Merritt on 3rd Apartments

Living in a big building has its draw backs but the staff at 3^rd in Merritt are exceptional. The maintenance staff are very friendly, helpful and punctual. The front office staff are also very friendly no matter how busy they get. This place has changed my view of living in a large apartment building in a very good way.
The building is very dog friendly with some good perks; swimming pool, gym, two BBQ grills with space to have enjoyable get together and a community room with large screen tv and comfy furniture. The landscaping is well kept up and the common areas are pleasant except for those that break the rules and smoke.
Cons:
Two elevators for 18 floors of apartments so when one is down, it gets annoying.
The management, not the staff that work at the front desk or the Maintenace guys but the actual managent are hard to get ahold of and don’t return emails. This also can be very annoying and frustrating.

PROS:
— Location
Could not ask for a better location! Easy walk to the Lake, quick bike ride down to Grand, and easy access to both 580 and 880.
— Amenities
Nice pool with a pool room, decent size gym, bbq area, small dog area, and shared laundry. The shared laundry is not as much of a hassle as I would have expected. There are about 12 washers and 12 dryers. Usually I am lucky enough to get at least one, but at times you may have to wait (especially when a couple are out of service).
–Community /​Pet Friendly
The residents are great. Extremely welcoming and pet-​friendly community. Maintenance staff is very nice.
–Storage
One bedroom apartment comes with plenty of closet space (one in the bedroom, bathroom, and living room)
CONS:
–You have to pay additional for parking ($ 100/​month) to park in the parking garage. I decided not to pay for parking, and haven’t had much trouble finding parking on the street.
— The place sometimes smells of smoke. Think some of the residents may smoke in the apartment even though it is not permitted. The building smoke alarms have been set off multiple times since moving in 4 months ago, which is a pain because then everyone evacuates for a false alarm.
–Awkward kitchen setup. We cannot open our oven without opening the fridge first and the fridge also blocks some of our drawers.
–Pool room closed on Sundays.

We have lived here ever since moving from Chicago four years ago. The management team and the amenities have continued to change for the better. The maintenance and package delivery still leaves us wanting. We are thrilled they’ve gone no smoking, but some still smoke cigarettes and pot on the grounds.

Are you looking for hallways stinking of cigarette and marijuana smoke? Easy access to a gang banger well known to the police? Proximity to Section 8 housing and numerous retirement homes? The ever-​exciting action on International Avenue? Then the Merritt on 3^rd is for you! Go ahead, you know you deserve it.

No, it’s still Section 8 housing no matter how you dress it up. Try to visit on weekends in their tiny lot. Drug deals going down everywhere. Very sketchy neighborhood. Park on the street and risk a smashed window. Former human trafficking motel down the street. Until Oakland cleans up, haha, this is an overpriced Motel 6 without the free breakfast.

I’ve been living here for a little over a year now and have had an overall good experience. Here’s what I think:
Pros:
— All kinds of people live here! People of all races and orientations, families, people with dogs, young people, old people, longtime residents, Bay Area neophytes. They say the building has high turnover, but I’ve met a lot of people who say they’ve been in the building for a decade or more. It’s just nice to share a building with all sorts of different people
— Very close to the lake and the Lake Merritt BART station, and several grocery stores. The neighborhood is generally pretty safe and is getting better
— Building has private security at night
— There’s a hot tub and a pool
— Package delivery goes through the front office, so you don’t have to worry about people stealing your stuff off your front porch
— The walls are thick in this place. I rarely, if ever, get woken up by noise coming from other units
— Relatively affordable (although not cheap, and I think the rent may have gone up substantially since I moved in here)
— Maintenance is pretty responsive. Most things get fixed in 1 — 2 days
— Rent controlled (since the building was constructed before the 80’s)
-
is available in this building! So you can tell Comcast to blow you
Cons:
— The front office can be unresponsive, especially if you’re trying to sign a lease. I think they’ve improved, but I’ve been frustrated with them before
— Have had many false alarms from the building’s emergency system in the past few months
— I live on the 5^th floor, and there’s a trash truck that comes every Monday at around 5 in the morning, and this thing is like having Mr. Slam from Twisted Metal outside your window. It’s LOUD and will wake you up on the worst day of the week
— Moving in is a bitch because you’ll have to fit everything you own into a smallish elevator
— Girlfriend’s bike got stolen from the bike rack in the parking garage. I don’t recommend leaving your bike down there because they’d don’t do a very good job of keeping that place secure.

Let me just start by saying I’ve lived in way more expensive places, and even places with 5 star ratings are not 100% perfect. I’ve lived here for 8 years now and haven’t moved because I can’t find a better place in this price range. Also the staff work very hard to accommodate resident’s needs, the Maintanance team and the office staff are great. The lady at the front desk is phenomenal. Francis McGhee goes above and beyond to ensure the residents are happy. Extremely polite, kind and accommodating. The manager Ero is also awesome, her and Francis really make this place feel like home. I get coffee from the office everyday, no longer need Starbucks People who complain about this place need to get a life, you can pay 500 $ less and live in a crappy place in the worst neighborhoods, or move out into places where u get no cellphone signal in the middle of nowhere. Or just buy a house and pay a mortgage. I’ve seen some bad reviews and they’re not accurate, this place is great if u want a luxury apt that’s 10 mins away from SF and has great surroundings, views, scenery & nightlife. The full gym is nicer than the local SF fitness gym, so I have 24hr gym access, the outside lounge area is awesome, I can watch the big screen tv in the lounge while sitting in the hot-​tub having a drink. The swimming pool is great because it’s heated and a decent size. I see this place getting better & better. With Francis & Ero in the front office it really feels like home. Those lady’s do a great job. Thank you !!! This is a great place to live !! Every time I bring guests they are highly impressed. Thank you again !

If there was a 0 star rating I would most definitely use it!
Yesterday I went apartment hunting in Oakland and came across Merritt on 3^rd. It was definitely my ideal apartment complex. I’ve rented in buildings that looked just like this and it was in the perfect location !
Unfortunately the staff was horrible ! Especially the office manager. First off didn’t introduce her self and was rude right off the bat ! I had a million questions and she straight up said «can you wait?!» With attitude. It was very funny to me because though I am young I am a professional who was more than happy to rent even earlier than my initial move out date of my recent apartment in San Jose. She then hands me off to another associate who couldn’t even tell me what amenities and features the units had and then refused to show me a floor plan because everything was «online» and didn’t even offer to pull it up on their own computers. Then wouldn’t show me a unit because she had to be on lunch by 2!!! Are you serious?
Grey star definitely should re think and audit their office staff because they SUCKED. Doesn’t matter how nice the complex was the staff was horrible and ghetto. So much attitude !!!

We just moved out and our returned security deposit cleared so here goes my 1 star review.
DO NOT LIVE HERE. Why? Cause of the following reasons:
1. The rent is way to high for what it is. The building recently sold and changed names. The new ownership put in a fresh lobby, fancy new lighted signs, covered nasty the parking garage with contemporary wood slats, and added a fresh coat of paint to the exterior and apartments. It’s all surface level.
2. The apartments are small and cramped, don’t be fooled by the «model» they allow you to see. When you move in you’ll notice old grimy yellowish paint around fixtures where they sloppily painted fresh white paint. The floors are fake wood adhesive strips. The old vertical blinds are chipping, falling off and often different lengths. The rug in the closets is cut too small and laid down without any installation; it moves around as its not attached to anything. All the cable lines (comcast is the only service available), are all cut by the crew installing the cheap floors so you’ll find that all the jacks are dead; comcast wont run new lines (you’ll have to do it). The air vents are crammed with eons of dust and filth (they are also «Stacked» meaning you share the vents with every apt above and below you). This brings me to my next point:
3. SMOKING IS ALLOWED IN THE BUILDING. Despite what they say (and they will lie by omission) the tenants who lived here before the new building owners have «grandfathered leases» which allow them to smoke in their units. Every night around 10pm our whole floor was dank with cigarette smoke and would come into our living room. We have a 1 year old daughter and we specifically asked about smoking prior to moving in and they said «its a non smoking building.» When we complained they said they would put up notices reminding people of the building policies. When that never happened they said «you never saw them?» Then finally after months of complaining and receiving this response «unless you can prove who’s doing it we can’t do anything…» they admitted the fact that people on old leases are allowed to smoke. Wow.
4. WATER BILL IS SHARED. There are no individual water meters per unit so you share the whole bill with the building. The price is outrageous.
5. GARBAGE IS SHARED. The price is outrageous. The trucks come at 4am and slam the giant cans around for 20 minutes every monday morning. Enjoy that.
6. The PARKING is $ 100/​car/​mth. The prices will add up and you’ll end up with a small 2 bedroom for nearly $ 3,000/mth.
7. PG&E «SMART» METER IS INSTALLED INSIDE YOUR UNIT. In our case, we not only had our smart meter in the middle of our KITCHEN (which was not there in the model we walked through), but our neighbors meter was in our front closet. Half of our closet was unusable, the box is huge.
8. NOISE and PARTIES. The leasing office will tell you its a quiet building due to the solid concrete walls. Welp, its not. You hear the music, the dogs scuffling around the floor above you. It’s miserable. OH! and you can hear someone peeing in the toilet anywhere in your apartment like they are peeing on your head. It lovely when you’re laying in bed relaxing.
8. The lease staff is incompetent, scattered and overwhelmed. You’ll constantly be discussing «miscommunication» with them when things are not delivered as discussed. Currently there are three young people running the show who are lackadaisical nincompoops. the repair/​maintenance crew is competent, and considerate.
Conclusion: Don’t live here. Merritt on 3^rd is pretending they are ON the lake, they are not. They pretend that they are in SF, they are not. The day we moved out all the pretty pictures of the bay that line the lobby were stolen and people got stuck in an elevator for 25 minutes. A pool and a dinky gym doesn’t make up for anything, don’t make the same mistake we did. And if you do, its one month of rent to break the lease + plus the current month, so be ready to fork out 5k to leave.

I lived here for over 2 yrs. I tried very hard to like the building because most of the neighbors were great. I personally got stuck in the elevator twice and both times the building management gave me attitude for following the instructions the elevator company was giving me. When I say stuck I mean for over 10 minutes. I lived with mold on the wall & a leak for over 6 months, EVERY month I took pictures and complained. They finally moved me to a different apt. When I say ‘they moved me’ I mean, I packed and hired movers. The new apt wasn’t painted properly, had cables dangling outside the front door, spare bedroom door wouldn’t close, and the bathroom door wouldn’t lock. Didn’t matter how many times I complained this stuff was never fixed.
The views are great, the pool & gym are nice but I would never recommend this property. Do a little research, for the same price there’s MUCH better buildings in Oakland. The Grand for one, same prices being charged but a management team that cares & they have 4.5 starts on Unilocal.Just do research and ask few tenants about their experience prior to signing a 1 yr lease here.
Final thoughts — My bike was stolen in the first week from the bike rack. Of course the video camera wasn’t working to track down who did it. I was held up at gun point by four guys on my walk home from Lake Merritt BART station. That’s not the buildings fault but the fact that the side gate entrances are often broken and at times the front entrance, that never made me feel safe especially after the strong armed robbery.
I’ve added photos.

This review is for Taylor in the leasing office. I have not yet proceeded with the whole application but when I was applying, Taylor went above and beyond to get me some extra documents that I needed to submit to my company in order that they approve the lease. Thank you Taylor for making my life easier.

During the approximately two years I have lived here, I have noticed steady improvements. Much has to do with the new management, but other factors have changed as well. Life was difficult and noisy during the renovation, but the results have made a significant difference in the quality of the property. Great new gym and community room; more attention to aesthetics, a nice improvement over the «hall scapes» of the Regency Tower. I have found the office staff to be friendly and helpful. In particular, Frances has been very proactive to ensure the daily effective functioning of the building. Hats off to Taylor as well!
I’m fond of the location close to Lake Merritt, but even though I have never experienced any problems, the ramshackle properties and their scruffy occupants across from the parking garage continue to give me pause. I generally feel safe, as long as I walk north. It is an urban neighborhood, with the best and worst that comes with that designation.

The new management sucks!!! This building used to be Regency Tower. Now ownership has changed as well as the management team.
Don’t be fooled by the new lobby. Once you move in, you will know how terrible this place is.
1. There is no poop bags for dogs. They never clean the doggy area. Lots of dogs are getting flea.
2. The leasing office lady always mess up your payment check. Even if you have dropped the check in the rent box, they will say they have never seen it. OK, you can choose to give the check to them in person, but guess what, they are never there.
3. No emergency services!

So stuck in the elevator. Emergency call center couldn’t get ahold of anyone from maintenance or the office. Other residents were unable as well. They said it would take an hour to get me out. Some kind residents called the fire dept for me!
But really this shouldn’t happen ever. But no, we have elevators break every few weeks. So they are upgrading and updating? Fix the Fn elevator! And since this is common, update the call box system so they know how to get ahold of the management when this happens, and make sure they know its merritt on 3^rd instead making me explain its not regency towers or regency apartments, its 1130 3^rd ave and rescue me no matter what the place is called.
I was angry while writing this, and feel its only fair to add a few more notes about the management of this complex.
The elevator call box disconnected on me a few times while calling. The operator was unable to call me back, so I had no idea what was going on unless I called back continuously. I never heard back that evening or since from anyone from management.
That evening I did call the 24 hour line after fire fighters got me out. No answer no call back. Ok so I was probably angry and yelling in the message, sorry i know thats not cool, but it’s an emergency number and I’m irritated that no one from the complex responded with urgency.
I must add that the side entrance hasn’t worked in months.
My friends bike was stolen from the garage about 2 months ago. The ladies in the office informed me they would have their people look at video and get back go us. We have inquired twice, but neither of us have received even a call back to say the video wasn’t working or that nothing was clear in the video. I know they aren’t responsible for stolen items in the garage, but if you say you will look into it, please look into it.

This was our temporary home for 6 months while we were in housing transition. I would say it’s a 3 star place although I could see why some peeps might disagree.
The pros:
— This apt complex truly reflects the diversity of Oakland.
— Accepts pets. A lot of places don’t and they even have a dog park in the facility which is nicely maintained
— Courteous and responsive crew. Lots of complaints here about them but we only had good experience with everyone who worked here.
— Night time security. This place is on the edge to some dodgy parts of Oakland. Nice to see the security do a walkthrough every night.
— Workout facility. Small and limited but never crowded.
— Pool and hot tub. Well maintained and never crowded.
— Live on the upper floors, you get some awesome views
— Close to bart and close to lake merritt
— Close to some of the best phở and bahn mi joints in Oakland
The cons:
— Weed central. I think every other person here smoked weed and at night, everyone is at least smelling it
— Not enough elevators. This is almost criminal that they only have two elevators and one is always being used for some one moving in or moving out
— High turnover. Like I said it seems like someone is always moving in or moving out
— Old yucky laundry room. I always felt my clothes got dirtier after a wash here.
— Not really in the nice part of Lake Merritt. I would not walk around late at night in this part of the hood
— Across the street from a house where it looks like criminals live when they leave jail. When I drive by it always reminds me of the Wire and not in a good way

I wrote a review on the Regency Towers page, and thought it would be best to copy that review and paste it on here:
First month at Regency Tower (March 2013) … so far, so good.
Temperature: A lot of people complain about how cold it is here, but it’s really not that bad. If you’re thinking about renting an apartment here, make sure you get the side that faces East Oakland, and not Lake Merritt. This is the south side of the tower. The south side gets all of the sunlight, and warms up your apartment if you leave your blinds open throughout the day. I love that I get to see the sunrise and the sunset from my room. Living on a higher floor will also help get some sun light into your apartment. At night, it does get pretty chilly, but I’ve noticed that if I keep my floor lamp on for an hour, it warms up the room. No heater necessary! I haven’t tried the heater because of what people are saying about their $ 300 bill.
The Staff: It does take a while for maintenance to come. When we moved in, we saw a few things (minor) that needed to be checked. I’ll ask the leasing office the status next week or so. Speaking of the leasing office, I’ve worked with Cherry and Whitney, and both are very nice and very accommodating. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve come in so much during this first month that they know what apartment I live in, or if they just have good memory, but they’re great. Even maintenance is friendly. I didn’t know how to use the laundry machines, and he stopped what he was doing, gave me a laundry card since the machine was out of order, and helped me get started.
Renovating: They’re currently renovating and renaming the complex from Regency Tower to Merritt on 3^rd. They’re replacing the washers and dryers, and renovating the gym. A lot of changes are happening, and I’m pretty excited to see the upgrades.
Location: Perfect location. This place is a 9 minute walk to Lake Merritt Bart, and walking distance to grocery stores (Sun Hop Phat, Lucky’s), Quicklys (my favorite!), Thanh Ky (my favorite noodle place! Get the combination Ho Fun if you ever decide to eat here) and Lake Merritt. On the other side of the lake is Grand Ave. where there’s many great restaurants. I like going to Jong Ga House (Korean BBQ) and Coach Sushi. There’s also an OTG on Fridays a block from Lake Merritt Bart Station.
This place isn’t as bad as what some Unilocalers have said. I’m glad I didn’t trust the reviews, or else I would’ve missed out on this great apartment.

This building used to be Regency Towers Apartments !!! We are paying full price for rents and YES there is construction outside. The sound of jackhammering was so loud it was nauseating. I measured the sound and it was wayyyyyy past the legal limit in Alameda County, management said, «there’s nothing we can do». I asked if residents are getting rental discounts because they have to leave due to sounds, they said no. This was especially challenging when I came home to do a Skype interview from home!
Also, we have recurring mold issues. Black mold. We have been blown off so many times and told to clean the ceiling ourselves… The maintinence man also told me, «you always make it out to be bigger than it is» and just ignores my requests. ummmmm, I am not sure what living conditions they think is normal, but a ceiling with a covering of black mold is NOT something I am used to !!
Last, there was an emergency evacuation last night at 5AM. The alarm was SOOOO loud and fire dept. came. There was no notification either way if there was an actual emergency or not. Also, it came to mind that the emergency exit to the front door is closed due to construction and we are not supposed to use the elevator during a fire. God forbid we have a fire here, 18 floors would have to exit out of one, piss smelling stairwell. It would be catastrophic for sure.
New apartments are being sold as having wood floors, beware, it is fake cheap stuff. I was told this by staff! Also, we have tried so hard to limit our water usage and PGE is still $ 100 even though we use heat maybe a few hours a week. Management just told me, water is NOT metered. All residents pay equally for water, F%@K, I bet were paying for the washing machine water. Maybe that’s why the bill is so high ?!! I’m spending more on utilities here than I have EVER spent. Also, we spend 3x more than my boyfriend does on his large 2×2 apartment in Dublin.
Oh, and there is a registered sex offender allocated to our bulding on neighborhoodwatchdog. AND my boyfriend and I witnessed a man from a house across from the parking garage harassing a woman. I do see these men going from the house, to our garage, and from there, they have free acces to the building. I am SURE there is some illegal operation going on. I’ve been watching this for almost a year now. I wrote a note to the Oakland police with no reply of course. Also informed the office, who say they too have had complaints about that house, but there is nothing they can do.
I am moving when my lease expires or sooner. I feel that for the price (about 2K) we could find an apartment without mold issues, without construction sounds, without dangerous people outside the garage trying to gain access to the building for their business, and of course, with a working laundry room.