J Street Apartments

J Street Apartments one- and two-bedroom apartments ranging from $805/month to $985/month with a $500 pet deposit [March 2005]. Accessories for the pool table and ping-pong tables are frequently broken or missing but are usually replaced within a reasonable length of time. Parking is abundant on the south end of the complex (left side if facing the complex from the street) and requires no registration or sticker. Management personnel can often be seen riding around in a golf cart.

One downside are the train tracks just behind the complex, periodically a source of considerable noise. Mailboxes are outside the north door of the clubhouse building which is nice for those times when they lock it up and you can't get in. The Unitrans E bus line stops right in front of the complex and drops you off at the Memorial Union bus terminal.

For more information on Davis rental housing, check out our Housing Guide as well as our Apartments pages.

Comments:

Note: You must be logged in to add comments

Basically same apartment/class style of Cranbrook and Ivy Towne. Okay to live in for your first year on your own, but you WILL want to upgrade unless you get a good unit or absolutely love it.

2005-07-22 17:30:26   A good, mid-range priced complex. Great management, great maintenance. For the price, you get a comfortable place to live with good bus access, nice neighbors, and a great atmosphere. Really good programs to retain residents (including signing bonuses when you renew your lease). They seem really dedicated to keeping residents happy. —AmandaCaudle

The above comment was allegedly left by an employee of J Street Apartments.

2007-06-05 11:43:58   I've lived here for a year and the drawbacks are very minor. The space for the money is very good. So if money is an issue this is a great place to live. The grounds are nice and they seem dedicated to fixing the problems that may arise. —AnthonySoto

2007-12-08 20:50:41   The maintenance staff is AWFUL. My screen was broken so they replaced it, but it is too small, so they shoved twigs under it to make it fit. The problem with that is that the window latches dont work. I locked my keys in my car the other day and my roommate wasn't home. So I took off the screen and opened the window and unlocked the door. it took me about 5 seconds. That is how easy it is to break into my apt. I've complained about this. The result: They replaced the screen. With one that is too small. And they shoved twigs under it. you have got to be kidding me. The towel rack in my bathroom is falling off the wall. I went to my friend's apt.. same thing. Reason: The dipshits apparently dont know what a "stud" is in a wall. the towel rack has fallen off their wall 3 times and each time they replace it about 2 inches above where the old ones were and leave a big hole in the wall. so now the towel rack in their apartment is about 6 feet off the ground but its finally in the stud! oh yes, they screwed it in tight. But now it has a 45 degree tilt to it. You ever try putting a towel on a towel rack with a 45 degree tilt? yeah i didnt think so. because there is no one else on this planet so shitty that they would screw in a towel rack at a 45 degree tilt.
Going back to my apartment for a second; my door broke once. I couldn't get out of the apartment. Easy fix. I just used my window as a door. I went outside and the maintenance guy was working on the apartment upstairs, so I just asked him to fix my door. His solution: take off the doorknob and removed part of it. Problem: the doorknob came off. had to get the other maintenance guy to fix it.

The overall atmosphere inside the apartment is beautiful. Some people think shotty repair job that leave gaping holes in the walls are ugly, but I think it adds character. Some people might complain that when people walk up the stairs it shakes your entire apartment, and that freight trains go by every couple of hours making it feel like you are reliving the 1989 earthquake, but I consider it a free back massage! sure your dog my pee himself. But you don't have to clean it up! Just leave it for the next guy and make him pay for it out of his deposit; because they aren't going to replace the carpets. —TrippKATZ

2008-01-10 13:07:40   Er - I'm not an employee. I just really like it here. —AmandaCaudle

2008-02-13 09:44:24   I have lived at J Street for almost 2 years. I really like it for the price. It would be nice to have things like a patio, dishwasher and washer and dryer but for a young couple who are saving to buy a house this is not a bad deal. As far as repairs go, they do a pretty good job of responding quickly. If you don't think the repairs were sufficient you should let them know. The maintenance guys are friendly and will listen if you're nice to them. That being said, yes, they do a shoddy job of painting the walls, the carpet is cheap, and the doors really could be replaced but you do get what you pay for... —Likakana

2008-03-29 19:56:21   I've lived here for a year and am about to renew. It's a great place for the price, and management is always very very nice. No, they're not always on the ball about responding to messages, but overall they've been very good to me. To some extent, you get what you pay for —poorly insulated windows, no dishwasher, wall units for A/C, etc. But overall, I'm quite satisfied with this place. I love the floor plan and the flexibility the apartment managers offer. they've been exceptionally friendly & accommodating. I've rented for the past 12 years and have had some shitty landlords, and so far they've been decent. TrippKatz, If you can't fix your own towel rack, then perhaps you shouldn't be living on your own. Fixtures such as those aren't typically guaranteed in rental units. Even closet rods are technically extras. What you're renting are the walls, carpets, major appliances, doors & windows. I added hooks for my hand towels, but I'll have to fill the holes when I move out.

Cost for 1bedroom goes up to 855 next year, probably because they're painting the exteriors, replacing some roofs & replacing front doors.

That said, all of Davis is WAY overpriced for rental units. —JessicaRabbit

2008-04-12 12:01:06   I've had a good experience here so far. It's as low-end apartment complex, so to some extent you get what you pay for (for DAVIS anyway— the price would be high end almost anywhere else in the country). The walls & windows are thin. There's no central heat, air, dishwasher, W/D not in unit, etc. I really like the floor plan, though (for 1 bedrooms). I looked at a lot of floor plans in Davis before moving in, and this one had the most storage space for a one-bedroom, was the most open, and was also one of the cheapest when I moved in (was 815/month. Now is 855).

Management doesn't usually answer the voice messages, but if you get them in person, they do get things done promptly. My place was clean when I moved in, and any problems I"ve reported (in person) have been corrected in a timely manner. The management has been friendly & professional, but their hours are inconvenient (9-4 monday through friday), and they often leave for lunch or leave early.

My mail was stolen from my mailbox once. That sucked, but the company paid to replace the item. When the repalcement item was delivered, Tari held it in her office until I could come get it. That was nice, but unfortunatley it was delivered on Friday, so I didn't get it until Monday morning.

The grounds are typically clean, and even though they allow pets, I never see "evidence" in the grass. The laundry rooms aren't super clean, but I do appreciate the front-load washers (nicer on clothes). Usually there are one or two dryers that don't work, but the others aren't usually full.

All in all, I really like living here, but not everyone has had such a good experience. I've left balanced reviews on apartmentratings.com, and some disgruntled residents accused them of being posted by the management. Perhaps they treat the older (30's) residents differently than the college students, or perhaps I've just been lucky with the location of my apartment, because I don't have the mold, rodent, roach or flooding problems that one reviewer complained about. If I did, I'd be out of here in a second.

I do think they should rent the apartments that are located next to the train tracks at lower rates than the rest of the complex. I'm 1 building over and can hear the trains, but they aren't loud & don't bother me at all, but I'm sure those who have apartments next to the train tracks feel like the train is moving through their bedrooms.

They do let you choose your unit when you move in, so just make sure you are clear that you want a unit that is close to J street and not near the trains, and you should be ok. —Phoebus

2008-04-12 12:06:42   PS —I meant that the company that SENT the package replaced it, not J street. —Phoebus

2008-10-27 13:57:14   I love my apartment. I absolutely adore it. I'm actually close to the train tracks but since they hardly run and not at night, it doesn't bother me. I love my room and although its the smaller room in the 2 bedroom its so nice. You have to be picky when you move in and choose the area you like most (closer to the parking lot, big grassy area, ect.) Also, when I moved in there were lots of things I thought were old and rundown so I asked the manager to change them ans she agreed. Just ask people and they'll do it. Overall, its nice, not too far from campus and very cute! —Rubyshoes

- I feel like you're my next door neighbor. My staircase was a bit wobbly and the wood was a little run down, but that never bothered me. Then, September rolls around, my old neighbors move out, and suddenly everything is getting fixed. My stairs not wobbling. The wood on the stairs (not the steps) were replaced. I found out there's a light that's been broken for over a year(since before I moved in) that magically started working. Then again, these repairs have led to incessant barking due to my dog's/downstair neighbor's dog's curiosity. It's ok though, I enjoy seeing my door at night ^_ —JennPham

2008-11-07 16:34:29   My husband and I lived here for five years from 2002 - 2007 and had good and bad experiences. Good: right on bus line, rent is cheap, (we were broke so that's why we stayed so long - cheap rent!) It's not too far from downtown, dealing with the maintenance staff directly we got all of our work orders completed on time.Our apartment had no problems with insects. Bad: the apartment is older style - no dishwasher, wall unit AC, lone heater in the living room, laundry frequently had no working washers/dryers, the walls, floor, doors are thin and we could hear the neighbors doors slam morning and night. It was noisy (trash removal, train, early morning lawn work). I had to wash the bathroom walls and ceiling with bleach every few months because of the pervasive black mold that would accumulate otherwise. The office staff is frequently not in the office during business hours and I never saw them on weekends, which is why I think they had a recurring problem with vandalism of the pool, soda machine, laundry facilities and "recreation" room during our residence. They had to lock the workout room on weekends because of vandalism. For a time, cars were broken into weekly. It seemed like they did not screen tenants carefully during our residence. We saw two of our neighbors handcuffed and escorted out of the complex by police; I was at home in the day when another neighbor was shot in his apartment by "friends" he claimed tried to rob him (he wasn't seriously injured) and another neighbor was evicted for non-payment of rent. Needless to say, it wasn't fun living near this neighbor during the eviction process.Parking was frequently a problem and we often could not find a spot in the parking lot. —Shari

2008-11-17 11:41:31   I like this place a lot. I used to live at University Court Apartments and there is a huge difference. I agree that the office staff seems to be gone all the time. I've had to hunt the manager down way too many times. I feel that this property could be a beautiful luxury residence if the owners actually ivested in maintaining it. —treebee

2009-03-17 21:58:32   This apartment complex is pretty terrible for Davis. 2 out of the 8 dryers work (this has been weeks now). Dog droppings are often found in the grass. The train is alright given that it comes only at night most of the time. The interior seems like they haven't remodeled in many many YEARS...other apartments in Davis remodel often enough so it is probably better as a student to share a room in another complex rather than going through crappy management, terrible maintenance (they do respond quickly but often micky mouse repairs rather than actually fixing the real issue...them I don't exactly blame because the apartment itself is terribly built in the first place). I would recommend living somewhere else because they had just raised the rent on my unit and I don't see any significant changes in management or anything else having to do with that extra money (everyone's unit rent has been raised so its interesting where that money goes). For a two person bedroom, the larger room is way more expensive than it should be considering I am paying 600+ for a room without my own bathroom. I also used to have cockroaches...I discovered them the first day I moved in.

There are definitely better apartments to live at and cheaper at that.

I mean there are some okay things about this complex but they definitely do not outweigh the bad. And definitely I feel like I would have to warn those wanting to rent at this apartment to stay away from here if possible. —hellogoodbye222

2009-04-12 21:57:08   I just signed a renewal lease for this place and am seriously reconsidering trying to get out of it. I was away from home Thursday night, came back on Friday, to discover my neighbor sitting on the steps. She informed me that the toilet that's made strange noises since I moved in had been leaking ever since then, probably longer, and in the middle of the night water had started to drip from the ceiling. From what she said they were extremely ill-prepared to handle what followed. Turns out there was mold in the ceiling. They exposed her apartment to it, not knowing whether or not it was toxic. Then, they entered my apartment and were reportedly in there for three hours. I fully understand that in an emergency they can enter without permission. HOWEVER, upon my return, the lights were on (so they'd been on for most of the night, if not all night), and my bathroom was a MESS. There is still crap on the floor, as I've refused to clean it up. They used my personal washcloth to wipe stuff up around the toilet, as I found it in the garbage can. There was toilet paper all over the floor, and my towel was in the sink. I have no idea what they did with it so that will probably be thrown out along with the washcloth. Now, it was around 1 pm when I got back. There was no note on my door. I waited until 4 o'clock, which is when they usually leave, to see if they'd leave a note or in some manner let me know what had gone on. Nope! They came to talk to my neighbor, so after they were finished I told them that I was very upset at the condition my apartment was left in. The moronic assistant manager just kept saying sorry, that it was an emergency. I kept saying I understood, but I want my freaking apartment cleaned up. She made no mention of having anyone go clean it up. I'm extremely furious and plan on talking to the manager first thing tomorrow. Stay away from this place! It's on the cheaper side, but it's not freaking worth it, it really isn't. —jesterlover16

2009-06-06 22:02:48   I think it is a fairly nice apt FOR THE CHEAP RENT. They changed the carpet when I moved in, nice large bedroom, huge closet. But just a few bad parts are.. I want a dishwasher. We also have some bugs called 'earwigs' but they are slow so we can easily catch them. I just hate the INSTACONNECT!! It is absolutely InstaDISCONNECT. Don't ever have that. And there are some homeless people near the garbage dumpster picking up some recyclable things. The train never bothered me. They are always slow and not loud. Unless you want pretty high-end apt in Davis, this is decent place for students or money-savers. —amovolky