I've rented apartments for years and never had an experience like my year at Riviera at Seaside.
Move-in was rough. The unit wasn't cleaned before I arrived: dirty floors, items left behind in the cabinets, scuff and paint marks on the walls, and door handles that were loose or fell off. Not what you expect walking into a place you're paying premium rent for.
The lease and notice practices are what really frustrated me. Watch the fine print: they require a 60-day notice, but the renewal notice
...was mailed to us with only about a 5-day window to respond. Because of that timing, my roommate and I were automatically pushed into paying a premium month-to-month "holdover" rate for an extra month rather than being able to simply end at our lease term. Even after giving well over a month of clear notice that we were leaving, we were still on the hook for that premium. It felt designed to squeeze extra money out of tenants on the way out.
Service the rest of the year was no better. My roommate and I effectively didn't have access to the community amenities we were paying for. The community grills were out of gas and not maintained more than half the time. Response time from the office was slow, often over two weeks for basic questions, with inconsistent follow-through. Cell reception is also a dead zone throughout the complex, and when I raised it, I was basically told it wasn't their problem.
My honest advice: don't be drawn in by a move-in special or a low promo rate. Once you're in, the quality and service don't match the price. I hope no one else has to deal with the headache we did. I wouldn't rent here again.
Max of 1.