GrandMarc at University Village — Local services in Riverside

GrandMarc is a passable place to live if you can ignore their questionable practices of demanding excessive fees and employing exploitative tactics. Charging a month and a half's rent before you even step foot in the apartment or worse, trying to squeeze more money out of you when you move out, is a recurring theme here. You might leave a five-star review, but that’s only if you manage to overlook these red flags. However, in my opinion many of these reviews are either written under duress or by naive university students who may not fully comprehend the financial impact of living at GrandMarc.

Unjust Initial Charges

Before moving in, GrandMarc requires tenants to pay one and a half months' rent upfront. During my stay, this amounted to about $2,100—money taken from me before I had the right to occupy the apartment or even set foot inside. This fee, which effectively serves as an additional deposit beyond the usual first month’s rent, seems to have little justification other than preying on students who are afraid of losing out on limited housing options. According to California law, a landlord is allowed to charge up to two months' rent as a security deposit for unfurnished units (Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(c)), but this payment is traditionally refundable. The $2,100 I paid appeared to be non-refundable and not categorized as a deposit, raising serious questions about its legality.

Exploitative Lockout Fees

If you lock yourself out of your room, GrandMarc will charge you a $25 fee to let you back in. The kicker? The locks are poorly installed—backward, in fact—so that you can easily open your door by sliding a credit card between the frame and the latch. This is both a safety concern and a blatant attempt to profit from students who may not know better. Rather than fixing the issue or implementing proper security measures, they exploit a weak point in the system to financially burden stressed, uninformed tenants.

Illegal Move-Out Charges

The worst experience I had came when it was time to move out. GrandMarc attempted to charge me for cleaning fees that were clearly fraudulent. Under California law, landlords cannot deduct normal wear and tear from a security deposit (Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(b)), and they are required to provide an itemized list of any charges for cleaning or repairs. In my case, the apartment was left in pristine condition, yet they still tried to charge me for cleaning. I paid out of protest to avoid any collection issues (Cal. Civ.Code § 1942.1). Then, I had to negotiate extensively to be refunded for what was clearly an illegal charge.

GrandMarc’s practices, particularly concerning move-out charges, border on outright fraud. It is illegal for landlords in California to impose cleaning fees unless the tenant leaves the unit in a condition worse than normal wear and tear (Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(b)(2)). Tenants should be aware of their rights and not allow GrandMarc or any landlord to unlawfully retain their money.

In conclusion, while GrandMarc might look like a decent place to live, their exploitative financial practices and disregard for tenant rights make them far from ideal. Prospective tenants should read the lease carefully, document everything, and be prepared to challenge any improper charges they encounter.

I encourage you to read the civil codes cited above in-depth to better understand your rights as tenant.

This review complies with the Consumer Review Fairness Act...

As a parent when I was checking reviews for some of the places my son was considering moving into I could only find reviews by disgruntled former tenants. This is a review based on a parents perspective after my son lived at GM for three years.. GM is managed by a company called HH Red Stone but I believe it is owned by the Preiss Company. Both companies specialize in student housing.

GM is conveniently located near campus and does not require a student to own a car to get back and forth. There are 6 "L" shaped buildings each 4 stories high. They are fairly densely arranged, as many student apartments are so noise can be an issue, but that's typical for any student living arrangement. While GM offers, singles, doubles, and quads, my son only lived in quads for three years. Some roommates he knew, later on others were junior transfers, etc. Mgmnt will try to match up similar aged and interest students based on a profile you fill out. No guarantees of course, but no crazy surprises either. If you want to live with a friend(s) make sure you ALL list each others names on the applications.

This may be a California thing and not a GM thing, but the lease agreement is over 30 pages long. I have a son at a similar property out of state and that agreement is 7 pages. The point is, be aware, that GM covers all bases in regards to your rights and non-rights. Read it carefully. While I didn't see any deal breakers, I did feel the deck was loaded in their favor should a dispute arise. And they will hold your feet to the fire, if necessary.

During year 2 a water pipe broke on the fourth floor causing a relocation of a large number of students for several months to The Palms on University. While that place was substandard to the GM, it was fortunate that they were able to accommodate everyone while the repairs took place. GM mgmnt did their best to help the students out covering moving costs, a gift card for some incidentals, etc. However, I thought they should have lowered the rent for the months they were at the Palms. No deal. By the way, those refurbished GM units are now rented at a higher rent and called "upgraded units".

In general, my son never had any problems with the facilities, the appliances, bathroom, etc. And while I'm sure the place had it's share of car break-ins, etc, he never experienced any issues. GM insists you buy rental insurance. You can pay their agent, I suspect they get a kickback, or source your own. We used Assurant. You will get a nasty threatening letter if you don't show GM in a timely fashion that you have your own. You may get one anyway, and have to show them more than once. I did think the account set up fee charged each year for Conserve was unjustified for continuing tenants. Does a homeowner have to set up a new account every year with SCE or the Gas Co?

After three years, we felt the GM was a good place to live. I will give them credit for not requiring a security deposit up front. This may or may not have changed. We did owe them about about $40 for a somewhat uncleaned bathtub my son said he cleaned. GM shared pictures...

Avoid leasing here at all costs. My experience at Grandmarc was nothing short of a nightmare.

Move-in Condition: The apartment was in terrible shape when I first moved in. The carpet in the living room was ripped, the floors were filthy, there were bugs everywhere, food crumbs were stuck in the couch cushions, and the cabinets had chipped paint. Despite notifying the staff, the cleaning they did was minimal and far from adequate.

Maintenance Issues: My apartment had a serious leak in the ceiling above my bed. While they patched the drywall, the moisture remained in the walls, leading to visible mold growth and a persistent odor. It took four work orders and a visit from a fair housing health officer before they finally resolved the issue.

Every single appliance (except the microwave) broke during my time here. The dryer wouldn’t dry clothes, requiring two work orders and a week to fix. The washer flooded my apartment twice, covering the floor with nearly an inch of water. The dishwasher’s spraying mechanism broke, leaving me hand-washing dishes for weeks. Even several kitchen outlets didn’t work properly.

Parking: Parking is a nightmare. The spaces are so small that it’s nearly impossible to park if you have a larger vehicle. Worse, the complex has a zero-tolerance policy for parking without a permit. If you park anywhere on the premises without a guest pass, even briefly, they will tow your car.

Safety Concerns: The front gate was broken for about two months, allowing anyone, including homeless individuals, to enter the complex. Homeless people frequently entered the facilities, and I avoided using the pool after witnessing people showering in the hot tub and lingering around the outdoor patio at night.

Move-out Charges: Upon moving out, I was hit with $500 in cleaning fees for what they claimed was “wear and tear,” including a $25 charge for leaving a drawer liner in the bathroom. They will nickel and dime you over anything. It’s ironic considering they didn’t even clean the apartment properly before I moved in.

Final Thoughts: I do not recommend leasing here. Between the poor maintenance, unsafe environment, and unjust charges, this complex has been a stressful and...