

College Square Apartments are those big concrete two story buildings on J Street and 8th Street, up against the railroad tracks.  They offer one and twobedroom apartments, some with patios. The full complex is one of the largest in Davis, boasting 240 units; the J Street Apartments adjoin it on the north while 8th Street forms its south edge. Ever faithful Unitrans serves it via both the E bus line and L bus line.

There are three swimming pools, a gyms fitness center, and a 24 hour study lounge with free wifi wireless internet. Between the business center and study lounge, wifi covers the entire A Section pool area, meaning that, should you want to, you COULD browse the internet from bottom of the pool, though management takes no responsibility for waterdamaged electronics. The business center is open during office hours and allows unlimited free printing, faxing and copying to residents. College Square is a 10 to 15 minute bicycles bike ride to campus, and a short cows walk to downtown.

The Cost Rundown
As of 20130623,
  1bed / 1bath unit (600 square feet): $9201045/month + $350 deposit
As of 20130323,
  2bed / 1bath unit (800 square feet): $1100$1255/month + $400 deposit.

Current Specials
As of 20130623,
  Spin and Win up to $500 off first month
  Enter to win an iPad. Just stop by and tour.
  Special LOOK AND LEASE promotions. Call for details.


The complex was formerly known as Ivy Towne Apartments and changed both name and management during the summer of 2005. Its been renovated since.

  Squatting?  For more information on rental housing in Davis, check out our Rental Housing Guide as well as our Apartments pages.




  /Pre 2011 Reviews Click here for older reviews
  /2011 Reviews Click here for 2011 reviews

2012115 09:45 nbsp This is my first comment left on daviswiki after years of living here and using it.  College Square is one of the worst apartments I have ever lived in.  The management and maintenance are fine, but thats not the problem.  The problem is that I pay close to $1000 for an apartment in which every window is broken and falls off of the tracks, the bathroom sink broke, the kitchen sink broke, the kitchen counter is chipping and peeling, some cabinets and drawers dont open, the heater broke (twice), the AC is GARBAGE (even when left on all day, which is crazy expensive), the bathroom tile is peeling, only about half of the outlets work, the parking is abysmal (sometimes have to park down the street), and when I moved in (about after a day) the cleaning product smell dissipated and then I could sense the dingy, dank funk that permeates every corner of this complex.  The laundry costs $3.50 a load, which adds up fast.  The pools are gross.  The Gym is a closet.  And the train...that motherfg train wakes me up at 6:30 EVERY MORNING.  Its not just the sound of the train passing, its the actual train horn that the GD conductor feels the need to blast right as he passes by the complex.  And its not just once, he blasts it several times.  Have you ever heard a train horn?  FML.  Fortunately, the management is good about helping you find someone to take over your lease, which Im sure is because they constantly have people reach this very same breaking point.  Oh, and this is all after only 5 months. Users/CaseyHeinzen

20120125 16:16:21 nbsp Great place to live for the price. We live in a 2B2Bath. All rooms are spacious and maintained at a good standard. We had a few concerns after moving in, such as a missing door stop and broken shower head, and management and maintenance got it all fixed right away. Management is very friendly and easy to approach. They always have little snacks for the tenants in the office as well and have special things in there for the holidays (a giftwrapping station for xmas).

Our apartment is actually one of the closest to the train tracks and it was something I saw as a risk to move in here due to potential trains going by and being loud throughout the day and night. It hasnt been bad at all. The tracks there are not used by trains very often, and when they do go by the noise does not reach the apartment very loudly. Im pretty sure anyone moving in here is aware that the tracks run right along the side of the complex, so I dont see why they would complain if they know what they are getting themselves into.

The whole area is kept nice and clean pretty much all the time. The only downside to this is that it calls for leaf blowers and lawn mowers that can be pretty loud for quite a while since they have to cover such large areas. This bothers about once a week for a morning. But if youre up early it shouldnt be a problem. If theres issues with the complex community, management posts notices on the doors to address problems, which is nice of them.

Theyre pet friendly which is pretty cool.

Theres two bus lines, E and L, right by the office, if you need easy access to transportation. About a 1015 minute ride to UCD campus.

Grocery Outlet and Dollar Tree are about a 10 minute walk away for the cheap college student.

Amtrak station is a 1015 minute walk away.

The residents around our area are not disruptive, pretty peaceful environment.

Kinda wish the heater worked.

OHH, the laundry rooms are way overpriced, probably biggest letdown. Its at least $3.00 to wash and dry ONE load. And you have to pay $5.00 to get a card to pay for the machines that you can reload.

Overall, very satisfied with my experience here so far. $1100 for two big rooms (one very big) is very manageable among 3 roommates. We are renewing our lease for the next year. Users/BrianPando

20120423 18:20:09 nbsp I just renewed my lease here so heres what I think..

Pros
2 Bus Lines... Silo/MU
VERY close to campus/downtown, on bike is very quick
One of the cheapest places in Davis
Amazing management, really nice people who give free food
Close by nugget/a school with a track and basketball court so I dont have to go to the ARC
Free parking
Quite neighbors
Pet Friendly

Cons
Walls are paper thin. I cant hear what the apartment next to mine is doing but I can hear someone cough or talk in the other room.
Leafblowers....
The train gets annoying once every once in a while. I live right by the tracks and its never that bad.
Pet friendly


Overall I would recommend college square to anyone with a dog, or anyone who wants to save money and not skimp on quality too much. Their newer apartments are reaally nice as well. Users/RSG

20120720 22:42:22 nbsp do you have any studios or 1 bedroom available
 Users/belakhilnani

20120818 16:12:52 nbsp Worst place to live. First, leaf blowers wake you up every day at 7AM. Train stops by everyday and you will feel like earthquake when it comes. Also dont even expect to get your deposit back, other than that, you even need to pay extra money when u move out. My roommate and I cleaned everything when we moved out, there is no trash at all leaved in the apartment but they charged us like $900 for carpet replace+painting labor. I mean there is some dirty one the carpet, but with a cleaning that will be fine, why u need to replace it? And, whats wrong with the wall? there is no whole on the wall, no nothing on the wall!!! Highly not recommend live in this place. Users/eddiebrave

20130125 18:27:48 nbsp Do not live here! The people who run this place are the slimiest, most seething scum from the top of raw sewage. I lived here for a year, in which during that year my mother passed away of pancreatic cancer. Upon leaving the apartment, they not only took my deposit but also decided they could charge me for 1900 dollars worth of damages. These included totally replacing the carpet and painting the walls. and they even charged me for the cleaning of the carpet that I left there with! Not to mention one of the walls was painted a different color than the rest when I initially moved in (cheap). When I refused to pay for these damages they tried to sue my deceased mother and take part of her estate left behind since she cosigned for me. I would have to say that they acted in the most devilish and reprehensible manner. They completely disregarded any ethical and moral stature that they may have possessed and tried to suck every last drop of money out of me that they could. When I finally spoke to a lawyer, he was able to cut the amount to about half as much as I owed them through navigating his way through all the BS they charged me for and found out what they did actually spend on cleaning up the apartment, which I believe was not necessary at all. They sent the bill to collections even after I told them I would pay the amount agreed following my arrival from Great Britain. If you want to potentially get sued, and not be able to do anything because you signed your rights away when you signed for the apartment, live here. I would like nothing more than to go back, and tell that blonde haired manager how much pain and suffering she caused my father and I.

oh and p.s. I remember they tried to bill me an extra 100 dollars for rent one month for being late. The first of the month was Friday, and I gathered all the money for rent on the weekend and turned it in on Monday morning around 9am before going to class. They said it was late because it wasnt in the drop box when they opened Monday morning. The most money grubbing group of people I have ever seen. I now live in a house about two blocks away and every time I pass this place on my way to school I think of all the trouble they caused my family. At one point my father was considering countersuing this place because of all the shifty behavior they partook in. I will say it again, live anywhere else! ANYWHERE! Users/ThomasMarteen

20130525 18:38:10 nbsp Good rule of thumb, if someone mentions how helpful the staff is in their comment then they are a member of the staff. Ive lived here for a year now and its not awful, but the people who run it are pretty sinister. The lease is several pounds worth of fine print and they will use it against you with extreme prejudice. I reccomend finding somewhere more hospitable unless youre really into the petfriendy thing. Users/yepitsme

20130606 15:48:01 nbsp To: Management
       College Square Apartments


Just want to say that Jose Velasco represents your company in a very professional manner.  I think if he were to wear a banner at work it would read, “College Square tenants come first.”


I am a senior citizen from outoftown visiting at the complex for the second time this year and I have seen him work each time.  Whatever the problem, he has always diagnosed the cause and corrects it in a timely and satisfactory manner.


Jose is committed to doing an excellent job and making sure that the tenant is satisfied.


Yours truly,


V. Stewart Users/DavisRiley

20130717 15:41:07 nbsp the only good part of this apartment was cheaper rent compare to others. this summer, they raised it high. It is very old complex, with very thin walls and floors between units. if you live in first floor, you can hear every foot steps of people living on second floor. also having so much trouble, like as there was no gas for more almost 3 weeks last JanFeb, and the offices compensate was $50 off for rent. Often stopped water supply, not to mention hot water, no water at all for couple of hours without notice. complain about early in the morning dust blower is cute. I could not get out of this place only because I have to be away this summer, but I will move out next year.
with same amount of money, this is not the place you would want to live.  Users/HSusieKim

20130814 22:40:38 nbsp Despite the fact that this place was next to the train tracks and always had noise from all the neighbors being super loud, I enjoyed living here the past 2 years because of the people of the leasing office. Robin was the main person that I would seek when I needed help. She always went above and beyond in responding to my needs. Whenever I needed to submit a work order or had any questions about anything, I could always go to her and she would be the first to help me out and efficiently as well. I especially liked how the leasing office always had snacks especially during finals weeks. This location was perfect in relation to distance to downtown. My friends and I enjoyed walking downtown and the walk is not bad at all! Thanks for being awesome! Users/EugeniaLim

20140407 18:37:57 nbsp This place is a dump. Figuratively, literally, and metaphysically.

Pros: On the cheaper side. Not the cheapest, but close.
Cons: You dont even get what you pay for. Seriously, this place is so ratchet and low quality that I cant believe I signed a lease. Let me extrapolate:
Do you wake up after 7am? Yes. Yes you do. The train and unceasing use of leaf blowers, hedge trimmer machines, etc., are ALWAYS going on at any time from 7am to 10am on any day of the week. Management says they work tuesdays, but that is a lie.
The gardening staff is also bad at their job. Not only are they stupidly loud, but they cut everything down to the bone and make all the greenery as fugly as a fully shaved poodle. Some of the trees literally look like a sack of testicles.
The dishwasher has been broken since I moved in. Its now April. Ill have lived here a full year and theyll have failed to ever have fixed it.
NONE of the windows close / lock / prevent the heat or cold or LOUD NOISES from getting in. Ive had crappy windows all year that dont work, and management plainly states that they think they are fine.
There has been mold growing on the ceiling of the bathroom all year. Ive scrubbed it off with bleach every month and it keeps coming back. Hopefully I dont get a disease.
PG&E is $40 if you dont even use it! It adds up a TON. Very inefficient wiring, etc., means a high cost of electricity.
My internet (ATT) was taped TWICE. This means that someone hooked up an illegal connection to syphon off my internet... twice. I havent even lived here a year!
THREE of my neighbors have been robbed! (No surprise, none of the windows even shut, let alone lock)
Laundry is a whopping $1.75 a wash AND ANOTHER $1.75 a dry! And the driers work 60% of the time. This adds up REALLY fast.
The pool is fine, but always a little dirty.
I dont use the gym, but its also largely useless.
The design of the kitchen and bathroom is poor at best.
TRAINNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NOISEEEEEEEEEEEEE. Not actually that bad, but when you live in a dump everything starts to pick at you.

Tl;DR  Its relatively cheap, but expect to be nickel and dimed with PG&E, laundry, and internet. The noise pollution is the worst in Davis by FAR. Nearly all of their problems are fixable, but they dont seem to care.

Only live here if youre 3 students. 2 sharing a room, with the third getting their own room is the way to go. Users/FolkOfThePines

20140722 15:08:22 nbsp This place is your worst nightmare for a place to live and study. You will not be able to focus or rest in between classes. The leaf blower is a constant sound you should just expect on an almost daily basis. The leasing office will not notify you of any reconstruction noise even if its next door to your unit. The walls are thin so you will hear everything if not even amplified. The parking is limited and terrible. You will have to move your vehicle everytime they conduct tree trimming. As to where you will put your vehicle, Im not sure. As to when, the leasing office will email you a notice of sometimes 3 days prior to such an event. So, if youre gone for a week, you may come back to a broken windshield or more. The units are terrible in that they lack maintenance and care. There are rats every so often and the cock roaches crunch under your feet when youre out walking your pet at night. 2 out of 3 swimming pools closed down for about 3 sunny months and the rent status the same. The study lounge is small and the wifi is troublesome. Im definitely moving out. Id only suggest this place to the kind of people I wish to suffer. Users/StevenWelch
