101 San Fernando

Diego from the building did a great job with our move-out inspection and fixed our sink. He was friendly and helpful, and represented the company really well. I lived here for a year as a San Jose State University student. Being right across the street from campus made it very convenient, and the rent was competitive with other parts of downtown San Jose.

The balcony looks out over the lively heart of downtown San Jose, and the one-bedroom is spacious at roughly 950 square feet. I’ve been at 101 San Fernando apartments for three years and absolutely love it. The Essex management team is friendly and provides excellent service. Thanks to Mirna, Brandon, and Chris for all your help. I’ll most likely stay for a fourth year. If you’re apartment hunting, I highly recommend checking out the one- and two-bedroom units here. Their prices are the best compared with nearby competition. Cheers, and good luck!

Maintenance is nice and prompt, but the rent is so high for what you get. Hot water gets shut off and elevators are often out of order. On weekends it’s extremely noisy, though that’s downtown. There are homeless people on the stairs at nearly every entrance, so watch out for human feces. The gym smells awful and is tiny for a property with hundreds of apartments. Shower pressure is laughable, even after I tried all kinds of shower heads. There are pest problems from time to time, break-ins in the parking garage are pretty common, and mail disappears from the mailroom. Deliveries are hard too, since the property map is only posted in the front building. The hot tub in the photos doesn’t exist, and there isn’t even a patch of fake grass anywhere on the property. They assign you a parking spot for $75, but your car will be towed if you don’t display the permit. If you rent a car, remember to put the permit in it. Imagine getting into an accident, picking up a rental, and waking up to find it towed from your own spot.

We finally moved out of this awful place in December, and now they want $586 for a scratched glass stove top, saying it has to be replaced. I asked for the move-in inspection sheet where I’d already noted the scratches, and explained that more wear after three years is normal. They won’t provide the document. I lived here for three years, and it was a terrible experience in this very run-down complex. I was on the third floor, and rainwater leaked from the roof on the fourth floor down into my unit. In winter, water seemed to leak everywhere. On New Year’s Day in my third year, friends were over when the living room ceiling started leaking. Maintenance cut a hole in the wall, put in big fans to dry it, and said they’d fixed it. The next time it rained, the leak came back. I repeatedly asked whether they’d found the cause and when proper repairs would happen, but they dodged the questions. After two months without a fix, I asked for a rent concession because the apartment was uninhabitable. I also explained that my wife was job hunting and the stress made it hard to focus. Instead of dealing with that, they called about adding her to the lease, charged us another $50, then abruptly canceled our lease and sent a new one asking for more money. We refused to sign and heard nothing further. They eventually fixed the wall at the end of the second month and dismissed the rent concession discussion. Mail and packages were frequently stolen from the mailboxes, including my credit card, vehicle registration sticker, and other valuables. When I reported it, management wouldn’t address security and just told us to file police complaints. The fire alarm also used to go off in the middle of the night every other night. It seems they’ve fixed that now, but it was a persistent problem for years. Leasing management is arrogant and hides behind a professional manner instead of giving straight answers. This is an old complex, and management seems focused on exploiting tenants and making money. Save yourself the headache and look elsewhere.