Services Offered
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Apartments
Review Highlights
“The people are what make a place home, & the staff step up to the plate to achieve that (especially Kyle, Brian, & Otu).” in 21 reviews
“One day, a staff member (Christina) saw that I was struggling to back out of my assigned parking space.” in 6 reviews
“I was expecting to lose the hefty 1-2 month rent, but because of Uche, we didn't have to pay an extra penny.” in 7 reviews
Location & Hours
Amenities and More
About the Business
AVA 55 Ninth is a new kind of living space in Mid-Market. Directly across the street from the Twitter headquarters and close to the BART, AVA 55 Ninth offers studio, 1, and 2 bedroom apartments with fully equipped kitchens, walk-in closets, and in-unit washers and dryers. Community amenities include a fitness center, bike storage, dog run and pet wash station, resident clubhouse and BBQ areas.
Ask the Community
Q:
Is Ava 55 under rent controlled?
A:
No, Ava 55 is not rent-controlled. You will sign a new lease every year at whatever rate their algorithm offers you.
Justin K.Q:
How is the ventilation in the apartments? Someone told us there is a/c (cooling) in the unit we toured. Is that true?
A:
There's no AC. There aren't any fans either. But there's a quiet and efficient ventilation system which moves air in and out so the air is fresh and the bathrooms clear up quickly after the shower is run. There's a heater with its own control in… more
Arthur B.
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Recommended Reviews
Overall rating
89 reviews
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- Jahneevah D.San Francisco, CA0110Jul 15, 2024
I'm a new resident here at the Ava apartments in San Francisco I'm amazed of the view my space I have and the amenities that they have
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Jane S.
Jul 17, 2024
Welcome to the community, Jahneevah! We're thrilled to hear that you're enjoying the view, your space, and the amenities at AVA 55 Ninth. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team if there’s anything you need!
- Betty C.San Francisco, CA051Apr 25, 2024
What is the deal with this place? You can't get ahold of anyone in the office, they don't return calls, they don't keep appointments, they don't answer emails, they don't answer FB messages. It's crazy. I always thought Avalon was high up there in customer service but this particular property (maybe because the neighborhood it's in) is completely void. There is nobody to talk to.
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Jane S.
Apr 26, 2024
We apologize for the difficulty you've experienced in reaching our office, Betty. Your satisfaction is important to us, and we appreciate your patience as we address these concerns. For resident communication, the best point of contact with our team is through our Resident App. For guest inquiries, please reach out to our team at 55ninth@avaapartments.com and we will follow-up with you.
- Stephen S.Fremont, CA7663Feb 10, 2024
This review is about visiting Ava 55 Ninth on a self guided tour. I was a walk-in and I told the security guard I was there to look at the apartments. The security guard went to get David and David was wonderful from the beginning. He was very personable, honest and just super easy to vibe with. I could immediately tell from how he was speaking to me and another resident who he was helping before me that he really is the best reason to live there!
PROs
- APARTMENT SQ FT The size and sq ft of the two bedroom apartments are spacious and good for being in the middle of downtown
- SELF GUIDED TOUR The self guided tour is nice because you really can walk around and stay for as long or short as you want (tip bring ID because you give them your id and you get a key fob in return)
- EXERCISE AREA I liked the exercise area but that was my personal taste most of these places have some type of exercise area but this one was a good size.
- DESIGN LOOK AND FEEL The design look and feel of the building is definitely something you will personally have to vibe with or not. I'm putting it as a pro because the hallways are not boring or hotel corporate style. It's going for a hip trendy kind of look which is something you're down with or not. Personally I thought it was cool but mileage will definitely vary depending on if you're into it.
- MANAGER Once again, I talked to David before and after looking at the apartments and if I did choose that apartment one of the reasons would have David. David was awesome.
CONs
- AREA This has nothing to do with the building or apartments but the outside is pretty sketch. I work in the city and the entire downtown is unfortunately going down hill but some areas are more concentrated with problems and this area seems to be one of them. I really hope the city does something about this soon because it's hurting the entire city.Helpful 1Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0Business owner information
Jane S.
Feb 12, 2024
Thank you for this awesome feedback, Stephen! We’re thrilled to hear what a great experience you had with your tour, and with David. We appreciate you sharing your thoughts on our community design, amenities, apartments, and our location. We’ll make sure we share your review with the team, as we are always looking for ways to better enhance the experience that we provide to all who walk through our doors. Thank you again for offering us this insight!
- Emma B.New Bedford, MA042Jan 27, 2024
Pros:
- in unit washer and dryer
- gym on site
Cons:
- The mail room is locked by staff so you have to try and track someone down when they forget to unlock it during the day. I've had more than one package go missing and no solution was provided which is extremely frustrating and cost me money.
- The security guards are often "roving" and are nowhere to be found when you need them
- At least one of the three elevators will be broken every day, if not all three of them, so be prepared to take the stairs.
- There's no AC or fans in the units, only heating.
- The curtains in the units block absolutely none of the sunlight.
- On occasions where I've tried to contact the office through email, phone calls, or the resident app no one has responded to me. I had reached out about a lost set of keys as well as missing packages and received no response and overall when I physically tracked somebody down they typically provided no solution.
- Having food delivered or guests let in is a hassle.
- The neighborhood isn't the best with many homeless people and open drug use.
Overall I would not recommend living here at all unless you're ok with paying excessive amounts of money for the list of things mentioned above.Helpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0Business owner information
Jane S.
Jan 29, 2024
Emma, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us. We appreciate you turning your frustrations into constructive feedback, as well as including some of the positive aspects of your experience as well. With that being said, we are very sorry to see not only that there have been multiple issues that have prevented you from living the best experience that we have to offer at AVA 55 Ninth, but that you haven’t received a sufficient response from our team after bringing your concerns to their attention. That is not the kind of service we want to provide. We understand your disappointment, and I will speak with the on-site management and team so that we can investigate the issues you’ve mentioned and see what can be done to improve things moving forward. We’ll also make sure to share your thoughts on our apartment pricing, as resident feedback is among the many factors we consider when determining our pricing. Thank you again for taking the time to share your experience.
- Ryan L.San Francisco Bay Area, CA10661Oct 29, 2023
Pros:
There's minimal sound transfer between apartments. Maintenance cares and is fast & efficient. They did leave me hanging on an issue with the ceiling crumbling over my shower. They agreed it needed a repair and then never followed up.
Convenient location. Good space for money. In-unit laundry. Strange, but large closets.
The front desk folks are nice, but have zero followthrough and seem to avoid issues rather than drive them to resolution.
Cons:
Everything is run down and broken. You don't realize how much you rely on good maintenance until you don't have it. The biggest issues are the constantly broken hot water and elevators. Particularly galling when you can't use the loading dock to move in/out. My move in had movers carrying my couch and entertainment center up the narrow staircase because all elevators were broken. My move out had them waiting a long time (because two of the three elevators were broken). The hot water is a terrible surprise when you're getting ready for work. Usually lukewarm, but sometimes ice cold. They're constantly working on it but never get it fixed. The garage door breaks. Keep in mind that this is a really bad neighborhood and people like to smash car windows. I didn't enjoy coming home at 11PM to find my parking spot was taken by another car while paying $520/mo for parking. Also not a peep when Blink bought the Semaconnect car chargers and botched the transition. Suddenly it required a phone call to Blink (with a 1/2hr to 1 hr hold time) to get charging started on my car.
The package room is a disaster. It's also the space where they rent storage. They lock it when the front office is not occupied (though they also manage to forget to unlock it so you have to chase someone down). Good luck finding your package if it ends up in that mess. If you need something from storage, then you need to get it during standard business hours, and probably clear away a pile of packages to get to it.
My bicycle was stolen from the secure bike storage. Understand that we have a 24hr 'security guard' (one of them seemed effective), a secure and locked bike storage room, and cameras. My bike was locked with a beefy chain under a camera. Somehow they stole it from that room, with the guard, in front of a camera. The building said they would investigate and let me know what they found, including pulling the footage. I had an AirTag on the bike, so I knew almost exactly when it was taken. Nothing. I followed up several times and they never pulled the footage. Never provided an explanation.
The neighborhood is, of course, not good. This stretch of 9th street is particularly bad with a homeless shelter and a store that caters to them. This isn't management's fault, but it is something to be aware of if considering this building.Helpful 4Thanks 0Love this 1Oh no 0 - Justin K.San Francisco, CA11352Sep 17, 2022
Pros:
The people are friendly. They are honestly the nicest apartment managers I've had.
The delivery lockers are convenient (if your delivery is lucky enough to make it into one).
Convenient location
Cons:
The windows are paper thin. You will hear every outside noise, even on the higher floors.
There is a gap under every apartment's front door. You will hear every noise and smell every smell that enters the hallway.
The appliances and fixtures are the cheapest they could get.
The elevators are constantly breaking down. Be prepared to wait or take the stairs.
The trash system hasn't worked properly since 2020.
The guest parking garage/loading zone has been out of service for months.
The lease renewal process is a pain. You don't go month to month at the end of your lease, instead, you have to negotiate a new lease. But it isn't a negotiation. Their algorithm will come up with a number, and you can either take it or leave.
Pet owners in the building don't clean up after their pets.
Overall, the building isn't worth the price.Helpful 2Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0Business owner information
Jane S.
Sep 26, 2022
We are sorry to hear you feel the price and our community are out of step, Justin. We take a lot of factors into account when determining pricing. Customer feedback is among them. We will definitely consider this moving forward.
- Dawud M.SoMa, San Francisco, CA01Dec 30, 2023
Really unbelievable year of amazement at AVA 55 Ninth. The warmth, consistency, and professionalism is such a necessity and it's an everyday thing here. So staying busy with our own lives, being mindful of our neighbors, getting invited to community activities, the cleanliness, it makes it all worth it. With Ms Blair and David at the helm, I can't see myself living anywhere else. Am very grateful for the maintenance team as well. Prompt service and they seem considerate of our personal space as residents. So it's a great feeling all around.
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Jane S.
Jan 3, 2024
Thank you for your review, Dawud! I'm glad you are enjoying your living space at AVA 55 Ninth. Thank you for acknowledging the great work displayed by Blair and David at the community. Please continue to love living with us because we appreciate your residency.
- brandon e.San Francisco, CA15541Mar 29, 2022
Michael, the Main Tech III did a wonderful job and understood the problem at-hand! I have lived at 55 NINTH for over a year and have had a leaky shower stall door from day 1.
Previously I had service to fix the leaky situation, daily having to use a hand towel to soak up the substantial mess, but having Mike on the spot, it was remedied and dry...cheers to MIKE!Helpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0Business owner information
Jane S.
Apr 1, 2022
That's so great to hear, Brandon. We can't wait to share your kind words with Michael, we know it will make his day! Thank you so much for sharing this!
- Angelo M.Laguna Beach, CA235Aug 25, 2021
From the beginning of the move-in process (down to the initial call) to today, I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I moved in March of 2021 (so about 5 months to today) and I can confidently say that moving to AVA 55 Ninth has been overwhelmingly positive. Shoutout to Lina and the AVA team for making the move to SF such a breeze.
Here's my story: in March, my current housemate and I moved from San Jose to the city, taking tours at a few different places but hadn't found anything yet that was "the one." That is, until we received a call from Lina saying they received our inquiry. One more unit left at a special they were running (which evidently was at the top of our list), and despite the fact that getting to SF would've meant that we would arrive a bit right before the leasing office closed(!), Lina encouraged us to come up that day and check out the unit. So on a whim, my housemate and took the drive, got the tour, and loved it so much that we applied that day!
Since then, the moving experience was quite smooth. Reservation dock was booked as expected, and the garage made it easy for us to park the U-Haul and load our things up in a few trips. And now, if there's ever anything that does come up - whether a general question, packages, maintenance, etc. - the team is always quick to answer and is super personable/approachable.
Apartments are modern, clean, and the views makes it all worth it. Gym is huge, and being right on Ninth and Market is incredibly convenient: BART across the block, the Market (groceries, and Whole Foods coming soon), and F train / L bus that can take you up and down Market St. And Bill Graham / Audio / DNA / Bergerac / Halcyon / etc. is right here if you like the live music scene as much as I do.
Only notes for anyone reading: have some street smarts (not that bad but probably don't cruise around Mission St too late at night / avoid street parking there), be prepared for a waitlist for the downstairs garage (however monthly parking is readily available at Trinity Place), and the rooms might be a bit tight depending on how much stuff you have (at least compared to our old townhouse in SJ :) )
So, again, wanted to say thanks to Lina and the team here for making leasing process the smoothest it can be. Looking forward to staying as long as I can here!Helpful 1Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0Business owner information
Jane S.
Aug 27, 2021
I really appreciate you stopping to share your story with us, Angelo. We love hearing when things have clicked and we've helped to make a great experience happen. We appreciate your continued residency, and we'll be sure to keep up the good work!
- G B.Mission District, San Francisco, CA0415May 25, 2022
Just wanted to start off my saying- my overall living experience at the Ava was decent, this review is for what happened after!
My roommate and I moved out in September 2021, I stayed in the city and she moved out of state. We received our security deposit in a timely manner but I was unable to cash the check without her present because the check was written to both of us, using "and" instead of "or" between our names. I contacted Ava directly asking if they could rewrite the check so I was able to cash it and send my roommate her half. They said no, but she can sign a form to forfeit her rights to the deposit, have it notarized, and send it back. Oh and pay a $35 fee to do so. My roommate did that exactly, but we didn't hear back for weeks. When we had followed up they claimed to have not received the form. So again, my roommate had it notarized and sent it again. Weeks go by again and no response. We followed up, still no response.
It's been almost 9 months since moving out and we have not received our deposit back. People move out of state all of the time, so I'm sure this isn't an unusual request and i am very surprised such a large company with many rental properties has such poor customer service.
If you are planning to live here with a roommate- I would request separate security deposit checks in advance so you don't go through this.
Update: 14 more days have gone by-still no response back and no security deposit.Helpful 4Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0Business owner information
Jane S.
May 31, 2022
I'm sorry for all the frustrations you had during your move-out process, G B. We invite you to call our Customer Care Center at 877-282-6246, so we can address your specific questions and concerns regarding your deposit. We hope to hear from you soon.