Apartment Review for The Cape - Costa Mesa, CA

First off, I am writing this for my friend because I am utterly apalled and disgusted at how the management staff treated my friend and roommates. Namely, the manager I observed yesterday acted so unprofessionally, it thoroughly perplexes me that someone could be so arrogant and obnoxious and still hold a position as a "manager." Before that, let me describe the units and apartment area.

Parking is in short, horrific. Although tenants are given permits, parking is never enforced, and given the limited amount of parking, there is usually none available inside the unit. The complex does, however, offer parking outside their lot, but you park there at your own risk, and it is very dark. My friend recently purchased a new car, and it has been keyed several times after having been parked in both the inside and outside lots. I believe there was even someone who's car was broken into one morning, as his passenger side winder was shattered.

Entering the apartments from the outside lot is easy. There is absolutely no security, and access is easily gained to the inside of the complex through a locked door/gate. All you need to do is wait for a tenant and they will happily open the door for you. For a period of over two months during my visits, there was a time when the locked gate would never fully close, which granted me unrestriced access into the apartments. This was a MAJOR security issue, and the fact that this was left unchecked for such long a time demonstrates how the management cares about its tenants.

Inside my friend's unit, the wall outlets were very loose. The walls are also VERY thin, and low-volume talking can be heard inside the rooms from the outside living room. Even the ceilings are thin, as I have heard numerous times when the tenants above were walking back and forth. Definitely not of standardized quality. Having small parties is also not a good idea.

On to the management. I have just perused the internet for no more than 5 minutes and I came across a website that has apartment review. If you want to see what other people REALLY think, read all the "NO" recommendations. The "YES" ones appear to all have been from ARNEL employees, namely the manager. Here is the URL: http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/CA-Costa-Mesa-Cape-Apartments.html

The manager named Laura is the one I observed yesterday. My friend came in to talk about her lease, and without even finishing her sentence, the manager interjected and responded with such rude hostility it made me walk into the office and witness the whole event. At one point the manager did not want to discuss the situation, and repeatedly told my friend to "get out of my office right now." As of yet the situation has yet to be resolved, and I will post updates.

If you want more information about the event, please e-mail me. I will respond in a timely fashion.