Complex: Giant. 564 units. Depending on what section of the complex you get placed in, you could have quiet, respectful neighbors or you could have the rudest, most inconsiderate degenerates imaginable (guess which we have).

Apartments: Built in 1981, they say refurbished in 1991. Well they need it again. The windows are all single-pane with extremely thin weather-stripping - seriously drafty in the winter and leaky in the rains. They seem to be replacing carpet as tenants move out. And more than likely the departing tenants are being charged for this even though the carpets are obviously worn upon arrival. Prepping for new tenants consists of giving the walls another coat of paint on top of the 60 coats of paint underneath. Brush up against a wall and you will get paint flakes all over yourself.

Walls and ceilings are thin, we can hear every bloody move our upstairs neighbors make, made worse by the fact that they really have zero consideration for the fact that people are under them. Now, I am absolutely not saying they have to tiptoe, but having what sounds like wrestling matches and band practice past the 12am mark is sort of rude, no' Also, we can hear water moving through the pipes night and day. If your place backs to a carport, I've heard that when people close their car doors or start up their engines the walls to the adjoining apartments shake.

Kitchens: Workable, nothing special. Old laminate countertops, serviceable refrigerators and stoves, older microwaves that heat very unevenly. One bright point, at least in our floorplan, the kitchen has a lot of storage.

Heaters are horrible. Awful little electric wall units that pump out heat for about 5 minutes then cold air. They smell awful when you start them and are pretty inadequate all the way around.

Bathrooms. Essex states on the lease there have been mold issues and that the residents are responsible for the prevention and abatement of mold. So rather than fix the structural issue (crappy bathroom "vents" that don't work), they just tell the residents that they are responsible for any mold damage that occurs.

"Amenities." Lets do this according to their list on the website:

1. Part time courtesy patrol. Non-existent courtesy patrol is the truth. While living here for 3 years I have seen this patrol 3 times (and that was only because the patrol guy at the time had a thing for one of my neighbors). Security takes a very long time to respond after being called and are often pretty ineffectual. If you have a real problem here, just call the cops. VC Sheriffs are here waaaaay more effective than our security company. (Seen more than a dozen drug busts and a couple of SWAT teams.) Nice to know Essex isn't just accepting any fool off the street with a rent check in hand. That was sarcasm in case you didn't pick up on that. We have also had sex offenders reside here, although Essex claims to do a thorough background check for offenses of this nature. Ha. Ha.

2. Laundry facility. Yes we have them. Are they always functioning- no. Problem one: the people that live here treat the common areas like crap. And the laundry rooms are the best example of that. I have seen doors to washers torn off, dirty shoes and clothes left in washers and dryers alike. Problem two: the company that leases our laundry rooms is very slow to respond to repair requests. I was told by a nice leasing agent who has since left, that the laundry people can only be paged for repairs and they take their sweet time getting back.

3. Soothing spa, state-of-the-art fitness center, shimmering swimming pool, children's play area. No comment on the spa - singular. If you live on the opposite side of the complex, it's a bit of a walk for a tiny spa usually filled with kids. Fitness center: OK. Hardly state-of-the-art. Shimmering swimming pool. The pools are alright. One is heated the rest are cold. They are kept reasonably clean and really well chlorinated (kids=giant toilet). Children's play area: filled with cedar chips that outdoor cats (which aren't allowed) use for a bathroom and by the stench, sometimes the kids do too. Glass, cigarette butts, and various other litter make up the rest of the material that fills the play area.

The positives:
The maintenance staff has been helpful and are pretty nice and considerate. Usually things are fixed correctly.
This is one of the cheapest places in Camarillo. However the apartments and the people that Essex accept are a reflection of this. Bear that in mind.

We will be moving as soon as we are able. Good luck.

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