Huxley Apartments, Redwood City CA

New
09/14/2023
Hi Joshua
Hi Joshua H. (Leasing Team at Huxley) A few weeks ago you helped me with a mail issue with a kind smile and concern. I haven't seen that kind of dedication from others on your team, thank you again. - Yesterday I went for gas - $5.17 a gallon. Insane! You asked "How satisfied are we living at Huxley? " Not much, the rents are high, the culprit being the economy. - This is what I've been hearing. - One resident said "We're not all Tesla owners. - Another said "If they raise our rent we're gone" - Another said "Similar apartments are not raising rents and they're compensating by secret perks of cash" - My two cents, as I'm a retired Architect with years of experience and savvy - Huxley should be aware of the residents sentiment and the market, and act intelligently if it wants not to lose residents. Also, news goes fast to new prospects. Thanks, Henri
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Months ago I said.
I'll try to be brief, honest, and no embellishment.
I'm a Huxley resident, a retired Architect trained in a Higher Institution, and student of Kenzo Tange.
I'm savvy in the rental business and the consumer psychology.
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Huxley's desperate as there is a general feeling of malaise, vacancies, some residents left/leaving, and review stars are up and down.
Below are 3 examples of the management's juvenile and pedestrian remedy approach.
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1) Huxley's giving musical soirees (6: 30PM to 7: 30PM) - Bring your own food and drink.

"You may think it's going to be Berlin Philharmonic live playing Vivaldi's Concerto for Bassoon"
said a young resident laughing sardonically in the elevator.
She also said "We're smart and successful high rent paying children of good families.
Huxley's management needs to know better its target market".

2) Take this 1 minute survey for a chance to win $500 - Overall, how satisfied are you living with us?
"Chance to win $500"? - Cheap, cheap mentality!
I would like to know who won.

3) Pop Up Espresso Bar at the Library located in the lobby - Kick start your morning with an espresso beverage.
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The desperate inexperienced manager sent me this email.

Hi Henri,
Do you have time to meet this week and have a cup of coffee in the office? I'd love to sit down and take some notes on what you think about how we can improve Huxley.
Best Regard,
Sam Malate
Community Manager
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One, well paid employee with a genuine smile, hospitality, generosity and smarts in his/her character is more valuable than worthless three hiding behind their laptops pretending they're busy.
Some deep pockets spend billions on residential units and then hire a miserable management.
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I gave their San Francisco upper management smart officer a Million Dollar idea that could save Huxley.

Hi Summer,
I was thinking, Huxley's Gym is not that busy, it could move to another location on site.
If that prime/prime/prime corner space gets leased by/to Starbucks or Peet's,
sidewalk chairs, sun, and colorful umbrellas will bring a new life, more residents, and prestige back to Huxley.
Thanks,
Henri
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Huxley will soon become suffocating, on one side HighWater apartments and on El Camino across the street 130 new residences on the whole block.
More dust, more heavy machinery all day long, no privacy, and the views? "Gone"
If the management do not lower the rents and give concessions similar to HighWater, Huxley will have more vacancies.
One unhappy resident will influence ten.
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I promised to be brief - Much, much more to come later.
Thanks,
Henri

Management is RIDICULOUS and HORRIBLE. They wrongly allocated a parking space with an EV charger due to their mistake. We didn’t know it when signing the contract, and didn’t even use it because our car is gasoline powered. Then they said they would just charge us for $200 per month for the EV charger, because they don’t have a parking space without it available.

Terrible management drove us to move out earlier this year. DO NOT LIVE HERE. Multiple package thefts, bicycles disappearing, no decent amenities, terrible build quality security deposit grifts, and most importantly, zero assistance or change from leasing/management. Details below.

The leasing office provides incorrect information, doesn't care, and charges a ridiculous amount of your security deposit upon moving out. A few examples included: overcharges by conservice (utility provider) and no rectification until residents followed up, quoting $50 for a paint touch up while the charge ballooned to nearly $250, requesting residents to book lifts for move in/move out processes but completely forgetting about it.

All of this is in addition to not helping any residents recover any missing packages and/or at minimum beefing up security and taking it seriously.

The building structure is also terrible, you can hear people walking above you. The garage door was always broken. You either suffer the noise of traffic on El Camino or the 5am garbage trucks and Caltrain on the other side of the building.

Not that I care anymore but I just noticed my previous review is gone! Just saw the recent reviews about stolen packages and security issues! That is why I left a year ago! Although they literally robbed me after I left and charged me thousands of dollars!

Update: I lived in 5th floor, moved in: 18 Sep2021, moved out 26Aug2022. You should be able to find my account!

Great place to live! Central to stores, Caltrain and Downtown. Some package issues but who doesn’t have these in the Bay Area.

Management is oblivious to running an effective apartment complex; incompetent salespeople, lackluster and circled communication! I would check out the Highwater!

Garage door has been broken for over a month and nothing has been done. Same with coffee machine in the lobby which has been broken for over a month and management replied with "working with vendor to get in stock soon" 3 weeks ago. I guess it takes more than 3 weeks to fix a coffee machine.

Bad management, a lot of thrifts in this area.
Management can't fix the garage door for 2 months.
Bikes and packages are stolen regularly, management does nothing to prevent, does not provide video footages etc.
Do not recommend this place.

Like most other current residents, I’m so disappointed with the management of our building. There are constant security issues - package theft, bike theft as well as broken garage doors. Broken garage doors create a particularly vulnerable situation for the building. Sometimes, they stay unfixed for months on end with management too slow to fix the issue. Most residents have tried to raise concerns and there’s been only lip service and absolutely no tangible effort to fix any of these very serious problems. Don’t intend to stay at this building for too long if things continue to remain this bad.

I have been living here since almost 6 months now and I regret moving into this very expensive apartment because:
- There is a huge issue with packages getting stolen ALL THE TIME. I am facing this issue since I moved here. I talked to the leasing office folks multiple times but I was always turned away with excuses! No follow- up or consideration either.
- No action from management on this issue which is raised by many residents
- Residents also reported of getting their bikes stolen, car broken, apts broken in within the building
- The rent is way too much looking at the security and the management of building
- There is a starbucks coffee machine in the main lobby which is either broken or never has any coffee! They haven't restocked the machine in atleast 2 months so far.
- The gym is quite small
- No pool/ spa
- Garage car parking is paid when the rent is already so high

If you are willing to pay so much rent, you can easily find a complex which is safer for you and for your packages!

The management of this building has deteriorated significantly over the years to the point I do not plan to renew my lease and would not recommend anyone live at Huxley if things were to remain as they are right now. When you’re paying the monthly rents that you pay here, there’s a basic expectation for management to take the safety and security of the community seriously. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. There have been frequent and extremely serious security incidents at the building over the past few months (and continue to occur almost on a weekly basis!), and neither the leasing office nor Equity Residential (the company that owns the property) has implemented any measures at all to prevent further incidents from reoccurring. I’ve reached out to the leasing office regarding these incidents and haven’t received a response. I have even left multiple voicemails for Resident Relations at the Equity Residential corporate office and someone has yet to return my call (it’s been weeks…) even though the automated response on their line states that they endeavor to get back to residents within 48 hours. This basically leaves existing residents with 0 options to have the owner / management address their concerns. So sadly, I and as you can see from other reviews, most other current residents have lost hope at this point. If any meaningful measures are implemented or if anyone from Resident Relations even bothers to call me back regarding what they plan to do to improve building security, I will be more than happy to update this review for the benefit of others. Until then, I’d strongly recommend folks look elsewhere as living here will leave you feeling fairly disappointed with your experience.

Packages keep getting stolen. My customized one year wedding anniversary gift for my husband was stolen one day after it was delivered. Many other residents have told me they've had packages stolen the same day they were delivered.

Management refuses to help or look through the security camera footage. Why have security cameras if you're not going to use them?

Stolen packages all the time!
Broken coffee machine which never works and if it works it doesnt have coffee!

Update Jan 24 2023: The garage door was opened for over 24 hours last Sunday and very little was done to increase security. We've had car parts, thieves, and nonresidents walk into tenant's apartments because of our lack of security. With the latest shootings in half moon bay, I'm not sure if Huxley is up to par with its security protocols for a luxury place. Compared to Indigo, Highwater (next door), and other competitive prices, Huxley's security ranks on the bottom in this area of competitive luxury homes. I've reached out on several occasions where the staff will "discuss" it in their next mtg, but no action was taken place unfortunately.

After 5+ break ins, over 6+ bike thefts and the 4th and 5th floor unit break ins - I really question Huxley's value in the security of the residents. Compared to other property we've been at, the state of security is low and future residents should look elsewhere for a more secure community. I wish Huxley would acknowledge each break in and upgrade our security to higher standards but it takes an arm and a leg for our the landlords to even come forward and acknowledge the situation. I recommend Huxley to continually share every break in and update residents and take actionable items beyond reporting to the police and invest in their resident's safety. I would consider editing my review after we see investments in security.

Edit: multiple people have invested in ring cameras. Management has been taking precaution into some things which had helped with security. Highly appreciate the concern. The EV chargers were switched to a new provider and are super effortless to use now.

Many recent break-ins of next door neighbors. People breaking in seems like they were able to use a crowbar to enter tenants units. Feels very unsafe for the time being as management has experienced a few robberies and breakins in the past 2 years, but still continue to experience these incidents.

Would feel comfortable editing my review if any drastic measures to security are taken soon.

The building does not take security seriously. Several residents including us have had packages and bikes stolen. The incidents happen on a regular basis (packages opened and content taken, packages disappearing, etc.) with no accountability or follow up from the building. We have been reaching out to the building management several times asking for security footage and follow up on incidents without any satisfactory response. It is incredibly frustrating and has caused a hostile and unsafe living environment. Would not recommend.

This is a great apartment community. It’s a super convenient location, walking distance to restaurants in Redwood City, Safeway and Whole Foods. The community has a great mix of folks from different backgrounds. The gym and clubhouse are very well maintained and helpful for entertaining small gatherings

The Huxley’s management and support team have been really helpful. They put in the extra effort to make sure things are all good and comfortable for us. We really appreciate them. Thank you Gina & Jorge!

Stayed in a 2bd and den apartment during pandemic. We were the first family to move in that unit with brand new appliances. Had one maintenance issue and was addressed on the same day. Management was always helpful.

Security issues:
Security has been a bit of concern despite electronic fobs and cameras. Once many bikes were stolen from bike room and I lost my bike too. Another instance was theft of package containing iPad from mail room (which is in the basement).

Sound insulation issues:
Our unit was facing El Camino Real and would continuously heat noise. On certain morning, the noise created by trash truck dropping trash can would wake us up. I wonder if something could be done to improve noise cancellation.

Overall:
Great location for commute, grocery, food. Nice apartments and facilities. However, rents are quite high and issues like noise from street and security dont justify the cost. Street parking may be difficult around evening.