that it is necessary. —AnnieSirrah
2006-03-09 12:44:03 I live here now. They advertise "Free Wireless DSL," but it has never worked well for more than a day or two in a row. The management is too cheeap to pay the company they get it through more money to make it better, and the company who does the internet, Baytel, never seems to be able to fix it. It's literally sucked since I moved in. If the free DSL is one of the reasons you liked this place, reconsider, because you'll probably have to get your own internet anyway. Aside from that annoyance, it's not half-bad. —DavidBenjamin
2006-04-12 09:54:08 The 70's brown stuff is all being ripped out and replaced with new countertops and cabinets and new doors inside. They are installing washer/dryers into all of the units. The "Wireless DSL" (a bit of a misnomer, ie WiFi) is spotty but manageable if you don't want to pay for net access. I would recommend getting your own service though if you can afford it. You are stuck with crappy ComCast cable service or rabbit ears if you want TV as they won't allow satellite dishes. The yard is kept nicely and the pool seems to be maintained. They are also one of the few pet friendly apartment complexes in Davis. Just don't let them pee on the lawn. —HollywoOd
2006-11-25 13:34:03 Don't stay here, The Manager is REALLY HORRIBLE!!!! Told you everthing is ok before you moved out. but poped out so many problems at the last day and deducted the two third of your deposit!! Once you complained, they refund you 100$ and wait you to sue them!! Really bad experience! Be far from this psycho woman —DaveRivers
2007-03-17 21:54:10 Do they have a size limit on dogs? —KatHa
2008-01-21 18:42:52 Under new managment. Very nice on-site manager. Upgraded interiors with washer and dryers full size units. Wireless internet is upgraded too. I love this apartment complex.Very quiet and professional. —misangelus
2008-02-05 23:55:48 Hi, can anyone tell me if the two bedroom comes with two baths? Also, about how much is rent for 2008 and about how many available units are there? —Katchabat
2008-02-24 15:15:45 is there laundry in the apartments or is it a laundry room? —WeiChun
2008-05-08 16:38:08 i just fixed the rent costs in the description...they are now accurate —AdamMartin
2008-05-23 18:14:32 I just looked at these apartments and they're pretty nice. The apartments are spacious, with plenty of cabinet space, the apartments have wider than usual hallways and doors for wheelchair access..not to mention easier to move things in and out. The grounds seem well maintained as well. Most of the units have a washer and dryer in them, but some do not, but I noticed they had some on sight coin-op machines next to the office. Seems like a pretty quiet little area, not quite the party scene here as it maybe at other places. Deposits are kinda expensive though...125% of your monthly rent, and 150% if you want to bring in a pet...but the lady there didn't mention anything about pet restrictions...just no massively huge dogs from what I understood. —JasonA
2008-07-06 12:01:48 Anyone else get ripped on a deposit? Thanks. —LouisM
2009-10-02 15:35:51 The Good: The rent was fairly reasonable and it's across the street from the post office and DMV (and near Sudwerks!) The Bad: The first six months everything was fine, however during the two years I lived here we had mouse infestations (twice), water heater that broke down for two days, leaky bathroom sink trap, tub faucet that wouldn't shut off and ran for three days, bathroom mirror fell off the wall while I was at work, and neighbor's dog that would bark incessantly. I've rented a half dozen places in my life and this one had the most problems out of all of them combined. The Ugly: Since April/May of 2006 Fifth Avenue Place has had a change of on site management FIVE TIMES!! Is this normal for Davis?
2009-11-03 19:02:59 They offer free Internet as a perk to rent here however, during peak hours 6am-10am and 5pm-10pm it's largely unusable due to overloading of their Internet infrastructure. Prepare for long periods of latency if you need Internet access during those time periods. Outside of those times access to the Internet is quick. —Miley
2010-12-09 14:39:40 This place is very nice, pretty quiet. My husband and I liked it here. More grad student and family friendly - definitely not a party complex. Pet friendly, dog size limit is 50 lbs. Katie, the new property manager, is super nice and they are quick to fix any maintenance issues. Each apartment has a pseudo/mini front porch. As of Dec 2010, the 1 bedrooms are $895/month. They upgraded to better internet and it worked fine at all hours, except right around 7pm - gets a little slow. Kitchen cabinets and counters are a bit dated, but most of the appliances are new. —rachand1
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I agree with everything you've written. I've always thought that an apartment complex is generally only as good as the current property manager allows it to be. And having lived in 8 different apartments in my life, I'd have to say that Katie is one of the best! —ScottMeehleib
My friend said that as you're moving in, they make you sign a "Mold Notification" addendum to the lease warning that moisture "can cause mildew and mold to grow."
2011-09-20 19:56:24 PLEASE READ TILL THE END- I made an account just to post this comment to warn others of what may happen to them if they make the poor decision of renting from this property: My general experience with this place was ok. But just ok. The unit that I lived in was old and had bug problems but the neighborhood is quiet and nice and they are pet friendly too. The maintenance speed is good and they come pretty promptly to fix whatever is wrong. The management lady that works on site always said to me that the unit I lived in was old so it had a lot of little problems. I once called Ally property and I have to say that whoever works there is RUDE. Customer service is definitely not what they were providing, but snarky comments and a rude tone was all they could deliver- not acceptable. But this didn't affect my living there so it wasn't such a big deal.
Everything went from ok to W.T.F. after I moved out. I cleaned the APT for DAYS, everything from the toilet to replacing the stove with new drip units and honestly, if I had moved into a new house that looked like the way it did when I left, I would say it was clean. A month later I get a letter from Ally Property charging me $594.09 for Heavy cleaning, screens, blinds, repairs, and painting... WHAT. First off, my front door never even HAD a screen, and whatever "damage" there was on the screens was definitely not from me, I was only a subleaser and I only lived there for several months! A few of the blinds fell off from sliding it open and close so I can even make my peace with the rip off price of those but they even charged me for air conditioner filter and my AC barely worked!! The manager said that the house had known AC problems because of how old it was and they charge me for the filter change?!?! They also went ahead and sent me a bill for the ENTIRE UNIT being repainted. WHY? the walls are exactly as when I moved in and the only damage I did was perhaps a few scratches on the door from moving furniture and what not so if they want to charge me for the door painting then fine but THE ENTIRE UNIT??! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!? They are going to charge ME for the painting of the ENTIRE UNIT of a place as old and crummy as that?! THEY ARE THIEVES. Like I said, I was subleasing and lived there for not even six months. My lifestyle is quiet and not one of some crazy party-er and I lived in that unit as gracefully as humanly possible. They are taking advantage of my security deposit and then some, to fix and polish an old, worn down unit and I do NOT appreciate it one bit. This is a management property that thrives on the money they steal from students and if you ask me its a piss poor business overall.
Oh, PS and BTW, if the "free internet" sounds fancy to you, its only "free internet" if it actually WORKS. It does not work. You've been warned. —YLeigh
2012-10-11 13:25:14 Lived here for two years before moving out.
Katie was the property manager at the time and she dealt with issues nicely; too bad she left right before I left the apartments. Didn't really interact with the new manager but she seems nice.
My unit never had any bug issues, didn't use the free wifi, and the apartment was ok. Maintenance was done pretty quick for any problems (only issue was one of the stoves not working correctly/burning out).
Pros: Cozy apartment w/ washer/dryer, not a loud complex, pets allowed, decent parking Cons: The water is super hard here so if the sprinklers spray on your car you will get hard water mark stains
Recieved most of my security deposit back (subtract carpet/painting). I left the apartment like how I got it. I'm guessing if you live here more than one year you'll get a better deposit out of it; as some of the reviews seem like they lost a lot of money?
This comlex is managed by Ally Property Management, so all money issues should be directed to them;
Only gripe was that Ally Property Management sent my security deposit back to the complex not the forwarding address I gave them and it took a good 3 weeks to finally get it. —tyang
2017-06-27 01:13:55 I have lived here 2 years and am moving out. New owners have raised the rent from $995 to 1500/mo on the one bedrooms that are only 480sqft and form $1095 to $1800 for 2 br that are only 700sqft. They say they are putting in nice porchs and cleaning up the place and remodeling, but don't tell you that they will be charging $100/mo extra for you to have you own parking spots in your complex and not paying water sewer or garbage that's now extra as well. Do not move here without looking elsewhere first you can get a lot more for your money. —Xspeedracer
2017-10-03 15:05:32 I been living here for 2 years going on 3 years. I have never had any problems living here prior to the new owner/management changes. There was no notice that stated we were only to pay the rent via internet, no checks/cashiers checks were allowed anymore. Before the change, we paid our rent with checks. We sent the check and the management somehow cashed it out for 10% of what was listed on the check and proceeded to hound me for their mistake. I talked to my bank and they fixed the issue on my side (of which there were none) and sent me a statement/email telling me that I had done my part. Despite this, the apartments then went on to say that I still have yet to pay my rent. To top it all off the representative/receptionist had the nerve to be extremely rude to me on the phone.
The establishment has gone on to repave the parking lot, repaint the buildings a terrible shade of green/white, and built each unit a fenced off entrance. Just for these improvements that are painted/constructed terribly the management/owners are about to raise the rent on everyone in the apartments by over 400+ dollars a month as someone else in these reviews have stated.
When you need the management you can never find them in the office for repairs. There's a roach problem outside causing me to have to put out traps in my place to ensure that I don't get any in my apartment.
For the price and inconvenience of living these apartments, I would advice looking for another place to stay. I am planning to move out as soon as the lease is up.—a7leo
2018-09-13 09:59:14 I lived in this apartment complex for 2 years before new management took over in 2017 (and renamed the complex Cottages on Fifth). After the transition, the new management put financial and psychological pressure on the previous residents and forced many of them out of their apartments in order to make surface-level changes to the complex and hike the rent up by $500 a month. I do not begrudge them the right to remain competitive in the Davis rental market. What I do condemn is the way in which they continuously showed blatant disregard for the residents they were forcing to leave. They had a work crew in and out of my apartment for the entire month of July. The entire fiasco ended up costing me the equivalent of $250 in lost apartment access and electricity costs (the crew needed to have the apartment door open and plug in power tools). I couldn't use my shower for two days. They compensated me $50. Though the new management replaced the cabinets, floors, appliances (in some units), built little fences, added a fitness room, and painted the outside of the apartments green, they made these changes at the expense of other more pressing concerns. I know from a member of the crew working in my apartment, that a few of the units have rodent problems. I urge you, if you have another choice for housing in Davis, please do not move in to Cottages on Fifth. The management has no incentive to care about the well being of their residents, and they will try to take as much of your money as they can. These apartments may look attractive, but they are not worth the price that the management is asking. I now live in a complex I enjoy much more. The management is responsive, kind, and welcoming. The apartments are well built and well kept. I pay roughly the same amount. It is possible to find a better home in Davis. Please do not give Cottages on Fifth your money. —Lila34
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