Fourth and U Apartments

This place is terrible. The staff are uncaring, doing things like changing the door codes without posting notices so that me and many others came home on a Friday night only to find ourselves locked out. When I complained, they acted like being locked out in the middle of the night was not a big deal. The floors are covered in trash stains and the hallways smell bad. Packages go missing all the time. Even when it requires a signature and someone in the office signs, packages will still disappear... . Read More

There are thieves in the building and the management have done nothing to stop this. cameras everywhere for nothing. You are not safe here and would highly recommend that you look elsewhere. This property is aweful

This place has no camera in corridor and so far two of my packages were stolen. Be very careful that don't care about that.

We were given false information regarding rent increases at the end of our lease. They said there was a 10% ceiling, but we wanted to go month to month. It was a 54% increase for a month to month agreement. Management didn't seem to care about our concerns. They "worked with us" but they were not pleasant about it.
Location is nice.
Maintenance is fast and friendly.
Rent can increase anywhere from 10-54% from my experience.
Management doesn't seem to be paid enough to care about the tenants.

I moved to the west coast one year ago and got an apartment at the Essex properties in Berkeley. Over the course of the year it's been a great experience. Unfortunately, we are moving to a new apartment next month because the commute is too long for my husband in Berkeley. We loved the apartment though and the management company was pretty responsive. Costs are a bit cheaper than you would see in the city, it's clean (never saw any bugs), modern and located in a cute area that's as far from the... college as you can get in Berkeley. I think this building and area are for more young professionals which was a good fit for my husband and I at the time. We had a one bedroom and I think my only complaint (which is minor) was the apartment layout. I think for a one bedroom they could have done a better job and positioning the rooms because we had a long hallway and balcony with a weird view (just to other neighbors' balconies). I feel like they took up a lot of space that could have been maximized in the living room or kitchen area. Good apartment though if you're looking to live in Berkeley away from college town. Read More