Elements Apartments — Attraction in Irvine

DO NOT MOVE HERE – ESPECIALLY IF YOU PLAN TO EVER HAVE GUESTS

PARKING IS A NIGHTMARE If you’ve read 5-star reviews raving about Cheryle’s tour, let me stop you. Sure, the tour is great because Cheryle says exactly what you want to hear, even if it’s a BLATANT LIE. She told us there was “plenty of guest parking.” That could not be further from the truth. I URGE YOU BEFORE YOU SIGN, visit after 5 p.m. any day and TRY to find even one guest spot. YOU WON’T.

Each unit gets 2 assigned spots, even for 3-bedroom apartments, and guest parking is nearly nonexistent. If Elements responds by claiming they have X number of guest spots, save yourself the trouble. Whatever number they give, IT’S NOT ENOUGH. To make things worse, they TOOK AWAY half the guest spots on the 7th-floor roof. Now you’re wasting time driving to the top, HOPING one of the few remaining spots is open.

If your guests park on the street or nearby lots, they’ll be ticketed or towed. Management constantly sends notices about where NOT to park but provides ZERO alternatives, as if people are parking illegally BY CHOICE. The parking situation here is INSULTING and RIDICULOUS, showing how LITTLE MANAGEMENT CARES about its residents.

THE WAY THEY HANDLED OUR MOVE-OUT WAS A COMPLETE DISASTER When we moved out, they charged us over $1,000 to replace every carpet in the unit, even though the so-called damage was only in 1 room. They claimed there were pee stains in the carpet padding, but we had no way to know because it wasn’t visible. The stains were UNDER the carpet and only found AFTER they ripped it out. HOW IS THAT OUR FAULT?

When we pointed out there were no visible stains, they changed their excuse and said the carpet needed replacing because of a smell. Which is it? They can’t even stick to a story. And here’s the thing. WE NEVER HAD A PET IN THE APARTMENT. NOT ONCE. During our move-in inspection, we documented chew marks on a wall in the same room where they claimed the stains were found, CLEARLY proving a pet lived there before us. Did they care? Of course not. They ignored it, just like every request we made asking for confirmation that no pets lived there before us.

And they didn’t just charge us for replacing the carpet in the 1 room they claimed was damaged. They charged us for ALL 3 BEDROOMS because they wanted the carpets to match. Yes, we were FORCED TO PAY for their design choices. This wasn’t about fixing damage. It was about their preferences, and they DUMPED THE COST ON US. It’s SHADY, UNETHICAL, and INFURIATING.

THEY RELY ON THREATS INSTEAD OF FIXING ISSUES Rather than addressing our concerns, Elements relied on intimidation. They even FALSELY told us our charge had already been SENT TO A DEBT COLLECTOR and that they’d NO LONGER RESPOND to us. When I called the collection agency, they had NO RECORD OF US. Elements didn’t even admit their mistake until I confronted them.

They take WEEKS to respond to emails, and when they finally do, they just repeat the same copy-pasted nonsense. There’s NO CUSTOMER SERVICE PHONE NUMBER, and all communication is ANONYMOUS, with staff only initialing the bottom of emails. This is NOT customer service. It’s a joke. Their goal is clearly to pressure tenants into paying baseless charges rather than resolving disputes fairly.

DON’T GET FOOLED LIKE WE DID The property looks nice, and the amenities are what drew us in. But don’t let the shiny facade fool you. Once you sign the lease, YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN. Management doesn’t care about residents. When you move out, they’ll slap you with baseless charges and BULLY YOU into paying them.

@ELEMENTS, IF YOU RESPOND TO THIS REVIEW If you’re going to respond by saying, “please email customerservice@gardencommunitiesca.com,” DON’T. That’s the same email I’ve been dealing with for months. You take weeks to respond, ignore every argument I’ve made, and do NOTHING but deflect. If you want to fix this, refund the RIDICULOUS charges and take accountability for how HORRIFICALLY you’ve handled this situation. Otherwise, KICK ROCKS.

DO...

I moved in a couple weeks ago into the new building on the third floor and just dealt with a terrible ant problem. I realized my new apartment is poorly built with big globs of paint dried on doors, random scuffs, holes, and gaps, all throughout the apartment. Elements is an expensive apartment complex to live in and often times I feel as though I made the wrong decision moving here. The ants had completely taken over the guest bathroom and spread to my kitchen, making them both gross and unusable for the time being. I do not leave food out, and that bathroom is completely empty, so I can rule out it being a personal living issue. While spraying the ants with different materials I had to go out and purchase myself, I noticed all the poorly sealed gaps and holes throughout the door frames and baseboards that these ants could make a path through. I even noticed a couple ants and holes in my bedroom as well.

I called the leasing office about it and even after already calling and submitting a work order, I have to fill out more forms and just wait. After calling, they did not offer any sort of compensation despite this clearly being an issue at their responsibility, and not mine. How am I expected to wait and submit all these forms while the ants continue to crawl all over my belongings, especially kitchen items, and not try to handle the situation on my own? I feel as though I should be compensated. I cannot cook at the moment, eating at home is uncomfortable and gross, and that bathroom is also unusable.

The guest bathroom door can't even shut due to the apartment being poorly built and I don't know how this was not checked for beforehand. In addition to pest control, I think I have to submit two new work orders for the holes and the door, both of which are not at my personal fault. It is frustrating, especially because you move into an apartment at this price point and expect a different standard of living. I also dealt with an issue of someone parking in my assigned space since day one of moving into the apartment. Garden communities courtesy patrol literally does not do anything, I found that out after making four separate reports about the same vehicle at different days and times. Save your time and contact the leasing office to get information about their towing company.

I chose to live here for their amenities, but I have quickly realized it does not make up for the actual apartment itself that boasts the words "luxury" and...

I don’t typically write reviews, but I feel compelled to share my frustrations regarding the management at Elements. I have been living here for 3 months and here are my thoughts.

First and foremost, guest parking is a significant issue here. There are fewer than ten guest parking spots in the Metal building, and they are perpetually occupied, with vehicles often remaining in place for days. The leasing team seems to have made no effort to monitor or enforce guest parking regulations. Consequently, all street parking is filled with tenants' and guests' cars, making it nearly impossible for visitors to find a place to park. During our tour, we were assured that many guest parking spots were available, which has proven to be far from the truth.

Secondly, we were assured that our apartment would be ready for our move-in date. However, upon arrival, we discovered a broken thermostat, leaving us without AC. Shortly after, we found out that our fridge wasn’t producing ice and needed to be replaced entirely. While I appreciate the maintenance team’s prompt and efficient assistance, it’s disappointing that these issues arose at all. Our unit was supposed to be move-in ready, and these problems should have been addressed beforehand.

Lastly, I recently received a notice instructing me to remove my small plants from my patio ledge. I live on the first floor, so it’s not a safety concern. We have never been informed of such rules prior to this notice. Additionally, many other tenants have plants on their balcony ledge or use their balconies as storage without consequence. It feels frustrating that my well-kept patio with small plants is singled out while others are allowed to disregard the rules. If the community regulations are being enforced, why not address the ongoing guest parking violations as well?

Overall, I regret choosing this complex. For the price, you can certainly find better options elsewhere in Irvine. I would advise potential renters to think twice before...