Sofi Irvine — Attraction in Irvine

Very grateful to have Scott Welker show me around Sofi Irvine. He answered all of my questions and was very sensitive to making sure I found a place that was right for me and within my price range. He went out of his way to go through the differences in the floor plans, showing the amenities.

Update: Scott will tell you whatever you want to hear to get you to move in. Do not trust anything he says. You have a problem he says he will address it and the next time you ask about it, he forgot to look into it. Once they recognize your phone number, the leasing office will stop answering your calls so you’ll have to go see them in person.

Nothing I was promised during the tour was delivered. I signed the lease in early November for move in December and was told the week before my move in that the unit had a “maintenance issue” and wouldn’t be available for 2 more weeks. When I said that I couldn’t wait 2 weeks Scott offered a different apartment which I remember was much cheaper than the apartment I had signed the lease for because it was on the 1st floor. They said since then the prices have gone up they can give me my replacement apartment at my current rate instead of the rate it was when I signed my original lease. Bait and switch.

When they gave me a tour of the apartment initially the unit I chose had brand new appliances including a glass top stove but when I moved into the replacement unit it was an old style coil electric stove. I had to complain for 2 weeks and was finally provided a glass top stove after finally speaking to the new manager. However, the manager tried to argue that I just had to accept the unit as-is because I signed the agreement and paid. It wasn’t until I pointed out that what I was sold in the tour was not what was delivered and that I didn’t even get keys to my apartment to see it until after signing the lease and paying the deposit/rent. She tried to tell me the reason my original unit wasn’t available was because it was an older unit and they are renovating all apartments before renting them out. Yet the apartment I got was not renovated and the cabinetry peeling. She didn’t have an answer for that.

I was given an EV charging spot and apparently the EV company went out of business so they don’t work. This was the main reason why I decided to move here but I was not able to use it when I moved in. Some people who have old accounts are still able to charge, but new tenants are unable to create an account. On top of that, I went to the dealership for maintenance and when they popped the hood, there were little paw prints everywhere. Apparently rats made a nest in the front bumper of my car. I did notify maintenance and the work order was cleared within a day but given the speed of how things work at SoFi, I doubt they did anything to get rid of them. The issues keep coming.

In order to exercise the 30-day option to move out, you have to give notice before the 30 days and if you want to move out before then, they won’t even let you drop off the keys early. Then when you want proof of key return, they literally will give you a photocopy of your keys.

The only good thing this place has going for it is the maintenance staff is very friendly and responsive. But it’s not enough to...

My apartment is quiet , with nice friendly neighbors, friendly leasing & office staff, at a fairly good location. I'm taking a star off since there can be more improvements (examples like more guest parking, gym is a little lacking, more staff members to help with leasing, resident issues) , but overall I would say sofi irvine is a solid choice if you can afford it! You can look more below for more information.

LEASING STAFF (5/5) Seneca, Scott, and Nick were all very helpful throughout the moving process and leasing process. I called all 3 of these people on the phone and they were very informed and patient with my various issues and requests when moving in.

They are fairly busy though since leasing is just one of their many responsibilities. If they don't pick up your phone just call later or if you could, try visiting the office in person.

MAINTENANCE (5/5) I submitted several maintenance requests and the maintenance team were able to come and fix all my issues in about 1 day after I submitted my request. I don't think they take requests over the weekend though so keep that in mind. Otherwise they were very helpful & kind, no issues here. There is also an emergency maintenance number too, you just need to ask the leasing staff for it.

NOISE (5/5) I think this can depend on your neighbors and location, but I'm fairly lucky to not have noisy neighbors and have a good location making this quiet. I live in 2nd floor as well, I'm fairly happy with the noise levels.

PRICE (3.5/5) I think the pricing of sofi apartments are fairly average for Irvine. My studio costs about 2400/month which can be pricy but I think its the standard for irvine. I do think the location is fairly solid, you are located near diamond jamboree, 405, and other nice places too.

The laundry / dryer machines seem pricey though, 2.25 for 1 wash and 2 for 1 dry seems a lot, but I'm not too sure what is the standard for this.

PARKING (4/5) You are assigned a parking spot in a parking lot under the complex. Guest parking is a little limited since there isnt that much parking space outside of sofi. I see several reviews of other people's cars being broken into. In my experience I haven't seen anything like this happen yet to my or other people's cars.

PESTS (5/5) I moved here primarily out of fear for seeing roaches in my old location everyday. At sofi, I haven't seen any roaches or ants or spiders and its the summer, so I'm really impressed with their pest control.

AMENITIES (4/5) Sofi offers a fair bit of amenities which is nice. There is a pool, lounge area (leasing office), gym, park area, and bbq spot. To me, I took off a star because their gym is a bit lackluster. There is a set of dumbells (I think some are missing), a cable machine, leg machine, and some cardio machines. I wish there were more dumbell sets, squat rack, or bench for the gym. Otherwise everything is good!

EDIT: Ive reduced my rating to 3 stars due to frequent water shutoffs due to maintenance. Its not a big deal but it is annoying that they shut off water 2-3 times a month, sometimes (albeit rarely) with no...

I am disheartened to write this review because I was very excited to move to Sofi Irvine. I was so excited to move here that I applied right after touring. Unfortunately, after reading other’s reviews similar to my own experience, I believe that Sofi Irvine only wants applicants money as I was told eagerly to apply, only to hear back weeks later after calling, emailing and texting about my application.

I am a healthcare worker moving from out of state, so I came to visit to look at apartments and applied on January 9th. The person that showed me the apartment was charming and the apartment was beautiful itself. By the way, prices on these fluctuate everyday, which I’m not sure is true with all apartments in the area. Regardless, i applied and was excited to be moving in the last week of January.

Im sure the leasing agents know my phone number/have caller ID because after calling and communicating for a few days and being ignored, I finally got an email on the 14th only stating to, “please send two months of bank statements”. I promptly sent them over and finally on the 16th I was told the lease would be sent to me by the end of the day (all communication by email, and just that). I, however, did not receive any lease and was not told any specific instruction on how to move on with my application. I was told I had to set up an Edison account and send my deposit, but I was not told the specific amount in order to move forward. I did not receive any further communication. Since then, I have texted, called and have sent two emails asking for the lease or further instruction.

Finally, today January 22, I was told I was approved by phone call just shy of my prospected move in date. I told the leasing agent I went with another apartment complex, and he didn’t sound surprised. Since the 9th I have called, texted and emailed only to sadly be ignored. I was as forced to move on with another apartment complex that promptly approved me and had better communication.

I am sad to write a bad review, but I would love for this business to not take advantage of applicants. I was a more than qualified applicant and was truly saddened to have chosen another apartment over communication alone. Not to mention, moving in general is very stressful, especially from out of state, and communication is crucial especially when solidifying a place...