SOMA Residences

UPDATE: If you want your deposit illegally withheld beyond California’s mandatory 21 day window for return, sign up here. I surrendered my unit on the 5^th and have yet to receive my deposit or an email from management explaining why.
I left my apartment at SOMA Residences after living there for a year. I too made the mistake of moving in immediately after moving to San Francisco and not having a bearing on the area. In hindsight, the area and complex itself makes me regret my stay. Some of the included amenities like a near 24 hour concierge and gated, reserved parking were nice but do little to mitigate the obvious shortcomings and sketchy nature outside the complex.
First off, the surrounding neighborhood along sixth street is at times very dangerous. Of course this wouldn’t be advertised but if you’re looking to move to San Francisco and rent from this complex sight un-​seen, I would highly suggest you reconsider other areas in SOMA or even San Francisco. Human feces and crazed wanderers dot the front of the complex with encampments going up in front of the building.
Rent is another knock against SOMA Residences. When moving in my rent started at $ 2,543 a month and upon moving out, the same unit now lists at time of this review for $ 3,057. There is nothing that has been improved upon in any part of SOMA Residences to warrant a near 20% rent increase when larger units go for a few hundred cheaper a month.
The quality of living is another huge knock. The walls are extremely thin so you’ll hear your neighbor above, below and to the side of you doing anything. You’ll also hear the kids running down the hallway through the evening and you’ll hear your neighbors walking above you as amplified thudding on your ceiling. The construction here is a joke as this place sets the vibe of a glorified storage facility meets college dorm mixed in with a outdoor façade that deceives on interior quality.
Management while helpful at times will do anything possible to gouge your deposit (as if the rent gouging each month was not bad enough). In addition, management will err towards a lack of response when quality of living is degraded. Over the course of a weekend, the complex’s fire alarm went off no fewer than 6 times usually at night prompting a mandatory evacuation of the building around midnight or 4AM. Management refused to explain the actual cause of this or give proper recourse to tenants. It’s extremely difficult to sleep through a weekend of blaring fire alarms and harder still knowing the property manager does not care enough about a tenant’s wellbeing to give an accurate explanation.
The gouging also goes as far withholding your security deposit 2 weeks longer than California law allows. I surrendered my unit 2 weeks early but was informed they would only return the deposit starting 3 weeks from the actual lease end 2 weeks after leaving. I informed them that this violated California’s renter law and received a half serious backtrack. I would not trust the management of SOMA Residences at all.
In short, nothing has been done to improve the quality of SOMA residences while your rent will increase to accommodate it.

I’ve been a resident here at SOMA Residences for almost a year now, and I’ll be extending my stay here for at least another 12 months with zero hesitation. I usually shy away from hyperbole, but I honestly consider my decision to live here one of the best decisions I’ve made since moving to SF. Here’s why:
[ 1. THE BUILDING ]
The apartments here are well-​appointed and comfortable. I won’t go into too much detail here since the best way to get a feel for a unit/​floor plan is to just request a tour, but the studio I moved into was well laid-​out, tastefully designed (re: the built-​in cabinets, appliances, lighting, and carpet/​flooring/​paint choices), and included a number of nice-​to-​haves (a dishwasher, track lighting, etc.). One thing I especially appreciate is how quiet things are — the walls seem to be very noise-​insulating and other than a few bumps here and there you generally don’t hear much from your neighbors’ apartments. That said, I’m sure YMMV based on your neighbors and specific unit.
The common areas themselves are very well maintained and it feels like there’s always some kind of improvement project going on. In the past year, I’ve seen window cleaning, door and wall repainting, and new floors in one of the laundry rooms. Overall, the vibe I get is that management and maintenance genuinely want to keep the building looking (and working) its best — many of the projects are proactive in nature (i.e. improvements are made before things break or require obvious upkeep).
In my opinion, this place offers one of the most balanced living experiences in the city. Are there more luxurious/​opulent buildings in San Francisco? Of course, but if you try to reconcile the price you’re paying at those places with the extra amenities and services you get, I’d gamble that the experience-​to-​cost ratio at SOMA Residences ends up winning out easily.
[ 2. LOCATION/​SAFETY ]
This was one of the factors that concerned me the most when I was exploring my options a year ago — while SOMA is gentrifying at a pretty rapid pace, there’s no denying that 6^th St. can get quite sketchy at night. Definitely don’t linger and keep your wits about you if you find yourself walking around the area alone late at night, but day-​to-​day, there’s been nothing I’ve seen or experienced that has caused me serious concern. Yes, there are homeless people scattered around and the streets can get gross at times — but this is the case in much of San Francisco. Overall, I’d definitely recommend checking things out for yourself and measuring your own firsthand experience against your personal tolerance levels. For me, it ended up being much more less of a factor than I initially expected. (It helps that the entrance to the building is well-​lit, secure, and there’s almost always someone on call or at the front desk.)
The upside to this location is the wealth of easily accessible public transportation options: bus stops within a minute’s walk (including one literally right outside the front door), and the farmer’s market and BART/​Muni Metro station a block away.
[ 3. MANAGEMENT/​STAFF ]
This is a recurring theme throughout several of the other reviews here, but the people who manage and work at this building are top notch and probably the best in the business. Most places treat you well when you’re touring the apartments and submitting your application, but stop caring and/​or engaging once you’ve signed your lease. What blew my mind here was that I not only received stellar service during the application process (shoutout to John here for being super accommodating, patient, and knowledgable), but the longer I stayed and the more people I met, the clearer it became that literally EVERYONE here (from the management/​front office to the concierge folks to the maintenance team) has the same set of high standards.
There’s a very rare culture of relaxed professionalism here that almost seems too good to be true. Like any well-​managed building, there are rules/​protocols to be followed, but the front-​office is fair and willing to work with you if you have a concern or an inquiry. Everyone picks up your name/​face very quickly, and it never feels like you’re just an apartment number or a rent check. It’s hard to put into words, but I get the sense that there’s a shared sense of pride over the quality of the operation they’re running. The best thing about this culture is that it appears to be top-​down: the management actually cares and prioritizes certain values, which instills a lot of confidence in every level of the organization as a whole. Kudos to Milan, John, Vladimir, Adnan, and Daniel for making this an awesome place to call home — I’d recommend it without hesitation.

I’ve lived here three years now, and the leasing office team is great. Always on top of any maintenance request I might put through. The facilities are very convenient, having everything from laundry, to dry cleaning, to a gym on-​site! They’ll even keep your packages for you when delivered. Great team here, overall.

So I have a friend who resides here and its not in the safest part of town but the amenities and security system appears to be efficient. I wouldn’t particularly choose to live here but I do like the lay out of the apartment and that all of the interior is modern and new. I sure do appreciate that more then a older apartment that charges just as much rent but with outdated interior. The parking here for residence is spacious too but as a visitor, street parking can be difficult to find.

First and foremost the staff at SOMA Residences are top notch. The leasing office folks are great.
After looking at several properties in the city I was sold on SOMA Residences because of the great service by the staff, really awesome group.
Some of the items that sold it for me:
— Great parking covered/​gated with ²⁴⁄₇ access, assigned spot.
— Friendly front desk staff in the evenings and the building management team during the day.
— The front desk will sign-​for and hold packages for you, which is great.
Easy five star rating!

The staff here were very polite and professional. I walked in without an appointment and was attended to right away. I was shown the available units and given thorough answers to all my questions.
The application process is very painless and streamlined on the website. You can get approved and sign the lease in a day or two.
The units are beautiful, the location is excellent, the staff is helpful and available and I highly recommend you make this a stop on your apartment hunt.

I had an amazing experience living there last year. John is amazing. All of the staff I met there is nice and friendly. Truly enjoyable experience.

Soma Residence has amazing staff that will help you in any way possible, specifically Milan, Jonathan and Sarunya! The complex is extremely clean, safe, and quiet. The laundry locker is my favorite amenity, it is so easy, cheap, and quick! Definitely a great perk. I am able to walk to work from here as it is only a few blocks from the Financial District. It is right near the freeways which makes it easy to leave as well.
Definitely recommend coming to check this place out if you’re looking for housing in the city — top notch!

Just renewed for my third year here, zero hesitation! Awesome value for the money, you can’t find another modern complex with rates like these in the hood… trust me I tried.
Pro’s — AMAZING STAFF (24HR security, package receiving), reasonably priced, CHEAP DEPOSIT, clean, modern, all the bells and whistles aka decent gym, attached garage, laundry locker, online billing /​service request
Con’s — Location can be sketch when you walk around, but it has character /​builds character! Also, expect an increase in rent every year, this is SF. The fire alarms go off sometimes, they are really loud.
Car/​Motorcycle Owner Paradise
Definitely live here if you keep a car and/​or motorcycle. Not many complexes offer big parking spots where you can fit both for cheap ($ 225/​month), or dedicated motorcycle parking. If you like/​need to drive out of the city, the location is sandwiched between a 280 ramp right on 6^th and a 101 ramp, and its still walking distance from the BART!
Tip for picking an apartment… get an apartment facing the courtyard (no street/​alley noise), and the patios are sweet too. The leasing agents /​building management are top knotch, will give you the honest pro’s-con’s unit by unit, have no fear! (John/​Daniel are AWESOME)

The staff at SOMA Residences is top notch. They are as helpful as can be within their power. They get to know all the residents by name and are super responsive. I would highly recommend living at SOMA Residences for their service. As others have mentioned, it is a very sketchy neighborhood for about 1 block in each direction. I was clutching my cell phone and belongings the first few days walking around. After a week, you get used to the homeless people and they have been harmless as far as I can tell. I began biking around the city, so they don’t affect me anymore. I would say if you are a girl, you wouldn’t want to walk home at night, so drive into the secured garage or take a cab. Like I said, it’s one block in each direction and then you are at the mall and Union Square.
The complex is renovated so everything is new for new tenants. Pleased overall with my stay at SOMA Residences.

The staff at Soma Residences are wonderful. My stay at the complex has been a pleasant experience. The units are new and secure. As long as you don’t let being near 6^th Street bother you much, the apartment complex is centrally located. Target, Westfield Mall, Bart, and Muni are within a few blocks. It houses a gym too which is open 24 hours a day, and a secured garage. I highly recommend these apartments!

This review is by no means a reflection of the quality of the staff.
In particular, John and Milan are both exceptional and very helpful. I would hire them any day to work for me.
You can read in more details about the merits of this place from the other reviews. I will summarize a few that mattered to me:
— Convenient location. Walking distance to the Financial District and shopping. Close to the freeways. One block away from BART.
— Webpass availability. Webpass is by far the best internet provider I have dealt with. It is available in the building since it is relatively new and the wired connections are available.
— If you are lucky to get a unit overlooking the communal court, this place can be quiet.
— Gym available. Even though it is tiny and has very few machines, it was good enough for me.
— Doorman available to sign off your packages.
Now on to the bad and ugly:
–Make no mistake. 6^th street is a dump. And will be for many years to come.
Things I have witnessed with my own eyes: A homeless man completely naked from the waist down squatting down and peeing in the middle of the sidewalk, in the middle of the day. Several people getting pepper-​sprayed in the face at 9 AM on my way to work on the corner of sixth and mission. Cars with broken windows on Minna street. Needles on Minna street. The management office will tell you «it’s not that bad». See for yourself how bad it can be (in case the links expire, 4 people shot dead since November on sixth and mission):
Essentially you will be living 50 yards away from main hub of prostitution and drug dealing in the city.
— Rent is EXCESSIVE for what you get. I had a studio-​loft and was paying 2650 $ with parking. They claimed 450 square feet. I bet this included the width of the walls, the stairs, the area under the stairs, and the (mostly useless) balcony. The living space is closer to 300 square feet. See the picture I attached. Compare the size of «living room» to the size of the stove. That’s how tiny it is. The «bedroom”-loft is wide enough for you to squeeze a double-​sized bed. Without a night table. A queen would not fit.
— Even though the rent is excessive, that will not stop them for jacking it up for your next lease. They raised my rent by 75 $ a month. I wasn’t planning on staying anyway. After I gave them my notice, they were like «oh why didn’t you tell us».
— They make you pay for water and sewage with AUM. AUM has got to be the worst company in the country. Google «AUM class-​action lawsuit» and read about them. You would think that water and sewage would be minimal for a 300 sq ft unit? The average bill was 50 $ per month! Including December when I was gone for most of the month. Nobody seems to know how they come up with those numbers. You want to pay online with a credit card? That’s an additional 8 $ surcharge. Whenever you see AUM, run away.
— Balcony seemed nice but was useless. You have zero privacy: you will be staring into the eyes if your neighbor. The pigeons will make sure it’s full of pigeon poop. Finally the restaurant downstairs (TBD) was fumigating the whole building with their wood-​oven chimney. The management was trying to do something about it, not sure what happened eventually.
— This is how rent money is spent: they renovated the entrance of the building. Which is cool. Except that project took around 3 months to finish and employed around 10 people. The end result did not look that much different. During that same period, the office tower that was being built across from my workplace had added 15 stories.
The bottom line:
You can do better. 2650 $ for effectively 300 square feet is not a good deal. If this building was in Russian Hill then maybe. But on Sixth and Mission? You must be kidding me. That is insanity (Welcome to SF!). They prey on people coming from out of town or overseas. If you are really out of options, get a short-​term lease (6 or 9 months) and keep looking. And get out as soon as you can. Before you catch a stray bullet from the lovely neighbors over at the Henry Hotel.

I had the pleasure of living here for the past year in a 1 bedroom at SOMA residences. I actually only moved out because I ended up moving in with my girlfriend.
As most reviews note, the staff and level of service here is top-​notch. Milan, John, Daniel, Adnan, and Vlad are all exceptional folks that serve the residents of this complex. It really makes a difference in the enjoyment of living here. Whether it be rent questions, parking issues, deposits (which they returned to me amazingly fast), or holding mail packages the team definitely excels at everything.
Note that there seems to be negative reviews dating a few years back. From what I understand those negative reviews referred to the OLD management team/​crew and not the the current group at SOMA Residences now. Keep that in mind when reading the reviews.
Rent is comparable to most SOMA locations and is definitely fair (although it is pretty high at this point in general). The neighborhood is close to all shopping areas and markets (only a few blocks away). Although 6^th and 7^th streets on Mission are not the most amazing streets, neither is any other part of San Francisco if you venture 5 – 6 blocks in one direction. It is a small city and there are bound to be ‘issues’ in any part of SF. This area is definitely improving in terms of new restaurants and other entertainment, and it is absolutely not as rough as it was a few years back.
Keep in mind that if you like quiet, you may want to consider an apt facing into the zen garden. The garden and walkway are great, and you feel like you are not «in» the urban jungle. It kinda makes you forget you are in one of the busiest parts of the city!
I recommend staying here if you are looking in SOMA. John Duong helped me find a place with no hassle and move-​in was easy. Cool place and good people.

First, the staff here is amazing– 5 stars for them. The 2-​star deduction is because of the neighborhood. More below.
Staff
Everyone here, the guys in the leasing office, maintenance, they’re all really great. Jonathan and Milan are particularly awesome and always helpful.
They respond quickly, patiently, and kindly. Good group all around — best customer service I’ve ever had renting.
Apartment
I’m in a Live/​Work Loft on Minna. It’s listed as 835sqft but my interior measurement only counted 669sqft (506 downstairs + 163 upstairs).
I ran it by the leasing office and they brought in professionals who measured the unit and came up with the 835 number again. But that’s the «real estate» number — counting width of walls, each individual stair on the staircase, etc.
Anyway, it’s plenty of space and I’ve hosted 2 dinner parties with 12 people with no problem.
The leasing process was painless, move-​in was easy. The only pain point was that I couldn’t see my actual unit before move-​in since it was still occupied.
The unit was in very good condition, a few scuffs on the floors, some nicks on the cabinets, just cosmetic stuff.
It comes with a full size fridge, dishwasher, microwave, A/​C and alarm (if you choose to enable it). It’s also wired for WebPass which is so much better than Comcast for Internet (and only $ 55/​month for 100M up/​down).
I can’t hear my neighbors above or next to me nor can I hear the parking garage behind me.
The building has guest parking for $ 15 a day though street parking on Minna is not too hard. There’s also monthly parking for $ 220. There’s also CityCarShare in the building.
They have laundry available in the building with tons of machines (and they take cards so no more worrying about quarters!) There are also Laundry Locker pickups in the building.
The front desk will sign-​for and hold packages for you, which is great.
All-​in-​all I like the unit itself. I’d been hunting for a year and a half and the price was within the market-​rate. (Yes, painfully expensive, but not more expensive than anything else with these amenities in SF.)
Also note that the Live/​Work lofts are pet friendly (but the other units are not).
Neighborhood
Okay, here’s where we lose the 2 stars. Again, the apartment itself is great, but you should know the full story before moving in. The Live/​Work Lofts have separate entrances that open right onto Minna. Convenient, right? Yes, in that you can have packages delivered right to you (if you’re home) and you can have guests over without having to buzz them into the building. It also gives you more of a condo vibe.
But Minna is *sketchy*. You have to be really careful in this neighborhood. I did not investigate it thoroughly enough before moving in.
There are regularly people partying, yelling, fighting in the street which carries very loudly into the apartment (you won’t wanna open your windows.) It’s loud and often very threatening.
I’ve seen people passed out in the street with needles in their arms. I’ve seen used needles and various paraphernalia on the sidewalk right outside my front door.
Trash is regularly dropped outside my front door. Once I came home to food thrown all over my door (Maintenance cleaned it up really quickly).
About once a week there’s someone passed out smoking in their cars and blasting music (though once it was ABBA’s greatest hits, which was pretty awesome). Or passed out on the street and blasting music from a boombox (who knew those were still a thing?). I’ve called the police 3 times to evict homeless people who were camped right outside my door.
And this is not just nighttime/​weekend party behavior, this is all times of the night and day, even like 10am on a Monday. Today (Sunday) at 2pm there was a woman sitting drunk weeping in front of my front door for a solid hour.
I moved here from the Lower Haight which had it’s share of homeless people and drug activity, but I never felt unsafe. The worst you saw was people smoking pot. Here, I very much feel unsafe, especially as a girl. I carry pepper spray now and I’m really careful leaving and coming home.
There’s also garbage pick-​up at the hotel across the street *every night between 11pm and midnight*. Even Sundays. It’s *very* loud.
For groceries, there are a few small stores within walking distance, but the nearest big store is Whole Foods about a mile away.
On the plus side, Muni/​Bart/​Freeway are all very easily accessible and you’re walkable to some great bars and restaurants.
Just understand what you’re getting into… and maybe get an interior apartment.

Good place to live… very close to freeway. Security guards are nice. But it’s a bit on the expensive side since the rooms and gym are quite standard.

This place seems like a great place to live however it is NOT pet friendly and that is just our deal breaker. Also the floor plans were just not available for our current needs as well. I don’t want to rate it badly simply because it was a miss for us, I’m sure it is and will be a lovely residence for others!

We only park our car in the garage, but have been working with Milan in the leasing office since we started parking there. Milan has been amazing from the start and has been super helpful with our issues along the way.
Someone give him a raise!

This review is for Milan who is a rock star! My husband and I lived at SOMA a year and Milan helped us tremendously throughout the rental process (we were looking from across the country had lad lots of questions!) and went above and beyond for us many times throughout the year. Even after moving out for a deal we couldn’t pass up, we kept our parking space and Milan was instrumental in making sure all was in-​tact and a seamless transition. All of the staff at Soma are very helpful, kind and friendly. Milan’s excellence in customer service is just one example of this. :)
Overall, we enjoyed our time at Soma. The fact that the location was so central and dog friendly was a huge plus. All maintenance requests were handled very quickly and we had no complaints. Overall, a great place to live.

Almost at the two year mark and I must say SOMA residences is a great place to live. This review is not about the location which isn’t bad nor is it great (I’m sure if it were possible to pick up the property and move it, they would). I’ll speak only about the two things that really matter, in my opinion, when looking for an apartment in San Francisco: building management/​maintenance and value.
Management/​Maintenance:
The one word that comes to mind when describing the SOMA Residences team would have to STELLAR. The men and women running this property consistently go above and beyond to make sure living here is as simple as possible. The leasing guys and very personable and approachable and I believe are genuinely happy to assist you in whatever your needs may be. The same can be said of the maintenance crew which has done a exemplary job of keeping the property clean and looking pretty (which is something to be said considering the shit-​hole that 6^th Street is).
Moving onto the doormen (and women!) that run the front desk. I’ve never lived in a place without a doorperson and I really think it adds a bit a of charm or personality to a property and the ones here at SOMA don’t disappoint. They’re a lot of fun and very helpful.
Value:
I’m not talking about price per se (because it’s expensive a hell just about anywhere in the city) but more about the real value of living in a place like SOMA. Rent aside, the real value starts to show with the conveniences available to all residents:
— ²⁴⁄₇ gym
— ²⁴⁄₇ doorman (you don’t have to send your packages to your office anymore)
— ²⁴⁄₇ security
— Zip-​Car (s) on-​site
— Laundry Locker on-​site
— Web-​Pass Internet
— Quiet, respectable residents (lots of professionals!)
— Hassle free staff
You add up all these things and you’re really not missing out on anything. Yes SOMA Residences lacks the «charm» that other neighborhoods in San Francisco have but it makes up for it in several ways. The staff is great, the property feels new and the amenities available are hard to beat for the price. I can definitely understand that the location can be a barrier for some, but it’s mostly cosmetic. You can get just about anywhere in the city from here easily whether it’s on foot, cab or bike.

I moved into SOMA Residences last year after moving to San Francisco and having only ten days to find an apartment. I ended up living here for about a year and a half (April 2011 to September 2012) and overall had a good experience, which provided me with a good introduction to the city.
I lived in a 450-​square foot studio apartment facing the inner-​courtyard and it was a good size for me and exceptionally quiet. My new apartment (in a different building) faces Mission Street and I couldn’t imagine living in SOMA Residences facing Mission as it is incredibly loud. Also, maybe I had quiet neighbors, but I never heard any noise from the nearby apartments except for the occasional bassline next door.
I frequently used the gym and loved having it in the building — a big perk for me. It was rarely overcrowded and I never had to wait for a machine to open up. The same goes for the laundry facilities located on every floor.
Daniel and Milan in the leasing office are incredibly nice and helpful, going out of their way to cultivate a community among the diverse resident population. However, unless you catch someone in the office or at the front desk, you may find it difficult to get ahold of anybody by phone or email in the event of an emergency or necessary repair (I wish there was a dedicated help line for residents with guaranteed response).
This leads me to one of my biggest complaints — the lack of ²⁴⁄₇ front desk service. The front desk people are all very helpful when they are there — but I could never figure out their schedule after about 7 or 8pm at night. I would frequently return home late at night on weekends to find the front desk empty. Fortunately you have to swipe you keycard to get in the building and in the elevator, but it can’t replace the presence of an actual person. Again, this would be where a dedicated resident help line would be appreciated — someone to contact when the concierge is out doing rounds or away for the evening.
Other reviewers frequently complain about SOMA Residence’s location. Yes, the neighborhood is dodgy at times (especially along 6^th), and the Mid-​Market revitalization is slow-​going. However, I never had any problem walking by myself at night as long as I maintained an awareness of my surroundings and didn’t advertise that I was carrying an iPhone. I also enjoyed being walking distance to dozens of restaurants and shops in any direction. And the apartment’s proximity to Bart and Muni, and having Zipcars in the building, make it incredibly easy to get anywhere you want.
But, sadly, one of the reasons I left is the «promise» of Mid-​Market redevelopment and how it impacted SOMA Residences’ rent. As a newer, not rent controlled building, my rent went up 12% after the first year. Although it doesn’t sound like much, it equals a couple of hundred dollars that I could not afford to pay on my own. And without improved amenities in the building or in the neighborhood (while nice, AQ and Monarch do not equal a revitalized community), I could not justify the cost (my apartment was going for $ 2200 when I left — a 37% increase from when I originally rented it at $ 1600 in 2011).
Again, overall, I really enjoyed my time at SOMA Residences (aside from the one-​too-​many false fire alarms). It was a good jumping off point for a recent transplant and I wish they would have applied a more accurate estimation of real estate’s value when applying a rent increase. But if you can afford it, it’s good for a year.