Capistrano Pointe

Nice but needs work

I’ve lived hear since November and I really can’t complain. The staff is great and always take care of our needs to the best of their ability, and in a timely manner. The grounds are beautiful! the pond is awesome. It is nice to come home and walk our dog and see the ducks. I have no complaints. Any issue I’ve had has been resolved and my inquiries were taken seriously. Just wanna thank the staff because they are sweet and Curtious.

It is apartment living and all that goes with that… people feeling it is acceptable to park a truck and move in or out at midnight, loud drunken bar patrons returning home, skateboards flipping onto the pavement for hours, a very public pool as the rules are not enforced and the gate can be unlocked with a simple teenage boost to turn the latch, or you can just keep the key and pay the deposit. The pool will be yours to use without any questions forever more. Dogs are judged by their pictures, rather than temperament. One resident asked me with annoyance, «Can’t you just take a different route?» because her dog pulled against the leash, barking and growling at my dog. I had to physically lift my dog up over my head at least a dozen times to protect her from a charging unleashed «harmless» dog. I should mention the drug dealer in the garage connecting to mine. Not a suspected drug dealer, an actual documented felon drug dealer. The «jewelry bag» fell onto my car from it’s distribution spot (my garage mechanism). Clever, unlatch my garage door for entry, leave the drugs there on top of the mechanism, my stored furniture was moved to stand on and retrieve the drugs. Yes, there is a police report, but management could not act on this as his mom lived there, he was not on the lease. Also don’t expect a long term residency. Had I stayed, my rent would have been $ 425 more a month than when I moved in over the course of 2 years. Sigh… apartment living. These apartments served their interim purpose and they were extremely fair with my deposit return.

We’ve been here for a little over a year and definitely have had few complaints about the complex. The grounds are kept clean, the people seem friendly to other people and their pets, the ducks in the pond are neat and sometimes there are Canadian geese. Every time we’ve had a concern we’ve had a fairly quick response, and requesting maintenance hasn’t been an issue. They are usually there within 24 hours. We were a little skeptical when first moving in after reading some of the reviews but took the chance because the complex we were coming from was so so SO bad. We’ve been happy here, it’s a good little spot. Ok, now my cons: the parking isn’t great. Many people seem to land their car wherever they choose and nothing is really done about it. If you come in after dark there won’t be a spot for your car because a lot of people don’t use their garage or car port like they should. The gate in the front is always broken because people just push it open if they don’t have their remote or if their friends are coming in. The worst part about being here are the ants. OMG I’m over the ants. We are clean people but during the end of the summer the entire building is ant city. We’ve set out bait traps, puttied holes that they seem to be coming in from, we wipe down counters and sweep/​mot constantly. Food is put into containers and not left out, but the ants keep showing up. Our neighbor requested the bug man spray for them and she was told that they (the complex) were not responsible for killing the ants, that she should keep her apartment cleaner. I was surprised by that because it’s not just one unit with issues, it’s ALL the units and surrounding buildings.

PROS
— Fairly quite
— Close to Dana Point, Doheny Beach, Capistrano Beach, and San Clemente
— Easy access to the freeway
— Reasonable rent for the area
— Large showers
— Only complex in the area with a 1 bed + loft option
— Pet friendly
CONS
— The office staff always seem flustered and do a poor job of following up on requests
— Maintenance requests are not addressed quickly and often require multiple follow ups
— It’s incredibly difficult to find any parking space after 8 p.m.
— The BBQs in the pool area are not maintained
— The hot tub is DISGUSTING and should be a health hazard (every day it has a thick dirty froth covering the top of the water)
— Teenagers frequently jump the fence around the pool area in the afternoon/​evening to smoke and hang out in large groups (so having a «facilities key» is worthless)
— There has been a recent increase in car break ins
— A refrigerator does not come with the apartment
— Unless you have a renovated unit, plan on having a very very old oven and dishwasher that doesn’t clean very well

My experience here has been awesome so far. Michael Hartley, specifically, has been outstanding with helping me but all customer service here has been over the top great. Roxanne and Ben in the office are all very helpful and are very nice people. No complaints about this complex whatsoever.

I am a brand new resident at CP, but I am already smitten by this apartment complex.
It’s really about the little things in relationships, and I would most certainly say that CP has mastered the art of ‘details’.
Every member of the Lyon’s staff had been extremely attentive to my requests and inquiries.
I look forward to my year lease, and playing with the little ducks in the pond outside of my apartment

Since my last review the new manager and office staff have worked towards addressing some of the issues I had written about. The roundabouts are still treacherous when people go through them the wrong way, but it seems that parking has gotten a bit better. Overall I can attest to the fact that they take complaints seriously and genuinely want to provide a nice place for people to call home!

I lived here just shy of 6 years. I absolutely love a lot of this community, but unfortunately, the staff, namely the manager Bridgette is awful. I lived through many managers; never ever had a problem. When she stepped on the property it became like a prison. Not only myself, but many other residents couldn’t believe her approach with residents, he rude and tactless manner and he down right inability to communicate in a fair and courteous way. The apartments are nice, well maintained as well as the grounds. Fair price for the area and clean. But seriously, unless you don’t come out of your house, don’t move around the grounds, don’t have kids or animals, think twice. Bridgette is after anyone who is even visible. Even some of those she would pick on as well. She’s a nightmare. If you can avoid her good for you. Try just talking to Micheal, he’s the best thing the staff has going for it.

We lived there for just under a year, and in that year, the ONLY recommendation I have is to move ANYWHERE else. There are other pet friendly places with beautiful grounds in safe areas that charge SIGNIFICANTLY less and have a management staff that isn’t full of lying, scheming staff. We moved out on Feb 28, which happened to be a Friday, and a Friday in which they decided to close the office for the day. Our options for our final move out inspection were to either «move out sooner and do it before Friday» or to just not be present, because they «aren’t required» to allow us to be present when they are deciding what they are going to charge us for. We got told by Bridgette, THE MANAGER, that the only issues with the apartment were the paint and they found pet stains, so we would be charged for carpet cleaning and painting. And while we did not believe the pet stains, we weren’t going to contest it. Then, we got the invoice, and found out that we are ALSO being charged $ 150 for a cleaning service because «everything was dirty.» We were smart enough to take photos to show that nothing was dirty. The best part? We moved out the 28^th, the inspection wasn’t done until the 3^rd, and yet the cleaning service, carpet cleaning, and painting was all ordered on teh 26^th. So, Mike tells us that they charge everyone for cleaning regardless of how well the apartment was cleaned beforehand, because it will never be up to their standards. Same with carpet cleaning, that since we had pets, they charge that regardless. Of course, Bridgette tried to step in and say that none of that is true because that isn’t agreed upon in the lease and is therefore illegal, but it was far too late at that point. Somehow, they are claiming it is our problem that they ordered services before seeing if they were needed. So, after looking at what they claim was dirty and where they found pet stains, some of course are impossible since the dogs couldn’t have gotten to that location if they had wanted to — not to mention the fact that the carpets were steam cleaned on a monthly basis, including twice right before moved out, we have decided to file a formal complaint with Lyon communities against Mike and Bridgette and file against the community in small claims. So, buyer beware, if you move in there, plan on being harassed by the batty old women who have their clique, and their good friend Bridgette, plan on having the air let out of your tires when you park on the street, plan on never being able to find parking because no one in the office cares if people are parked illegally, and plan on paying for services regardless of whether you do what you are supposed to when you move out. On the plus side, there is ABSOLUTELY no reason to clean your place at all, since they are going to charge you for a cleaning service whether you do or not. So if you have already made the mistake of moving in there, at least don’t waste any time trying to clean your apartment when you move out. It is no wonder they have such a large number of units that have been available for such a long time. No one in that office, save Michael, have a clue on how to run a business, deal with clients, or even have a shred of honesty. oh, and one more kick in the junk, the dishwasher they replaced with another refurbished piece of crap dishwasher never worked right, and surprise surprise, no one in the office cared.

Mike is extremely helpful and friendly. He took all opportunities to show every detail of the community.
The grounds are nice and well kept. Living spaces are homey and inviting. I love the layouts of the models I viewed.
There’s a huge rec area, nice pool and the pond is a cool addition.
It feels like home!

Just moved back to CA after 3 years of being in HI and we knew that we wanted to be in San Clemente or Dana Point. This place is perfectly positioned so that it feels like we are in both towns, even though the address is SJC. The entrance and exit to the 5 are seriously a stone’s throw from the front gate, but the community is tucked away from the noise of the busy highway. They have a little duck pond at the complex’s entrance that makes the place feel more like a community than if you were immediately met with apartment buildings.
It is very pet-​friendly here! Big dogs, little dogs… it is rare to go outside without bumping into a friendly, 4-​legged neighbor taking a walk. The only downside to that is that many of the 2-​legged residents like to leave the big dogs’ big poops wherever they may land, but the maintenance crew tend to get rid of most of it pretty quickly.
We originally planned to only be here for 6 months, so we chose the smallest available apt size. Although the apt itself is tiny, there is an awesome amount of cabinet space within the apartment and the garage can serve as additional storage space. Tons of counter space & storage in the bathroom and plenty of places for all of my girly goodies in the bathtub/​shower. It’s also great to have a w/​d in the apartment, although there are laundry facilities on-​site also.
I still haven’t adjusted to the CA winter after living in HI, so I have yet to use the pool or hot tub. They look great, though… crossing my fingers for some warm days to come so that I can finally find out!
As far as cons, there are a couple. It is a little pricey here for the sq. footage (which is the reason I deducted a star), but all of the pros counter that con pretty well. Also, living in a downstairs apartment means that you can hear your upstairs neighbors moving around. Luckily, it is a pretty quiet neighborhood (lots of families and Marines, which means lots of early bedtimes) so it has never been a real problem. The only other con that I can think of is that the parking situation gets a little hectic at night. There are tons of open, unassigned spots during the day, but they fill up once everyone gets home after work.
The office staff are pleasant and helpful; repairs are done quickly and without attitude. Amber (one of the leasing administrators) has always been especially friendly and responsive. All in all, I have enjoyed living here and find it to be easy and comfortable.

Michael, one of the gentlemen in the office showed the best customer service and hospitality I had looking all around Orange County at apartments.
It’s people like Michael who make you want to live at a place and one of the reasons my fiancé and I went back and decided to rent a place at that location.

PRO:
* Bottom line… the BEST apt I’ve lived in for kids. They’re always riding bikes, scooters, going to the pool.
* Very safe, well lit, good walking areas without having to worry about cars racing by.
* well maintained
* good neighbors though not a lot of socializing
* quiet (as long as you’re far enough from the freeway)
* very cool pond
* Great showers. Better than those in some modern homes for being warm and quiet.
* Very dog friendly
CON:
* Too close to the freeway for me (yet super convenient)
* Avoid downstairs… thin ceilings.
* Definitely NOT a party place. Most lights out by 9:00. Not many community activities.
* Don’t even think about getting behind on rent. They’ll require cashiers check every month
* «Dog rent»

I’m removing a star and on the verge of knocking them down as low as possible — Parking is out of control. There are people storing cars for weeks in prime parking places. Garages are used for storage, boats and RV’s instead of cars putting further pressure on parking. Landscaping is left undone and muddy. Kids run wild (no parents to be seen anywhere) in the street (where you’re supposed to be able to drive your car). Don’t get me wrong, I love to see kids playing and having fun, but I’d like to see their parents involved to keep them safe. I’ve also noticed many new dogs — many of them restricted breeds. This concerns me because we’ve already had unknown dogs run into our home several times — when is it going to be an aggressive one? Also, their collections process way too aggressive and abusive way too fast — god help you if you forget and are a couple days late — they immediately threaten to throw you out. How ’bout a friendly call and reminder first? The polish has definitely come off the apple.
Maintenance still excels. They recently resurfaced all the blacktop and that looks nice. They’ve also done maintenance on the pool area including adding a very nice BBQ area — kudos.
So far, so good! We just moved in and this has been a very positive experience. They showed us around without being pushy. One of the employees has lived in the complex 9 years. They moved us through the paperwork and qualification process efficiently. Everything was explained to us to our satisfaction. The homes are build very well — we’re warm and can barely hear the freeway. Maintenance has been very responsive to the few requests we’ve had. The neighbors are nice and everyone keeps their places clean. The common area maintenance is impeccable. We love living just up the hill from Dana Point and Capistrano Beach. Freeway access couldn’t be easier. We’re really happy we moved here.
Had to remove a star for two recent issues — one, parking, it’s horrible. People are using their garages for storage and parking on the street. My wife and I had to walk ¼ of mile home the other night because there was no parking. People are parking in tow away zones and the rules aren’t being enforced. It seriously degrades the appeal of the place. The second issue is that they’ve decided to be very strict with what you have outside your apartment. We follow the rules, but most others do not and enforcement seems to be very spotty — lenient with some and militant with others — doesn’t feel fair.