Jackson Lake Apartments

I lived here for a year. The owners are cheap and the office workers are incredibly condescending. Jackson Lake & Merritt Properties hold as tight as they can to CA replacement laws. The windows are covered in rust and MOLD. They are single-pane and most likely from the ‘80s. Not secure at all but because they are not cracked or broken, they are never replaced. They are very drafty in the colder months so if you use the baseboard heaters your utility bill will be high. The roof is old and falling apart. If you look closely at the front of the building when it rains you will see neighbors put up tarps to protect their belongings from leaky roofs and windows. Carpet in common areas may not have holes (which is why it has not been replaced) but is clearly very old. Now with the addition of dogs to the buildings, the carpets harbor pet dander & mites. They are vacuumed once a week if that. If you have asthma, allergies, or other breathing ailments of any kind this may be a bad place for you as the common areas are not maintained. Appliances in “newly renovated” units are not new. They are white and have rust on the exterior. Renovated units are not really renovated. They still have all the above issues but with new paint and quartz countertops. Otherwise, still have carpet, still have lament. Still have original cabinetry that is warping. While they do have nice pools and landscaping, the parking is not secure. The garage door broke three times (and counting) in less than a year. Two neighbors that I know of had their cars stolen and someone attempted to pry my car doors open so now I have pry marks all over my car. Now cars are being stolen or broken into even more frequently. You will regularly see cars on blocks. The intercom system is unreliable too and even gets overloaded at times meaning that the FOB system will LOCK YOU OUT of your building. Since no one lives on prem, you are kind of screwed unless one of your neighbors recognizes you or you get hold of someone on the emergency line. The security system is also haphazard. There are exposed wires on the cameras themselves. Wouldn’t take a genius to knock those down. The last straw was when I was walking my dog and an unhoused man tried to wrestle the leash out of my hand right in front of my building. Oakland is Oakland and things happen but this place continues to do the absolute bare minimum to protect anyone but their bottom line and they have the audacity to charge the same as BRAND NEW BUILDS.

Constantly cars are broken into, bikes are stolen in the gated garage. What's upsetting the most is, according to management, The Owners are too cheap to spend a few hundred dollars to install security cameras to deter criminals from entering their property at will in the middle of the night and stealing undisturbed. God forbid they will add security gaurds during the week. So, if you value safety, don't move into this cheap owners property.

This building is close to everything - BART, the Lake, multitudes of great restaurants and bars, and entertainment. You can park your car for days (be careful of street cleaning though) and run your errands without a hitch. Convenience Marts, Product markets and other locally ran stores nearby. Lots of Art Galleries and Happy Hour services available for when you want to venture out after work.

Nice building,clean pools and good management. Convenient store downstairs is pretty awesome. But be prepared to be asked for change from homeless people outside. Parking is 75 extra but worth it.