Latitude 38 Housing Services

I’ve been staying at 1080 Folsom for 4 months and it has been great. The room is quiet, cleaners come in everyday to clean the common areas, and there is always a good group hanging out in the community room. It is cheap for SF standards and it is near a Trader Joe’s and Target. Some cool bars are right down the street and the financial district is close as well. Great place!

A cozy place that reminds me of college. Although the rooms are small, it’s always fun to hang out in the common room.

I’ve been living in a quad on Folsom for several months now. Not sure what the other locations are like.
For extremely low rent (by SF standards) I’m getting everything I need: a bed, some storage space for necessities, a small fridge, a large common kitchen and living room area, shared coin-​operated washers/​driers, shared bathrooms and showers, and even a bike rack. It’s walking distance to BART, cool stuff nearby, I generally feel safe walking around (just stay away from 6^th St), and my roommates/​neighbors have never been a problem.
All in all, I’d recommend it for people looking for a short-​term, inexpensive housing option in SF. Just keep in mind you are basically living in a hostel.

I moved into the Folsom St Residence about a month and a half ago, and it’s been great. My room was affordable and has the basic things I need (mini-​fridge, sink/​mirror, bunk, desk). The kitchen downstairs has all the necessary pots/​pans/​utensils/​etc. and theres a coin-​operated washer and dryer available as well. Due to there being several bathrooms and showers on each floor, I hardly ever need to wait to use them. The people I’ve met have been social, friendly, and welcoming. Tenants at 1080 Folsom have a lot of respect for each other; None of my neighbors or «hall-​mates» have been loud or obnoxious. The area is convenient (5 minute walk from the Civic Center Station and only a 10 – 15 minute walk to the Union Square shopping area) and there’s some pretty great cafes and restaurants a block or 2 down the street. So far it’s been an enjoyable experience!

I’ve been a tenant of Latitude 38 for over 8 months now. The cleanliness, friendliness and management is exceptional, and that is why I have recently renewed my lease. The community of students, software developers and international residents makes for a truly diverse and stimulating atmosphere. It is always easy to find a quiet place to work or a friendly group of people to chat with. I can’t help but recommend Latitude 38 to anyone looking for affordable, clean housing in San Fran. I also want to mention that there is always a staff member available, 24hours a day, in case you lose your key, etc. I love this place and it deserves the best rating.

I was trying to find housing for a short term internship in the Bay Area and Latitude 38 came recommended to me by a coworker. The building I originally applied to stay in was full, but after some back and forth with one of their representatives, I ended up in a Quad room at 1080 Folsom.
The Place: My rent is stupid cheap for SF, let alone Soma. 1080 Folsom is within walking distance to a lot of great bars and restaurants, bus lines, and less than a 10 minute walk away from Civic Center BART. The other residents who live here are very nice and respectful, and it’s usually pretty quiet on nights and weekends. Someone comes to clean the main areas of the building several times a week, if not daily, so the kitchen, hallways, and common room are pretty tidy. Kitchen appliances are available for everyone to use, and coin-​operated laundry is in the building. Unless there is a secret room I haven’t found yet, there are only two showers per floor, but I’ve never actually had to wait to shower (which for me is typically 6:00 — 6:30 AM). The process of applying was really simple and easy.
The Process: Trying to find a place in SF when you are not physically in SF and on a budget (which is what I was doing) is damn near impossible. Actually, it’s damn near impossible when you are in SF; being elsewhere is just one more stake in the coffin. I applied for a room and was in contact with housing services within a week. The communication that followed was slightly aggravating (lots of back and forth, «this one isn’t available, but this is, but only for a long term lease», «if you don’t pay the security deposit right now, we’ll give the room away», etc., etc.), but in hindsight it’s hard to complain because I was very desperate to find a place and I did, and I did so before spending a fortune on Airbnbs in the meantime.
Downsides: I live in a very small room with three other women, and that is why my rent is so affordable. I don’t know how much exactly other people pay for single or double rooms, but it’s significantly more, so deciding how much privacy and personal space are to you can change some factors. Also, after talking with some of the other residents, we realized there is quite a bit of inconsistency within the housing services representatives, so who you talk to change a lot of factors as well. For instance, I was forced into signing a 9-​month lease after the building had been advertised at 3 or 6 months (I was looking for six months, and my representative was fully aware of this, but not at all accommodating), but a girl who moved in less than a month after I did signed a month-​to-​month lease, and another girl who moved in one month after me signed a 3-​month lease.
Bottom line: Dealing with housing services is frustrating as hell, but once you get here it’s not so bad. You’ll meet really cool people and you will have a somewhat affordable place to live in San Francisco.
Happy hunting!

Stayed in SF over the summer at Sweden House Hotel. Wifi didn’t work, I found bedbugs on my mattress on the first day, there were pigeons sitting outside my window and stinking the place up (couldn’t keep the window open). The manager was cranky pretty much all the time.
People give these guys bad reviews but in an expensive city like SF, you get what you pay for. Don’t expect five star service for $ 1300 a month.
That being said, they did mess up big time at the end of my lease. I had paid a deposit of $ 500 at the beginning of my lease. Once I moved out, I tried contacting them to ask for the deposit back, but I didn’t hear back from them for almost a week. Made phone calls, left voicemails, sent emails, everything. It was only after I left them a shitty one-​star review on Unilocal and sent an email to a higher-​upper did they respond and send me my money (just speculating though — it may have just been the case that they simply couldn’t get back to me during that time). So yes, they did return my deposit. Sure, they probably didn’t have the personnel/​resources to get back to me instantly, and that explains the lack of communication. But this is $ 500 we’re talking about here — I don’t care how personnel-​strapped your company is, if that much money is on the line, you absolutely have to return it promptly, or at the very least ensure customers that their money is on the way. If you can’t do that, why would customers ever trust you again?
TLDR: just short of satisfactory.

Latitude 38 provided me with a great location for a month while I was stationed in San Francisco for work. I was able to enjoy downtown, had quick access to the BART, and enjoyed my housemates. Problems were resolved when they arose, and when I needed to move because of my job transfer, the team at Latitude 38 quickly found someone to take my place, saving me a lot of money and time. I appreciate the efforts they made and think there is some great value in what they provide.

Moving to the Bay Area can be frustrating if you don’t have time to look for an affordable place to live in. I used Latitudes services for temporarily housing while I attended school in San Francisco. This allowed me to look for a permanent place without rushing into something that would have been out of my budget. I went to checkout some of the places Latitude provided me with and ended up staying at the Post Hotel. The hotel was convenient for me even though it was going through a renovation phase. The rent was within my student budget and in the end I was satisfied with the whole experience with both latitude and post hotel.

I moved here on a last minute basis and it was pretty cool. I like how this was a community and everyone was open and friendly to each other. I met so much new people in the complex. The staff workers were very helpful and friendly.

In theory this would have been a great company to work with, what with the abundant and «affordable» (I’m coming from the east coast) properties listed, but it’s too bad the communication is just so unprofessional. I had to put on a telemarketer hat — emailing and calling three employees multiple times — just to be able to squeeze a rushed response with hollow promises of more information. If it’s that hard to get L38 to take my money, I can only imagine what it’d be like living there once the lease has been signed.

I had moved from southern California last minute and ended taking a spot at 221 7^th Street. This is a nice central location — close to my office near Union Square, restaurants, shopping, and the nightlife. The building itself is well kept, and they have regular maid service to ensure that common areas are clean. The room is nice. No complaints. If there are any issues they are addressed and in a timely manner also. You’ll meet interesting people too and will probably make new friends. I was blessed to have cool neighbors. Anyway, thanks to Janell and the staff for a cool 6 month experience. I would definitely recommend this spot for anyone looking to move into the city to be in the middle of the action. Good times!

This is based on my experience viewing their building on Ellis & Mason.
Responded to a Craigslist ad for another of their properties (a nice one in a nice area), which turned out to be unavailable. The Ellis property doesn’t pass muster by most people’s standards. It’s fine from the outside. The interior is something out of a badly run group home or halfway house. AWFUL! Dirty, smelly, and just old. Mattresses in plastic, dirty walls, gross carpet, dirty bathrooms (all toilet seats left up, which says something), dirty windows, weird smells, and signs on the walls telling people not to smoke weed in their rooms!
The property manager I met (Augustine) was nice, but he kept talking about how clean it was, which was bizarre to me as it was clearly filthy, and no attempt was made to even so much as spray some Febreeze and open a window before having someone come for a viewing!
Also, it’s an SRO, which no one will tell you until you attend the viewing. Knowing that from the outset would deter most people, myself included, but may help others who don’t mind to have appropriately calibrated expectations.
I stayed all of 5 minutes before making a swift exit.
These people are shady. I’d steer clear of any of their properties.

Okay. Great community made good friends there at the Ellis location. Easy and cheap a place to lay my head durning my stay in SF. The people were the best part of the stay.

I lived here for three months. It was a great experience! The place is very clean, the price is very affordable for an early startup founder like me, and the staff there are super friendly and helpful. And the location is just so convenient. Every event in SoMa is within 3 – 4 blocks of distance! What more can I expect? :D
What I enjoyed most was the community-​feel of this building. I got to know quite a few friends and we have been in touch since then!
I would definitely recommend this place to everybody in San Francisco! :)
Go, 1080 Folsom!!!

I stayed in San Francisco for just under 6 months and 1080 Folsom St was the most affordable housing I could find in the heart of the city. I ended up paying far less than others I worked with an had a shorter commute, just a 5 minute walk to 5^th and Market St in the morning.
The room was very clean on the third floor with good ambient light. It was well equipped with a fridge and basin. I installed a cheap standalone clothes rack and a curtain above the window which blocked early sunlight and any noise from the street.
The RA’s were very helpful and collected all of my amazon parcels and let me into the room when I had forgotten my key.
The management were friendly and helped me painlessly book the apartment on short notice, they were also very flexible with my arrangements and swiftly returned my deposit at the end of the stay. Specifically Mariya had a quick turnaround via email and I was always able to get the answers I needed and give me peace of mind before arriving in San Francisco.
The internet was fast after it was fixed in the first week and there were alot of tech savvy engineers in the building working on their own startups. The premises were cleaned each day and there is a great bunch of people who are all travelling/​students and its fun to hang out.
If your looking for a decent place to stay for the best possible price in the middle of SF with like-​minded people then this is it.

I stayed there for two months, the staff is friendly, the spaces are always clean and all the services are including on the price. Overall I had a very pleasant stay.
Some room for improvement on wifi, (it’s too slow and it keeps disconnecting), the spaces are too small for the price you pay.

When I moved to SF about 5 months ago, I only had a few days to find a place to live. It wasn’t an ideal situation to be in, but I found Latitude 38 doing a generic search for temporary housing, and signed a 3 month lease the same day I called them. The woman who helped me doesn’t work there anymore, but she was very helpful in working with my budget and giving me advice on what neighborhoods I might like to live in. I got to see my room before signing the lease and I felt like the terms were very fair (I’ve worked in property management and have seen much stricter leases).
I ended up in North Beach in a tiny, tiny room within a larger hotel. The bathroom had only a toilet and sink; the shower was shared down the hall as was the kitchen. I had barely enough room for all of my moving boxes and felt pretty claustrophobic at times. Although it wasn’t roomy, the hotel and my room were very clean. I was also impressed by the responsiveness of both the hotel staff and the people at Latitude 38. I had a sudden change of plans and needed to extend my lease a month, and they accommodated me without hassle.
I would absolutely recommend this company to someone moving here without a plan already in place. Tony is great to work with and I felt like he really cared about me having a good experience. As hard as it is to find an apartment in this city, a friendly service like this is a great option to buy you some time before finding a permanent home.

Do not stay here! Sure, some people have had positive experiences as the other reviews show, but if I were you I would not take a chance. My happiness and enjoyment of the city was significantly reduced as a result.
This is a very shoddy company to deal with. I stayed for two months at 1080 Folsom and had to sign a lease without even getting a tour. I was paying $ 1400 to stay in a tiny closet like space. The mattress was so thin it was like sleeping on iron bars and I’d wake up with back aches. The wifi almost never worked and when it did it was too slow for anything other than email. The rooms look much nicer in their photos than they actually are. The furniture is the cheapest IKEA available. In two person rooms, there was only one closet so one person would be living out of a suitcase the whole time and be walking over it given the rooms are practically 10 feet by 8 feet boxes. During my stay, my in room sink was not working for three weeks before it was finally fixed. There were several mornings with no toilet paper in any of the bathrooms and you’d be going from floor to floor trying to get ready for work on time. The kitchen sink stinked and made me want to throw up each time i had to do my dishes and the garbage bins were always full. While its nice to live in SoMA, this particular stretch is to be avoided! Lots of homeless people /​folks out of their mind on drugs come by the door of the building. It feels sketchy and unsafe to walk alone at night.
Some of the staff were rude and overly controlling with very policing policies — even opening a bottle of wine to have with dinner was «illegal». It really was a prison like experience with photos of people who left a dish uncleaned all over the building. Public warning notices with names and room numbers and emails that said «OBEY THE COMMEND OF THE MANAGEMENT» (sic) were sent out to everyone and posted on the walls. There’s also a strict «visitation policy» where your friends cant come over except during the day and would have to leave their ID at the desk (it’s just embarrassing to have people visit you). Social gatherings would often be broken up «for everyone’s safety». You also dont get a key to the building and have to ring the bell each time to be let in.
The leases were also poorly managed. I didnt get a response to my signed lease until the day before move in. Near the end of my stay, I was asked to move out 4 days before my lease actually expired and this was corrected when I showed them the lease and had some back and forth. Earlier, I had given a check on move in which wasnt encashed till 2 weeks later and then was returned by the bank. While this was my fault too, I was informed about this only several weeks later and treated as though I had been a knowing delinquent the whole time. Upon being informed, even my request for 24 hours notice or to pay on Monday morning instead of Friday evening (which is when they’d have received the money in their account anyway) was insensitively turned out and according to their manager I was «lying and jerking them around» and had to pay immediately. Completely unnecessary and unprompted slumlord behavior!
As a 23 year old young professional new to the city, I found it very much like living in terrible university housing with overly assertive RAs rather than treating people like the adults they are. On top of that, their attitude is as though they’re doing you a favor and hardly acknowledge feedback (never mind act on it) while you pay through the nose for a shitty space and experience. I really regret my choice. There are a number of companies in SF that exploit the state of the housing market and this is a prime example of one. If I had been paying half as much, I could have tolerated some of this but paying as much as an apartment for a closet and such poor service just was too much.
The only upside to this place were 3 RAs — Yuki, Chris & Augustine who were pleasant, hospitable and tried who make up for the crappy management and space but were understandably limited in their ability.

Latitude 38 housing is the epitome of companies taking advantage of student housing. I recently rented from them for a little over a month from October 22^nd to the 1^st of December. Tony seemed like a very nice and genuine guy over the phone and seemed to have interest in making sure I was happy with my place. I had given him concerns like how I recently moved to the Bay Area for work and was looking for immediate housing. What I didn’t expect was how poorly managed and cared for his property on 9^th and Folsom was. The following points were the biggest issues that I had while living at 251 9^th street.
–The room was very dirty. Dirty floor, window sills were black, sheets provided were unwashed, and the bathrooms had soap scum so thick you could see your hand print by pressing on the wall.
–The room was very drafty. I had a nicer room with two windows, which meant twice as cold since the windows had cracks on the sides and were over 30 years old. Not once during my stay in November or December did the heat turn on. I’m pretty sure that is illegal in the city of San Francisco.
–Older tenants living there were constantly smoking weed and cigarettes in their room. Sometimes this would get into my room and cause me headaches and make my clothes smell.
–The furniture was the cheapest ikea furniture you could find. The futon sofa cushion was so thin I would get back aches from the metal beams digging into my body. The bunk bed would move when climbing up it and often I thought it was going to beak. I am 6′ tall 150pds if that helps. The bed was from before the renovation and was so bad I wasn’t able to get a good nights sleep until I bought a 3″ foam mattress topper.
–Management was very unorganized. I was told 3 weeks after I signed the lease that I still had to submit the rest of the lease, but I submitted all 9 pages of what i was given. Nothing in the lease mentioned terminating lease. I was told to pay 1300 when my lease was 1250. I had to send over my portion of the lease saying I would be paying 1250 before she would ok it.
Overall this company is a scam and I recommend staying away from it. I lost 1250 because I needed to get out. If you are considering a room with this company I suggest looking at long term hotel stays because they are more affordable and will not rip you off as this company did to me. Please stay away from this company.