Instrata Little Italy Apartments — Local services in San Diego

I hope Sares Regis upper management sees this, because the leasing office at Instrata Little Italy is in desperate need of oversight.

As a current resident, I have to echo the previous reviews written by Esteban and Мария (Maria). Of all the reviews, they're by far the most accurate, but honestly they just scratch the surface of what’s going wrong at Instrata.

If Sares Regis’ leadership actually knew how poorly this property is being run, I have no doubt they’d overhaul the entire leasing department. The way issues are handled is consistently careless, and residents are left to deal with the fallout.

The hot tub has now been closed for eight months, and Instrata has stopped providing residents with updates on their never-ending resurfacing project. The golf simulator has been out of order for about four months, with no meaningful updates from the leasing team in at least six weeks. They don't seem motivated to fix it. The speakers and TV by the pool are broken, and none of the three TVs in the so-called "Yacht Club" work (“Yacht Club” is especially ironic considering nothing in there functions). The pool, which was closed for five months for resurfacing and only reopened in May, is now being used as a bath by a family of seagulls. I’m not sure if the building knows but it’s been happening since the pool reopened.

Let me give you a few specific examples of how things are managed here.

In May, the leasing office sent an email titled “Notice to Enter for Fire Sprinkler System Inspection 5/22 and 5/23.” Buried at the bottom of this lengthy message was a casual mention that the fire alarm would be “ringing intermittently” during the inspection. This was a massive understatement. The alarm, which can be heard blocks away and is physically painful to endure, actually went off every 3-5 minutes from 9am to 3:30pm. Nearly everyone in the building works from home or has pets, and nobody received a proper heads-up. People had to cancel work calls, scramble for pet sitters, and relocate to coffee shops at the last minute. I spoke with more than a few tenants that day, and every single one left the building within an hour after testing began. The alarm testing continued the next day. I've lived in many apartment buildings and this was the only instance where testing has been conducted room-by-room while setting off alarms in every apartment. The disruption was so extreme that residents honestly deserve a rent refund for two days. The conditions were flat-out unlivable.

Just a few hours ago, we received an email from Instrata notifying residents that plumbers will be accessing our apartments tomorrow between 9AM-5PM for a “mandatory pipe jetting service.” The email asks all residents to clean their bathrooms, bathroom and kitchen sinks, and the area underneath each sink. I don’t mind that the service is needed, but it’s baffling that Instrata thinks it’s acceptable to give residents less than 24 hours’ notice. This is extremely inconsiderate, especially for anyone out of town who might be uncomfortable with a team of plumbers accessing their unit while they’re away.

If you’re considering moving to Instrata, do yourself a favor and look elsewhere. Don't be fooled by any of the positive reviews–most of them were posted by residents who just moved in. This review is being posted anonymously to avoid potential repercussions directed at me.

The only redeeming part about living at Instrata, is Marko from maintenance. He’s the one person who actually helps and takes pride in his work. If the leasing team put in half the effort Marko does, this place would be unrecognizable (in a good way).

To Sares Regis leadership: The on-site team is failing your brand and your residents. Wake up. It’s time for...

The worst rental experience of my life. Warning: SCAM! We lived in this apartment complex for 15 months, and I have plenty to share.

Let’s start with the most important part: not only did they refuse to return our security deposit, but they also charged us an additional $1,264! In total, $2,164! I had read reviews about similar situations and expected some shady practices, but I never thought it would be outright fraud.

Now, let me break it down for you: Noise. The complex is so loud that you and your kids can forget about getting a decent night’s sleep (especially if, unfortunately, you decided to move in with children). The cheap windows let in every sound—trains, planes, and homeless people yelling right under your window. At one point, there were terrifying screams coming from the apartment above us. It sounded like a woman was being abused, and we were so scared we called the police. Did the complex do anything? No. Cockroaches. Yes, they’re here, and it’s disgusting. I had to spend my own money to get rid of them, even though other reviews also mentioned this problem. Filth. The carpets in the hallways are never cleaned, and stains from neighbors’ trash remain there for months. The dog park smells so bad that it’s impossible to take your dog there for a walk. Constant breakdowns.

• The parking gate didn’t work for months and was constantly breaking down. • The elevator was also out of order regularly. • The fire alarm frequently went off for no reason.

Flooding and water issues. During a fire caused by someone throwing burning trash into the dumpster, the entire piping system was destroyed. Water leaked onto cars parked on the lower levels, and everything was soaked. Then, for several days, we had no water at all! All repair deadlines were ignored, and we didn’t receive any compensation for the inconvenience. To take a shower, we had to leave the faucet running for two hours just to flush out dirty water. Appliances.

• The washing machines are old. Ours was completely covered in mold when we moved in, and no one replaced it. • The refrigerator didn’t work at all when we moved in. (Thankfully, that was replaced.) I had to clean the mold myself.

Terrible amenities. The pool area is way too small for the number of residents. And if you plan to relax in the jacuzzi, get ready to hear trains passing right next to your building. They had promised us good soundproof windows, but that was a lie.

Important: When we first moved in, the complex was under different ownership. Many of the positive reviews you’ll find were written about the previous management. All the old staff have left, and the new owners are only focused on squeezing as much money as possible from tenants when they move out.

My advice: I sincerely hope this review helps people avoid this nightmare and find a better, more honest...

Overall, I give my experience here thus far 2.5 stars (but I can't put in half a star which is why there are instead 3)

Pros: Fernando and Alex, the maintenance staff, are really nice and always willing to help in any way they can Ellie has always been available to answer my questions and discuss any concerns I've experienced Amenities: pool, hot tub, gym, parking, grills, game/tv room, virtual golf room, separate spin/pilates room, outdoor dog washing station, outdoor dog run (a bit too small, but it's still good to have) Location is amazing - in the heart of little Italy, 2 blocks from a trolley station, 3 blocks from the 5 highway, close to restaurants, bars, shopping, parks, the harbor, etc Anna and Aaron work in the office as well and are so kind and warm. They are also always readily available to answer any questions I may have.

Cons: Received apartment in poor condition - the previous tenant moved out 6/8, our lease started 6/22 and we arrived from Chicago on 7/3. In the almost month there was to turn over the unit, it seemed as though little to anything had been prepared: various lights were out, appliances were left dirty and/smelled, floors and surfaces were dirty, dusty and/or had stains on them, crumbs in the kitchen cabinets, balcony doors were not properly sealed so flies were coming in, poorly fitted window screens so flies were coming in, AC was broken (it took 1.5 months for it to eventually be replaced and it still doesn't not cool every room in the apartment), someone had left an old coffee in the fridge, dirty balconies full of cobwebs, spaces between the carpet and the door frame that had staples sticking out (I stepped on this several times until it was eventually fixed), poor shower water pressure in the master bathroom, and a sewage smell coming from our master bedroom shower drain (still an ongoing issue). Challenges experienced with the building manager, Jay Inconsistent responsiveness - this occurs via email in addition to be hard to meet with when in the office. With the several apartment issues listed above, there would be little to no communication about the status of these repairs, if/when outside contractors were scheduled, I always have to follow up several times to get any sort of information or update. Unprofessional behavior - on several occasions he has been unempathic, inconsiderate, unapologetic, rude, and disrespectful towards me, including rolling his eyes, showing impatience when we are able to connect in person, minimizing concerns/issues I have brought up, and even gaslighting me. He does not try to collaborate in terms of coming up with solutions and instead has said to just deal with it or that's just the way it is. His demeanor also conveys a view of residents as an inconvenience, which unfortunately makes him unapproachable when wanting assistance...