Lafayette Highlands

Renewed my lease for another year without hesitation. Management and maintenance teams continue to be excellent and there are noticeable ongoing improvements happening to the facilities.

So this place just keeps getting better. I casually mentioned to Beth, the manager, that a mirror would be helpful in an area where we pull out of our building. I didn’t really expect anything to come of it … a month later, there’s a mirror!
Then, a few weeks ago, Ray, the awesome maintenance guy comes by to do a few repairs. It was day 3 of me being home with my sick daughter so I hadn’t had a lot of adult contact. Ray was wonderful, friendly, funny, made sure everything was taken care of that I needed fix. I feel like I have a new friend.

I have lived here for 1.5 years and continue to boast to friends and family how lucky I was to find such a beautiful place to live.
1-​deposit versus first and last month payment
2-​more affordable lease than WC, Pleasant Hill and other Lafayette properties
3-​amenities like pool, spa, gym, gated comm, friendly/​responsive/​onsite staff
4-​location atop hill surrounded by trees
5-​cool, nice neighbors
6-​dog friendly
Yes, there has been car theft, loud neighbors in pool at night, dog barking… normal things one deals with when living in an apartment.
Pros outweigh cons.
Living here has made my life transition much easier and enjoyable!

We lived here for 1 year moving out in August 2015. It was a decent transition from selling our home and needed a place to live for a year however this complex has its shares of pros and cons.
Pros– pets are allowed, 3 bedrooms with decent space, great location, easy paperwork process to move in with a minimal amount for deposit, maintenance was prompt to respond.
Cons– windows are old, making it very noisy and can hear neighbors, cars, neighbors having sex, college students from St. Mary’s partying late (I called security a half dozen times and management sent a notice letter without fixing issue), yes there has been car break-​ins and the worst part was, living upstairs and the aged air conditioner did not cool down our apartment. Maintenance said its old, their not replacing them and offered a floor fan to help. Also, the rates go up based on time of year supply/​demand. Move in winter time if possible. The pool is nice but the pool service needs to be monitored since all those kids swim there and the pool water is NOT chlorinated properly and the jacuzzi tends to always have sentiment.

Lafayette Highlands is a great place to live!
Floorplans that just work
Centrally located to downtown Lafayette & Walnut Creek as well as hwy’s 24 & 680
Very friendly staff that quickly responds to any maintenance needs
Year round heated pool and hot tub
Great exercise facilities
A strong sense of community
Highly recommended!!!

This is by far and above the best apartment complex (overall) that I have lived in as a tenant.
My favorite thing about it, is that is smells like pine trees. Since the complex is situated above the park hotel, we get the breeze off the valley. Our apartment doesn’t get much hotter than 72 degrees, unless we want it to be!
My second favorite thing about living here is the staff. Beth & Theresa are quite possibly the greatest team I’ve worked with. The application process was easy, moving in was simple, and our 2 months living so far have been wonderful.
The apartment itself is beautiful with a HUGE deck. This is such a great value for where it is.

I absolutely love living at the Lafayette Highlands. They offer a great neighborly atmosphere. The apartments are also in great shape. They also will fix problems in a timely manner (usually within 24 hours). I would highly recommend living here.

Management:
We have new management who are very responsive and truly wonderful to work with. I look forward to interacting with them whenever something comes up with my 2BR.
Maintenance crew:
Awesome, awesome, awesome. They immediately respond, are very thoughtful, friendly and trustworthy (I let them come in when I’m not here because I trust them that much). My washer/​dryer broke and immediately was replaced. Window broke because of my daughter’s friend and immediately fixed. Screens replaced with upgraded quality. Very very reliable.
Location:
Right by freeway but doesn’t feel like it! I love the quick access. We are nestled among trees and lawns with wonderful views. I look at Mt. Diablo and redwoods daily. Walk to Starbucks, my mani/​pedi place and Lafayette Moraga trail around the corner. Traffic on Mt. Diablo Blvd on this end is light and easy to zip over to the other end.
Facilities:
Pool, hot tub and gym kept up very nicely. The gym is so convenient. There are grills and tables in one part of complex and a small park in another. Lawn spaces for children and dogs. I couldn’t find a home or smaller complexes that would take the dog. I was concerned there would be too many dogs especially those barking types but that hasn’t been the case at all. Mail boxes in one convenient area. UPS drops at door.
Apartment:
I wanted the second floor (only two floors) because I like vaulted ceilings for a sense of spaciousness. The living space is large and has long balcony right off of it through sliding glass doors. Rooms are a good size compared to other places I checked out. Only wish the kitchen was bigger yet I’ve adjusted. I like the granite counters. Each apartment has stacked washer and dryer which is a big plus because I’m not a fan of laundry facilities in a complex.
Price:
Comparable to everywhere else in the area. New complexes seem to be getting smaller with very little balcony space.

This place has a great location close to BART and downtown Lafayette, has nice apartments, and is well kept. I haven’t had any reason to complain and I’m very happy with it. I was worried due to the negative reviews on here from years past, but I guess that those problems are long gone. I have and will continue to refer friends to check out Lafayette Highlands when looking in this area.

I am a current resident at Lafayette Highlands with my fiancé. This past Sunday we both woke up to our power out in our apartment. This lasted the entire day. There was zero communication from the apartment management about the situation.
We talked to the PG&E workers outside and they kept giving us different info, so we did not know what to believe.
Finally at about 6:30 PM, when it started to get dark, we decided we had to check into a hotel, because we each had work to do that night, and obviously we could not do it in a dark apartment.
The next day we got back to our apartment and the power was finally back on. We asked the apartment management to cover our hotel costs, and they said no, and that the blackout was not their problem.
We have been there for over a year and we are good tenants that always pay our rent on time. But that does not matter to Lafayette highlands.
As you can see, they really value their customers.

The other low reviews are very warranted. I have lived here for a few years and it has been consistently going down hill. This started with the multiple changes in management which has resulted in very little on-​site oversight and a very uncaring staff.
The biggest issue now is actually safety. There are many dark covered parking areas which they refuse to do anything about and they are also very slow to change lights that go out on porches/​outside of doors. We literally have to get a flashlight if we need to go to our car in the evening.
As a result there has been several criminal incidents including car thefts, attempted plate lifting and other minor crimes. Management does not seem to care and they «safety patrol» that doesn’t care and doesn’t start patrolling until 10 pm (the incidents have happened before that time). Our car and house keys were stolen and they said they would come change the locks immediately the next morning. But alas we had to go and follow up take time from work to deal with the office, etc. This place is ridiculous.
DO NOT MOVE HERE. Despite the attraction of being Lafayette, this is terrible place, let along the safety concerns. Oh, in addition our rent has gone up over $ 500 in 3 years!

You will not see your deposit back — they are upgrading their flooring from carpet to laminate and decided to finance it with people’s deposits.
Once you move in, they’ve got you. They have no value for their current residents. Our new rent increase was more than what they were offering another similar unit for. When we asked to move to another unit once our lease was up, they told us we will need to pay $ 200 transfer fee. BRE is a big corporation at its worst.

At first I thought that the Lafayette Highlands were «okay” – worthy of at least 3 stars. There really wasn’t anything great about the place, but they kept out of your business. Sure, there were noisy neighbors, over-​crowded apartments (which jack up shared utilities), but overall, it was just okay.
Then, come December, I moved out and the greediness that everyone here is talking about began. When it came to refunding me my deposit, they wanted to keep every penny of it, even the parts that weren’t owed to them. For example, shortly after I moved in (maybe 35 days?) one of my dogs passed away. I immediately informed BRE, and they stated that I would be receiving my pet deposit (less some small prorated amount) back at the end of my lease. Needless to say, I never saw that money upon moving out.
Oh, and did I mention how absurd the cost of the units are there? If you move in in the off season, you can get a two bedroom for about $ 1800, yet when I came in January, my unit somehow jumped to $ 2200…sounds a bit pricey considering I was living in a 2 bedroom, 2 bath unit off Chestnut St for $ 1500 prior to moving to the Highlands.
Needless to say, there are much better places to live in Lafayette.

Worst experience. Take my advice, never live in the Lafayette Highlands. They are greedy and deceptive.

Don’t rent at Lafayette Highlands. The apartments are outdated with old and noisy appliances, no microwave, extremely small kitchens, and old carpeting. In addition, the new ownership, BRE properties, is inconsiderate. There is constant noise outside the apartments, as they air hammer, re-​tar, put in drains, etc. None of this improves the appearance of the apartment complex but constantly requires you to park your car somewhere other than your assigned space, being threatened to have your car towed if you forget to move it, constant notices on your door about more landscape work to be done (none that has made the place more attractive), but never any improvements to the inside of your apartment which has windows that are probably at least 30 years old and lead air so your electric bills are high. You pay a price for water that does not take into consideration how many live in the apartment (as it did with the previous owner). So, if you are the only person in the apartment, you pay the same as the ones that have 4 people in the apartment. The apartments are also very noisy, meaning you can hear your neighbors constantly. In an area that values trees, after BRE bought the property, they cut down beautiful tress on the grounds. The trash cans are continually overflowing which is very unattractive, and the maintenance people blow the dirt from the interior roads onto your car every week regardless of how many times you ask them not to do so. The old management used to be open every day of the week but BRE is not open on weekends, making it difficult, if you work, to go into the office to discuss anything. I have lived in many apartments in my lifetime and this is the worst run one I have lived in. Trust me. Don’t consider moving into Lafayette Highlands.

When we moved into Lafayette Highlands under the previous ownership a year ago, it was the best place to live in Lafayette. Then comes BIG Corporate Bre Properties out of San Francisco and Emeryville. Since they have taken over, the quality of living has diminished considerably.
The property is filthy and the Property Manager, Melissa Stevens doesn’t seem to give a damn about keeping it up. She has hired an assistant property manager who won’t lift a finger to do anything. Her answer to everything is «if you need it done just call the number on your magnet». The grounds workers show up supposedly twice a week to mow the lawns and clean… Really? Where are they? This place is a complete mess. Which brings me to the assistant maintenance worker (NOT the Maintenance Supervisor), who all he seems to be able to do is drive around in a golf cart smoking cigarettes and tossing them around the property. Everything he fixes… breaks again. He will never take his shoes off when entering your apartment and leaves a trail on the carpets. He sweeps dirt into a pile or blows it down into the stairwells.
For anything you want done here you are required to put in a online maintenance request. We have sent several requests asking to thoroughly clean the onsite Exercise Room and equipment for 8 months now ans still it is disgusting, and smells like a homeless person is living in there!
Additionally, I have never lived anywhere where there are several abandoned vehicles, or residents who have 4 – 5 cars and taking up the already limited guest parking which other residents would like to have visitors come and be able to park.
I question whether or not they are renting units to select tenants at the same rate most others are paying, just by looking at the quality of individuals roaming the premises and loitering late at night (in a gated community!). This is clearly evident since the Lafayette Police seem to be spending way too much time here since Bre Properties took over.
We truly love and respect where we choose to live, and only want to see a little TLC given to make those who DO live here a sense of comfort. For the Premium’s Bre is charging to live here, you definitely are not getting what you are paying for! DO NOT LIVE HERE as long as Bre Properties owns it!
Think twice before you decide to sign a lease here!!!

I used to love Lafayette Highlands but the new management company, BRE, has made this place significantly less enjoyable. I’ll give a current example to share what, in my opinion, is unacceptable behavior toward tenants paying a premium rate for an apartment.
They recently changed the mailboxes in our complex. We received notice that this would happen and, though the time frame that they gave was not correct, the mailboxes were replaced rather quickly, we picked up our new key, and all appeared to be fine.
A few days later, however, in the late afternoon on Saturday of a holiday weekend, there was a note plastered to the mailboxes informing tenants that mail must be picked up from the postal annex down the street. This annex closes at 4 pm during the week and 2 pm on Saturday. So, mail we had expected to receive on Saturday (paycheck, prescription, etc.) just wouldn’t be available when expected. This change, according to the note, was expected to be in effect for TEN DAYS. While I’m sure some people that live here either don’t work, or can arrange to be home before 4 pm on a weekday, i really don’t think it’s reasonable to expect hundreds of tenants to find a way to get their mail for such an extended period of time. Also, it would have been great if they could have shared this development with tenants BEFORE the annex was closed for a long weekend so we could have had the opportunity to obtain our mail.
So, today, manage to leave work early to attempt to pick mail up at said annex and the woman at the annex has NO idea what I’m talking about. There is NO mail being held for Lafayette Highlands. So, the mail that hasn’t been delivered in days is just ‘somewhere’ that tenants aren’t able to retrieve it.
It wasn’t until I got home that received another (poorly worded) memo explaining that they were able to fix the issue sooner than expected and that normal mail delivery would resume today.
The whole thing is just one example of many that I feel demonstrate the company’s disregard for tenants, their personal property and their hard earned money spent renting here.
I love Lafayette and do appreciate this complex’s proximity to BART and shopping… but be forewarned that you will have to deal with BRE’s ‘improvements’ that will likely be more of an inconvenience than a benefit to you.