Two50 Downtown - San Mateo, California

Sander S.

Amazing place to rent an apartment! The place is beautiful and modern with renovated apartments looking absolutely stunning! New and modern lobby with Amazon lockers, up to date and well stocked fitness room as well as a fantastic pool deck with plenty of seating, fire pits, gas grills and of course the pool itself.

It was very nice of Ben and Amy to throw a little get together party with some great wine and tapas food. Looking forward to another one when the pool opens after its renovation! Maybe we get a BBQ party?

suzanne C.

Many thanks to Ben and Amy for hosting a wonderful mixer for the residents. It was great to see old acquaintances and meet new ones. This event helps create a sense of community and I enjoyed it.

I’m enjoying living here. Ben and Amy are always smiling and helpful. Gary is quick to fix any issues I’ve had and Miguel keeps the building clean inside and outside. Kudos to a great team!

Suzanne

Nina V.

Two50 Downtown has been a pleasure to live at for the last 14 months. Ben and Amy are great managers and will promptly respond to emails and calls. Gary is the best at addressing any work orders in a timely manner. I always felt safe living here because the entrance requires a key fob, and there's usually security through the night.

The whole property is well kept and very presentable. Although the facility isn't the most modern, it looks nice and everything works well. I LOVE the automatic doors that open from the mailboxes/parking garage. It helps a lot when we are bringing in groceries and I don't have a hand. Gym is usually pretty clean and never busy. Laundry room has ample washers and dryers that you can pay with credit card. There would be people who don't take their clothes out on time and hog most of the machines, so Ben has helped with sending out an email to remind tenants. After that, it's improved a lot.

Packages and mail are never an issue. I always feel safe that even if I'm on vacation, my items will still be there. The amazon locker system works well.

One thing that has been an ongoing delay is the pool. Since I've started living here I don't think the pool has been open for use. Lots of renovations and what not. Good thing San Mateo isn't too hot or else I'd be upset that I couldn't utilize it.

I've listed soooo many great things about the complex already, but last thing. The location is prime! Walking distance to downtown San Mateo, it is the most convenient for foodies and families. I have enjoyed spontaneous walks around downtown and there are fun events that happen throughout the year. There are also small grocery stores that you can walk to within 5 minutes if you're in a pinch. Caltrain is also a 3 minute walk.

I initially signed on for a 12 month lease and we've stayed here a few months longer, because they allowed month-to-month without an increase in rent. We recently got an official notice to re-sign for a 15-month lease with ~3% increase in rent and other options with higher cost. It's officially out of our budget...so sadly I will need to say goodbye. If you are able to afford this complex, I have no doubt that you will be very happy!

Sylvie G.

I have lived in this building since 2013 (11 years) and I have never been happier. It is home to me.
Ben the manager, Amy his assistant, Gary, Miguel and the rest of the staff are all wonderful people. They are kind, helpful and courteous. I live on the fist floor and it is extremely noisy however my one bedroom is comfortable and spacious. Despite that inconvenience I love this building.

Dr. J. E.

Do NOT ever live in this building! This is the WORST apartment rental place ever! The Management is all about money. They are inhumane and cold-bloodied and sneaky and only want to get money from you! They are money vampire! They would ignore your request for preliminary or final walk-through together with you and do NOT do final walk-through together with you when you move out; and then they will charge you hundreds for cleaning even you have cleaned spotless. They even charge you for painting and painting materials—which is UNHEARD OF!

Reply to the owner's response below:
The management apparent does NOT get what they did improperly!!!! We requested pre-move out preliminary inspection as our right as tenant, but they completely ignored it, and thus we WERE NOT GIVING THE OPPORTUNITY to remedy any potential issues before moving out. WHO ON EARTH WOULD KNOW WE NEED TO PAY FOR EVEN PAINTING AND PAINTING SUPPLIES? WHICH APARTMENT IN THE UNITED STATES DOES THAT ONLY THIS ONE!!!!! I have lived in the east cost, midwest, and California, and NO OTHER APARTMENT charges the tenants for painting and painting supplies after they move out!!!!! EVERY OTHER apartment does the move-out inspection and preliminary move-out inspection as requested!!!!! Based on how the management responded, clearly these people are very UNPROFESSIONAL. They did not admit or even realize---even WORSE--what they did WRONG! More reasons to be extremely WARY if you are considering this apartment building!!!!

Ludwig P.

We lived here for slightly over a year and I personally have mixed feelings about this place. I will explain in the end as to why I am only giving 2/5 stars for this property.

Pros:
1. Convenience - if you are a foodie then this is a great place to be. Being conveniently located near downtown San Mateo allows you to get all the good food that this pretty town has to offer within walking distance. Caltrain is also one block away so commuting around the Peninsula is not too bad. However, if you are someone who likes nightlife then San Mateo might not be your cup of tea because there’s only a handful of bars around the area.
2. Cheap parking - parking in the Bay Area can be very expensive, especially if you live in the city. The monthly parking here is only $40/vehicle so that’s a really good deal.
3. Amenities - the outdoor lounge and grill area can be really nice on a sunny day. Unfortunately, the pool is not heated and is closed during the winter months.

Cons:
1. Old/outdated building & high rent - The monthly rent for a 1 bed is approx $38-3900/mo, however, the units do not reflect this price as the kitchen cabinets, appliances, and popcorn ceiling can be very outdated. Other properties such as Ryan tower, or if you prefer something brand new, Brickline Flats, will have something that either lives up to the price or has a better bang for the buck.
2. Noise & dust - Being close to the train tracks will expose you to constant noises every day. Management doesn’t seem to be interested in installing better windows as I have raised this request in the past. The balcony and apartment can also become very dusty due to the amount of traffic there is out there.
3. Common areas - The common areas became very dirty towards the end of our tenancy at Two50. Elevators constantly had food or liquid spills and the trash chutes always smelled pretty bad.
4. Elevators - The moving process can be very tedious since no furniture is allowed through the lobby and has to go through the garage ramp. The elevators respond very slow and will always shut on you super fast.
5. Management - the management team was very nice and welcoming before signing our lease but we noticed a shift in attitude once we moved in. We requested to borrow two dollies from their storage room during our move-out process but the answer we got was simply a “no” without further explanation and a very smirky smile, which struck us as a very rude response. We also received some condescending comments when we handed over our keys.
6. Move-out fees - Last but not least, we were surprised by some hefty fees, just like some other reviewers have mentioned already. This is the main reason why I am leaving an overall negative review. Management charged us for carpet cleaning, paint, and labor to redo the walls even though we left the unit in a good shape that should be considered as having regular wear and tear. We are currently in the process of communicating with Acco (the management company) and hope they can waive these excessive charges. I will update this post once we hear back and have this issue resolved.

Overall: Two50 has a lot of potential if management would try not to brand themselves as a “luxury condo” and instead focus on offering better value to the tenants. I understand that the recent opening of Brickline Flats might have prompted Acco to increase their rent to match the market prices but Two50 really does not have the same building quality to demand such a rent hike. We met multiple couples and individuals around August who saw a steep rent increase and decided to move out since they felt it’s not worth staying here anymore. As mentioned above, I hope Acco can resolve our last invoice and I will provide an update later on.

Pratik K.

5 stars for the best property manager I've ever had, Ben Hoh. I've lived at the Hillsborough Plaza apartments for over 2 years, and its been really comfortable living. The staff here are fantastic. Maintenance staff are extremely friendly, work hard and are super prompt to solving any problems and keeping the place clean. I can't say enough good things about Ben. He tries to form a personal connection with every resident when he can, and has helped me out many times.
The building is old, but the property owners have done their best to modernize the place. The gym, pool area, laundry and lobby areas are brand spanking new. The Amazon lockers are nice to have, and all the building entrances have been updated to use fobs. The old building does provide some advantages. The floors are super thick, so its impossible to hear your neighbors. Construction noise was a pain while construction was happening, but now most of it is complete, and with COVID restrictions easing, the renovated amenities will be nice to use.
The only downside is the lack of laundry hookups, which means no in unit laundry. But there are plenty of washers and driers in the basement, and I've never had to wait for a machine to free up.
Overall a comfortable 2 years.

Weilon Y.

I've previously given a one star review here in the hope that apartment management would listen to my concerns and several other residents. Now that construction is largely over and I've moved out anyway, I'm bumping it to two to be a little fairer.

The reality is that when conditions are right, this is a great place to live. The rent is expensive but you do get an amazing central location in downtown San Mateo, big apartment sizes and decent amenities such as parcel locker service. Parking rates are basically a steal compared to central San Francisco. I would originally rate this place a 4 out of 5.

However, I cannot ignore the dismissive attitude and poor communication that ACCO Management has exhibited to residents who raised concerns (for context, see my previous review below). There was a point where residents had to collectively threaten a class action lawsuit before upper management finally came out with a proper response relating to the construction situation. Even then, communication was mediocre at best. Ben and Amy as the "frontline" resident managers have done their best given the circumstances, and I do want to highlight the great extent they've tried to be helpful.

As a result, this review stands at a 2 out of 5.

Also, there's more construction going on with an unrelated site across the road, but that's out of management's control.

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Previous review (April 2021)

TL;DR stay away until the construction is completely finished.
Pros: convenient location, apartment itself is great. The resident managers are great. When there's no loud construction going on, it's an alright place to WFH.
Cons: You literally need noise cancelling headphones or earplugs to stay sane in your own apartment during the day. For the past 8 months there has been loud construction, at times deafening. On weekdays, you will not be able to sleep, work well or hold a proper conversation from 9am to 4pm.

Update 9/11/21: Four months later, also got woken up on a Saturday morning because of this ongoing construction. This review is still accurate.