The Village at Town Center Apartments - El Cerrito, California

Alyssa S.

I lived here for 2 years and moved out after the second time they raised the rent. Honestly, it's not a terrible place to live. I liked the space of my apartment overall, we had gated entry (although our gates didn't work for like 8 months out of the 2 years we were there), and never had any major issues while we were there. I have lived in apartments for MANY years so I'm used to it, and honestly this was one of the better ones I stayed in. I guess that's why I was OK with the cost, until it got too much. So my 3 star is really like a 3.5 star.

Some things to note if you are considering moving here:
- I felt like the front desk and maintenance were pretty responsive. Seems like others didn't have the same experience, but whenever I had issues, I was able to get ahold of them easily. The only time they WEREN'T responsive was when we had questions about our renewal terms, and that's on the overall management company.
- It's a RUBS system with the utilities. I was shocked that we averaged $250 a month on trash/water/pest control, etc. Thank God we kept our PG&E bill relatively cheap to offset that. This was probably my biggest gripe about this place and is now the reason why I always ask about what the utility charges are like when looking at other rentals.
- Lots of construction right now because they are updating a lot of the garages into studios/ADU units. Which means less parking available than before. And also means we had a lot more false fire alarms.
- I did get more than half of our security deposit back, which seems to be better than some folks. I wish I had just asked them if they were going to charge me a cleaning fee regardless because I spent a ton on a move out cleaning service, only for them to still charge me a cleaning fee to meet their standards. I'm starting to think move out cleaning services are a scam.
- I lived on the second floor, in a corner apartment so I really loved my location and its natural sunlight. But I would hate living on the first floor here. You get a lot of folks yelling outside.

Amula Y.

The management here is terrible.
1. How is it not a management's problem when their residents stay without power for a full day on a weekend without being given a prior notice? When I called them, the management said it was not their problem and it was PG&E doing work, and when I asked them why we were not given a prior notice, the lady said because it was nothing on their end, they were not obligated to notify residents of a power shut-off on a WEEKEND? Don't you care about your residents even a little bit?
2. Mail delivered to our apartment complex keeps getting stolen by someone. The emptied boxes are left afterwards in the little mailing area. It is not the first, second, or third time it has happened. Someone else who lives in the complex has signed for my package, and when I notified the office about it guess what they said? "its not a problem on our end". I understand that its not you stealing the packages, but can't take measurements to prevent this from happening over and over again? Like i don't know, installing a camera e.g?

Rosio M.

Do not rent from The Village! The company heading the Village (Klingbeil Capital Management) keeps everyone's security deposit at the end and charges for damages that were never disclosed to us in both inspections that we had of the unit prior to moving out. This explains why the deposit was so low compared to other rental apartments, they keep a portion (or the whole deposit like us and others) and make unlawful money that way. We requested a list of all items/charges that we could possibly be charged for prior to the inspections and they did not forward us anything. We also requested copies of the initial and after-inspection notes from their management but were never given copies either. The invoice we received for the charges a month after was more than our initial deposit and was never disclosed or discussed with us during both inspections! We owed them money at the end! Other problematic items with The Village apartments:
- Feral cats are everywhere. You will find your plants scratched up and their droppings everywhere.
- Our mail was stolen a couple of times due to the lack of security in their mailrooms.
- Management is uncommunicative and very disorganized. We had two inspection appointments scheduled and each time they did not show up and we had to go to the office to see what was going on.
- When we initially applied and signed the lease, they "accidentally" gave our apartment away and we had to get another unit that we were not interested in.
- The gated parking area for building D has never worked. We inquired a couple of times about the gate being opened and they kept saying it was being worked on. The gate remained unfixed for the 2 years that we lived there. That is NOT safe, especially if we are paying for parking. My housemate's bike was stolen due to the gate not being closed, which allows anyone on the premises.
- They use cheap appliances and fixing solutions. Our washing machine stopped working and flooded our apartment, they just cleaned it up and fixed it but never replaced it. They have had that issue before with other apartments apparently.

john H.

Having lived here two years, I feel comfortable saying you should avoid this place. The only highlights are 1) that the maintenance team is reliable and communicative, and 2) that the walls are pretty thick. Those are the two stars.

Cons:
1) Feral cats congregate in front of the buildings.
2) "Gated" entrance to the D building has never worked. The one time they tried to fix it, five people got locked out of the complex because the management didn't communicate the repair to anyone. Then it stopped working again.
3) Management shrugs off package theft. Plenty of testimonials you can read in the Google reviews.
4) Management is just lacking in general. We didn't get our lease until the day before we were set to move in, after multiple requests for it. They don't read your renewals, so if you change anything, they won't notice and will email you constantly over something that - if they just checked - would be obvious.
5) Immense rent increases on renewal. Huge turnover. A chunk of our lot stopped paying for parking because it was a ridiculous expense on top of everything else.
6) Served a unit papers right before Christmas last year. What's wrong with you, honestly?

We're leaving and we can't wait.

D C.

When we first moved in 2020 it was great. Quiet and safe. Then things started to fall apart. The gates were always breaking. Packages were constantly getting stolen. We couldn’t even have the windows open because of the constant noise from the building across from us. In February the parking lot gates broke and conveniently all the other buildings gates broke too. When 6 weeks had passed I emailed them to voice my concerns about it and they gaslit me saying they were getting bids on fixing the gates. It’s now July and the gates are STILL broken. Our final straw was that our parking garages were suddenly getting taken away and with rumor that they’re turning them into studio apartments. We ended up breaking our lease because we couldn’t be there any longer. I just got a bill in the mail for $450 for so many unknown charges. Do yourself a favor and do not move in.

clare ..

We have lived here for 2 years- I love it!
I genuinely love the views from our3rd floor apartment- the hills look spectacular over the sunset. The apartments are clean, big, updated & nice. The other residents are very nice- there are several families with small children here & the other residents are always willing to say hi and share a moment in the grassy courtyard. Maintenance can be slow (3-4 business days) but if you call the office they will try to come faster. The Maintenance crew is extremely friendly. The grounds are clean with beautiful flowers & hummingbirds. I leave my stroller & bikes out front of the parking lot and nothing has ever been stolen. I enjoy the gym attached. Many residents have animals- which is nice. Rent is average for the area.

Brent W.

Our apartment itself was decent. The appliances were newish although they seemed like they were on the cheap side. The dishwasher and dryer always ran but they seemed to not work very well in terms of cleaning and drying.

The real problem with this place is the management. I know it wasn't just me because my neighbors would complain about similar issues. Package theft is super common, but they don't make any attempt to solve the problem. The gate code to get in is the same for everyone, so anyone who has ever none the code can get in anytime.

When I left they deducted things from my security deposit that didn't make any sense like insufficient notice and extra rent, even though I gave 30 days notice and was paid in full and on time when I moved out.

If you choose this place get everything in writing from management and even then you'll have to struggle just to be treated fairly.

Joni U.

I have had a wonderful experience Living at the Village at the town center. I recently moved out due to buying property but I had a great experience with the people in management. Edith is very friendly and communicative and helped me throughout my 2 years living here! Maintenance is quick and communicative. Its nice, calm and very walkable due to the Ohlone Greenway that runs behind the enclosed complex. On top of this the gym is great for this price range and parking is cheap! (No need to park since street parking is abundant and safe!). I would highly recommend living here!!!