University House Apartments

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University House Apartments (not to be confused with University Square Apartments on 3rd Street) is a small apartment complex with 48 units located on K & L streets between 3rd and 4th. They have four studio units and the rest are two bedrooms units. Rent for fall 2011 begins at $710.00/ month for studios and $890.00/ month for two bedroom units.

The management, Christina, is on top of her game and works with the tenants to maintain a comfortable atmosphere and help in any way she can, all you have to do is let her know whats going on.

Upsides:

Near Taqueria Davis, Aggie Liquor, 7-Eleven, Pizza Guys, and Jaymes' Fat Face.

Being near Davis Bike Collective, Bikram Yoga Davis and Rodness Martial Arts Center makes it convenient for exercise.

An on-site Coke Machine sells 20 oz. bottles of soda for $1.00 (Note that the soda machine on-site is known to take people's money - If the machine does not register your change, do not put any more coins in and call the repair number on the machine)

Close to both downtown and campus. It's about a 10 minute walk to the heart of downtown and about 15-20 minutes to campus. The A line bus stop is right on the corner, so it takes less than a minute to walk to it from the complex and about ten minutes for the bus to get to campus.

Small complex means you know your apartment manager and she knows you.

Downside:

Older units, made originally as a motel and converted into an apartment complex makes for some thin walls and easy to annoy/be annoyed by neighbors.

Across the street from the PG&E Service center (not to be confused by the payment center on 2nd Street) creates a noisy atmosphere at times, often late night/early morning.

Popular drunk route after the bars close. Late night drinkers tend to walk by, often loudly, on their way to 7-Eleven or Aggie Liquor to continue their binge.

Loud children make it very inconvenient for late-night workers who tend to sleep during the day or sleep in after a long night. They tend to run and play on the balconys, against apartment rules, vibrating the entire area around them while doing so.

Gas heat, both costly and useless unless you sleep with your bedroom doors open you will not feel any improvement from these units. Save some cash by not using them at all.

1 AC unit in Kitchen, 1 AC unit in one of the two bedrooms, sorry if you have the second unit, suffer during the summer or invest in a swamp cooler. Studios have only one A/C unit.

Echo effect. Even the quietest of people will make an loud noise in this complex between the Square design of the complex and the thin walls expect a lot of noise during the day and early evening.

Expensive Laundry ($1.75 wash/load, $1.50 min. dry/load). The laundromat located in Downtown does one full load (wash+dry) for approximately 1/2 the price of one load (wash/dry) using the on-site laundry.

Loud Trains. Proximity to the Amtrak station and the railroad tracks makes this complex relatively noisy if you are not used to living near highways/freeways. Unlike the railroads that go up North, the Eastbound railroad is active 24/7. (This means you can hear the horns of the trains passing by 3 or 4AM in the morning) Some people get used to the train noise. (not nearly as bad as man other complexes like College Square, Arbors Apartments and others right next to the tracks.

Small Management. There are 3 maintenance people (and one apartment manager) on-site. That being said, the office is also rarely open, the office has shortened its hours to 12-5pm, but Christina works with you if you need to talk to her during other hours. For the very same reason, don't expect FedEx/UPS/USPS to deliver your packages to the office, unless manager is in the office then she would be happy to sign for your packages. If management is not in the office, arrange to have them hold the package at a secured location rather than leaving it at your door because packages here tend to get stolen frequently.

Two Pronged Outlets. As far as I know, this is the only apartment complex I know in Davis that has two pronged or does not have properly grounded three-prong outlets. Consider this fact if you have expensive electronics. Note: Some of the outlets in the apartments have their polarity reversed, which can render ones' surge protector useless even if the outlet is grounded. Invest in a three-light receptacle tester if you have expensive electronics that you want to protect using a surge protector.

Nonexistent Bike Parking. You are lucky if you find a bike parking space here. Because the management does not allow tenants to place their bicycles on their patios, finding a spot for your bicycle can be harder than finding a parking spot for your car.

While there have been mice on the premises, reported incidents are taken care of quickly and occur rarely. It is entirely dependent upon the residents and their eating/cleaning habits. Report it to the management and they will take care of it extremely fast and effectively. Better yet, maintain your apartment as if it was meant for humans and have no problem at all.

See our Housing Guide for more information on housing in Davis, and our Apartments page for a thorough list of complexes within Davis.

Comments:

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2008-08-29 23:30:43   2006-'07: $700 for a 2-bedroom apartment. 2007-'08: $750 for a 2-bedroom apartment.
2008-'09: $800 for a 2-bedroom apartment.

There is a waiting list to live here that usually fills up around April or May. The rent is great given the excellent downtown location and the huge size of the bedrooms. Tons of bicycle parking, none covered. Car parking lot (unreserved) plus street space. Lazy apt. managers, the pool was often green, they've been having water problems that affect the entire complex for hours at a time (scheduled shutdowns). It is forbidden to hang your clothes to dry on the balcony. —Angel.York

The old managers no longer work for the company, so green pool syndrom has been corrected. —jmitchell

2009-09-15 15:39:15   I pay about $680 for a studio apartment here from 2009-2010. It's not the greatest place, but for the money, you can't beat the proximity to campus as well as size of the apartment. While the place is pretty old, management is pretty good about taking care of stuff if you bring it to their attention of what you want fixed. I had a pretty crazy move in with cockroaches and broken electrical junk, but they fixed the broken stuff, replaced what i needed replacing, and got terminex out to hose down my apartment a second time. While it's no luxury unit, with a little effort, you can get it up to a "habitable" on the cheap and it's relatively close to campus. —Wilfred

2010-03-22 14:38:11   Close to three different bus-lines, a 20 minute walk to campus or groceries (5 minute drive) and one of the cheapest places in town. I began at $750/mo. rent and am now paying $825, will be going up to $850/mo. in fall.

As for maintenance, if you actually report a problem, they will get it fixed ASAP, but keep in mind, turn-over in davis will delay all but emergency repairs (ie: Leaks in water or gas) and can take up to a month to fix. They do a good job and will be changing the tenant rules and obligations thanks to a bunch of kids who like to violate all of the lease rules from throwing rocks in the pool to riding their scooters on the balconies which vibrate the entire place.

Other than the kids, it is a quiet neighborhood, good location, and affordable. I would recommend it. —WesOne

2010-04-14 12:44:28   The price is the only upside to this place. This place doesn't provide phone lines so don't bother getting AT&T internet service there. The landlord said it's not included. There are a LOT of cockroaches! GROSS!!! Agree with WesOne about the kids problem. Those kids never stop. I usually head down to 24 hours studyroom or the library when I need to study. Neighbors had blasting loud parties during weekends and do weed all the time, but they are friends with the manager; thus, there are nothing we could do. Nevertheless they don't cause any trouble to me, except loud noises. Wells, what can one expect with cheap apartment? If you can put up with all of those problems then this is a decent place to stay. —roxisamantha

2010-04-16 10:00:17   Every apartment complex must provide phone lines, but we are not required to have special installations to provide DSL service. A DSL line and a phone line are two different things, despite the fact they both plug into the same outlet. We have a contract with Terminix, and would be happy to have them perform services on your unit. Please just ask. We do address noise complaints, so if you have complaints of unreasonable noise in the future, please let us know. With the new 2010-2011 leases, comes a new rules addition regarding parents monitoring and controlling their children. We had never had a problem until this year, so it never been added to the rules, but we realize there is a need for it now so it is being addressed. Again, please inform management of any troubles and we will do our best to take care of the problems. —JMitchell

2010-06-22 12:29:39   I have lived at these apartments for the past year and have been pretty satisfied. The kids are outside playing most afternoons, but in reality they aren't that bad. I personally have had no bug problems, so I am not able to comment about that. The managers at the complex have been amazingly nice and helpful when we needed it. Its a college town so there are college students who live there and like to throw parties sometimes, we deal with it. I have never experienced it being so loud and so late that I was not able to sleep. The rent is incredibly cheap and you are walking distance to the bars. Its not the Ritz but as far as I am concerned I have been pretty happy living here the past year. —flipnflygurl

2010-06-22 17:54:25   this place is great. Ive lived here for one year and ill be staying for another. I have never had any problems in my apartment or with the managers. The apartments are the biggest and cheapest ive been able to find for such a good location.
The best deal here is the 2 bedroom units —ryebread

2011-02-25 22:45:00   I agree with everyone that the price is the "only" upside to this place. On move in day my apartment wasn't ready (and it wasn't the only apartment). I don't know why? So, we didn't get to move in until a week later! Then when we actually did move in the place still wasn't ready!! What ****ing kind of management is that!?! The floors were dirty, closet doors were hanging out in the living room, no light bulbs, no battery for the fire alarm, no screen for one window, mold on windows, and bumps in the carpet. We gave them one extra week and all they said was well if we missed anything let us know. Hmmm, I think you missed everything!!

Then skip to a couple of months later...We have mouses. Our mouse traps already got 4 mouses in 2 days. My advice is pay a little more to live somewhere else so you won't have to deal with all this bullshit. —liaface

2011-06-08 14:18:00   I am sorry that you have had such a bad experience. Please let management know and we would be happy to do something about it. —ChristinaHanes

2011-03-11 23:27:59   I have lived at the University house for the last year before graduation and I love it! I lived in Davis for four years, so I know how difficult it is to find a nice apartment in a safe neighborhood with a responsive building manager. But, that is exactly what living in the University house is like! —daviscatu8

2011-05-18 19:52:36   i have caught many mouses in my unit also... i wonder what other units in this apartment also have this problem?

2011-06-08 14:21:00   Honestly not very many tenants tell me/management if they have a problem with mice and if they do they dont let management know. If you tell me/management i can fix the problem but if you dont im sorry but i can do nothing to help you. Please let management know and I will do anything i can to fix the situation. —ChristinaHanes

2011-06-08 16:00:00 Hello my name is Christina but my tenants know me as Tina. I am the manager at University House Apartments and would like to clear some things up. Yes this place was built in the 1950's and was a hotel, it may look old on the outside but on the inside is a different story. Our bedrooms are huge 13x11.5 to be exact. Since I have been the manager here at UHA every apartment (when the old tenants move out) has been re-painted, new carpet and leno in both bathroom and kitchen. I have tried my best to get this place up to where it should be. As of this spring 2011 we are getting a face lift; new downstairs balcony's, a new paint job, new and improved laundry room with new washers and dryers. I take the advise of my tenants and Im trying to make a difference. I would like everyone to know that if there is ever an issue in your apartment let me know and I will get it fixed or fixed the situation at hand. I love working here and love meeting new people, i know all of my tenants their name and talk to them on a weekly basis. If that is the atmosphere you are looking to live in come join us here @ UHA. —ChristinaHanes

2011-06-15 18:43:06   Tina is such a happy and helpful manager! —ANETTJESSOP

2011-06-27 08:36:22   We love Tina and University House Apartments!! We have lived in a few different complexes in our years at Davis, but never have we had management so friendly and responsive as her. She knew all of our names after only turning in our applications. The rooms are huge, the complex is amazingly close to downtown and campus, and yet the rent is still some of the cheapest we have found anywhere in Davis. As far as bugs or mice, we never had any, but we know that all we would have had to do was tell Tina and it would have been dealt with. What's more, Tina and her staff allow people to move out on August 31st by 3pm and then allow people to move in on September 1st at 3pm. They give themselves just barely 24 hours to paint, clean, and make any necessary repairs, all so that it will be easier on the people who live here. It is a testament to just how dedicated they are to their tenants. THANK YOU TINA!!!! —tcobra8

2011-08-23 13:53:42   I had a really great experience living here! Tina and her husband work extremely hard and are very diligent in resolving any concerns you have with your apartment. They are very friendly and professional at University House. Overall i would recommend anyone who is interested to live here! —ToddBaumgarnder

2011-08-29 16:13:50   I absolutely love this place!!! I moved here mid lease after winter quarter into a 2bed/1 bath. Tina the management was super awesome in helping me move and letting me have extra time to settle in while I went through the necessary paperwork. The rent is wonderful for my own room and I already signed my lease for 2011-2012. This place is fantastic and its an easy ride to campus just going up third street! I would definitely recommend this place. :D —LaurenTopaz

2012-01-13 21:24:31   Can any tell me if water/sewer/trash is included in this rent price? —Kaleigh

2012-02-03 13:07:31   Re Kaleigh: yes, they are included. —-jiro-