Avalon Studio City

First and foremost FIVE AMAZING STARS FOR THE MAINTENANCE staff. The guys (and gals) here are INCREDIBLE. You have a problem, they will come and they will fix it. And they’re so sweet. That’s probably one of the main reasons this apartment complex has so many stars.
Other than that, living here the absolute worst. The tenants are a freaking nightmare and have zero respect for those living around them. This building essentially caters to what they like to call «young professionals» which actually means young students who are now living on their own for the first time and don’t want to play by the rules. Our upstairs neighbors who have been a problem since we first moved in go to a film school near by and have no respect for us or those around them.
Quiet hours start at 10pm and what do we hear at 9:30pm? Their bass. And it’s not in the living room, no it’s in the freaking bedrooms. My room is my sanctuary and yes, I like to get into bed at a reasonable hour. And what I don’t like in my bedroom? The sound of your obnoxious, repetitive, loud, thumping bass music. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve called security on them, and yet they still don’t learn. They give zero f*cks about anyone or the rules. And I’ve e-​mailed, I’ve complained and yet they still do it. That’s the kind of person who lives here.
I live in the Gallery building (10 945) and it’s supposed to be their nicest and newer building, but the trash they have living here, brings the building down. Almost every person I’ve spoken to, can’t wait to get out of their lease. Barely anyone stays for more than a year, and most people end up regretting it, I know we did.
And while we’re on the apartments, there are NINE BUILDINGS. And they have one guard station (at the Vineland entrance) to service ALL 9 buildings, three of which are half way down the street. So if something happens in the Gallery or Bluff building, you’re screwed. Because by the time the guards get over, the sound or nuisance has stopped. OR they get here, the sound stops for a short while and then starts up again.
People sit on their balconies, yelling, screaming, having heart to heats at all hours, and if you’re unlucky enough to be in the gallery building and facing the bluffs (the very last building within Avalons reach) you are in for hell. The sound bounces around the corridor, and it’s impossible to find and it will keep you up at all hours of the night. I mean look at my videos. IF I could get a video of the bass in my room, I would, but it’s nearly impossible. You’d think you would have peace during the week but no. Every night is a party night at Avalon.
As I wrote this, I was not only listening to my upstairs neighbors music, but a couple in the bluffs is having their monthly fight (See my videos). Normally they save it for the day time, but the night I wrote this review they were in fine form. Cussing, screaming, slamming things, it’s WONDERFUL. According to my neighbors, this girl has moved out three times, but she’s still here. And again, these are the kinds of people who live here.
And of course, I waited for close to AN HOUR for security to come and «verify» that my neighbors are being dicks. AN HOUR. And why am I waiting an hour? Because they literally have two, maybe three guards to work the entire complex. Every building (especially Gallery and Bluffs) should have TWO GUARDS. This is unbelievable. And when a woman went crazy, slashed tires, attacked a guard, and we had POLICE helicopters hover for close to three hours, THEY LET THE WOMAN STAY. After all of that, they let her stay. There is no integrity, they will let anyone who can pay to be here, live here.
Oh, and when I e-​mailed the lady who was supposed to help us, I didn’t hear back from her FOR MONTHS. I finally go to the leasing office and apparently she’s been «promoted» and for someone who was supposed to be promoted she couldn’t bother to respond to say, «hey, I’m sorry I no longer work at this location, but here’s the e-​mail of someone who can help?»
Seriously, if you still want to live here, try to avoid living facing the bluffs. The long alley between the two buildings is a nightmare. The sound bounces around, so if someone is playing music or partying on their balcony you’ll hear it wherever you live.
It may appear nice on the outside, but it’s just a Hollywood Façade. Nice on the outside, terrible on the inside. Though, I do love the layout of my apartment, I just wish it wasn’t here. It seems that Avalon has maybe taken on too many buildings and tenants than they can control.
I can’t stress this enough. DO. NOT. MOVE. HERE. Look at the bad reviews, or even the filtered reviews. Those are the accurate accounts of living here. If you value your sleep and sanity, AVOID.
And no, I don’t want to come into the leasing office to discuss my issues, since I’ve done that multiple times and nothing has happened. I want you to take these complaints seriously.

I’ve been living at the Avalon for about 5 – 6 months now and love it here… We’re even getting a full renovation! Is it taking a while? Yes, but the renovation is worth it! Traci and Micah are very helpful and too sweet! They’re always kind and very attentive to what is needed and are very accommodating… I can’t wait for our renovation and new appliances… Hopefully a stainless steal fridge? Haha either or I’m looking forward to it! Thanks again Micah and Traci:)

It’s been years since I first posted my review of living at this complex (it was an Archstone property back then; now it’s an Avalon property), and it occurred to me that my old review might be giving misleading information to Unilocal users. Many of the staff (all terrific people) I complimented in my original review have since left the property, and I’d heard from them that the management changes and awkward office politics were at least partly to blame for their decision to leave. For many of the residents here, the office-​resident relationship now feels far less personal and far more corporate. As many reviewers have already noted, the extraordinary maintenance crew is the exception to this rule. As a user of crutches and a wheelchair, I really appreciate a maintenance staff which is so responsive and skilled and personable.
But wait, there’s more! My rent has increased about $ 100 a year since my initial post, although the amenities have either stayed the same or have become less accessible. The walls are still so thin that I have heard the entire evolution and devolution of my next-​door neighbor’s (or, I should say, ONE of my neighbor’s, as there’s a lot of turnover here) romantic relationship.
Also, since my previous review, my wheelchair and my car were both stolen (on separate occasions) from the (supposedly secure) parking garage and the parking spot I pay extra for. It turns out that, although the security gate has a guard and a black-​and-​white monitor, that monitor does not seem to be connected to an actual recording. I suppose this is the illusion of security without the reality of it.
I was able to get my car back, thanks to OnStar, but my wheelchair is still missing. Since the wheelchair theft occurred in the parking garage, my renter’s insurance helped to cover half of the cost of a replacement wheelchair, and Fred (the head guy at the management office, who seems genuinely helpful and personable in each of our interactions) said Avalon could contribute a little bit ($ 500) extra to help defray a bit of the cost. I haven’t yet been extended that extra money, but in fairness, I haven’t pursued the issue much, because –
This complex is now under HEAVY reconstruction, a reality that is expected to extend for over a year (and which has definite impacts on day-​to-​day life here, especially for someone in a wheelchair). Everybody, across the various complexes, is now marshaled into sharing the same pool and gym, which is no longer near the apartment I live in – an apartment I selected, in part, because it wouldn’t require a lot of wheeling around to get there. So it seems that, for a year, I won’t be getting what a pay for — only the promise that things will be even better next year, after a hefty price hike, no doubt.
Unfortunately, this ongoing, noisy construction, has not prompted the community to offer any sort of discounts to its residents during the renovation period. So essentially we are paying the same as (or more than) we paid last year for less access and fewer resources.
I’ve lived here for about 8 years and have never prompted so much as a noise complaint, but I often feel that, in the eyes of the complex, I am just a number that could be easily replaced. Over the past several years, however, I haven’t been able to access the (wheelchair inaccessible) BBQ space, and, perhaps for obvious reasons, I don’t use the basketball court. But even in light of these unused services, I’m still paying a premium to live here.
So why haven’t I left? Before I moved into Archstone/​Avalon, I looked at FOURTEEN other apartments across Los Angeles, marking the «Wheelchair Accessible» box on Westside Rentals before each visit. It was dishearteningly difficult to find any building that was truly accessible, and Archstone seemed as close to equitable as I could find. But it’s reaching a point where even living here is cost-​prohibitive — which makes it, too, inaccessible in its own way.
If anybody out there knows of a great residence that might curb some of these concerns, let me know! My lease here is up in November, and I’m annually a little apprehensive about renewing it.

It is by far the worst place to live! The amenities seem to be ok but the people that live here are a true nightmare! For paying the money you pay (which is a lot) it’s a constant party place where regulations are continuously broken and nothing is done about it. If you like to sleep, even for just a couple of hours a night, you can forget about it living here! The process of having anything done about noisy neighbors (and I’m talking about people who party and blast music EVERY single night nonstop) is careless and really non important to management. The security is under staffed and really not respected by anyone so noise and recklessness just continues day and night!
Also, if you renew your lease for another year they will complete rip you off and tell you they are giving you a deal charging you $ 300 more a month. I signed the lease thinking all the rents would go up equally (they said they were going up due to market value) but nope, it’s just the suckers that chose to renew leases! New tenants with the same apartment and square footage (I found out a couple of months after renewing my lease) were paying $ 300 less! It’s just a compete ripoff and I can’t wait to get out of this place! THEE WORST!!!

Moved from Hawaii to LA and needed someplace guarded, with amenities, and great service and I’ve found it. I am now moved in to my 5^th apartment in Avalon Studio City and continue to renew here because it’s home! I am so incredibly excited that the company is putting money into a full community renovation and LOVE my new renovated one bedroom. One thing I really love about living here is the maintenance team! They are always so kind and respectful and that’s something coming from Hawaii that I really appreciate. Today we had a huge setback with not being able to fit expensive furniture that we have fit into two other apartments. I stopped Cecilia who was cleaning right outside my door and told her my issue. She immediately radioed Enrique and he came over. After almost giving up trying to fit the furniture in he continued to stay with me and come up with a solution. Both he and Cecilia made it a priority to help get the chairs in and we did! They went above and beyond and I cannot thank them enough for the dedication and passion that they have exude while assisting. Thank you both so much! Just one more reason why I continue to lease here!

Today’s Thankful Thursday review goes to Avalon Studio City. This time I have to applaud the AvalonBay Customer Care Center I am feeling especially proud of living in a complex that appreciates, understands and cares about its residence. I truly appreciate them making me feel like I’m a priority and that I matter, and that means a lot to me. Not only do I have great neighbors, maintenance and on-​site management, but I have now come to realize I’m a part of something larger and that includes the available-​by-​phone customer care team. In my recent conversation with a team member, as a team, AvalonBay went above and beyond my expectations. These experts in luxury living are truly continuing to build a brand I can believe in, we all can. I enjoy LIVING here, not just residing but thriving and feeling that my life here, at this Avalon location, makes a difference in my whole world.
Yes there are some areas «under construction» but its truly a wonderment in renovations. I had an opportunity to speak to one of the construction foremen and that conversation was very insightful. There is a lot of positive energy around here and for that I am grateful and thankful.

I have been living at Avalon for 2 years. I really appreciate the time and effort the staff puts into maintaining this already beautiful complex. The staff is exceptional at immediately taking care of repairs throughout the entire complex. I want to thank Kelly, Tyler, Fredrick, Al, Feliks, Juan, Vicky, Nicolle, Jose, Enrique, and Fidel for putting customer satisfaction first and foremost.

If I could I would give 5 stars to the maintenance and 0 stars for the people who live here. I’ve lived here for 6 months now and it’s gotten significantly worse. When I first moved in I could sleep with the patio door open for some fresh nighttime air, but now I fear doing so because almost every night (no, I’m not exaggerating) after 10PM other residents blast music, have balcony parties, or walk around screaming while intoxicated.
I really don’t understand how people can be so inconsiderate. The worst part of it is that there’s really no way of enforcing the rules, like quiet hours, if there is no one here to enforce it. There’s 1 security guard for the entire multi-​building complex that spans most of the block. It’s a system that’s built to fail. I cannot wait to get out of this place! Sadly, it has nothing to do with the apartment itself, it’s wonderful, spacious, big kitchen and closets. The inconsiderate, rude residents are what’s ruining this place.
Last night, we had to call security 3 times for a resident who continued to disobey and have a party yelling and screaming on their balcony until 3AM. This is just a giant, nine building dorm room for the surrounding art schools.

This community has been our home for years now and we could not be happier with the staff and neighborhood.
Our new manager Tyler is very kind and genuine. He has helped my family on numerous occasions and is doing a fantastic job with the renovations around the community. Wendy and Kelly are our assistant managers. They are both kind and very good at their job. Wendy is an animal lover to which is a bonus if you are looking to adopt a four legged friend. She can direct you to some rescues:)
I can’t say enough about our leasing staff. Nicolle, Brody, Monica, Tony, Emyln, and Taylor are very helpful and amazing at their jobs. Not only is it their responsibility to lease apartments, take care of renewal paperwork, and follow up on leads, but they are also responsible for resident concerns. Each time I have had a concern they have gone out of their way to make sure that it was addressed and handled promptly. As a prospective resident, my advice is to take everything into consideration and to be kind when asking for help. They have the responsibility to take care of everyone here (800 plus apartments) and are often very busy. I can say from experience that they genuinely care about the happiness of the residents:)
Our maintenance staff here is the absolute best that I have seen in any apartment community since we have lived in California. Al is the cm of the maintenance team and he runs a tight ship. Juan, Mr Felix, and Vicki in housekeeping are among some of my favorites. They are always willing to stop at a moments notice to help our family.
Although I am a huge fan of this community, my family will be transferring to another Avalon next week. This is to be closer to my husbands work. I will miss all my friends and neighbors as well. There are many good people who live here that make this a wonderful place to live at in studio city.
If you are in the market for a great place to live, with good neighbors and good staff, not to mention an amazing location in itself, I would not hesitate to call this Avalon home.

I only will give 4 stars because of EDI SARCENO that is a great service, but the rest of the services are not even nice. I had so much problems here but the staff is amazing.

Pros
Maintenance is still amazing and efficient!
Leasing consultant Brody is awesome. He has always been honest and upfront with us. If you want the truth go to him.
Emelyn as concierge is awesome. She has always helped me whenever i call, and if she doesn’t know something she finds out and gets back to you within a reasonable amount of time.
Kelly, the customer service manager is awesome and responds to your needs promptly. He will definitely make this a better complex. (sorry guys if i spelled your names wrong. lol)
Since construction started they demolished the last fitness center and combined it with the bluffs building, my building. It’s great. All the machines are here. we finally got our weights back that they took for months with no warning. They also finally unlocked the lockers rooms, which they lied and said were closed for security. now they are open all the time. Its great! We actually get to use some of the stuff we pay for!
Amenity construction will only take 8 months, not 18 months… yay! Its going be great!
Cons:
Construction noise is awful, they don’t start until 8am but if you live in the back of the building you hear them setting up around 7am. Apartment remodeling will still be 18 months long, so we still have to hear construction noise for what feels like a lifetime
Now that theres only 1 hot tub for both colony and bluffs we rarely get to use it because its always full. They need to create time limits now.
Business center has not had a functioning printer for over 3 months.
Just read our lease again to find out we don’t have true security. Basically they are here for looks, because it says they aren’t here for our personal safety or safety of our personal belongings. So there goes that. Watch your back. Studio city is not as safe as it seems.
.

1^st off… This place is not worth the $ 1700 they are charging me for a less than 500 sq ft studio apartment!!! Not only is the customer service here horrible… My living room set from the apartment I transferred from got stolen by either the office staff or maintenence… Michael from the office lied about so many things (don’t deal with him!) I actually heard he got fired shortly after the incident… Now, the entire complex is under construction! The main pool and fitness center are closed! The office said to use the bluffs pool, which is more than halfway covered by the building (no sun at all), and the temporary fitness center is tiny with hardly any machines! Cool! This place is not worth the $ 1700 they charge just for a studio apartment!

I am leaving this review for a very helpful and friendly Customer Service Representative Kelly McLendon.
Kelly has been so resourceful and helpful during the process of renewing my lease. My roommates and I were able to discuss with him our rent increase after the first year of residency. We negotiated an affordable rate that would allow us to continue living in a community that we absolutely love. Unlike service I have had in the past, Kelly was very understanding, willing to work with us, and compromised to allow us to continue living at Avalon. We had a very civil and friendly meeting where it felt as though he truly wanted to help us out. Excellent customer service was provided, definitely choose to work with him if you ever get the chance!
The area itself is a HUGE pro for this community. Everything you could imagine is within walking distance and it makes the rent absolutely worth it.
The community itself has been doing a lot of construction which is disappointing because you are unable to use the amenities for the full term of your lease… Other than a few noisy dogs and one unruly neighbor, this community makes a great place to migrate to for a first time resident in Los Angeles.

Just moved in earlier this month, the moving process was effortless from start to finish. Monica Tockman was the consultant that helped us, she was great. We love the area and community. If you’re looking to be close to Hollywood but not actually in it, this is the perfect location.

I’ve lived here for 4 years. I’ve had complaints, and praises for this place. I’ve lived here when it was Archstone and lots of reconstruction. This review is for Enrique, one of the maintenance workers.
I put in a request for my sink leaking on a Saturday night. In less than 24hrs (on Easter Sunday!), he showed up, happy and ready to work. He was kind, efficient and very professional.
Thank you Enrique.

This is the MOST DISGUSTING apartment complex I’ve ever lived In. I live in one of the most expensive apartments and I’m paying $ 3200/​month and I have found 3 cockroaches in my apartment! We are not dirty people. We are interior designers and take pride in our home. When I call to complain they just tell me to put in a service request. Which consists of putting cockroach feeders through out the house but not actually taking care of the problem.
My guest bathroom has a very weird smell coming from it and when I complained about that they just «sprayed deodorant» that is an internal problem that’s coming from the pipe system. I am now masking the smell with wall flowers. This apartment complex let’s ANYONE live here without doing any background check or credit check. One girl from our building randomly vandalized everyone’s cars more than a few times. And they still couldn’t do anything to kick her out. She would walk right up to people’s cars and just slash their tires Infront of everyone and security didn’t do anything about it! It always smells like pot and everyone is always loud and degenerate. DO NOT LIVE HERE. It’s the worst way you can spend your money every month.

I absolutely love living here! Its clean, the people are friendly and its very safe! You’re right off of Ventura blvd, so needless to say there are a ton of restaurants around and things to do. Rite Aid and Ralph’s are literally a 2 minute walk away and studio city is simply getting nicer and nicer. The 101 is right down Vineland and incredibly easy to get to. Every Saturday the leasing office is pretty much mobbed with people looking at /​leasing apartments, and that’s a clear indicator that Avalon is in high demand.
Some on Unilocal complain about Avalon’s prices, but why? You get what you pay for and here you get a lot for your money. Personally, I’m from Chicago and its much easier to find a place there, than it is here in LA. In LA, it seems you either have to pay for a great place in a questionable area, or a fantastic location with a dirty and mold-​filled apartment. At Avalon, you get a great location AND a great unit. The prices might not be within your budget, but in no way are they outrageous or inflated.
The leasing office is AMAZING! They are so accommodating and always handle situations in a timely fashion. Monica was whom I spoke to and worked with while going through the leasing process and she was /​is fantastic. I emailed and called countless times with question after question and she always got back with a response almost immediately.
Love it here!

I’ve just been informed by security that anyone can play their music as loud as they want– it doesn’t matter if we have to hear pounding bass or not. What a joke.

Since Archstone became Avalon they raise rent by about 200 – 400 every year, that’s EVERY year and mine has increased in total by about 40% in a three year time frame.
Los Angeles has so much old Hollywood history and any building built prior to 1978 is rent controlled, I would choose one of these because they are historically beautiful and mine looks like this is when it was last updated anyway, but it was built more recently. I don’t think the building has been painted or the carpet redone since it was built despite the rent hikes.
If you are a new tenant be careful because they can get you in with a good price but there are no limits to how much it may go up. If they tell you anything that is different from that, realize that the people you’re talking to have very high turn-​over and may not be there in a few months. They won’t work with you as Archstone may have done in the past either and some of the good reviews are for Archstone.
However, they are making a lot of changes, upgrading a lot of other buildings, and have, at least temporarily, loaded up our gym with a lot of equipment while they do this, so that’s cool.
Maybe they will eventually update paint/​carpet etc, will update again if they do.
Also, people involved in maintenance work extremely hard and are my favorite thing about living here right now, probably the only reason I stayed at the time.

The maintenance crew at Avalo is amazing!
Juan Araya, Felix and Eric work so well.
I had a fload in my apartment and they came right away, fixed the problem, changed my carpets and cleaned and disinfected after.
They are so fast and respectful !