La Terrazza Apartments

One last update on the move out process.
We gave our 30 days notice in writing. Cool.
Moved to another Equity Residential property, and all the office staff at both places have been fantastic throughout. We moved out on Dec. 28^th, it’s now Jan 8^th, and our online move out summary is available in our account log in to see what the story is.
We paid a new full pet + security deposit at the new place.
We’re getting back a good portion of our deposit at the old place.
Some people may be upset at finding out that there is a cleaning fee of $ 120 upon move out that comes out of their security deposit. For me, it’s permission not to stress about cleaning the oven, scrubbing the tub, or trying to get out every last bit of dirt in the house while we’re boxing and moving out. It’s easier to roll with them doing it than booking cleaners through Groupon or something and waiting on them showing up, tipping them and then turning in receipts & proof of cleaning to La Terrazza, for sure.
Jose from the maintenance staff was really easygoing and clear about our move out charges. Painters he said are about $ 24/​hour, and he advised me to spackle all our nail holes from wall art work to cut down on the painters time. Painter costs for us, $ 47.
The carpet was our big ding, but we have two dogs, one of whom is aging ungracefully, and I don’t think the charges were unreasonable at all for our carpet. That’s what the pet deposit is for.
I was trying to do too many things the day of our move out, and left a load of of laundry (bed sheets) in the dryer. D’oh! Maria in the front office was really sweet and helpful about having maintenance track it down, and they had it waiting and bagged for me in the office when I came by the next day for it. Also, we thought when we paid Dec. rent on the first that it was pro-​rated for move out on the 28^th, but turns out it wasn’t, so we get that a few days of rent back with our security deposit — a nice little ‘bonus’ in terms of money we thought we spent that’s actually coming back to us!
So this review just of the move out process, I give them 5 stars for making it stress free and being really easy to reach with questions. Good job, everyone!

I do not enjoy living here. When my lease is up I will be running from this place as fast as possible. The office staff is the only saving grace of this place. Leah and Erika are really helpful and friendly. The maintenance team is also stellar. Unfortunately that is the only thing I enjoy about La Terrazza. The rent is ridiculous for very basic apartments I don’t even have a microwave and everything is cheaply made (carpet, counters, fixtures). Don’t rent on the front side (road side) of the building unless you sleep like a rock. The noise from the road is so loud. Especially the dump trucks that come 3 – 4 times a week between 6am and 8am. It sucks! Our neighbors are gross. the trash rooms are disgusting and filled with bags of garbage and open garbage all the time. I feel like the staff tries to keep it cool but it is just always filling up because no one puts their trash down the shoot (despite the signs). On top of all of that they charge anywhere between 120 and $ 200 a month for extra for water sewer and electric that I pay on top of my own personal electric bill. The only reason this place gets two stars is because it’s backed up to the Colma BART station and transportation to my job in the city is easy, and the staff. Other than that this is sadly the worst place I’ve ever lived and I highly recommend looking elsewhere if possible.

I lived in here for a year. The office stuff change all the time. Even though they are nice when u can find them at the office. If u want to find them through phone. Unless, you want to rent a place, please give up when u ask for service. No one call u back. My lease end, they used up all my deposit and still charge me extra $ 600 and I only can see the balance on
and do not have detail on it.
Besides. The rent was risen about $ 326/​mo if we want to continue our lease. This crazy! I found bugs around kitchen area. The maintain staff says, because we don’t use dispenser that much, that’s normal! ridiculous! won’t recommend to any of my friends.

Made an appointment for 230 pm today. Got there and had to have another «future resident» let us in. There were three other families sitting and waiting and no sign of any employee. We waited until 3pm, no sign of any employee at all! Total bs! Why would I pay three k a month or more for a place where I don’t even know if I can track down the staff? Very disappointed by the lack of communication.

The property itself is OK, not bad, but just mediocre. One of the running machine is out of service for over a couple of months. And the weight room does not have weights at all except for a few machines.
But some of the staff really left me with disappointing attitudes.
At one time I was asking them to get my packages in the office. The front desk ignored my greeting and «sink» into her job doing nothing for half a minute, leaving me standing there and then said what could I do for you? I was a bit pissed, but it’s fine. I was here just for the packages.
And she opened the package storage room and said «they are too heavy» and left. WTH. They were only two litte packages with total weight less than 3 lbs. I guess the lady needs to learn «service» before entering this industry. The attitude is totally a joke. NEVER had I experienced such interesting situation before.

Much worse since 2014:
You will also discover the neighboring apartments in Daly City run about $ 1800 for a 1BR — at a managed property. I can’t understand why anyone would rent here, unless they are truly lazy.
Problems
–Hidden costs: beware of the «forced» renters insurance (extra) and additional $ 100-​$ 200 (per bedroom) costs for «water, sewage, central boiler, admin fees, and startup costs» — added to your bill every month
–Noise is serious… the Bart makes a loud «Train» noise — completely unpredictable; if you’re near the El Camino side, even if you keep you «double-​paned» windows sealed, you still can’t fall asleep at nigh (there are many trucks on El Camino)
–It’s always cloudy in Daly City… and the fog makes everything moldy and damp
–Grounds have remnants of puke… sometimes
–You’re living next to giant cemeteries and you see funeral processions drive by and make it impossible to leave the garage on the weekends
–Package pickup are often a struggle because office personnel are never available — either out to lunch, closed, or showing the apartment
–Apartments are insanely cold in the Winter and insanely damp in the summer
–There is rarely any sun in Colma/​Daly City
Pros:
–The apartments are close to Bart, but there are many other apartments close to other Bart stations
–There is a Subway downstairs if you like sandwiches
–The gym is fairly empty — though you’re paying for it and equipment is meager
–The property manager and leasing office are nice and wonderful… unfortunately her work is split between two properties and she is never here
Apartments
–1BRs have very big BATHROOMS… what a waste of space and poor layout
–In-​unit W/​D is nice– that is one positive — your laundry problems are solved

I am writing this follow up review so that everyone knows and understands a key thing here. Prices go up every year– sounds normal… Not! They do not raise it by $ 50/​$ 100 they are raising mine by almost 300 $. So if that’s okay with you choose this place.
Also Someone reached out on from La Terrazza on Unilocal and said that the management is in touch with me about my issues– not true. Nobody is reaching out to me to get my issues sorted. Nobody has the time or care to keep their clients happy! To top it all they raise 2015 rent by 300 $.
Equity management cannot take care of it’s properties well.
Only saving grace of this place– closeness to Bart and maintenance staff who try to make the renters happy with a prompt service but we see them helpless at times due to the weak management at this apartment complex.

There’s a reason there are moving trucks outside the apartment most Saturday and Sunday’s: they raise rent by 15% after the first year, and they have really high turnover. Also, do yourself a favor: don’t live in Colma. You can do better I promise.

Since my 1^st review 5 yrs ago a lot has changed. First I want to say that my 1^st 314 yrs were very good at LaTerrazza. However when Sherri left for another position in the company the place went to hell. We had4−5 on site managers that never stayed. Yes they were friendly, but it just didn’t seem like the good mornings & smiles like when Sherri was there. Then last year sometime, Leah became our «permanent «manager yes she was somewhat efficient, but her friendliness towards us (the tenants) uneasy & by the book type of personality. She was
Going btw (2) sites which made for her to not be in the office quite a bit. It seemed like the moment you’d want to check if any packages were in or maybe something about the computers were no where to be found. Not only did this happen to us tenants, but to the UPS, FedExpress, etc. It seems as if the building began to get a little run down. Even the front custodian was in between sites!!!
The new man, Sam was a lifesaver. Also Tony & Vince were great even though they were under changes too. They always had a smile on their face.
For as much $$ that it cost to move in, I had a much nicer, more updated (stainless steel, granite countertops, ice maker, etc., I’m now paying less for my one bedroom than LaTerrazza’s one bedroom. The amenities are WAY much better where I am now at Avalon Bay!!! We all know whether your I the city or suburbs surrounding the north bay, all renters are struggling with $$ issues surrounding rent, but since I knew I couldn’t afford a $ 300 increase I chose the better of some of the other not-​so-​nice places (including LaTerrazza). So all I can say is farewell to LaTerrazza. You did me well when Sherri was there. Other than that, good ritence.

We moved to this community for about 2 months. Now I can sit down to write the review during Thanks Giving Holidays.
First of all, I would like to extend our great thanks to Sherri. She is very welcoming and very accommodating. She truly took her time answering all my questions about moving here and made it hassle free. Through her very kind and professional help and recommendation, we rent furniture. And we found a good pre-​school for our 3 years old daughter, etc.
I am really very satisfied with my unit with the washing machine and dryer in the unit. Also in the community, there’re 2 gym rooms, which is quite convenient and useful for everyday exercises. The location of this apartment building is perfect, which is quite close to Bart and many shoping centers. Also we don’t have any problems with their maintenance services. If I placed an service request, it was fixed next day. And I’m happy to recommend this apartment to other people.

Let’s see for $ 3k a month I get people throwing up in the main elevator, the poultry company across the street loading forklifts at 4AM, followed by Allied waste at around 5−7AM dumpsters unloading… don’t forget the muppets using the parking lot at 2AM to drop off a tenant!
I give it 2stars for location and parking…

Here’s the thing here. The are way over priced. Go down the road to South SF. better weather, nicer places. They say its updated here, but sadly its not. Its so very cheap. For almost 2 months one or both of the elevators were out. WTF? This is Colma right? It never gets hot here, and generally stays pretty damp due to the fog. Yet they insist on watering EVERYDAY! Since we all split the water, just means a higher bill for all of us. The staff are very nice, and I have NEVER had an issue there. Living next to Bart is great, but again, you can find nicer places next to Bart. Do not waste your time or money here. You will be disappointed!

Unfortunately, they did raise the rent on us by about $ 130 after a year.
However… after doing extensive research, the offer presented to me WAS market price. :/​In fact, even a bit under market price. Sorry folks, it’s hard to hear it, but living costs anywhere near the city just suck overall no matter where you look.
Considering the amenities that I needed (pet-​friendly, covered parking, close to BART, and in-​unit washer/​dryer) I couldn’t find any other place matching my needs that wasn’t a further $ 200+ more than what La Terrazza was offering me.
I accepted the lease renewal offer. The management here is actually quite friendly (Cyrille and Sherri have both contributed to a very positive experience here) and it’s really a very new, nice place to live. All of my maintenance issues are taken care of the day after they’re reported, and the regular maintenance guy (forgot his name) is very nice as well. They even sent an exterminator to my apartment (for free obviously) after I had some terrible problems with fruit flies (infestation was probably my own fault).
Other pros — being able to pay rent online and the ability to turn on automatic payments. Thank goodness, I hated remembering to drop checks off at the office at other apartments complexes.
The majority of the minor problems with this place stem from the people living here. Many residents use the garbage room irresponsibly and sometimes have their toddler take out the trash for them, resulting in trash left all around the room. Luckily, the rooms are cleaned every M/​W/​F… but still, for everyone’s sake, I wish people weren’t so lazy that they send their 6 y/​o kids to take out their trash.
I have not experienced any problems with cleanliness – I recommend living on the third or fourth floor as I’ve heard the first and second floors are a little dirtier. For those of you worrying about noise, the walls and floors seem sufficient thick enough that I hardly ever hear my neighbors. I live in a unit facing BART, and yeah I do hear the trains (as well as the dogs across the street) but it’s not loud enough to bother me.
One persistent complaint I have about the unit I’m in is that the bedroom has no window, just the door to the patio. That means on hot days/​nights, I don’t have a window to open. Luckily, Colma/​Daly City doesn’t get hot very often and the unit is has an A/​C unit (which I never use).
Overall, it’s a nice place… other reviewers must not have lived in many «average» apartments before, but I have – and this property was one of my best apartment-​living experiences so far. The only downside is the cost, but for the amenities you get, I’d say it’s very fair.

I am one of the longest residing tennants and from my experience living here I do not reccomend living in La Terraza but if you have no choice a 2K+ single bedroom or 2.8K+ for a two is the lowest price you can expect from rent. Ever since the building managment was replaced with new people they are trying to raise rent and cutting cost in repair and cleaning. They may say they got treadmills and elipticals but they dont work and one has a squeak that would put you out of your workout mood. There is graffiti on elivators and a stupid sign telling tennants «Dont forget to pay rent of get ripped of another hundred or so for late fees». One time they admitted that they had lost all my paperwork regarding my tennant files in the office and later noticed everyone else is doing the same. They are careless in their managment practices, careless in the upkeep of the apartments and they will rip you off in such a way that makes you wonder why you spent so much energy moving in and then move out because this place is no good.
There are also low income apartments that surround the complex on each side of the home and Bart giving access to the hoodlums who break into the apartments. I had my car broken into from their concealed garage space and in later years stolen right off the street. If you use bart its a necessity for you guys, otherwise its a portal for bad people from San Francisco or Oakland or Antioch to come in and might potentially hurt you. BTW security is not dependable because La Terraza is too cheap to have them patroling all the time. I say I do not feel safe walking around my own apartment, especially when CSI is walking into an apartment literally rooms away from where I live.
There is alot of problems with this apartment that stems from this new managment and where the apartment is built. Its not an enjoyable place to stay and not a place to raise a child especially. There is a banner in the back of their apartment saying that this is a dream apartment… I hope they take it down because it is quite the opposit and I am not alone saying this.

I moved here last August and this was my first experience living in the Bay Area. I was looking for a apartment with certain amenities (washer/​dryer in the unit, parking, and close to public transportation — BART). I was in a hurry to find a place and (at the time) felt lucky to find a place that met my criteria in such short notice.
For the most part, I was very satisfied with my experience living here. The apartment was in tip-​top shape, the staff were attentive, and having a gym in the building was a plus.
After speaking to some friends in the area and doing some investigative work on Craig’s List, it seemed like I was overpaying for what I had. It was a nice building and all, but the neighborhood was less than stellar. My apartment faced a business selling gravestones and I had a family of pigeons nesting on my balcony… even after numerous attempts to remove the birds. Gross!
The real discontent began when the management office sent me my lease renewal offer. I had been communicating with them at least 3 months before my lease ended. I wanted to know what they were going to say and whether I should begin looking for a new place to live. Cyrille, the manager, was polite and helpful, but said she could not give me any details until she heard from corporate.
I received my renewal offer about 6 weeks before my lease ended and they wanted to charge me an extra $ 285/​month! And, «yes» similar to the other review I learned the hard way about the lack of rent control in San Mateo County. Ridiculous! When I tried to negotiate, the management office was willing to reduce the amount by only $ 25/​per month. I was told the amount was justified by the «market rate.» I decided to not renew and found a larger apartment in a better neighborhood of SF for $ 50 less than my original rent at La Terrazza.
And to make matters worse, after I gave La Terrazza my 30 day notice, I looked on the Equity Apartment website to see how much they are charging new tenants for my unit. To my suprise, they listed my apartment for $ 115 less per month than what they offered me. Not good business practice.

I have read a lot of negative reviews of La Terrazza and am wondering if these people have ever lived in an apartment before? Most of the time, when dealing with a corporation you run the risk of extra charges, short lease renewal notice and noisy neighbors. It sort of comes with the territory. Even when you are a homeowner you deal with neighborhood issues.
We moved here about a year ago (almost as we have not received notice of our lease renewing yet) and have been relatively happy. The management is fine, they are super busy as there are only two women running the show — it is to be expected. The complex is quiet, clean and convenient. For the price you pay to have assigned parking and a w/​d in your unit it is worth it.
Overall I would definately recommend this complex to a friend. You take the good with the bad and having lived in other complexes in the Bay Area this is definately one of the better ones. You have to remember that old saying — if you have a bad experience you are likely to tell seven people, but a good experience never gets the same word of mouth.
Pros:
Bart is close
Assigned parking
Washer/​Dryer in unit
They sign for your packages
The maintenance team is very responsive
They will work with you if you are honest with them
Colma is a pretty safe place to live
There is a pre-​school one block away and a Catholic school two blocks away
Fitness center on the property
The mail boxes are secure
You don’t have to go far to dump your trash — each floor has a garbage shoot and basin to rinse out your trash can if you choose to
There is a small playground and basketball court
The community is patroled by both Private Security and Broadmoor Police Department — plus the fire house is right around the corner
Cons:
It can be expensive
There are some noisy people, but again it is to be expected in apartment living
Smoking in the elevator is annoying
The playground is small
The late fee is extrememly high at something like 1% of your rent — most places usually charge a flat fee of $ 50
Some people don’t pick up after their pets
Again, I say when you live in an apartment complex you have to expect some things are going to go wrong but overall I do think it’s a pretty great place to live.

We moved after one year because they raised our rent to an additional $ 200…we do want to stay, but after 1 year they are raising it that high? If we did stay, how much will they raise it after? Now I understand why there are so many come and go renters in this apartment.
Yeah…you guys should know that San Mateo County does not have rent control, so they do have the right to raise your rent.

It’s been great living right behind BART for a year. I’ve been spoiled with my commute. Overall, the location is great, and so is the apartment itself.
The staff at La Terrazza is very helpful, but my biggest gripe about this place are the move out fees they don’t tell you about. I didn’t know about the extra cleaning fee, carpet cleaning fee, painting fee, cost for paint, etc. until I read Mike B.‘s post, and got my move out bill. If you’re thinking about moving here, or are currently a resident, don’t even bother cleaning before you move-they’ll still charge you anyways.

As I moved in I didn’t have any complaints about the property, though I was a little suspicious when they kept badgering me about filling out the survey to say they were «Excellent».
Well the place is NOT excellent, it’s ok. If you do end up renting here, and you get assigned any where near apartment 3104. .. DO NOT TAKE THE APT. All of the residents around that apartment have left because the lady there works nights and her child runs wild, making noise into the late night (i.e 3AM).
Lorena says the lawyers are involved in trying to get her evicted, though now she’s just saying they have to wait out her lease which isn’t until Jan 2011. So wait until after the new year to move in here.
If you are moving out don’t tell Lorena until you absolutely have to because she won’t have time for you after you tell her, no matter how nice she is to you before you tell her. She also leaves and shuts down the office before the displayed office hours time to pick up her son. .. so if you have to pick up a package, plan on doing so at least an hour before closing time.
Allen is definitely the better of the two but is leaving for another location in a couple weeks, so that won’t help you.
The noise from BART doesn’t really bother me, and is decently convenient.
The vinyl «hardwood» floors look nice and serve the purpose for an apartment.
The freeway noise sounds kind of like the ocean which is kind of nice.
The apartment itself is nice and spacious, though I saw my model went up $ 300, which makes it a little more spendy. The walk in closet is about the size of a spare bedroom. The bathroom is nice and spacious, and the living room well it’s open. Basically I could fit all my shit in here so I was happy with that.
They say you get a balcony, it’s more like a ledge where the pigeons go when it’s cold, so you are constantly having to deal with birds and poop, I just never go out there…
As for the elevators, make sure to use the main one, that’s the only one that they keep clean, the other two normally have dog urine, and on one occasion poo in it. Makes for a stinky ride down to the parking garage in the basement.
Oh and if you get an apt where your apt faces the BART walkway. .. get ready to meet Barbara and Stan. These are the people that live in the low income housing on the other side of the BART walkway. Stan leaves Barbara almost every Saturday. So you will hear Barbara yelling down to Stan trying to get him to stay. He never stays, but he always comes back. .. around the time the bars close and yells from the walkway up to Barbara on the second floor to let him back in. She always does after about an hour.
It’s kind of like a ghetto romance movie, though the movie is on repeat every week. I guess it’s ok if you are into seeing the same show over and over.
Expect to pay $ 30-​$ 40 in electric and up to $ 100 in water/​trash.
Will write more after I officially move out, I’m sure it will be great fun!

I love living here! I have a HUGE very spacious apartment. Its a quiet area and my son loves the playground on site. Its very safe gated community. I love the fact that the BART is so conveinently close, we take trips to SF Union Square by bart. I love the little meet & greet BBQ’s. This goes to show that Management cares about us tennants and they go above & beyond! 5 stars! Great Food. Great fellowship.
***Let me just say those nutty people that left bad reviews must be the bad tennants. Sorry to say but every apartment building has some nutty tennants! LOL
***Don’t base your decision on those reviews, You should check out the place for yourself and you will see that it is in deed a Excellent place to live and the office managers are super friendly. Lorena has always been kind to me the times I’ve visited the office. Shes been doing a fabulous job keeping the place clean and safe. Thumbs up to her I know it must be a hard job.