A Message To Parents

Tandem is Here to Help Make Your Student’s Transition from Home to Our Community Easy and Stress-Free!

Residents Moving In to A Tandem CommunityTandem’s Apartments in Davis, CA

At Tandem, we know when your loved one is transitioning to college, searching for apartments in Davis, CA is just one of the many things you are worried about, but it doesn’t have to be! Rest assured, your student will be in a home away from home in one of our Davis student-inspired Tandem communities. We are here to help your student make a seamless transition to their new college life, setting them up for success not just in school — but for life!

Living Local

With more than a half-century as an enduring local business, Tandem has built its reputation on its culture of commitment to serving the Davis community, the values of the University, and the needs of tens of thousands of UC Davis student residents for whom Tandem has had the privilege of providing a high-quality home. Our apartments near UC Davis are housed in 14 communities each with its own unique feel.

History

Tandem Properties was incorporated in 1972 as the successor to John Whitcombe Construction–founded by UC Davis Alum, John Whitcombe. This transition followed the arrival of Bill Roe and Paul Makley who joined John Whitcombe in 1970/71. John Whitcombe, who was born and raised in Davis, California, earned degrees from UC Davis and Harvard Business School. Roe and Makley, with roots in middle America, came West to attend the Stanford Business School where they were introduced to John, who was already active with home-building activities in Davis.

Community Relationships

As a company, we value our relationships with both our residents and the Davis community at large. For over 5 decades the principals of Tandem have been pioneers in developing and implementing innovative, energy-efficient neighborhoods and homes throughout Davis. Currently, Tandem locally manages 14 residential communities and employs over 80 employees.

Local Roots

Tandem Properties is a company passionately rooted in this town and its residents in so many ways. What does that mean for you & your student? Unlike the ‘big box’ management companies that issue standardized policies from offices in different states, you can trust that Tandem has created an environment customized to the unique culture of Davis.

We value fostering communities that allow young people to grow and learn in safe and friendly Davis neighborhoods. We promise to provide your student with a little more comfort, convenience, and care! And, as an added bonus, you’re supporting a local business!


Eating Local–Yes. Tandem even has a free organic farm!

Another benefit your student will get to enjoy as a Tandem Resident is our Tandem Organic Farm. Tandem Organic Farm is a local, one-acre farm in North Davis, established by John Whitcombe, owner and visionary of Tandem Properties. As a UCD alum, John’s passion for donating back to the Davis community extends beyond providing housing by bringing the farm-to-fork experience directly to you! Your dedicated apartment management teams work hard to harvest fresh produce in tandem with experienced farmhands. We have proudly partnered with the UC Davis Aggie Compass – Fruit & Veggie Up program to donate freshly picked produce directly to your UCD student on campus! Lucky Tandem residents can enjoy pop-up distribution days where we bring Tandem Organic Farm produce directly to our communities!


Offering Both On & Off-Campus Davis Apartment Living

No matter which of Tandem’s 14 unique communities becomes your student’s home-sweet-home for fall, you can rest assured that they will be within 2 miles of the UC Davis campus & downtown Davis. With both off-campus and on-campus UC Davis Housing, each Tandem property is located conveniently on bike paths and the UCD Unitrans bus lines to campus – free for UC Davis undergraduate students with their student ID!


Individual Leasing Programs

The Individual Lease Program is a service that benefits the renter as you are contracted individually and only have to worry about your own lease & rent. Whether your student has a group of friends or is coming solo – they can benefit from the Individual Lease Program.

The Individual Lease Program is perfect for those who:

  • May not have housemates yet, but want a dorm-like experience of co-living with compatible housemates
  • Want to cut down on housing costs by joining a larger household while still enjoying a private room to retreat to at the end of the day
  • Want to enhance their living experience from the dorms with a full-sized kitchen, private bathroom (in select units), and private entryway
  • Want to rent an entire apartment with their friends – without the inevitable drama of splitting contract responsibility & rent payments

Housemate Matching

One of the many benefits of the Individual Lease Program includes our stress-free housemate selection process that puts your student in charge of selecting the perfect housemate fit. What makes Tandem’s Individual Lease Program unique is that we put the renter – your student – in control of choosing a private or shared room within any room of any floor plan to fit their desired lifestyle experience & budget. We let your student view all available options by sharing a spreadsheet containing the contact information & Lifestyle Quiz Results of those who have already secured housing with us. Then, your student is in control of self-selecting the perfect apartment to call home.

Communities Offering the Individual Lease Program

Tandem hosts a robust Individual Lease Program – a program inspired by and designed for your student’s (and your) peace of mind. View an updated list of communities offering the program on the Individual Lease Program page of the Tandem website.

Free WIFI Internet

Students know that having fast, reliable internet is essential to their academic success, which is why most of Tandem’s off-campus communities are equipped with free high-speed Xfinity internet within each apartment. Simply log in to the username and password on the side of the modem and you’re good to go! Our on-campus communities offer separate internet options. Note: Please contact each community for the most up-to-date internet information.


Easy Lease Signing Process

You will not find an easier lease-signing process than with a Tandem Community: no co-signers or guarantors are required (if your student is 18+) and no minimum credit score is required! We understand that this may be the first time your student will be signing a lease contract and we are here to walk them through each step of the way!


Reputable Management Team

Personal. Accessible. Supportive. Local. Fair. Social. Responsive. These are the pillars of the Tandem Standard of Care. Your student is in good hands with our Tandem management team. As a company employing so many UC Davis alumni, we know what it feels like to be a first-time renter experiencing a new college town for the first time! Unlike any other management in town, Tandem’s roots in the UC Davis community can be felt in the gentle customer service your student will experience as a resident. We are a small, intimate team dedicated to providing personalized care to each and every resident and will go above and beyond (yes – we even will check on their cat during spring break!) to make living easy and stress-free!


24-Hour Maintenance Team

With the Tandem Standard of Care at our core, serving and caring for our customers is #1! Your student’s schedule is going to be jam-packed with exciting academic and extracurricular activities with no time for them to worry about maintenance issues within their home. As a parent, we know you probably read horror stories on review sites of apartments not tending to maintenance issues for weeks or months (or ever), causing residents distress. You can rest assured that the Tandem maintenance team is unlike any in town – turning around the majority of maintenance requests the same day & working closely with residents to educate them for a lifetime of successful living! In addition, we also provide 24/7 on-call emergency maintenance, so your student has the peace of mind that comes from having maintenance support during or after office hours!


Safety & Security

At Tandem, we prioritize our residents’ safety and security. In addition to our robust tenant safety education and strong relationships with the City and University neighborhood watch efforts, our off-campus Tandem properties provide award-winning, on-site security patrol with a free 24-hour dispatch number for our residents’ (and their families) added peace of mind. Our on-campus communities are monitored by UCD Dispatch and Aggie Host, offering a variety of daytime and nighttime patrol services to keep our students feeling safe!


Easy Online Payments

We make your life easier by providing residents with the #1 resident portal system in the industry – RentCafe. A resident portal is an online platform where renters can perform a multitude of essential services online. As a secure website, these platforms are a safe place for online rent payments and can even be used to set up automatic payments to ensure rent is paid on time, every time! Residents can also submit maintenance requests, stay in touch with the community with calendar events and announcements, and contact management easily with any questions or concerns they may have – all from the comfort of their couch. Please reach out to your student’s rental office to find out how to get started!


Additional Resources

Here at Tandem, we know that it is important for you to know everything that Davis has to offer your student. In line with our mission of providing our residents and their families with the highest quality of customer care, we have provided you with a list of some helpful resources that Davis has to offer. Please use the links below to help you get started and contact us with your questions. We’re here to help and can’t wait to welcome you to a Tandem community!