Westwood Townhouse Apartments

Westwood Townhouse Apartments offers two-bedroom, 1.5 bath split level townhomes. Units are approximately 950 square feet, include a fenced patio and are equipped with and electric stove and refrigerator in addition to the features listed above. This complex has a clean and quiet study atmosphere and is located on Unitrans bus line. No pets allowed. According to management, "Newly remodeled kitchens with maple cabinets and granite counter tops... ."

The management, Westwood Townhouse, consider themselves, "top-notch. The managers, in particular, are very helpful, friendly, yet strictly respectful of tenant privacy; they often deal with international students and so are more aware of their needs than most other places." Additionally, the management also believes, "The units here are popular with graduate students, law/med school students, post-docs, international students, or visiting scholars – generally mature, respectful folk not looking to party or disturb neighbors"

A few of the downsides that residents have complained about are the creaky floors and the thin walls. Even though most of the people are quiet, its easy to hear outside noises, and noises from the adjacent units.

[Remodeled Kitchen]

2005-06-18 18:57:08   I have been here for two years - Clean and very well maintained complex —LuckyMax

2006-03-03 21:57:20   Respectful and cozy place to be called home!! Management is also excellent and responsive. —LuckyDog

Your edits make it seem as if you work for the apartment complex. —PhilipNeustrom

2006-06-14 11:35:22   I agree, Philip. And the "ideal for serious students or researchers" is probably copied straight from their marketing material. —JoFeuerstein

2007-05-15 16:29:26   I have not lived in this apartment, and apparently, I am not going to. I called it to find out what was available, and to learn about the apartments. The manager who answered started peppering me with questions about myself (is that even legal under fair housing?) She seemed reluctant to tell me how much the apartments were until I asked the price several times. After I had asked several questions about the apartment, she refused to answer any more questions and said that she thought that I might be doing a survey! (I was not - I just have a list of questions I ask every place I might live in so I don't miss anything!) Although I assured her that I only had a few more questions, she refused to answer any more, and gave me several excuses as to why she could not talk to me further. Then she told me to hold on, I heard her telling someone else about my area code, and she hung up on me. I've talked to many apartments and never had such a bad experience talking to any apartment. —apthunter

2007-05-23 15:31:31   I’ve lived here for more that a year and my experience with Westwood management has been nothing but the only positive ones. The management is very caring and responsive. Maintenance is great and efficient. This apartment complex is very quiet and respectful. The neighbors are very courteous. The apartment is definitely having an open feeling and spacious with a private patio. There is also a huge parking lot if you have more than 2 cars. My roommate and I enjoy newly remodeled kitchen every moment even though it costs us a little bit more – It’s worth it. —joncs

2007-05-27 19:39:37   I've lived here for almost a year and I renewed my lease recently. The management is very prompt and professional, and they seem to care a lot about the maintenance of the place. I was just casually walking around one day when the main manager found me to ask me when would be a good time she could come in to replace the batteries on all the smoke detectors. They last for more than a year, of course, but she wanted to replace them "just in case". When I told her that I wasn't sure when would be good, she was flexible, saying, "Oh, just leave me a note on when you want me to take care of it... anytime anytime". Very friendly! —EddieKim

2007-06-18 21:09:38   Avoid. Management is very nosy and although they do maintenance requests promptly, they are completely uncooperative in all other facets. The complex is nice and well-maintained, but the management is the worst I have ever had to deal with. Save yourself the trouble. —JCarsK

2007-08-04 18:06:46   This isn't a bad place to live if you have a car, but if you don't the P & Q line are horrible- it only comes every half hour and they're always late. If you share a room, it'll be pretty tight. I hated the arrangement because I shared a room so we were only able to fit 2 twin size beds and my roommate had her desk in the nook in the wall- so i had to keep my desk downstairs in the living room. There's not really anything nearby, besides the UMall and campus is about a mile away, but if you want to go to the grocery you'd have to take the bus to north davis. Very quiet community... lots of kids running around. —Mel

2008-07-13 20:43:32   I have lived at Westwood Townhouse Apartments for the past year, and my experience has been a very happy one. I was a first year Ph.D. student in economics at U.C. Davis and this apartment complex was the nicest one I have stayed in thus far. The townhouses themselves are beautifully maintained with modern appliances, tasteful fixtures and clean carpeting and paint. The plants and landscaping are well tended, and it’s probably one of the finest apartment complexes in Davis. The management was extremely helpful and friendly, while also respectful of my privacy. Whenever I called them about any issue, they returned my call promptly and solved the problem without hesitation. Very, very nice people, and the best management I have had at an apartment complex.

As a graduate student, I needed a place with mature residents, away from the partying undergrads, and Westwood Townhouses was the ideal setting for me. In the quiet neighborhood of West Davis and close to the U.C. Davis shuttle, it was far away enough from the campus to avoid the noisy fraternities and dorms, but also close enough to school to make it convenient. Double-paned windows make the units as quiet as a library, and I felt that my superior living circumstances gave me a bit of an advantage compared to the other grad students who had to stay elsewhere. I would have stayed longer, but I’m transferring to the University of Texas at Austin because they are offering me a generous fellowship. Hope I am lucky enough to find a place in Texas that is as terrific as Westwood Townhouses.

—FranklinS

2009-07-28 10:02:35   When I first moved in, I thought the place was great. But soon I discovered the walls between the complexes are paper-thin. In mid-spring, we got an ant infestation, which the management tried to fix unsuccessfully. After scrubbing down our apartment for hours and leaving it in perfect condition, the management insisted we pay a $160 cleaning fee regardless. The pool looked nice when I visited, but soon I also realized it is never cleaned and full of algae. The highway noise is also not ideal.

After living here for a year, I would not recommend this complex to others. — Anonymous

2009-08-12 20:00:27   This is the response to the comment by TL/Anonymous When we conducted in walk-thru with your roommate on July 27 2009, we both agreed that the apartment was not finished in cleaning. During the walk through, your roommate, L, agreed that the unit needed to be finished cleaning. At that time, your roommate’s mother even mentioned if they tried to clean, it would take them the whole day, so a cleaning service was called in for a meeting. Your roommate, L, negotiated directly with the lady from cleaning service for a cleaning charge of $160.00.

Every charge was discussed and agreed upon with your roommate with her initials when she did the walk through with us.

If there are any miscommunication or confusions about the charges, I apologize, but please do not hesitate to call us. We will be glad to discuss with you in detail.

—Westwood

2009-09-22 18:32:45   Lived here for almost two years and had a very mixed experience. The walls are paper thin; you will hear your neighbors walk up/down stairs, open/close their front door, and sometimes even hear their TV or them having sex (assuming its a couple). Highway noise is obnoxious, especially if you live in the room facing the freeway. Aside from the remodeling, the fixtures that have been left in place make it obvious this place has been around for a good 30-40 years. Whoever they hired to paint in my unit looks like they did it when they were trashed; there's paint splatters on the bathroom door and stairway rail. At first I thought having stairs would be cool, but they're really just a pain in the ass, and the one summer I did spend in Davis (2008) it was so hot I literally could not be upstairs day or night without cranking up the A/C; I ended up sleeping downstairs a lot. The dishwasher (at least the one in our unit) was worthless, always leaving crap all over our dishes after a cleaning cycle. We ended up handwashing our dishes many times. The refrigerator/freezer is very small - both my roommate and I cooked, and our fridge was so packed food would fall out of it every time we opened the door.

Depending on your point of view, the place is run like a Nazi prison camp or pleasantly clean. Grounds are always kept painstakingly clean, and the pool is rarely used, which I couldn't figure out if it was because its so small, or because I wasn't the only person who spotted the dead rat in it (I wish I was joking). NOTHING is allowed on the doors except for notes from management, meaning no Christmas/Halloween decorations, etc. No satellite dishes allowed, meaning you are STUCK WITH COMCAST. At first they tried to tell me that signs were not allowed on the windows, but after I informed them it was against Davis regulations they backed down. One issue that drove me up the wall about this place is the fact that they DON'T ALLOW YOU TO COVER YOUR OWN CAR. When I asked why this was, the management was literally unable to provide me with a reason why. They told me I should just park my car out in the street. Why would I want to do that when I have a perfectly good spot right behind my apartment, along with running the risk of my car getting broken into by parking it in the street? My car received massive paint damage from sitting out in 110+ degree Davis heat without cover and I had to spend $750 getting it repainted. I should send Westwood the bill.

Being a graduate/international-student focused apartment complex, there's a good chance your neighbor doesn't speak much English, and there are no parties, barbecues, or any kind of social activity going around the complex. Most of the time you won't see anyone around the complex at all, which I felt gave it a kind of depressing feel overall, but I guess for some people that would be a plus. I have heard that in many Davis apartment complexes management is slow to respond to maintenance requests, and this is not an issue here, because maintenance requests are generally fulfilled on the same day you request them (although management is only there M/W/F 12-5). The fences are constantly falling apart and we ended up having to get it fixed about five times over the year. Don't bother cleaning the apartment (unless you happen to be a professional cleaner) before you move out because you will have to pay the $160 cleaning fee regardless. I had to pay an additional $20 out of my security deposit to repair some paint peeling that occurred out of my control, although to be fair they did replace our screen door without charging us (although we didn't break it anyway).

Hearing/reading the many horror stories of apartment complexes in Davis, Westwood isn't a terrible choice. By college town standards, the place is average. If the place was anywhere outside of Davis rent would be about 1/2 as much and would be low income housing. It definitely has its ups and downs as I have mentioned, but as an undergraduate transfer student, I would have chosen another place. If you're a graduate/international student looking for a quiet complex who can deal with the issues I mentioned, go for it. —DavisF--kingSucks

2009-09-23 18:21:18   A $160 for soap scum in a small 2 bedroom apartment is exorbitantly high. If you live here, just know to expect it so you won't feel like you've gotten a bad end of the deal and think management is trying to extort you. —["Users/Anonymous]

2010-05-27 16:21:48   I have lived here for almost a year, and everything has been great. One thing I was really surprised about is how quiet it was...the complex is pretty close to the highway, and I had only 2 apartments between me and the highway, but once you go inside its silent, so that was a big plus. There a lot of nice sized windows also, which was nice. I never had a problem with anything inside the apartment, but the dealings I've had with management are very professional, although not super personable. For the most part. The unit themselves are nice and clean, as the bathrooms were just remolded in the last 2 years. Utilities here also seem to be cheaper than other places I have stayed. Another plus is that there is always hot water!!!

There really aren't any cons to this place, other than the price being kind of market priced, so your not getting a super bargain...but that's really nit-picking. The worst thing is the carpets....they (at least in my apartment) could use a change, as they seem kind of warn out and old. Another surprising thing is that I have never seen a roach in my apartment ever. (although, I didn't/won't be living here in the summer)

I love it here because there are no parties in the complex, and it's always super quiet. I have never been disturbed by a neighbor, which is quite amazing (living in davis). So, I'd rate this place a 9.5/10, as it's by far the best place I have ever lived in Davis

—Ellimist

2010-08-14 08:41:59   I've lived here for two years and the experience has been great. The parking is great, the highway noise is minimal, and there are no excessive parties here so it's a great place for my fellow grad students and I. Besides, going to downtown for any drinking or parties has never been a problem since downtown is close enough. Management has been very responsive and friendly, and they're quick to respond to any complaints though they're only present MWF (you can call-in at any time); I've never had a problem with their timing or repairs.

I've moved out 2 days ago and have yet to receive the cleaning value yet - I'll edit this part in later. Still, living here has been a big upgrade over my first Davis housing and has been a perfect place for grad students like myself. Just treat the apartment like you would your home and you'll have no problems here. —Daves

2011-10-21 14:46:59   Overall I did NOT have a good experience at Westwood. For the purpose of making this review as helpful as possible, I've decided to wait a few months after I moved out (and calmed down) to write an objective review.

Pros: -Nice countertop in the kitchen. -Good residents. -Clean pool.

Cons: -Horribly thin walls. My biggest issue with this complex is the lack of privacy and sound barrier. Every morning at 6 am I would wake up to my NEIGHBOR's phone alarm. AND the phone was on vibrate! The walls are built with the cheapest materials, I doubt they even put any insulation in there. I could hear my neighbors' floor creak as they walked across the room. It's ridiculous.

-Unprofessional manager. Alan is the nicest apartment manager I've ever met. Alan is curteous and easy to talk to. Jane, on the other hand, is unprofessional. Jane takes things too emotionally. She mixes her job responsibility with her frustration to an extent where I felt insulted as a tenant. For example, when we did our walk out inspection, Jane criticized me for leaving certain wear and tear damages behind. I'm not denying the damages, I'm saying that Jane should have handled it professional instead of emotionally. She should have just pointed out the damages and told me how much that's going to cost me. Instead, Jane became hysterical, criticized me and treated me like a criminal for not leaving a poorly built apartment (thin walls) in "perfect" condition.

-Highway noise. The highway noise was NOT minimal. You do, however, get kind of used to it after a while. It's like having a splinter, after a while you don't really notice it, but it nevertheless lowers your quality of life.

Overall it wasn't the most horrible experience, I had some good moments there, but it's definetely not a place I'd recommend to my friends. —JimmyChu

2011-12-30 14:40:31   On Aug 22 2011, at the appointment time, when we went to check out the unit, ONLY your roommate(R) was there to walk thru with us. Remember Jimmy; you were not there. During walk thru with your roommate(R), he informed us that you gave your key to him so that we could finish to check out alone with your roommate(R), but he handed over one original and one copy of entry keys, not two original keys. When we asked him about one more original key, he told us to ask you (Jimmy). He also requested to split the security deposit equally and deduct charges from each person’s share of the deposit. And he pointed out that the cost of repair on the damaged wall should be charged to you. Then, we asked your roommate(R) to have you contact us so that we could also get from you your forwarding address and confirmation of the security deposit settlement and deduction as your roommate(R) requested.

After a couple hours later, you came to our office and told us that you might have the original entry key in the one of moving boxes. So, we told you that we needed it back to avoid the charge on the lock. At the same time, we confirmed with you that there would be charge on the damaged wall from your share of the deposit. At that time, you even told us how the wall got damaged and we all laughed out with you. Then, you gave us your forwarding address and left to look for the key.

After about an hour later, you brought the original key back to the office. So, I said Thank you. You also said Thank you and left.

I cannot recall, image or understand how or when I have ever talked or conducted in any way unprofessionally. But, Jimmy please gives me a call if I offended you in anyway.

Our complex has undergone extensive renovation and complied with all standard construction codes and regulations including insulation between units. Jimmy, your unit was an end unit and the only one side neighbor you had were very quiet graduate students. If we knew that you had any problem with neighbor’s cell phone alarm, we could easily mediate your problem with them.

We do have double pane windows in all units and 7 buildings to choose from, at different locations and facing different directions from the freeway.

—Westwood

2014-08-07 20:01:26   My experience at Westwood was horrible. I had wanted a pet fish but the rule was NO PETS. I have to pay to do my laundry and the pool is tiny. And the townhouse itself is small. Anytime i want to watch something and it is hot the ac makes noise. —MoneyMomo