Vittoria Management

Will never rent from Vittoria Management! Interpersonal skills are extremely lacking. Maintenance service is awful. You will pay more for the poor quality of service from this property management company!

It’s bad, and they are not friendly. The rent increase is ridiculous and 0 updates on the apartments.
I’m moving out right now and not looking back. Like other one star Unilocal reviews states. Mine would be a mix of them

I dont know why these guys have such a bad wrap on here, I’ve been renting a place in Palo Alto for 2 years now, Rovie showed me the place and was very timely and friendly, Jake (the front desk guy) is super awesome and helpful pretty much with anything. Yea they raised the rent on me after one year but its Silicon Valley and the housing market went up… so I am not shocked. They can handle fixing requests while I am at work, which means the world to me bc I am a busy person. I would recco working with them.

The company is not friendly and does not care about their tenants. I live in one of their properties in Palo Alto. For about three weeks there was construction going on in the apartment directly above us, and there was no advance notice about loud drilling at 8 am in the morning and abruptly turning off the water supply. The construction staff was rude and dismissive if we asked them to try and keep it down, and the company front desk will not tell us how long this will continue while making vague promises about notifying us about future construction. Overall the company comes across as being inconsiderate and unfriendly, but I guess that is the price to pay for cheap apartments in a good location.

Communication is key, especially when dealing with large amounts of money. Communication is something Vittoria Management staff were absolutely terrible with in my situation — which negatively affected others at my work place. I would not recommend or suggest anyone work with Vittoria unless communication isn’t something you value.

They are a scam. Who keeps a listing open for more than a month in this city? And makes groups apply with a $ 35 application fee for each person?
Think about it. It’s the perfect scam — you can make more money in application fees than you can in rentals.
They called and very rude and brusquely said yes, you are approved, but no, you can’t have it, and yes, it is still on the market (?). I hope whoever owns the place finds out that they are turning away well-​qualified applicants for no apparent reason.
P. S. Check out the hidden reviews. They must try hard to get them removed, because no new reviews have been added but the average review somehow went from 1.5 to 2.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Well, we rented in their Rengstorff property. The one star is the property manager who is very kind, professional and helpful.
Anyway, the company is family owned so there’s a lot of politics inside, the front desk is not very friendly and acts anyway they want. Unreliable, they will not reply urgently when you needed help.
We asked them several times to fix our ventilation fan (inside the bathroom) and it took them months! Moreover, the fix didn’t last more than a couple of months! We never used our central heater since it causes short circuit, we complained/​reflected to them about this too, but they never responded either.
When we moved in, the door is broken, dirty and unfixed, they never bother to fix it either (even after charging us $$$).
The rent here increase tremendously (hello Silicon Valley), but this is not worth your money. They do not have much amenities, just the laundry room (not even a pet friendly community). Credits to the gardener for maintaining the rose garden! Noisy and unregulated kids (they won’t listen when you politely say keep the volume down) running around.
As Britt D. mentioned below, they will charge you for renovating the unit! They charged us for repainting the cabinet, walls & door. The cabinet was left undamaged (except for normal wear and tear) & repainted the door (when we moved in, the door was marked «X» on our move in inspection because the previous renter taped something and it left tape marks)
So, please stay away from this property. They will charge you $ 2500 per month for a noisy community, inconsiderate neighbors (who talk so loud, smokes anyhow and loves to party with loud music with kids running around!), few amenities and poor response for any repair requests.
They told us they got pictures of «before we moved in» and «after we moved out» but they will not show you. (lol) they told us they dont show/​share pictures. talk about transparency! So please, GO ELSEWHERE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Avoid at all costs. I’m back in the market for a place near Palo Alto but every time I see Vrent listed, I move on to the next.
They will undoubtedly raise your rent to the max after one year. Maintenance wasn’t an issue because we never had problems in the rental (until we moved out and were charged $ 2000 because we were still in possession of the keys). They will take your deposit to renovate their space. They have a good, long standing relationship with the court too– we had a solid case in small claims but the judge didn’t even let us speak for more than 60 seconds.

I like these guys. The people in the Vittoria office are friendly, they listen, and when I cracked a dry joke they laughed.

Avoid them if you can. Horrible service.
They are always so fast at getting rental money and increase the rent but never give a shit if u have maintenance request.
We rent a 3 bedroom apartment on forest avenue for half a year. The house is renovated. By the second month, many things cracked down without me even touching them. The ceiling from my bedroom got cracked, window blinders broken… We made maintenance request for a long time & no one ever showed up.
The front desk guy is mean, unfriendly and unwilling to communicate & help. We have made advanced payment for half a year with no problem. When we are paying for the next 6 month, he absolutely refused and said it is not allowed and did not even explain why.
Also the rent was increased by ~ $ 200 after 6 months.
I’m so pissed. Rent somewhere else if you can.

I rented a one bedroom in downtown Palo Alto and stayed there for over four years. I found the staff very great to work with during my stay. I read a lot of complaints about the rates raising, and my feedback would be to expect your rent to track the market. After my first year, rent decreased. The following years it increased significantly, but I always felt that I was paying the going rate for my location and the amenities. I found the firm very fair and accommodating. My full security deposit was returned and they even accommodated my move by allowing me to opt out of my lease early. I keep in touch with several neighbors still today and I have fond memories of living in the area. Vittoria is a professional organization and I was thankful to find them when I did.

I rented a studio in 360 Cowper in Palo Alto for 15 months, ending June 2014. After reading the reviews, I was anxious in signing my initial lease, afraid they would try to take advantage of me somehow. That anxiety was unnecessary.
I was a weekly commuter to California, arriving on Mondays and leaving Friday mornings. I found the unit and rent were appropriate for the market; I looked at a number of units, all of which were in the same ballpark for price range and quality. The unit was no frills and functional and I thought represented the best value in terms of location.
I initially signed a nine month lease and then re-​upped for an additional six at the same rate. On move out, my security deposit was returned minus a charge for a lost key. The Vittoria staff were always pleasant in my limited dealings.
My impression is that Vittoria is a low-​rent landlord in a high-​rent neighborhood. I paid what felt like a lot to get very little — I’m from Chicago, where my monthly rent to Vittoria would’ve easily rented a three bedroom in a fine neighborhood. But, I also rented a unit that was very cheap for downtown Palo Alto — the price inflation is a feature of the market, not the landlord.
Services provided, in terms of building upkeep, etc, were what I would’ve anticipated for the management company renting at that price point. The apartment was up to code, water was hot, electricity worked, and provided appliances were functional. Beyond that, grounds and building were maintained at a livable standard.
I’d recommend the building to anyone in the price range.

I had a great experience renting a one bedroom apartment in downtown Palo Alto with Vittoria Management. I rented with them for 3 years and I was very happy about it. I had to call the maintenance service a few times during that period of time and they always fixed things fast. Also, the girls working at the main office were always very friendly and professionaI. I got my deposit back at the end of my lease and all work perfectly. I will rent with them again for sure if I need it.
Thank you to Vittoria Management for a great rental experience!!!

I don’t appreciate anyone who increases my rent 24% in 1.5 years. I don’t care how bullish you are on the renters market, this is morally wrong. Look forward to another vacancy, Vittoria.
Epilogue: I received my security deposit refund a month after vacating the premises. I left it cleaner than when I moved in, and yes, while there was some normal wear and tear on the carpet and walls, they took the opportunity to gouge me another $ 185 for cleaning. Based on the way I left the place, and the fees they charged, I firmly believe they consider this as «standard cleaning /​repair fee» which would have been applied no matter how hard I tried to clean it (of course, Im sure if I had left it anywhere less than sparkling, they would have charged more).
Epilogue2: After «seeing red» on the deposit refund and struggling with feelings of abuse and fury, I made an appointment to discuss the deposit and cleaning fee. They admitted that they charged $ 95 for carpet cleaning when it should have been $ 85, and apparently saw my point about what it must feel like to be a renter in one of their units. I had pluming leaks, electrical and mold problems, and didn’t complain about any of it. I was the perfect renter, and it seemed like all I ever took in return was abuse. The only repair I asked to have done was the mailbox after the postoffice stopped delivering mail it was in such bad shape. (This went on for weeks). My request was never acknowledged, but it was eventually fixed.
They wrote me a check for $ 95 (after lengthy discussion /​heated debate), effectively refunding some of the fees, and I only had to wait about 5 days for it. So I upped them a 1 star rating (to a total of 2) and tried to see things their way.
I suppose their main problem is that they have a hard time managing as many properties as they do, yet they insist on charging as much as they can, whenever and wherever they can. I would think that for what you get, you shouldn’t have to struggle not to have your money taken every time you turn around, and you shouldn’t have to feel like you’re being treated like a child (when you consistently are), but that’s just me. Call me old fashioned.

Renting from them wasn’t bad, but seriously, take pictures of everything when you leave. I was charged $ 110 unnecessarily for cleaning, and it was double what their estimate was. Luckily I had pictures of the carpet so $ 85 was refunded, and it took ten days to even get that acknowledged.
Renter beware!

Ignored the reviews because the apartment was in good condition and in a good location. The rent is astronomical, but sadly typical for Palo Alto.
The real problem, which garners a 1-​star review, is the maintenance service. I have had to ask multiple times to get anything fixed.
1. Our bottom lock on the front door did not fit our keys. We had to ask three times to get it fixed, and one time, a service person came over, failed to fix the lock, and locked us out of the apartment!
2. Our mail key did not work, and we had to wait an additional week (while mail piled up) to get this fixed
3. We filed a service request to fix minor things wrong with the apartment when we moved in, such as a crack in a mirror and broken blinds. Two months later, they still aren’t fixed!
This experience is quite similar to that of the other reviews, yet the Vittoria front desk tells me that this is an exceptional case.

Their paper work is not precise at all.

I lived in one of their 1-​bedroom apts for 6 month. The building was over 100 years old, the walls are pretty thin. I can hear my neighbors talking, crying, having sex, etc.
The shower door broke, I called 3 times and they fixed it 1 whole month later.
When my lease is up, they mailed me, and raised my rent by 100 dollars, for a month-​to-​month lease, they charge 150 dollars more. Considering the high price, I moved to another town.
When they mailed me my deposit back 20 days later, it was reduced by 230 dollars. Along with the check are their bills for cleaning and rolling the entire apartment. I actually cleaned and vacuumed the whole place before I Left, leaving nothing damaged, and no dirt on any of the walls. I always paid my rent before it’s due, and kept the place clean and quiet. But they just have to seize the last opportunity and charge me 230 dollars MORE!

I rented a second floor unit at 524 Kendall in Palo Alto from March 2011 to March 2012. Now that I have received my security deposit, I can strongly suggest that people looking for affordable apartments should look elsewhere.
First, a little background. I had to make a quick move from San Francisco to Palo Alto, and I thought that these seemingly nice apartments would be a good option. They were the only «affordable» apartments really close to work.
What I learned about these buildings:
1. The walls are PAPER THIN. You will listen to every phone conversation, every TV program, every Rock Band game, and every iTune that is enjoyed by the people in the units next to you. Unfortunately, this also means that you will hear snoring in the bedroom next to you, sex, and people begging their significant others not to break up with them. You will also know if they are making tea from the sound of the whistling kettle. I especially loved hearing Call of Duty blasting with sub woofers at 2am. And guess what! This also means that your neighbors can hear every phone conversation you have, too!
2. The second floor units are EXTREMELY HOT in the summer. My lease agreement prohibited air conditioners of any kind. I bought a waterless one anyway. When it was not turned on, the apartment OFTEN reached 93 degrees. This is not an exaggeration. And don’t give me any crap about cross breezes or dry heat. It was so hot, I was unable to use the stove or oven without turning the place into a sweat box. Needless to say, I didn’t have many guests in the summer.
3. The BUILDINGS ARE OLD, and so I may assume that the circuit box, pipes, and water heaters are old as well. During the latter half of my stay, the water from the kitchen sink turned cloudy (like skim milk), and the water from the bathroom faucet turned rust colored. I think that the water heater needed replacement (it had failed three times in the course of a year), but the management refused to replace it. Also, my electricity went out for 2 days. Just mine. No one else’s. Unfortunately it was not a problem that could be solved by flipping breakers. They had to fix something on circuit box on the outside of the building.
4. Service requests outside of emergencies may be ignored or fixed in lazy manner. I won’t list the details, but you are forewarned. Other miscellaneous problems include people parking in your spot, people stealing clothes from the laundry room, the lake in the parking area after rain, and the postman who can’t seem to deliver packages correctly (not Vittoria’s fault, of course).
Basically, this management company runs a volume business. They WILL raise your rent. Mine was raised over $ 200 per month after the lease, because they felt that they could get more from my unit. Well, of course they could get more. Why? Because there are all these foreigners coming in to study at Stanford that are willing to pay any amount to live close by. After one semester, they move out. Why? Because the building sucks for the amount of rent charged. This company has very little interest in retaining good, reliable, quiet tenants. The turnover here, is so high, I only knew of two tenants in the same building that had stayed for more than 1 year leases. God only knows why they stay.
Lastly, I would like to give honorable mention to Holly, the Kendall property manager. She is wonderful. I would have broken my lease and moved away without her help and support. She is always kind and genuinely makes an effort to help. Also, the guy that did my walk through (I think his name was Dan) was very fair. I received an appropriate refund for my security deposit. Hence, the 2 stars.

I do not give one star reviews unless I believe a business is committing an ethical crime. Vittoria Management absolutely qualifies. It is hugely unfortunate that they manage so many properties in the Peninsula where it is in large part a landlord’s market given the high demand for rentals — it creates opportunities for mistreatment of tenants which Vittoria happily obliges.
There are a lot of negative reviews on the main page, but I *highly* suggest anyone considering renting with Vittoria to read the filtered reviews as well. They are the nightmare landlord you dread and should only be an option for the most desperate of desperate; even then, you’re probably better off and will save yourself a lot of future misery by sleeping on a friend’s couch or even staying in a long-​stay motel while you continue to look for other options. If you do end up having to rent with them, absolutely document everything! Take pictures of every square inch of the apartment and send them a CD with the files, make note of all the maintenance you request and how long it takes for repairs, etc. I also suggest signing the shortest lease possible and to start looking for a different place to live the day you move in.
If you mention their Unilocal reviews, Vittoria will claim that they are written by «bad» tenants; I always paid rent early, never had any complaints from neighbors and often did my own repairs because Vittoria took too long to respond. During the year that I lived in my apartment, the turnaround in my complex was 150% — EVERY single unit had new tenants, some vacated twice — in a building that was all families and professionals, non-​students. Bad sign.