Living here has become financially unsustainable. Utilities are are passed as is to residents and billed to residents based on the number of occupants, which means we are responsible not only for normal usage but also for building-wide charges. For April, my utility portion alone was $713.98, including $425.06 for trash!! Extra resident requests, such as bulk pickups for mattresses, couches, and similar items, are also added to the shared bill. On top of this, parking costs $405 per month, making the total monthly housing-related expenses extremely high. The billing structure feels unfair and unpredictable, and the overall cost of living here is simply not reasonable. read more

Ocean Avenue Avalon Apartments are nice and kept clean in the lobby oh shit, common areas. It's a little bit above average in comparison to the other buildings in the neighborhood. With that said there are a few cons to living in this building. One is which that the buildings are supposed to be completely non-smoking but as always, you have those neighbors who are inconsiderate of the fact that they are not smoke in their apartment some of my neighbors smoke marijuana and I have complained about this many times with no resolve I have lived in this building for 10 years plus. Another concern is some of the neighbors will steal your packages and it's hard to identify who it is without any evidence some of the same neighbors steal at the grocery store, Whole Foods market adjacent to the building . Now Whole Foods is a plus being across the street as it's an easy place to get your groceries I might be a little biased because I do work at the grocery store Whole Foods market. in regards to maintenance, I have to give it up to Mr. Donovan the maintenance technician here he is very well experienced in providing good service when needed. He is kind and friendly and attentive, and a hard worker a true gem for this building if he was moved to another building because of Avalon needing him elsewhere. I would be quite sad. "Donovan if you read this, please know we truly sincerely appreciate all the hard work you put in and you were seen and recognized for it. Thank you." The administrative staff is also great but because of the way that the Avalon property management is set up to run. It is hard to get a hold of the administrative stuff for the little things. read more

Dear Jane S., I am writing to raise serious concerns regarding long-standing and well-documented issues at Avalon Ocean Avenue that appear to have gone largely unaddressed, despite repeated resident complaints over many years. Residents consistently report the following problems: Excessive and constant noise from the parking lot, including motorcycles, engine revving, and late-night activity, as well as chronic noise disturbances from neighboring units with no effective enforcement of community guidelines. Serious safety and security failures, including garage break-ins, vehicle theft, package theft, unauthorized building access, and insufficient camera coverage despite residents paying premium fees for "secured" parking. Poor sound insulation, with extremely thin walls and floors that make normal living conditions difficult. Lack of accountability for repeat offenders and ineffective response to noise, smoking, and safety violations. Package security that is effectively nonexistent, despite the presence of locker systems. Pest infestations around trash chutes and unsanitary conditions. Inconsistent and unresponsive management, including lack of follow-up, billing errors, unexplained move-out charges, and deposit deductions that were not disclosed or justified. Inflated utility and ancillary fees that significantly exceed market rates, creating a misleading impression of affordability. Guest access issues, slow elevators, parking challenges, and poor move-in cleanliness. At the same time, nearly every review praises the maintenance staff for their professionalism, responsiveness, and care, highlighting that the core issue is not frontline staff but systemic management and corporate-level decision-making. My question is simple and important: why have these recurring complaints not been meaningfully addressed? These issues are not isolated incidents. They are repeated patterns spanning years. If even a portion of these concerns were resolved, residents would stay longer, reviews would improve, and vacancies would decrease. High turnover, empty units, and damaged reputation directly affect long-term profitability. From a business perspective, retaining renters is far more cost-effective than constant acquisition. Caring about resident safety, sleep, property security, and transparent billing builds trust, loyalty, and stable revenue. When renters feel heard and protected, they renew leases. When they do not, they leave, warn others, and take their business elsewhere. I would appreciate clear answers to the following questions: What concrete actions have been taken to address noise enforcement, security, and package theft? Why has garage and building security not been upgraded despite repeated break-ins? How are management accountability and resident complaints tracked and resolved? What steps are being taken to reduce turnover and rebuild resident trust? These concerns represent an opportunity to improve both resident quality of life and business performance. I hope you will take them seriously and respond with transparency and action. I want to be transparent that I am currently previewing apartment communities on behalf of prospective renters. I would like the opportunity to share your response with them so they can make informed decisions based on how resident concerns are acknowledged and addressed. I look forward to your response. Cheers, Tracy read more

My experience with Avalon Ocean since we moved in. We had to drop off our child to the local college; we were looking for a safe place and easy access to the college etc... We secured a place here at Avalon I have to say from the community manager to Rommel & Donavan they have been easy and attentive to any questions we might have. None of my items have been urgent so I typically wait about 48-hours for Rommel, and he has not failed me. He explains and provides any information I am in need of in a timely manner. Even when we visit, they know we are coming from far away, they really try to help us with the Guest Parking. Sometimes this can be an issue, due to some of the residents not following some of the rules. However, I know the team is working on this situation. In any event, it has now been 8 months since we dropped off our kid and service to date has not failed us. Our concerns were communication, safety because our kid was only 17, and the team knew this and the team told me they got him, he will be really safe here. I am so glad we chose this place; we have had no issues, our kid feels at home and safe. He uses a key fob, codes throughout the property. My kid doesn't drive, so not sure about the parking structure, but when we have come down, we have not had any issues. However, they use the bike storage and so far, so good. As parents dropping a child off at college and driving away can leave a person with a lot of anxiety, of course we are always concerned for our child, but we feel really comfortable here. In regards, to Maintenance "Donavan", he has been exceptional and provides great service. Anytime, we reach out to Donavan, he is responsive some items we have requested have been minor, but nonetheless he responds quickly and with a smile, like he loves the work. He is professional and such a hard-working person "Avalon owners" give this man a raise. You don't want to lose him with your competitors. The other night our child got locked out of their unit for the first time, access cards would be nice as well as the Fob system, because they had there wallet, but the kid left their phone behind and could not get back into their unit. The kid reached out to us so that we can call the hot line, somebody let them use their phone. We received a call from an unknown number, so as parents we were concerned almost panicked, but we answered and of course the kid explained what happened. Then I remembered Donavan giving me his number and told me if I ever needed anything he is happy to help. He knows my kid, and so I sent Donavan a text and of course without fail he responded within the first two minutes and was at the unit within 5 minutes, if that is not service and a sense of relief for our child and their parents, I don't know what is. Again, Donavan thank you for responding so quickly to a parent's concern. I feel the service I have received to date has been phenomenal. At this point we are very happy and comfortable with this location. read more

I highly recommend avoiding this apartment complex at all costs. Positives: - Donovan is amazing. We've had a few appliance issues & Donovan fixed it in less than 24 hours. He's always so kind when you see him around. - The convenience of having Whole Foods right below. Negatives: - Noise level is beyond ridiculous. If you're facing the empty parking lot, there will always be motorcyclists practicing with their loud bikes every single day. Literally. Especially on weekends, they'll be going back and forth next to the apartment for hours on end. Cars will occasionally be revving their engine and doing doughnuts at night. - Noise complaints: apartment 304 is currently still listed as of today & unless you ask if 205 has moved out, I would avoid applying to this unit. We did not share a wall with 205 but they're a bunch of idiots who hosts parties from as early as Thursday night to Sunday night. The countless times we've heard their music from our bedroom was ridiculous. Their bass literally shakes the wall and has gone until 3am blasting music. After countless complaints and video/photo evidence of them violating apartment guidelines (smoking on the balcony, blasting music well past 10pm, screaming and being disruptive), they were not faced with any consequences. After dealing with their BS for seven months, we had to break our lease because we were not getting any sleep and couldn't relax in our own home. I will say, Rommel has taken our complaints with care and compassion. It's not his fault, as I'm sure his hands are tied, but the lack of accountability was very disappointing. There is no point in having community guidelines when there are no real consequences or repercussions. - Safety concerns. I've seen the same guy lurking in front of someone's door. I saw him break into the entrance door by the Whole Foods garage on Lee. Another time, I was leaving the apartment, and as soon as I opened the front door, he immediately jumped up and barged in. - Thin floors/ walls. You can hear every step, every door closed from the unit above. If you have an ignorant neighbor like I did, good luck. The unit next to us also cranked up her TV & we could hear everything. - Dirty streets. We parked on Plymouth and there's always poop on the floor and it always smells like dog piss. TLDR; Constant noise from parking lot (motorcycles & cars doing doughnuts late at night), thin walls/ floors (good luck if the unit above has heavy footsteps), and noise complaints for reoccurring issues don't get resolved. read more

Avalon Ocean Ave's maintenance staff is fabulous (Donovan deserves 10 stars!) The location makes it easy to get anywhere by public or private transportation. So....WHY ONE STAR? Simple. A cry for help! My car has been broken into twice within 1 1/2 years and no one has done anything about it. The local manager sympathizes but his hands are tied until the higher-ups in the corporation (and it is a VERY large corporation) decide to act. I pay over $300/month for a space in their locked garage. There is only one camera at the vehicle entrance, while there are many other points of entry. My request is simple and obvious: There should be at least two cameras, aimed at where the cars are actually parked, and making it clear that the perpetrators are on camera. I've requested this after each break-in, but, as I said, nothing has happened. read more

It is a very nice place to live , people in the leasing team. Rommel and Gigi are very nice, easy to do business with, understand what you need, they will help you step by step. The maintenance technician, Donovan, he is amazing, and very kind, fast responses to all the services requests, and solve the problems in a timely manner, even though he in the only maintenance for these 2 buildings, so you can imagine how busy can be. Thanks for all you've done, guys, please keep up the good works. read more

I agree with some of the posts, this place a little more pricey compared to others in the area, but the reason is it is the best apartment complex in the area especially if you work in the peninsula. Emily (apt manager) is by far one of the nicest and most professional people you can work with. She knows everyone's name and always greet us with a smile. The reason this apartment complex has low vacancy is probably because of the cleanliness, location and nice staff like Emily and Joseph (maintenance). Pros: 1. Clean 2. Above a Whole Foods 3. 24 hour gym 4. Amazon Hub 5. Philz across the street, Target 3 blocks away, Bart (Balboa)10 min walk away 6. Free City College gym availability (pool, basketball courts) with your SF residence. 7. In unit washer/dryer, dishwasher, microwave 8. 5 blocks from the I-280 9. Great staff like Emily Cons 1. Low vacancy 2. Cost, but for what you get it's worth it. 3. No assigned garage parking spaces read more

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Trust me when I say you should avoid this place at all costs. Cons: 1) Package Security is Non-Existent: Your packages will be stolen. I have had 5 packages stolen in just the last 3 months. Packages are left in a package room that is easily accessible by random people on the street tailgating into buildings. Packages are not put in a secure locker - even though a locker system exists onsite. If you want to live somewhere and never ever order packages, maybe you can consider this place. 2) Poor Quality Management Staff: The management staff is not helpful. In fact, they're worse than not helpful, they are infuriating. When asking for help with the package situation described above, their response was was to ask me why I didn't do anything about it. Wtf? YOU do something about it...you're the management staff and package delivery and safety is like the most basic service you can offer residents of your building. 3) Units are Dirty at Move-In: I had to hire floor cleaners and carpet cleaners because there was such a deep layer or black grime on the hardwood that using a coarse swiffer wasn't even enough. Had to use an industrial scrub to get the grime off. Carpets are old, stained, smelly, and crusty. 4) Pest Infestations: Trash chutes have large swarms of flies around them which get into your units. It's like you're living at a landfill. 5) Thin Walls: You can have a conversation with your neighbor without knocking on their door. Just talk to them through your walls. 6) No Parking: food delivery drivers will have a nightmare trying to deliver food to you 7) Bad Building Access: to get into your building, you're not provided a code so people can dial your phone for access easily. People will need to search your name on a dialbox through a super unintuitive alphabetical system that has really low screen visibility. If your name starts with an A or a Z prepare for your guests to take 5 min to search for your name every time they come visit you. 8) Slow Elevators: I have official spent more time waiting for elevators here than I have waiting at traffic lights in my life. The elevator takes like 1 minute to go one floor. It's faster to walk up or down the stairs while doing a handstand, Pros: 1) The maintenance (NOT management) team at Avalon Ocean Avenue is responsible, responsive, and competent. 2) Next to a Whole Foods, but don't let that trick you into living here. The rent is relatively low for SF for a reason - because it sucks here. 3) Close to Bart UPDATE: All the reviews that say Emily is awesome, that is true, except, not surprisingly, she left. Probably because she also realized this place is horrible. read more

This is an amazing place to live. Donovan with maintenance is amazing; I had issues with my kitchen and he was prompt, efficient, and kind. He provided tips of what to do in the future to prevent issues. The team really cares about their residents and that's rare in SF. Great place to live read more

I would give 0 start if I could. I lived in this apartment complex for about 18 months and was extremely dissatisfied about the management office. Overall, they are MIA most of the time and don't expect you'd get any response from them. The only time I got a call from the office was when the team was looking for positive feedback to a survey sent out by Avalon so they can achieve their KPI, I am assuming. I moved out about a month ago and made sure I thoroughly cleaned the apartment before I left. I also confirmed with the office that there would be no additional charge and I would get the full amount of the $750 security deposit back. However, a month later, I got a check of only $160 because they spent more than $300 on apartment cleaning + carpet cleaning, which was not communicated to me at any point, and charged me utilities that I have already paid in the prior month. I reached out to them to ask for explanation, and of course, there's only radio silence. I have lived in multiple communities across the countries and I will say Avalon Ocean Avenue is absolutely the worst. Oh, then there's the safety concern- non-resident broke into the gated garage and took things from the car. read more

After finishing a one year lease with Avalon Ocean Ave., here are my honest opinions: Pros: 1) Modern building with in-unit washer/dryer, dishwasher, and garbage disposal (hard to find in SF). 2) Amazon Locker available in the garage for easy package pick up. 3) Emily helped us secure the unit and she was incredible to work with. Unfortunately, she has moved to Avalon San Bruno. Cons: 1) Parking is outrageously expensive and increases year over year. Pro tip: the local neighborhood has street parking without enforcement, but check out the signs first. 2) The base rent price seems fair, but Avalon partners with a third party appropriately named CONservice to charge for water, water heating, garbage, and sewage. The prices for these utilities are WAY above market value and this is where they get you. You will end up paying well above your base rent in fees. (Think $40 for garbage alone in a one bedroom apartment.) Major Con--The Move-Out Experience: Rommel was the on-site manager at the time of our move-out. Please be very wary of this employee. He will send you forms to complete that ask about the standard stuff and something else called Clean Sweep. Essentially, Avalon wants to squeeze those final dollars from you by offering to "clean" your apartment for the low cost of $279. We explicitly declined this offer and performed the move-out cleaning ourselves, but were charged this fee none-the-less. When Rommel was confronted about this issue, he denied having culpability and deferred to the maintenance team (which are amazing by the way) and billing department. Even when presented with documentation, he continued to deny he would be able to assist with deleting the charge and referred us to Avalon customer service. Summary: Nice apartments overall with all of the desirable amenities. Josef and the maintenance/cleaning team are wonderful. Overpriced due to the inflated fee structure. Since this is a corporate apartment building, they will nickel and dime you to the last cent, especially if you do not read everything carefully. Make sure to keep all of your documentation and remain vigilant with Rommel and the rest of the on-site office staff. read more

I am moving out after my one year lease. The property is decent. It is nowhere close to being luxury as how it is advertised. Here are some pros and cons I have after living here for a year. Overall, I wound't recommend this place to people I know. Pros. 1. The common area is clean 2. Close to K line and Bart 3. The on site staff Emily was super nice and helpful. But she moved to another location in early 2020. Cons. 1. Poorly built building. No ceiling lights in the bedroom and part of the living room. The neighborhood is super foggy most of the time, so expect to live in the darkness. 2. Side walls are thick. However, the floors are cheap and crappy, I can hear my upstair neighbors' noise easily. When I walk in the my living room gently, my oven will be shaking and making noise. 3. They charge $300 for a parking spot, and they will keep increasing it every year ($260 to $300 for my experience), and that's on top of the rent increase. They advertise the one bedroom apartment as ~$3,100. However, expect to pay $3,600 in the end. $40 for trash, $120 for water and sewage, $300 for parking. 4. Getting in and out from the garage is VERY challenging because of the Whole Foods nearby. The alley was poorly designed. During COVID-19 is slightly better since less cars coming to Whole Foods. read more

I live in Avalon for 2.5 years. Overall the apartment is around market average, but, there's no camera in mailroom where couriers drop off the packages. A LOT of people's packages were open/stolen, especially during COVID-19. The apartment is not doing anything to protect those packages. I will definitely move out after my lease ends. read more

They are asking too much money to move in there. Wait until after the New Year to apply when the new law takes affect. 3 times the rent and your income. My goodness. Again, some nice pics but I haven't seen the place. Some of these Realtors should be reported because they know some of these places don't look like the pictures. Again, I can't say that about this one because I haven't seen it in person. read more

I recently moved out of Avalon Ocean Avenue after one year. I had a one-bedroom facing Ocean Avenue. I am going to list the pros/cons later in the review. The primary reasons I deducted two stars for this property are SERVICE and MARKET RATE. SERVICE - The service here is poor. Not the poorest I have experienced living in California, but for the price of rent, the staff is lacking. I compare the service quality here to going on vacation and paying to stay at the Ritz Carlton and getting Marriott Courtyard level service. Emily is not near the quality of Nita or Sophia, I know she was hired to cater to the Chinese residents, but her social skills are poor. Himanshu, when he is there, seems to have no power to affect any change. The office staff also seems absent a good amount of time. Considering the office is closed two days per week...this is frustrating. MARKET RATE - When my lease was up, my rent went up $400 or 10%. Avalon, like most large rental companies, uses computer algorithms to determine the rent. There is no human factor. There is no discount for being a good tenant. You can't argue or lobby for a reduced rent...because of Market Rate. You will be shut down by Avalon, and the office will not fight for you, saying they increased your rent based on Market Rate. Market Rate is your enemy. Market Rate is collusion amongst landlords. Market Rate turns an apartment priced at $2300 in Seattle to one at $4500 in San Francisco. It sucks...you can't fight it. PROS: - Good garage - Nice gym with a good selection of equipment - Easy access to public transportation - Easy access to 280 or North/South transit - Porter is very friendly and hard working - Service staff has improved greatly over the year - Whole Foods on the ground floor - Amazon Hub in Garage - Dog friendly with mostly well behaved dogs - Very quiet, this could be due to the predominantly Asian residents CONS: - Weather in Ingleside is terrible. Expect cold, windy, and cloudy while the city is sunny and warm - Garage parking charge is obscenely high at $275 monthly - Access to the garage via Brighton is a lesson in frustration as the street that leads into the garage is narrow and clogged with WF traffic. Uber and moving trucks will also clog it. - Ocean Avenue is a wasteland for quality restaurants and bars, so many dives and wasted opportunities. It feels like a bootleg Clement street. - Washer and Dryers are of average quality read more

First, let me say that the units themselves aren't bad. However..... The people you talk to over the phone at Avalon and the community managers are overall negative, don't seem to care, and are generally not available to answer your questions. Dissatisfied with the service. 0/10 read more

I have been staying with Avalon for 1 year. This is a great property with awesome location. Whole Foods is just downstairs. Staff were nice and helpful. Emily Fan is the rock star. She helped me resolve so many issues. The rental is definitely not the cheapest in this region but worth the price. read more

Avalon Ocean Avenue - Apartments Near Me - San Francisco, California

Also, don't expect to get any of your security deposit back. Avalon's business model is to encourage high turnover by raising the rent by absurd amounts after the end of each lease (see above). However, they refuse to incur any of the actual costs resulting from this practice. Instead, they just keep your entire security deposit to cover what should be their cost of doing business. read more

I've been in this property for 9 years but enough is enough!! The is the worst situation right now that some one is parking on my parking spot and I am the one who doesn't have place to park my car. There was 1 time that I forgot to put my parking tag on inside my car; that car of mine got towed. I called the security this time to have them tow the car parking in my parking spot but they said they couldn't because they don't have permission to tow. Really? read more

Jericho Luna has gone above and beyond In helping me move into my new apartment. I have never received such amazing customer service. He was on top of things and made everything so easy to process and understand. I am very grateful I had him helping me out in the process. Rommel was helpful too when Jericho was off from work. A++ definitely for quality and effort. So glad I moved into a place with such amazing workers. Everyone has been such a gem! Thanks guys! Best decision ever! read more

Very bad service! Sense manager changed, the office always close and they don't come on time, even if you want talk to manager you will not find him. When I moved out they charge me extra things witch took most of deposit money. I will never live in Avalon again. read more

I have been in avalon for three years. Its a little pricey but its very worth it although the staffs has always change but Dave, Wanda and Hortensia were the best! They're very friendly and probably one of the reasons why i love avalon. read more

Avalon Ocean Avenue - Apartments Near Me - San Francisco, California

Dear Avalon, Are you drunk? I pay $3500 to live on the outskirts of San Francisco and I can't even get hot water? Perhaps I should be reimbursed for having to explain to people why I smell like a dirty gym sock. But thank you for the email saying you don't have an ETA on the boiler being fixed. After all, communication is key. Luckily, yesterday there was a 'fire drill' at 8am to remind me that I couldn't shower. Also, it was my mistake signing a lease before seeing my actual apartment. The 'model' apartment was a silent little sanctuary. My apartment sounds like the Cold War, only this time Russia decided to invade, and their tanks have fucking hydraulics. I'm new to San Francisco and not familiar with the areas. I thought 'hey, this place can't be too bad, it has a whole foods'. Within the first couple months whole foods was on lock down because of a shooting down the street. Not only do I have to pay $20 for kale but I have to worry about being shot in the face while doing it. Maybe I should change my attitude. The gentleman taking a shit on the side walk was probably just welcoming me to the city. Thanks for the perspective Avalon. On a less resentful note, the staff here is actually really good. They can't help the shitty window insulation, boilers breaking, or the guy with IBS. Rebecca and Angela are very responsive and proactive. They are why I gave this two stars instead of one. The building is clean, no bugs or rats (which is saying something for SF), 24 hour gym, and a Mcdonalds across the street. I realize the last two contradict each other but if you haven't had their milkshakes you aren't allowed to judge me. read more

SCAM, SCAM, SCAM! Bate-and-switch, pure & simple. THE FACTS Saw an ad on craig's list on Sunday. Called on Sunday. Got an appointment to see an $2,175 apartment for Thursday. Got a call Tuesday to confirm my appointment to see "the $2,300 1 br" apartment. I thought it was extremely unusual for the dollar amount to be quoted in a confirmation call...but the reason for this soon becomes clear. Arrived for our tour; was told right away that we were to see an apartment priced at $2,360! Raised the issue that the apartment we were told we were seeing was first $2,175, then $2,300, and now $2,375. Was told..."the prices change everyday"...and that "everybody is doing this." Expressed that in 49 years, across dozens of homes in three cities in two countries, I've never, ever seen this before. EVER! Leasing agent got extremely defensive...stammering over insanely stupid arguments about why this is the way it is. Tried to politely drop it several times, saying simply that it seems very odd, and that it is a real customer dissatisfier. Said clearly, numerous times that I was expressing feedback... More stammering and stupid arguments. Tour. Sullen looks all around. This people are ridiculous. read more

The apartment itself is OK. The fact you have to deal with Avalon is too awful so that I have to give the place a one star. I'll start with some of my personal experience and then discuss pros and cons of the community in the second half. As I was traveling internationally and just moved from the East Coast, there was some confusion about the bank transaction (no void check in my hand and only limited internet access). After a couple of unsuccessful payments they blocked my ability to make online payment. OK, this part is my bad, so I'm fine with that. Although I think it will be nicer to give me a warning beforehand so I can pay extra care to it. Anyway, the only two options left are: 1) Send a cashier's check to their Artesia CA office or their HQ in Virginia. 2) Pay over phone using credit card You might wonder why not just write a check to the onsite staff. Avalon deals with all the billing issue in a centralized place. There is an onsite office and the people are generally friendly. However, their main interest after all is to rent out the available units ASAP. For everything else, you have to make a phone call to the customer center (or an email account that responds very slowly). If you are lucky enough, you can speak to a real human after 10 minutes wait. Sometimes you can end up calling all day long and not be able to speak to anybody. Definitely not a fun thing to do while working or early in the morning. The billing center is in Eastern Time. If you have a day time job, you either do it early in the morning, or in your work hour. Back to the payment options. Option 2 seems to work better. However they charge $38 for every, say $2.5K payment. Which means if your payment is a little over $2.5K you will need to pay $76 for the processing fee. In addition, although they charge you a fair amount of processing fee, Amex cards are not accepted. OK, fine, then I'll proceed with option 1. I went to my bank early in the morning before going to work, to get a cashier's check and mailed it with priority mail to Artesia CA, as it's closer and suppose to arrive earlier. According to the online tracking, the check arrived two days later in the morning and I think I finally get this shit done at least for this month. Next week when I came home, there is a "pay or quit" letter stick on my door. WTF, the check should have arrived. If it takes so long (at least three business days) to process, it's Avalon's problem, not my problem. Since there is a hard deadline coming, I made phone calls all day long (I do make up my work by working extra hours) and finally was able to speak to a real human. It turns out that the problem is that the Artesia office for some reason can't process cashier's check so they redirect it to Virginia. Since it's not yet arrived, the best guess is it's somewhere on the road (or somebody's drawer). As the hard deadline is coming I have no choice but to pay by credit card. Just after I paid with credit card, in the second day morning 7am I got a phone call saying that they received the check and processed. WTF. So with the processing fee this time and my previous deposit processing fee (this one also has some story, in short the first agent I talked to said that she is going to waive the fee but in fact she didn't, after two following calls they still fail to give it back to me), I paid more than $100 in addition to my rent just in my first month. Good job on ripping people off, Avalon. Maybe most of the people won't have the same issue. But if you do, it makes you wonder why are you paying such an expensive rent for getting this crappy, even insulting service. As for the apartment itself, to be fair it's OK but with some issues. Pros: * Newish building and unit * Spacious * On-site whole foods * On-site zipcar Cons: * One water shut-off and two hot water shut off during my first month. It can be as long as the whole evening and early morning, which pretty much means you can't take shower that day. What's worse, there is no early notice for the hot water shut-off (30 mins before shut off doesn't count). * As there are many dogs in the community, the public area floor should be cleaned with water and cleansers at least once a week. In practice, for some areas they do so sporadically at best. * At least for the trash bin that I use most often, it's common to either 1) not able to open 2) not able to close 3) both. * Boring neighborhood. The only thing reminds me of SF is the BART station that smells like urinal. I already knew this while visiting, so I won't deduct points for this. I would say the apartment itself would be a 3-star place. It works mostly OK but not amazing. However, because the personal experience sucks so much, I have to give it an one-star (zero star if I can). To be fair, the payment-related problem is not specific to Ocean Ave and not everybody encounters, but it's definitely a factor if you are considering leasing with Avalon. read more

I've been living at this community for two months now. It is a brand new complex, the staff is very friendly and helpful. Lots of amenities, concierge, prompt respond to any problems and concerns. Since it is not fully occupied, make sure you lock in at a good monthly rental price. I was told I was getting the absolute best deal, and a week later the price dropped even more. read more

I've lived here for the past six months and may be breaking the lease soon. Unfortunately we do not live on the top floor and have to deal with our upstairs neighbors' constant jumping, stomping, oh and furniture building. Yes furniture building. They moved in two months after us and it has been pure hell since. We avoid our apartment, because the noise is unbearable. We've talked to our management staff, called police, talked with the neighbors but nothing has seemed to help. Part of the problem is the cheap construction and part is the noisy neighbors. We moved here cause it was new, in our budget, and had the items we were looking for, but I'd soon pay twice the rent to live in a building with solid construction where I can't hear my neighbors. If you'd like to sleep at night or enjoy your apt either get the top floor here or better yet avoid this place. The management staff is awesome but I didn't move here to hang with the management staff. There have been other issues like no hot water for about a week, elevator often out of order, and broken trash shoot (all of which I can deal with- just not the poor construction.) read more

Although my stay at Avalon was only 10 months, my time there was well spent because of Emily (sales supervisor), Marcelo (maintenance), and Hortencia (maintenance). Avalon on Ocean was my third apartment in my 3 year stint in SF and as compared to a luxury high rise in SOMA and a 4 story walk up in the Sunset, Avalon on Ocean provided the greatest all-round living experience in my opinion. Emily always made herself available, was eager to answer any questions I had, and swiftly executed any requests. Marcelo and his maintenance team were always helpful and complete with all maintenance requests. Hortencia was always warm and welcoming, and did a thorough job of cleaning. read more

The one benefit of living at Avalon Ocean Ave is the Whole Foods, although our first nine months in the building, we were cursing the banging, drilling, and constant noise coming from the construction. Now we have to endure the construction of the section 8 housing project going up next door, in addition to the noise from the neighbors. The lack of sound insulation in this cheaply constructed building is appalling and there is no respite. The dust from the construction covers anything and everything left out on the balcony. Not that we can use the balcony as it faces north, so we only see sunshine before 10:00am, but cannot have breakfast out there on weekends due to the 40+ motorbikes training in the parking lot next to the building from 7:00am-5:00pm every weekend. The office staff are polite but offer no support in the 5 days the office is open. They are so busy trying to re-rent the apartments which keep emptying. There is a moving van outside the building 3-5 days per week. And the staff rotation in the office is not much better with at least 6 faces having left in the last 18 months. We would have moved out after our first year but due to work commitments, we were unable to find alternative accommodation. I would have signed up for month to month but that would hike the rent up by 50%, 6 month contract hiked rent by 30%, and even committing to 12 months was a 17% increase! Nowhere else in San Francisco is raising rents this much - but that is the price you pay for corporate run apartments. Even the supposed benefits of the complex are a poison pill - secure garage without a security gate for 3 months, BBQ igniters which don't work, outdoor gas fire place out of commission for 3 months, garbage rooms full of trash, elevators containing dog urine (also staircases), package notification screens in the lobby broken (on/off) for 18 months. I have lived in 20 apartments in 4 countries yet I have never paid so much for so little and felt so cheated. There is no-one to complain too and nothing to do but leave. Avoid at all costs! read more

Been living here for a little over a month. Overall, I really enjoy it. 1. Whole foods in our building 2. Can actually find parking very close by, no cost in neighborhoods 3. Building is brand new; everything is very clean, modern, and efficient. 4. We are in a one bedroom; nice appliances, great view, and large closet and bathroom. 5. Email notices and a flat screen TV in the lobby letting you know packages are in. 6. Parking garage if you want to pay and the gym, though small, has very nice state of the art equipment. read more

We have lived here for nearly a year and I have nothing but disappointment. I was excited to live Avalon Ocean Avenue because it is newly built, has Whole Foods onsite, close to Highway 280, and convenient public transportations(Bart and Muni). Since we moved in, it became our worst nightmare. We live facing toward Ocean Ave, and it's REALLY LOUD! Specially in our BEDROOM!! Before this we used to live beside CalTrain station and loud train did not bother us as much as this place. Muni goes to till 3 am, fire truck with siren everyday, cars and trucks are never ending, and skateboarding at night!! We tried use earplugs and purchased expensive acoustic soundproof curtains to reduce noise, but nothing helped... We couldn't sleep for six months hence my husband and I are having sleep disorder and insomnia. Even my cat couldn't sleep well and experiencing anxiety. We asked management staff to check our bedroom window, if there is any loose ends or broken seal on window. One day, they stopped by to check our window and they said they can't do anything about it. It just was constructed the way it was. The whole buildings was poorly constructed. We even paid for soundproof consultant to stop by and check and he quoted thousands of dollars to install extra window. It's so bad. Every time when Muni and trucks were passing by our bedroom, the wall vibrates and makes noise even worse. So we ended up blocking our bedroom window with a mattress. I had to give up natural sunlight and fresh air, so I have to use air purifier to clean air. Though, the management staff are great. They are always super friendly and very attentive and polite. The facilities are clean, the maintenance crew is good about keeping public areas nice. Unfortunately, office is closed on Mondays so if you are expecting urgent parcel or documents over weekend forget it! If I knew about the sound problem I would never move into this place. I never expected that living beside loud CalTrain station is better than living here. Overall, I would not recommend this place if you can't sleep with noise. read more

I have been a resident of Avalon Ocean Avenue for almost two years, and its time to update my review. The staff has changed since I first moved in - the only staff that remains the same is Hortensia who is always in a good mood, has a smile on her face and keeps the community clean ! News around the community is that Bill (Maintenance Manager) is back at Avalon Ocean Avenue. He is also great - very polite and personable. It's nice because when I am home and he completes a service quest, he doesn't make me feel awkward like I don't want to be home when something in my apartment needs fixing ! The leasing office staff are also very nice, they do a really good job of remembering residents names and apartment numbers. Overall, its staff here at great. Most residents tend to keep to themselves. It's a nice community to live in, very quiet and pet friendly !! read more

Been living in SF since graduating college and housing is one of the hardest part of living in SF. We checked out handful of dirty and sketchy places (asking for $2.5K+ for 1bedroom) so Avalon was quite a change for us. They're professional and personable with a great team. Home is very important to me and there are couple of musts: Safety - SF can be shady and I didn't want to risk being jumped or being scared coming home at night. This neighborhood has a good balance of family and young professionals. The team at Avalon does a great job making sure our complex is safe. Convenience - I work in downtown SF and the Balboa station being 10 min away was an all time win. If you work right off of market, your commute time is around 20min. If you had a little too much to drink and want to uber home, it's about $14-$17 on UberX :] Option is a powerful thing! Comfort - We have a 1 bedroom 1 bath facing Ocean street ( 750sqft - 850 sq ft). We saw a post about the street being too loud so we were a little concerned, but after moving in, we realized it was not an issue at all. The window seals out the sound really well. Speaking of noise, the walls are great. As soon as you close your front door, you can't hear anything from the hall way. This is true for inside noise not leaking out to the hall way as well :] Something about the layout of the apartment that makes it very clean and sleek, but very comfortable. A+ for whoever the designed this place! Unlike a lot of SF apartments, it's very spacious. Thank you for making our dream come true to hosting holiday / birthday dinners! Those were the 3 musts that Avalon covered, but there are also other perks that made us fall in love with this place: in-unit washer/dryer - life saver! Gym in the complex - if you want to be super buff, not enough weight, but more than enough for me lol Office - with people, I know. Hall way / elevator / office always smells great! Whole Food is next door. People complain that it's expensive, but if you don't want to pay that, go somewhere else? Very quick maintenance team Beautiful bathtub Strong plumbing system Walk in closet Zip Car Community events Close to the freeway Very responsive support. You really don't get this everywhere. Great food places (All walkable) - Beeps Burger https://www.yelp.com/biz/21-taste-house-san-francisco?osq=resturants Poki Place down stairs https://www.yelp.com/biz/poke-bowl-san-francisco-3 Poki a block away - https://www.yelp.com/biz/pokihub-san-francisco-2 Champa Garden (Thai food) https://www.yelp.com/biz/champa-garden-san-francisco-2 Dim Sum - https://www.yelp.com/biz/sea-garden-restaurant-san-francisco-2 McDonald's across the street New bakery - https://www.yelp.com/biz/cherry-blossom-bakery-san-francisco-2 Boba - https://www.yelp.com/biz/super-cue-cafe-san-francisco-2 Pho - https://www.yelp.com/biz/pho-ha-tien-san-francisco Coffee / study spots (https://www.yelp.com/biz/fog-lifter-cafe-san-francisco , https://www.yelp.com/biz/java-on-ocean-coffee-house-san-francisco) We moved in about 6 months ago and we're very happy with our choice. If you want to be in the center of action like Polk, this might not make you happy. If you're like me and looking for a place to relax, but also have the option to go out then I think you found the one! read more

Overpriced, dirty, loud neighborhood with awful food. It is near MUNI and BART, but that is all. Whole Foods is as overpriced as the rent, so it's not really a great selling point. If you must live here because you just moved here, which is why everyone ends up here, sign a short lease, don't make a smudge on the apartment, and find a new place ASAP. One thing, the staff was nothing but amazing. The sad part is all their awesomeness didn't help when the Avalon company that employs them has such horrible business practices. read more

Hortensia and the other maintenance employees are friendly and hardworking. They get 5 stars. Most everything else is only 3 or 4 stars, at best. The property itself is clean, safe, and new-ish. The trap/metal covers and buttons to the garbage/compost and recycling chutes have not been working, for a couple years now. So, I cannot choose the compost chute; it all just goes down to garbage. There's a high turnover rate for apartment management, which can't be a good thing. And, rent keeps regularly increasing, by a lot. ZERO stars. For what we're paying, this apartment complex should be so much better than it is. read more

Expensive!!! Avoid!! And the security is low..... Not worth it for a 4000 each month for 2 bedroom. This is absurd. read more

Great location, convenient to everything! I've been living here for a few years and have no complaints. The staff is very friendly and professional, especially Dave and Hortensia. Thanks both for maintaining the building! read more

I really enjoy my stay in Avalon Ocean Avenue about five years lived here with my family. Convenience location for my family and me. Whole foods market and Muni downstairs. After searching other apartments for almost one month, I finally decided to continue to live at Avalon Ocean Avenue! The rent is a little high, but this apartment is great and all the staffs and neighbor here are very kind and great! I hope the staffs can keep going! Specially Emily, Josef,Marco and Hortensia. Everytime we meet them, they always smile and patient! Emily can speak Chinese which help me a lot! Marco and Josef came very fast when I submit a service and always keep my place clean after repairing. Thanks Hortensia to keep the public place very clean and good smelling! Thank you all to let my family enjoy our stay at Avalon Ocean Avenue! read more

Emily, Marco, Joseph and Hortencia are the superstars for this place! They are friendly and alway willing to help! Thanks for the great service!! read more