Sterling 5th Street is an amazing apartment complex to live in, the best in Davis! I couldn't recommend it enough! Let's start with the pricing, which is modest and affordable, especially considering the incredible facilities. For the 2024 year, I managed to get my own private bedroom and bathroom in a 5x5 apartment for $1,099 per month. I'll talk more on how Sterling compares to other housing options in Davis at the end of this review, but first, let me talk about the details of the apartment. Apartment Features: The 5x5 unit (their most affordable option) is incredibly spacious, much larger than any other apartments I toured in Davis. Each bedroom comes fully furnished (at no additional charge) with its own private bathroom, bed, desk, chair, and plenty of storage. My unit even has a spacious walk-in closet! There are 2 large windows that allow you to let in plenty of sunlight. The private bathroom is massive, modern and with all-new fixtures. The common areas are equally as modern. The living room is large and comes furnished with comfortable couches, a coffee table, and a big TV. The kitchen has a huge island with 5 bar chairs for entertaining, plenty of cabinet space for all five residents, and new appliances. The in-unit washer and dryer are also large and new. While you can hear noise within the unit (e.g., someone cooking or talking in the living room), it's better soundproofed than any other student apartment I've visited in Davis. The walls between apartments are thick, so I never hear my next door neighbors. Traffic and train noise are nonexistent, even though I live on the south side around 300ft from the tracks. Amenities: Sterling's amenities are the best! There's a pool and a heated jacuzzi, study areas on every floor, and a large main study area with private rooms and free printing (30 pages/month). The game room features a pool table, and the community kitchen is perfect for hosting events. Wifi is fast everywhere. The gym is my favorite amenity. It's huge, well-equipped, with most equipment you can find at the ARC. With dumbbells up to 75 lbs, mirrors throughout, and great views of the pool, it's convenient and saves me time and money from driving and parking at the ARC. There are also BBQs scattered around the property, making it great to host gatherings. The secured parking garage is spacious, with plenty of spots even for general parking pass holders like myself. There is also a bike garage. Staff and Management: The staff at Sterling are fantastic! Shoutout to Angelina and Jonathan, who have been incredibly helpful and friendly every time I need assistance. The leasing office is open daily, and maintenance requests are addressed quickly (usually within 1-3 days). The team is polite, accessible, and always willing to help. Location: While Sterling is a bit far from campus compared to pther apartments in Davis, it's manageable with a car. For bikers, the nearby bike highway to the West on the overpass works well! Pricing Comparison: Sterling stands out as the best value for student housing in Davis, especially with how new and great their amenities are! Other apartments for the 2025-2026 year charge upwards charge of $1,400-$1,700 for private rooms without private bathrooms, or $1,059 for shared bedrooms in overcrowded units like Identity, which accommodates up to 12 people. By comparison, Sterling's pricing and modern buildings are unbeatable. I moved in mid-Fall quarter of 2024, and initially hesitated to renew my lease due to being new. But after a month, and after touring other apartments for the 2025-2026 year, I realized how much better Sterling was. Unfortunately, I missed the opportunity to lock in the $1,099 rate for the 2025-2026 year but was offered a reasonable $1,229, which is still far better than any other private bed+bath in Davis for 2025-2026. Learn from my mistake, sign up for Sterling asap (spots always run out!) and renew your lease early! This place truly offers the best student housing experience in Davis, with affordability, luxury, and convenience! read more

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Update after management response: Their response still leaves out the main issue. The documentation they provided only says grease buildup was found. It does not show tenant misuse, current resident responsibility, or that it went beyond normal wear and tear. A sink working at move-in does not prove the drain line was internally clean, especially when they confirmed they do not do in-depth inspections before move-in. In my experience, residents are charged based on assumptions, even when there is nothing clear to support those assumptions. Future residents should document everything, save every email, and be prepared to dispute charges. read more

I really disliked living here and would not recommend it. Management was awful to deal with, poor communication, and it felt like residents' concerns were never taken seriously read more

Warning to those who end up renting from here: make sure you take detailed pictures and videos of your apartment before moving in and when leaving, in particular the carpet! They will upcharge you for carpet cleaning and refuse to return your deposit. The management here listed "damages" to the carpet on my invoice as a basis for upcharging. Then, they said they just list both damages and cleanliness problems as "damages," but my invoice was for cleanliness. They told me that there are visible dark spots under and around the desk area, as well as at the entrance of the bedroom that required professional steam cleaning. If you've lived here, you would know that the carpet here is multi-colored and just your stepping on the carpet can depress it, leading to "shadows" on the carpet. I didn't have a clear video for the entrance of my room, but I had a better video for under my desk. I screenshotted it and sent it to them, and as you can see below, the only thing you can see on the carpet are shadows. read more

Sterling 5th Street - Apartments Near Me - Davis, California

I've been suffering from the structure-borne noise coming from upstairs for at least 3 months. I've reported this issue to the leasing office, and, based on their quiet hour policy, they should fine the tenants creating the noise. However, over the past 3 months they've only sent two emails to the tenants and taken no further actions thereafter! I cannot have a good sleep, nor can I concentrate on my study or work! It's been frustrating, and it shouldn't haven been like this had the leasing office taken this issue just a LITTLE more seriously! read more

Cool apartment for students in Davis Pros: parking structure the best in town, Nice free coffee machine Jacuzzi Gym Lobby area Many study rooms Close to police station and Safeway Staff are always trying their best to help read more

first of all i would just like to say thank you for Sterling. lived here for the past 3 years and i would say i loved every single minutes here, especially the staffs. Jonathan is really kind, friendly and always there to help you out. Other staffs are also very kind and friendly they always try to be there for you. loved them! 10/10 would recommend Sterling! read more

Sterling 5th Street - having fun at sterling! - Apartments Near Me - Davis, California

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I would say the best property I've ever lived on, 2 years going strong and loving it every single minute. The property managers are super nice and the staff as well, they'll try to always help you! And crazy cool events! read more

Sterling 5th Street - Apartments Near Me - Davis, California

good area I like this community. This environment is very nice and quiet. I like my room, it's big and nice. read more

The amenities are really good, it's always clean. Unfortunately, the walls are pretty thin, so you can hear your other roommates.

Great management especially maintenance is super fast. The facilities are also really nice

the best apartment ive lived on. best events, staff very friendly, amenities very clean and friendly. read more

Sterling 5th Street - Apartments Near Me - Davis, California

This apartment has very good facilities and the resident experience is very good! Garage, swimming pool very complete, I really like it here！ read more

Super nice place to live in! Amenities are great and super nice. Definitely a good place to live.

Best student housing complex ever. Great amenities, daily trash pick up so we don't have to take it out.

I've only been at Sterling for a little over a month and everything has been great so far. Security at night, valet trash, gated parking structure + other amenities are great. Everyone who works here is very kind and always willing to help. read more

Pretty lit. I would say if the wifi has a bit better internet speed then it would be solid but it should be better to have your own internet tbh read more

Don't come here. I started living here in September 2021 and the one thing that I am still being tortured with until now is it's terrible soundproofing construction. The walls between rooms are literally made of cardboard. I would put earplugs on every night before I go to sleep and I could still hear clearly what my roommates are saying. Another thing is that sterling have this fire alarm testing procedure, from time to time. You would never know when it will ring. The sound is like sirens in Syria, NON STOP for up to 30 minutes. The office don't have anything to say about it. read more

Sterling 5th has many things to like about it. For me it's the amount of room space available, the personal bathrooms, the gym and the pool. They also hold a lot of events every month, and even though I don't attend them all, it's nice to know they have a great sense of community. The staff is very nice and welcoming. It seems like you're really able to talk to them whenever. Lastly, I really like that they have a dedicated secure room where I can leave my bike locked up at any time. read more

Pros: service is really good. When you need help with the furnitures (e.g. repair the microwave handle), you can just request the repair via app and the staff will arrive within 3 days. Also, it's safe enough. Cons: The wall does not block any sound so when my roommate was playing games after 12, I would find it hard to sleep. Also, the price is kinda high. read more

soundproof in this apartment is basically useless, the wall is made by cardboard, and staff won't even bother to find out who is making noise around my apartment. I lived here for 2 years, already sent multiple complaints about neighbors exceeding noise but the office just decided to put some notes inside the elevator instead of trying to find out who is actually making those noise. there are literally just 2 suspects who potentially play loud music around me but they are just too lazy to knock there door and warn them about this issue. It's like you are living in the karaoke. Cut-corner construction and irresponsible staff all around this place. Do not live here if you want a quiet place to study, it's not worth the price. read more

great amenities great staffs.. really helpful when there's a problem, lots of "events" which is nice

I signed my lease at Sterling 5th Street back in April and started working here in late May. Speaking through my experience as both a resident and an employee Sterling has surprised me in both aspects. The management is super understanding and accommodating. When I was signing, the CAs were super helpful in finding me the perfect floor plan. Once I moved in, the benefits of living here have really shown through. The valet trash service here is pretty much my best friend and the fitness center (24hr) is one of the best apartment gyms that I have personally used in Davis. read more

Here are my thoughts after living 2 years here: The positives of Sterling include: AMAZING home gym compared to other places (never had to use the school gym once), the staff are friendly (especially Romeo), nice coffee machine, and the AC/heater system works very well (especially in summer). Also, it is not too far from the school campus (15-20 minute bike ride), and you happen to pass through downtown along the way. Even in a 4-unit apartment, my own room was pretty large, and having my own bathroom was a deal-maker. The negatives of Sterling include: TERRIBLE online infrastructure (After signing my lease, I nearly lost my apartment reservation because their system apparently failed to process the email I entered and thus failed to email me my move-in instructions. Even on the VERY first day I moved in, I was instructed to take photos of any residual damages left by the previous tenant, but their app kept crashing and I was thus unable to upload any photos. Also, they sometimes fail to respond to emails sent regarding specific concerns, unless repeatedly nudged. When my roommates and I found that our washing machine was faulty toward the beginning of the school year, it took over half a year for them to recognize that it was actually broken and send in a replacement - only after I sent countless maintenance requests about this). Additionally, the walls are thin and NOT soundproof at all, and the carpet floor has tiny ends of nails poking out in certain places. The wifi is about as strong and reliable as the on-campus wifi (it's not the best, but it gets the job done). There are certainly other apartments with better internet service. Also, despite the apartment's genuine efforts, this place is NOT safe from thieves. You have probably already read through all of the posts about stolen packages. I myself have had a bike tire stolen when I locked my bike in their (supposedly safe) bike garage. Overall, amidst its shortcomings, Sterling is easily one of the better (perhaps among the best) apartments in Davis. That being said, at $1400/month, there are certainly other apartments of better value here. Personally, if it wasn't for the apartment gym alone, I would have regretted living here. read more

4/5 stars - most things are great. The mail situation is getting a little better but still not amazing. Communication from the apartment is also not the best, it's decent but could be better. The service is great though and everyone is really nice and understanding. Every time I have a question they're very helpful. Biggest complaint is that they force renewals 2 months after move-in (and the fact they don't notify you when you receive packages and they can't come to your door). My favorite part is the amenities. Definitely worth the price in my opinion. And security is great. A very safe place to live. The apartments are also not small - which is great since I work from home most of the time. 9/10 - would recommend if you can live with the way packages are handled and early renewals. =) read more

Run away. I came here at the end of 2020, there was barely anyone and the staff was pretty friendly, informative, and helpful (mind you this was still in the midst of covid and classes are still online). It started great at first and I felt comfortable. Made a new friend and all, however, when Fall 2021 came and people started moving in, boy oh boy... did the quality of this apartment fall. I got an amazing roommate at first, and an email came a week before the move-in date (so like around 3/2 week before school) that I had new roommates. That's fine, I signed up for a 4 bedroom because I do want to experience having roommates. However, I did not sign up for a roommate that was not in the right mind. Basically, what happened was we never talked to this one other person in the room, and when another person moved in next to their room, the person started banging the wall and toilet seat and we were shocked (mind you one of my roommates signed in the roommate questionnaire that she does not want a male roommate). After several altercations, the person decided to leave and we saw that the person was definitely a guy the person also decided to scream out loud and banged his bag to the gate at 3 AM cause he had nowhere to go (management also said he was not harmful) umm.. yeah sure. Also, he decided to go in when I was alone in the apartment and rang the doorbell (so the apartment is not as safe as y'alls think). People will let others in even if they do not have keys. There are random people who used the pool during summer and the gym as well. Then our A/C unit broke and they said they were trying their best to fix it, sure they did their best for probably 4/5 months, this also lead to my dog's illness being heightened because he cannot be in a hot environment that sadly lead to his passing since there was a surprise heat wave around the spring quarter. They did decide to give us an A/C unit that was placed in the living room, however, they don't reach the rooms and this was still in the middle of the crazy heat wave. Not to mention that they decided to yell at us because we informed them that the A/C that was supposedly working in the morning was broken again (they did say that if we find any more problems call them, but the A/C in the afternoon, a little before they are off the clock). Lastly (although not so last bad experience, but I think this review has been too much), the gated parking spot is a SCAM! The gate is 50% broken and the elevator is accessible by anyone so you could essentially go through the elevator from the parking garage and go to any floor. Even though a key fob is needed to enter, half of the time the doors are open. Additionally, the door in the unit sometimes does not shut. Soooo yeah. When I thought it was going so well before I moved, my roommate's car got towed for NO reason. She was just charging her car and did not violate any parking rules (she also had her sticker there) so she had to pay them to bring the car down, even though management is there. Ohoh, don't be surprised by people yanking your chargers too for those who have electric cars :D This is not the end of my rant, but to not bore anyone, nor get me more heated I will end it here. I just want to say that you should reconsider before moving here because it IS one of the more expensive luxury apartment complexes, but it does not feel like one. read more

Sterling 5th Street - This was the only temp I have, but yeah.. essentially they wanted us to boil in 90 degree first before actually helping :) - Apartments Near Me - Davis, California

Wonderful tour taken by Ricky Williams, best apartments for student I ever seem, great price except it's all rented ahaha. But thanks to Ricky ! read more

I love Sterling!! The amenities are great. The gym is always super clean and not packed, which is rare in Davis. Front desk & the manager are always so kind and helpful! read more

Unreasonable charges and ridiculous management. If you cannot recruit better staff or have better training for them, stop doing business in general. Come live here only if you're ready to get ripped off and have a lot of patience to get along with staff that keep repeating the same line. read more

- Pricey due to a lesser convenient location. - Package receiving system does not look very secure. - The $1 / exit rule after 25 exits / month is really inconvenient, especially given the farther proximity from campus and downtown. I understand that it is a stupid rule placed by the city of Davis, but it is a deal breaker for me. - Look at how many five star reviews on Yelp are under the "not recommended" tab, that means a lot. Are they leaving fake reviews? - Staff gave a fake friendly attitude when leasing out to lure me in, you can tell by their over enthusiastic vibe. Apartments are here to maximize profits, not to provide good customer service. Expect a lower level of customer service after signing a lease. read more

It began as an awkward, stressful relocation for our son, but was transformed by Olivia and her team to the best possible experience. Every concern met with clarity and care. Above and beyond. read more

My experience at Sterling 5th has been wonderful! This is probably the nicest apartment complex in Davis, because of the amenities, the new and furnished rooms and also because of the staff. I have shopped around at other complexes, and felt that the staff did not really care about my needs. Here, this is entirely not the case. Their staff has been extremely kind and friendly. Particularly Olivia, who has helped me with feeling more at home, and has made the process to move to Sterling something I was excited for! read more

It's a very well managed property, staff is responsive and helpful. The amenities are great and it's so nice to have private bathrooms plus in-unit laundry. The price is high but if you can afford it this is one of the better managed apartment buildings in Davis. read more

Walls are very thin. I was on the top floor in a studio and I could hear my downstairs neighbors do anything - walk, talk, close doors, etc. it's very annoying since you are paying a lot!! I would assume that the materials they used to construct the apartments would have been of good quality, but they are not. They also do not enforce the smoking policy and you smell cigarettes in your room if they downstairs neighbor or upstairs neighbor smokes. read more

First of all I don't recommend anyone living here. They bribe people to change reviews by giving them money through community rewards so please don't take the "4star" into account. My FIRST problem here they tow cars of residents that live here AND PAY WITH A PARKING PASS CLEARLY IN VISIBLE SITE. YET it's okay for non paying residents to enter and park and use the gym and I don't see anything happening to them. Today my car was getting towed because I was parked in an electric parking WHILE ON CHARGE with my visible parking pass. I got a notification on my phone that my car alarm has been triggered so I check my camera and what do I see? My car getting onto the tow truck. I AM A PAYING RESIDENT THAT HAS BEEN HERE FOR A YEAR KEEP THAT IN MIND. So I go down and the tow truck guy tells me I have to pay $145 in order to take my car off the truck that I never even told him to put on in the first place. My bf calls the office asking why that's happening and asked for a manager , the male ( Rickey I think) that picked up the phone at 4pm 08/03/2022 told him the manager was not here and to call back tomorrow. WHY WOULD I CALL BACK TOMORROW IF MY CAR IS BEING TOWED WITHOUT A MANAGERS APPROVAL???? HUH even though the tow truck driver told me management told him. Lol so anyways I go back up to get my card to pay the amount that he had asked and while I was coming down RICKEY came running up to me AGGRESSIVELY asking for my bf saying "where the "bleep" is he" and the funny thing is he's the one who said the manager isn't here but when I come out by my car she's standing there with him. An absolute lie. Who trains these people? Are y'all really that in need to hire just anyone?? Totally unprofessional. Keep in mind overnight there are cars parked in electric vehicle spots that aren't even electric but they never get towed??? LMFAOOOO they pick & choose. This place is a show. I will be writing more reviews to explain my other incidents with sterling including the one where they placed a male in my unit when I had specifically said NO males and no heads up either. This man was banging on the walls when I would even make a sound in the apartment, I was never informed anyone was moving in at all. So to my surprise I have this guy yelling in his room and screaming anytime I would even step outside. The manager did nothing beside kick him out and give us $20 door dash credits WHAT. Another horrible experience I had at this place was OUR UNIT AC NOT WORKING FOR 4 MONTHS. STERLING DID NOTHING FOR US BESIDE THE EMPLOYEES YELLING AT US FOR NOT KNOWING WHAT THEY ARE DOING. that's no my fault. That's something y'all need to be experienced in. Anyways so it's 100+ degree's our side and we are told the only thing to accommodate is open our doors for air. That literally is not safe for TWO dogs in an apartment. Unfortunately due to the heat playing in factor our house pet had passed away. Absolutely disgusting AGAIN. i can go on and on about this place but you'll hear from others. And below are some pictures of everyone parked in electric parking & cars with no parking passes visible. The first two pictures are of MY car with the parking pass visible and still got towed ALSO now they are threatening to tell my university about the incident that I have never attended or never even gone to good luck yall read more

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My daughter lives at Sterling 5th street and is very happy. She loves the gym and pool even though with covid they have only been open a few time. She is hoping for more time in the spring. Also, the staff is awesome. They are very friendly and helpful. read more

Really love living here. So far my experience here has been phenomenal. Not only is this place big and beautiful, but the staff here treats you like family and really makes you feel at home! read more

The worst aparments Ive seen in my life. I would rather sleep on the street. 1.The managing system is bad. I got charged 40 more bucks in my parking permit for no reason. The services you received depends on the mood of staff every. The staff looks untrained that they need managers help in 20% of the problems. The key of my room was wrong one but it showed correct in their key systems. My mailbox key is wrong one too. And I never received a new one. I was forced 8dollars each month for someone to collect garbage everyday. You can only put your garbage outside during 3-5pm. But be careful, you do not want to get in trouble for put too many garbage bags outside. The staff told me it makes his garbage cart full too quickly. The staff can easily get in your room for any reason. They will kindly knocked the door and if you do not response they will just break in. 2. The hardware facilities will give you a lesson you will never forgot during your life. The printing machine was free at the start，now it only free for 10paper a month. By the way, it will cost you 30 mins to print a 10 pages doc. The Wi-Fi was broken down few days ago, after they repaired it now is like dog shit with 60mbps and unstable. The wall is not soundproofing at all. You can hear every single words from your roommates. 3.The apartments is so generous with 1450 dollars rent you can get a single size bad. A small tv. And a restroom outside your bedroom that will be treated as a guest restroom. No wonder only freshmen live here. read more

One of the top rated apartment in Davis to get you heart attack. The place is extremely expensive and is a mismanaged joke.

The accommodation experience is very poor, the apartment will find various reasons to arbitrarily charge, the front desk customer service attitude is not good. The sound insulation effect of the apartment is not good, the surrounding noise is loud, very messy. read more