The Pacific — Local services in Long Beach

First of all I’d like to say that the 1 star is purely for the for the appearance of the units and the location.

I’m not one to normally put up reviews, but this bothered me so much that I still think of it almost 6 months later almost daily. I want everyone to know what they are getting into before they choose to rent at the Pacific.

What drew us into renting at the Pacific is the beautiful units and the view from the upper floors. We liked that the units felt open, light and had a good use of the space. We specifically chose the Pacific over other options because of the nice 24-hour gym, since our sporadic work schedule meant sometimes working early or late, and the other nice amenities that would have made living in a smaller unit ok.

We got there at the beginning stages of COVID, but In the name of COVID, management chose to take an extremely hard stance on interpreting the COVID restrictions and chose to close ALL amenities while we were there, even though we could have had some enjoyment of the amenities while still maintaining safe distance requirements. Since we were in a small one bedroom unit, this meant that we were just limited to our unit, where we worked, ate and slept. We couldn’t barbecue or enjoy the rooftop, because that was closed in the name of COVID as well, even though they could have had it opened.

What we learned and what I’m hoping to convey by this review, is that management attaches NO VALUE to the amenities, even though they use the amenities as a major selling point for their property. They could have temporarily reduced rent, since they were made not available to the tenants, but they chose to rather have a building full of upset tenants. At the time we left, a very large group of tenants were banning together to gather signatures and letters to try to make a change.

In addition to everything, I also want to point out things we found out by living there. The walls are thin, so you can hear neighbors, and in our unit you could hear the upstairs neighbor walking around all day on the hard wood floors. The paint on the walls is like powder and marks if you touch it with anything. They did a good job at reducing noise coming in from the street, but there are some very loud cars that daily speed by toward the freeway on ramp. Don’t get me wrong, I love loud cars, but not when you are trying to work remotely.

Our mental health deteriorated drastically living at the Pacific and got so bad that we had to make a change at any cost. That cost was the $5,000 early termination fee in this case, which added to our mental health deterioration. We obtained legal council on this to see if we had any grounds to leave early, but the rental agreement is written so well in their favor, that there is nothing that you can do to get out early.

So please learn from our mistake. Figure that the amenities are not a sure thing, and management doesn’t attach any value to them if for some reason you can no longer enjoy them. There are many choices out there, so choose wisely. I recommend to stay away from the Pacific or any others managed by Sares...

Poor Management (Harbor Group), Security Issues, and Hidden Fees: Avoid This Place

The apartment is beautiful; however, the ongoing stress and mismanagement can seriously affect your mental well-being. This place never truly feels like home.

The management here is unprofessional, aggressive, and constantly changing. Most of the time, there's no one present in the office to address resident concerns.

To get your unit, you must sign a large stack of lease documents at move-in, many of which waive your rights to address any future residential problems. They frequently demand unfair extra payments, pressure residents to pay through various threats, and show complete disregard for residents’ lifestyles and basic human rights.

They raise the rent significantly every year with no regard for long-term residents. Your future rent will be higher than for new tenants, as a result, most people stay here not more than a year.

Security Is a Major Problem

Some residents making the environment feel unsafe at times + there is zero front-door security, so unauthorized individuals have also accessed your packages and your apartments during the day! Just this month, for over 20 days, the main garage door to the street was completely open with no security personnel on site. During this time, multiple thefts occurred. Even when the garage door was closed, a car was stolen, so imagine the risk when it's wide open.

Unfair Fees and Billing Practices

The management charges you for unreasonable things. On top of your rent, you’re hit with multiple monthly utility and service fees that are never clearly explained. They pressure residents into using their online payment system.

There is a "mandatory" $25 monthly fee for valet trash service, but you end up paying much more for Trash each month without any clear explanation. On top of that, the valet trash service is somewhat unreliable, so I rarely use it.

Noise and Disturbances

Loud noise and music from the pool area can be heard across multiple floors, especially during weekends. Don’t expect to get any rest, even taking a nap might be difficult due to the lack of noise control. You may not be able to use the pool on weekends, as it is often fully reserved or very crowded, and some people even smoke there.

Gym

Most of the equipment is poorly maintained and in need of attention, none of the screens are functional.

Poor Pet Waste Management

Many residents own dogs, and the area directly in front of the building is commonly used as a spot for them to relieve themselves. As a result, walking near the entrance or around the building means dealing with severe unpleasant odors and...

Zero stars... buckle up; TLDR: STAY AS FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE

Throughout my time there, management was consistently unresponsive and disengaged. The building itself was poorly maintained — trash bins were regularly overflowing, and common areas were often dirty or neglected. The cleaning crew sprays Febreeze and calls it a day. Safety was a major concern, with people frequently dealing drugs across the street and packages with the address strewn all along third street or tucked in the back of the building after people would steal them and go through them to see if they wanted what was inside.

At one point, the access gate to Pacific was damaged and they padlocked it with a chain through the lock. I brought to their attention that they should at least inform residents in case the building needed to be evacuated for an emergency. After no communication I called code enforcement and it was miraculously fixed just days later. The glass door was SHOT through and management didn't bother to notify anyone.

The most traumatic experience occurred when my dog and I were violently attacked by another resident’s dog inside the elevator. My dog nearly died from the injuries. I reported the incident immediately and there was video of the entire incident, but management failed to take meaningful action or provide information to assist in contacting the offending dog's owner for his insurance information. No effort was made to address safety concerns or ensure that similar incidents wouldn’t happen again. There is no pet policy or breed restrictions in place.

These weren’t isolated issues, but part of a consistent pattern of mismanagement, lack of accountability, and disregard for residents’ wellbeing. You won't read a ton of negative reviews, because they make people sign an agreement not to report their poor management on these sites as a condition of breaking their lease for their awful "management".

I would not recommend this property to anyone looking for a safe, clean, or responsibly managed...