Apartment Review for Coronado At Newport South - Newport Beach, CA

I have lived here since February 2003. When I moved in, the management was fantastic. The tenant whose apartment I was to be renting decided not to move and they placed me in a better "showcase" unit for the same rate. They had this unit ready by the date I wanted to accommodate the time I had taken off work to move. The place has always been noisy--high school traffic, the younger partiers on their balconies, and the morons talking on their cell phones while they come home at 2:00 a.m. from the local bars--but tolerable because the old management took care of things. Until November 2004, when United Dominion took over, I had very little to complain about.

This new management group is pathetic. They must be fresh out of high school and they act like we are inconveniencing them if we have a request or need to pick up a package at the office. I have had one good experience since November, and that was with a temp who had done jail time. Somehow he knew how to work hard and treat people respectfully, but these spoiled regulars are clearly just collecting a paycheck. I am not a needy tenant. In the 2-1/2 years I've been here, I haven't had a lot of requests, but when I have, there are tools left in my apartment for days, I don't know exactly what's been completed, or they just never show up to complete the work. I have had mold build-up on my refrigerator for 2 years and when I have told them about it, they have told me to clean it with diluted bleach (DUH!). How about fixing the seal on the fridge? Or replacing it (I'm sure it's at least 15 years old)? I recently had my tub re-glazed because the glaze was peeling. It has been two days since the work was done and no one has come to put the shower doors back on and there is a filthy fume-mask on my kitchen counter. On the rare occasions that I call the office, I get a machine...during business hours! I don't know how they can rent apartments without actually answering their phones.

As far as rental rates go, I got a good deal when I moved in. Like I said, I was put into a better apartment for the same rate. My rent went up $45 after my initial 8-month lease, but I was still not paying the original asking price of my "showcase" apartment. United Dominion quickly raised my rent on my most recent least by $119! I can only imagine what it will be next July when they want to raise it again. I will not be living here by then. For what United Dominion is charging in rent, and considering I hear the workers tell clients there is no vacancy, they should be grateful for our business. Instead, the tenants are an inconvenience and it seems they are just trying to lure in the next sucker.

One final note on parking. I have been repeatedly told that without the little sticker on my window, I will be towed. I work odd hours and when I get home from work at 10:30 p.m., there is little or no parking in the complex. However, there are several cars parked without stickers in the lot. Where are the tow trucks? Why is the garage gate open all the time? Why do I have this ridiculous remote on my keychain if it is useless? There needs to be some consistency with this policy. Cars that are clearly disabled with four flat tires take up spaces for weeks at a time, and those of us paying rent and tolerating the management's ever-changing policies are left to fend for ourselves on the streets or at the high school. (But don't park at the high school during the school year, or you will be ticketed.)

My apartment has not been a BAD place to live, because I'm sure there are worse. It has been a disappointment. I wonder if United Dominion has a clue that they are this ineffective.