Just wanted to update my old review because it seemed a bit unfair in retrospect. I have since moved out, the walls were still shared when I left in 2021, but maintenance was always timely and management was responsive. They did have plans to renovate/remodel and there was a gym. Take a tour and see how you feel, you might have to be aware of your neighbors but at least when I left management was friendly/helpful, and it was nice to be next to the park. read more

The leasing office is a mess and inconsistent with their hours. Had a scheduled appointment at 2 and the office was closed. Waited until 3 and still nobody was there! The grounds are NOT well kept and the pictures online completely inflate the look of this place. Wanting to charge almost 4K for a 1br apartment with this kind of service is atrocious. read more

Best tour ever! Xochitl was the person who helped us and she was absolutely amazing. We had a ton of questions about specifics with the internet, ESAs, and a few different things about the property itself. We had to reschedule for later in the day because we had a personal emergency and she was very understanding. Because of our reschedule, my wife had to have a short meeting during the tour and so she had to and instead of having my wife go to our car, she let her set up in the business center (which has free WiFi!) while Xochitl showed me the other amenities. She showed us two units. We were undecided on which unit we liked better and she was happy to show them to us again so that we could make a decision. The property itself is great! There's lots of plant life, it feels very homey and safe, there's a dog park essentially connected to it, and the units have hard wood floors and big balconies. We've seen tons of apartments and every single one has a fatal flaw (too far from work, bad internet, bad reviews, etc). This one feels like home. We're planning to move in ASAP, as soon as I'm done with this review I'm starting my application. In short: Xochitl is very kind, professional, and knowledgeable. The property is beautiful. The units are spacious with hard wood floors. We plan to move in as soon as we can, hopefully we'll be picking up keys this weekend. read more

Love our garden home apartment at Highland Gardens. We've been here for over 2 years and look forward to many more years here! What I love: a Garden setting, lots of beautiful landscapes, trees and flowers. Pet and Family-friendly. Amenities include pool, bbq area, pet zones for walking, and safe package delivery system, lounge and study hall area, central courtyards for outdoor gatherings and ample parking for guests (something that other apartments struggle with providing). Our apartment has hardwood floors, modern kitchen, gas stove, granite countertops, and quiet close cabinet door hinges. I know, it's the little stuff that makes the difference -- central heating and air. The service and care that the Highland Gardens team has provided is 5-stars. We've not had many service requests but when we have they have been prompt, friendly and resolve the issue. LOVE their service. The location is perfectly tucked away and yet close to downtown Mountain View, 101, & 85, & Central Expressway, train station and also right in front of the Google bus as well as City bus line. Highland Gardens is our Home Sweet Home! read more

I LOVE this place, we live here for almost two years and the only one thing I can tell is why we didn't move here earlier :) our apartment is the one that has been recently renovated, no carpets, hardwood floor which is amazing, second floor with beautiful view on blossom tree. Next to the community you'll find Rengstorff Park with a dog park. We also didn't have any issues with management, if we had any minor requests, everything was completed within two days. Area maintenance is pretty decent, no dog poop around. Gym is also recently renovated (two floors, one floor with machines and Smith machine, the second floor is cardio zone). For some people the biggest concern to move here would be noice level, you will here neighbors below, above or next to you, but we were lucky and our neighbors are pretty quite. So I recommend to everyone to take a look on this community :) read more

See all

Just an awful place to live. Being close to Rengstorff Park is the only thing nice about it, but of course it is not enough to justify living here. I lived here for a very short time. I thought the people were nice and helpful originally, but when I wanted to break my contract and get reimbursed for the difficulties I went through, they went silent. I was ignored for about 3-4 weeks. I thought I had seen bad places for $2,000/month before. But this was an all-time low and I was paying $2,500/month for a studio. I don't want to list all the issues I had. If you really want to know, please reach out to me. I have emails, pictures and vivid details I can provide you with to help change your mind. read more

Not only was the apartment complex very beautiful and welcoming, but Xochitl was absolutely amazing as well! She answered each and every question I had (there were quite a few) and was incredibly friendly, professional, and insightful. She was incredibly prompt on replying to any/all messages I'd sent her, she took the time out of her day to give us a good idea of what to expect as potential new tenants, and overall was a huge factor in our comfortability in the complex. If you ever have any questions about the complex, Xochitl is your best bet! read more

We visited the property 3 times and the manager Dominique was very helpful giving us her insights on units that are about to be released and also showing us several units during our visits. Even though we didn't end up renting the place but was very appreciative the service provided by Dominique! read more

I had a great experience at Highland Gardens - after viewing 7 different properties over 2 days it stood out initially as the best balance between quality and price. Once I moved in, it continued to be worth the slight premium in cost over other properties I had also viewed. In general, the neighbors are quiet and considerate. To the point of some other reviewers, the walls aren't the most soundproof but unless you're playing something with loud bass at odd hours I don't anticipate you'd have an issue. Maybe post-COVID, it might be a bit of a hassle to have larger gatherings but in the past what I've done at other places is give my neighbors a heads up and maybe an invite and it goes across much better :) Dominique and Arnetta (from the main office) are a pleasure, handling my many questions with grace and reasonable with requests. Maintenance was also very quick to respond and capable of solving the few problems that did arise. There is a package room where you can have packages delivered to lockers to minimize chances of bandits (although sometimes mail carriers will still leave packages on the ground - not the complex's fault though). There's also a pool and exercise area that I was excited to take advantage of when it was safe to do so. I was so sad to have to relocate earlier than expected due to family matters, but will be looking at Highland Gardens as my top choice once I'm back! read more

We loved our time in Highland Gardens! We live in a 2 bedroom/1 bathroom apartment on the ground floor. The complex management is timely in their responses - both to emails and maintenance requests. We loved the affordable rent prices given the proximity to the park, covered and uncovered parking, and walkability. Our only complaint would be one shared here pretty frequently - thin walls and floors! Ultimately, it was not an issue and we got used to it pretty quickly. Our guests who visited were the ones who noticed the most - but generally only for the first 24 hours! Overall, neighbors are very thoughtful of one another. read more

Three stars because the apartment was freshly painted with new vinyl flooring upon move in. Nice pool and decent little fitness center. Price is comparable to most in the area. Now onto the negs... I have lived here for almost 2 years and I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around paying over 3K a month for this place. When I enter into a lease agreement, I believe the expectation is that I pay rent, and my landlord provide shelter/warmth, security, and a place to sleep and shower. I don't feel that I'm getting any of those things. Shelter/warmth: The window unit heater located only in the living room does nothing to heat the entire 900 sqft space. And good luck if you want to watch TV or have a convo while it's running - it sounds like a jet engine. I've resorted to a plug in heater, electric blanket, and lots of sweatshirts and slippers. Security: Not the best neighborhood, but I was assured they had 24/7 security when I moved in. I've had multiple packages stolen off my front porch. My neighbor had his bike stolen from his upstairs balcony. I've reported shady individuals loitering by my car and even found a duffel bag and knife in the carport. There are security signs posted around the complex, but I've NEVER seen them rounding. Sleep & shower: This is hands down the noisiest apartment I've ever lived in and my biggest hassle. I can hear every footstep and movement of my upstairs neighbors. I've tried earplugs, a sound machine, sleeping pills... nothing drowns out the constant clomping footsteps and door slamming and furniture sliding. As for the shower, the units share a hot water heater, which means if you're not the first one in the morning, you may not get hot water. Lastly, the management is responsive to maintenance requests, however, they try to replace broken items with already retired items. I am on my 4th washing machine because they kept replacing it with previously damaged ones lying in storage. Oh, I and did I mention cockroaches? Yuck. 6/9/17 update: the new apartment manager has been very responsive to my requests and the roach problem has been treated. The noise problem persists because you can't make noisy people behave quietly. read more

The rent was raised a ridiculous amount again this year. It's obvious they don't care about long-term residents. They are in the process (again) of renovating the apartments, yet ours with no renovations was to be rented to us at the same price as updated units (at the same price as brand new tenants). These apartments are not "upscale," they are just overpriced. Since a new management company took over, it also seems they are also lacking in their customer service. After many calls to the office, some individuals continue to let their dog run off-leash at all times of the day and night. I'm not even upset with those people for not following the rules, the manager should have enforced them. As for moving out (yay!) they seemed fair in the amount of our returned deposit, although taking out $140 for "cleaning" is a bit much considering I was there a full weekend with cleaning supplies (even bought new burners for the stove) and I know for a fact they're going to renovate the place. read more

If you like inept management, living in an apartment with mold, and poor sound insulation make Highland Gardens your new home. Don't expect to get your cleaning deposit back, even if you scour the apartment, and expect to pay hundreds of dollars in painting for normal wear and tear. On top of that you will be charged hundreds of dollars for the dust left in the track of the closet doors - I wish I was joking about this. Save yourself the trouble and don't live here!! In response to Jason (the current manager) I lived at Highland Gardens from 2010 to 2012. I did not respond to your message because for over 6 months after I moved out I had to deal with various managers up to the property manager who owns Highland Gardens to dispute the erroneous cleaning charges. I can only hope the management has improved since then. read more

I had a love-hate relationship with Highland Gardens Apartments when I lived there for six months between February and September 2008. First, the loves: -the large studio apartment was actually large, and I really liked the layout -I lived in a newly refurbished apartment and even though my kitchen was the size of a closet, it was really nicely done -the staff is really friendly and excellent to work with (including the management guys, Dean and Doug, and the service guy/handyman, Kevin) -proximity to downtown and shopping areas of Mountain View (right between downtown and San Antonio Shopping Center) Now the hates: -the creaky floors -semi-dodgy tenants -semi-dodgy neighborhood I put up with the hates really well for the first three months. In fact, I didn't really noticed them until about the forth month. (Well, that's a lie, I noticed the neighborhood was a little dodgy when there was a murder two blocks away two days after I moved in.) Then I got a new neighbor above me around Memorial Day weekend. I dunno what she did for a living, but I'm pretty convinced she didn't have a normal job. Most nights she would stay up between the hours of 2 and 4 a.m. walking back and forth in her apartment, and because she was a large lady and the floors are very creaky, there enough noise to actually keep me from falling and staying asleep. Not only that, but I would occasionally be able to hear her engaging in her carnal desires which, quite frankly, really, really disturbed me. Not only that, but she would smoke on her balcony, and the stench would come into my apartment anytime my windows were open. The noise from above eventually got so bad that I have to give up and move on, breaking my lease. While it put an extra dent in my wallet to do so, it was nice to be able to get back into a normal sleeping pattern. If you're thinking about renting here, be cautious. Try to get an upper-floor corner unit--that should minimize the amount of noise you hear from your neighbors. If you're at all sensitive to noise, then keep looking, this place isn't work loosing sleep over. read more

I've lived here for over a year now and the rent has increased by $100. That really isn't too bad considering the massive rent raises everywhere else. The community is still nice and there are dog owners everywhere. The management is friendly and has been very prompt in fixing all my issues. Everything in my previous review still applies. The only new thing I may have going on is that I recently have an annoying new neighbor that must have noise sensitivity like no other. Having never had a noise complaint for over an entire year, I am now harassed for every little noise I make in the apartment. Getting banging on my wall and door just because I turned on my TV is unacceptable. Keep in mind that I have calibrated my noise to be very respectful. This is not the apartment complex's fault but just thought I'd point it out in case someone knows how to deal with an irrational neighbor. read more

Scheduled an appointment to tour on Sunday. Got there 10 minutes early to find the door of the leasing office with a sign that said it was closed on Sundays. Called multiple times to receive a voicemail and sent an email but eventually left after waiting for half an hour. Then I received an email an hour and a half later asking if we wanted to reschedule... no thanks, don't feel like living in an apartment complex with such poor management. Good luck finding tenants! read more

It keeps getting worse but keeps getting more expensive! They charge us high class rent but use low class vendors for construction, maintenance etc. IT is a noisy, ghetto, dirty area. We feel we should be paying $500 less. No construction starts/ends on time. We never were able to use our patio. Water is shut off almost on a weekly basis. Most construction "improvements" are TOTALLY UNNECESSARY! A large portion of the units are empty and the contractors/staff treat it as so. Were promised a fitness center by summer. Not going to happen! They don't even bring the dumpsters/recycling containers back from the curb some weeks and I've had to do it myself! If you've never lived in an upscale US area and just are looking for a place to blow your paycheck to live, go for it. Otherwise if you have a brain, you'll avoid it or get out ASAP! read more

Lived hear about two years ago in one of the studio apartments. Overall, not bad, but not fabulous either. Pluses: - Close to downtown Mountain View. - Next to a park. - Studio apartment was very spacious (600 sq. ft) Minuses: - Management was ok (management has since changed so this might not be an issue anymore), but they though ok to show potential renters my apartment once they knew that I was moving out. Most of the time they asked for my permission, but I caught them one day when they didn't ask my permission. If I had expensive stuff I would have minded more, but fortunately my most expensive possession in the apartment was my futon. - Kitchen was really old and needed renovation - old appliances, old cabinets (I heard that this was being changed last I checked) read more

I lived in Highland Gardens for two years and saw my rent increase exponentially in the time I was there. I finally left in May (was more or less forced out) when they wanted to renovate my apartment so they could charge "market" for my place which was equal to $2500 for a one bedroom - a nearly $1000 increase from when I first moved in. The management company was nice enough to give me EXACTLY 60 days notice so I had to let them know immediately (the same day they gave notice) that I was moving out and had to scramble to find a new place. That was after I was assured my rent wasn't going up to the market rate. But the high rent for what you get is only one of the issues, the other is noise. I could hear EVERYTHING going on downstairs - all horizontal and vertical activities - from conversations to TV watching to.....the soundproofing is horrible. You would think living on the second floor would be an advantage, since you wouldn't hear people walking around, but that didn't matter at all. The other thing, which should no longer be an issue, was all the renovation work which should be completed by now. My apartment was trashed on the inside when contractors entered it, things were broken and the apartment was left dirty. I was able to get the management company to reimburse for everything that was broken, but some things were collectibles and aren't really replaceable unfortunately. And the time I spent to clean and straighten up - that was uncompensated. I was told by others who live there that these apartments used to be low income housing back in the day. That doesn't surprise me in the least. The one nice thing about the location is the park behind the complex, but as for the actual apartments I'd suggest looking someplace else. read more

Overpriced relative to it's quality. The walls / floors are thin, so you can't even walk in your room at night without disturbing the person living below. The AC/heater is too weak to be effective, unless you are sitting right in front of it. The property manager, Arnetta, is rude and unresponsive to emails. read more

Highland Gardens started out a bit rough. Our move in date was moved back do to it be unfinished. Even though, they ended up giving us a free week due to the inconvenience. We lived in a studio apartment with a large patio. It was nice and far. The construction is over now (but it did suck when it was happening) and it has made a really big difference. They have so many amenities and its really nice. We moved because we wanted to pay less. Our rent was going to go up do to the market price and the new amenities they added. We were sad to move but we just couldn't afford to pay that much for a studio. As for the staff they are very informative and helpful. they were always on-top of any issue we may have. read more

I will not recommend this place to anyone, with management like that they have lost many of their tenants. Even people were living there for several years could not bear it anymore. The apartment complex has it's pluses and minuses, I saw more and more minuses as the time passed by. All this has been topped with a renovation project, which is just a cherry on the cake for the whole experience of living here. The renovation of the complex will raise value of the property, more $ to earn, but people living there had suffered quite an unpleasant period with real building ground level of noise, dust, smell of painting. In periods it is seriously unlivable here, and what is worst, nobody has warned us. They did stick a couple letters on our door saying they will be doing this and that, what does that imply to us, was not mentioned. And what it implied in a few cases that you basically have to get out of your home!! Sometimes for a period of a week at a time. I am horrified, discussed and shocked by the way the whole situation is dealt with. For people who will be thinking of moving in here after the renovation: you might avoid ending up in a situation like we did living here now, but you maybe want to keep in mind that you will have to do with the same management style, where tenants are objects to be treated however they find suitable, they don't care. read more

Great location! Imagine having Rengstorff Park as your backyard. Very close to Castro St and about 5-7min drive from Google Main Campus and also The Quad. It was one of the only places we've found that was actually hardwood floor through the whole place. Maintenance team is always willing to help - great job guys! read more

Love the location and the new management ladies are awesome! So Fun and helpful. Nice dog park for my little puppy. the property is very well kept and clean. I love going to downtown mountain view, so close you can walk. So many nice restaurants and places around Would highly recommend this place read more

The whole area is ridiculously pricey and over inflated however this is a descent place. I am impressed with the office staff. Ci Ci is very professional and on top of things. The maintenance staff Gustavo and Anthony have great attitudes and have always been kind and friendly. The staff all go above and beyond to help the tenants. They take pride in the property. I have seen staff on several occasions go out of their way to pick up a piece of paper that was randomly dropped on the ground. These are older renovated apartments nothing spectacular but,the customer service DEFINATELY makes it a better place to live. read more

I do not understand the other comments listed because i love living at this complex. The main reasons I like living here is the LOCATION and the APARTMENT. Although it is pricey, really, I have never had an apartment with this nice vibe The floor plans are smart and spacious. They are remolded and even the neighbors are friendly. The location is perfect because it is adjacent to Mountain View's largest park. If you like a beautiful well managed landscape and a friendly group of people - this is a very nice place to live. - I like the sound of the trains ( I never remember it shaking and I am pretty close) -The park can be noisy. But it is happy noisy - people have fun which is the best kind of back ground noise. - There are some bad parts in Mountain View and this neighborhood can be a little shaky, but I noticed it get better since I have moved in (more patrols from the cops....sounds bad but it is worth a check out) -Don't all apartments creek a little? - I really have never lived in one that hasn't. Sometimes things only annoy us if we let them. read more

I lived in this apartment complex for 2.5 years starting from mid 2012. My overall experience was good, though I must admit that the apartment was pricy. Pros: - Very good location near Rengstorff Park - Walking distance from the downtown - Washer, dryer, AC in the unit - 2 parking spaces (1 covered and 1 uncovered) - Pool with a nice electric grill - Friendly and helpful staff Cons: - Small gym for such a large apartment complex - The buildings are old, renovated but still old - Noise from Caltrain (I personally got used to it) read more

This review is based on building 5 but I assume most of it applies to all other buildings/units. CONS: -PAPER THIN WALLS! SO LOUD! Like others have said, because this place was built in the late 60s, you can honestly hear everything your neighbors (in all directions) are doing. Everything, including: talking, sneezing, laughing, walking, cooking (chopping, stacking dishes, etc.) slamming doors, singing, yelling, dropping things, stomping, playing music too loud, flushing toilets, stomping up the stairs, etc.. The worst is if you live below someone because you can hear every step they take. No exaggeration. Imagine that for a second. The ceiling creaks almost anywhere they walk and is accompanied by loud stomps (even if they're walking normally, which our neighbors did not do very often). Not only did I struggle with sleeping (even after investing in sound machines and ear plugs), I couldn't even listen to my own music or watch TV (much less try to read or work) because of the constant, invading noise from others. I'm still in shock anyone can live here (they are either hard of hearing or have the most quiet and considerate neighbors ever). Since I have moved out I have regained my sanity and discovered this thing I almost forgot existed: silence. -KITCHEN: Our cabinets and kitchen in general were very small. I understand that it's hard to have a big kitchen in a 600 sq ft unit but I'd expect a small one would still be functional. The cabinets (extremely narrow) barely fit our pots and pans and the counter space was extremely limited and not well laid out. This might not be an issue for you if you get more square footage but from the many pictures I've seen online, it looks like the kitchen is usually on the small side. -FINISHINGS: Besides the countertops and flooring, the place was sloppily painted, walls were at weird angles, and the condition of the base boards and closet racks was subpar. -AMENITIES: The pool and gym are adequate but I am much happier at my current gym with more than one treadmill. PROS: -The apartment was newly renovated with wooden flooring and granite countertops. -I never had a problem with management and the maintenance team was great and were fast at addressing requests. -For me, the parking was close and convenient to my unit. -The location to Rengstorff Park was great (albeit noisy on occasion). TL;DR Unless you want surrounding noise to constantly invade your personal space (sometimes noise canceling headphones aren't even enough), I'd suggest you live elsewhere. The noise level heavily outweighs the positives I mention and my life is infinitely less stressful since I've moved. read more

Settle in, it's going to be a long one. I'm just going to give you the high-level facts here... The first two years at Highland Gardens were relatively okay, not spectacular and not horrible, you get what you pay for. Our third year at Highland Gardens was pure hell, largely due to the management. 1. My car was vandalized. There is now a line, down to the primer, where someone drug a key across my entire back passenger door. Thanks for that and I'm sure the scooter you knocked over that day has a grateful owner too. 2. Construction was horrendous, a nerve-wracking 6 days a week of 6AM wake up calls for more than 9mos. Patio? Nope, we said one month but really we meant 3-4 mos before you can use it again.. Then, they bullied their way into our apartments on several occasions requiring us to move every stick of furniture to replace the windows, knockout and seal up walls, and generally leave a disgusting mess every time they came inside. Paint dust everywhere! All of this mess despite appropriating my vacuum cleaner, for what I don't know but they left it with the cord knotted up. A few drop cloths and Visqueen go a long way, not that they took the time to use them. Sure the place looks nicer on the outside now, but the pipes are so loud our shower always woke up the downstairs neighbors. I also know that the construction workers walked in on one of our neighbors, with no notice, right after she had stepped out of the shower. She wasn't happy and good job freaking our her kids guys. 3.They PAINTED my car. Truly, I came out to find my car covered in tiny dots of paint, bumper to bumper. It was in the carport when this happened. They rightly paid for it, but they would only do so as a rent reimbursement so I had to carry the charge for a month. 4.And here's the kicker, we were BURGLARIZED by someone with a KEY. You'll have to come to your own conclusions on this one. I came home to find our door unlocked, our expensive computers and my wallet gone, and a key laying right next to my dog's crate under the desk where my computer should have been. He likely barked and the idiot dropped the key. Oddly enough, it had one of those hook things an apartment complex uses to house their copy of my house key as mandated by the rental agreement. No one other than my roommate and I had a key, except Highland Gardens. They were unable to show me their copy of the key the day we were burglarized and the woman working the desk yelled at me for "pointing fingers" when I simply asked to see the key. 5. Safe? Nope. Right before I moved a teenage girl was violently assaulted by three men on Escuela just down the street from Highland Gardens. These are just the facts: down an iMac, many hours of frustration, 9mos of sanity lost while living through the construction, and a car that no longer looks new. Take a look at my other Yelps, I almost always leave positive comments. I generally forget about the negative ones because if I'm going to potentially have a negative effect on someone's business, I have to have a really good reason. read more

Paper. Thin. Walls. Any redeeming quality about this apartment complex (and there are a couple) is negated 100% by this fact. Do you really want to spend $2700/mo for a 1 bedroom where you can hear everything happening above/below you and to either side? Maybe you will get lucky and have single, quiet, individuals next to you. Or you might end up like me and have an apartment adjacent to 23 year old partiers, dogs with separation anxiety, and screaming children. This place was built in the 50s or 60s and poorly constructed. Even people talking next door sound like they are in your living room. Impossible to peacefully watch tv or read a book, and even sleeping can be near impossible depending on your neighbors schedule. I had to buy $250 noise canceling headphones and wear them to bed. Not comfortable but at least blocks out the noise. Living in peace here has been horrible. Avoid. read more

Been living in one of these apartments for the past five years - It has been wonderful! One mile from downtown, close to Rengstorff park, decent gym, management is quick to respond, maintenance requests are tended within a day or two. Would highly recommend! read more

Horrible place, it's super expensive and not worth the price. the male manager is helpful but the female manager has bad attitude. moving out as soon as i can! read more

The major compliant here is construction noise. Given how much they charge us, and how much I know they will jack up our rent in the coming months once our lease expires, there is not really much concession allowed for the inconvenience of construction here. First off, don't expect to sleep with your windows open past 7am on Weekdays as construction is loud and clear at that point. Close your windows, but then no fresh air, and the rooms can get hot. Thats another downside, with a top floor unit, even with all the windows opened, a 80 degree day outside is 90 degrees in the apartment, which of course you could run AC. I also agree with some reviews about how they split utilities here (besides cable and power, which you pay for), because it is sort of nuts that we get charged $100 for water and "trash" since we're out of the house 5 days of the week from something like 8am to 7pm, and out and about on weekends. How much water could I be using? In my previous experiences at other places, on my own we'd pay maybe $50-$70 for power, water, etc, but here I pay about $125, where $100 of that is "fixed". I'm pretty sure they have some slight pricing discrepancies here as well, I'm sure its because the rent in MtV just goes up, and given their units are getting nicer, but the thing that convinces me is that I constantly see people moving OUT, and there are a ton of families here, so I'm sure they are paying a lot less than us younger folks. In less than a year, the pricing for a 1 or 2 bedroom looks like its gone up $300+ per month, and honestly, its gotten worse from construction. read more

I only lived at HG for a year but I LOVED the apt i shared with my roomie! Truthfully it was a little $ for me but hey I was new to the area so everything seemed pricey after living in the east bay for the last 5 years. Dean was the one who showed us around the complex AND helped me and my housemate fill out our paper work. He was really nice, helpful, responsive and understanding. HUGE change from the last place I lived at so I was stoked to be able to walk down stairs and ask them questions or make service repair requests. There were a few others who worked in the office who were nice but I just prefered to deal with Dean since he actually remember our names (its nice to not be an apt number ya know?!). The maintanence guy Kevin was nice and always seem to be around the grounds fixing random things. Kevin was a nice addition to the staff at HG very friendly and would actually talk to tenants (not just look annoyed and rushed while on some stupid cell or walki talki) which was a HUGE plus. I lived there from Dec 2007 - Dec 2008 and the only reason we moved is the rent was going to increase. Im NOT complaining about the increase it just biz...so we found a smaller more afordable place. I was so sad to leave our place. We had a HUGE 2 bed 2 bath with a good sized balcony and endless amounts of closet space. I think I actually cried when i had to leave my gigantic bathroom (new place had a teeny tiny bathroom) and all the closets behind. The rent was alot of 2 twenty somethings to afford, but there were some yuppy professional people and small families that occupied the other units. Thankfully we had a Dad and 2 kids below us and some rowdy Euro soccer players next door so they didnt mind us bieng 2 noisy. One of the neighbors across the way called in a complaint about us..they said someone was hanging off the balcony booze everywhere blah blah blah. Dean actually called us the next morning to see what was going on. When I told him that i was working till 10 and housemate didnt get home till a little after and he didnt even question it. He said he had never had complaints about us an he thought it was an odd complaint :) nice to know he trusted us. All in all I loved my apartment, I liked (not loved) the area, an the apt staff were all hella nice! Dean and Kevin and the other staff made my stay at HG awesome :) read more

I moved to Highland Gardens 3 months ago. When I initially viewed the property, I was struck by how nice Valarie, our tour guide, was....she really cared about the residents and the property. Since I have had bad on-site managers in the past, I can honestly say Valarie was a top reason for choosing Highland Gardens as my home. Since moving in, I have truly enjoyed living here. It is quiet, clean, and very comfortable. It is also dog friendly. I should note that I recently heard from another resident that the owners may be changing and the new ones may let Valarie and Amanda (the property manager) go. I am not sure why they would ever do this, and hope it is either a bad rumor or that the new owners change their minds. read more

I lived in one of the studios here and it was pretty nice, albeit pretty expensive. Pros: - Decent location, not too far from Castro St and both Caltrain stations. - Amenities are good, the in-unit laundry looks small but the laundry units they installed actually have really good capacity. There are also laundry rooms if you want to run multiple loads in parallel. - Air conditioner is a life saver during the occasional heat wave - Very quiet during the night, very easy to sleep. - Management is usually responsive. The people in the office are friendly. - The corner studio I had had a parking space right outside of the back door which was really nice. - Parking in general is fairly convenient, you get an assigned spot and two parking passes and I never had trouble with my friends parking in the lot. There is street parking as well in a pinch. - Large for a studio apartment, if it had an extra wall it could easily be a 1 bedroom. - Area is extremely safe. Cons: - Under construction, it seems to be almost done but it has been a bit of a pain while I lived there. - Expensive. This is typical for Mountain View but honestly not worth it even for the easy commute. I'd rather live in SF personally. - Right next to the pool could get a little noisy but wasn't really a problem with the windows closed. - Kitchen in the studio was a bit small. - Could hear the neighbors above me stomping around but this is typical of any first floor apartment in the area. Thankfully no other apartments shared a wall with mine. - Patio was pretty useless for anything but storage, this was somewhat unique to my unit though. read more

So, I've enjoyed everything about being a resident here. Great location, awesome onsite management team (Jordan and Ceci), and fantastic neighbors. BUT, today I was given an even greater reason to be thankful for this community. I saw Ray, a member of the porters team responsible for our immaculate grounds and maintenance. Ray was clearing dust and debris from the tree leaves and BBQ area. This entire team is professional, friendly, and responsive. Just one more reason to be thankful for the place I call home! read more

I lived at Highland Gardens for over 4 years from 2005-2009 and experienced at least 3 different property management companies at the helm. There are definitely pros and cons to this complex. Pros: - Spacious apartments - I lived in a 2BR, 2BA that must have been close to 1,100 sq. ft. - They are very responsive with service/maintenance issues - usually always gets things taken care of same day or next day. - Two parking spaces - I really didn't need the 2nd space but it was assigned to me when I first moved in because I had 2BR and it was nice to have; I relinquished it when they started charging for extra space on lease renewal. Mixed: - Location: it's close to downtown MV and next to Rengstorff Park which was great with 2 kids but it is not in the best of neighborhoods - my apartment faced the street and there was quite a bit of police activity. Cons: - Cost/price - complex is definitely run like a business and there is the sense that they are out to get you for every cent possible (see parking comment above). Also, when I first moved in, utilities were included in the rent but when new management took over they started charging residents for utilities (always thought bills were really high and they don't provide you enough details to validate). Also, if you are one day late with your rent, they charge you late fee. BTW, late fees are not valid unless the fee imposed has a direct correlation to the damages suffered by the Landlord (read up about this for yourself). Also, when the market was good, they wouldn't do longer term lease renewals because they wanted to hike up rents further. I will say that my final dealings with HG upped my favorable rating because I had to terminate my lease early (my options were to pay 2-months lease cancellation fee - usually 1-month is standard or remain rent responsible until term of my lease - 4 months- or new tenant found). I took a calculated risk and took the 2nd option and they were able to find a tenant to take over just as I vacated. They could have been underhanded and showed other vacant units but they did not fail in their professionalism and, plus, I got really lucky but I will forever be greatful that I didn't have to pay an extra $3,300! In summary, I would recommend Highland Gardens, but be sure you read the lease terms very carefully and know what you are getting into. read more

I've been living at Highland Gardens Apartments for going on eight years, and it has been by far the best apartment complex that I've ever lived at. The management and maintenance staff are always a joy to deal with. They are all very friendly, hard-working, professional, responsive, cheery, and helpful. My roommate is a quadriplegic, and there have been many times that the staff has assisted him when he was in need. The response time of the workers, whether in an emergency situation or a work order that has an open timeframe, has been excellent. Arnetta is a pleasure to deal with on any level. She is always upbeat, knowledgeable, helpful, insightful, and extremely responsive to any communication via telephone or email, etc. In fact, she has done such an excellent job, that she has recently been promoted to manager. We absolutely loved Donna too, but we were so very pleased that Arnetta was given this opportunity, as both ladies are most beloved to us. Arnetta has always provided top-of-the-line customer service and excels at communication. She's always very quick to respond to any situation, and always greets you with a radiant smile. We absolutely love the management, the staff, and the quality of living at what truly is a Highland Garden. read more

I have lived here for 2.5 years and the management has changed 3 times at least. The latest property manager is very rude and aggressive . I feel like they are out to get every penny I have. They are increasing my rent by almost 50% for lease renewal . And if you complain about the mess in the common areas or exorbitant fees ( they almost never get cleaned) don't be surprised to hear " Do you want me to write you out of your lease?" . Constant construction and dodgy neighbors... If you can find another place , stay out of this one.. read more