I usually don't write review and don't complain about anything. But unfortunately, my experience with Gables Montecito was not the way I expected to be. Here is why.
This community only carries "Gables" name, if you believe Gables communities are good. This community is far from good. I lived at Gables Montecito for over a year. Here are the problems:
- No parking available after 6 pm. If you don't have a parking garage (which is $150 a month) then you need to look for a spot for 10 minutes and then park one block away from your apartment. There is no assigned spot to you. Not even one.
- They charge you for a "Valet garbage". But it has so many limitations and restrictions (i.e. only bags, no boxes or large items, limit 2 bags per apartment, 5 nights a week only, don't leave out early, don't leave it late and ....). So, you will end up taking your garbage yourself 3-4 times a week but you are still paying $23 a month for "Valet garbage service".
- Buildings quality are very poor. You can hear your neighbors easily. Imagine this, I hear my neighbors' shower everyday. Now imagine when you get a neighbor with barking dogs and a couple who get drunk and fight every night or bunch of teenage who like to turn on music at night (this is not exaggeration, these were my neighbors).
- I don't know what is going on in this community but I see cops at nights at least 2-3 nights a month. Even though there are several cops who live in this community.
- Be prepared for car's security alarms to go off frequently, specially at night and no one will bother to turn it off. So, that means you will be awake all night listening to car's alarm, If you are not already awake listening to your neighbors music or fight.
- Don't expect to get a clean apartment on your move in date. You will get a dirty carpet and walls with stains that you can see all the touch up painting on the wall all around the unit. If you ask for a service and improving the quality the maintenance people will answer you: "This is not a granite-top luxury unit. You are living in an apartment."
- Now this is the best one: All residents use to pay their water bill based on their use by reading the meter. So, on average a two bedroom would be around $32-$36 a month and everybody was happy in this regard. Then they changed their policy and asked for a fixed amount every month. So each two bedroom unit was charged $45 a month. On top of that, they turned off the pressure booster pump so that they save more on the water bill. So imagine living on the third floor and taking a shower at 7 am while most of units are also taking shower. Expect to spend 15 minutes more in the shower because of very low water pressure. When you complain to the office about this, the answer is: "The booster is broken. We have notified the corporate about this and it will take the corporate a long time to decide who is going to fix this, because this is expensive". Yes, and your rent that you have to pay every month on time is not expensive.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 08/03/2009
Sounds EXACTLY like San Merano where I used to live. Same exact problems. Horrible.

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