I have been a tenant of Charles and Cindy since May of 2007 and I have never had such a positive renting experience. When I first went to rent the apartments I was a student at the University of Illinois and I moved out here due to graduate school at Cal. Cindy and Chuck were the only people who were friendly enough to do all of the renting and showing of the apartments by email and phone. If things would have been different my moving experience would have been much less fantastic. Additionally, they let me ship all of my things to their home before I moved to California -- this saved me so much trouble. Even beyond my initial experience, Cindy and Chuck have constantly proved to be amazing both as landlords and people. They are constantly working on the apartment and surrounding yard and garden to make the place look immaculate. They are friendly, honest and genuine -- hard to find in people, let alone in landlords. The apartments themselves are furnished and well taken care of. ANECDOTE ALERT! In the past, they have made me cookies and pie and dropped them off freshly baked. In fact, one evening, I got a call from Cindy saying she just baked a peach pie for me and she wanted to drop it off while still warm. Much to my chagrin, I was unable to return to my apartment that evening. So, what did she do? She said, "no big deal, we'll bake you another pie tomorrow because we want you to have it hot". Awesome! Needless to say, that pie was eaten in one sitting. Beyond the food, and hard work ethic, I genuinely love living in my apartment and it feels like Cindy and Chuck genuinely care for their tenants and their well being. Sometimes I think about the fact that someday I will move from this apartment and it saddens me a bit -- I know that as far as landlords go, this is absolutely as good as it gets, everything else will pale in comparison. read more

The Channing-Milvia Apartments - Channing Milvia Apartments By Steve Hanna - Apartments Near Me - Berkeley, California

Hands-down the nicest owners/landlords in the world. Chuck and Cindy have not only been great as landlords but they have also become friends. On many occasions we have received fresh cookies, pies, cakes, and anything else Cindy has made a bunch of. I will review the different aspects of the Channing-Milvia Apartments experience. Apartment itself: The apartments are around 600sq. ft. This may seem small but we, my wife and I and soon to arrive daughter, have found it to be the perfect size. The kitchen is large enough for anyone who cooks a few days a week to every night. While they aren't huge they have allowed me to cook quite a bit of food at a time. The living room is large with a desk, bookshelf, futon, and two windows. Apart from the kitchen and bathroom, the apartment has hardwood floors which help to brighten even the 1st floor apartments(we have lived downstairs and upstairs). The bedroom is perfect for a couple, two roommates or a single person. There is a nice closet and a walk in storage room with shelves. The bathroom is small but it really is big enough. Outdoor scene: The backyard is fantastic! Not only is there a grass area capable of holding 15-30 people for a BBQ, but there is a large garden that residents are allowed to use to grow food. There is a peach tree in the garden and a lemon tree along the driveway, each of which produce an abundance of fruit in season. There is a large charcoal grill and a smaller charcoal grill, which residents are free to use at their leisure. Furnishings: Wow, these apartments come with everything you could need. I love to cook, always have(my dad owns a restaurant) and these apartments are supplied with more than enough stuff to prepare holiday feasts. The linens are great and the rest of the furnishings are in great shape. We have just about everything we could need/want here. What if a problem arises? Chuck and Cindy are skilled handy-people. They can fix anything from a leaky faucet to problems with your stove, light fixtures or plumbing. If you report a problem, any problem, they are extremely quick to fix it. We could not wish for better landlords or friends, we will be sad to move in May. We HIGHLY recommend renting here, you will not regret it! read more

My experience living in one of the Channing-Milvia apartments was nothing short of wonderful. They are very nicely furnished, clean, well-kept, and quiet, and populated mostly by grad students and researchers at UC Berkeley. Each unit is a pretty big one-bedroom, and there is a shared yard between the two small apartment buildings. The landlord, Cindy, is super nice, helpful, and always available, and even brought me a home-baked peach pie one day... completely out of the blue. True story. Highly highly highly recommended for a great, peaceful place to live with a truly remarkable landlord. read more

I came to Berkeley in 2002 from Italy for my graduate studies. I lived with my girlfriend in the Channing-Milvia apartments for 6 years. When I arrived to Berkeley, I started looking for apartments all around. In a weekend I visited 12 apartments, and if you have tried to look for student apartments before, you know what you can find ... very deteriorated, some sketchy places, and in Berkeley, some really unusual landlords. Well, Cindy and Chuck are also unsual landlords but in the best way! As soon as I saw the Channing-Milvia apartments I knew this was the right place for me. The apartments were clean, and fully furnished. One bedroom, one bath, one large living room, a storage room and kitchen. On top of that, the apartments have a very nice and private backyard, and optional parking space. I immediately told Cindy and Chuck that I wanted it. They really wanted me to check everything and make sure I liked it. I told them I was sure, and luckily for me I got it! Since the beginning I knew this was the best place in town: located 5 minutes walking from BART (subway), and a block away from the main downtown street in Berkeley. The apartment was quiet enough, but not isolated so that I could feel fine about my girlfriend walking alone at night, and at the same time, it is close to all the restaurants, cafes, bars, etc of downtown. And then, Cindy and Chuck are just amazing. Other yelpers have already told stories about the pies, so I will not repeat them, but I'll tell you another one just to show how wonderful they are. After about 3 weeks of being in the apartment, the tv just stopped working. I e-mailed Cindy and Chuck about it, and the next morning they called me to ask permission to get in the apartment to install a new tv for me! And they are like that all the time. Plus, they take care of things themselves, including painting, gardening, constructiong the fence (which is beautiful), the common areas, etc (and they enjoy doing it. Check one of Chuck's articles: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/e/a/1998/01/14/HABITAT13467.dtl). The last year I was there, one of the pipes started leaking. I called them in the evening, and no wonder (once you know them), they had a replacement pipe for that exact faucet (I think they have a replacement piece for everything they own!). So they came within half an hour, and replaced the pipe. As I wrote in the acknowledgements for my dissertation, "Cindy and Chuck: thank you for welcoming me so warmly in Berkeley. I could not have imagined better landlords. Thanks to them I had one thing less to worry about... the house." If we hadn't bought a house, I don't think we would have ever moved from the Channing-Milvia apartments! We moved at the end of 2008. We still see Cindy and Chuck regularly and anytime we need help or advice with work in the house, we call them. So, if you are looking for a place in Berkeley, and are lucky enough to find a vacancy in the Channing-Milvia apartments, don't think twice about it. Try to get it! read more

See all

The owners of the past 26 years, Cindy and Chuck, have sold the Channing-Milvia Apartments and have retired. The new owner is Eric Tu, and he has pledged to continue the same high level of service to tenants. read more

My husband and I lived at Channing-Milvia Apartments for nearly 3 years. It was a great location... my husband walked to class everyday at UC Berkeley. There are many restaurants, bars, and convenient stores all in walking distance. Also nice to have BART a 10 minute walk away making it easy to get to both SFO and OAK airports. The apartment was easy to live in. 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, a kitchen fully stocked w/ all the necessities, living room w/ large windows. I was surprised by the amount of storage... huge walk-in storage closet AND a great linen closet in the bathroom. Finally, the outdoor space was amazing. I think it is very difficult to find something like that in Berkeley. Allowed us to basically have a whole extra living space when friends and family came in town. The outdoor space also has a peach tree, lemon tree, green beans, strawberries, lettuce, herbs, tomatoes, and extra gardening space where the residents can plant whatever they want. However, the best parts of the Channing-Milvia Apartments are the landlords, Chuck and Cindy. They are honestly some of the kindest, caring people I have ever met, making them excellent landlords. They are quick to respond to any requests or repairs on the apartment (usually responding within a day to any email). More importantly, they are there for you on a personal level, too. They listen, encourage, and support you in whatever you are pursuing. They quickly became like family to us in Berkeley. Sad to have left the Channing-Milvia Apartments, but we will probably miss Chuck and Cindy the most! read more

See all

My girlfriend and I lived at the Channing-Milvia apartments for about 1.5 years. We had an amazing experience living here. The landlords Chuck and Cindy are the kindest, most responsible, and caring people we have ever known. Their excellent care for the apartments and their tenants definitely made our experience pleasant and worry-free. The apartments are on the older side, but still clean and cozy. They are rent-controlled, so prices can only change with in a small window, and only after year (check with Cindy for details). The apartment comes fully furnished with furniture, appliances, utensils, and bedding. You don't have to bring or buy anything to live comfortably. Cindy really takes the time to personalize the furnishing depending on the needs of the tenant. She prepared all the cooking utensils and appliances you could ever want when she learned that we liked to cook, and brought us warmer blankets when it was cold. high speed Internet (100Mbps) and water are included, you only pay for electricity and gas. Sound does travel easily across the apartments though, it is necessary for tenants to be quiet and respectful. Most tenants are students or scholars, so we didn't have too many issues with noise. Parking is available on site for a small fee (ask Cindy about it). There is a free shared washing machine shared by the 8 apartments. There is no dryer, but there are clothes lines in the yard to air dry your clothes. Behind the apartments is a small garden that Cindy and Chuck keep in great shape. There are plants, and fruit trees (peach, lemon). Tenants are also free to plant anything they want in the garden. The apartment is a 5-10 minute walk from Bart, and 2 minutes away from bus stops on Shattuck. Restaurants are nearby and aplenty, and Berkeley Bowl (supermarket) is just ~5 blocks away. Having Chuck and Cindy was a highlight of living at Channing-Milvia. They are super-friendly and pleasant people, and always take good care of their tenants. We see them around the apartments frequently, tending to the garden or performing maintenance on the apartments. If there is anything you need, Cindy and Chuck will help you take care of it. Cindy was even kind enough to bring us homemade pie, and new pieces of furniture/appliances from time to time. We would wholeheartedly recommend their rental apartments to anyone! read more

I'm so glad there are Yelp reviews already of my wonderful apartment complex! Everyone should know how great our landlords are. Chuck and Cindy are truly the nicest and most thoughtful people I know, and I know I am spoiled for any other landlord I will ever have in the future. Everything everyone says is true: fresh pies and flowers, thoughtful updates on things they can tell I use a lot (Cindy recently bought me a new knife and kitchen mat because she knows I cook a lot, and they replaced my refrigerator with a bigger, newer one out of nowhere), everything-you-need furnishings, great garden, tons of storage space, etc. I have lived here since August 2007 and I am very sad to be leaving at the end of this summer (I'm graduating from law school). Amazing apartment, amazing landlords! I'm glad I can get on yelp and shout about it. read more

I'm a postodoc at UCB and I moved to California in February 2006 from Naples, Italy. I'm about leaving to move back to Europe, and while I was thinking about it yesterday, I looked around my apartment where I lived for 4 years and thought how sad I am to leave it! That apartment after 4 years became my home and I though that writing a review is the least I could do to give some credit to it and to my awesome landlords. I fell in love with my apartment as soon as I saw it. I remember the relief that I felt after seeing an exhausting number of apartments that didn't fulfill my standard of italian clean and tidy freak (I lived with my mother for 26 years before moving to California). First of all, the apartment is a pretty large and super- functional one bedroom apt with a nice storage room, a bathroom with the tab and a full kitchen. I cook every day so a nice kitchen is more than important for me: it's vital!!! When I moved, the kitchen (as well as all of the other rooms) was fully furnished and equipped with all you might think you need to cook and eat (dishes, pots, all kind of small utensils and more: I didn't have to buy anything, not even one single fork or measurement cup!!!). I often invite people over. Usually 4-6 people can comfortably eat at the table in the kitchen. The apartment is very bright and each room has windows. In addition to two windows, the kitchen also has a back entrance that works really well as a balcony where I use to sit and read my books during sunny week end afternoons. The living room is furnished with super nice taste!! It has a couch, a desk, a book case, a small wardrobe, a coffee table and other small pieces of furniture. The bedroom has a full-size bed, an in-wall wardrobe, an additional wardrobe, a desk, an two set of drawers. Plenty of room for clothes and storage! I also found sheets for the bed, towels and, once again, all I needed. I just moved in with 2 suitcases of clothes!!! The building also has a nice backyard with a wood table. Two grills and coolers are available to have BBQ!!!!! I really hope that you are not tired because I still have an endless list of wonderful things to say about my landlords!!! They are the most kind, sweet, generous and thoughtful people I've ever met! Believe me, moving to a different continent after living my whole life at home with mom wasn't easy for me!! But Chuck and Cindy were so absolutely fantastic and made me feel at home from the first second I stepped in the apartment... Whenever something is wrong in the apartment they come right away to fix it. They keep the apartments and the yard always pretty and clean. I won't mentioned the peach pie, because I see that someone had already mentioned it... But, I'll mention the number of times that I came from a long trip and Cindy (my landlady) brought me a nice soup! How thoughtful is that! I don't exaggerate when I say that they were my family here.. They always manage to keep a nice atmosphere in the buildings so that everyone is happy and smiling!!! I could keep going for ever, but I'll just finish by saying that they greatly contributed in making my experience in the US the most wonderful of my entire life!!! And I'll never be thankful enough for that!! read more

The Owners: First off, this review is absolutely overdue. Chuck and Cindy are two of the nicest people I have ever met and I feel like I was spoiled during my year in the apartment. Cindy brought over fresh-baked desserts on more than one occasion and calling them delicious would be an understatement. Chuck came right over when I had lost my keys to the apartment one day and both lent a helping hand within minutes when the battery on my car died. They are only a couple of blocks away and are incredibly responsive when it comes to fixing up any breaks, cracks, chips, etc. The best part of my stay was at the very end when I had my parents over for graduation. Chuck and Cindy were so nice and even treated us to dinner, among other thoughtful gifts. ** I'm leaving many other things out for the sake of keeping the review as concise as possible. The Space: The cost is more than reasonable, especially when considering the fact that the space is fully furnished when you move in. The furnishing was tasteful and right up my alley overall. Although I lived alone in a one-bedroom apartment, there is definitely enough space for 2-3 people. It is very well lit and comes with all the necessary appliances - courtesy of Chuck and Cindy of course. The Area: Preferring to live in peace and quiet, I really enjoyed this area of Berkeley. It was a further walk to campus than from the Telegraph area where I previously stayed. However, you're a block away from the 51B if you're feeling lazy and don't want to walk the extra 10 minutes to campus. You have your fair share of characters, but at least I never had to fall asleep serenaded by the sounds of screaming college kids under the influence any longer. In addition, you're just a couple of blocks away from the BART whenever you feel like leaving town for a bit. Overall: No other place I have lived comes close. If I ever move back to the area, I only hope that I would be lucky enough to have Chuck and Cindy have me back. Staying at Channing-Milvia made my last year in Berkeley by far my favorite. read more

Cindy and Chuck are the sweetest, most attentive and caring landlords one could ever hope to find. The title "landlord" really doesn't seem to fit them -- friends that happen to charge rent is more fitting. Problem with the heater? No problem, they are there that day to take care of it. Pans getting a little old? Oh, no problem, Cindy has brought you new ones. Microwave not working like it should? We have that fixed too! Stressed about school and life? Cindy is a great listener. Seriously, in the 3 years I lived here, no problem went unfixed. Chuck even drove me to the Tang center once when I was really sick with pneumonia. Have you ever heard of any other landlords that would do that? 2407 became my home, and Cindy and Chuck became like an extended family. When my vegan roomie was sick with a cold, Cindy brought over vegan soup! Cindy has also brough over delicious pies for no other reason than she is awesome. We exchanged presents each Christmas too! The apartment itself is small, but very well laid out. All three years I lived here, I had a roommate and never felt crowded. There is plenty of room to move about and be alone if needed. The fact that the apartment came furnished was great. I loved not having to buy furniture that I'd have to sell when I was done with college. You can truly move in with a suitcase of clothes and be fine. Anything else you bring in is just a bonus. Another thing I greatly appreciated was that the windows of the bottom floor windows have bars on them (not creepy bars though!) so I could feel completely safe at night. Security at Channing-Milvia is really not an issue -- there are automatic lights outside, bars on lower story windows and the proximity of the high school means that police cars regularly patrol the streets. The price of rent is a steal for this place. Prior to moving in, me and my roommate looked at many similarly priced apartments that were complete disasters. There really is no comparison in my oppinion. In addition, subleasing over the summer is a breeze because Cindy and Chuck help you. The mont-to-month option is great so that you are not obligated to a year-long contract. The only bad thing I have to say about my experience at 2407 is that I had to leave! read more

My friend and I lived in Channing 2004 for four months when we were visiting students at UC Berkeley. That's a good house with almost everything taken care of by the landlords. And It's within walking distance to the campus, all sorts of good restaurants and other facilities. Other than its convenience, the most important thing is that Cindy and Chuck are always super helpful about everything. Also, the small community is quiet and harmonious. read more

Bright buildings and a welcoming atmosphere. Convenient location accessible by car, lyft, or on foot. Would recommend. Good for students!

Cindy and Chuck are great landlords who completely changed my experience of the US and Berkeley in particular. When I first moved into my apartment, I was amazed to see how well decorated the apartment was with all amenities including crockeries and baking utensils! In fact when I was a student at Berkeley and was staying at 2001 Channing-Milvia Apartments, I used to host all the Diwali parties in our backyard. My friends were definitely jealous of the amazing environment that I was enjoying. Besides attending to the necessary fixes in the apartment within a day (or sometimes immediately) Cindy and Chuck also maintained a garden in the backyard. If you put in tad bit effort and can become friends with Cindy (which is very easy), then you get to grow and try your home grown vegetables. Overall I have had one of the best living experiences in the US at Cindy and Chuck's place. I would totally recommend Channing-Milvia Apartments to anyone, especially those who are moving to the US for the first time and looking for a great start with adequate guidance from some of the most amazing residents. read more