Sterling Oaks Luxury Apartments

This review is for someone who plans to be in an apartment for one or more years, not a few months. Excuse the length....

This review is for someone who plans to be in an apartment for one or more years, not a few months. Excuse the length. PROs: (depending on your preferences) 1. Variety of apartments from one to three bedrooms including all major appliances and mini-blinds 2. Located in quiet neighborhood, excellently landscaped with an abundance of planted and naturally growing trees. Near to shops, freeway and CARD recreation facilities and Enloe Prompt Care 3. Apartments are immaculate at move-in and are expected to be similar at move-out. Garages available on a waiting list basis. Assigned covered parking for one car. 4. Office staff helpful, friendly and available even on Saturday. Wednesday free hot breakfast for all residents. 5. Monthly free barbeques and similar events for all ages and especially children. organized by a resident community supporting couple. 6. Repairs small and large (e.g. replace water heater) done within 24 hours or slightly longer time frame for larger job. Will take care of it, even when you are at work so no four-hour window waiting. 7. Maintenance such as heat/AC filters, fire alarm service and window washing done regularly with adequate notice. On-site Jill-of-All trades repair person and partner company for plumbing, electric, carpentry etc. 8. Swimming pool and hot tub heated, well maintained and available most of the year with nearby picnic/barbeque accommodations. 9. Not exclusively a senior or student apartments but welcomes a wide range of ages and family styles. CONs: (depending on your preferences) 1. All electric stoves and refrigerators that are not particularly spacious 2. Dated and noisy dishwashers, clothes washers and dryers. 3. Only monthly or six-month leases, but renewable online. 4. Detailed application process including credit check that is a hard hit on your credit score. 5. Ground floor apartments can have noisy pipes and potentially noisy neighbors above. 6. Plan for a weekly noisy mowing and other landscaping activities. 7. Windows washed outside once a year and tenants asked not to do outside window washing on their own, even on ground floor. 8. No external storage on site, even paid and limited number of garages available for rent. 9. If you are looking for budget or short-term accommodations this is probably not for you. We are a couple who decided to give up taking care of a house in mid-2017. We planned to stay at Sterling Oaks before finding something better even away from Chico. We are just starting our second year with no plans to move. Did not think apartments could be so community friendly and well taken care of. Do not work for or have any affiliation with the company but they seem to be a model of responsible management.

I lived at Sterling Oaks for roughly 5-6 years. Im convinced that I would never rent a Hignell owned property again and heres why....

I lived at Sterling Oaks for roughly 5-6 years. Im convinced that I would never rent a Hignell owned property again and heres why. -Kiss your security deposit goodbye. I left the apartment clean and well maintained. Yet, I was charged over 700 dollars for their most expensive cleaning package. Their service letter is a joke. They request that you return the apartment as received, move in ready. What place does that? Not to mention they charged me for items that had normal wear and tear from use...a new toilet seat. -Regular increase of rent by an average of 60 dollars every 6 months. My rent was steadily increased every 6 months by 40-60 dollars to, current market value. For what? A mortgage? When I asked if I could sign a lease for 12 months they said that they didnt offer leases for a full year, only 6 months. I asked what the point was in that if they were just going to jack up the rent every 6 months anyway? -Lazy staff, try to coordinate anything with the front office? Good luck! Need something repaired? Get ready to pay. The staff is terrible and maitence typically didnt know what they were doing. I was better off fixing the majority of problems (running toilet, faulty door bell, door stops falling off he wall), by myself. -Neighbors, I had a few great neighbors here! People were generally polite. But, I had multiple poor neighbors upstairs from me. I would hear screaming and arguing at all hours of the night. When the Sterling Oaks staff failed to resolve the issue I had to result in threatening to contact the police. My other neighbor was also very noisy, slamming things around at all hours of the night. He would constantly disturb me, Again, no help from the staff to resolve the issue. Besides all this, the apartment layout IS nice. But, not nearly worth what they charge for it. Hignell is a slimy company that doesnt care about their long term tenants. Dont rent from them. You can find a better place for less money in Chico. Hell, you can rent a HOUSE for what they charge there.

I've lived in 3 separate apartments in Sterling Oaks. Love the place. Management has always been awesome regardless of who it has been! It's...

I've lived in 3 separate apartments in Sterling Oaks. Love the place. Management has always been awesome regardless of who it has been! It's a great community and Hignell and the Sterling Oaks teams has done a great job to do events for the community. Great variety of working class/professionals, retirees, students. Every community is going to have those that don't like to play by the rules but regardless of the negative reviews, the management has acted professionally in every instance I've heard of (never had any issues myself in the 6ish years I've lived here). There's no place like it in Chico! Amazing area of Chico as well. Large garages for rent as well. Bike path to upper park, creek, Cal Park lake across the street. Great place!

Horrible Management is RIGHT! Since I moved in I was treated like garbage. There are so many crazies there, college kids, idiots partying all...

Horrible Management is RIGHT! Since I moved in I was treated like garbage. There are so many crazies there, college kids, idiots partying all night- the music was so loud sometime I would be banging on my neighbors door at 3 am and I COULDNT EVEN HEAR MYSELF BANGING ON THE DOOR. The people below the guy moved out, and the people next to him moved out,and management has only given him one notice. The cops even gave the guy a ticket- but they also said management is the ones who need to go off of complaints- they can only write tickets if the guy opens his door and talks to the cops. Management pretty much said that since they already knew I was moving out before my lease was up and the crazy guys wasn't, they were just going to allow it. ALSO the carpets smelled so bad I was sent home from work, and my friends didn't let their kids play in my house- they didn't care. I had to pay for their disgusting mistakes myself. After my toilet was BROKEN and flooded my entire bedroom and closet, molded for four days, ruined all my stuff, and stunk me out of my bedroom for the remainder of my stay there, they STILL didnt clean the carpets! It was so disgusting staying there- I was constantly sick, my kid was sick, and the manager said I was just "sensitive." So me and everyone I know, my boss, my friends, and my daughters teacher who have all commented on this are all just sensitive I guess. I will NEVER rent a Hignell property again. The person in the block next to us was moving out at the same time I was for the same reason- management is terrible and the noise is insaine! They cannot keep people in these apartments- obvoisly, look at their ads on craigslist and the gigantic sign- they are desperate, but I am begging you, do not move in here until they figure out how to treat people!