When we moved in, the water turned brown, fog up, or it would just stink. Maintenance was called…read moremultiple times but they barely showed up. Water still occasionally turns brown, fogs, and stinks. There were also roaches when we moved in and the locks to the door didn't work. There's a lot of parking but the residents here are terrible. I don't even know how half of them got their licenses.

My boyfriend and I moved here in 2015 and today we moved out! We rented a 1 bed 1 bath apartment in…read morethe 1885 complex. The apartment manager Steve is very nice and reliable. Pool and laundry area are both usually unoccupied. The only con to this place is the walls are a bit thin, but that's to be expected with any student apartment.

Hey,it's the Rottas and we moved in 5 years ago. It's a beautiful and safe place to live with a…read morefamily. The ladies in the office are nice and professional and the maintenance crew is THE best. We'll definitely miss the clean environment and the pools. Thanks,Bordeaux!

I would not recommend this apartment complex…read more I moved in November 2025 and ended up leaving in June 2026 because the apartment became unlivable for me and my young daughter. Smoke repeatedly entered my unit, including through the bathroom vent, and it affected my asthma badly enough that I stopped sleeping there before I had even finished moving out. My daughter was moved out first because I no longer felt comfortable keeping her there. The smoke issue was only part of the problem. There were termites, ongoing noise issues, off-leash dogs, suspected drug-related odors, and multiple safety concerns around the property. It did not feel like a clean, safe, or well-managed place to live. I do appreciate that I was eventually released from my lease, but I never should have had to move again so soon after moving in. The experience was stressful, expensive, and deeply disappointing. I also left the apartment clean and documented the condition with photos, but still disagreed with portions of the move-out deductions. Overall, this was one of the worst housing experiences I have had. I would strongly caution anyone considering this property, especially families or anyone sensitive to smoke. Check the Megan's Law website to know who you're moving in next to. And be aware that there aren't any breed restrictions on pets so the majority of the dogs are pit bulls.

I'm pleased to add a 2022 review to the 5-star ratings that Castle Keepers were graded from…read more2011-2021. My family and I have been renting in SLO and NORCAL for the past 15 years. For the last eight months, I'm currently renting a house that Castle Keepers manage in SLO and could not be more pleased. From the very beginning when I contacted them to view the property until today when a repairman just left after fixing the reverse osmosis drinking water system, they're the BEST, most RESPONSIVE, most PROFESSIONAL property managers I have ever known. If they're managing a home you want to rent, you are in luck! Castle Keepers are the G.O.A.T. (https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/g-o-a-t/)

The best property manager I have ever worked with! I have multiple rental properties in a variety…read moreof states. Without a doubt Castle Keepers is the most responsive, organized, and reasonably priced property management company. They coordinated all of the projects to get my property in good rental condition, found outstanding tenants, and proactively sent me updates with each step. They far surpass others. I wish they had offices in other locations and I would immediately move all of my properties to them. It is so very refreshing to work with their team.

My stay at this apartment complex was amazing everything was clean well maintained and in excellent…read morecondition the property was quiet comfortable and clearly well cared for I really enjoyed living here and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great place to live

My experience here was the best I have had in an apartment complex my whole life the on site…read moremanager is very kind and everything is overall amazing no complaints

I have been working with Academe for 7 months on a difficult situation in my rental house in…read moreAtascadero. Cami, Kelly and the crew have been outstanding help. They are knowledgeable, extremely helpful and I can't thank them enough for their kind and caring understanding of my situation. I highly recommend this business. the people are wonderful.

Had an appointment to view a rental with Tracy. She stood me up after I rearranged my work and…read moredrove from Pismo to Atascadero. They told me the rental was now taken and she sent a cancellation that morning. Never got the cancellation notice but I did get 2 confirmation reminders the days leading up. Tracy on the phone was unapologetic and unpleasant. Would never consider using Academe again and will discourage anyone I know from dealing with this unprofessional company.

TL;DR: Abysmal communication from property manager and landlord, no basic maintenance (if there is…read moreit hostile towards the tenant for following instructions), double charging for move out cleaning. For more information read below, apologies for the in-depth review. If you don't mind nothing being fixed and paying double what you can find elsewhere in SLO for a single bed room, this is fine. Living in the one bedroom with a roommate makes the high price tolerable. Upon move in, many of the faucets had a constant drip unless turned to an exact point and the shower never properly drained. I informed the property manager of both. His reply to the former that it was not a high priority. It should be noted that the only utility that tenants pay is electricity, so it had no effect on me that the water bill was high due to bad valves. The property manager attempted to resolve the drain issue, to no effect, and didn't attempt to fix it there after. Neither of these issues were resolved during the occupational period and I doubt they ever will. As there is clearly no general maintenance done in between tenants. Document everything done by the property manager and landlord. The piston in the toilet had malfunctioned due to normal wear and tear, which in itself is an easy fix no big deal. So we contacted the property manager and he turned off the valve that fills the toilet. He informed my roommate that he would contact a plumber and that when we needed to use the toilet just to turn on the water and turn it back off after. We do just that, but, as the valves in the apartment are bad everywhere, it never turns off the water. He then contacted me claiming that we should, and to quote in full, "NOT have turned it back on, and by turning it back on full force you damaged the actual valve.. So, we had to replace the full valve and tower.. Fyi.. I heard your toilet running all night long, and you left it on even after you left this morning.. That behavior is not acceptable." Several things are wrong with this quote, mainly that it is illegal not to have a functioning toilet in a rental property, which was avoided by following the property managers request. Secondly, the valve was as closed as it could be, it was clearly damaged prior to this incident. The replacements installed were also caked in dust, as though they had been sitting in a shed for several years. The property manager, in his communication with me, phrased it as though we were not "allowed" to use the toilet, so there are some large issues with communication on his part. There will always be a common trend living here; the landlord and property managers inability to communicate effectively. Take for example the security deposit. For some reason, the landlord thought it was a great idea to hire cleaners for the apartment, which is fine but they have a minimum rate and charge for drive time for each apartment they clean, as though they travel to and from their offices between each apartment for some reason, as well as charge for their time cleaning. It should be noted that this place was left spotless, if not better than when we arrived. So I asked why they cleaned if professionals were hired and for some photos of what needed cleaning. Several weeks have passed and no response. Renter beware

Don't let the "convenient" location fool you. This place is not worth the high price whatsoever…read more There is no privacy with the manager always being in your business. There is a huge bug problem (multiple infestations) which apparently is the tenants responsibility. (Legally it's not). There are always loud drunken students walking through the parking lot at late nights. Work requests never get fulfilled. My main burner on my stove broke the first month I moved in and was told I can get a new stove if I renew my lease. My apartment was also entered illegally (no 24 hr notice) on multiple occasions. Either these people have no idea how to manage a business or it's just a cash grab for them. It does have a large bedroom however which is good if you want to share a room with someone.

Shady and questionable company just based off this last experience as we did stay one time prior a…read morecouple years ago with not one problem. We had a very wonderful stay at one of their beautiful beach homes this past spring break. Everything was clean with the usual dull kitchen knives and only a few non working appliances. Here's the problem. I get an email a day later after checkout with a picture of a broken bathroom mirror stating her maintenance person found it. She said not to worry because I purchased damage insurance and she just needs a brief statement of what happened. I was absolutely floored as we are the most careful and responsible vacation home renters in the world. I mean I got different friends banking on my family and friends to stay at their own rentals all over the world to help pay for their rental mortgages. If something broke, we would have let them know right away, offered to pay for it and with a gift of sharp kitchen knives as a sorry. This is 2026 and these iPhones now have the greatest quality and I right away went to my "exit" video and photos. I always do an exit video at any stay for proof of locked doors and windows as well as quality of rental upon exit so everything is date stamped. The mirror wasn't broken on my video and the kicker was that there was a hand towel rack with a hand towel hanging on the wrong side of the mirror on their picture compared to mine with no hand towel. There was basically no evidence of a relocated hand towel rack either. Please be very weary and always take lots of "Exit" pictures and videos if you must stay at any of this insurance fraud creating company's homes.

The location was wonderful, the house was in good working order. We did have a few issues with…read moreseveral screen doors not secure and fell out when slid open. Missing basic kitchen utensils like a can opener. Used the pull out couch and there were a lot of food crumbs in the couch cushions. The check in process was unexpected and not clearly disclosed in the air b and b information. It was a bit of inconvenience to have to go pick up and drop off keys. I was called same day to collect a pet fee. I was under the impression it was all included in the numerous 500+ fees. I was never instructed to contact someone to pay ahead. When I got to the property a gate code was needed which was never provided, so I had to call to get. There's two different instructions for check out on in a book and one on the wall. Each had something different. When I arrived to the office there were three females at desk all on the phone and all held up a finger to me to wait a moment. I did, as I heard them banter about a broken garage door. Once that was over I was told I needed to fill out paperwork before getting keys. Overall it was a good stay but I don't know if I'd stay in a home hosted by this service.