The Kelvin Apartments — Attraction in Irvine

My experience was a mix of 2 Star days and 4 Stars in between.

The good: Nice common area. Nice apartment, cheap construction. You pay too much for what you get. The quality of residents is awful.

I rented from Nov - 2015 - Nov 2016. During this time,

My car was illegally towed by a resident, (or building management lied about not knowing). ‎My car was vandalized by another. The vandalism was a mistake. The resident thought I was a guest, parking in resident parking... As if this makes it okay. Another residents children tried to break into my apartment, at least twice. The last time, they were trying to unlock it using keys. Kids will be kids, but that's not okay. ‎A water main broke, many residents got really screwed. I just lost hot water for a bit. ‎The fire alarm went off A LOT. I started sleeping with ear plugs on my night stand. I got standard disgenuous, "Oh, I'm so sorry that happened to you", responses from management.

My rent was raised 4-5 % on renewal. Obviously I didn't, and I'm much happier.

My experience on move out:

Many promises, many lies.

‎My damage deposit was $300 on move in. They were having a special. I immediately asked, but I get this back, so what does it matter? Umm, yeah.

They had a policy of not returning damage deposits for 30 days... Alright, that's weird I thought.

‎About a month later, expecting a cheque, I open the envelope to find a bill for $0.91!? Wait, what? Now I understand, they had zero intention of returning my deposit. They charged me exactly $300.91. Convenient, for them.

Well, maybe I just did that much damage you say?

I walked through with maintenace who agreed that there was no damage, and on top of that, I did an I incredible job cleaning the unit. I even had the little 'welcome' sign that they used on move in.

‎They told me they weren't going to charge me for the perhaps 10 min of paint touch-ups needed.

‎They told me that I had to pay for at least the carpet cleaning. It's required by CA that it be in the same state as I got it, so I asked them for the previous cleaning bill to show it was professionally cleaned before I got it. They wouldn't produce it, claiming that I was the first resident. I find this hard to believe considering the carpets had a couple stains, there was a piece of food stuck to the side of the fridge and a baking sheet in the oven. Plus the agent who showed me the unit said there was only 1 previous resident.

They required me to drop off the keys by 6pm, even though I had paid for rent until midnight. This doesn't seem legal to me, but whatever I was happy to be leaving.

Overall, I felt very lied to and patronized. It was mostly pretty good, but those times were when things weren't going wrong. Please note that this review covers only Nov 2015-16.

Would have been 4 stars if they had a decent move...

Beware: Fraudulent move out charges for "painting" and "additional cleaning" (thing is, I took photos before moving out to prove this is baseless). They gave no notice of move-out charges, and decided to not only keep my whole deposit, but they also claimed that I owed them additional money for bogus cleaning and painting fees. Here's the interesting part: I only learned this because they sent it to a collections agency well after the move-out despite never presenting the bill in the first place. This is illegal and highly unethical behavior.

And keep in mind the fee is $170. That's right: after a year of paying rent there that amounts to roughly 40k, they think it is appropriate to grift you for a few hundred bucks on move-out AND forward it to collections without proper notice. Unacceptable.

Update: Their previous resident relations department just sends you to a voicemail that promises to get back to you in 2 days. Why am I not surprised that it has been more than 2 days and I have gotten no call back after multiple messages?

Their actions are in violation of several California legal codes: in particular California Civil Code § 1950.5(g) and (h). If they don't respond to my messages I will most likely pursue legal action against Equity Residential since they have unduly damaged my credit score immensely.

To be clear, this isn't about a small sum of cash, this is about an apartment agency willfully going out of their way to attack their former tenant's credit with provably bogus charges without having any chance to dispute them.

So rent here at your own risk: even if you pay everything on time and do everything right, they still might come for your credit score as a way of saying thank you for renting from Equity Residential.

P.S.: By the way the complaints below about the hallways being filthy and packages getting stolen frequently are 100% accurate. There was once a dog turd in the hallway that stayed there undisturbed for a whole month until someone stepped in it. Keep in mind these are luxury apartments costing well over 3k a month.

Now that we've established that Equity Residential is less than ethical, I wonder how many of these 5 star reviews here with no...

As someone who has been living at the Kelvin Apartments for the past four years, I can confidently say that it is an amazing place to call home. The standout feature of this complex is undoubtedly the awesome staff, especially McKenna, who has always gone above and beyond to ensure that my stay is comfortable and enjoyable.

The table tennis court is another highlight of the Kelvin Apartments. As an avid player, I was thrilled to find that it was in excellent condition and provided a great way to stay active and socialize with other residents.

The club house is also fantastic, and it's been my go-to spot for unwinding after a long day. The comfortable seating and laid-back atmosphere make it a great place to catch up on some reading or chat with friends.

While the fitness center isn't the best I've ever seen, it's still good and has everything I need to stay in shape. The staff does a great job of keeping it clean and well-maintained, which is always appreciated.

Location-wise, the Kelvin Apartments are hard to beat. Situated in a fantastic area, it's close to great restaurants, shopping, and entertainment options. The easy access to public transportation has made it easy for me to get around, whether it's for work or leisure.

All in all, I have had an incredible experience living at the Kelvin Apartments for the past four years. The awesome staff, incredible table tennis court, and great location make it a truly special place to call home. I would highly recommend this complex to anyone looking for a comfortable and convenient...