Kasa Properties

Compared to other landlords and managers I have worked with in Berkeley, Kasa is a breath of fresh air. Their staff is kind and courteous, and have been very responsive to any issues in my apartment or building (2828 College Avenue). Once per week a cleaning service comes to tidy up the grounds and sweep the floors, so overall the property is kept nice. The leasing process is also fairly straightforward with them, and they were helpful in accommodating my schedule for showings, and were also quick to assist in finding another unit when the one I was after ended up being poached.
The market in Berkeley is crazy these days and can get a little stressful, but I feel that Kasa, as a local business, takes strides in making everyone feel ‘human’ and respected. They are still a management company after all, and not the building owners, so getting improvements made to the building has been challenging, but still there have been several good changes made since I moved in.

I’m SO glad that there’s a Unilocal site for this management company now. I can finally warn people to please STAY AWAY if you can.
I moved into the building in August 2013, two weeks past the date my lease stated, because they hadn’t finished my unit. I was assured that construction would be completed by September when I signed a lease the previous May, BUT that did not happen, clearly, as I just drove by the building and it STILL is under construction.
I won’t carry on, I’ll just list a few reasons why this property was the WORST PLACE I EVER LIVED:
1. The construction crew would have parties after hours in the units they were renovating. Get drunk and yell loudly, well into the night. Once they did donuts in the parking garage, one pulled out and promptly got in a car accident. The driver fled, so a hit and run, but was later arrested for a DUI. I was told he was fired, but later saw him working.
2. They cut off the water without warning, once for three days and three nights. The management wasn’t reachable and was not apologetic.
3. The workers stole a wedding gift from my front door. The then building maintenance guy said that the crew did this regularly, and even told me where they dumped contents that they stole, but weren’t interested in keeping.
4. When the crew would party and get drunk, they would urinate along the fence, which is a main entrance/​exit to the building.
5. The garage door did not operate for several days. So if you’re car was in or out, you were out of luck.
The list goes on and on. If you can, avoid this property and this management company. They are truly the worst I’ve ever had to deal with and I’ve lived in Berkeley for over ten years.

My husband and I lived at 2240 Blake street for a year while he was in school (8÷14−8÷15). Our apartment was beautiful with a nice balcony and a tree. We had squirrels and hummingbirds and great peaceful views. It was an oasis in the city. Blake Street is a wonderful location, close to UC Berkley, Bart station, Berkeley Bowl and for walking all over town. We knew there was renovations happening and were told the time line for the projects when we viewed the apartment. We were always told when water would be shut off and for how long, or if noise, or other renovation inconveniences were going to occur. There is a «quiet time» regulation in the lease for both the tenants and maintenance crews and we found that renovation crews and neighbors adhered to this. Any noise problems that the office was made aware of was handled quickly. Any questions or problems we had were resolved fast and efficiently by Tasha, Vanessa or other office staff or our maintenance workers. I once needed help changing a high light bulb which was not the buildings responsibility but the crew came and helped me. Everyone was always very fast and efficient with our needs and professional. The office staff was always very receptive, friendly and professional with us and I have nothing but positive feed back for our experience with them.
There is no outgoing mail box in the lobby but there is a mailbox very close, at the corner of Ellsworth and Dwight.
The washers and dryers are new and the laundry room, like the rest of the building was undergoing renovation so the folding table was removed. We were told it would be returned when the rooms were finished. A few times a washer was out of service but there were enough so that we could use another (on the first floor and second floor).It is not the same as having one in your apartment but much better than walking to a laundry. One time, I did not notice the out of order sign, and lost my quarters, and the office even replaced them for me.
We opted out of valet trash pick up-​all you have to do is let the office know that you do not wish it. We choose street parking because you can get a J sticker for about 55 $ per year and save money. There is a fenced, locked area in the back, tenants are given a key, which has picnic table, chairs and umbrellas where you could met with friends, clients or just enjoy lunch or a book.
We loved our time living at Blake street and if not for our careers calling us to other places we would have stayed. I am perplexed by the negative comments on this rating because it is so opposite of our experience living there. We even got all of our deposit plus interest back. I really miss living there and the nice people who we grew to know. Thank you Kasa.

We live on the fourth floor at 2240 Blake Street in a 1 bedroom 480 sq. foot apartment. The complex advertises itself as a luxury apartment. Well, it’s far from that (see pictures). Of course, you will pay luxury prices. It might be the worst apartment complex I have ever lived.
My wife and I first moved here in June 2015. We pay a little over $ 2500 a month (with parking and utilities). Even though we were paying above market rents, we actually liked our new tiny apartment at first, or at least the view from our balcony.
2240 Blake Street is undergoing repairs and updates. We were warned about this when we moved in, but they assured us it would not be so bad. Well, two months later and we are now kicking ourselves that we didn’t shop around more.
(1) They put a new roof on the complex, and the tar and stench dripped down into our bathroom for a week. Luckily, neither of us had to work that week, so we didn’t need to shower. We showered at another facility.
(2) There are only four washers and dryers for the entire complex (at least 50 units). Half of these are broken at any one time (see pictures). They also charge $ 4.50 for a wash and dry. That’s insane. Well, at least you will pay luxury prices.
(3) There are holes in the ceilings, the walls and doors. Random holes too. It seems like Casa starts projects and never completes them.
(4) Very loud construction noise throughout the week from 7am — 5pm. You will not be able to sleep through it.
(5) The security is poor. Homeless live under the «permanent» scaffolding that surrounds the building. The scaffolding also blocks our balcony view. Though you need a key to enter the premises, the doors are locked in the open position throughout the day. Random people climb the scaffolding to look into apartments.
(6) The have «valet» garbage collecting service that enters your premises on Wednesdays. They do this to collect your trash. It is intrusive, however, and you cannot opt out of it. It actually feels like they do this so they can spy on their tenants.
(7) They recently painted the complex, they moved the stuff on our balcony without telling us and broke our lights and table.
(8) They shut the water off without warning. They intrude into your apartment without warning.
(9) The office is slow and lazy. Work orders are never completed. They lose paperwork.
(10) There is no outgoing mailbox.
(11) There is no bike rack. This would be a inexpensive and environmentally friend thing to add to the garage, but they refuse to do it. They charge ridiculous amounts for parking ($ 125). And the garage leaks fluids onto your vehicle.
(12) The fourth floor garbage shoot does not work. When we moved here in June, they said it would be up in no time. That was two months ago.
Anyways, being a former Air Force fella, I have lived in apartments all throughout the country, including one in West Texas. I can safely say that this is the most expensive, and worst apartment complex I have ever lived. I have attached photos, which show the poor management of this facility.

I have been 2240 Blake for a year and a half and it was pretty good experience. Management was responsive and helpful. Natasha and Vanessa are very nice and respectful. And it is a very convenient location!

Blake Street location. Although I did not live in the apartment (but paid the rent for our son for 2 years) I can say that we found Natasha helpful, responsive and courteous about concerns. We got off to a rough start, as the re-​modeling phase a couple of years ago was most unpleasant, dirty, and noisy. Natasha tried to keep construction noise and bother to a minimum, but it was very difficult. (I do not recommend moving into a place with active remodeling going on if you are bothered by constant rude noise and interruption. Even early morning and weekends. Had I rated the apartments two years ago, I admit the rating would have been low. Probably no one should live in a building with active, extensive remodeling going on above, below and right next to you for a prolonged time.) Now, however, the management is trying hard to get people into the location who will keep up the place instead of allowing the trashing of it as is so common to student apartments. I believe Natasha is a fair and honest person who did her best in a hard situation to be responsive to concerns when many of the construction issues were somewhat beyond her control. If you, as a renter, make an effort to keep up your place, I believe Natasha will be appreciative and responsive to concerns you might have. I cannot speak personally to some of the comments about the staff/​maintenance communication issues, as I did not live there. Nothing was offered to me personally to write a good review on Unilocal

I have to disagree with the negative reviews on here. We have lived at 2240 blake for almost a year with zero issues. Management is responsive to all emails, our apartment was beautifully remodeled and its a great place to live.

Derby location
I saw the negative reviews but figured I was an easy person to please and decided to move in. The price was do-​able, beautiful neighborhood and close to the action. I never imagined the stress I was walking into. I understand the desperate nature of our rental market, so if you choose to rent here, DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. (That means no phone conversations! Have EVERY correspondence in writing) You’ll thank me later. Oh… I almost forgot, Kasa offers incentives for positive Unilocal reviews and «likes» on FB like entrance into a raffle for baseball tickets or other events. So think critically when reading reviews. (Can’t blame em, who doesn’t love the A’s)
Quick details: Staff is unresponsive to basic request, repairs or fixes to the apartment were poorly done and had to be redone. They will squeeze every additionally penny out of you they can. Natasha is smart, she will do everything, just under the threshold of breaking the law. The company banks on the fact that most people who rent, will not spend money or time following up in small claims. But, I will say, if I knew ahead of time, I would have documented from the start to protect myself.
So if you want more… here’s my full experience in detail:
Detailed review: I moved in April of 2014. My first experience was a 4pm move in time. I requested an earlier time frame so I wouldn’t be moving in the dark. They agreed to make the space available by 3pm (wow, thanks). The first night in the apartment, I started the oven to preheat a lovely frozen pizza (don’t judge me) and discovered that the tenant before me used the oven for storage. That’s right, the cleaning crew missed items in the broiler and boom, fire. I had nothing unpacked to scoop water, no fire extinguisher, nothing. I ended up smothering the fire with my shower towel. I immediately contacted the property manager. He initially seemed very concerned, but then didn’t do anything or check anything. (On-​site managers do not perform any function, I rarely saw mine) It took 2 days for anyone from Kasa to get back to me. They sent out their maintenance staff, and said they would replace the oven. I inquired about a cleaning service due to all the smoke residue, replacing scorched cabinets and floors. All requests went unfilled. I spoke with Natasha and she ensured me that this was not the way they did business and informed me their cleaning policy had been modified. The next day, I could hear clicking coming from the oven. I investigated and found the gas was still live and leaking from the burned oven! I slept in the apartment for two nights, my dog was there all day! The company never verified the gas was off to the unit. I ended up pulling the unit out myself, locating the valve and shut it off. I spoke with Natasha about leaving the property due to my experience within the first week. The next day, the oven was replaced, a fire extinguisher was added to my unit and a new smoke detector was placed in the living room (closer to kitchen) I agreed to see the lease through so I wouldn’t loose my $ 3500 deposit. (HUGE MISTAKE)
Over the next few months we had the following issues:
— The laundry room was being used by non-​residents, we reported to our site manager, nothing was done.
–we received notice that fixes were made inside our apartment that had not been made.
–their staff entered my apartment without notice, then used a play on words on 1 email to justify their actions.
–they couldn’t organize simple communication about maintenance issues but was ALL OVER the cat I had in the apartment for 1 week. ($)
— at move out, I completed the walk through with their staff member and was told I was good to go (no deductions from my deposit) then I received an email a week later stating they were charging money for a cleaning fee.
Needless to say, I left as fast as I could.
Okay, I hope you got the just of my experience… please, for the love of God, think twice before doing business with Kasa. If you must, protect yourself. Natasha will fold if you push and complain enough. I got out of my lease and left before the year without penalty. I could have/​should have gone after them in court but it’s not worth my time or money. So I hope my experience will keep you safe and smart. Document everything and stay on top of them.

Kasa is the worst. They told me there was going to be a showing today at 2231 Ward Street, 5:30 pm so I showed up and nobody was there. I called the office and they told me to wait until 6:00 pm. Still nobody. I called again, no answer because the office had closed. Then someone calls me back and tells me that the open house is actually tomorrow. ??? Such a waste of time. I was a prospective tenant, but this behavior is so unprofessional and ridiculous that I’m not even going to THINK about renting from them. The 5 star reviews are fake.

I had a great experience with Kasa Properties. Their management is very responsive and always gets back to emails and phone calls quickly. I rented a parking spot at 2240 Blake and can see that they are completely redoing their apartments! Wishing I could move in to these apartments… Always felt safe parking there. Great place to rent!

This company sucks to work with. I said it. I have to chase them down — they never reply to emails or answer the phone. Totally unprofessional and disorganized. If this is what it’s like going into it as a prospective tenant, I can only imagine what it would be like to actually live there…

I lived in a 2 bedroom unit in their Derby Street complex for the 2010 – 2011 academic year.
THE GOOD:
— Fast response to any issue we had. Natasha would text/​call/​email faster than anyone I have ever rented from before
— Safe location
THE BAD:
I the same major issues that Em. J. has in his review:
— «The prices are outrageous to begin with and then the landlords will try to get extra money from you any way they think they can…»
Referring to the fact my sister and I were unaware of the extra $ 20 per person for water charge until we were signing the lease… that rubbed me the wrong way. Additionally we were REQUIRED to get a rental insurance policy that cover Sukhdeep… which I’m pretty sure that is not what rental insurance is designed for. Shouldn’t you have your own as a landlord?
— «there is no insulation so the units are freeeeeezing cold in winter…»
The coldest winter I’ve had to weather in a looong time. Bundle up ladies and gents.
— And most importantly «you can hear EVERYTHING (i could literally hear my upstairs neighbor’s phone vibrating).»
I thought I was going crazy the first time I heard the cell phone upstairs vibrating but nope, that’s just how thin the walls were. Imagine how I felt when 5 loud/​partying Cal athletes moved underneath my apartment (the catalyst for me wanting to move out). Oh and let’s not forget my upstairs neighbor who slammed down the lid to his toilet in the middle of the night that would literally wake me up every. single. damn. time. It was the noise issue that made me leave the apartment after only one year of leasing.
BOTTOM LINE: The Kapoors aren’t bad people, let me get that straight, there are just some thing that I wish were made more clear BEFORE the lease signing. The apartment itself was nice in that it was good layout in a good location but the noise was too big of an issue to overlook. As long as you’re aware of this, rent at your own discretion.

I lived at 2828 College Ave for about nine months before packing up to move to Oakland to be closer to work. The premium you pay on rent to live fairly close to UC-​Berkeley Campus was no longer worth it to me; though the location in the quiet neighborhood of Elmwood was hard to give up. The location of this apartment is convenient, as it is located at the north end of a row of shops and restaurants that cook amazing food.
My apartment unit was on the top floor and was one of the recently renovated apartments: new kitchen counter; new tile in the kitchen; new hardwood floors; completely new bathroom. The walls were not well insulated, but this was supposed to be added upon completion of the construction that my other fellow reviewers have mentioned before me. Construction was difficult for some tenants, but I always felt that Natasha tried to organize the construction in a way that minimized the inconvenience for tenants. I always received an advanced notice if something was going to happen to my particular apartment, and construction only occurred during business hours. (In addition, the construction workers were very kind, and even helped me carry some of my furniture up to the third floor when I was moving in.) At the end of the day, construction is not going to be convenient but I thought it was handled well and is worth the effort to endure to live in a more structurally sound building.
I also found the maintenance to be quite responsive and effective. For example, one Sunday we experienced torrential downpour in the peaceful neighborhood of Elmwood and it turned out that my window in the bedroom was leaking a bit of water. I noticed this at night, and emailed Natasha. I got a call Monday morning from Natasha letting me know this would be fixed when I got home, and indeed it was. I was even able to test this out since it was still raining on that Monday.
My neighbors were also very quiet and respectful, which also made it a pleasant place to live.
While moving out, the walk through was a breeze and I received all my deposit (two months rent) less a small charge for not cleaning the kitchen. This one of the least painful move outs I ever experienced, and it was done very professionally.
I feel the management/​owners of this apartment building genuinely care about the tenants that live in the building as well as the building itself, which is an advantage for the tenants that live in it. I would highly recommend living in this apartment building if you can afford it and you are looking for a decently sized apartment.

This is a terrible rental company. Suki, Natasha and Tom are buying older buildings all over the east bay, «remodeling» them and raising the rent by over $ 500 per month. They are tormenting the original tenants with their constant construction and lack of respect for people’s privacy and peace.
I lived at 2828 College Ave for two years. The first year the building was owned by a very sweet woman who never bothered her tenants. In the second year Kasa Properties bought the building and immediately started tearing the building apart with no end in sight. I moved out in August and there was still a gaping hole under the front entrance which had been there since September.
Suki claims he «listens» to his tenants but I did not feel that after many conversations with him about the disturbances he was causing his tenants. I requested a discount off my rent (which is my legal right:
) for the deterioration of property and Suki gave me only half of what was owed to me. He tells people what they want to hear and does not follow through on verbal agreements.
Natasha is the rental property manager and she has no respect for people’s space/​privacy.
This group is greedy and it is a nightmare to live under the reign.
STAY AWAY!

I have lived at 2828 College Ave almost about a year and recently moved out to move to the city in order to be closer to work and to cut down on my commute. My experience with Kasa Properties and especially with Natasha Kapoor-​Acuna has been very positive from the beginning to the end.
I have moved into one one of the newly renovated units and the entire unit was pretty much brand spanking new. Bathroom had new tiles, new sink and a new tub, kitchen had a brand new granite counter, new sink and new facet and the entire unit had new hardwood floors installed. Best of all the location of the complex was fantastic. I must say, for me the entire experience, from viewing the apartment to signing the lease to the final walk through was problem free and Natasha was very helpful and accommodating. My neighbors were also very quite and cordial when you met them at the stairs or while checking the mail.
I have read the other reviews here and I can only sympathize both with the tenants and the Kasa Properties. In July, «earthquake retrofitting renovation» started and my unit was one of those which was scheduled to be renovated. I welcomed the efforts by Kasa Properties to improve the safety of the building regardless of what their motivation might have been. I prefer to live in a safer and sounder building. But I also agree with the fact that this king of construction can be hard on the tenants. The scheduled renovation in my apartment conflicted with my schedule and after contacting Natasha we were able to find a mutually agreeable date when the construction could be done. I did not suffer from the construction noise or other related inconveniences since I was out of my apartment during the construction hours. Yes, in front of the complex looked like a construction zone but my feeling is that once the construction is over, the building will get back to the normal.
Bottom line, if you are in one of the renovated units (I can’t speak for the other units since I haven’t been in or lived in one) you will like the 2828 College Ave. The location is great, neighbors are quite and good people. And I really think Natasha is a very reasonable, very accommodating landlord to deal with. I would recommend this complex and the Kasa Properties.

AVOID KASA PROPERTIES (Suki and Reva Kapoor, Natasha Kapoor-​Acuna, Tom Richman, Raj Construction). Their priority is investing, not making tenants feel at home. Several new tenants quickly moved out recently, which says a lot given this fantastic neighborhood. Also, the homeowners next door very quickly lost trust in these landlords’ motives. They seem unconcerned with basic neighborly courtesy and tenants’ rights (which the city is often too understaffed to enforce). I recommend saving yourself stress (and money) and renting from a more principled landlord.

DO NOT RENT FROM THESE PEOPLE: Suki (Suhkdep) Kapoor, Reva Kapoor, Natasha Kapoor-​Acuna
They own multiple properties, but I can only speak on behalf of the building at 2133 Grant Street in Berkeley. In addition to the bullshit about rent ceilings and addendums that the person before me has outlined (which is completely true and totally fucked up), this building has a SEVERE MOLD PROBLEM. It’s an older building with no insulation, so any moisture in the air is instantly condensed into water when warm temperatures inside collide with cold outside walls. More importantly though, this is kind of mold that grows inside the walls, not just in the shower or something. They did earthquake retrofitting in Winter 2009 and left the outside walls unprotected and exposed to rain for several weeks. After they finished and sealed everything up, the next winter I noticed that mold was growing inside my apartment directly on the other side of the wall from where the work had been done. The mold line directly reflects the new plaster lines on the outside of the wall.
I told them about the mold after I had to throw away EVERYTHING that was in my bedroom — mattress, furniture, clothes, backpacks, personal items, etc. and all they did was offer to buy a dehumidifier, which in addition to greatly increasing my electric bill and decreasing the very limited space in the apartment would do absolutely nothing to fix a structural mold problem. They told me they would wait until I had moved out to fix the problem since it would require major construction, but I happened to know the person who moved in after me (five days after I moved out) and they didn’t even inform her of any mold issues in the building, which is against the law and also just really fucked up because that kind of mold is serious and poisonous.
They also tried to keep part of my security deposit for cleaning UNDERNEATH the stove top, where the pilot lights are. This would be less unreasonable if they had returned the rest of my deposit within 21 days as required by law, but since it took them 30 days to return anything to me they are not allowed to keep any of my money.
before i moved in they had asked for more than 2 months rent as a deposit, which is also illegal.
they have a clause in their leases that requires you to give 60 days notice instead of 30, and they will start showing your apartment 2 months before you move out
The location of this building is fantastic and the units are cute, but the prices are outrageous to begin with and then the landlords will try to get extra money from you any way they think they can. there is no insulation so the units are freeeeeezing cold in winter and you can hear EVERYTHING (i could literally hear my upstairs neighbor’s phone vibrating). my 1 bedroom apartment was less than 500 square feet. when i moved in they charged $ 1395.00 for rent, $ 25 per pet per month and $ 20 per month for water. During my tenancy they raised the rent .07% (as the rent ceiling law allows), they began charging $ 25/​month for a parking spot that was free in my initial lease, and they tried to DOUBLE the water fee to $ 40 after the second occupant in my unit had moved out (that’s right, double the cost of water for half as much use).
one of my friends moved into the building from another Kapareva building next door, and they were charging him even more for these «addendum» items than they were charging me because they knew he would have no room to argue since he was depending on them for a place to live and needed to sign the lease.
i have heard these as well as other complaints from multiple other tenants, and i have never heard from anyone that they are satisfied with the way the kapoors do business.
The folks at Kasa Properties depends on people being ignorant, too lazy, too young, too old, or too disenfranchised to stand up to them. They will violate your rights as much as they think they can get away with, all with a slimy smile and assurances that they only have good intentions.
(formerly known as Kapareva Group —
)