The Ventana Apartments

I’ve lived in the Ventana Lofts (6565) for a little over 5 years and I have enjoyed my time here more than any other place I have lived in LA. The apartment is incredible, the amenities are great and the leasing staff is responsive, understanding and friendly (specifically Frank, Jonathan, Tito, Luke and. The place is also very fairly priced versus any of the other developments in Playa Vista.

Welcome to «luxury» living. Make sure you look at other properties in the area before you sign on the dotted line or fall for the sales hype. You’ll find that for the same price, you’ll get more amenities, better management, well maintained grounds and better equipped apartments. Renting in Playa Vista is not cheap, so do your homework before you consider the Ventana. Compared to the other residences in the area, it’s a C+ at best.
Yes, it’s pretty (they will sell you hard on the park space), but that comes at a cost. In exchange for trimmed palm trees and garage washing, you’ll have to put up with a severely understaffed maintenance crew that — sans one man — is borderline incompetent. In addition, you will be stepping over days-​old bird and dog feces on a regular basis. You will have to deal with rusted out gym equipment and, like me, accidentally putting your hand into a pool of battery acid when fetching your water bottle. You will be expected to go for days with standing water in your apartment because plumbing issues never seem to be a priority. If anything in your apartment breaks or fails to work, expect that you may need to fix it yourself.
If you value peace and quiet, this may not be the place for you. Or, at the very least, avoid living by the clubhouses and pools. As of late, it seems as if management has simply lost control of its residents. If you’re a fan of screaming children and not using the pool 4 months out of the year, move here. If you want to have the same rights as parents, find some place else. As a single person or a non-​parent you will be treated differently by management. You may be paying the same amount of money, but you are most definitely a second class citizen at The Ventana. As many of us neighbors have discussed, it’s bordering on discrimination.
Be forewarned: the Ventana’s luxury is skin deep… and barely that.

My husband and I have decided to move out before the leasing contract expires because of the noise and how the leasing office handles it.
(Rev.1 as of 2.8.2016: We have postponed to move out and decided to see if the situation would be better off after talking to the management. Hope they’ve taken the problem seriously.)
+ Location
+ Facility (Pool, Jacuzzi, Library nearby)
+ Safety
— Twice or three times a month there is a party above our room starting at 02:30 am and lasting for 8 hrs, with a huge volume of club music and shouting. When it starts we have to SLEEP IN A CAR!
— The leasing office failed to prevent the incident regardless of our contract requires «Quiet time 22:00 — 07:00.» The office requested us to report via email when it first occurred, so we did. Then the party got started again the next month at 02:30 am, so we wrote email again. NEVER RECEIVED A REPLY from the leasing office.

I’ve lived in the Ventana Apartments the past year and love it there. The staff and administration (Frank and Yolanda) are very good and extremely responsive to any issues or concerns of their residents. In addition, the service and repair work staff are very courteous and respectful. Their goal is to make sure everything is working and that you are pleased with their work. The apartments are great and the walk-​in closets are to die for! They have great amenities and will be soon remodeling their gym. You also can’t beat the area of Playa Vista. Very pretty and serene and you can walk anywhere! Would highly recommend the Ventana Apartments and Playa Vista.

I am giving a 5 Star Rate for the following reasons:
I have lived at the Ventana for 4 years now. There has been 4 Managers during my time including the current manager, Frank, who was assistant manager prior. This was very stressful. In my experience, the Dream Team is Frank, Yolanda, Johnathan and Andrea. These people really care about the residents and the property. I have lived in many of the ‘new’ developments in the Marina area and I am proud to call The Ventana my home. There is nothing worse than living in your home and feeling there is no one there that cares during an emergency situation or an urgent matter. Everyone on the team I mentioned above has gone beyond my expectations including the maintenance and security teams. And the new maintenance operations are swift to carry out all work orders. I don’t even have to wait 24 hours after requests. The only complaint I had which I gave to Frank, was to encourage more communication about the details causing some of the issues in the unit that lead to work orders such as clogged drains or heating operation issues so I can educate myself. I also had a very serious situation with another resident here and Frank was firm and swift in taking action. I feel safe living at The Ventana and I recommend The Ventana over any other place to live in the Marina including the new developments near by. I moved here because I was hoping to finally feel like apartment living was a real home and I am at Home at The Ventana!

I lived at the Ventana in Playa Vista almost 5 years until I moved to Denver. Loved it. If you’re not Spielberg living big up on the hill, this is the place to be!
It’s gorgeous, spacious, well-​organized and the landscaping is breathtaking. I lived… there. You can’t say that about a lot of areas in Los Angeles. I highly recommend it.

I have been living at the Ventana for 4 ½ years and am very pleased with the property and especially management. Frank is extremely professional and courteous, He has always taken care of any issues or concerns immediately that I have had with other residents. Frank is quite competent and since he did move up the corporate ladder, he knows the ins and outs of how the Ventana should operate. Yes, there has been many management changes in the last few years, but finally I believe they got it right this time.
I have had no issues with the maintenance crew. Whenever I have put in a work order for a repair, it is taken care of the same day. They are professional and friendly and always leave a note when they have completed an assignment.
I have lived in different areas around Los Angeles and the Valley and I must say that the Ventana is one of the best properties I have lived at. It is clean, safe, and you cannot go wrong with all of the amenities at the Ventana and Playa Vista. There is a sense of community as all of the neighbors are friendly and I actually know my neighbors. (That is a rare find in Los Angeles.)
Yes, it is expensive to live at the Ventana and Playa Vista, but you get what you pay for. Now that Playa Vista has expanded and there is a Whole Foods, CVS, banks, and restaurants, it is definitely the place to live. Now if I could get a job in Playa Vista, I would be set. If you are considering this property, take a tour and see for yourself what a lovely place it is to live.

I completely agree with Dominique R.‘s review – she took all the words out of my mouth! I have lived at The Ventana for almost 3 years now. And if you start asking residents around, you find that many, many of them have been living here for many years. The sheer number of people living here long-​time is a testament to how good the place is. For me, it has continued to be a super-​pleasant experience in all regards, or I wouldn’t be here.
There is a great sense of community through the complex, and that includes the Leasing Office staff. In the 3 years that I have been here they have been nothing but courteous and accommodating, and I have never received a curt or even indifferent response.
The staff will gladly work with your schedule when something needs repair in your unit, and if something needs urgent repair, they will immediately deal with it and finish the job well.
I completely disagree with the reviews that say Frank doesn’t know what he’s doing and that «he was a leasing agent and moved up because of changes…» I took a while checking out places before I leased here, at least 6 months of research including site visits to different places. Frank was a leasing agent back then and he worked hard to move up the ladder to first Assistant Manager and then Manager. It is routine for people to «move up the corporate ladder» in most corporations, and it is not a hap-​hazardous process done just to fill a hole. Frank is knowledgeable and efficient. And in the short time that Yolanda, the Assistant Manager has been here, I can tell already that she was the right choice and that she is a new great addition to the staff. And all of the staff here is wonderful and efficient, including maintenance, not just the Leasing Office.
I will miss Jonathan very much, now that he has moved to Vegas to be with family. He’s a super nice guy like you can rarely find these days, and I am super-​shocked to have read someone’s post saying that Jonathan was prejudiced – that guy doesn’t have a prejudiced or malicious bone in his body!
Yes, of course there are less expensive places to live. And if you’re not happy here, please, by all means, go live in one of those other places!!! Because here it is nice to have happy, content, appreciative, community-​oriented people who realize the value and want to be here. That is what makes The Ventana great and gives me peace of mind to be here.

Very poor management, my daughter lives here and they are very unorganized. They received their bill this month and paid it then found out it was the wrong amount because they had credited rent from the october month. then they tell them they owe another amount, they pay that and then receive another email saying yet they owe even more. No one seems to know what they’re doing in the office. I would definitly not rent here.

I have lived at the Ventana for 18 months and overall very pleased with my experience here as a resident. I deliberately waited awhile before writing a review. I chose to wait until I had a clear perspective on my views of this apartment complex so that my rating is genuine and based on the reality of my experience overtime as a resident. I can honestly say, that from the moment I decided to sign my lease I have been impressed with the Leasing office staff as well as the maintenance team. As a resident, I have been made to feel as if my decision to live here is valued, especially by Jonathan and Frank, both of whom are one of the reasons why I still live here. Frank tends to exude a sense of pride about his job (which is extremely important in his role!) and as the manager has provided good and timely feedback on matters brought to his attention that are important to me. He is so personable and understands the needs of this community quite well having worked here for years. Now Jonathan, he is an absolute asset to Fingerhut and the Ventana community! He handles resident issues with such professionalism and attentiveness, it is no wonder that many residents compliment his work ethic. Even when he is noticably busy and juggling the requests of multiple residents, he manages to make sure he gets the job done for you, and if there is an unforeseen delay, his communication skills are exceptional, he follows up and follows through, you just can’t beat his level of service. There are no words to describe the degree of comfort and peace I have knowing that I live in a residential community that goes out of their way (staff and maintenance) to assure me that my residency with The Ventana «matters» to them.
On occasion I have had some maintenance issues which have ultimately been fixed to my satisfaction. Maintainance staff leave a note about the status of the repair once they’ve recieved permission to enter your unit in your absence. If I have concerns or a question, sending the leasing office an email, is all it takes to gets the ball rolling. I like efficiency, and the Ventana staff have continuously offered me that. The maintanance team is outstanding and I want to give John extra «praise» for his talent at fixing odd or complex maintainance repairs. His skills are quite impressive. Also, I often get pleasant hello’s from the various maintainance staff I encounter which is just a cool bonus in addition to the beautiful Playa Vista community that The Ventana is nestled in.
In a nutshell, the customer service at The Ventana has far exceeded my expectations. If it were a terrible or mediocre place to live, I wouldn’t be here. When I have a question or concern, I have consistently been given the attention I needed to resolve whatever issue or query at hand regarding my unit. Keep in mind no residential community will be perfect, however I have observed the staff often working hard to make this an enjoyable living environment for residents and guests, to me that goes along way. With utmost sincerety, I can say this is really a great place to live and strongly recommend it to those interested in renting in the Playa Vista area!

I have been a resident here for more than a year and I love it! The maintenance staff is amazing– respond at a reasonable time. The leasing and office staff are such wonderful people. The new property manager is always involved and will personally respond to any complaints or concerns you may have. I am truly surprised by all the negativity in the comments below. Some people are just overly critical and impossible to please. They rather post all their criticism on Unilocal than giving the person the opportunity to fix the problem.
With a huge community you will have stories of break-​ins and break downs, alarm systems going off or the staff not being friendly enough. I have never had a problem with any of this though. I’ve lived in some real doozies, so this place is a breath of fresh air to me.
To the staff I would say great job! You are all awesome!

I give the Ventana two stars, because I truly love my building, and the amenities the building offer. If your simply looking for a beautiful place to live the Ventana is it. However, if ur looking for a leasing office and maintenance team that feels like family, and are for you, your at the wrong place. I have lived at the Ventana for quite sometime, and have watched the leasing office change quite a bit. The team they have rt now is dreadful. I leave things broke in my apartment, because I do not even want to deal with the front office at all.
Lets back up a bit… A while back we had a manager name Brittney. I personally always thought she was socially awkward, but what I can say is she truly took care of business. The FingerHut company doesn’t realize what they were doing to our building when they moved her else where. Things have been down hill since then. Maintenance is terrible! if and when they come fix things u never know. I’ve lived n plenty apartment homes, and I’ve never lived in one in which didn’t leave a note letting u know if they’ve been in your home or not, and if they were able to fix the problem or not. That really bothers me… that they do not do that for the tenants. I’ve caught maintenance in parts of my house that they were not suppose to be working on before leaving me very confused as to why would u be in my bedroom if you are ordered to be fixing my kitchen. Of course he made up some b.s. reason as to why, and I let it go, but it made me feel very uncomfortable since that date to have them come fix things when I’m not home. If u try to schedule an appointment to fix things r never on time claiming that more urgent things r taking place. The older gentleman is always pleasant, but the rest of the team thumbs down.
Back to the front office Frank (current manager) was just a leasing consultant, and with all the change was able to move up pretty fast due to his seniority, and them putting temporary people who knew nothing about the building, and what they were doing n the seat as manager. The thing about Frank is he is rude, and doesn’t know how to handle people properly… Often saying things to tenants in a way that can be deemed as inappropriate or rude. If you need for things to be done or help I advise u not to call on him. However, if u call the fingerhut companies the man I believe who is over the whole company with the heavy Texas accent is great. Jonathan (leasing consultant) use to balance the office out, because where everyone else seemed unpleasant he always was, but their slowly but surely turning him into one of them. Jonathan if ur reading don’t be like them everyone loves u for being understanding relatable, and here for the tenants. I advise the Ventana to work on customer service, and most important being more approachable.
Again, beautiful apartment beautiful grounds just not pleased with the team right now, and that contributes a lot when your living somewhere.

Don’t.
If you’re looking to shell out a bunch of money on an apartment in Playa Vista, go somewhere else.
Don’t get me wrong. The Ventana has some nice community amenities, the neighbors are quiet and the building is clean…
But here’s the deal:
The real issue with the Ventana is the management. My issues with management began not more than twenty four hours after I signed my lease and continued until I turned in my keys.
In all fairness, my problems with the apartment were not constant but it still baffles me that a «luxury» apartment would be prepped with heating that did not work, lighting fixtures that needed to be fixed by hacking into the wall and a bathtub that leaked into the garage.
Management claimed they were «unaware» and that the apartment had been checked previously and didn’t get tended to promptly without the aid of a third party. Management remained unapologetic.
Every time I went into the leasing office to pick up a package or pay a bill, I found it exceedingly unpleasant. With the exception of Jonathan, everyone there seemed to be irritable, dismissive or downright creepy. My experience seems concurrent with other reviewers.
Additionally, in the past year I’ve noticed a lot more matience problems with the my building (6565). Earlier this year, I got stuck in the elevator. Although I’m the only person I’ve heard this happen to, I did notice a sign about the elevator frequently breaking the other day (scary!) which makes me think I’m not the only person who this happened to… Scarier, the elevator was not shut off. I’ve also noticed the front door entrance to be broken. I’ve seen people pull hard enough without a fob and simply walk into the building– which is great.
The ventana was also incredibly incongruent with what they said they’d return on my deposit and what they actually did. I got several hundred dollars difference in my return than in my pre-​inspection; they’ll kinda out you in the place where you really can’t do anything about it as you’re just about to turn in your keys and don’t want to get slammed with several hundred dollars more charges.
Make sure to check out the filtered reviews for this place… They all match up.
Something good to know also, the finger companies, owner of the Ventana, has an «F» on BBB:
Playa vista is a wonderful community and I loved my time there. I’d highly recommend living in the area– just look elsewhere.

Discrimination is ugly and illegal. I recently went there and felt I was discriminated against !!!
The manager is new and doesn’t know what he is doing!!!
Who knows what it’s like to live there anyway with such incompetence and discrimination!!!

Lived in Ventana for 6 months and we really love it here. The space is luxurious and the neighbors are respectful. There’s a lot of green space, parks, and manicured lawns; it’s perfect for anyone who owns a pup. The leasing office personnel are professional, helpful, and considerate. Specifically, Frank and Jonathan try to do everything in their power to resolve every issue and to do so honestly and thoughtfully. Other apartments are very bureaucratic and you just feel like the staff act as if they are cogs in a large machine that cannot be fixed. Luckily, this is not one of those places.

I had a great experience! Yolanda, property manager answered all of my questions such grace, patience and without judgment. The leasing staff was more than welcoming and friendly. They bring new light to it and I appreciate their positive attitudes. My tour was amazing and the grounds are so beautiful.
Thank you Ventana!

On the one hand, Frank is professional and kind, and they’re relatively good about getting problems in the apartment fixed. On the other hand, their security guard is oddly aggressive and rude, and I had to ask four times today for them to mop up the dog urine in the elevator lobby and it’s still sitting there, dried up and potent. Bottom line — it’s a large complex employed by some good people, and some people who just want a paycheck. Trouble is, for the kind of money we spend, we should have people who can collect a paycheck, and make sure the dog urine is mopped up.

You know what’s not fun? Showering in the dark with only the light of your iPhone. The Ventana once again has a power outage, something that happens far too often, and we’ve just past the hour mark.
For a «luxury» apartment complex, the Ventana has way too many flaws. Often times trash thrown around the building, broken elevators, appliance breakdowns, fire alarms going off regularly, frequent power shortages, and the list goes on. Calling the leasing/​management office has become way too common of an occurrence. And as «first world problems» as some of these may seem, you’re damn right I’m upset when we pay upward of $ 4k a month! It’s aesthetically beautiful, yes, but cheaply made and terribly managed.
The gym can be great, but people always end up stealing equipment or leaving the place a mess, and management doesn’t seem to follow-​up. The pool can be great, but the hoards of noisy kids (and their careless parents) will drive you away.
Pick up the slack, Ventana! And get this damn power situation figured out!
…still in the dark…

Had a very poor experience dealing with the staff in the leasing office.
Both Celeste and Jonathan showed a puzzling level of discrimination when my friend and I expressed interest in the affordable living.
On our first visits Celeste spoke to us only through the intercom, very short worded and changed her tone of voice once we explained the reason for our visit. She also had us leave and go home, only to find out that we could of taken the steps RIGHT FROM our phones. She showed a unwillingness to even show/​tell us the steps of how to apply.
After we returned home went online and applied, we were contacted by Jonathan immediately. He said we could come right away, then we are greeted warmly let in, and as SOON as we mention to him «affordable living» his demeanor changed and his whole approach towards us was to get us to change our mind. he said «Oh, you know the apartments look different from the rest right?» «Oh you sent the email? I don’t know if it will go through.» He completely changed to a negative hopeless rude concierge.
He even spoke to me with confusion when I referred to a complex from when my sister and I lived there. I knew that there was two Ventana buildings, he looked at me as said «Oh there is only this building.» I even had to name the room number before he then believed me!
Very unpleasant, expect discrimination.
Nina

My wife and I lived in the Ventana for about a year and a half and we absolutely loved it there. Jonathan was especially attentive and helpful whenever we needed something from management.
The pools are always clean and there’s almost always a couple chairs open for lounging. The neighborhood is the real selling point though. This end of Playa Vista is quiet but the bustling city that’s about to be completed is a 10 minute walk up a well manicured walking path.