We lived at the Franciscan Apartments for almost two years from 2017-18 and loved every minute of it.
Jennifer and Maricela are exceptional landlords: really easy to get a hold of, super nice and helpful, and very responsible when it comes to taking care of problems and resolving them quickly and easily. Leo is a great handyman and a really good guy who's excellent at his job. And just the whole of management overall is just really good at communication and working with tenants to keep
...everything up and running smoothly. We never had a serious problem that wasn't immediately addressed and solved. They really made us feel comfortable and respected for our entire duration living there.
Our fellow tenants all seemed chill. The complex is also super quiet and only occasionally had small weekend parties every now and then that were never too loud or out of control.
Probably the best part of our time living there was its unreal location. It's right next to the South Shore center, so we didn't even have to get in our car to get food (groceries or restaurants). There's a few great parks within walking distance. And best of all, we could open our door and walk to the beach in less than a minute. That was truly amazing, and it seriously never got old.
Especially since Alameda is filled with so many different families, it always felt great to just walk out to the beach (or parks) and see a bunch of families just having fun outside and enjoying their lives. (Which is impressive considering we're not exactly very extroverted people-persons, and it still pretty much always made us feel good to be surrounded by families who largely seemed to be enjoying each other's company.) It was pretty great.
So, yeah. The rent is admittedly pretty high for a one bedroom apartment. But their rates are fairly comparable to other prime Bay Area spots, particularly considering how nice Alameda is and how close this complex is to the beach. We would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a great apartment with trustworthy management. And we'd even think about living here again if we ever move back to the Bay again.
Thanks again for everything, Jennifer, Maricela, and Leo! You're all great, and we really loved our time there!
Max of 2. $500 deposit for 2 cats.