Almondwood Apartments

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sweetpool.jpgTheir very large pool

Location
1212 Alvarado Avenue
Phone
(530)753-2115
[MAILTO]almondwood@sbcglobal.net
Website
[WWW]bedrock.net/dmc/aw1.shtml
Features
Pool and Spa
Cats and small caged animals are allowed with an additional $300 deposit, sorry no dogs allowed

Almondwood Apartments are located on the G/J bus line in North Davis. Rents range from $945 for a 1 bedroom 689 sq ft. flat to $1,675 for a 3 bedroom townhouse (January 2008). Their deposits start at $800. Almondwood is managed by Davisville Management Company.

As of 2004, Almondwood offers 5 units that are 4 bedrooms with 4.5 bathrooms. The bedrooms are huge with their own bathroom and the kitchen and living room are both very large. The living room is large enough, in fact, to comfortably fit a pool table. The rent is roughly $2800 (Fall 2009).

To learn about more rental housing options in the Davis area, visit our Housing Guide as well as our Apartments pages.

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It's in a nice area

2005-10-13 11:33:18   Can anybody living here hook me up on the sauna connection. I have been living in Europe for the last couple years and its something I've really come to enjoy but don't really want to join 24 hour fitness just to go to the Sauna. What do I need to get into their sauna? If you know send me a message on my wiki page or email me. —AaronBurda

2005-11-15 13:41:53   This is the coolest place, but doing laundry here can be inconvenient because there are only 8 washers and 6 driers for 100 units of apt... :-\ Some decent gym equipments for girls but just 1 for guys. As for the Sauna, i've never heard of it. lol.. —LanEvo

2006-03-11 18:32:15   I'm actually going to be living in a 2 bedroom flat with three other guys and we're paying about 275 per person. 350 if you count the Internet and PG&E, which is extremely nice. —TR

2006-04-28 14:30:30   Is there, or is there not a sauna here? —ChuckFrank

2006-05-22 22:05:36   I lived here for four years. This is one of the best maintained apartment complexes I have ever seen. Roger, the head maintenance guy, is amazingly efficient and has lots of great stories to tell. Also, there is in fact a sauna (and shower) in the clubhouse, but they are both currently being used as storage rooms. —BigDave

2006-08-21 10:19:28   Agreed with BigDave—Roger, the maintanance guy, is very friendly and efficient. The property manager is kind of a ditz, but not too bad. Lived there for 2 years. Pretty nice space for really good pricing. They allow pets; I have 3 bunnies and one of my roomie has 2 birds. Pet deposit $300 per animal but they are pretty lax on this. :D —StephPolizzi

2006-10-02 20:14:01   Lived here for 1 year. The management was flaky, always lost documents, and was not approachable. If money could talk; Our deposit was $1680 for a 2Bed Flat. We moved in and left the place spotless. Deposit deduction? $700. Most complexes around here have deposit's that don't even range that high. It might be near a bus spot, but dealing with the dingbat management is not even worth it. Also, be prepared to be shafted. —AtyNguyen

2006-10-05 14:22:53   I lived at Almondwood for three years and loved it. The pool and hot tub was an added bonus. The grounds are nice and the management was very good very freindly and helpful. —JennyMcDowell

2007-01-27 10:21:17   @ TR, if you've done your apartment research you should know the deposit should never be that high. If you compare it to deposits around that area, like Fountain Circle, sure. They're all equally ripping you off, but hell it's your money so I don't care what you do with it. —AtyNguyen

2007-02-02 06:20:14   My friend and I just signed a lease there for a 2 bed flat for the 2007-2008 year. I asked the manager why the deposit was so much and she said if students have a really high deposit, they're going to be scared and keep their apartment clean enough so deduction won't occur. So if we invest more money into something, it's more likely that we're gonna take better care of it. It's just a deposit, we'll get it back.. right?! —KristinaStasi

2007-03-12 21:43:43   According to the person I talked to on the phone, this place does not allow dogs, only cats. —NicoleSams

2007-05-21 23:45:31   AtyNguyen is right...The deposit is insanely high, and they do deduct a significant amount. I don't remember the exact amount, but my deposit on a 3 bedroom was ~$1500 and we had $800 deducted (it's been a while since I looked at the packet they gave us with our return check). I've lived here for two years, and was pissed that I'll get a repeat preformance of this when I finally move out. The reason for deduction was cleaning (which we left the apt. in better condition than when we entered...so makes little sense), and painting (full coat of paint after living there a year?!!?). I asked Julia (the manager) why we were charged so much for cleaning and she said that their cleaning people have a list of things that need to be cleaned...if even ONE thing isnt checked off the list, then we get charged. Despite those flaws, Julia was nice and approachable. Other than that, Roger (Mr. Maintanence Man) is awesome! —KayTee

2007-09-18 08:53:24   I am in a 1-bedroom here, I paid an $850 deposit, and Julia (manager) is a huge pain to deal with for basically everything. At this point, I would say don't expect a lot from this place, even Roger (maintenance guy) quit because of her bullshit. The only good things are location and the huge pool, but rent and deposit are exorbitant and Julia is basically useless —AwtgSpbr

2007-09-23 12:29:55   I'm glad there are people who actually lived there who are in agreement with me. If they keep this up, despite their new coat of paint, no one's gonna want to live here anymore. I mean, c'mon. $800 for paint and cleaning. What's more ridiculous is that it happens more often than none. —AtyNguyen

2007-09-29 23:26:17   Nice place, but unfortunately my neighbor upstairs has no idea what headphones are and how to turn down her bass (her damn speakers are right above my bed). Laundry is also a pain in the behind for this place as well...

2007-10-03 21:41:46   I lived there for three years and it was great and all when we moved in. The people were really nice and it's a great place to live. The pool is beautiful, but the gym isn't much really. The apartments are pretty roomy and the kitchen has a lot of space :). However, come move out time everything changed. The woman at the office is a total witch (would put the other word, but don't want to offend anyone). She's insensitive and rude and I don't know how she managed to keep that position for so long because she doesn't deserve it with the attitude that she has. The amount they deduct from deposits is really outrageous and they seriously demand too much in their cleaning lists, but what the hell most places do anyhow. Even when you comply with all of the stuff they require of you. they still take a huge amount from your deposit check. Lol, sorry, moving on. Roger is such a great guy! If you ever have time to chat with him... do so! He's a really nice guy and has a great sense of humor. He's very helpful and a hard worker! Yay, Roger! —Ale

2007-10-05 10:53:11   I have lived at Almondwood for four year's now and love it! I have never had a problem with Julia the manager she has always been professional, sweet, and very helpful I have always liked her. I think the people or person writting these ridiculous comments need to grow up and move on! My friend and I who also live's at almondwood are reading these comments and laughing. These comments are obviously comming from an angry person who probably did not get their way and is very bitter. —LLVE

2007-10-08 14:01:56   To LLVE:

Well, obviously!! Why else would anyone write bad things about someone? Sure, it can be out of pure spite but I assure you that these comments are justified. Besides don't ridicule someone's opinion just because you don't agree. So you had a great time with Julia that's great, but not everyone did so don't expect everyone to give her praise. —Ale

2007-10-09 21:54:01   I have lived in Almondwood for ten years and I would like to clear up a few things. No, there is no longer a Sauna...broke long ago and was never fixed, sorry. That was about the time Roger became the maintenance man and many things went downhill from there! The laundry remained filthy, the work out room has not been cleaned since they put it in about 4 years ago and the bathroom never got a soap dish put in, and the lawn and grounds just went to weeds. All his job that he obviously did not do well or rather choose simply not to do. The people who are on here singing his praises are obviously some of the few he played favorites to and let them get away with breaking the rules. The truth is he was a very angry and voltile personality and if you crossed him he made things more than unpleasant for you. (I have talked to others in the complex that felt his "rath". I have never seen Julia the manager be in any way unprofessional and she has always tried to be more than fair. On the other hand I saw Roger be unprofessional on a regular basis and completely unfair. I really can't say too much to the deposit thing, other than the fact that I have worked for other apartment complexes and have had to clean after people who moved out "cleaned". So yes, sometimes it may cost you your deposit if you don't get every little thing. —dancer

2008-02-08 17:37:28   for this year. i am moving into a 2 bedroom flat .. is the security deposit $1300 for a 2 bedroom flat? sounds a lot! :( can someone verify this for me. —ChiYang

I can verify this, it does indeed sound like a lot of money.

2008-06-27 12:53:12   I used to work for an apartment cleaning service. We would clean entire apartments for the turnover. We charged $100 an apartment. Now if Almondwood uses the same type of service for their turnover, then they are trying to say it costs $700 to repaint an entire apartment. Isn't there a law about having to repaint the apartment after every moveout? Why should we be charged for that? I have lived in Almondwood this past year and the management was horrible. Julia is stubborn and treated me as if I was always wrong. She constantly talked down to me. —JackkiCox

2008-09-04 18:31:59   My girlfriend and I just moved out of Davis after 2 years at Almondwood for me, and 3 years for her. We were VERY happy there. We keep to ourselves mostly, so we didn't use the special amenities much aside from the laundry room and occasional visits to the pool, but everything was quiet, clean and happy for the whole time we lived there. Especially, every request we made of the manager was promptly dealt with, maintenance or otherwise. I highly recommend this apartment complex. —EugThinks

2008-12-03 17:11:25   The maintenance crew is so nice helpful, much more so than my last apartment. I've alwasy had my maintenance requests delt with promply and professionally. Julia the manager is also awsome, she is so friendly and actually appears to care about my day when she asks. The deposit is a bit high but not as bad as other places and you'll get it back, I'm sure all the complaints about gouging were by tenants who are vastly overstating how clean their apartments were. My grandparents were landlords, trust me, I've seen apartments where people claimed that they 'cleaned' and then come in screaming for their deposit back when we charged them... lets just say I wouldn't go in some of the units with a Hazmat suit on. I've had a great experience here and have renewed my lease for a second year. —NicoleHuff

2009-02-24 20:21:35   I'm thinking of living here next year and am making plans with some friends. But I was wondering if electricity and internet are included in the price for an apartment (3 bed 2 bath townhouse to be exact). Also, any reviews or tips would be appreciated. Thanks. —LanyardLad

Electricity and internet are not included in the rent as of 2008-2009.

2009-02-24 21:27:51   I didn't live here (my girlfriend did), but they will hurt you on the security deposit (which is around a full month's rent), no matter how clean you make the place (and this place was clean, like there wasn't a single bit of dust or dirt anywhere in the entire place, they moved the fridge, everything). Their deposits are some of the highest in all of Davis, and even if you clean the place A LOT they will still find ways to take at least 1/3rd of it away, but often they don't even clean the place very well when you're moving in. If you have already signed a lease and are stuck moving in to this place (which I STRONGLY advise against) then please, cover thy arse and take a ton of photos when you move in, with the time / date etc. and keep a hold of them for move out so they don't take any more of your $$$. Also, there are definitely partiers about, but most complexes will be like that, but problems do occur if the party spills out of the apartment across the way from yours and onto the relatively small walkway, and if it's a warm spring day and you can't shut your window or have to face high AC costs, then it can be a bad situation. You do have to pay for your own electricity / gas (so hot water and Heating / AC), and definitely internet (but you have to pay for that in most places that aren't The Colleges or on campus housing, my advice would be to grab a 6-9 month combo package from comcast. Also, fyi, there are several students employed by the complex as some type of assistant, and while I believe some of the positive reviews are genuine, they could also be from the plants. Several of my friends had pest problems and unclean apartments when they moved in, and then still had significant sums docked when they departed, even though they left the place in better shape than they found it. If you are renting a townhouse (two-story) then expect high electricity costs from heating it up in the winter and cooling down in the summer.

Please don't let this be your first apartment experience, unless you want you want a bad one.

But, you will never have troubles finding uncovered parking, the pool and hot tub are quite nice, if you get in there before it "closes" no one's going to kick you out, it's right next to The Marketplace so you can always get to Safeway or a variety of other places for cheap(-er) food, and the G/J lines are kinda amazing. But, you can get all this and more at a place that won't screw you over if you look a little harder. Personally, though I know they have higher rents, and let's not even get into their politics, Tandem Properties will generally be upfront and honest with you, and their deposit and rental policies are quite fair.

Again, I didn't live there, but I did spend a big chunk of time over there and remember the issues my s.o. had to go through when leaving. In the end the roommates didn't fight the deposit because it would have taken too much effort, but basically JUST DON'T DO IT.

I'll be following this page if anyone else has any questions.
-M.
PS: Also, if you look @ Nicole Huff's [WWW]User Info then it looks like she's acting as if she lives in both Almondwood and Fountain Circle, which if you notice that they both are managed by Davisville Management Company raises the shadiness factor up another notch. I mean, Nicole can't be renting at both places and comment in the first person on the same day, so one of them must be a lie, or she's employed by the company (which would explain her dazzling opinion on the management in both complexes— from Fountain Circle: I don't understand why everyone says that Laura is such a bitch and all that, she is always pleasant to me when I go in the office. I've never had any problems with her. —NicoleHuff).

2009-03-04 11:33:33   This is in reply to the entry made by M. about my posts.

I am employed by Almondwood Apartments, which is managed by Davisville Management Company. My primary working location is at Almondwood, but in the year I have worked here I have filled in at Fountain Circle, maybe 6-10 days. As and office assistant I do interact with Laura, and she is pleasant. I also have witnessed her interact with tenants and have never seen her doing anything she is accused of. Most of my interactions with Laura are in a non-work related scenario. I was planning on leasing at Fountain Circle before I finally settled at Almondwood and remember speaking to her numerous times and she was pleasant. In my other post I never claimed to live at Fountain Circle, I was merely commenting on my experiences interacting with the management, but perhaps I did not make it clear the context of these encounters, that of a co-worker and prospective tenant.

2009-03-20 14:34:25   In my most recent conversation with the manager, Julia, she was spectacularly rude. She yelled and implied that I was an idiot. She then referred me to her manager, who repeatedly interrupted me, and yelled "What's your problem?" into the phone. All because I wanted to clarify something about my lease. —anywherebuthere

2009-05-13 13:24:33   Don't live here, the manager, Julia, is a huge bitch. Ive been here almost a year and the last time I ever saw her was when I signed the lease. She never told us about closing the pool and hot tub for 2 months in the winter. They entered our apartment to cut a small bush that was growing in our patio unit unannounced. Now that there are horrible weeds growing, they dont care. They are closing the pool AGAIN to do more repairs that obviously couldnt be finished in 2 months. The email on her business card was wrong, and never supplied us with a correct one. Ive heard numerous times of Julia being rude to other tenants. I hate this place, Im so upset I moved here, Im paying way to much for no service. Don't move here. —Jess510

2009-06-29 00:12:12   ^ No idea what the above poster is talking about. Julia is extremely nice and polite, and my whole apartment can attest to that. I've lived at Almondwood for two years and loved it; the area is nice, repairs are prompt, and the manager is very nice and helpful. Highly recommended, don't let some of the unusually negative comments throw you off.

The security deposit thing, however, is indeed true (quite high). —Col

2009-07-17 09:47:12   I'm not sure what Jess510 is talking about, Julia has always been very kind, courteous and professional - by far the best apartment manager I've ever had in Davis. The place is pretty nice. Its a little older, but the one bedroom apt is spacious with a walk in closet. The only real cons are the old sinks and counters - especially in the bathroom - think 1980's fixtures. Otherwise I've really liked living here. The walls are thin and its easy to hear the upstairs neighbor walk from room to room, but overall, I've been quite happy. I'm not an owner or manager and as you can see from my profile, I've been quite critical of other apartment complexes in the past. Hope this helps. —DaveCar

2009-08-10 14:29:25   Unfortunately the sauna no longer exists. The last three managers have no idea exactly when it broke, but it has been useless for ages! I'm sorry about that, but I updated the page to show this :). The apartment complex really is a good one, I lived there for 4 years and still work for Julia during Turnover. They try their best to find the best vendors so every cent of the security deposit that *can* be returned *will* be returned. —CarissaBrehm

2009-08-25 19:31:49   I have been living in a 3 bedroom townhouse for a year in Almondwood, and will be moving out on Sept 1st, 09. It has been fairly good. the manager julia is a bit quirky and humors. (seems like she's clueless at times) But she's been helpful for any problems we've had. Both her and the maintenance has been real good to us. Anytime we had issues from something leaking or something breaking, she filed a work order and someone showed up to fix it within a day or so. (I think the guy's name is Gary, he's been quite polite.) And in regards to electrical costs, it's expensive. You don't need to pay for water or trash, but you do pay PGE for electricity. It looks like the AC, Heater, and Water Heater are all electric, so it's a pretty high bill if you don't try to conserve as much as you need too! And the security deposit is pretty darn high. ($1500 for our 3 Bedroom Town House). From what the office told me, if there isn't any major damages to the apartment, they will just charge for "cleaning." This will cost about $150 on average. So yes it's a lot, but if you clean up everything they shouldn't charge anymore. And as someone suggested best thing to do is take photos of everything on a digital camera and just save it to a CD or DVD right when you move in during the inspection. When you move out if they do have any issues with anything, you can show them the pictures with the timestamp. That should solve those issues! Overall fairly good experience. I had some loud neighbors in the same building that were quite loud at night, sometimes annoying. But location rocks, near marketplace, and J+G bus line. Can't beat that. Plus you can bike to campus in about 10 mins on average. So overall good. I haven't lived anywhere else, so don't know if something else can be better! :) —dennis54

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