The Esplanade Apartments

Rick 2 months ago

RENTER'S INSURANCE THROUGH THE PROPERTY AUTO-RENEWS, EVEN AFTER YOU MOVE OUT. I just wanted to put that at the top so potential renters don't miss that. Maybe there was an option to opt out of auto-renewal when I first signed up, and I just missed it. What I can say for certain though is that I didn't deliberately pick an option to opt in, so it feels like a pretty scummy practice to do that and then charge a fee to cancel. Pros 1. Nice, spacious units. The high ceilings and the open floor plan really make it feel spacious. 2. Good location. Japantown is within walking distance and has a lot of good restaurants. The surrounding area feels safe. 3. Quiet around the property grounds. 4. Private entrances to the units, which gives a space for delivery people to leave packages, provided that they are able to get in. cons 1. Added costs: On top of rent, you get billed for other utilities by the property. While I was there, it consistently stayed in the range of $110-$130 a month. So take that, plus $25 for parking if you want a reserved spot, plus another $10-$20 for required renter's insurance, and add that to the rent and you get the actual monthly cost. Those utility costs don't cover electricity, so you'll still get billed by PG&E separately. 2. Sound and noise insulation: This one is the big issue for me. If you rent a ground floor unit, you're gonna hear your upstairs neighbor walk around. If hearing stomping upstairs throughout the day is gonna bother you, don't rent one of these units. For the 2 entrance doors, I'm kinda amazed at how bad the sound insulation is there. The sound of people talking inside their unit, loudly but not yelling, will go through their door into the shared hallway and into the other units, and it's not a muffled sound either. Lastly, the ground floor apartments will have 2 HVAC units right outside the bedroom glass door. They are loud during operation. And worse is when they go from off and quiet to on and loud, because they're likely to wake you up in the middle of the night. 3. Cockroaches: There was a period of time where I was regularly seeing big cockroaches in the parking garage. I even found a big live one in my bathtub. I keep my apartment clean and don't leave doors or windows open, so I have no idea how it got in. After a while I stopped seeing them, but whether that's due to the management doing something different or because of the change in weather, I can't say. 4. No onsite management staff. Communication is done over the phone or through email. So-So 1. Maintenance team. I've had good experiences and bad experiences here. I've had good ones, where they did a good job and it was handled quickly. And I've had bad ones where it feels like they didn't actually read what the maintenance request was for or check their work after finishing.

Laura Gomez 2 months ago

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The apartments are very large, comfortable, and well laid out. There’s plenty of space, which makes a big difference day to day, and the overall atmosphere feels relaxed and welcoming. Everything feels well maintained, and it’s easy to feel at home here. Definitely a great place to live—highly recommend! 💯

Christine P. 9 months ago

I've lived here for over 14 years & this complex has been in steady decline since on-site management has been eliminated A few highlights: - rats 🐀 and roaches running around the dumpsters and pool areas - mailboxes regularly broken into and mail stolen - non-resident kids regularly hopping the fence to get drunk in the pool areas & unhoused neighbors taking full on baths in the hot tub at night - they installed solar panels on the roof to yet the community has no lighting or power in an emergency, it's purely to sell energy back to the grid - questionable security on "smart locks" (look up similar complexes and the sale of behavioral data from resident monitoring) - questionable utility pricing (look up the current class action suits against similar companies for unfair billing on water/utilities) On top of all that, they will raise your rent every single year while identical units are advertised and renting for less, and claim it's market rate. This place used to be great but it's clear their residents are only a number in an algorithm run by a corporation whose only interest is profit. The 5-star reviews mentioning a specific staff member were from residents supporting a contest they had. Be sure to check the rest before considering renting here. Do yourself a favor and skip Essex properties. There are better places to live in San Jose.

Sneha Gandhi 8 months ago

Jess has been phenomenal. She has truly made the apartment hunting process so seamless. She is kind, took us and our family into consideration with every home we wanted to see and had the patience of an angel. I intend to recommend her to anyone who is looking to find their dream apartment with Essex. She is the absolute best and will help you find your dream Apartment!

Gwendolyn Gleason 2 weeks ago

Mario did a wonderful job. Appreciate his effort and thought fullness. Esplanade is lucky to have him as your employee.