Toluca Hills Apartments By Avalon

If you plan on moving here, see the below for the pros and cons.
I’m a mid-20’s working professional (not an actor or model)
Pro’s– Amenities. You have a really cool pool, tennis courts, basketball courts, volleyball, hot tubs, nice views, convenience store. Maintenance is really nice and they are fantastic. This is in a prime location, you’re an über away from downtown, Hollywood, the beach.
Cons– rent is ridiculously high for how small the apartment is and how old /​dirty your unit is. I kid you not, the building will shut off water for 1 to 2 hours every other week and tell you the day of. There are plenty of younger people (when I say younger I mean 17 – 19 year olds) in the hot tub, smoking. At least 60−70% of people who live here are either trying to be an actor or model. Shouldn’t they be in school ?? The barbecue pits are always broken except for 1 and there’s usually people waiting so don’t let this be a deciding factor. (If you don’t believe this, please ask during your tour to see them and try turning them on)
If you don’t believe this review, please ask any resident when you’re getting a tour.
Again, I’m not trying to steer anyone away from living here, just being honest based on who I’ve talked to /​my experience living here. If you don’t care about amenities, do yourself a favor and save $ 200-​$ 300 and live somewhere close.

Hubby and I had high hopes for this place after moving in roughly 3 months ago. So, I am about to lay out the good and the bad…
The good:
We stay in G building, and it is fairly quiet over here, IMO. I do hear the occasional aspiring actress/​singer belting out tunes and/​or practicing lines, but nothing that is too crazy.
The property is pretty and well maintained, for how large it is.
Maintenance is awesome. Super nice and willing to help!
The bad:
–You have to pay your move in rent by a money order… Yes, I said a money order. I think you can also use a cashiers check, but either way it’s 2016, so why can’t I pay my move in funds online? They collected all of the other fees online… Annoying to say the least.
–I have noticed that Avalon has EXTREMELY poor communication with residents. For example, the elevator in our building has been broken about 3 times since moving in, and I have only lived here for 3 months. Management does not send out any email correspondence to the residents to give an estimated time that it should be back up and running. As someone who lives on the 3^rd floor, this is information that I would really like to know. Plus, I just believe that is good practice, so tenants aren’t left wondering. There was a similar issue with the reloading credit card machine. The one nearest us was broken upon moving in, up until maybe a few weeks ago… No communication whatsoever saying when the machine would be fixed. Again, an issue for residents who live on the other side of the property, and have to go all the way over to the leasing office (it’s far people, believe me).
–For whatever reason, I have noticed that people go up to the roof, which can create a lot of disruptive noise, especially late at night. The door leading to the roof is kept unlocked, which is crazy in my opinion, given that this is a huge liability for Avalon. When I called the leasing office about this, I was advised by the rep to «call security» when this happens. So, I need to call security in the middle of the night for idiots on the roof? How about you just lock the door!!!
–This property claims to be very dog friendly, but I have noticed that they are really lacking in waste receptacles.
–Amenities are not kept in working order. For example, stair climbers at the gym do not work. Also, the back gate is wide open and has been for almost a week… Is it being fixed? Guess what, I don’t know because they don’t tell us much here…
–Another issue with this property, are the self locking doors (think hotel room)! I understand that this is not Avalon’s doing, but please get these out of here.
–Packages are only left with the leasing office on the South side of the property. This is hugely inconvenient if you live on the North side of the property. I would recommend that they come up with a better system.
–Overall, I notice a lot of inconsistency at this property. For example, hubby and I have been going to the gym before work, so around 5am. This morning we go and the gate to the pool (which you have to walk through) is locked. WTF?! You know I was pi**ed considering we woke up 30 minutes early on a Monday… When I called the leasing office the guy stated that the gym doesn’t open until 6am… So I guess it’s just locked on a whim. On a side note, why wouldn’t the gym be 24 hours? You need a key card to enter, so I don’t see what the issue is. Y’all let people on the roof at all hours of the night… I digress…
Also, please note that this property has units that are designated for short term use e.g. vacationers. Nobody told us this upon touring or moving in, and it would have definitely impacted our decision to move in. People who are vacationing treat the property differently than those who actually live here.

So… A few things, what’s the deal with the water, at least in my building, one time is fine, twice, three times I can accept but at this point I have lost the count on the times they have interrupted the water in my building, there have been several times that when I use the elevator I listen water falling as if the duct was flooded, which brings me to another problem, the elevator never works!
It’s been months that the elevator hasn’t been working, it either fully stops working but what’s permanent is that the buttons doesn’t work, you have to keep the finger pressing the button for it to work.
Another issue is the main gate’s security staff, a few days ago I arrived at around 5pm as a passenger in a friend’s who’s not a resident car so we had to get in through the guests entrance, there was only one car in front of us but it was taking for ever to enter, a few minutes later we realized there was no one inside the security booth, normally when that happens is only for a couple of minutes and they leave the gate open, but in this case it lasted for 20 minutes! And closed gates. The line to get in reached all the way down Barham Blvd. the line by this point was blocking the exit and the resident entrance. I had to get off the car and get my access card to get in through the resident entrance since we weren’t blocked, at the moment we were getting in, the security officer was arriving, obviously we overheard everyone complaining and he only said that he was doing other stuff!
Today I called the main gate to let them know that I was expecting visitors, I told him the name of the firs guest and he immediately hung up, I called again and told him that I wasn’t finished, that I had another name for him, I gave him the name and he told me «I was busy» and hung up again!
This is the second review I leave, I had to delete the other one because the Avalon people were calling me twice a week asking me to delete the review or change my rating… I know, that’s sad. Please don’t call me, I’ll change my review when I see an improvement.

The staff in the office (especially Micah!) are amazing and knowledgable. We have only dealt with Avalon since we moved in after they took over. The maintenance team is incredible. First of all, when they see you around the complex, they always say hello and are friendly. Secondly, Dale and Ralph have both been in my apartment since we have moved in and have a GREAT work ethic. Dale is ALWAYS there when we need him, and he is friendly, knowledgable, understanding and goes above and beyond for you if he can. We have had everything we need since being here and more. Our expectations are always met and exceeded. I have recommended Avalon to anyone looking to relocate to a complex. Courtesy patrol is also wonderful, they try their hardest and I appreciate that.

This update is for Avalon the new company, ever since Oakwood changed to them this place is torture to live in
We’re moving out this coming week as we were month to month and thank god! because we can’t stand all the bs the new company has put us through, from locking all the gates so there is hardly any access to walk around at night to effing gardeners blowing leaf blowers at 8am in the mornings, consistently when there isn’t sh** on the grass to blow.
This place isn’t as beautiful and convenient as it seems, the amenities are bull — the gym isn’t really used and it’s outdated and tiny– they also promised itd be 24 hours but good luck with Avalon’s promises.
The unit itself is disguisting and should be way cheaper to rent, the carpet gives us allergies, is super old and everything’s falling apart like our blinds and I can’t wait to move to Noho — the kitchen and counters are made of this cheap plaster — you guys make millions everyday, just bloody change it to hardwood floors
The windows are thin, you hear your neighbors conversations wether you like it or not, also enjoy trash roll outside your window every other day; really early! It sounds like thunder, so enjoy that torture. Also there’s inefficient lighting in the bedroom and living room. So you’re living in a dark box.
The security is a pain to deal with because the entry system is retarded and the security lady called Sallie is so rude, she acts like you’re some criminal — plus theres no place for ubers or lyfts to park
Also, the neighbors are young spoilt brat teenagers pretending to be actors; pyschos that think they’re cowboys and lasso in public, and drug users that dgaf about anything. Enjoy the screaming from the basketball court, to the constant parking lot noise, to the neighbors yelling down the hallways at 2am.
All the gardners do is blow off our ear drums at the dusk of day with their annoying whistling, singing, chatting outside our unit when clearly we are asleep… and rattle our cheaply made single pane windows,
any noise including a basketball dropping on the court 3 levels above us will travel to you … SO MUCH FUN!
especially when you’ve addressed it and noone can do anything about it and you work a night shift and need daytime sleep
however i dont blame them since it’s not like they can do anything about their manager Michelle doesn’t seem to give a rat’s ass about the comfort or convenince of her residents that pay for her fat salary while she shows up to the office once a month and probably just drinks fancy coffee, while our computer room doesn’t work and we have to supply paper wtf?! we pay at least $ 2000 a month in this community, spare us some bull and pay for the $ 5 paper b****. We’re not stupid, there’s 1000 plus apartments here, each paying $ 1700 and up… you can afford it. in fact you could afford to renovate this entire mess of a apartment. Otherwise don’t call it free amenities, call it «you pay for it» amenities.
The team is amazing though, Rajeev, Paul and Gil honestly brighten up my day and always addres my concerns as best as they can. Some of the others are just unfriendly and give you attitude but Paul and Rajeev are usually the ones who help me out and for that I am grateful for them making my experience tolerable and givig me options to leave and be happy and for that I give Avalon 2 stars instead of one star

Sam has been a treasure for this company. I have been living here for 4 years now and always have issues with building falling apart and etc…
Now that Avalon has taken over they are pouring In millions into this place which is good and bad. The bad part is trying to sleep with painting and construction and noises and etc…
However, the Hero’s are the maintenance workers here. Dale has been a treasure and he has trained Sam for months to do his job. Sam has been coming over as of late and even dealing with my monster dog. He deserves a big credit for that.
Sam has been working hard every time he comes over to do work for us in our apartment. He also is always outside cleaning. That’s good because you pay all this money you want something to show for it. Sam is good, quiet, does his job and always leaves with a smile. What more would you want from a worker!
I would suggest to give this guy every chance to move up with the company because it’s hard to find good people like him. Please keep up the good work and please keep on keeping this young man happy with raises or training or something that keeps his interest here.

Lived here for about a month now and love it! Yes they are trimming and cutting down some trees. What do half of you know? Some had termites, some were literally growing into apartments (I toured one like that). This is a fairly quiet complex which is a complete upgrade from the place I came from. The trees they have TRIMMED so far look 10x better than when I first came here for a tour back in January. Maintenance is fast and friendly, some of the newer people at the front desk tell you different things but it’s all a learning experience and I’m not going to dock them a star for that.
I’ve had no problems living here and can’t wait for the apartment upgrades this coming Fall. No one paid me to write this review. This was written in fairness and honestly. This place looked and smelled like a freaking dumpster before Avalon bought it and it was totally not up to code. Have you ever seen Hotels Impossible? Well this place should’ve been on there before Avalon bought it because it was absolutely filthy.

I’m giving 4 stars because I would love to give 5 stars to the maintenance staff members Sam and Al, but the building as a whole still needs some improvements.
I can’t say enough good things about Sam and Al. They are knowledgeable, friendly, and on top of any repairs or issues necessary. Sam in particular, always goes the extra mile to assist in ways beyond his job requirements and has a delightfully positive attitude every time I see him.
Avalon has made more regulations since the takeover, but hopefully this means they will be on top of keeping the grounds clean and updating the property. Most of the staff is friendly, and the manager Tony Kuper is another team member I can’t say enough great things about.
The apartments need some updates– new appliances, new countertops and good gawd please get rid of the fluorescent lighting everywhere!!! The gym is very outdated and limited as well. Walls are thin and there are quite a few «party» residents which can by annoying. The security is great, the community as a whole is filled with neighbors who truly care about each other, and you can’t beat the location. With a few updates the community could be truly great!

I moved here when Avalon has already taken over but I’ve had friends that lived here when Oakwood ran this place. the security was always so much nicer and so were the people who worked here. I know like 3 friendly people who work in the office and that’s it. they’ve been tearing down trees and taking the flowers off the bushes like it’s nobody’s business. do they not know bees are endangered species right now and those flower bushes held so many bees everyday. we pay too much every month to be treated like this. plus the people
above of me sound like they are wrestling up there everyday and Avalon never does anything about it. i miss oakwood!!! they cared about your problems and issues. oh yeah and where are our security guards?! they are all lazy and don’t care about our safety. I saw two security guard sitting outside our building on their phones for almost an hour. that was probably they patrol hour and they spent it sitting on their lazy butts! on my birthday one of my neighbors came home drunk and was harassing my dads girlfriend calling her every name in the book because he was stopped in the parking lot and he passed her. it turns out he lives 1 door down from me across the hall. I should have to feel unsafe in my own apartment building.

They really know how to resolve issues and be nice to their guests. Rent is a tad over priced but your stay will be pleasant with the community and the front desk service.

Beautiful grounds, practically every amenity you could want in an apartment complex, plus Dale and the other maintenance team members are genuinely nice, helpful, and prompt. Very much recommend to anyone looking for a place to live that’s ideally situated outside of but still near all the things to do in the area.

The maintenance group is way better now! Our fridge was having some issues, Daniel Solorzzano explained everything to me and fixed the problem quickly.
They are polite and professional. Gave me a lot of tips for future reference.

Since Oakwood changed to Avalon things got much better over here. They’ve started renovation of all buildings and soon inside apartments. I have asked them to fix the sink in the apartment and the master Dale came the same day. It was very quick and job was done perfectly. He even asked me if there is something else I would like him to fix and I remembered about fireplace which wasn’t working for some reason. And this was fixed even quicker. Looking forward for more great changes in this nice residential complex.

Avalon is committed to «turning around» this huge property and my experience so far confirms that intent. All front office staff and maintenance/​repair staff has been cordial, prompt, and efficient in addressing each of my concerns about my unit. Their positive outlooks and enthusiastic responses to improving the property make the few challenges of this «older building» property well worth it.
If you are shopping for an apartment that is conveniently located to the studios, feels as though you are in the countryside, yet has incredible amenities then I suggest you talk to Paul Lee and Tania Coste in the leasing office. Your residence will be serviced by a great maintenance team: Daniel, Eric, led by Larry McCoy!
Good luck with your search for the best apartment!

Edit 2:
–They keep chopping down trees by scary quantities… Seriously, what’s the deal with that! A friend of mine asked the staff for the reason and they told him that they’re chopping down the trees because when it rains they «cause flooding»… Ummm… It’s LA, it rains like two days a year.-
Edit:
–The place is in the middle of major transformations (administration and property’s buildings) which is causing a few inconveniences which hopefully will be for better in the near future so I’ll give a couple more stars but if those inconveniences stay and I see no improvements, I’ll drop them again.-
Since Avalon bought the property, this place has been getting worse and worse. Everyone is really rude, from the people at the the clubhouse to the security staff, a couple of friends of mine got a call from the Avalon people and they told my friends to remove the bad reviews from Unilocal,thankfully I don’t live there any more but I practically live there since I visit almost daily.
They clearly have no idea how this place works at all, they keep cutting the water probably once a week, after three weeks of an out of service elevator they just fixed it, the new maintenance request system is terrible, it takes for ever to go through.
Now as a guest I have to be very careful where to park or they will tow… Ok, probably that’s a good thing to keep the spaces reserved for the tenants but it’s still a pain to be reminded that every 5 minutes… Quoting the security guard «I’ve talked to the guy and believe me you do not want your car towed and especially you do not want to pay for that», was that a threat dude?
Disgusting carpets, dirty hallways, the new paint work they did is badly done, not to mention they picked the worst color they could find.
I wasn’t a big fan of Oakwood but I think the biggest attractive it had was the «living in a mountain» feeling many tall trees and plants… Why not, they chopped down a lot of trees and plants.
I was planning to rent here again but that’s not happening any more because of all the reasons I wrote adding that it costs almost twice as much.
If you’re still interested on renting here, let me tell you some tips and experiences I lived while living there. I lived on the first floor facing Barham Blvd., I NEVER got sunlight in my apartment, it was always dark because of the plants, instead I was living surrounded by many insects, scary spiders and even a lizard I once found in my closet! If you’re renting here don’t choose the first floor.
My apartment got flooded twice, the second time happened at around 1am so I called the 24 hour maintenance emergencies number they gave me and they asked me if I could wait till the morning because it was too late and no one could help me… Sure, thanks a lot 24h emergency number!
The walls are made out of paper… If you don’t mind listening to… Stuff at 4am, go for it!
I lived there for a year and a half and every single month I payed my rent on time, a bunch of times even a few days early… I don’t know what kind of mess they have at the office but I got a notice probably 4 or 5 times to pay or quit, I had to go 5 different months to the office to fight about the same thing: this people loosing my check! I heard the payment method now is different and more efficient so I hope that doesn’t happen to anyone.
You never appreciate what you have until you lose it… We miss you Oakwood!

If you are looking for an apartment to stay in for a trip to The Hollywood/​universal studios or warner brothers studios area, this place is great! We got a two bedroom two bath with king beds a full kitchen fully furnished, TVs in each room and the living room. We paid $ 215 a night. It’s gated with free parking and a pool. One and a half miles to Universal on the left and one and a half miles to Warner Bros to the right. About 15 min to Hollywood walk of fame area. Couldn’t be more convenient for a family vacation! Apartment was was spacious and clean. We booked it through

Dirty apartments, apartment that i put on hold for which i paid $ 150 was not ready the day i went to look at it but the management (Tania) insisted that i still had to pay apartment holding fee. had to call so many times just to get my deposit back and when i finally got my deposit back the collection department started calling asking me to pay deposit amount i mean why didn’t you take out the money before issuing me the check i dont have time to deal with this every day. At the end i am willing to pay whatever to make sure they dont call me ever again.
so if you want to rent an apartment in this community don’t get carried away with the landscape and all, make sure you can deal with smelly apartments in dirty buildings and the management.
good luck

My boyfriend and I just moved into this community and WE LOVE IT! Everyone is so nice and welcoming, especially the Avalon team. They have all been so helpful and sweet with any questions we’ve had. I really don’t understand all the negative reviews towards the Avalon team, they have been nothing but warm to us.
All in all, this place is a dream come true for us. The amenities are amazing and all the greenery around you makes you feel like you’re in a forest. The fact that it’s a gated community gives us that extra peace of mind. We love our home, thanks Avalon team for being awesome! Keep up the good work!

Thrilled! My daughter and I went today to just look at «Oakwood» expecting a dump. We were amazed at the Avalon refurbishments occurring on the property. The manager, Gil was very helpful, accommodating and friendly. The other staff was equally impressive. The apartment building was clean, quiet, and safe! I actually felt like I would not mind my young adult living here alone. The pools, hot tubs, sand volleyball courts were clean and maintained. The convenience store on property was loaded. The computer room/​business center with printer available is another plus. Ample and secure parking. The gym was good but will have an update soon. The takeover by Avalon looks to be the best move for the community!

I lived in Oakwood for about two years before it turned into Avalon and although it wasn’t the greatest, it was definitely better than Avalon. The Oakwood staff were personable and friendly, the Ava staff is rude. I went in and was talking to one staff member and another staff member couldn’t keep herself out of the conversation. She kept interrupting the person I was talking to and shaking her head at our conversation. Avalon is not considerate of their guests and I would recommend getting out of here asap but you will find that with their new rules moving is a huge pain. Does security even exist anymore? Oakwood used to be a community. People respected each other, respected the property, and respected other cars. Now the property is filled with entitled, selfish foreigners and no one really cares about anyone else. No one is respectful. DONT LIVE HERE! Especially with kids. Also another thing, your car WILL get damaged while parked pretty much anywhere in Ava. The rent isn’t worth the amenities or convenient location anymore. I’m getting the hell out of here and you should too.

I came in today to view the «Oakwood» apartments. I had low expectations for the property as I had not heard great things, but I was greatly surprised by how clean, safe, and community oriented the apartment complex was. I learned that Avalon had recently taken over the old Oakwood ways, and they seem to be doing a stand out job with the place. I can’t wait to be back in the summer and staying at Toluca Hills Apartments by Avalon!

I’ve been living here for 2+ years now and since Avalon took over it seems to be going downhill fast. Oakwood wasn’t the best but they were at least consistent and knew what they were doing. However over the past two months Avalon has
— miscalculated my rent by DOUBLING it
— thrown away my girlfriends package that she ordered as a Christmas gift for her brother
— torn down some of the surrounding trees (which added to this apartment complex’s appeal)
— replaced the main lobby décor with cheap ikea furniture
— repainted the exterior of the buildings a dull grey, black and white that looks super emo and depressing (they used to be shades of brown/​tan that blended in well with the surrounding mountain).
Not a fan.

Soooooooo I came into the office and spoke to the sensational Tania C. I was experiencing «reptile in the home.» I saw this head sticking out from underneath my lamp stand that looked like a snake head. Naturally, my natural instinct was to leave… quickly. Tania was available in her (deservedly so) spacious office. She greeted me with a jubilant smile that quickly faded once I voiced my issue. IMMEDIATELY she was on the phone getting animal control on the situation. She’s a Burbank native, so she knew where to go. When animal control arrived and removed the lamp stand, we realized that it was, in fact, and alligator lizard (those things get huge people… they get freaking huge).
The takeaway of the story is: Tania C. is the most incredible Avalon representative at the Oakwood property… and pretty much all of Avalon period. They have a strong asset, and if she’s not promoted soon… shame on them. The end.
#ithoughtitwasasnake

We have lived here for a year and actually considered moving out until Avalon just took over the past months. They are actually taking care of the environment around the property and have so many plans that they have set into place and are actually working on. I know many people are complaining about the rent increase, but we live in Los Angeles on a property with two pools, two gyms and our own store. When I don’t want to leave the property I don’t have to. Also the Avalon workers are a breath of fresh air. They are so willing to help and walk you through any problems you may have. I love that we can now pay rent online and a big shout out to Gill for always being so helpful.

We truly enjoy living here. The job that Avalon Toluca Hills is doing in a very tough transition of a neglected and antiquated property is extremely impressive. The physical plant improvements are already a much needed upgrade, and even more impressive is the very responsive and professional team that has been put in place. Every one is more than willing to help work through any question anyone has. The environment that has already been created by the new leadership is a breath of fresh air.(special mention to Gill for truly living and coaching hospitality and truly understanding the art of customer service). Systems and process are also truly refreshing from the new ability to pay on line to work orders and maintenance needs are very used friendly. I highly recommend this property with Avalon running the show.

I have been living in this apartments for 6 months. I am very satisfied. Not everything is perfect, but if there are any difficulties, the staff quickly solve them. Especially I would like to mention the new manager Michelle. Her professional skills deserve respect.

I’m writing this review for the check out I did earlier. Avalon took over in January and everything was a bit confusing as they prefer online payment of rent. It takes time for things to get online esp. when done manually. I was checking out among all this confusion but Gil, the leasing manager here took care of things well. If you read the comments below of the confusion, it was nothing compared to what happened to my account. My rent was $ 1200 higher in the system, so imagine that when you are going in to pay your rent. I have lived in this complex for about 4 years and I have to thank Gil for spending roughly 3 hours to sort out my account and make things easy for me while checking out. It takes time for change but the online system is better. If you dont have your routing number, just look up on your personal check.
Also, if you are looking to take a tour or sign a lease, ask for Gil.

First, I just want to say that this place will always be Oakwood to me. I’ve heard of this name for the last three years. Now that Avalon took over, and changed the name, I’ve been requested to do a review about it, and this is also my first upgrade review.
I hated Oakwood, but now, I just realized how good Oakwood was. After Avalon took over, it’s only been a month, people have been complaining a lot. Parking spots suddenly reduced, you are not allowed to shoot your films here any more (the New York Film Academy is right next to this place), and the worst part is, you have to pay your rent by mailing cashier checks. That means, 10 $ convenience fee to the bank, and a long way to walk to the mailbox office if you don’t have a car. Well, at least no parking spots issues for that.
Another things people hate is that they cut down a bunch of trees. It’s just not a beautiful thing to do, and some trees here have histories. If you can’t make things better, then at least keep things the way they were!
Everything else is still bad. I moved in two months ago and I’ve called the maintenance guy over 6 times. Hard to call him also, because I barely have any services on my phone when I’m in my apartment!
The convenience store is still expensive as hell, it’s like 1500 $/​month for a studio here isn’t good enough for them to make money.
God damn it, give Oakwood back.

First, I just want to say that this place will always be Oakwood to me. I’ve heard of this name for the last three years. Since now that Avalon took over and changed the name of this place, I’ve been requested to do a review about it, and this is also my first upgrade review.
I hated Oakwood, but now, I just realized how good Oakwood was. After Avalon took over, it’s only been a month, people have been complaining a lot. Parking spots suddenly reduced, you are not allowed to shoot your films here any more (the New York Film Academy is right next to this place), and the worst part is, you have to pay your rent by mailing cashier checks. That means, 10 $ convenience fee to the bank, and a long way to walk to the mailbox office if you don’t have a car. Well, at least no parking spots issues for that.
Another things people hate is that they cut down a bunch of trees. It’s just not a beautiful thing to do, and some trees here have histories. If you can’t make things better, then at least keep things the way they were!
Everything else is still bad. I moved in two months ago and I’ve called the maintenance guy over 6 times. Hard to call him also, because I barely have any services on my phone when I’m in my apartment!
The convenience store is still expensive as hell, it’s like 1500 $/​month for a studio here isn’t good enough for them to make money.
God damn it, give Oakwood back.

I’ve lived here for almost 7 years. We moved in for a low rate promotion back in ’09 and found it to be a bargain considering we were getting gate security, two pools, jacuzzis, a convenience store and close access to our work in bot Hollywood and The Valley. We also leave town a lot for work on location and enjoyed knowing that our place was not vulnerable to burglary.
This used to be owned by Oakwood Worldwide. In January of ’16 the ownership transferred to Avalon and that’s when a nightmare began. Under the Oakwoods, you were either allowed to mail your rent check in, drop it off in the rental box or hand it directly to the lease administrators down at the front desk. It was also famously Oakwood’s policy that rent had a ten day window to be paid — the final 5 and first 5 days of each month.
Now mail, online and telephone are the only options, all requiring some sort of mystical puzzle solving «Customer Account Number» which they swear upon heaven’s gate they mailed on a single piece of paper to all residents (cannot find it, don’t recall seeing it) and emailed to all their residents. We’ve scanned all our email accounts and found nothing.
Not only did our first rent check to Avalon take AROUND 4 WEEKS TO CLEAR, now the Avalon website and phone service departments REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR LEASE ACCOUNT. Even after getting my magical secret unlocking customer account number, they WILL NOT SAY I AM A RESIDENT or ALLOW ME TO PAY MY RENT. Avalon customer care states that not only do I have the wrong email and phone number attached to the lease associated with my address, but that I can’t even ask which phone number or email address is on the account, because I am a stranger, despite living here for 7 years and personally signing about 80 checks with my name on them.
I work from home and have always handled my rent, but since my spouse is the only person they will acknowledge as being on the lease (?), he has to take time out of his job managing a television production to call an 877 number and attempt to not get evicted from the home we’ve slept in for nearly a decade.
Yet another example of an empty, imperious corporation expecting customers to do all of the work via «automating» everything and removing the human element. There is virtually no accountability on their part.

Ever since I moved to Los Angeles, I’ve been with Avalon. At first I lived in Avalon Warner Place in Canoga Park. I was so happy with the service there that when I decided to move I knew I had to transfer to a different Avalon over any other place. I’ve now been living in Toluca Hills for a while and the service here is just as good if not better! The location is just absolutely incredible and the amenities are AWESOME! From the pools, to the gyms, to the tennis/​basketball courts and even down to the extremely convenient, convenient store! This place is great! And it all starts with the very helpful and kind people that greet you with a smile everyday at the front desk. Avalon always hires a super cool staff and I don’t see myself leaving for a very long time!

It you are considering moving into Oawookwood — ok.
If you are considering AVALON think again! In my and many many others opinion they would say the following: Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you EVER consider moving into this property!!! AVALON has taken over an they are tantamount to a FASCIST CORONATION! Their management is soulless, apathetic, inflexible and robotic. When it was Oakwood, it was quirky, but a lovely place to stay. Yes, it needed updating, but had Character Charm and a DEEP SENSE OF COMMUNITY. We were in a LA, but in our own little cocoon. Somehow out of the madness of the city — a kind of retreat. Beautiful trees, wildlife birds across a small street to Griffith Park.
Now it feels cold, corporate. OMG! These idiots have ZERO understanding of this special property! With callous disregard they just chopped down breathtaking hundred-​year-​old trees. Offering up the inane excuse that it would create a flood. Any person with connected brain tissue knows that the opposite it true. Avalon has also removed the majestic pine trees that protected the community from the sights and sounds of the freeway and Barham Boulevard. Avalon are impossible to reach. EVERYTHING including emergencies need to go through their website! Good luck with that! It’s $ 50 now if you get locked out. It was always free at Oakwood they have one security guard for 26 buildings and my best guess is about 1600 apartments. No one knows how to pay the rent, put in a service request or ask a simple question. They have imposed ridiculous rules, locked doors from one side and not the other just inconvenient seemingly nonsensical rules rules rules and more rule. Anyway, you get the idea. DO NOT LIVE HERE!

This was a nice complex before they changed ownership from Oakwood to Avalon. The new management is inattentive and disruptive to the standard of living in this community. They have sent chainsaws and heavy machinery to work among the apartments at 8 am on multiple days, without any notice to the residents. If you have any other options and/​or value sleep or a peaceful home, avoid this place at all costs

I LOVE living here!!! 10 out of 10 stars…
Oakwood is the best. It has full size basketball courts, huge pools and two modern secure gyms with a lovely ladies sauna… Its full of young teens/​adults and its perfect for someone like me in the acting industry as its central to everything. This place is magical, it literally has everything including vending machines and a convenience store like 7-​eleven in your apartment complex !!! You dont have to go grocery shopping if youre tight on time like i am. They also have a free printing computer station. All you need is your resident card to get in (which is awesome becuase its secure for us)
The apartment was super clean when we arrived too, like they cleaned every corner of the place. The carpets were spotless and the kitchen came with all the stuff you usually have to pay extra for like fridges and microwaves…
And The pricing for each apartment is very reasonable considering all the free amenities you get and you can get in with a very cheap $ 300 security deposit on approved credit… which is what happened for me. Most places Require a whole months rent as deposit…
Also, i moved in within 3 days. The leasing agents are fast and responsive and theyre accommodating. They have a whole bunch of leasing options in terms of time. For me moving around a lot and freedom is important for my lifestyle and career so 3 month leases are miracles to me! Most places force n lock you down to a year lease.
It has a huge balcony and is very spacious inside with really great air conditioning (plus its free maintenance ²⁴⁄₇ included in ur rent). Its smoke friendly here too! They have laundry on every level and theres like 3 per level so u dont have to share really. Its open ²⁴⁄₇ too and you use a card machine system thats so much easier than stupid quarters. and a trash chute in every few apartments down! So its easy to maintain your apartment even if youre busy!
It has a lot of good walking paths for your pets if you have one… Awesome nature on the walking trails they leave untouched for the residents but beware of coyotes !
Its extremely pet friendly and the service and security in the apartments is always amazing. Security guys are super friendly and hard working to ensure that everyone in the apartment blocks are safe… And that means a lot to me as a young female that is home alone alot. The people at reception always keep your mail for you and its easy to grab it from them.

After living here for two months, I feel inclined to give you the rundown about how things go down at The Oakwood.
Pros
1– Location.
For some a negative, but I personally like that the Oakwood is more or less situated on the side of the mountain. To me, it’s very reminiscent of some of the neighborhoods I am familiar with back in Salt Lake City. Just in a condescend, apartment complex version, if you will. Now mountain living comes with it’s setbacks. It’s easier for buildings to get dirty and you’re more likely to run into some «wildlife». That is just the reality of living in a location like this.
2– Decent Community
I haven’t really dealt with any of the noise complaints like several other reviewers. I’m guessing I just lucked out location wise? The Oakwood will occasionally harbor some blasting music, and yes, weed stench from time to time, but again what do you expect from an apartment complex that houses many, many students? Be realistic. This is a community of 1,000 or so people. Medical Marijuana is legal. There’s going to be noise. I’m not saying that’s inclination to get out of hand but a little leniency goes a long way here. If this is something you can live with, you can live here. Don’t expect to have a real strong sense of community here. The people are for the most part, friendly, and that’s about it.
3) — Amenities
They are pretty basic. Gym, pool, tennis courts. Nothing extravagant but well maintained. The convenience store is awesome in theory, but it’s outrageously expensive. Same with the laundry cards. Enough to make a positive impact on the experience, but just not enough to balance out the drawbacks. Which leads me to,
Cons
1– Leasing
Getting a rental here was a BITCH for me. I was employed, but about to quit that job in order to move out here. So for all intents and purposes, unemployed. They were wary of renting out to me, (because of no income) DESPITE me having an essentially perfect credit score. Clearly the money is coming from somewhere ya’ll. It’s not like I’m paying $ 10,000 a month to rent here. The amount of paperwork you deal with from start to finish, is enough to make you feel like you’re buying a house. It is very excessive.
2– Hollywood Prices for Non Hollywood living
Ah, Oakwood. It’s somewhat a no man’s land if you ask me. If you sped down Barham Boulevard in a blink you would miss it. People often ask me where I live, and I have to round about tell them «About two miles from Hollywood, but not Hollywood. Close to Burbank but not Burbank» Don’t move to the Oakwood and plan to walk anywhere. Won’t happen. And despite being on the opposite side of the hill, I’m still paying Hollywood prices.
3– Parking
It’s a nightmare. During the day, you’re good to go. Any time after 10 and before 5 you’re solid. Parking is so tight as well, be careful when pulling out. But don’t even think about finding a spot close to your apartment after dark. People also don’t park with precision, so expect to drive by a few spots you could have parked in, if only they had just been a bit less sloppy. Sigh.
4– Apartments
Not horrible but not great either. I definitely pay too much to live here. Things are kind of cheap and break easily. Carpets desperately need to be replaced. The infrastructure itself isn’t that bad, but Oakwood is in need of some serious internal renovating. Not sure if that will ever happen, because it’s so vast and would be expensive to do so.
5) Entitled Guests
For the most part, people here are friendly. But you get the occasional assholes intermixed, no doubt. My biggest gripe, by far, is reserved for the people who take their trash to the trash room and instead of sending it on it’s merry way down the chute they just leave it to sit on the floor. Expecting someone else to do the work for them. Yeah I get this is LA, and you’re a wannabe super star, but it takes very little effort to open up a chute and send it down. Who cares if it’s gross? Walk a few yards back to your apartment and wash your hands. You know what’s really gross? People leaving multiple MILK cartons to bake on the floor of this already small and unventilated trash room. Really? Now the whole room smells like rotting milk, because you couldn’t handle 5 more seconds of effort to send it down. There’s no excuse for any adult to not clean up after themselves. Period. But then again maybe I should be thankful for the fact that my building even has a chute. If you move here make sure you get a building with one.
Although there are some positives to living here, and it definitely not the worst place you could be, I will not be renewing my year long lease come summer. A year is just bearable enough.

They advertised «Corporate Housing» but what we got was a Freshman Dorm complete with all night parties, dog poop covered grass, beer bottles on the kids playground and the never ending smell of pot in the halls. I’m not a prude, but I asked for corporate housing for my family and children.
The staff was nice enough when we checked in. They are a bit heavy on the paperwork, but overall friendly and helpful. The store is ridiculously expensive so beware, unless you are desperate, avoid this convenience.
This place would benefit greatly from having either a «family building» or a true «corporate building» away from the parties, pot smoking and endless supply of beer bottles littering the bushes. If Oakwood wants to host the college party crowd thats great… more power to them… but provide a place where actual families can live, sleep and not have to have kids hold their nose because the «icky» smell of pot is so strong.
We never got to the pool, though it seemed nice enough. We stopped one day but discovered that two of the girls were straddling their boyfriends as they yelled «why are you tickling me?» and decided to move on.
Dog poop is prevalent. We own a dog and yet we remember to pick up the poop (several poop bag/​disposals are on the property if you forget a bag)…seriously the only reason is lazy pet owners.
All night parties and the pot smell is ludicrous. Putting families with kids next to college frat/​sorority is just dumb. Both groups are annoyed with the other. I don’t want them talking about which guy won’t talk to what girl or which girl doesn’t understand why some guy won’t call her. Equally, they don’t want to hear us when kids get up at 6am. I get it. This is where Oakwood #fails
If you are looking or family or corporate housing… look further unless this is your only option. Just know that at the end of the day, Oakwood could care less if you are satisfied with your stay.
Ultimately, we only had to endure this for one month. We are as excited to move into our new home as we are to never have to come back to Oakwood.

We’ve been at Oakwood Toluca Hills for about 3 weeks, so there might be future updates to this review. We’re a family with 3 and 5 year-​old children, and we sold our house, but couldn’t yet move into the new house, so Oakwood for a short-​term apartment seemed like a good (and possibly the only) answer. In booking and trying to confirm on our reservation, any kind of assistance from the local property was non-​existent; however, dealing with corporate worked well. We had a good credit rating, so fortunately we didn’t have to pay a deposit on top of the more than $ 4,000 a month rent for a furnished 2 bedroom apartment with assigned tandem parking and biweekly cleaning service. After checking in, here’s what we found.
— 1) They should probably set up some fantastic computer system about how they assign residents — a) put the families together — we really don’t want to listen to those who are partying all night — I hope they’re enjoying it, but move us families into a «quiet» zone; b) put the dog owners together (oh boy, dog poo everywhere, including the outside hallways on the cement and please don’t step on any grass — not good when you have kids who love to run around); c) put the residents smoking pot together (no issue with 4:20, but my daughter covers her nose when she walks through the hallway because of the «icky smell» — we’re worried that they’re going to school & asking their teachers for Doritos from the wake and bake in the hallway); and d) put families with little kids on the first floor — considering how much we can hear our neighbor above walking around, I can only imagine what it sounds like to the people on the level below when our kids start running around at 6 in the morning.
— 2) The «North Clubhouse» has been abandoned by Oakwood staff. We originally thought it would have been better with two young kids to be near the North Clubhouse since there’s a kid play area there, and that’s where all the activities occur (brunch, turn your child into a Hollywood star, classes, etc.). After moving in, I’m glad that we’re near the South Clubhouse where we have access to staff, the convenience store, and don’t feel like we’re living in an abandoned complex.
— 3) The apartments get painted over and over again… in other words, your glasses and plates will stick to the shelves in the kitchen, and it’s a bit weird showering in a fiberglass tub/​shower that has been painted over several times and seeing the peeling paint.
— 4) The mold/​mildew sucks — yep, I think they just paint it over rather than truly get rid of it. We had mold/​mildew growing on our shower walls/​ceiling after one week. As a P. S., the biweekly cleaning didn’t seem to include cleaning the mold/​mildew.
— 5) Stained carpets and the really stinky closet where I think a previous resident’s dog was peeing.
— 6) We took down the pictures over the beds — sorry, this is earthquake land so we don’t sleep with anything that could drop on us — and we found a lovely hole in the drywall.
Be warned, there are no non-​smoking apartments, never mind buildings. We were told that since these are apartments and Oakwood is not a hotel, they are not required to have non-​smoking apartments. While they may not be required, it might bump up their ratings a bit if they could at least offer a non-​smoking environment.
On the plus side, they took us for a month, and since our house isn’t yet ready to move into, we’ll be able to pay a daily rate that’s a prorated equivalent of the monthly rate.
The pool is warm, and I was impressed that the pool didn’t smell too over-​chlorinated, but then I saw the picture re: the public health shut down of the pool due to lack of sanitizing chemical that has me a bit worried.
Our parking is right near our apartment, so that’s a bonus for us (we had to request to move to a closer spot — original parking assignment was a hike — but they accommodated our request since we had figured out a vacant spot).
We haven’t had issues with the internet, which other reviewers have reported. We have had issues with the cable TV, which seems to suddenly stop transmitting a channel half way through a show.
Whenever we’ve called the corporate maintenance phone line, they’ve been very helpful and the response has been reasonably timely.
It’s worked for us, but we’ll be really happy to move out. It’s a 2 out of 5.

I helped set up and completed the paperwork for my brother’s rental of one of their furnished apartments when he enrolled at the NYFA as an international student.
They were a bit slow with responses and getting the required paperwork in order as well as providing photos and detailed information about their furnished units.
A bit on the expensive side at about $ 2000 for a small furnished studio with dated furniture and a Murphy bed.

Stained carpets. Old TV. Slow internet. Lock broke twice. Mail box lock broke as well. Not much else to say.