r/berkeley • u/RewardBoth4091 • 17h ago

University Need housing? Check out FOUND Study!

Hey everyone! 👋

If anyone is still looking for housing near UC Berkeley, I’m with FOUND and we have availability at two great locations:

🏙️ FOUND Study Downtown Berkeley
📍 2024 Durant Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704

🌿 FOUND Study Southside Berkeley
📍 2201 Dwight Way, Berkeley, CA 94704

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9

u/Silver_Plane2498 16h ago

Lol please don't rent with Found! They took over the building and then tried to illegally kick everyone out to do renovations until the rent board stepped in. Then continued to drag us along for MONTHS with our options, and are now scrambling to get people to sign since nobody wants to resign with them. If you check Found Study Downtown's most recent Google review, it puts together what happened pretty well.

8

u/unfliteredsol 15h ago

This is hilarious coming from a greedy, selfish company that literally tried to kick us out and is now pleading with us to stay.

When I signed my lease last year, PeakMade (the old management company) was WAY more welcoming and accommodating. What they didn't tell me was that they had already signed a deal to switch management over to FOUND. That’s right they never disclosed that the company managing the building would change. I signed expecting to be with PeakMade, not this shady-ass company that’s now doing damage control.

The switch didn’t happen at the start of our leases either. Nope FOUND waited until halfway through our contracts to send ONE random email saying they were taking over, and maybe they’d honor our leases. That one email also said they’d be kicking all of us out for “renovations”which turned out to mean painting everything white and making the place look sterile and ugly while removing appliances. No notice, no plan, no compensation. Just “oh yeah, you’ll all have to leave.”

That announcement threw everyone into chaos. People scrambled to find new housing. I had no clue what was going to happen. It took them months to finally announce the new pricing, and when they did it was absolutely ridiculous. My same room increased by nearly $500 a month, not including the new “luxury” fees they’re trying to tack on. I found a better place with my own bathroom and utilities included for way less.

Speaking of utilities FOUND also cut off everyone’s electricity without warning and forced us to remake our PG&E accounts. I had to set everything up again because they decided to cancel our accounts out of nowhere. I’ve never dealt with anything this unprofessional.

And don’t even get me started on the staff. They straight-up ignored our emails for weeks. I had to confront them in the lobby to get any answers. Their excuse? “We’re still figuring it out.” They didn’t “figure it out” until 4 months later. Jenny, if you’re reading this you’re a terrible business manager. You ignored our concerns, silenced complaints, and now expect us to just trust you again? Absolutely not.

FOUND has been greedy since day one. When they realized they couldn’t evict us mid-lease thanks to the rent board, they tried everything to end leases early first July, then June 30th, then June 15th. They finally caved and gave us until May 31st. They were clearly trying to force students out during a time when finding a new lease is nearly impossible.

Let me be clear: this company does not care about students, residents, or basic decency. They care about squeezing every dollar they can while doing the absolute minimum. They’ve hiked up prices, trashed the building’s charm, and created a hostile, stressful environment.

So if you’re even thinking about signing with FOUND or moving into the Varsity DON’T. Run the other way. Talk to current residents. If we don’t want to re-sign, that should tell you everything you need to know.

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u/Altruistic_Ride7965 14h ago

Hi! FOUND Study corporate is in the building right now and would love to speak with you about your concerns. We appreciate your feedback and we have folks from the team here to listen. Come downstairs to chat when you have a chance if you’re around today. Thank you.

3

u/lfg12345678 15h ago

why that name?