Artisan Laguna Beach — Local services in Laguna Beach

We have lived in Club Laguna for about 5 years now. The place has been tolerable until as of late though right out the gate we noticed problems. My car was broken into twice and had ipod stolen and the second time my Raybans. My girlfriends car was broken into once and her purse was stolen. They recently changed management and under the old management if you paid your rent by the 4th of the month you were ok. We always have our rent in by the fourth however they decided to charge us late fees for the last two months totaling 100.00. Why wouldn't they notify us that the policy had changed instead of charging the first late fee? At MINIMUM why wouldn't they notify us of the first late fee before accumulating a second. We had asked about having the carpets replaced due to wear and tear after 5 years and they said it was not possible. We asked when they replace the carpets or what the time frame is. They said there is no law stating they have to replace them so that being said they wouldn't do it until we moved. We said that we would like to have them replaced anyways as we have too dogs and after 4 years while not devastated we would like them looking good and steam cleaning was not helping on some more worn areas. When pressed they said that they would look into having the carpet replacement discounted based on the number of years we had lived their. So we asked for a quote to just have the living room replaced. Over 750 dollars they said. I asked what about the discount? They said what discount? and also stated they did not recollect any such conversation about a discount on the carpet. We asked if anything could be done since this was new and were never late, nope... My girlfriend was walking her dog and some guy started video taping her as the dog was doing its thing. She called the leasing office as he was video taping her and instead of confronting him they told her to leave the mess and they would have someone clean it up. Apparently this must of angered him as the next day there was a pile of poop next to her car and the tire was flat. Someone hit the car next to hers and later it was keyed. Someone backed into my car leaving a dent in the corner of the bumper. I have been out of town for the last 5 weeks on business while much of this is going on and its difficult having your girlfriend call you feeling helpless. She was walking the dogs after dark and someone tried to come up behind her they didn't see the dogs and luckily was thwarted by them barking. Yesterday was the straw that broke the camels back (yes i know at this point you are wondering why have not posted a review yet and have been so patient) My girlfriend calls me after coming home from work and her familys house and says that someone is parked in her space. She calls the night time service number and is put in touch with the manager who promptly tells her she needs to call a tow truck herself and provide a copy of the lease. She said she doesnt think she has a copy of the lease handy. The response? Pretty much "oh well". The car is still in her space as of this morning. This is pretty much the response anytime their is a problem within the community. Call the police or deal with it yourself. Oh by the way you owe us a 100 bucks for two late fees due to your rent being paid on the 4th (which again was acceptable under prior management and changed without notification) They dont give any response as to how they plan to improve moving forward. IE we understand the issues you faced under previous management and are installing security cameras, or we are investigating it and have filed our own complaint with the police, or we are increasing security. Nope the response in a nutshell is its your problem deal with it yourself, and wheres our money?

The management is bad and your neighbors are worse. Oh yeah if your planning on moving in rates should be skyrocketing due to a remodel.

isn't this Laguna Beach? thought it was supposed to be a nice community. Maybe well have better luck in the Ukraine...

Thanks Club Laguna...

If you're considering renting at the Artisan, I recommend other options. Living here was the worst renting experience I have ever had. Health & Safety: Within the first week of moving in, I suspected mold due to the smell and difficulty breathing. I had to treat several areas on my own, sleep with the windows open, and upgrade to a better air purification system. The mold issue extends deeper than a single unit, and constant maintenance was required. Cleanliness: Upon moving in, there was a distinct animal and cigarette smell. I requested that the AC ducts be cleaned; it helped, but not significantly. I was unable to close the windows due to this issue. Maintenance: The automated lock system was finicky and did not always work. You are not provided with a key, so after-hours access was extremely difficult. Requests for repairs were usually answered quickly and the crew was kind, but fixes were done with the least possible cost. Example: my bathtub was extremely small and had been repainted many times instead of being replaced. Parking: Parking was a hassle every single day. I paid extra for a garage that I was often blocked from using by trucks or tenants. Open parking fluctuated due to constant construction and poor communication. One example: they tried to tow an elderly man’s car after moving cones incorrectly; it took several tenants to stop it. I was personally towed after being told to park in “any uncovered spot,” costing me $400. The rules were inconsistent, confusing, and unfairly enforced. Access & Security: The gate was not closed on a regular schedule, and the pedestrian gate was always open, even late at night. Noise & Construction: The noise level here was intense due to construction and younger tenants. The complex is near LCAD and many students like to party. The construction projects seemed never-ending, and tenants who had been there for years said it had always been this way. Pets: In my experience, enforcement of pet policies didn’t align with what was in the lease or California guidelines. There were dog fights on the property that left people injured. Many dogs were aggressive, and waste was left everywhere. The dog park could have been nice, but it was dominated by a few owners who let their aggressive dogs run while they drank alcohol and socialized. Walking dogs around the property was difficult with construction, blocked walkways, and speeding cars ignoring stop signs. Amenities: The gym design is good, but it lacks supervision, resulting in reckless use of equipment. The pools were nice but not monitored; outsiders jumped the fence, drank, and blasted music. Maintenance was inconsistent, and staff often used pool areas for breaks while blasting leaf blowers. Move Out: Despite being extremely clean, respectful, and paying rent early every month, my full deposit was taken and I was billed $1,200 for pet damage they couldn’t prove. I provided photos and videos showing the areas were blocked by furniture or caused by water spills, not pets. When I challenged their timeline, they went silent and pushed me to corporate. I can no longer access the portal to pay utilities, and they stopped responding. It seems like they are avoiding me and may send me to collections. I am a respectful, quiet, and clean tenant. I even helped resolve issues between other tenants, reported problems like broken sprinklers, and cleaned up after my dog. In my experience, management was not transparent, and I often felt misled. I wish I had known what day-to-day life was really like before signing an 18-month lease. This complex is priced higher than others nearby only because of the zip code. My previous apartment was larger, cleaner, kinder, and of better quality. When I left, almost everyone I knew was planning to move out at the end of their lease. If you value accountability, transparency, and reliable management, you may want to look elsewhere. There are better-run communities in the area that respect their tenants and provide a higher...

The only positive thing I can say about this complex is that the neighborhood is quiet and truly beautiful.

Starting with the application process… even though we were initially approved, there was “a glitch” in their system, and the office requested we pay and apply twice. Instead of returning our funds, they informed us they would only forward the payment towards future charges. So initially, we were already frustrated.

Upon moving into the apartment, we saw that there was a big, brown gash in our bathroom mirror. The office informed us that if we wanted to replace the mirror, it would have to be replaced with an older, smaller mirror that completely changes the look of the bathroom. We just moved in and are being asked to live with previous damages! Additionally, we noticed the first night that there was a two and a half inch gap between the front door and the floor where they had just neglected to put a sealer. Maintenance call #1. After that was finally put in, we could utilize our heater, which seemed not to do anything because there was a massive draft still coming through, a big concern for us with a baby in winter. Maintenance had to come twice for this issue and figured out that it was because the pipes were so blocked with calcium that no heat was coming through, after we’ve been attempting to use the heater for a couple weeks. In the process of fixing the pipes, our towel rack, floors, ceiling, and door were damaged. I have called twice, emailed three times, and no one has addressed nor come to fix these issues. Our dishwasher does not clean nor dry our dishes, and the beautiful flat top stove that is featured on their website was not included in our apartment, but instead an old coil one. I’ve never had an apartment deny us the switch when they feature a specific appliance on their website, but they told us they could not make the change. If you’ve ever used one of these stoves, you know how janky and uneven they cook, it’s so 70s/80s and just not the heightened experience you expect from this place. We moved from out of state and were unfortunately not able to view the apartment in person, or we never would have signed a lease for a place like this. I feel strongly that they used that fact to their advantage. Another thing that would have been really good to know beforehand, is that the apartment is located above an automatic garage that shakes the unit and makes a really loud sound, so when our neighbors come home at 11-midnight, our baby wakes up.

Altogether maintenance has been to our apartment probably 6 times already and it’s only our first month. We aren’t the pickiest of people, but for the price they are charging for these apartments, you expect them to be in pristine condition and working order. I used to come to the old Club Laguna before they did the remodel, and what it seems like they did, was slap a few coats of paint on (you can tell the appliances have just been painted white because it’s already peeling after only a month) update the cabinets, and charge 2-3 times what the rent used to be. It’s not worth it, and we really regret moving here!! Irvine Company has some really beautiful complexes for much cheaper.

Update : the office is still refusing to answer our calls and emails, our bathroom still has not been fixed, and Lalaine at the front desk hangs up on my husband when he tries to call for the manager, who apparently Has been “out sick” for over a week now and can’t bother to even send an email. Literally the sketchiest complex. The positive reviews seem like bots/AI, please heed the advice of the...