Arden San Francisco

We rent; our owners are less than helpful for any situation! There is a very tiny space for storage in the building and NO SPACE in the unit. The management cares more about the appearance of the building and property than the residents themselves. We have a deck that we pay extra rent for but we are not allowed to put anything on it that doesn't match their paint scheme. We don't use it for "storage" but we got an email telling us that we are not allowed to use it for storage simply because I had a green framed chair that did not match their coloring. They did not even know what it was. We are on a higher floor so there was a building busy-body who complained. You PAY for it but you're not allowed to use it like it's your property! You need an application to put anything on your deck. I put in the application for the green frame deck chair and it was denied because of "aesthetics". Also they mentioned safety but they did no checking in to that because it's built with safety in mind. We do follow rules and we do take care of our surroundings. If we had to chose a building to live in again, it will not be any of these properties. We did get an email that asked us to say "nice things" about living here but it's kind of hard when you get negative-negative each week in emails. My nice thing is this: most of the front desk staff is completely friendly and awesome! The common area is wonderful.

Love living at the Arden! I lived in Madrone (same developer) and Arden is mich nicer - taller ceilings, better lighting, etc. There are a lot of rules (have to apply to have patio furniture or any major changes), but keeps the building nice and consistent. The security is strict, but it keeps the building safe!

UGH!!! Saw the inside of these units last week. Your basic 2 bedroom apartment for almost $6000.00 per month. Wanna buy one outright? - That'll run you $1,700,000.00 and even if you pay in full in cash, you're still kicking $1,000.00 every month to the HOA. You see the HOA will be micro managing your life at that point (when you can move in or out, when you can reserve the social lounge, when you can and can't use the pool, when you can or can't use the patio & Bar B Q, and weight room etc etc.)and they don't provide their draconian micro management for free Buddy. You didn't think $1.7M allowed you to be in charge of you own schedule did you? - Silly Man! Speaking of those ammenities: Wanna have a party in the social lounge? That'll cost you a few hundred (that's right; the $1k you're paying the HOA each month doesn't actually include use of the ammenities) plus a second check for a $500 deposit. Sell a couch on craigslist and the new buyer wants to come pick it up? That requires a 7 day notice...and a check to the HOA for their "services"...and yet another $500 deposit. BTW if you're a 2 car family, better sell one before moving in - $1.7M only buys you one parking space. So somebody has to find parking on the street - good luck with that. Speaking of the street, wanna take a stroll and grab a bagel or a coffee and do some window shopping? Well, pack a lunch & your walking shoes because there is literally NO RETAIL and NO RESTERAUNTS or cafes within 3 blocks of this place in any direction. So forget about that "excellent location" BS the real estate agents are trying to sell you. There's NOTHING around this place but more elitist condo complexes even at the street level. The ONLY place to buy a bite to eat is off a food truck that comes by from time t time. Got a new desktop computer coming from Apple? - Awesome! Just be sure you know the EXCACT DATE AND TIME it is being delivered so you can call off work, put your life on hold and be home because all "oversized" packages are automatically sent back if the recipient can't be reached at the unit. Wanna put up some holiday lights on your tiny patio - NOPE! HOA doesn't allow that. How about a small gas grill for those hot dogs and burgers? NOPE!!! HOA doesn't allow those either. Baby spill some juice on the rug and you need to hang it up outside after you clean it to let it dry? NOPE!! HOA doesn't allow that either and even if they did, they'd want a $200 check and a $500 deposit to let you hang something over the railing of your own balcony. Speaking of the baby, how about a birthday party?! Great! Just remember, no more than 10 people in the apartment per the HOA. So...mom, dad and the birthday boy and his lil sister just took up 4 slots. So... better trim that invitation list down to 6 folks: 3 friends and 1 parent each. Any more than that and the HOA requires you to use the social lounge...which will run you a couple hundred bucks...plus a $500 security deposit...payable to...the HOA. You see the racket they got going yet? I could go on but you get the idea: DON"T LIVE HERE. DON'T BUY HERE! DON'T RENT HERE!