Cerritos Apartments — Local services in Cerritos

APRIL 12, 2022 (Tue.) — We put in a service call to replace the frosted glass cover on the kitchen light, which came crashing down & shattered into a myriad pieces last weekend (poor placement of light, and as I predicted/anticipated, ours wasn’t an isolated case).

As w/ last time, JUAN efficiently answered the call. Friendly, competent service, explaining that the light cover should’ve been a PLASTIC one for that spot (DEFINITELY a yes on that). They don’t currently have one in stock, so they’ll let us know when it arrives.

Juan also checked the toilet valve for me, after I told him that I heard hissing from the tank. He provided suggestions/tips to ensure that the flapper would form a tight seal over opening each time (i.e., jiggle handle). This was a “bonus” service, since I hadn’t added that to maintenance request.

Again, thanks for the great customer service! 👍 I always appreciate anyone who wants to do a good job.

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(NOTE: As I understand that the purpose of these reviews are to serve as FREE marketing to attract potential new tenants, I’ve never been asked to share about things that would stand in CONFLICT w/ the goals of the real estate investors.

Keep in mind that in numerous companies / organizations, the people who do the day-to-day grind of maintenance & repair can be completely different in character (i.e., work ethic, overall integrity) from their Overlords, so the lack of conscience by management, for example, doesn’t necessarily reflect on the service staff.

Especially you’re going to pay up to nearly $3K in rent per month, I want to provide a fair & BALANCED perspective for the home-searching public, as I hope others would do for me.

Please be aware that IF you were to become a member of this apartment community, you could potentially witness / experience any of the following (and more):

Littering (PILES of kitchen & other trash on ground in dumpster areas that has to be dodged) Bad neighbors that won’t be evicted (like ones that use their balcony as “1/2 baths” and send down poopy toilet paper & wet wipes through the rotting floorboards (yes, balcony floors are permeable, so liquids & solids from your neighbor above can potentially become YOUR problem, if you’re on the ground floor), but 95% of the time, your neighbors will be fine, and in the ”normal” range. Management tries to evade responsibility by scapegoating tenants & fabricating fault, etc. for damage to property that was already there, prior to your arrival Shared spaces (like laundry rooms) that aren’t maintained Creaky ceilings, whenever your neighbor above is walking across their floor Occasional shouting/noise from kids playing outside Sidewalk-to-driveway transition that isn’t ADA-compliant (as these apartments were built prior to the passing of those laws. It’s UNUSUALLY steep, and might be a challenge for anyone traversing across on WHEELS (wheelchair, stroller, scooter, skateboard, bike). You may not care or notice this, unless you’re a sidewalk-user.

They do like to maintain a nice COSMETIC appearance, so landscaping is always beautiful.

If you know someone who lives in this community, ask them about their experience here. Of course, it all depends on who you ask, as every person’s testimony will be filtered through the lens of their own perceptions & experiences.

If PROFIT is the primary objective, then know that this place is no exception when it comes to extracting maximum value for the INVESTORS, and not aiming for the tenants’ optimal experience. This won’t be news to most of us, if we’ve been around long enough.)

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MARCH 29, 2022 (Tue.) — I put in a request to change a broken door handle & loose outlet. JUAN came over and took care of everything.

He’s professional, courteous, and has a very warm & pleasant disposition. Thank you so much for your prompt attention—much...

I want to update my review. Cerritos Apartment reached out to me kindly and asked for further feedback to enhance their service. I appreciate the good intentions and responsiveness of the management team and the efforts made to address these issues promptly. After our discussion, they provided me with satisfactory resolutions that I approved. Therefore, I have updated my review to reflect the recent improvements. I also want to extend my gratitude to Emily for her attentiveness to our concerns and her commitment to tenant satisfaction. Thank you, Emily!

The previous review: I am very disappointed with the Cerritos apartment. When we first moved in, it was dirty. My son's toe stepped on something and bled when we came in for the first time. We didn't have a chance to visit it physically because of the pandemic, and when we saw it for the first time, the apartment was not what we expected. But when we moved out, after we and our friends cleaned it up, they charged us for the cleaning service. How unfair. They also charged us for carpets when the carpets were old and very dusty to begin with. No matter how I cleaned it, my son and I, both of us have dust allergies, always got allergies and I even got asthma for the first time! The carpet should have been replaced before we moved in, but we are the ones who have to pay for it after we move out. Living here is not comfortable, the fan in the bathroom was very noisy, the microwave had a crack even though it still works, the fridge was always too cold and ruined our vegetables, and the neighbors were noisy even after 10 pm. Kids play a lot in the parking lot. The windshield of my car was broken overnight by a rock in the parking lot. We could not sue anyone. This place is overpriced compared to the quality of the building. The only good thing about this apartment is the maintenance guys who are always ready because there are always problems. We have been patient for all the discomfort we felt while we lived there, but when we moved out, not only did they take our security deposit, but they also took our prorated rent, AND charged us even...

There's a lot of things I enjoyed about this apartment complex. The maintenance was quick and courteous. The public areas were kept very clean. And for a large apartment complex, it was relatively quiet. That said, there were some upsetting incidents. My car was broken into while parked behind "secured gates". Two windows were smashed and several items were stolen from my car. This appears to be a recurring problem - I saw other cars with broken windows in the months that followed.

Perhaps the most upsetting incident was when the office stole my rent check. I say "stole" because the property management cashed my check but refused to credit my rent account. It took 2 months and several phone calls to the corporate office to resolve. The corporate office fired the property manager as result.

What bothers me...and should bother you, is that in both incidents -when my car was broken into and my rent check was stolen, the office staff had the audacity to blame me. Somehow I was responsible for someone breaking into my car and somehow I was responsible for their accounting error.

In addition, the rent increased $500 in two years. If you live in a downstairs apartment, you will hear every footstep, every toilet flush and every dog bark from the tenant above you. These buildings were built in the 1970's. They are not as sound proof as...