Elara (formerly Oceano at Warner Center)

We have lived here 5 years. When we first moved in, the buildings were very well maintained - the hallways were vacuumed and elevators were cleaned daily. The grounds were maintained by in-house porters who really cared and it looked so nice. (I would bet a million it cost less than it does now, too!) Now, everything looks old and dirty and there are usually people wandering around from the streets who shouldn't be here - or found sleeping in the halls or random storage units. I am sure what happened is that the place leased up and they decided that they don't care what the building looks like anymore, don't spend money anymore - (seems weird? why let your investment go down the drain??) anyway, it's super sad. We really like the unit - the appliances are nice , the layout is nice - the maintenance staff is great. But! The neighborhood isn't great. Do not rent on the South side, especially if you work from home, or evenings, and need to sleep after 7 am ... The neighboring property has garbage pickup 3 x per week on their driveway and it is loud enough to be heard through closed windows. There is constant yard maintenance -daily between properties for hours, so if you want to hear leaf blowers and shrub trimmers all day long, it's perfect. Also, the management allows the residents to use table saws on the decks - not sure why.

I initially viewed this apartment community a few months prior to moving due to job relocation. Chelsea, the Assistant Manager, and Jean,, the Leasing Specialist, made this process easy for me, from viewing the unit to completing the application process from miles away. Once I arrived to the city, my experience with this community remained positive. About 3 weeks after my arrival, I had a complex issue I would classify as one which required immediate attention. The entire team ( Julianne, Chelsea, Emma and Jean) took the necessary measures to assist me, and Emma and Jean provided me with options to permanently resolve the issue. They were available, responded to emails, phone calls and provided outstanding customer service! The area is great, the property is clean overall, I have not had any issue with parking and the maintenance team responds to request within 24 hours.

This property has, unfortunately, really taken a nose dive over the last few years. Greystar really needs to be brought in and shown these reviews and to see the property themselves. Residents are out of control. There's uncontrollable noise, parties, smoking (marijuana and cigarettes - even though it's a non-smoking property), insane owners/dogs, and kids/babies crying. Dogs bark INCESSANTLY on and off all day long. Owners walk their dogs and allow their dogs to LUNGE at people walking near them. A large majority of the owners don't control their dogs AT ALL. They allow them to bark, lunge at people, they don't discipline them...EVER. They also don't pick up AFTER their dogs. Carports and garages are filthy. Stairwells are dirty, dusty, and full of bugs and cobwebs. We've had ant problems. There have been break-ins...to both storage rooms and cars. MULTIPLE car break-ins over the past several months too. Most of the security cameras don't work and residents have been forced to buy Ring doorbell attachments to keep an eye on their apartment and surrounding apartments. Maintenance is the ONLY good thing about this property at this point. They're very kind, considerate, friendly, and attentive. No one reads or pays attention to the weekly community reminder emails sent out...that say the same thing every time. There needs to be notes on the doors, flyers posted around the property, etc. Rules NEED to be enforced, but with no management living ON the property...it's all hearsay...which doesn't help. It's really too bad because this property used to be amazing and now...it's quite subpar...especially for the rent being charged.

The units are nice with good looking hardwood floors and great appliances. In unit laundry is a huge plus. The thing I appreciate most about this place is the maintenance crew. Livio and crew are very quick to respond, are respectful, and very helpful. All requests have been answered and fixed within 24hrs. That kind of help is highly valued.

Wish I get an option to provide negative points.I was waiting for so long before writing this review to see if there will be any improvement in the service as I don't want to share based on only few instances. Oceano's service made me so frustrated to write this review. I agree with all the negative reviews from other residents or customers. Management has put a lot of fake positive reviews to market their property. Some of the issues encountered are mentioned below and it doesn't cover everything. - Worst customer service ever. You need to beg them for everything and they don't show you any respect at all. They treat you as if like you are staying for free and they are doing a favor - Just an example you don't even receive a notification when you get a package. You have to track it on your own and you have to wait for multiple days to collect the same. KEEP WAITING - If you submit any service or maintenance requests they always give an excuse that its a LEED building and they can't fix it. - Property is very dirty everywhere and smells so bad - Parking is a nightmare and you never get any parking for your guest at all - They might speak nice before you become a resident and once you make the security deposit there is a complete change in the behavior. - The might convince you that you get lower utility bills due to LEED but if you will see a HUGE bill every month even if you don't use much as you are sharing your neighbor's charges too - Management keeps changing as its managed by a third party and they don't have any clue about the property and the process. Just ask any questions about leasing conditions and you will understand what I mean - Some of the neighbors makes so much noise and loud music but no one cares - Their amenities are just for namesake and most of them are broken - They never pick up their phone when you try to reach them even if you tried multiple times and they never get back to your voice messages too. KEEP WAITING - Their entrance gates are broken and they keep swinging but no one cares I couldn't cover everything due to time constraints and hope you got an idea how frustrated I am while writing this. Their rents are very expensive and you pay for nothing. Spend your money somewhere else who provide better service for what you spend and most importantly don't lose your dignity by moving here

Community is literally trash! Management behavior fits well. The parking is a huge problem, while management use the resident parking spaces to park their own cars or store some other cars. Residents care less too because management does not take any action, they keep taking your spots, trashing the community, making loud noises at 4 am, etc.

In 15 years of living in apartments, this place takes the cake. I have never had so many complaints. Many things are broken or on the way to breaking. Walls are paper thin and you can hear every move your neighbors make. Agents regularly don't respond to emails and phone calls. Maintenance says the came to fix things when they didn't. People park illegally all over the complex because there aren't enough spaces. Guest spaces are always taken by the same cars that never move, so my guests usually have to park at the complex next door and walk. I have found cars parked in my space multiple times. People park in the fire lanes, so if there is ever an emergency we will all be in trouble. If there is a manager, I am unclear as to what they do because everyone says they complain about all of these issues, yet to our knowledge nothing whatsoever is being done. Good luck if you decide to live here, this place is a nightmare.

Bldg is breaking down due to management. There is no spa despite listed above. The Spa/Jacuzzi has been down since 2013 and they lie to us all saying it is almost ready. There are unit/car break ins every month for the last 2 years. There is a patrol guy who starts at 9:00PM but never answers the phone and often comes in late and has not prevented any crime in this bldg. Units are nice but once you walk to your car the nightmare begins. Owners allow management to do nothing to keep up the property and therefore it looks much older than it is. No one here is happy.

Looks nice from the outside, but wait till you meet management my car got towed from my own parking while I was home, my car got broken into at this guarded parking lot. You can hear everything next door and above you. Oversized dogs and smoking everywhere.

I live in a very modern new style apartment which I like, hardwood floors top of the line appliances elegant cabinets that really fit my criteria. The staff in the Leasing office are great very helpful and tending to your needs, the only things that I question is secured access to the community. The maintenance crew are quick to fix what ever need to be fixed in a timely manner. Supposed to have on staff security from night til 4am in the morning but I haven't seen this on a consistent base, I think tenant screening should be a little more thorough and dogs on leashes should be enforced more but overall I think I'm gonna renew my lease!

Great place to call home. One wish: working jacuzzi