Pescadero Apartments

Good

We lived here for little over a year and we absolutely loved it there. Jonathan and David who work there are very nice and friendly. Maintenance staffs are very friendly and prompt as well. Apartment has nice indoor pool along with jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. Fitness room is a bit small but we were members at a gym close by. Everyone gets a garage too. And parking was never an issue for our guests. The best part about the apartment is location. Very quiet and beautiful location close to the bay. Lots of trails to run or bike close by. In short, for the price compared to other apartments in the area, pescadero is a very good apartment and I would definitely recommend it to anyone.

We moved here a year ago after living in a house for 15 years. I was super nervous about moving back to apartment life but given the rental market an apartment made the most sense. A year later I am so glad we chose Pescadero! We really like living here and just signed another year lease.
We live on the third floor and have vaulted ceilings which makes it feel bigger but even without that it is a decent size at 1100 square feet. The layout works for us and it’s SUPER quiet! I have never lived anywhere so quiet. Our balcony faces the lagoon in the back and it’s great living near all the wildlife — geese, ducks, jack rabbits, a variety of birds. In addition to the wildlife outside, we have two cats and pay a small monthly pet rent for them. Love living in a pet friendly community!
The pool and excercise room are a great benefit (just need to use them more). And I love having a garage right downstairs. But the best part is the people that work here! Jonathan and his team are fantastic! They are friendly, responsive and great to work with. Every time I have needed something fixed (I.e. A fluorescent bulb changed) they were on it right away.
I have been super happy living here and am looking forward to another great year!

A nice mid grade apartment in a fantastic area. The low move in cost makes it a decent value for the neighborhood.
I’ll give a summary of my exp. so far:
The move in process was like the Amazon ‘buy it now’ of apartment hunting. I went to their website, found a unit I was interested in and applied on line. I was approved and could have made a $ 500 deposit to reserve it right there. I decided to check it out first, which I did on a Sunday. The front office is staffed 7 days a week. After I looked at it, I put down my deposit. The lease agreement was all digitally signed over email. On move in day, I just walked into the office, dropped off a check for the first month’s rent and picked up my keys. Pretty sweet.
You won’t find stainless steel appliances or granite countertops inside. Its your standard white formica counter and white appliances. It’s still nice. You get plenty of counter space. Everything works just fine. The kitchen and bathroom have a black/​white checkerboard floor, which is kinda funky. I actually like it.
Sound insulation is decent. It’s not the best and it certainly isn’t the worst. You might hear muffled conversations/​TV or the hum of a washing machine. You will also hear occasional creaks when people are walking around above you. Like any apartment, this is almost entirely dependent on your neighbors. If you have a ‘stomper’ or someone who listens to the TV loudly, that will suck. If you need absolute quiet, I’d recommend the top floor or better yet, avoid living in an apartment complex.
The garage takes some getting used to. The opening is pretty narrow. The first few times you pull in is kind of nerve-​wracking. Once you’re in, you’re golden. There is plenty of room for you and your passenger to comfortably get out. A mid size SUV ‘could’ fit. It’ll just be hairy getting in and out of the garage.
Plenty of parking. However EVERY space is a compact space. The parking does occasionally fill up on weekday evenings.
The complex is well maintained. Landscaping is done often. The dumpsters are emptied a few times a week. It’s quiet and everyone pretty much keeps to themselves — which I like. The front office staff are nice and professional.
The area is super nice. Lots of trails and a couple dog parks close by.
Overall, I’m pretty happy here. Redwood Shores is not cheap. The low move in cost made things easier. It’s a nice change of pace from other parts of the Peninsula.

Pescadero appears to be a nice property with good amenities, if you could actually sign an agreement with an apartment at the price that was quoted. Be very careful as they may confirm a price without fully explaining their procedure in securing an apartment. I was given a great price, only after being notified that I couldn’t get that price any longer after I pursued it further. Overall, it was an extremely disappointing experience.

Pescadero apartments have by far been the best place to stay! We were at first quite skeptical of our decision to stay here with respect to proximity to public transport, safeways, restaurants etc. however we have faced no such problem. There is a shuttle that comes to redwood shores which takes you to the cal train station. There is a very decent chain of restaurants lined up near nob hill. And mistral is a beauty. Perfect for Sunday brunches! There is a public library (if you are a decent walker, you can walk up to it) and the closest Safeway is only about 2.5 miles away. I simply love the exclusivity this place offers in terms of gentry and natural beauty and at the same time u feel so close to city life as well (San Carlos, redwood city and Belmont are all five mins away, by car). The management team at pescadero is very helpful and cheerful. They take care of your requests in time and also follow up on it. The gym, pool and sauna are pretty ok (not too good but not bad at all), with the beautiful nature trails and hiking/​biking tracks redwood shores offers, the gym and pool are just sides offered to the main course. The neighborhood is quite cheerful and unintrusive. The walls on the ceiling seem to be pretty thin though, so you may end up cautioning your neighbors about the noise. The best part is the maintenance of the greenery and lagoons in pescadero. Clean ship is pretty good and the cleaners are here every Monday to ensure green and perfectly manicured grass. The beauty here is enthralling and our friends just love coming over. All in all, it’s been great staying here!

Pescadero has a nice interior. Maintenance service is pretty good and responsive. The only problem I see is that management has changed a lot since I started living here.

These places may look nice on the outside and at first glance they may look nice but once you are in you discover that the counter tops are repainted over and over again with laminate paint and they feel like rubber and just like anything that’s been painted over and over again, they chip and peal and you will get charged for it out of your deposit. The floor tiles are plastic and they crack just from walking on them and that too will get taken out of your deposit. If you have a pet no matter how clean your pet is and even if it doesn’t pee on the rug, they will say it did and charge you for that out of your deposit. The washer and dryers are crap. It takes an hour to dry one normal size load. The wall are thin and you can hear the other tenant’s bathroom fans and showers. They seem real nice in the office but wait until you move out. We paid ll$ 1,200 for our deposit and got back $ 200.00. We only lived there 6 months and were hardly home and they came up with all these repair and cleaning charges that are lies. So if you like losing a thousand dollars this is the place for you. If you like your money then DO NOT live there.

I lived in a 1-​bedroom apartment here from July, 2011 to September, 2012. I moved out because I needed a bigger place that was ideally more affordable. If you want CHEAP, then stop complaining and move your ass out of the bay area.
Overall, my experience here was really good. I’ll just honestly mention my whole experience here. You can decide what to make of it.
MANAGEMENT
Management was excellent during my whole time here. In the 14 months I was here, some leasing agents came and went, but they were all friendly, helpful and personable. Jonathan, the manager, was incredibly helpful during my whole time there, and just overall a really cool guy! Marevie in the office was always friendly, helpful and welcoming. The management might be the best part about this place.
COMPLEX
The complex is QUIET. If that’s what you like, then this is as quiet as it gets. So quiet that you may not ever see or meet your neighbors. That could be good or bad, depending on who you are. The area is very safe, clean and kept up very nicely. Pool, spa, workout room, blablabla. I don’t care about that stuff but it’s there. There are walking trails all around the complex. The dumpsters around the complex are conveniently located and are emptied regularly so they never overflow or start smelling. Raccoons and skunks will hang out in the dumpsters and scare the shit out of you if you decide to throw away your garbage in the dark at 3:00am, but that’s your own fault. It’s very easy to get to your front door. I’ve lived in apartments before where you have to walk by other people’s doors and windows just to get to your own place. Those places suck. This is not one of those places.
UNITS
My 1-​bedroom was nice. Not amazing and not awful. Clean, nice layout, decent size, good appliances, etc. Appliances all worked well and I never had a problem with them. For the price you pay for units here, you’d expect the lighting, tiling, windows, carpet, etc. to be PRISTINE and FLAWLESS, but they are just OK. I lived on the first floor and could always hear the upstairs neighbors. It was extremely annoying, but then I realized that I live in a FUCKING APARTMENT! You’re gonna get that anywhere.
MAINTENANCE
I never had a major problem with maintenance or utilities during my stay here, so take that as a good thing!
PARKING
If you drive something bigger than a Honda Civic, parking is gonna suck. Most larger vehicles will have a tough time fitting within the parking lines around the complex, causing many larger cars/​trucks/​SUVs to take up 2 spaces. Most nights will see almost all the parking taken up, but there was always a spot somewhere if you drove around the complex. The assigned garages can barely fit a midsized vehicle, and if you drive a larger SUV or truck like me, you won’t fit in your garage at all. You also cannot use your garage for storage.
PRICE
The price sucks major ass. I was paying $ 1950 for a 1-​bedroom. I’m an idiot. My rent went up by $ 100/​month after a year. It will go up even more if you decide to go month-​to-​month. This has nothing to do with the managers or leasing agents. This place is owned by a large corporation and large corporations are run by greedy bastards. To me, the price does not justify the apartment you actually get here, but the management, location, cleanliness and quiet makes up for it. Look, if you decide to live here, you already know it’s expensive. Don’t complain about the price when you realize later, «Holy shit, this place is expensive!» You knew it was before you signed the lease. And you live in the bay area, so stop complaining. Utilities are pretty consistent every month. You pay for your own PG&E, but water is handled per unit block in the complex. It was typically about $ 100 more /​month. OK wait… is there anything good about the price here? Yes. It’s incredibly easy and affordable to move in. The deposit is very low and you are not required to pay the last month’s rent in addition to the first. That’s fuckin’ rad.
LOCATION
If you like quiet, secluded areas with no bums, crackheads, sideshows, prostitutes or poor people, this is the place for you! However, if you are an alcoholic and want to walk down the street to the liquor store at midnight, forget it. You are a couple miles and like 10 stop signs from the nearest store. You will be surrounded by wealthy, successful people here, because you pretty much have to be rich to live here. I’m not rich, which is one of the reasons why I left.
So in conclusion:
THE GOOD
— Management
— Complex
— Cleanliness
— Quiet
THE BAD
— Price
— Price
— Price
— Price

Jonathan (Property Manager) & Ken (Manint. Tech) are wonderful! Had a couple things to be fixed in tha apartment and they were so responsive and quick to have it fixed. They are truly nice people that want to help! I really recommend living here because of them!

My husband and I have lived here with our dog for almost a year now and we feel so happy to have found this place. It was really tough trying to find a nice, clean apartment that would accept pets. We have a two bedroom on the 3^rd floor and the apartment is spacious and bright. The management staff has been incredibly helpful from the first time we looked at the apartment through the start of our move-​out process. We have only had a couple requests for maintenance but those minor issues were addressed quickly. Everyone visiting remarks on the nice landscaping and how the complex is so quiet. I am in commercial property management so I feel that my standards are higher than most but Pescadero lives up to them. I would definitely recommend renting here to anyone looking for a place on the Peninsula.

My husband and I just recently moved out of Pescadero after 2 years choosing to move to a new place closer to his job and our son’s new preschool. Pescadero has gone through some management changes in the 2 years that we lived there, but under the new on-​site management guided by Jonathan, things are much better!
The Pro’s
— New Property Manager Jonathan is great and very helpful!
— Great location, safe neighborhood, great views of the Bay!
— Garage option and 1 extra parking space
— Access to local parks, lagoons, neighborhoods, etc.
— Great maintenance staff
The Con’s
— Higher rent (due to «beachfront» location — walking distance to the Bay)
— Higher utilities (they are about $ 130 a month — highest amount is sewage, averages about $ 70, you are billed for shared utilities in the complex)
— Outdated interior (checkered floors and older appliances)
— Nicholas Stevens property management company isn’t so friendly
A previous review noted a lot of noise and I’m not sure where that came from because the complex is pretty quiet!
Also, I wouldn’t note the layout of the space as a «con» but it definitely wasn’t a ‘preference’ for us.
Overall, a great place to live :)

Stay Away. Really stay away. I lived here for a little over 2 years, within 2years my rent went from 1450 – 1665 a month. not including 130.00 plus for utilities EACH MONTH. They go up on your rent every 3 – 6 months even if it’s a BMR unit. The last straw was when they went up on my rent by $ 141.00 within 4months. Nice area, very pretty scenery and a nice location, but you will pay and personally I don’t think it’s worth the money. After the 6month lease expect a hike in rent. Ask the leasing manger they will not be very honest with you about the high water bill and rent control, but you can’t blame them they only doing their job. so that’s why I’m writing this review to warn the wise. This place is all about the money from beginning to end. What a shame how people will take your money, with a smile. WARNING, NO RENT CONTROL. So with that being said don’t expect to get your deposit money back you will owe them more deposit money, instead of $ 600.00 deposit you will pay $ 600 plus REALLY. Just keep looking, it’s not worth it. This place do have some positives but unfortunately the negative out weight the positive.
Note: HUD or no HUD still no rent control and the water, garbage, and sewer bill is outrageous. Read other reviews. Before I moved in and signed the lease I did ask do rent go up often and what the water bill will approx. cost per month. It’s very beautiful place on the outside. PLEASE BEWARE IT’S A TRAP.

Going on 2 years living here, 1 bedroom, bottom floor. With a view. And a dog.
The general area is as good as it gets (5 stars!), the location of these cute-​looking apartments is unbeatable. There are trails in front of your nose, and the water-​ways everywhere, beautiful sights, really! Wildlife everywhere (birds, rabbits, seals, racoons & skunks too :)
The photos online are true to actual looks of the place (both surroundings and the apartments).
(+) Positives sides of living here:
–Location.
–Cozy appearances of the apartment buildings. By far the most appealing in Redwood Shores!
–Garage (tho shared/​no wall between the next car).
–Washer/​Drier in the apartment. Not the best ones though! (not allowed to change them either)
–Full size pool — greenhouse like/​can be opened or closed! Sauna (wet&dry!). Spa. Mini gym (decent).
— Dog friendly!
–Apartment’s layout.
–Primary maintenance guy is real nice. A competent, polite, quiet guy.
–Plenty of parking for guests/​second cars. Any time.
–2 minutes walk to a dog park (which is also decent!)
–Café next door, serving hot food too.
–Safe. As safe as it gets. From people that is, there is always a risk of running into a skunk :)
(-) Negative aspects of life here:
–Sometimes the smell from sanitation plant nearby gets overwhelming.
–Pricey (utility costs in general are high; it’s all electric).
–You can’t use the garage as a storage of any kind. Only cars & bikes allowed. (idk about strollers and such!)
–Maintenance used to be bad at showing up on time, they recently changed people so we will see how that goes. People keep changing (ex: maintenance and office staff).
–Low quality of interior — nothing luxurious about them but the area!
–Noisy. Each step my top neighbors make I hear — although we can’t hear TV nor any speech!
–Some people abuse the «dog friendly» part… You get the hint.
In general probably one of the nicer apartments in Redwood Shores. I would expect that most of the negative sides I have listed tend to be true for other places as well. While the rent is steep, it is comparable to other places in this area and it increases according to the area’s increases! (we check with other locals :)
Overall,
*I want to give them a 3.5 stars*

This is by far the nicest rental complex in the Redwood Shores area– very convenient for those of us who work in the area and not too far from San Francisco. The positives:
1. The neighborhood is extremely safe and the grounds are park-​like, located along the shore with walking trails, ponds, and many scenic views.
2. The units are very well laid-​out, and while they lack upscale features like granite or stainless steel, are in very good condition with laundry in each unit.
3. It is pet-​friendly and allows up to 2 pets per unit, with a small additional charge in pet rent each month.
There are a few challenges that other reviewers have noted: they bill for shared utilities, akin to an HOA fee, that varies each month in addition to rent. Their monthly billing service is spotty– some months I receive statements and in others I have not– so you must be proactive. Neighbors have complained about impolite or untrained handling by less experienced members of the management office. I had a bit of that on move-​in but have seen the quality improve over time. Overall, it’s a great place to live.

Oh they were so nice until I moved in. I have a small bbq on my porch, they saw it and wrote me up. its ok that they dont allow bbqing but why single out me when every other place a a bbq in full view? anyway, the people above were way too loud and had too many kids for that apartment. the guy next to me would play his music and tv so loud i could hardly think. plus he would talk so loud i could all of his conversations. i complained to the people in the office, they did nothing. one night i turned my tv up just enough to drown out my next door neighbors violent love making and about 5 minutes later i had the office people at my door. this was the worst place i have ever lived, and I have since moved.

Can I give them a negative star? Slumlord Slumlord Slumlord! Not only is their rent ridiculously over priced and the utilities 3X what I paid in a house 2X the size of the apartment but they have no idea what they can and can’t do legally.
The move in experience:
From the beginning they wouldn’t let me move in on my move in date after I drove 8 hrs up from Southern California because my wife wasn’t with me. Uh… didn’t know I needed my wife to move it. Don’t you think that would have been good information to know when I told them the week before I would be moving in by myself for the first 2 weeks? I sat in their office for 2 hrs while they decided what to do. Should have slept in a homeless shelter of my car, would have been a lot less stressful.
The experience:
Don’t expect them to document or fix anything. I had to ask them 3 times to fix stains in the carpet. The dishwasher never worked right. I had to ask them another 3 times to fix it before they even took a look at it. Then they never called me once the part arrived, I had to call them and ask when the dishwasher would be fixed.
The move out:
Landlords are required by law to return the deposit less deduction within 21 days, they didn’t, and then lied to our faces when we confronted them on it. Landlords aren’t allowed by law to charge for normal wear and tear, they did, even after they told us the touch up painting that was needed was the result of minor wear and tear (by the way they told us that the apartment was slated to be painted anyways, it had been a while since they last did it). And they charged us for an entire apartment cleaning, even after they said this was the cleanest apartment they had ever seen. When we asked them what needed to be cleaned they said «dust behind the frig, stove and diswasher.» The dishwasher… ARE YOU SERIOUS??? Who the heck pulls the dishwasher or stove out?
Throughout our entire time there we asked them for a copy of our lease, never got it, in fact I got tired of asking. We also asked them for documentation on the initial walk through, never got it. Not to mention we are still waiting for our deposit check.
I’m a landlord myself and understand the rental laws very well. Normal wear and tear is not chargeable against your deposit, don’t be fooled. And, the consumer protection agency of CA give specific example of what is chargeable and what is not. Pescadero charged us for everything the CPA of CA specifically says in not chargeable, carpet cleanings, apartment cleaning, and paint. Keep in mind the place was dirty and there were carpet stains all over the place.
This place is crooked and deceitful.

**This is for the tour and not a tenant.
So almost at the end of the road, you find this great apartment spot, far from busy streets and what not. Staff greeted us with smiles, so far so good.
Off to the tour, the have a sauna, gym was ok, small, they do have a green house pool (indoor) which was a nice touch, the buildings was all wood shingles. We checked out their 1br apartment, which comes with a shared garage, the garage itself looked old. The apartment had black and white checkered flooring at the door entry way and the bathroom, I can’t remember if it was in the kitchen or not either. The patio size was ok, had a storage room, it was facing a swamp looking river? This whole place was pretty much outdated and old. No central air, did come with a washer and dryer. They’re pet friendly with no weight limit.
Our leasing agent really didn’t explain much and just stood around, this was probably the faster tour we got since we just looked and left with no explaining on their part. I can only imagine how their other services would be.
Pictures are deceiving, and be sure to read all the tenants reviews because it’s really good to know how much they charge for utilities!

We live here now and don’t have the problems others have had but have new problems. They seem to be updating things and keep taking the rights away from the residents. Be prepared not to be able to do anything, no bbqs, no compromise and high cost. We are paying more than the mortgage on a single family home and we can’t do anything. Everyday there is a new note on the door telling you what you can or can’t do. I think management would be most pleased if no one was in the units but they were rented out. You get a balcony but all you can do is sit on it. There are nice amenities but they do not outweigh the negatives. I feel as if my freedom has been striped and they have me bent over a barrel.

I lived here for six months and am so glad it was not longer!
During that time:
It took them four months to replace my washer, which banged atrociously and annoyed everyone in my building;
It took four months to replace my garage opener, which responded to other people’s clickers and annoyed other residents with whom I shared a common garage.
The security gate rarely worked, and most days was just left open.
I got a nastygram about my welcome mat being out of compliance (apparently ‘welcome’ is not congruous with property ambience).
For a couple of days, green gunk came out of my kitchen faucet, and they told me the city had been messing with the system and it ‘should clear out soon’ — but didn’t bother to notify us. Good thing it was in broad daylight and I didn’t drink that stuff in the middle of the night! I should have had it tested.
I’m still, almost three months later, trying to resolve a moveout overcharge, and they haven’t returned my calls even once, and refuse to put me through to corporate.
Read the other review about hidden costs — don’t go by the estimate they give you, ask a resident what they pay.