Stierlin Square-Arms Apartments

Two stars only for it’s location and management.
Main reason, it lost it’s value.
My studio rent started at $ 1095 and now after 3 years, with the new owners and management it’s $ 1550.00 plus you pay for water, garbage and sewer.
They do raise the rent every six months for the first two years.
The studios are old and yes moldy.
For $ 1600.00 you can get a studio that has been modernly remodeled anywhere in Mountain View, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara. And you only pay the electricity for utilities.
Shop someplace else, save your money.

I have been a happy resident of Stierlin Square Apts for over three years. Over all my experience here has been positive and smooth. The properties themselves are lovely, well maintained and offer a perfect balance of community and privacy. I’m writing this review to also include Stierlin Arms Apts since both properties are managed by the same couple. Steve and Nancy together encompass all that a renter could need from their on-​site management team.
They are good at what they do, and they bring a level of excellency and responsiveness that I have yet to find at other properties. The location is awesome! Near to all things Mt View.
Jeff

This is a review of Stierlin Square, which is not to be confused with Stierlin Arms. While they are owned and managed by the same people, they have a very different feel to them. Since I’ve never lived in the Arms, I’m going to ignore it completely.
I first moved into a single large apartment in 2007, and have loved living here ever since then. Nancy, the manager, is always responsive to my requests, and has never made any unreasonable demands upon me.
The Pro:
Quiet. The buildings are laid out separate from one another. This means that at any time there is always at least one wall without neighbors. For my apartment, I only have an upstairs neighbor who has been very kind and quiet. In fact my current upstairs neighbor’s (who often goes to bed later than me) cat makes more noise than she herself does. Also, a multitude of trees and bushes help absorb sound coming from other apartments which make the place feel isolated. I love looking out and seeing several trees instead of just another wall.
Friendly. The apartment complex is managed by Nancy, and facilitated by her husband Steve. I’ve had quite a few problems crop up over the years, with a couple caused by yours truly and Steve was still fast in repairing the problems. As for the rent checks, I have been late a couple of times and Nancy has never done more than admonish me for my tardiness and make me feel guilty.
Great Location. The complex is within walking distance of everything in Mountain View, assuming that you like to walk. Since I love to, I often find myself taking a stroll down Castro street eat at the multitude of restaurants, visit the library, the train station, or even Safeway for shopping. With my place of work close by, I’ve gone for more than a week without starting my car!
Simple. I like the layout of the apartments. They are logically laid out and I feel that I have enough space for myself and my girlfriend. I especially like the walk-​in closet that provides enough space for her clothes so that I can have an entire wall to myself!
Now the Cons:
Living here does have its negatives, but I don’t feel that they really detract of my living experience. Rather they are part of living in an older apartment complex (built in the 60’s)
Slower Internet. The internet is slow due to the phone lines being so old. I use DSL from sonic and I can only get 5 MB down and 1 MB up.
Tree Roots. The problem of having trees planted all over the place combined with an older building is that the trees invade the pipes with their roots. These roots routinely cause my sink (kitchen and bedroom) to stop draining. This is a problem as the upstairs apartment drains through the same pipes as the downstairs apartment. If my sink is already backed up, and my upstairs neighbor begins to do her dishes my carpet is going to get wet.
Shared Washing Machines. I don’t like having a shared washing machine. I’m paranoid that somebody is going to steal my clothes.
Tips:
If you’ve read this far, then here are some tips if you are planning on moving here. Technically these tips are great regardless of where you move.
— Make sure that you have a good relationship with Nancy and Steve. This helps solve a lot of problems before they become problems.
— Report a problem as soon as you find it, because Steve is the only guy fixing things. He has two apartment complexes to take care of, and he has to work on his projects as well. He’ll get around to it, but it might take a while. If you report it early, then he’ll have the time to fix it before it becomes a nightmare problem.
— Exchange phone numbers with your upstairs/​downstairs neighbor. That way if something bad happens you can call them and ask them to stop cleaning all of their dishes while my kitchen floods.

Don’t move here! I moved in and the rent was $ 950 for a studio. By the time I moved out, rent had been raised to $ 1125…for a studio! A stuio that was built in the 1960’s! The apartments are so old and smell musty. All of my clothes smelled like that all the time. Also, the toilet above me was leaking in to my bathroom and when I called it in, the landlord Nancy said they were heading out of town and couldn’t do anything about it. It was only when I got mad is when she contacted the other apartment complex to get someone out to fix it. Also, the pool is not heated so even during a heat wave it is still freezing. I went in it once up to my ankles and that was it. The so-​called sauna is disgustingly dirty and who knows if it even works. It was so gross in there that I didn’t stick around to find out. The on-​site laundry facility has really old machines. And while the washers worked fine, aside from having some mold in them, the dryers were very hit or miss. And even when they were supposedly fixed, a week later they weren’t working again.
And don’t get me started on Nancy. She seems sickeningly sweet to your face but DO NOT TRUST HER! She accused me of selling drugs from my patio and owning a dog. I have no idea how she came up with these ridiculous accusations. The best was when I overpaid my rent. I realized it two months later. Did she ever plan on telling me that I had a $ 50 credit? Or was she planning on pocketing the money? When I brought it to her attention she knew exactly what I was talking about but yet she never bothered to tell me. Instead I had to figure it out on my own. Her husband Steve is actually pretty nice though.
When I moved out, I spent an entire day cleaning the unit. It was cleaner than when I moved in and I got $ 250 of my $ 500 deposit back. The only reason why I gave it one star is because it is a good location and my unit itself was actually cozy.
If you are going to spend $ 1125 on a studio, go to one that is actually nice and where you can actually used the ammenities. I would pay a lot more in rent just to not have to deal with Nancy.