I lived at Solstice for a year and a couple of months. Just moved out recently and would like to describe my experience and comment to help current/future residents. 1. The building and the management. I would give 5 star for the building itself - it was brand new when we moved in. Amenities are great. Back in summer 2014 Solstice is still owned and managed by BRE. Shortly after we moved in it was bought by Essex thus the management got switched completely. I have to say Essex is not up to the BRE standard and I really missed when BRE was here. BRE Management were very nice and all know their jobs, explaining things to you clearly without confusion. But Essex is definitely not: - They respond very slowly and don't keep up their promises. People are polite, but don't know their job well enough to give a straight answer. It took them forever to respond to my questions about lease renewal, and finally when they got back to me it's already over the deadline. Also, their online portal is extremely confusing. I thought I cancelled an auto-payment but it kept charging me for a couple month, until one of the staffs caught this and let us know. - Packages that require signature never got signed by leasing office if you were not there. I ran into this a couple times and have to have the carrier hold package on one of their locations so I can go pick it up. All other packages, when being delivered, will just be left in front of your door, Yes, finger-crossed that it's a secure building. - Bad maintenance. The hot tub was broken for almost half a year, swimming pool temperature was off for a while. Solstice said parts had to be special ordered to fix but six months seems way too long. I feel like I'm throwing my money into the water. Me and my husband are paying close to $4000/month for a 2bd, I'm disappointed by a management doesn't even collect packages, but just collecting money from renters. 2. Move out Inspection When we moved in the contract is under BRE, BRE staff walked us through the apartment and told us that "when you are moving out we're not looking for small nail holes on the wall, we're only looking for major damages", which sounds very reasonable. However, in reality is totally not the case, probably because the management was changed. After I told Essex that we plan to move out by the end of Nov. They sent us a form indication if we want to do pre-move out inspection, and if we'd like to be at both pre and post inspections. I responded Yes to both of them. The maintenance guy whose name is Cisco came over for pre-inspection. After walking around he said that wall needs to be repainted, carpet needs to be completely cleaned and there is some other additional cleaning fees. I asked if there's anything I can do to reduce the cost. The way Cisco put it sounds like they are going to charge no matter what, he used some ridiculous examples like "we will look into the vent to make sure there's no dust", "that blind is skewed a little bit, you won't notice but these are the things that we notice", etc etc. Before he left, I asked for a couple of the pre-inspection result. He said "I will slide under your door once I make a copy" - but we never got it. We did a very thorough clean before we moved out, to the extent that even the movers we hired gave us compliment. When my husband dropped the key at the management office, he requested to be at the final inspection, a couple days later he called again and said the same thing, heard nothing again. I wrote email to the management, heard nothing. After two weeks, we got a statement at mail said based on the final inspection they are going to charge us $400. We were pissed off, after a long negotiation we got some of our money back. At the last place I lived, I got 100% of security deposit back. They still repainted the wall and cleaned the carpet after I moved out but did not charge me anything extra. If you are willing to spend $4000, go find somewhere else unless living at new building is your #1 priority and don't mind poor management. If you are a current resident, be prepared for a tough move-out. read more

I am a current resident. Our stay here started off well, but looks like the building/management has been going downhill quite drastically lately. The (+)s - Newish building. Amenities as expected when you pay this much - Pretty quiet even though it is close to Caltrain - Location is good The MINUSES - They have faulty elevators. We were stuck in one of them with our toddler for over 3 hours. The fire department folks who pulled us that the elevator keeps breaking down. That problem elevator is down at least 10 days in a month. Given that the building has two elevators - one at each end of the building, this is a huge issue - Theft/Security seems to be a major issue lately. I had my expensive bike stolen from one of the bike rooms within the building yesterday. You need to get through two locked doors before you get there, but somehow it happened. At least 5 other bikes were stolen along with it. The worst part is, there were bikes were stolen just a couple of days earlier in another bike room closer to the street, but just yesterday morning the building management emailed had us all, saying it was under control, and asked residents to move their bike to the one from which mine was stolen. - The assistant manager is not open to feedback, and is extremely curt. It has been 12+ hours since I reported the incident (2nd theft incident in as many days), and she has still has not communicated this to the other residents. There are still bikes in the bike room which might get stolen tonight. When I asked her about this, she said she has a process to follow, and does not want to alarm other residents unnecessarily(!?!?). read more

My boyfriend and I moved into a 2-bedroom apt here a few weeks ago. I've lived in a lot of apartments in my life, and this is by far the best place I've ever rented, hands down. The units are gorgeous - brand new, spacious and airy with lots of light, they include a huge ultra-modern kitchen, washer dryer, central ac, a Juliet balcony so you can open the floor to ceiling windows, etc. Everything is of high quality and design - from the stainless appliances to the modern lights. Well laid out with ample storage space. Unlike most of the other places I've lived, it's exceptionally well insulated so you can't hear your neighbors at all - pretty impressive. Amenities overall are also fantastic. Major perk is the state of the art gym and heated pool. As an avid swimmer and exerciser, this is a big draw. I love being able to run downstairs and swim or work out. There's also a wifi lounge, a decked out business center, and another hangout/party room. Outdoor fireplaces and grill areas plus two hot tubs (which I aim to hit this weekend.) Again, everything is brand-new and quality. We don't have a pet but have chatted with other residents who said that the building is accommodating and pet-friendly. Lots of parking for residents and guests in the garage below. They have an online portal to manage maintenance requests, packages, rental payment, etc, so that's convenient and streamlined. The location is also great. It's downtown Sunnyvale, two blocks from the CalTrain and one block from Murphy Avenue, which has lots of lovely restaurants and cafes. A wonderful (although small) farmer's market is held on Saturday mornings. Target is also two blocks away so you can dash over there for any last minute needs. As someone who is safety conscious, the area is well-lit and I feel safe walking around at night. There is some noise from the construction down the street (which will be ending in the next few months as I understand) and from traffic. But those are normal city issues. As a humble humanitarian aid worker and member of the 99%, it's pricey for me but from what I'm starting to understand, it's a good deal considering all the perks. (As an aside, when we were looking at apartments, we were floored to see far less impressive places charge the same amount as Solstice. Granted, these were in Mountain View but still.) Finally, the best thing about this place is the management. They are *wonderful*. (And I'm pretty sure I've never said that about any property/building management before.) We had some noise issues coming from a ventilation fan and they bent over backwards to address it immediately. The head of maintenance - Cisco - was on top of everything, kept us informed every step of the way, and checked in on us to see how we were doing. The responsiveness was exceptional. All the staff we've met have been very professional and warm and genuinely seem to want to help. Their orientation is to take care of their residents and ensure they have a good experience living here. It's great (and rare) to feel like you're on the same side. That sense of security can really improve one's quality of life - dealing with bad management is stressful. We've worked with Ben, Rebecca, Justin and Leslie - all of them top notch. Plus, they seem like genuinely good folks who you could just chill and have a beer with. As you can see, we are really happy living here and highly recommend Solstice to others. read more

We have been living here for almost a year and overall we are happy here. There are several good thinga such as our big windows and the great floor plan. Feels like a home rather than an apartment at least inside. Lauren in the office is wonderful to work with and always very responsive. Javier has come to service several things and is very responsive and easy to work with. On the negative side the grate outside in street is loud and constantly hear cars go over it day and night . Called PGE but still not fixed. The elevators were out alot and for days at a time which made it difficult taking out our dog. Has been working last month or so which is good. There is a sewer smell that comes and goes not sure what that is but know Solstice is looking into it. The carpets are quite dirty most of the time. I don't like the apartments being a hotel for people who come and go. It doesn't give it a home feel but more like a hotel. The biggest issue is the huge increase in rent 10% for our renewal. I wouldn't mind paying if there was an increase in amenities but that's not the case. Prices are going down everywhere but they are increasing which doesn't feel right. In October the rents will go down but yet our renewal is based on today's prices. Doesn't make sense. A new tenant can come here in October and will have a lower rent but a proven good tenant will get an increase. If it weren't for personal reasons we would move but can't take on another stress at this time. I would support a small increase but 385 more a month is ridiculous read more

Pro: - quick to respond maintenance crew. - Nice apartments in a good location - nice amenities - rent is competitive for what you get in that area. Cons: - street noise: Washington is loud and car noise echoes off the buildings. - I can hear neighbors above and on the sides. I do some night shifts and had a bit of trouble sleeping because of it during the day. mostly quiet at night though. - Fire alarms went off weekly, sometimes at 3:00 in the morning. - The 1 star rating really comes from move out (I see some other reviews with similar issues). I did a pre-move out walk through which is just with maintenance staff and doesn't include documentation (my bad to not insist on it, but never had a problem before and I've lived in a lot of different complexes). Maintenance says my carpet is stained and needs replacement, apartment needs to be painted. I disagreed, but he said it would be pro-rated as they replace them every 3 years anyway and I lived there for two, so charges would be about $180. I can live with that. I then got a bill for $785... Make sure you budget for this on move out as it looks like I'm not the only one. read more

This review is about the experience with the leasing team at Solstice. We walked in without scheduling an appointment when passing by, but Ariel from the leasing team had no problem showing us around instantly. He was also professional and knowledgeable in responding to our numerous questions. Thank you! read more

This is a shout out to Ariel and the nice lady at the office (didn't catch her name). I booked a tour yesterday to check out solstice. The apartment with the layout that I wanted was still undergoing maintenance and not available for viewing. Ariel was nice enough to check in on the apartment at the end of our tour and found that it was 90% finished. He then showed it to me, so I wouldn't need to come out for another trip. I really appreciated that, especially since it was already well into his lunch time. Ariel was knowledgeable and clearly has a good relationship with the tenants. He is very courteous and pleasant in the whole process. read more

I recently visited these apartments for a tour and now I continuously get emails trying to get me to take surveys about my touring experience. One email would be somewhat acceptable, but sending multiple emails reminding me to take your stupid survey about a silly 10 minute tour is a waste of my time and energy. I would like to live in a place with a management company who respects my time. read more

I live here for more than 3 months and love it. This is the first time I live in a luxury apartment, so everything looks so fancy to me. Considering its nice location, the price is acceptable. Things to improve: the stairwell smells strange; more guest parking spots/control. I occasionally hear the steps from upstairs, so I guess the floors are not concrete. Good thing is I don't hear anything from my neighbors from the other side of the side walls. The apartment is mostly very quiet, maybe it is because my windows do not face the street. read more

Fire alarm has gone off for the fourth or fifth time in a four month span (Dec 2015 - March 2016). It's terrible that when the fire department clears it's not an emergency we have to wait an hour or more so someone can get a key to turn the alarm off. Why can't there be a key on the premises?! If you have small children like we do, DO NOT LIVE HERE. We have to take our babies out of bed for nothing in the cold weather, now can't sleep! It's going off now (at 2:30am) called 911 and they said it's clear but we have to wait. Currently it's 3:30am and the alarm is still going off. My husband is hopping mad and this is worth breaking our lease!!!!! I'm pregnant and my baby is moving inside me that it hurts. I have to stay outside in the cold holding my infant waiting for this alarm to the off. We are worried about our children's ears! DO NOT LIVE HERE, can't believe there are so many false positives. DO NOT LIVE HERE!!!!! I'll start documenting each time the fire alarm goes off. It went off -April 13th right after midnight and was turned off 30mind later. Do not live here, fire alarm goes off too many times for dumb reasons and it's always late at night. We also complained about our noisy neighbors (Google housing) above for us for months (since Dec 2015) and management doesn't care. They never call or email me about it. I came in to pick up my packages and they were talking at me with my kids crying to tell me I have to do more, like call a number for after hours security to look into the noise each time. I said call or email me I can't hear what you're saying. They didn't bother to contacting me. We are going to move to Loft house!!! Residents here are barely into their first year and it's for a reason, you'll end up moving out service for everything is so bad. It's really sad because our family soon to be five (waiting on baby number 3) will have to leave. Moving is a pain read more

I was so happy to see how well the office consultants stood up and greeted me as soon as I walked in and I instantly noticed how clean and welcoming the office was.The property is well kept and maintained..Very nice modern apartments and spacious.Overall great staff and friendly community.. Great mints! read more

I've been renting apartments for a little over ten years now and Solstice is definitely one of the top 3 apartment communities I've lived in. The good - Maintenance staff respond incredibly fast and are friendly - Community is impeccably maintained - Apartments are very nicely designed and in-unit W/D is quite large - Fitness center is small, but relatively well appointed - Plenty of resident parking - Clubhouse by the pool is great for hosting pool parties - Apartment staff friendly and helpful - Lots of places to eat/drink nearby, walking distance to Macy's, Target, banks, Walgreen's, Sprouts, Trader Joe's (less than a mile away) - Farmer's market on Murphy Street on Saturday The bad - Expensive. $3700+ for a 2br/2ba is not reasonable. Rents are supposed to go up to close to $4000 for us when our lease is up, so we will likely be moving. - Spa and heated swimming pools were not heated for close to 5 months (May-Sept) - Guest parking is somewhat limited. This has only become a problem recently with the opening of more and more shops. - The key fob to get into the apartment community and garage is gigantic. I'm talking "this is uncomfortable to keep in my pocket" large. read more

We only toured these apartments. Staff was friendly but not as friendly as other places we toured in the area. Interesting urban/modern hotel-ish vibe to the units/space. We looked at a studio and 1 bedroom. Units are VERY VERY small and extremely over-priced for south bay. One of the units we were shown was advertised at 350sq ft. Our previous studio in downtown SF was around 400sqft. Solstice unit was easily less than half the size of our place in SF. Disappointed in size and pricing. read more

Run in the other direction! For $4000 a month I pay in rent, I expect to not be woken up once a month with incessant fire alarms from 4-5am!! When you complain to management (if you get them to answer the phone) you get blown off. If you complain about noisy neighbors (like loud enough your windows are physically shaking) you get an asinine answer about running the risk of neighbors having PETS in an apartment building. Thats right, obviously this is a 'pet' situation. Can't wait to get out of this place, don't waste your money here. read more

This apartment is really nice! Brenda and the management team is very responsive. Everytime when we have any problem with the apartment, we know someone will be there to help us. It is totally worth it! We definitely recommend this apartment to anyone who like plenty of food option within walking distance, Saturday farmer market, and a Target nearby. read more

Talk about a sweet place to live in the heart of Sunnyvale! The Management Staff pour their hearts and souls into making sure they listen and work hard on keeping Solstice the premier place in Sunnyvale to call home! Several restaurants are about to open and have opened onsite, which are amazing. You cannot beat the luxuries of a heated pool, stylish yet lavish lounge and rock'n gym. If you truly get to know this team of professionals you'll never want to leave! Great Job! Essex and Team Solstice! A renewal is coming your way! read more

I've lived here for some time and in general, it's probably the best apartment I've ever rented, and of course the most expensive one. It's close to downtown with quite a few nice restaurants and close to Target which is good. The only thing I really hate is that the heating system of their so-said heated pool is actually not working 80% of the time. They keep saying that they are working on it but it takes forever for them to actually bring it 80 degrees... read more

The staff at Solstice is awesome! The team is friendly and helpful. The apartments are well appointed and located in the best part of Sunnyvale. read more

Solstice has very nice apartments located in downtown Sunnyvale! Office staff is extremely friendly and helpful. Highly recommend this apartment community to anyone who is looking! read more

Very good environment! Cozy bedroom, convenient kitchen etc. It's also very quiet, which is good for rest. The neighborhood is very convenient, with Macy's and Target in 5min to 10 min walk distance. I would recommend it to every one! read more

The day Yelp introduces a zero or half star, it will be awarded to Solstice. More cons (sigh): * Shutting off water seems to have become a norm. Most days its during the day, 8 am-5 pm. Sometimes (like today) it just gets extended until 6 pm and beyond (just like that). What are residents supposed to do for basic necessities? Well who cares.. * Residents have to pay 300$ for reserving the common area hall and a 500$ deposit for any potential damage! So why do the residents have to pay month on month fees (which I am sure is included in the exorbitant rent) for using common area if they cant even use it once when in need?!! What are you charging that high rent for?! * Some residents have started leaving their trash outside the trash room. Yuck * Maintenance used to be decent. Most issues used to be addressed in 24 hours. Now it's anywhere from 48 hours to about a week! * And to top it all, the 'new' management never picks up calls from residents (no matter which day or time or urgency). Guess they are too busy wondering how to make this shitty place way more shitty. * Like some of the earlier reviewers have said, the woes of moving out of this place far outweighs any remote joys of moving in. Expect a big fat move out statement irrespective of how clean your apartment is- stove will always be replaced (even if you have never cooked on it!), charges for carpet cleaning that can be justified only if you are replacing it with gold (!!!!), repaint that's probably done by the CEO of Essex (who else gets paid that much for painting) and the list goes on. And good luck if you are foolish enough to move-in even after reading these amazing reviews. read more

Management is a joke. See the reviews on the manager. New manager is same or worse. They blame everyone else (third employees or contractors) for lack of communication and lack of process. I understand it is hard to get good help in this area but if you are called a manager, there is a reason. Stop lying about you have done the work you are supposed to do. Management is negative 4 while the maintenance team is plus 5. read more

We moved into Solstice about 7 months ago to begin our retirement experience after selling our home in Santa Clara. I have seen several people's complaints about the management, etc. and I guess maybe they have had a difference experience than I. We did experience several alarms going off in our first 2 months here, but have noticed that the situation has greatly improved. (The sensitivity of the alarm system when we moved in must have been SERIOUS!) LOL We had no issues with the previous manager. She was nice to us and we never experienced the negativity that is mentioned some reviews. The new Manager, Rachel is awesome. She is Professional and nice, but we also know she has a job to do and rules to follow, so we have to realize she can't just do as we ask all the time. Deveron and the entire staff here are great. We just signed another lease for a year. As for the location, it can't be beat. As for the Google employees? They seem to be pretty nice to us. I mean, they are all really young and we are at retirement age, but they have all been great neighbors and are in fact pretty awesome kids. As for elevators breaking down? They do this once in a while. It can't be helped. Yes. It may be inconvenient and yes, I may cuss about it a little, but what can you do? At least it's not a 30 story high rise! ;-) This is the Silicon Valley. Rents are high because? Profit. It's something we all have to deal with. They told us when we moved in about the possibility of carpet and stovetop replacement. The stovetop is glass. It will get scratched and may need replacing. Apartments need to be repainted and carpets need to be replaced. It's part of life. No, I do not expect that this should be the "norm", but it does happen. We love it here and have no major, melt down, OMG my life is horrible complaints! LOL I hope this message is taken with some humor. Life is too short to constantly be tearing people up and being negative to them all the time because of one issue. As for the move out inspection complaint? We have cell phones now. My advice is to film the inspection and the comments of the person doing it next time. I am sure there will be situations while we live here. But you get more from people being nice to them rather than treating them like they owe us something or are our servants because we pay high rent. Everyone in the valley does. I like the folks who work here and yes, I like the Google folks too!!! ;-) read more

Quite possibly one of the best properties I have rented in the quality of the apartment. The entire process from initial contact via email, to the call back by the leasing folks for viewing the property, to visiting the property, filling the entire app online and setting up auto payments, happened without much fuss (or paper) and seamlessly. The staff and management are awesome and they go above and beyond the "norm" to ensure that you (the customer) is happy and well served. Very highly recommend this property to anyone who wants a pad in a central and convenient location in Sunnyvale. Kudos to the entire team at Solstice! You rock!!!! read more

Horrible service. My husband and I set up an appointment for a tour, but there were nobody in the leasing office at time when we arrived. We went back in about half an hour later the leasing office lady was in the office, yet she didn't seem interested in helping. She just gave me the floor plan and asked me to go. I think it will be better to stay away from this horrible place. read more

You would think for $$$$ in rent, you can at least expect hot water. Or working elevators. Or a trash room that doesn't smell like it hasn't been cleaned in a decade! And the worst part? The terrible attitude the office employees have! They're rude and extremely unhelpful - The only thing they do is send out emails AFTER the fact "apologizing" for the inconvenience. But no actual help. Stay away: Horrible place. Horrible employees. read more

I visited Solstice a few weeks ago. I've been looking for an apt in Bay Area for a few month now. I was very disappointed with the way that the manager trick me to sign the papers. I changed my mind and decided to not move in after 34 hrs b/c the over pricing and also the parking issues and Garbage situation ( the Trash is way too far from town house and some apts). I was not able to get my money back. Information that she gave me regarding the apt. policies was not accurate. Be careful if you are not sure of renting this apt, DO NOT Sign any paperwork. She told me I can change my mind till 24 hrs before the moving date and they will charge me only the application fee. But that was a lie. They denied to give my deposit back. The manager and corporation are not honest people. read more

The girlfriend and I came in on a Saturday to inquire some information and for a tour. The lady in the leasing office was rude and didn't seem interested in helping. She was already assisting another couple so she took down my name and number and said she'll call in about 30 minutes but she never did. Also, we noticed the assistant manager was present but she must have had super important work to do since she wasn't interested in helping either. Great customer service. These people really love their jobs. read more

You end up paying A LOT in rent, so you do expect that the amenities they sold you on be in good working order. However, the hot tub in one of the buildings has been out of order for over 3 months, the pool in the other building always feels super cold (it's supposed to be heated), the trash cans are overflowing in the garages, and the elevators had expired inspection certificates for some time - they have since put a note in them claiming they have put in for updated certs. Before that, I feel like the alarms were constantly going off in the elevator. I just feel like I was sold a bill of goods and that Solstice didn't really deliver. read more

Unlike most apartment management in the Bay Area, I found the staff at Solstice to be ultra-professional, responsive, and genuinely friendly. read more

Don't bother making an appointment for a tour. We did and no one was at the leasing office when we arrived. There was a sign on the door stating they were "closed until 1:30 for a resident event." Apparently, prospective tenants are not worth the leasing office's time. Very unprofessional. read more

The apartment layouts, finishings and appliances look far more traditional that most buildings built after 2010. Beige as far as the eye can see, carpets as far as the eye can see. Low-end appliances for a new building, and a rapidly deteriorating management. Constant fire alarms, passive-agressive management and cars with a "Synergy corporate housing" parking pass that park in your designated spot (and there are only a few of those in the entire garage!) that management does nothing about, despite having brought it to their attention several times. They clearly are in the pocket of Synergy and the management is too indifferent to even pretend to care. On the up side, the building's maintenance team is friendly, but that's not enough to make me renew my lease. read more

They cut water down for a whole day, promised to get it back at 5, but then delayed it until 8. Then guess what? We haven't heard back from them any more and just don't get any hot water for the whole night... No email, nobody answering emergency calls, ... read more