Pinon Apartments

Piñon apartments A new fountain in Piñon's rose garden

Piñon Apartments offers one- and two-bedroom flats and three bedroom townhouses, and is located just across the street from campus.
The complex is near University Mall and is on Unitrans B/C Lines.
Piñon leases are yearly from September to the end of August the following year and require a $200-$400 security/cleaning deposit in addition to first & last month's rent.

Rents for 2009-10 lease year will be

click on images to enlarge
one bedroom two bedroom three bedroom study lounge winter spring

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2005-04-05 19:02:49   Some of my friends live here, in a two bedroom townhouse. In my opinion definitely a nice place, the carpet they got is brand new and super soft. Large living room overlooking the pool area. Easy access to Oxford Park and campus. —NatalieKitchiner

2005-08-17 14:49:47   I recommend this place because its not that noisy and the managers are nice to talk to. —SimonFung

2005-08-20 23:24:28   Does anybody know if they allow more than one car per apartment to park in their lot? —MindyYang

2005-08-21 12:12:24   Well if you have roommates then each of you can park your car in the lot. If you have visitor parking I suggest parking in the street to avoid towing. If that doesnt answer your question give the manager a call. She is a nice lady to talk to. —SimonFung

2005-08-22 09:51:04   They used to have REALLY high speed bumps in their lot. It was funny since over the years they got flat tops since so many cars had bottomed out on them. —RogerClark

2006-01-17 11:40:08   The management is REALLY nice. In the beginning, they fixed things in our apartment pretty fast. After a few months, they started lagging, but eventually if you keep reminding them every week, they'll do it. They keep the landscape really clean. Remember that these apartments are sort of old, so the insulation isn't that great. I could hear my neighbors do a lot of things. It also gets REALLY cold in the winter! The bedrooms and kitchen are sort of small, too. They changed their prices from high $900s to $1050 for my 2 bedroom this year. —MindyYang

2007-03-27 11:36:05   The apartments are kind of old, but the 2 bedroom townhouse is nice. I know they are raising their prices again from 1050 to around 1200 for the 2 bedroom for next year. —LizMelack

2008-01-20 18:17:16   I lived in Pinon for a year, and would probably move back in again. In general, my only complaint would be management (mostly just the lady, not her husband). When they started construction on the building (like, on our roofs) we weren't even warned about it. Just woke up one day with guys on our roof! There's no 24 hour maintenance like at other complexes, so if something goes wrong, you just have to wait. On the upside, it's very close to campus, and even if it looks ugly from the outside, the inside is not bad. The 2 bedroom I lived in was very spacious. There's plenty of parking from what I could tell. Also, we were never busted for having a party, even though it seems like no one else in that complex ever partied (or even came out of their apartments). Oh, another downside, the pool is not even remotely heated, so it's pretty much always freezing. —Kiran

2008-02-01 14:46:24   The apartments are decent, a little old. I live in the three bedroom townhouse and I am mostly happy with it. The kitchen is really small and the appliances need replacing. The downstairs is really cold in the winter and the turning on the heater doesn't help. The managers are really nice unless you get on their bad side. The location is the best thing about the apartments. —JennaChen

2008-02-21 20:31:01   I live in a three bedroom townhouse and let me just say, the management could not be more unprofessional. The woman, Katie, is the RUDEST woman I've ever met. She is rude to her tenants and condescending over the any questions you have. I've heard her swear on several occasions. The only times she has ever been polite to me is when she is taking my money. The only plus is that they repair things really quickly, which is nice. —Sienna

2008-03-11 15:14:26   Do not live here if you want reasonable management. They are unwilling to discuss disputes and would rather threaten you with calling the police and evicting you than sitting and discussing issues in a civil manner. I have never had a problem with management anywhere in another complex. —NickAntipa

2008-04-09 10:08:25   I just have to agree with Sienna. Katie is only pleasant when you are paying rent! I went in once to complain about something (I think there was a wasp's nest outside my apartment) and she just cut me off and pointed at a folder where maintanence request forms are kept!

Oh, and those trees with the red leaves/flowers/whatever outside the apartment buildings attract bees. I heard buzzing when I walked by them everyday! —Kiran

2009-05-05 12:04:44   I've stayed here for almost 2 years now, and its proximity to campus really can't be beat. I'm looking for a sublease for the summer June 14th-August 31st. For more details go to http://sacramento.craigslist.org/apa/1155909180.html Perfect for Summer Sessions! —MattCrooks

2009-05-09 01:06:22   Today, I visited a bunch of apartment complexes (like 10). I had high expectations for Piñon. I seriously thought that it looked nice enough on paper that I would be anxious to lease a place from there. So, while I have never lived at Piñon, I can recount my story of checking it out. First, I called them a week before I got into Davis to physically check out apartments. I got this surly woman on the phone who was just short and terse about every question. It was an aggressive and aloof attitude. Whatever... maybe she was having a bad day. Everyone has their bad days, right?

At around 9:30 on Friday the next week, my dad and I went to the office and knocked on the door. We didn't see the sign saying that they only opened at 1pm. Oops, our bad! Anyway, we were greeted with a curmudgeonly woman: "Uh... EXCUSE ME!!! We open at 1pm!!!". There was no "I'm sorry, but we don't open until 1pm. Please come back then." She was clearly awake and dressed. We hadn't woken her... we had just simply come at the wrong time. It was honest mistake so I don't know why were scolded in such a way.

She then begrudgingly asked us to "quantify our desires". Um, what the heck does that mean? :
I would like THREE eggs.
I would like TWO MILLION dollars.
I would like FOUR more pairs of underwear.
I would like TEN houses on the beach.

She then condescendingly remarked that it was very funny that I am a Ph.D student and that I didn't understand her contrived and convoluted speech. And it wasn't like it was just to some lowly student standing there by himself; my father was with me by my side. My father and I were so taken aback by the fact that this lady had just outright insulted us when we were prospective customers, that we didn't know what to say.

Anyway, what she was trying to ask, in the English that everyone else speaks and understands was: "What type of apartment are you looking for?".

So after we got past the hurdle of her "superior" English skills and intellect, she told us that she had no availability. That's fine. Places sell out and I understand that. We asked her a few more questions. Once again, curt, unhelpful responses.
I could have considered renting a place for the year after this one, but now I definitely, definitely would not because management was so unpleasant.
We mentioned that we had one day to view apartments and sign a lease. She said that would be impossible.
I laughed a little bit to myself when I signed a lease 4 hours later at Chautauqua.

Moral of the story:

Good management is the key to a successful complex. When the managers are surly to you, even when they might be trying to sell you something, you have your first red flag. I mean, imagine how they'll treat you once they HAVE your money and AREN'T trying to sell to you. My guess is like dirt.

From this experience, I can only say: Beware. Undergrads who are becoming first-time tenants, beware of management's attitude, because they're going to be with you (or without you if they have very limited hours like Piñon) for the rest of your year. If they suck, they can make your life a living hell (been there, done that, don't want to do it again, ever!). Also, second-language speakers of English, especially if your English is a little rusty, I would advise that you take a native-english speaking friend who is well-versed in lease-signing and the protocols associated with it, if you're checking out places like this. It's helpful to make sure that no one is taking advantage of you when you sign the paperwork. This (very awesome) wiki can provide some initial information on good apartment renting.

I thought I would write about this story as it was my worst experience with Davis apartments. I will also write positive things about other places soon.

Oh, and the outside of this complex looked decent. You can definitely find better places though.

Best of luck in your apartment search! —farfelu5251

2009-07-16 17:22:40   I lived at Pinon for two years and had no problems. The management was weird, but nothing horrible to deal with. I would move back if I needed a place. —Air

2009-08-22 23:48:09   in the beginning, the manager was nice but after a while, she kinda gets pretty rude with you (she's even snapped at me several times). i lived here for 3 years and it was alright, i guess. just don't go and complain about anything, katie will only cut you off, say something stupid and make you fill out a form (she doesn't even offer you a pen).

i also found rat droppings on my cutting board in the kitchen a short while after i moved in. earlier that day, i ran into her and we somehow got onto the topic of pests and she claimed that pinon had never had any issues with them. yea, right. —whomeno