Avalon Playa Vista

I Been Living At Avalon Playa Vista for about One Year now and I love this place the management Tamela Devana are Just so Nice and professional and easy going, ready to help with whatever you need .The maintenance team William Madeo and all of them there Amazing they keep this place immaculate cleaned the BBQ area is so clean everyday The pool is perfect the Gym Is modern and always clean the Apartments Square footage is pretty nice it feels like a home .I recommend this place to everyone who is looking for a home in the coolest west side area so close to the beach to and great Price well Avalon I’m happy to re-​sign my lease and live here

I have lived here 6 months now. I read some of the other reviews. And it looks like the f-​ing fire alarms have been an issue for a long time. They are so loud that they cause my ears to physically hurt, and they go off a lot! Yesterday it was 3 in the morning. Today they went off again at 1:30 in the morning. Seriously. It is frequent! Every time it happens we get notices about how a tenant was smoking in the hallway, or some other explanation. If the alarms are so sensitive a cigarette will set them off, then maybe you need to reset the alarms. These are not enclosed hallways. The pool does get noisy on the weekends bc the college kids blast their music. As for the unit I live in, I am on the top floor in the rear of the complex. It’s more secluded and quiet than the pool area. Overall I do like my individual apartment and the building location. My neighbors are quiet and friendly. But the alarm thing is especially a major issue. If it doesn’t get better by the end of the year, I will move when my lease is up.

Dear Potential Tenants,
If you are like me you read every single review about the place you are planning to call home (at least for couple of years)! Hope this review helps you make a decision.
I have rented for more than 15 years and I’ve lived in many places, I can tell you that based on my experience the leasing office staff (Tamela and Devona) are the best! If you have lived in other communities you’d know that this level of service is very rare, the apartments are nice, maintenance service is quick, location is good, the rent is OK for the area (Playa Vista), and yes the fire alarm goes off sometimes!
Based on the leasing office service, I highly recommend this place. It’s a leasing office run by pros. You’ll be in good hands.
Thank you Tamela and Devona for making my stay enjoyable!
Cheers

I was a resident for one year. Msg me on Unilocal if you have other questions
I’ve moved around a lot — 10+ apartment buildings, from luxury condos to college style dorms. I would put this one, especially given the price range, as one of the worst. If this was 20−30% cheaper, I would probably say it’s middle of the line (3 stars or so), but given the price point and positioning, I would avoid this place like the plague.
First, to state the good things, the ladies in the office are for the most part great. They are courteous and nice, always remember who you are, and will get things done. The apartments themselves are pretty decent — I believe all the units are newly renovated (mine was), and so while you can see some age in small things, they «look» great for the most part. Amenities are okay —
Onto the negatives — this is an Avalon property. As such, it is managed like a huge corporate entity. Expected incredible price increases (I was initially quoted 25% price increase on my rent), ignorance on any concerns, and no loyalty to try to keep you as a customer. Things that happened during my stay that fell on deaf ears:
1. False fire alarms — fire alarms typically go off at least once a month, in all hours of the day (mid-​day, middle of the night). We’re honestly talking about double digits (within one year). If you have dogs, you know this creates havoc with your dog. Also, if you work from home, this is a huge issue as well. Subsequent to these false firm alarms, management then likes to do a apartment by apartment sweep of devices to figure out what happened.
2. Loud noises — as a resident of the first floor, you often hear lots of yelling on the street. People fighting, yelling, drinking, car alarms, etc. Another late night annoyance that causes one to wake up in the middle of night. Floors/​ceilings/​walls are not paper thin, but still thin enough that you can always hear your neighbors running and jumping.
3. Garbage — the easiest way to understand this is to get close to the garbage room. This is right next to the garage entrance/​mailboxes. The stench is unbearable, and not only does it permeate the ground floor, but all the floors above as well as people will leave trash in the general vicinity. It’s also right next to visitor parking, so if you come for a tour, just walk by and take a whiff. One of the other reviewers had pictures of the trash room (which looks like it has since been deleted)
4. Construction — the entire pool area and fitness center was under construction for a few months (after I moved in), and was delayed past the promised date. In addition, they stripped and repainted the grounds and re-​landscaped the outdoor plants (rocks really), so there was almost construction at all times.
5. Minor annoyance, but parking — they decided to rent out to parking to TOMS (around the corner), which causes additional traffic around work hours. Not a huge deal (and hopefully temporary)
The big issue here is that because they are run by Avalon, you can complain all you want to the ladies in the office, and they can’t do anything about it. They just «forward» your concerns to the corporate office and that’s the last you hear of it.
The «system» was charging my renewal rate at a higher price than what a new resident would have paid for an identical unit. I was left scratching my head wondering why it would have been cheaper for me to give notice to leave and then resign, rather than just renew.
To that point, and as some other review mentioned, don’t expect to get your security deposit back. You are automatically charged a ~$ 115 cleaning fee, as well as a $ 180+ painting fee and a $ 100+ carpet fee. I had the maintenance manager come into my apartment to give me a pre-​move out inspection to see if I had anything to fix. The first time, he just stood at the door and told me there would be cleaning and painting and possibly carpet fees. This indicates how inevitable the fees were — they didn’t have to look and were already going to charge. I made him come in a second time in order to tell me what I would get docked on. He went through everything and mentioned that it all looked good — he could NOT point out any problem areas. I had about 6 small nail holes (part of normal wear and tear), and 4 small drywall anchors which I thought could have been an issue. I offered to patch them up (none were bigger than half an inch), but he told me it wouldn’t matter. To Avalon, normal wear and tear means the SAME EXACT condition you moved in with, so expect to get docked for cleaning (you «opt in» at $ 115 or risk whatever they decide to charge), painting (got added on mysterious «setup fees» on top of the normal painting), and carpet.
Avalon is a public company. Read the company transcripts from the CEO — their goal is to raise rents as much as possible and churn out residents so they can get «higher» income residents in. Beware — you will get screwed.

Avalon is an awesome place to live. I definitely recommend it. The staff is extremely helpful and attentive as well as friendly! :) If ever there were issues, they responded immediately and went above and beyond to remedy the situation. The amenities are very nice. I felt like i was at a hotel when at the pool. There’s 3 different bbq areas. It’s been my favorite place I’ve ever lived, and I’m sad to leave it! Hope you are lucky enough to have the chance to experience it!

This is a nice complex with one caveat. The staff and maintenance team are all really nice, very helpful. Building amenities always kept clean and usable. The pool, hot tub, BBQs and so on are almost always free to use when you want. Great gym too, again always clean, usually quiet. Good standard of finishings in the apartment. Parking is a breeze for guests and residents.
My one major gripe is with Avalon corporate. The only reason we did not renew for a second year was due to the imposition of a big proposed rent hike. We left early and the local staff were brilliant in helping find new tenants, but corporate then decided the new tenants would get a small DECREASE in rent. It seems to be a policy unfathomably designed to punish existing tenants. We then got hit with some very hefty cleaning bills for carpets (which are almost everywhere in the apartments and dirty rather easily). That high cost is especially irritating given the limited time frame of our stay, it left a sour taste in the mouth from an otherwise pleasant experience.
So aside corporate, I suspect that some of the negative reviewers just enjoy complaining for the sake of it, there were a few residents that we came across who were like that too unfortunately — although the majority were really nice, thankfully!
I know that Playa Vista is a very happening area right now with the Silicon Beach scene. If you really want to be a part of that, but want something a bit more boutique-​y than the other slightly sprawling complexes, I’d definitely recommend checking this place out.

When coming to this page to leave a review I am astonished by the bad reviews. I have lived at Avalon Playa Vista for a year now and have had a great experience.
From the initial impression when I first saw the place I thought it was great, management was friendly, the game room was in great shape and the apartments were great. Unfortunately, the people that I was planning on moving in with had an issue so I was unable to move in at that time. Six months later while in Spain the apartment I wanted became available and I jumped on the rental. They were very accommodating with lease signing and paperwork even though I was in a foreign country.
During the year that I have lived here I honestly believe that I have been a needy resident and every time I call the management and maintenance team is happy to help and very nice to me. In most situation with extended period of asking for things people become less willing to help, not the Management team at Avalon. They have been nothing but great and helpful throughout me living here.
Living in an apartment building will include hiccups sometimes, it is just part of the territory and Avalon is no different. What I can say though is that the maintenance team and management have dealt with each situation the best that I have seen. For instance our washing machine shortly after moving in wasn’t working properly was damaged a few items of clothing. Their response to this situation was to purchase a new machine and provide us with a rent credit for the cost of the damaged clothing. Additionally, 4 out of the 5 maintenance requests that we have submitted resulted in them in our apartment to repair the item in less then 2 hours, the last one was first thing the following morning (only because we submitted after hours). Things are going to happen in any unit but the above shows how above and beyond this complex goes to make sure that their residents are happy.
In reading some of the other reviews on here I saw that people have complained about the smoke alarms. I honestly found it funny that people are upset about this. Yes I have heard it go off a few times, but fire alarms are a required item to have in all rentals. I am not sure why the complex is to blame for someone smoking in the hallways causing the alarm to go off. This is completely beyond their control, I think if you read those you should take the bad complaints with a grain of salt as they are likely to do with people having been born with a silver spoon in their mouth and having nothing better to do then to complain. If you don’t want to live in a place that can be affected by the actions of others then don’t live in an apartment!
In the end I would recommend this complex to all friends and family! Great location, great apartments, great management and great maintenance. I am not sure that you can ask for much more then that. Maybe free rent but we don’t live in my dreams…

Great team! I needed help to replace some light bulbs, hard to reach (high ceiling), Josh of the technical staff came and fixed them in a light-​speed. Thanks!

I don’t understand the bad reviews.
1. The leasing staff couldn’t be lovelier or more helpful. Devona & all the other ladies (& men) are friendly, honest, accommodating &always willing to help. I truly can’t sing their praises enough! Whenever there is a problem, even if it’s minor, they are always there to listen and actually take the time to help and rectify whatever it is. The maintenance staff is also very friendly – they always say hello in the hallways and help with whatever issues you’re having.
2. Super dog friendly community: as long as you pick up your dogs poop, and keep ‘em on a leash there shouldn’t be any issues.
3. It’s an apartment building, fire alarms go off — it happens, not sure why people complain when they’re moving into a building. I expected lots of alarms but, I’ve been here a year, renewing our lease too, & we’ve only heard the alarm TWICE. And it goes away within 5 minutes.
4. The package concierge is one of my favorite amenities at Avalon Playa Vista. I never have to worry about missing a delivery from Fedex, UPS, or any other mail delivery service. The package concierge secures your packages in lockers at the parking garage and you can retrieve them at your convince (24 hours a day). It’s truly a godsend.
5. The walls ARE NOT paper thin. Over a year, I haven’t heard a single peep from any neighbors.
6. Neighbors: mine are really friendly and really nice.
7. Pool area, gym, & outside grills are ALWAYS CLEAN.
8. Building is always secure, security guards walking around at night outside the perimeter of the buildings.
***The only downside is the carpeting inside the apartments AND insane raises of rent. The apartment would be much nicer with hardwood floors, which would justify a rent increase. So yes, our increase was significant, and yes, I could move across the street for similar price with hardwood floors AND a nicer kitchen, BUT I value the kindness/​trustworthiness of my neighbors and management over superficial things such as carpets or kitchens.
Avalon Playa vista gets 5 stars from me!

I’ve lived at Avalon in Playa Vista going on 4 years and have loved it. Its a great complex to rival all the new construction that has recently been completed in the community. We got a facelift to all the common areas. New Gym, pool, and landscape.
What I especially like about living here is that you’re out of the way of all the noise, traffic, and new construction. All while still being able to walk across the street and enjoy everything that has been built (Whole Foods, CVS, shopping etc.)
On top of this community being less expensive than whats across the street you don’t feel like anything has been left out. I’ve lived many places, often moving once a year. The staff here is absolutely amazing and a big part of why I am still here. I highly recommend Avalon at Playa Vista to anyone looking to move to the beach cities.

Not surprising they are rated so low… I went there today to pick up mail for a girlfriend of mine who is going into hospice to die of cancer. She didn’t have time to go home to collect her belongings bc her health declined rapidly. She had given me the log in code, but forgot the pin.
I asked for assistance from the management office. The smug idiot guy who worked there wouldn’t even offer to help. I had all of her info and he wouldn’t even look… Like he got off on saying «no» to someone in need… What a jerk… FYI. Karma is a witch dude.
If this is the type of people managing the place you live, then you can expect to be treated sub human if you have to deal with them for your needs… Terrible, you should be ashamed!!!

Coming from NYC I’ve lived in apartment buildings my whole life. I’ve lived at The Corinthian, Riverplace and the Barclay Tower Apartments in Tribeca. My point? I know what apartment living should be like.
My first issue is the food delivery system is fudged because the front desk does not operate like a traditional front desk. A traditional front desk is the gateway to deliveries and you. They stop anyone coming in and ask them what apartment they need. They call you and let you know that your delivery is coming up, and ask if that is ok. They do this with visitors too. This does not happen here. Half of the day, there’s no one at the front desk area and it is closed off. It’s completely shut on Sundays.
TIP: Ask for your carpets to be treated for fleas. We moved in and I got several flea bites over the first two days. Their response was ridiculous. They were not moved to fix this for me, and asked me to wait a week. I have photos that I don’t want to post of my bug bites, along with a string of several emails that showcase this terrible response. We just moved in. There should be NOTHING like that happening. In fact, we are thinking of filing a legal suit to get all of our money back.
The girls at the front desk are very sweet, but the operations of the place is completely illogical. I don’t think that’s their fault. I just think that the operating procedures aren’t what they should be from a lack of funding, or the management company just being cheap. It isn’t smart or safe to continue this way.
There are a few pluses to living in this complex.
The pool area and BBQ ranges are kept incredibly clean. I see the maintenance guys working hard EVERY single day to flawlessly clean those areas. They are well maintained. During the week there is practically NO ONE using the pool or BBQ grills. Once in a blue, during the weekend it might get a little busy, but nothing like I have seen in other buildings over in NoHo. What a $h!t show that is.
The gym is also very nice and the equipment is all up to date with excellent features.
The garbage rooms, however, are disgusting. That just means you have a lot of dirty people living in the building who probably sweep dirt under the rugs in their own apartments. People who don’t know how to clean or weren’t taught those types of responsibilities and choirs growing up. Management could do more to keep the garbage areas cleaner, but at the same time the residents should help too.
If you’re thinking about moving here and budget is a major concern for you, and you want to be in the playa vista area, then there probably is no better value than this complex. If budget is not an issue then go to the runway and just do that.

If I could give this place zero stars I would. It’s absolutely terrible. The management never listens to the concerns of the tenants they just want people in there to rent the apartments. The pool is like a constant college party and it doesn’t help that the office is closed on Sundays so they have no idea what’s going on. We had to call security at least twice a week for different issue. I would not recommend this place to anyone it’s really really bad… corporate needs to get involved it’s terrible!!!

*The leasing staff is absolutely lovely. Devona, May and the others are very friendly and helpful. I truly can’t sing their praises enough! Whenever there is a problem, even if it’s minor, they are always there to listen and actually take the time to help and rectify whatever it is. The maintenance staff is also very friendly – they always say hello in the hallways and help with whatever issues you’re having.
*The package concierge is one of my favorite amenities at Avalon Playa Vista. I never have to worry about missing a delivery from Fedex, UPS, or any other mail delivery service. The package concierge secures your packages in lockers at the parking garage and you can retrieve them at your convince (24 hours a day). It’s truly a godsend for a shopaholic like myself.
*The walls ARE NOT paper thin. Almost having been here a year, and I haven’t heard a single peep from any neighbors.
*Neighbors are extremely friendly.
*Dog friendly community.
The only downside for me is the carpeting. The apartment would be much nicer with hardwood floors.

Every now and then I pop in here to read the latest reviews and every time I find myself shaking my head, wondering if some of these people have ever lived in an apartment before. It is now a little over 4 years since we moved here and I believe this place is worth a full 5 stars and more.
We’ve seen the staff change, the amenities reconstructed, had our share of small disagreements with some residents, and upgraded from the 1 bedroom to a 2 bedroom apartment.
First off, in 4 years, we’ve had no problems with anyone who works in the leasing office. They’ve always been helpful, courteous, and concerned about keeping the community feeling strong here.
Secondly, the maintenance staff is WONDERFUL! They are friendly, explain what needs to be done thoroughly (I like to know details like that!), and just are great guys all around.
In the past year, the apartment has had some great remodeling done. We have an automated package concierge in the parking garage where we can pick up mail packages at any hour. The fitness center was updated with new machines and some great additions that they have at my gym like the TRX training equipment, a spin bike, and easily programmable elliptical machines. It looks great AND they even have a small area with a hard floor and barre with mirror which I appreciate since I dance. It’s the perfect spot to practice moves and routines and since the fitness center is 24 hr. I can just drop in there any time!
The dog friendly environment is still as friendly as ever. The dog run area is kept very nice, especially considering how many dogs live here. Every now and then someone forgets to pick up, but what I’ve done– and noticed others doing– is to simply pick it up myself. I think this is a big part of living in a community and why I don’t understand when some people complain. As much as it is the responsibility of management and employees to answer our questions and help us with certain issues, it is OUR responsibility in part to keep the community nice too. At least I think it should be. And let’s get real– if hearing people talk in the halls every now and then or the trash room smelling bad (shocking!) is so intolerable for you, then go live in a house. But I guarantee that as far as apartments go, this is the best you are going to find, especially in this area.
We’ve lived on the second floor and the first floor and have never heard any of my neighbors conversations– the walls are NOT thin at all. The office team is dedicated to improvement and will always listen to your concerns. Maintenance has resolved any issues we’ve had as quickly as humanly possible, normally within 24 hrs. of requesting service. Oh, and if any alarm testing or anything which affects your daily life is going to happen, they always give residents notice via e-​mail or a flyer on your door. So unless a resident sets off the alarms themselves, you have more than enough time to prepare.
Lastly, if you’ve gotten this far in my review, good for you! You should be listening to the advice of a long time resident. There is a varied mix of people living here from all different backgrounds, with and without kids, all ages, with dogs, with cats, etc. And with the Runway shopping center starting to open up across the street on Jefferson, you’ll be just a short walk away from grocery shopping, dinner and drinks, or watching a movie. This area is all about development and progress, get in while you can!

Don’t trust management! They over state and they do not disclose important elements about the property before move in. They never informed us that there was construction to start on the pool and fitness areas which not only kicked up all kinds of dust and debris toward our 4^th floor unit but also was a constant noise issue. Our unit faced the pool and as I worked from home primarily, I had to contend with the noise daily not to mention my pregnant wife having to breath the dust. We also did not have any use of the amenities we were actually paying for and were told that Avalon was not giving any concessions or discounted rent even though we could not use either the pool or gym for months.
Lastly and to top it all off, on one of the last few days living there my car was hit while parked in the structure by someone. I requested video footage from management and they first stated that they didn’t see anything. I had to take pictures of the position of their cameras to prove that there was an angle directly toward my car. Finally Tamela Lively the main manager got back to me and stated she saw a car on the footage but no license plate… Which is unbelievable. I requested the footage and so did my insurance agent only to get a complete run around. Still to this day we have not received footage of who hit my car. My guess is that it’s a friend of one of the girls in management and that they were covering for them. Bottom line, STAY AWAY unless you enjoy dishonesty from a property manager.
P. S. They also will find a way to overcharge the fees at the end of your move and take more money from your deposit. One if not the worse places I have lived in solely because of management.

Avalon reviewers– why the sad face?
The grounds are always spotless. My worst complaint is that the trash room smells bad, which is a ridiculous complaint. Grills are always clean and work so well I can even operate them successfully! The gym is top notch. Even that virtual workout on the machines– my gym doesn’t even have that!
Parking is ample. The people in the community are always friendly. (Singe people I’ve found your new apartment!) the apartment itself is clean, works flawlessly. They always fix Maintenance requests in a timely fashion. Ample parking.
The fire alarm complains was true while they were undergoing construction, but it has stopped for about three months now!
And special shout out to my leasing agent April! She was the most pleasant, honest, funny, flexible and the best leasing agent in the world.
This place is heaven on earth!

Can’t wait to move out of this place! We were never informed before moving into this place in January that literally everything would go under construction: the game room, the pool, the dog park, the hallways, the streets around the apartment and the gym. It is now May and everything is still under construction. We have also been told that construction is not supposed to start until 8am every morning but what do I wake up to this morning? Construction starting just before 7am. This apartment is in no way, shape, or form worth paying almost $ 3,000 per month. Yes the apartment is nice and the location is great, but living here just adds more stress to your life. Noisy, rude neighbors, and not very dog friendly. The staff is nice but they never have anything to say besides sorry and then the same things happen over and over. Save yourself money and the stress and don’t move here!

Do NOT move here. I repeat. Do NOT move here.
Great apt and location but the building fire alarms go off about 1 – 3 times a week. We just had one at midnight. Are you F kidding me? We pay high rent and it’s inhabitable. They aren’t doing anything about it. Unless you’re deaf, don’t move here.
My dogs are most likely deaf and it gives me headaches as they’re F loud. Will give you a heart attack. My daughter gets anxiety. How the hell are you suppose to live like this they won’t do anything about it but as a leasing office they’re the ones who can bridge this gap w the selfish corporate owners. Seriously, come on. Alarms going off all the F time? Tempted to disarm the alarms myself.

This place is a JOKE
I’ve been calling and going to the property for over two weeks now this company doesn’t seem to have anything together
The leading office is «under construction «they have a note on the call box for #100 so funny is that doesn’t even work!!!
The number they provide no one ever ever ever seems to answer it
This place looks amazing but if the service this far has been so terrible to even look at the property it must be even worse living here
It also says online they are open 8:30−5 on the website and it’s not
What a terrible horrible experience this has been attempting to work with Avalon