3400 Avenue of the Arts Apartments
  (formerly Lakes At South Coast)

Disapointed - high rent, construction work, noise, debris and dust polution From: -Anonymous- Date posted: 10/6/2007 Years at this apartment: 2007 - 2007 3 responses   I have been a tenant at The Lakes at South Coast since March 2007. One week after I moved in a major construction work was undertaken that significantly affected my ability to work and live in my unit. Speaking from my own experience so far, the conditions are as follows: constant and excessive noise due to drilling, landscaping, heavy machinery operations, traffic (trucks and other construction machinery), dropping or moving of metal materials, equipment and debris. Most of the machinery and trucks operate right underneath my balcony. Construction work and noise continues during some weekends too, even today as I write this. Frequently I cannot hear or recognize voices on the phone when some of the heavy machinery runs, like wood chipping machines. Sometimes a cleaning van, for vacuuming apartments, runs near my apartment and adds to the noise. On several occasions the building alarms interrupted my ability to work, some alarms were real (gas leakage from the main pipes) and others were for testing. In either case, I was unable to hold meetings or conduct any business for several hours each occasion. My balcony has been covered in dust every day and I cannot use the space nor keep the balcony doors or windows open. The pile of debris from the fa ade painting was not cleaned for over a month. I had to clean the initial pile of dirt and paint myself since my complaints were not answered within a reasonable time, which was a whole month. My car has been constantly covered in dust even though it is parked far away from the garage entrance. Other tenants complained to me about it too. They also positioned lights around the building (white and neon blue) that beam straight into my rooms. I cannot protect my self from the glair, since the blinds do not block the light sufficiently. In my opinion, the extent of the construction work was not explained in sufficient detail in the rental agreement documentation. I was in another state and could not see the unit or talk to the managers in person before moving in. The construction work was not mentioned verbally during my phone conversation prior to signing the lease. I was told that my unit is rented at a higher price than some others that were advertised because the location has one of the best views and is quieter. After initiating a meeting with one of the managers this summer I was told that the construction work may last for two years. I believe that the main pool area is done but three months after that major renovation I am still witnessing construction work, unit renovation and landscaping activities around the complex. The apartment units are being renovated and the noise from drilling makes it impossible to work or have a peace and quiet home for rest or study, during work hours and during some weekends. I will be asked to move out temporary when they schedule the renovation for my unit, but it will not happen during my current lease term. That is an alleviating fact. I had to find out about the unit renovation only after I initiated a meeting with their manager, no one bothered to tell me this over the phone or in person before I moved in. The manager told me that I will be given the option to decide if I want to move in the same unit after the renovation is complete. I assume that the rent will go up at that time. The manager justified the current rent for my unit by saying that it is based on the current market value. Initially the water/sewer was included in the rent (this is the amount indicated in the "Rent price per month" field), but a few months later they started charging extra for it, which increased my overall rental costs. I think that my current rent is too high, even though the manager said it has been adjusted because of the construction. Considering the level of noise and dust pollution and all other inconveniences and overall living conditions, I think it is way overpriced. The wireless connections are very bad in my opinion and several tenants complained about it too. Some wireless phone companies don t have any reception from my unit and they don t work in the yard either, I checked it myself. I had to change my cell phone company for that reason. My current wireless connection is sketchy and almost every call drops, at least in my unit, I don t know about others. I have seen and have been told that tenants have to step out of their apartments and talk on the phone in the hallways or outside the complex. The apartment managers may not be able to remedy this, but it does affect my ability to work from home and use the wireless connection. I also had problems with the land line phone company. Unfortunately I have no other option for a land line and I will consider the phone options when I decide to rent an apartment from another landlord or location. The apartment company offers a satellite service through a third party vendor, so I have to go through them in order to get TV services or I can get my own satellite dish and not go through the third party vendor. The problem is that the dish (or apartment unit and balcony) must face a direction that allows satellite reception. There may be other limitations that I have not discussed in detail with the managers of the complex. I have heard from tenants that the quality of the picture via the third party vendor is very bad, but I have not tested it myself, so I don t know if this is a subjective opinion and if other factors influenced their experience. The unit and hallways are old, but kept in a reasonably good condition. The hallways are cleaned regularly although the carpet in my hallway is heavily stained. The walls in the unit and hallway seem old, I assume these are old buildings. The shelves in the storage room were not supported adequately and one collapsed one day on its own, even though I stored less then twenty pounds on it. The company has responded promptly, the same day, whenever I needed repairs with my kitchen appliances. However some of the fixes seemed temporary and the problem occurred again. There have been several thefts or break-ins reported and management informed us about those cases. There are life guards at the entrances though, that increases the safety, but I don't feel safe considering the theft incidences. The lanscaping may be nice once done, but all I have been seing for months is a construction site. Having construction trucks and other machinery around spoils every attempt to make this an enjoyable sight. The above information is based on my personal opinion and experience. I am writing this in the hope that tenants will be more cautious when discussing the terms or their rent/lease; that landlords and apartment managers will consider the inconveniences that such conditions create for tenants; that they will communicate it more clearly and in detail, verbally and in writing, to potential and current tenants and that they will price the rent or adjust it based on the overall living conditions in the area.

Recommended: NO Overall Rating

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