Windsor Ridge Apartments

Current Resident 615957

Resident • 2023 - 2025

Decent, but not luxury as advertised

My goal in writing this review is to be fair and give people looking to rent in this complex a realistic perspective of what it is like living in Windsor Ridge. First off, Windsor Ridge is run by Essex Property Trust, a publicly traded real estate investment trust whose primary goal is to make as much profit as possible. You can expect them to raise your rent as much as is legally allowed every year you live here. Luckily, the apartments were built in the 90s and are not exempt from the weak "Tenant Protection Act of 2019" passed by the state government, so it's limited to at most 10% per year. Every year I lived here, they increased the rent the max legal amount of 5% + the local inflation rate (generally 3-4%). They own a significant amount of properties in the Bay Area and collude with the other large corporate property management companies to raise rents across the board and bleed people dry. One laughable thing you may see when researching this complex is that it is advertised on Essex's website as "luxury apartments" with "high-end amenities" and a "sophisticated living experience". This is false advertising. I'm sure this marketing is done to enable Essex to bundle this complex into some investment portfolio of "luxury apartments" that they sell to investors. These apartments are strongly average and do not qualify as luxury. Now I will go into details on the aspects of living here. Appliances: - They claim the apartments have "high-end features" like stainless steel appliances. The dish washer, fridge, and stove/oven are bottom of the barrel appliances with a cheap stainless steel facade. They absolutely are not high-end/luxury appliances. That being said, they still more or less get the job done. + In-unit washer and dryer is a nice feature that some lower-end apartments don't have, so I will say that this is a plus. But again, the washing machine and dryer are bottom-tier appliances. Don't expect anything fancy. Apartment Construction: - The windows in these apartments are single-pane and basically do nothing to keep the heat out in the summer or warmth in during the winter. The units are equipped with a through-the-wall AC/heater that works okay. Expect to run this thing frequently in the winter to keep the apartment above 70 degrees, or wear some extra clothes inside. Similarly, it will need to run frequently during the hottest days of summer to keep the apartments cool. Luckily, the climate in Sunnyvale is generally mild. - There is no insulation in the walls between units. Sound penetrates the walls so much that you can basically hear your neighbors fart. This not only applies to neighbors you share a wall with horizontally, but also above and below. + Other than these two issues, the apartment construction is fine. The flooring is loose-lay vinyl with a wood texture. The countertops are a solid surface type. The cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom are made from particle board with a wood texture wallpaper. The cabinet hardware is made from cheap stainless steel, as evidenced by rusting of the hinges and handles in the bathroom due to moisture from the shower. Overall, pretty standard for this type of apartment. Utilities - One of the more upsetting things about living in this complex is the utilities. Essex makes you pay for EVERYTHING separate from your rent. Water, sewer, garbage, energy for hot water, energy for apartment, internet, and a "service fee" because they get some third-party company (ironically named CONservice) to send you the bill. This adds $250-$300 on top of your already high rent. - The apartments are not individually metered for water due to the complex's age, so the water/sewer bill is split amongst all the apartments based on square footage of the apartment, not individual use. If you are efficient with your water usage, you will be subsidizing your neighbors' water usage. - The third-party company that sends you the bill doesn't even include the overall water, sewer, trash, and energy charges to the complex, so you can't even see the calculations used to arrive at your utility bill to see if there is anything suspect going on. Trash - The trash situation is not great. There are 4 dumpster locations, one in each corner of the property. Each has 2 large dumpsters for trash and 2 bins for paper recyclables, container recyclables, and food waste each. There are not enough recycling bins for how much trash is generated at this complex, so the bins end up overfilled and with the wrong things in each one. Sometimes this leads to the trash company not even emptying the bins and leaving a warning tag on the bin saying it was filled with the wrong stuff, making the situation even worse. - People that do not live at the complex are constantly disposing of things in the dumpsters because there is no real supervision of the property. Landscapers - If you like having a clean car, you will not want to live at this complex. The landscapers come through EVERY WEEK and use a leaf blower in the property and parking lot, kicking up a ton of dirt and dust which settles over all the cars. The weekly frequency of this level of cleaning is excessive. I could understand doing it once every 3-4 weeks or maybe a bit more during fall when the trees are losing their leaves, but this is a weekly thing at Windsor Ridge all year round. The leaf blower usage is so excessive that certain landscaped parts of the complex have had all the mulch and topsoil blown away, leaving barren, dry dirt. Maintenance + The maintenance team is great, if overstretched across the multiple Essex properties they cover. They have always fixed whatever issues I have had promptly and effectively. Management - The management is meh, never had any major issues with them but you often have to ask them several times to get something done and they always give you some bureaucratic runaround as to why something is taking longer than expected. - Due to "cost-saving initiatives", there is no on-site management. There is a small office in the complex where I am sure the management used to reside, but it is long abandoned and used as a storage shed. Not having a physical presence from the management team at the complex makes it that much harder to resolve issues. Location + The complex is in a pretty good location. It's not directly adjacent to any freeways or expressways which is good. It's also within walking distance to downtown and the train station, but the walk is not particularly nice (Sunnyvale in general is horrible from a pedestrian perspective). - If you live on the East side of the complex, the road noise and pollution from Wolfe Rd. may be higher. - You can occasionally hear the trains go by, especially the cargo trains that blast their horns and seem much louder than the Caltrain. Amenities + The pools and hot tub are nice and generally well-maintained. + There is a small gym. The equipment is okay, nothing fancy. - They recently installed gas grills by the main pool area, but they are frequently out of operation due to improper use by other neighbors. Complex - This is a pet-friendly complex and many residents have dogs. If you don't like hearing dogs bark somewhat frequently, you may not want to live here. - The exterior lighting throughout the complex is extremely bright at night. Depending on your apartment location, you may need to invest in some heavy curtains to keep the light out. It would be nice if they installed light fixtures with motion detection so that the brightness can be lower and only increase if someone is actually walking by. Security - There are no security cameras at this complex. The security presence is minimal to nonexistent. While Sunnyvale is in general a very safe place, people have had tires and other things stolen off their cars. Likely in response to this, the management installed extremely bright lights in the parking lot area. Not sure this will really deter a criminal from stealing things from a car though. Overall, this is not a bad complex to live in but it has some issues that I hope I was able to detail sufficiently for others to make an informed choice as to whether they want to live here or not.

Current Resident 44436

Resident • 2020

If you want to sleep well, avoid this apartment complex at all costs. It is infested with bed bugs across multiple buildings, and management will blame you. There are ongoing treatments occurring every week, and the bed bugs have been propagating throughout the community without end. Be prepared with your own lawyer to get matters settled.

Current Resident 555750

Resident • 2019 - 2020

The maintenance is efficient, they usually complete my request within a day or two. Staff is nice and responsive. Noise probably is the worst nightmare here, I had to turn on noise machine to survive, but what you can expect a 30-year old apartment? The price simply reflects its location, not the its quality tho.

Prospective Resident 298351

Prospect • Visited 2019

The worst apartment management I have ever encountered. They are just looking for ways to extract money from people. I paid the holding deposit for one of there units. Unfortunately I couldn't move in by the date agreed upon so I requested them to extend the move in date, which they did at a higher price(market price for the new date). But here comes the interesting part, 2 days before my move in date, they gave the apartment to someone else without informing me. I was left with no apartment 2 days before my move out from my existing apartment and they even refused to return my deposit. I would have given 0 start if possible. worst management ever. Bunch of greedy managers just trying to rip people off. No customer empathy or morals.

Former Resident 322281

Resident • 2017 - 2018

Stay away from this place!! The only positive thing is the efficient maintenance staff. Everything else is garbage. - I lived in a ground floor apartment and the noise from my upstairs neighbors were unbearable. The ceiling and walls are too thin, you can hear everything they do (even when you are not too noise sensitive). I complained many times but didn't get any help. I survived that year with a white noice machine. - Don't keep any hope on getting your security deposit back when you move out. They will try their best to keep every cent and charge even more. During the pre-move out inspection, I was told that my apartment is in good condition and just let them do the minimum cleaning which would not cost much money. Two months after moving out, I got a bill saying that I even owe money (security deposit was not enough for them). Not only they did carpet cleaning and general cleaning they did the entire wall painting. When I asked an explanation about why they did the wall painting, they told me they'll get back to me (people from Essex management corporation) and I got a surprise letter saying my account is going to collections agency. This shows how unprofessional they are. When I went in person to the leasing office, they showed me the bill for paint job saying it was done mainly because of strong cooking odor. The leasing officer said it's the spices I used leading to cooking smell when I barely cooked with spices. I have a feeling they just scammed me because of my south asian name and assumed I made food with spices. These people are not only unprofessional, they are scammers and racists. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this place, it's not worth it.

Former Resident 137486

Resident • 2013 - 2016

I lived here for 3 years from 2013 to 2016 at that time office staff are really helpful and quick maintenance. Due to some reasons, I moved to another apartment. Again in 2018, I thought of moving into the same apartment (because I liked it) and I paid my deposit and application fee online and office staff also told me your home is confirmed. But one week before moving that home, office staff called me and said we are not giving the home because they want to remodel it and it takes 3 weeks to give the home and they did not apologize also. I gave notice to my current apartment that im vacating the home, and they rented my current home to someone else, so they cant, extend the lease. Within a week I moved to another home. But the main problem is I did not receive my application fee ($90 for two people) when I called and asked them they said why can't you move into another Essex property and not even responding. The current office staff is worst, rude don't have any knowledge of their property.

daver4

Resident • 2013 - 2015

I can echo all the negatives of the other reviews. I have only lived here a couple years, but my rent has also gone up about $600 month. The property management company (Essex Properties) clearly doesn't care a bit for tenants, just on extracting as much as they can from your wallet. It's like adding a car payment to your rent every single year. The recent outdoor upgrades seemed to be little more than just cutting down all the trees and a couple minor cosmetics like taking down the wood fencing around balconies and replacing with metal that is not solid (sort of a metal weave). So now everyone can see right into the upper floor apartments. They probably thought it would make it look nicer from the outside so they could jack up the rents more... I am sure the tenants love everyone seeing into their apartments. The one thing they can never fix, short of closing down all the buildings and rebuilding from scratch, and a big reason people shouldn't even consider this place, is the bad soundproofing. As others said, you can hear EVERYTHING through the ceilings and walls, including people in other apartments using their toilets and... (use your imagination). I have to wear headphones the rare times I stay there anymore, which isn't a lot because my girlfriend refuses to stay there. She says it's too disgusting like the other reviewer said, it's like staying at a bad motel... You may not notice during a walk-through of an apartment, but give it a couple days and you will wish you hadn't moved there. There are many nicer places in the area for far less money... I would guess the good reviews are fakes posted by Essex Properties employees, or maybe people who can't hear very well...

Current Resident 767748

Resident • 2015

Don't move here unless you love noise and ever increasing rent! Like someone else mentioned here, there was the long exterior upgrade project where the noise was constant all day long from like 8am on (I work from home occasionally). This "upgrade" made very little noticeable difference, with the biggest change being that for some reason they cut down all the trees, displacing all the squirrels (I like squirrels), and making it look barren... They should have compensated the people who had to live with the months worth of constant noise, but instead I was rewarded with a $180 rent increase. (Last year). They also installed washers and dryers in all the units' patio storage, then charged an additional $125 I think for that, then still the additional $180 increase after that. This year my rent increased on my one bedroom by another $280!! So my rent increased almost $600 in just two years. This for a non upgraded interior with old fixtures and all. Don't bother trying to reason with anyone about rent increases either. The people in the office are very nice, but all they will do is say is the numbers come down from their headquarters. Then there is the bad soundproofing. I can literally hear a phone on what is probably a nightstand vibrate as an alarm every morning in the apartment above mine. That and talking, walking, people using the toilet, etc, etc.. Then there is a dog that barks all day when I work from home above me. And when the people are not home at night it just continues barking the whole time, sometimes until the middle of the night. The soundproofing is really, really terrible (think cheap hotel)... Then there are the constant notices that they are coming into your apartment to inspect the alarm system, electrical or whatever... Then there was the weekend the hot water went out, and was being repaired. So basically it was cold showers for 2 or 3 days. You would think you would be compensated in some way for this? Nope, think again... They didn't even notify people when this happened. The only reason I found out there was a problem was by calling the office to see why I had no hot water. I should have moved last year but put it off too long. ~$600 in rent increases in just two one-year lease periods, on a one bedroom non updated apartment, with all the other noise issues and things people mention here is just ridiculous!! I will be moving shortly... Do yourself a favor and stay away... PS- I forgot to mention the break ins someone else mentioned. I have also heard of several here, both to cars and apartments. I even witnessed someone attempting a car break in. If I had a nice car I would be afraid to park it here... The management requires you to purchase renters insurance for your apartment because of the break ins.

Current Resident 15591

Resident • 2013 - 2014

I hate this apartment ....worst apartment ever . Office staffs are very rude .

Current Resident 55518

Verified Resident • 2014

Lots of construction done on the community. the dates that were mentioned for the completion on the work being done outside our specific unit was not correct and did cause some distraction that was not expected. It will be nice to see how things go once the construction is complete so we can fully enjoy what our apt was intended for.

Current Resident 51824

Verified Resident • 2013 - 2014

Overall this place is a good value. They're currently remodeling the exterior, but construction doesn't start until 8 am each day. In the evenings, it's pretty quiet, and I haven't noticed any noise from the train. I like that it's only a mile to Caltrain, and Evelyn has bike paths all the way. The cabinetry in the classic style apartments is outdated, but you can get a much better deal if you make this sacrifice.

Current Resident 51798

Verified Resident • 2013 - 2014

I've been at Windows Ridge for just under a year and I'm pretty pleased with what I've seen so far. First of all, washer and dryer in every unit. Big bonus there. In addition, the units themselves are modern with nice cabinets/counters/carpets/etc. In my entire time here I've seen essentially no bugs (one spider) which is more than can be said of every other complex I've lived at. The pool area is nice and well maintained as are the exercise facilities. There has been a bit of construction going on as of late which might turn some people off, but I think it underscores that the management wants to keep the place a nice, clean complex to live in. The only complain I do have is that the walls seem rather thin; you often can hear the muffled goings on of your neighbors. Otherwise, for the price and accessibility to the offerings of Sunnyvale, Windsor Ridge is a wonderful place to live.

Current Resident 51791

Verified Resident • 2013 - 2014

Friendly & correct office service and well maintained facilities. I like this living environment. But the room walls are thin, and the next resident's audio sounds sometimes annoy me. Hope living etiquette is kept....Now outlook rennovation is on going and hope everything will be fine.

Current Resident 51785

Verified Resident • 2013 - 2014

I've been very satisfied with my one bedroom apartment at Windsor Ridge, despite construction work currently going on it is a nice community with several amenities and friendly management. I would recommend it.

Current Resident 266125

Resident • 2014

My family lived in this complex for 35 months. The first year was awesome, then management changed more than once. The construction was constant. We received letters from management on a monthly basis for various reasons... advising us that we cannot park ''tail in' (last i checked, cars don't have tails), pets cannot urinate, motorcycles must be parked in the one motorcycle spot for the community. There were racial discrimination accusations. As a family with children, we were regularly threatened that if we did not cease and desist we would be subject to eviction. Pretty harsh! If there is a complaint by another tenant, you are assumed guilty. No investigation is made. I was targeted when another tenant pointed at my building. Management here needs some serious management and legal advise. Was a good place when we started there in 2010, but since then even all that staff has left, because of the new management.

Current Resident 268140

Resident • 2012 - 2013

worst ...horrible places to live .

Current Resident 44729

Verified Resident • 2012 - 2013

The locations of the exterior lights are adequate, it's just that the bulbs are often burned out. I am friends with a lot of the other tenants, and most of them have had issues with the on-site manager at some time or another. I personally have not, but I haven't had to discuss/request anything from her either. The walls are not insulated very well for sound; I can hear one neighbor's children and the other neighbor's loud music easily and it drives me crazy. The landscapers come weekly, but I'm not impressed with the job that they do. The plants/shrubs often grow out into the sidewalk and the undersides always have lots of dead leaves which gives the property a run-down look. When they blow leaves, they often just blow them into the shrubbery against the buildings, and the slightest wind just blows them back everywhere. All that said, the maintenance guys ROCK! They are so polite and helpful and always do a good job and genuinely care about resolving any problems I've encountered. I wouldn't currently recommend this property to others, but that is mainly because of the current, long-term renovation project going on. And I moved in in Feb. 2013 (not 2012) but that option is not available above.

Current Resident 44632

Verified Resident • 2012 - 2013

Awesome!

Current Resident 44619

Verified Resident • 2012 - 2013

very good property

Current Resident 44443

Verified Resident • 2011 - 2013

Overall the expierence has been great except for a break in that we had

Current Resident 44155

Verified Resident • 2012 - 2013

The property is good if you just looking for amenities inside the apartment. But maintaining the outside landscape and cleaning up of common areas is not up to expectation. For eg. I never saw cleaning the common floor between apartments especially floor# 2+. The service bill is shared among apartments. So if you leave on vacation, don't think your bills will be lower. You will be paying for others' usage. Some service categories eg. Hot water is not even paid by residents who are living before 2011. So you will be sharing that extra cost.

otsunnyvale

Resident • 2013

We moved into Windsor Ridge this past summer and love it so far. Management was very accommodating in helping us to move in with very short notice. Also, it seems pretty quiet and safe around here.

Current Resident 857014

Resident • 2013

The Property from outside looks good but don't let that fool you because inside is terrible. The Management is rude and obnoxious and one hundred percent with a bad attitude.

Moshi12

Resident • 2009 - 2013

I have lived in this community for awhile and have been very happy. I fully intend to remain here unless the rents climb too much. It has been a bit of a stretch financially, but I like my apartment so much that I feel that it is still worth it. The Positives: - Storage is ample. - Balconies are large and wider than average to allow for much more activity. - Management (in the last 2 years) has improved exponentially. All of the staff are very friendly and kind. - Maintenance staff is also friendly. - A new smoking ban has been imposed which definitely helps because quite a few parents let their kids play outside. (Luckily, the kids are well behaved and mostly quiet.) - The community is safe, well-maintained and centrally located. - Floorplans are both intuitive and spacious. - The community is a nice, ethnically diverse mix mostly of (quiet) working professionals and small families with young children. - Parking is not an issue about 80% of the time. People go in an out fairly regularly here to allow for you to find a parking space at pretty much any hour of the day. - I have not seen any vermin here or heard of any instance of bedbugs. Squirrels run around outside, but are not disruptive in any way. - I have not seen any badly behaved pets. (Though some can be noisy). But residents seem to be good about keeping their pets under control. I appreciate that. The Neutral: - For whatever reason, turnover is very high here. People are always moving in or out nearly every week. I am not sure why. - The response time for maintenance requests varies greatly. Some issues have been fixed 20 minutes from my call, some in 2 weeks with multiple calls, and some were never addressed at all. Now the downsides: - Rent hikes every year can be $150 or more from year to year. I have never had a year with a hike that was less than $100. Perhaps that is normal in this area. - Note that the Essex Property Trust, Inc. is a large corporation (NYSE:ESS) that specializes in acquiring, developing, and managing properties in impacted markets, so the rent quote you get is the rent quote you get. No negotiations are considered. - The apartment units along Wolfe Rd. can be noisy and are not recommended. - The management gives advanced notice every time they enter, but there are times that this notice comes less than 24 hours in advance. I am not sure if the law requires 24 hours notice, but it is not unusual to come home to a notice of a water shut off or building inspection happening the next morning. For times when we need to move furniture or clear out a storage space, it can be inconvenient. - There are several people in the complex who own motorcycles. Most are no problem, but a couple intentionally rev their engines very loudly specifically to annoy residents and set off car alarms throughout the day and at night. - Now that this has become a non-smoking complex, the chain smokers have moved from their apartments to the sidewalk in front of the complex. It is not abnormal to see a resident sitting on the curb lighting up during the day. Not a pretty sight. - To address the washer/dryer situation: I believe that all of them have now been installed, so new residents will not have to deal with it. The cost of the washer/dryer is included in your rent. As some previous reviewers have attested, it was an extremely complicated and tedious process to go through. The final laundry room on site was removed unexpectedly. I literally came down with a load of laundry and found all the washing machines gone and the door locked. The installation of the washer/dryers was less than pleasant. The contractors themselves were very professional, but the length of time the process took (6 days for our building) and the fact that the workers went building by building instead of apartment by apartment was extremely difficult and at times intrusive. They opened every door in our building and left them unlocked and open all day for several days. Groups of workers literally walked into and out of the apartments at regular intervals throughout the day while residents were not home. This area is safe, but this kind of work process left all of our apartments literally wide open to the possibility of theft. But in spite of these issues, I am still pleased with Windsor Ridge and would be happy to continue living in the community. Note: Current residents have been notified that there are plans to build a 31 unit condominium complex directly across the street from Windsor Ridge. (Next door to Bristol Commons). So there might be some extensive demolition and construction work going on in the future that might be disturbing to residents in the buildings closest to the front of the complex. If you are considering an apartment in a building facing East Evelyn Ave, you may want to inquire into the status of this project.

Current Resident 439657

Resident • 2013

The complex is fairly nice. The parking is decent and the grounds are kept. The two pools are nice, and the gym is small but has new machines. The complex is very pet friendly, which is the main reason we chose to live here. The walls are paper thin. Be warned. The office staff seems to be the main problem with this apartment community. They are not very easy to deal with. They do not seem very knowledgeable, and we are getting different sets of information each time we ask questions. It is not such a surprise that there are issues the first week of living here, but it would be nice if the apartment staff at least had a sense of customer service and seemed to care about making things right. If we were doing it again, we would find somewhere else to live.