Parker Palo Alto Apartments — Attraction in Palo Alto

TL;DR: Since Spieker Companies took over management, rent went up, service went down, and tenant concerns are ignored. Maintenance issues are neglected, safety is compromised, and there's no way to escalate complaints beyond the on-site manager. This is no longer a safe, fair or professionally managed community. Avoid The Parker.

NOTE: Since the change in management, all google reviews have been 1-star

I lived at The Parker for two years. For a long time, it truly felt like home. Under Prometheus Management, residents were treated with care--grab-and-go breakfasts, birthday cards from staff, fast maintenance and a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. But since Spieker Companies took over and installed Micah as Resident Manager, everything changed.

It’s now a place I no longer feel safe living in. Here's why:

❌ Neglected Maintenance & Safety Issues Heater failed repeatedly during winter. A burst water heater flooded the exterior of my unit. Fridge leaked, causing flooding on the kitchen on the floor. Rats spotted in common areas (see photos). Poolside furniture & gates blocked off with caution tape for months (see photos). Scooters and toys clutter garden pathways—previously restricted due to safety concerns (see photos). Gate locks stayed broken for weeks in what’s supposed to be a secure building.

💰 Rent Hikes & Zero Transparency Given just 6 days (4 business days) to decide whether to renew or vacate—an impossible timeframe for finding new housing. Quoted $2,992/month for my unit, while identical units were listed for $2,795 online (see screenshots). No explanation, no willingness to discuss. Pro-rated rent of $100/day if you stay even a single day past your move-out date—feels more punitive than professional. When I requested flexibility in giving my 30-day notice in return, management refused, even though I explained I couldn’t respond before their office closed (see screenshot of email).

🚫 No Accountability When I asked to speak with someone above Micah, he said, “All building issues go through me,” and refused to provide contact info for his supervisor. That creates a closed feedback loop. There’s no recourse, no oversight, and no accountability. That’s unacceptable.

🧹 Move-Out Expectations Border on Punitive Tenants are required to paint over any scuffs with “approved” paint—something normally considered wear and tear. Expected to remove and wash vertical blinds (never seen this in over a decade of renting). I left the apartment spotless, yet was charged a $200 cleaning fee (see photos of apartment condition on move out) These tactics feel like excuses to withhold deposits from even the most responsible tenants. Of my $500 security deposit, I got back $17 (charged for cleaning a spotless apartment, “rent” and utilities)

🐶 Pet Fees Up, Amenities Gone Pet rent increased from $65 → $100/month. Meanwhile, basic perks were removed—no more free dog wash shampoo, no more dog treats in the lobby. More money, fewer services.

🧾 Billing & Communication Breakdown The convenient online rent portal was abruptly changed. Rent, utilities, and electricity must be paid separately each month and billing is due at different times. Constant “URGENT ACTION REQUIRED” emails about water shut-offs, lock checks, etc.—it feels chaotic and uncoordinated.

Final Thoughts: I’ve been a respectful, reliable tenant who took pride in this space. I wanted to stay. But what Spieker Companies has done to The Parker is disappointing and unacceptable. They brand this place as “luxury,” but the service, professionalism, and care do not reflect that at all. Just because something is legal doesn’t make it right. They are taking advantage of laws and contracts to the detriment of tenants.

Until Spieker takes real responsibility and installs transparent systems of accountability, I strongly advise: do not move here. Your peace of mind and safety are worth...

My husband and I lived in Parker Palo Alto for 3.5 years, and moved out in May 2020. We wanted to write this review to share our honest experience with the apartment community, so that others would know about the experience we had.

Rats: Our first unit was infested with rats. Yes, you read that right. It first took weeks (yes, weeks) for the Parker team to even send out a pest control vendor to our unit. Once they came, they would tell us they had it covered and everything was under control. The rats were mostly in our crawl space above our bedroom, and the vendor would enter our closet to get there to lay traps. Each week, they’d find multiple rats in the traps. Instead of agreeing to have us move to another unit, or into a hotel for a few days (as required by the California Civil Code in a situation like this), the Parker management team told us they would not support this, and instead, the vendor told us everything was fine and it “wasn’t a big deal”. One time, we came home from work to find rat poop and dirt all over my clothes from poor behavior and lack of decency from the pest control unit team. We eventually moved to another unit in Parker, after 3 months of negotiations with the Parker team (we ended up having to pay more, as the new unit was more expensive - seriously?). They could have cared less about the inhumane state of the apartment, and only agreed to move us once we threatened to sue. No one enjoys being part of that process. Many other people complained as well of rats or mice in their unit. The response from Parker is typically, “these are old units, and there isn’t much we can do”.

The apartment itself: The appliances and state of the apartment will look good on a first pass during your visit, but dig a bit deeper and live there for a few weeks, and you’ll see that everything is old, band-aided up, and in a bad state. You’ll need to work hard in order to get things fixed or replaced. Mold grows like crazy here, and they’ll either a) blame on you even if you’ve just moved in or b) claim its dirt.

The neighborhood: We loved living near Greer park, and that was honestly the reason we stayed. This being said, watch out for monthly car break ins. It’s not the safest street due to the proximity to the highway, and people knowing it’s a large complex.

Why we didn’t move earlier: It’s hard to leave due to their move-out process. They lock you in with a “2 month fee” for breaking your lease early. Due to personal reasons, we were never able to move during the end of our lease, but eventually were so fed up that we broke our lease during the COVID-19 crisis and moved out. Never been happier to be gone and now to be under the management of proper professional landlords. Their only goal is to make money, and they couldn’t care less about you. Management team: They turnover every 6 months, which causes a lack of relationship building and a gamble on who is in charge. The team is always “getting up to speed” on the complex and units. They always have a fake smile on their faces, and pretend to care. I wish they really did.

I only wrote this review to hopefully inform prospective tenants of the reality of the Prometheus units in Palo Alto. I strongly encourage you to look somewhere else to have a better experience than we had. Life in big apartment complexes will never be perfect, but this was...

I originally gave this apartment a 5-star rating, but after a year of living here, I’m changing it to 1 star due to serious issues with the leasing office.

While the service team was always professional and helpful, my experience with leasing and management has been frustrating and disappointing.

Unfair Move-Out Policy & Poor Communication The worst part of my experience was the move-out process. My lease was set to end on March 9, so I called the leasing office three weeks in advance to ask for any move-out instructions. That’s when I was blindsided—they informed me that even though I was vacating on March 9, I was still responsible for rent for the entire month of March because I had not submitted a 30-day notice to vacate.

The issue? I was never informed that this was required. There were no reminders, no notifications, and no proactive communication from the leasing office. I spent a week pushing back, only for them to finally send me a copy of my lease that included this clause. This lack of transparency and poor communication was incredibly frustrating and felt misleading and unfair.

Rent Payment Issues & "Pay or Quit" Notice To make things worse, in my last month of living here, I encountered a serious rent payment issue. The online rent portal suddenly stopped accepting my autopay, and without any warning, my leasing account no longer supported online payments. I was never notified about this change.

As a result, I unknowingly missed the rent payment. Instead of an email or a simple notification, the leasing office chose to inform me by pinning a “Pay or Quit” notice to my door in the middle of the month. This was an incredibly unprofessional and unnecessary way to handle the situation, especially when the issue was caused by a system change on their end.

Final Thoughts While the service team deserves praise, the way the leasing office operates is unacceptable. The lack of transparency, poor communication, and unprofessional handling of both move-out policies and rent payments made my experience here deeply disappointing.

If you're considering living here, be extremely cautious about the lease terms and stay on top of every detail yourself—because management certainly won’t. I would not recommend this place to anyone who values fairness and professionalism in...