Heatherstone Apartments by Prometheus

Although haven’t booked here, Maricel is really nice and considerate. The whole community is quite and well maintained.

Been living here for ~eight months. No major complaints. The neighborhood is quiet, apartment unit itself is great.
As a previous reviewer mentioned, the management does post community notices on your door, which is a bit annoying. Perhaps this will stop since there is an online system in place now.
Happy overall with the place. A bit expensive though.

We are about to sign our second lease renewal at Heatherstone. Have to say that the overall experience has been great; we love the size of our 2-​bed unit, the finishes were fresh and new when we moved in, the property has a great matured, well-​manicured landscape, it’s a quiet complex, and Maricel in the office is always quick to respond to any items with which we need assistance.
Now let’s talk about what really matters after you decide this is the place for you and you’ve committed to living here:
1) You will receive notices taped to your front door with information regarding community events, maintenance work, etc. These letters are usually either forms provided by the corporate office with [insert property name here] fields or are hastily written to serve notice — these are not particularly heart-​warming messages that are adequately personalized and generally have a cold, frustrated tone to them. But that’s not the real problem; what’s great is that you can come home and see notes taped to every door, and be able to tell who still hasn’t come home from work yet — a nice sense of security, particularly during the January-​March season when all of the peddlers start coming door-​to-​door for magazine sales, donation requests, etc. Note that the property is not gated, and while the larger neighborhood may seem sleepy/​quiet, anyone can come knock on your door at any time, and hustle the heck out of you (or your sweet, unassuming elderly neighbors). These little details drive me crazy.
2) Our rent has now increased 20% over a two-​year period, with this most recent renewal offer totaling a 12% increase over LY. Granted we are in Mountain View, which is experiencing the worst rent increases in Santa Clara county, at a rate of 12.4%, so in theory we’re right in-​line with market rate. However, let’s consider that we’re two miles from downtown Mountain View and its Caltrain station, we’re miles from Google/​Yahoo, and that the Sunnyvale border sits right here at the back edge of the property, where rates are only climbing 7% on-​average. The property manager graciously considered our dissatisfaction and researched market rates, but returned to us with information that we’re paying less than market totals for a 2-​bed unit, with no regard to the fact that the rate percentage increase is maybe a little steep. Individuals considering leasing with a large corporate landlord taking a big stake in the SV market should also consider that their total rent will increase well beyond what a non-​SV job is going to offer in annual lifestyle raises.
3) A big marketing claim made here is that the property is dog friendly. So after you pay $ 50/​mo for dog rent, you then have the amenity of nicely-​positioned refuse cans for poop bag disposal. Unfortunately anyone in the neighborhood can use these, so often the bags are totally stolen from the dispenser, and the refuse cans fill up quickly. There really aren’t other amenities for dogs like a fenced run area. We have a great common courtyard that some of us meet in and allow our fur-​kiddos to run and play together but apparently some neighbors have been «frightened» by this activity and our neighbors have been scolded to stay on-​leash. The dog friendly line in the marketing is really just a cute graphic and text to broadcast. There are, however, lots of great residents here with really fun, friendly dogs!
Again, overall, Heatherstone is a quality place to stay, but only for a short time, which is what we’ve noticed is the common theme here. Lots of turnover in the units here, and as we’ve come to know our neighbors, the common discussion point revolves around, «How bad are they screwing you this year?» I would recommend this property to someone in our same position — needing to move down into the SV area for maybe a new job, but planning on a short-​term stay.

NEVER RENT FROM HERE.
I rented a one bedroom for 1 year. Not only are the units far too expensive for what they’re worth, but they will spike your rent hundreds of dollars each year. Further, even though I had kept the apartment clean and tidy, they charged me $ 300 ON TOP of my security deposit because of animal stains and scent throughout the apartment. An animal did not step foot in the apartment the entire duration of my lease.
Do not rent from here. There are plenty of other places in Mountain View to rent from. This was the worst renting experience I’ve ever had.

This is my 3^rd year at Heatherstone, the price goes up every year to about 10%-15% but that is result of a market. Staff is good and responsive. good school district if you have kids, quiet neighborhood.

I came here after checking out Shadowbrook. Again, great leasing office staff. Some renovation was going on but whatever. I’m sure it’s driving the current residents nuts!
Let’s see, location. I loved the proximity to the Steven’s Creek Trail. That was high on my list of things that I really wanted. The neighborhood seemed pretty quiet, and there were houses in the neighborhood surrounding the complex.
I saw a two bedroom/​one bathroom and liked what I saw of the interior. The bathroom had plenty of counterspace, and a tub/​shower combo that you’d need a shower curtain for. Even though online it says there isn’t any AC, there was a small unit.
The kitchen did not have very much counterspace, probably due to the washer and dryer location. They are at the very back of the kitchen, across from the fridge. Just enough room to open the fridge. There was plenty of room for a 4 – 6 person table in the dining area.
The bedrooms were pretty standard looking. There were mirrored closets. I did notice that with the blinds open in the unit I was viewing, I could see right across into the next unit. Keep em closed and privacy should be fine. If you are worried about light getting it, maybe hang a sheer curtain to keep a little more hidden from the neighbors.
The only thing I absolutely hated was that the entryway and patio are one and the same on the upstairs unit I saw.
The one bedroom unit I saw was just too small for two people (imo) and only had the two closets. The kitchen/​dining area was the same size. I liked the fenced in large patio. The sliding door was probably the original and there was a trick to locking it.
I’ll come back here too when it’s time to seriously start looking for a new place.

Stayed at my friends place while visiting nor-​cal and they lived at this heatherstone complex. It is a quiet neighborhood and if you live here your neighbors will probably be in the tech industry, working for facebook or google. They have a leasing office in the back and in that office and also have a clubhouse where you can workout, bbq, swim, use the computer to print stuff, and even watch TV. Street parking is plentiful and the roads are huge!!!

I am not a resident. Yet. However of all the places we looked at this seems most feasible. I currently rent an Essex property (worst management company ever) Lets try prometheus, because I will never rent essex properties again.
Pool is nice. The area is quite. There is only A/​C in the living room. Thats ok. They allow pets. The deposits are higher 750.00 (extra for two pets) Fine, thats understandable since carpet replacement is around 1000 anyway. Plus 500.00 regular deposit.
Pet rent understandable, 50 per pet. However i do think if you have two dogs combined weight under 10LBs you should only have to pay for 1. (all complexes are like this though.)
Parking (OH MY GOD) is like a holy grail compared to what I’ve had to deal with.
The complex looks quite. I’m glad its a little pricier because it keeps the ghettos out and the young crowd parties. You know there will be professionals living here for the rent amounts. RESPONSIBLE PEOPLE AROUND you is what you want to live by.
Will I rent from here? Most-​likely.
1 Star for the greeting service of staff (i don’t know how they treat you when you are a tenant, its different sometimes when they have your contract) and for the fact that the manager of the complex lives in the complex (shows quite a bit that the manager would even live in the grounds), 1 Star for the property ground cleanliness, 1 Star for the easy access of amenities.
I may change/​increase stars if I decide to rent and find nothing wrong.
The only downside is, some places don’t come with a washer and dryer standard. However I don’t like to share anyway.
Every property increases rents by 10−20% so if someones rent was increased 200.00 they got off cheap. generally it is 15% increase of the base rental amount.
Cleaning the pool? Really, do you want someone to stand there all day and clean it for you? thats why you have two hands big whoop. Clean it yourself dont be a princess your a grown woman (to the comment about the pool)
I currently live in an essex property, and very well may be moving here. I hope my review has helped as a prospective tenant for those of you looking to move here. Because I may be moving here in July 2012

Looks like we’re gonna be moving this summer. They Increased to almost $ 1,900 next year for a 1 bedroom. That’s an increase of $ 7,200!
To give you an idea, We started at around $ 1,300 two years ago. Good luck to you wanting to rent this old apartment. They will increase till you leave. lol
And I think my neighbors are dumbasses. All notices are in CAPS LOCK! lol

This place is pricey. The maintenance staff and property manager are very good and are responsive to our requests/​problems/​inquiry. My only trouble with this place is the price. But everyone has different circumstances so if this is good fit for your budget, go for it.
Oh, and another thing that I don’t like is the pool. It is directly under trees and the resident has to personally clean the pool. If you want to use the pool, be prepared to clean it every 15 mins.
Overall, it’s a nice, quiet place to live in but be prepared to pay.

My husband and I have lived here for almost 3 years, but are moving to Texas so are leaving the complex. We’ve had a great experience here except for a few noisy neighbors. Unfortunately the walls are thin so you can hear your upstairs neighbor, but that’s how most apartments are. The staff is amazing here. I’ve never lived in an apt with such great maintenance staff. If you have a problem they get to you within 24 hours at the latest, usually it’s more like an hour which is great! Deborah is the manager here and is always very helpful. They usually hold at least one social event a month which is a nice way to meet your neighbors. Overall, I thought this was a great place to live.

Atmosphere is nice and the tenants are great. The grounds are clean and the pool is warm.
The management is horrible. Granted the communication is superb, the content of the communication for that last six months includes 17 notices of water and electricity service shut-​offs, pesticide spraying, house inspections (yeah every year they like to snoop around), rent increases… anything else I say will actually reveal my identity and I seriously fear the repercussions.
The rent has increased for me (as well as 3 other tenant/​neighbors I spoke with) by 10% year over year for over 4 years now. Keep in mind that the last year has seen constant construction (sorry «renovation») with construction starting bright and early, but not to worry, on the weekend you can sleep in till 10AM (WooHoo)
Obviously I am ranting quite a bit here but it is so disappointing to have such a beautiful place be such a sham. The people are really nice and I love the apartment, but I would strongly advice against anyone paying the 2300+ for a 2 bedroom apt with such overbearing restrictions.
Please contact me if you have any questions about the place. Again this may be the right place if you are a Hermit who doesn’t mind jumping when told and paying the most expensive $/​sq ft in the zip code.
–Craig (alias to preserve my safety)