The Edgewater is a great place to live if you do not value safety, sleep, money, peace and quiet, and/or your car. More on each below. Now to be fair, the lights work, the plumbing works (well, most of the time now), and the Edgewater does provide shelter (sometimes). There have been several unfortunate residents who have experienced "rain" in their apartment (leaking water pipes).
More on safety. On several occasions the gate to the garage has mysteriously been broken by "unidentified cars". In each case, the garage door was left open for the residents to leave and for the world to enter. It took a number of resident complaints and a forced entry break-in before the Edgewater thought it was worth paying a roaming security guard. Keep in mind, no security guard was stationed at the entrance to the garage....which remained opened for over a week.
Oh, and the placement of door locks throughout the Edgewater is laughable.
More on Sleep. It is often said that sleep is overrated. That should be the Edgewater's motto. "Live here if you think sleeping is overrated!" I happen to be one who really loves sleep. Over the last eight months we have tolerated around 11 false fire alarms, 80% of which conveniently occur between the hours of 12:00 am - 4:00 am. Of course after being shocked out of REM by bright flashing lights and an alarm that could wake the dead, your heart is beating near 130 bpm and adrenaline is pouring out of your ears. This is also terrifying for the dogs and cats in the building. Then, try falling back to sleep. Good luck! Great way to meet the neighbors though.
More on Money. Have you ever felt like you were paying too much for something and then being pleasantly surprised to realize that the value far outweighs the high price? Yeah, the Edgewater is nothing like that. I'm trying to figure out if I was conned, or was I asleep at the wheel when I decided to sign the lease. This place is way over priced for what you get. If you are going to spend this much on rent, please find a place that is worthy of your hard earned cash.
More on peace and quiet. Have you ever lived in a fraternity house? Do you love loud music and crazy parties? Do you love random drunk people wandering around the halls trying to find the temporary nightclub? If so, this place is perfect! There have been more then a handful of parties that last way into the early hours of the morning. There is no one site to address these issues, so tenants are forced to confront the party organizers. SF police have been called. Get this, there was once a party where they had a guy with a guest list managing the front door, letting in countless numbers of party goers (non-residents) into the building. Nice and secure. In addition to the parties, there is the never ending construction on Berry street. Don't get me started.
More on your car. There is the obvious security issue mentioned above. In addition to that, the garage coats your car with a layer of concrete dust. Not sure if the concrete in the garage was ever treated or sealed (or whatever normal garages do), or if it's from the construction outside, but your freshly washed car will be covered with a layer of dust within a matter of a day or two. Not a thin layer mind you. It will seriously turn a black car gray. Oh, and this dust definitely makes its way up and into all the apartments and my guess, is settling in our lungs.
Sorry for the rant. However, I want our experience here to benefit others. If you are looking for a place to live in beautiful San Francisco, PLEASE look elsewhere. Or, enter at your own risk. read more