People moving into this complex need to know that the management company, Arnel, does not deal fairly with its tenants. The Attorney General filed a lawsuit against it for denying the return of security deposits. There was a $1.5 million settlement of this action, and Arnel was ordered to return deposits to former tenants. As a former tenant who has seen many of the same kinds of things that people discuss here (mold, bad maintenance, drug dealing, gangs and just bad business practices), I would warn people again moving into any complex managed by Arnel. Check with the Sheriff's Dept first and see what they have to say about the complex. It looks nice from the outside, and from the website, I can tell the upgrades are beautiful, but it's who they rent to and the way they do business that people should know about.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 05/11/2007
I didn't pay attention to the negative posts here and became a tenant ayways. I too thought people were overreacting. However living here for the past 6 months, I can tell you this place seems poorly run and exercises in very unfair practices towards tenants. My car was parked in the proper assigned space and towed anyways after 6 months without a problem. I was not given a parking permit during all this time that I lived here, however I was given paperwork by Alicia Plaza that has a documented confirmation code that my car was registered in the CalParks system. I am sure my license plate is on file also. Apparently no one took the time to verify my right to park my car there in a space I paid for. 250 dollars out of my pocket later, the blame was all placed on me for not following up as to why THEY didn't give me a parking permit. In another incident, they entered my apartment to check the smoke detector (they say) without giving any advance notice. A notice was sent AFTER the entry. I don't know exactly what the laws say, but there exists a code of conduct and resident treatment that a decent complex follows. And like the original post says, it is a VERY good idea to check with the Sheriff about the crime rate.
From: Anonymous	Date: 01/13/2008
I think a formal complaint should be brought against CAL Parks for the way they handle parking and security at Arnel. Our car got towed and it was damaged by the tow company. We had a flat tire and we were in the process of getting it fixed and managment towed our car. After we paid to get our car back we noiced the bumper was damaged and they acutally tired to glue it back on. Arnel managment told us to contact CALparks as they cant get involved with any parking situation. We contact the owner of calparks multiple times and he does not call us back this happened in october and yet has not been resolved. There is not enough parking and residents are forced to park on the street risking getting towed or ticketed. My car was broken into the second week we moved in. We can not wait to move out of here.
From: Anonymous	Date: 03/24/2009
Cinnamon Creek tenant here- they towed my new car after only a few days of ownership. This is clearly a predatorial practice endorsed by Arnel. If one were able to examine the kickbacks that Arnel gets for each tow, I think you'll see the motivation, here. They'll look for the brand new car with temp plates, and it is an easy target to make a couple hundred bucks. Meanwhile, they could barely be convinced to lift a finger to remove a stranger's car that was illegitimately parked in my car port. Who's interests are being served here? These sort of practices should be reported to the city or some other consumer protection group. It is a shame that Arnel sees fit to prey and exploit on their own tenants, rather than working cooperative methods to ensure compliance. To put the cherry on top, please note the little slip of paper you get when you retrieve your car- Calpark releases the tow company from any physical damage that should occur to the car. That really opens the owner up to some exploitation devoid of checks and balances. They want to merrily collect their fees, but are absolutely unconcerned with any property damage that directly come about from their own activities. These guys really need to be reported to some agency for freely violating/assaulting the properties of CA taxpayers.
From: Anonymous	Date: 09/04/2009
I am a former resident of another of their apartment buildings. I can tell you that no one here is exaggerating the truth. My experience with Arnel was horrific. I won't go into detail other than if, for any reason--and it need not be anything rational or serious--Arnel does not like you, be prepared to be bullied, threatened and mistreated. To anyone thinking about renting from Arnel, or anyone else: You can protect yourself by reading your lease. Then read it again. If you think a term is vague, it probably is. Ask for it to be clarified, and if need be, ask that the term be rewritten to be very specific. Arnel is famous for weasling out of taking the responsible, fair route by not being specific in terms. Here is a link to the lawsuit someone mentioned above. Please note, and this is really important, that the suit awared "thousands" of tenants in the settlement. Not hundreds, not a few dozen, or a handfull - but thousands. My advice is don't rent from any Arnel property. The only way to teach these bullies a lesson is by smacking them hard upside their profit margin. http://articles.latimes.com/2001/sep/29/local/me-51343
From: Anonymous	Date: 11/02/2009
I can attest that the posts above regarding Arnel Management are accurate. I lived in The Homestead and have had my car towed, and my friends who came to visit have had their cars towed. Also, I'm having an extremely difficult time receiving my refund. I have called Nastafia at the Arnel office numerous times and she does not return my calls. Dealing with Arnel is similar to dealing with a big corporation- frustrating!

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