Berkeley Apartments – Gaia

I have concern about the parking spot in the Gaia building. I have stay here and asked for the parking spot in this building, and at first they say it will be available for no longer than a month. I asked them again and again and they said it is nothing.
My concern is, is there really no parking spot in Gaia building? Because I parked my car at another (Bachenheimer) building, and I saw there are some spots there. Moreover, I pay the same price for the parking spot, but I needed to walk 10 minutes everyday into my car. I also have to walk through the garage (not using the elevator, but using the car way), which make it worse (they said they cannot give the key to me).
I sent emails to the higher ups but there are no follow up against this matter.
I hope they will respond to parking issues here. This is the first time I’ve waited such a long time for apartment parking spot.
Other is fine, and technicians are helpful to repair some things in the apartment.

This place has the best service technicians. — In particular: Bryant is helpful, punctual, and super awesome to chat with.

AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL
don’t move into this hell hole. The place was infested with roaches prior to our move in and after persistent nagging for months from residents we finally got them to respond back to us and when they did they came and determined in a few minutes that we didn’t have a roach problem when we had visual proof of dead roaches and insects and yet this evidence didn’t suffice for them. It wasn’t to our surprise when we started getting bit each night and after more service requests someone came and verified that we had a roach infestation AND bed bugs. Bed Bugs!!! So disgusting and we got bit every night. On top of it all, in the midst of midterms they had us exterminate our place and to do this we had to wash ALL our clothes and move it out of the apartment which took hours and then we had to leave the apartment all day, a very tedious and length and expensive process. Also, gaia never replies to calls or voice mails they have awful customer service and yo definitely don’t get your moneys worth. We also have technical issues every other day. IF YOU CAN DONT MOVE INTO THIS PLACE. Don’t let its pretty roof top trick you or let you choose otherwise.

The building is in a great location, the view from the roof is amazing, however the noise and the lack of reliable and honest management makes the place unbearable to live in. After living there for 4 years, and complaining numerous times about the noise, the management has done nothing to stop it. People who do not live in the building constantly come in and smoke on the roof, and vandalize part of the apartment building.
Furthermore, they have not taken any insurance claims seriously. I locked my bike with a U-​lock in the garage of the building, and one night the garage got broken into and my bike tires were stolen. It cost me over $ 300 dollars but worse, it is very scary they broke into the garage. I went to the office to complain and ask for an insurance claim. They directed me to the insurance company and they told me my insurance expired. Then I went back to Berkeley Apartments and they told me my insurance had not yet expired. — I even took a picture of the office employee showing my insurance record on the computer screen. I continued going back and forth and I have still not had anything resolved. I am now considering looking up if I can take them to court for misinforming me about my insurance.

I lived here for a year while attending UC Berkeley.
Pros:
— Great location next to campus, BART, and downtown Berkeley. It is on Westside though so I ended up taking the 51B a lot up to the east side of campus.
— Modern building and facilities overall — gas stove, modern kitchen and bathroom, large double-​pane windows, good soundproofing, built-​in desks and shelves and closet organization
— Good amenities — studying in the panoramic room is nice, and the rooftop has great views and is great for having a party when it’s warm out, they also have patio furniture for you to relax (sadly the chess pieces on the ground floor are gone)
— High-​speed fiber optic internet is included in the rent (no need to deal with Comcast or AT&T!) It’s fast and consistent, I never had an issue
— Great maintenance — submit requests online, even for trivial things like a burnt out lightbulb. Maintenance will drop by and fix it fast (all my requests were dealt with within a day)
Cons:
— Small units for the price — my 2BR 1 BA was roughly 600 sq feet in total, and although it was definitely roomy enough for 2 people in the apartment, squeezing in any more would have been cramped
— I don’t know what it is about Berkeley Apartments, but this building attracted a multitude of seedy tenants. One of them who lived on my floor was a total druggie (she ended up dying during a police arrest, go look up Kayla Moore) and I’d see hobos and other unscrupulous characters in the building quite often. Also had an attempted robbery occur in the building.
I definitely miss living here. Although it can be pricy compared to other apartments, I would rather pay a bit more to live in the pinnacle of luxury (or at least as luxurious as Berkeley can get) and avoid living in a mold-​infested run-​down apartment with shady management. The modern building and great location alone make it worthwhile for me.

PROS
*Really nice, convenient location.
*Place looks really nice
*Amazing view from the rooftop
*Security cameras
CONS
* THEY GIVE YOU A 14-​MONTH LEASE, not a 12-​month lease (happened to me and to another group of friends living in the same complex), even though they supposedly offer both
* I guess a lot of buildings to this, but they also take out over $ 200 from your deposit to «re-​paint» the apartment
*Internet service is REALLY slow and during finals/​midterms goes out completely. Be prepared to study in cafes and at the library often
* Rooms are really small — I shared a 2bd/​1ba apartment with 3 other friends and even though we chose the largest size they had to offer, we were really cramped (the bedrooms had no leg room)
* Sketchy people who obviously don’t live in the building come in here all the time. There were at least 2 attempted robberies in the year i was living here. Plus, high-​school kids sneak in here to smoke
* Water, sewer, trash, etc. isn’t included in the monthly bill, so they just tack it on. It’s really expensive, on top of the already expensive rent.
*It can take them 5 days to fix a toilet. That’s 5 days of using toilets in starbucks, the library, etc.
However, the worst of it was the management. Besides tricking us into taking a lease for longer than we wanted, offering us a ridiculously expensive rent, and not letting us know that they were taking so much out of our deposit, they NEVER respond to emails (unless they want to tell you that you owe them money), and NEVER pick up the phones. They seem like they don’t care about making you happy or helping you out — all they want is their money.
I DO NOT recommend this place. Yes, it’s in a good location, but this overpriced, tiny, poorly managed apartment is not worth it.

I rented two units here during college: a one bedroom and a two bedroom unit.
The units were both small compared to the hefty rent that I paid. Upon reflection, I should be living in up in San Francisco! Obviously I was (in theory) living in up in Berkeley!
Prestige:
If you live here you will be the envy of all your friends. Everyone will love to give you a ride back to the Gaia building so no need to worry about taking the bus ever again! You can pretend that you study on the roof overlooking the city of Berkeley, Oakland, and views of the Golden Gate Bridge. (Although you never will because it is too cold.) You can pretend you contemplate human existence while playing with the large chess set on the bottom level. (You have never touched the large chess set.)
But who has to know? That’s our secret.
Interior:
The carpets in the Gaia building are industrial and reminds you of carpet at work (the rough kind with minimal cushion). The floors in the kitchen and the bathroom also look heavy duty and is reminiscent of what they use in public showers. However, because of the nice mood lighting throughout the apartment, the whole place appears industrial chic (modern minimalist?). Nice play Gaia!
The kitchen area can use some improvement. There is a dishwasher, oven, refrigerator, all the works. However, counter space is small which seemed like a real detriment to my Economics/​Chem E majored Chef in training roommate (who is now actually at French Culinary Institute in New York).
The door to my personal bedroom was a sliding door. The best way to describe it is a partially see through sliding closet door. Definitely not a real door and not really sound proof. However, remember, this is the industrial chic speaking!
I appreciated the built-​in shelves. There is also ample closet space. They even provide you wire compartments for your clothing so no need to bring much bedroom furniture except for a bed.
Location:
I loved the Gaia Building’s proximity to the Downtown Berkeley bart station. It literally took me two minutes to get to bart (valuable valuable minutes in the morning). However, although the Gaia building seems close to the Berkeley campus because it’s close to West Gate, this is deceptive. Seriously, who has classes near West Gate? I hated the trek up that semi hill.
Management:
We had a questionable neighbor that lived below us who totally infested his apartment with cockroaches. The management took forever to take care of the cockroaches; we had to complain multiple times over a period of months. At one point I was extremely frustrated and was going to make a trek to the renter’s association.
Security:
There is a 24 hour entry and video recording. There is a black and white channel where you can see who is outside of the building at all times. However, management needs to remove previous tenants from the 24 hour entry system. People are still able to get into the building even after they have moved out.
Conclusion:
You should try to save some money in college because the economy is bad. If you can afford it, the Gaia building is an reasonable nice place to live. However, it is far from an answer to your prayers. Bonus: It’s really great if you want to make your boyfriends jealous of how much a baller you really are.

I love love love my loft!!! I have lived here for over a year and have no complaints – none whatsover. What more can you ask for – spiral staircases, floor to ceiling windows and a beautiful view of the bay and the golden gate bridge right from our living room! Also, if you need a quiet place to study, theres a large panoramic room that me and my roommates use to study. Its a great place to get away from the cramped cafes and packed library’s during finals.
Aside from the apartment is the staff – everyone is so friendly. They always keep my packages for me :) Oh, Arielle and Steve are also great resident managers!
I cant imagine living anywhere else!