Essex Announces Third Quarter 2003 Results

October 29, 2003

PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ESS), a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) with apartment communities located in targeted West Coast markets, today reported operating results for the third quarter 2003. A press release and accompanying supplemental financial information have been filed electronically on Form 8-K and can be accessed on the Company's Web site at www.essexpropertytrust.com. If you are unable to obtain the information via the Web, please contact the Company's Investor Relations department via e-mail at investors@essexpropertytrust.com or by calling 650-494-3700.

The Company will host an earnings conference call with management, which is scheduled for Thursday, October 30, 2003, at 11:00 a.m. PST/2:00 p.m. EST. The call will be broadcast live via the Internet at www.essexpropertytrust.com, and accessible via phone by dialing 800-231-9012 -- a passcode is not required. A replay of the call is also available via the Internet for two weeks following the live call, and can be accessed through the company's website at www.essexpropertytrust.com.

Essex Property Trust, Inc., located in Palo Alto, California and traded on the New York Stock Exchange (ESS), is a fully integrated real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, develops, redevelops, and manages multifamily residential properties in selected West Coast communities. Essex currently has ownership interests in 121 multifamily properties (26,012 units), and has 1,056 units in various stages of development. Additional information about Essex can be found on the Company's web site at www.essexpropertytrust.com. If you would like to receive future press releases via e-mail-please send a request to investors@essexpropertytrust.com.

    CONTACT:  Michael J. Schall              Mary C. Jensen
              Chief Financial Officer        Director of Investor Relations
              650-849-1600                   650-849-1656


SOURCE  Essex Property Trust, Inc.
    -0-                             10/29/2003
    /CONTACT:  Michael J. Schall, Chief Financial Officer, +1-650-849-1600, or
Mary C. Jensen, Director of Investor Relations, +1-650-849-1656, both of Essex
Property Trust, Inc./
    /Web site:  http://www.essexpropertytrust.com /
    (ESS)

CO:  Essex Property Trust, Inc.
ST:  California
IN:  RLT FIN
SU:  ERN CCA



MW-UC 
-- SFW106 --
0247 10/29/200318:45 ESThttp://www.prnewswire.com