Summerset Village Apartments

I am currently still a resident, here at Summerset Villiage, I just wanted to get this out there. So maybe it can save someone from the headache this place has caused me and my wife.
When we moved in, everything was great as expected. The rent was low, as we moved at a very opportune time. The location is gorgeous. The neighborhood is quiet and the views are scenic. It really is an ideal location. The maintenance staff here is also FANTASTIC! Predram, is the head of the maintenance staff, and he is awesome. He informed me that upon the signing a new lease you qualify for a free carpet cleaning! Of course no one on the managment team would ever let this information be public knowledge. But, that about sums it up for the pros.
The cons, are abundant so hold on. First is being lied to by the management team, at the time of signing the lease. We were told to expect a rent increase of no more that 3−5%. This was asked numerous times and we were constantly told the same answer. However, when the time to renew our lease rolled around, the rent increased a little over 11%. Outraged, is an understatement. With less than 30 to try to find a new place, we made life easier on ourselves and renewed. Next, is the biggest factor that has caused us to give them a two star review. We were told that there was a security guard who canvased the premises in the evening. I have personally seen this supposed «security guard» sleeping in the gym, on more than one occasion. After multiple automotive break-​ins, (twice my car has been broken into) and 3 others in my building, (My building has a total of 4 units, all but one has experience a break in) There has also been garage break-​ins. Where my neighbor’s Christmas presents were stolen. After all of this, police reports being filed, complaints being filed with the management, I asked why, «Why is it that I never see the security patrol?» The leasing office representative says, «Well, the security is really a courtesy patrol, that locks up the pool, and checks the gym.» (Basically he checks and secures the companies property not the residents) I then asked them, «Well, in light of all of the break-​ins and stolen property, are there any plans on adding a real security team?» The managements response. «Not at this time.» What kind of craziness is this. This complex is huge and has more than enough from residence to add some sort of security.
Feels like I’m forgetting something… Oh yea… the thieves… yea, they broke into the mailboxes and stole packages, and damaged the mailboxes to the point where they had to be replaced… But yet Summerset doesn’t see a need to add a security patrol. After about two weeks of being forced to go to the post office to get your mail daily, I was informed by the Post Office in Chatsworth, that Summerset was dragging their feet on replacing the mailboxes. How typical. Summerset is a freaking joke. Please do yourself the favor. Keep looking, location isn’t the end all be all. Did I mention the potential meth-​lab that parks outside of the leasing office ALL DAY, EVERYDAY. Yea… this place is tragic.
The stars that are given are for, Pedram and his awesomeness, the location, and scenery.

HORRIBLE! The building is run fine and the locations is beautiful but expect at least a 10% rental increase every year you live there until they price you out of the building. They will not negotiate this increase at all and make you aware of the increase a month before your renewal so you are more or less stuck. If you would like to go month to month they will allow it for $ 500 EXTRA A MONTH! This place seemed too good to be true and it was after 2 years of living here my wife and I are done the only positive is it motivates us to buy a home so we don’t have to deal with horrible management companies like this! AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

Today is Jan 3, 2015. Read my past review. It’s gotten worse. Last night someone broke into all of the mailboxes, stole everyone’s mail and packages. Called the Sheriff, they came out made a report. I asked the Sheriff’s if they knew about the sex trafficking, the prostitution and the child swapping/​kidnapping? Their answer… absolutely we know about it. Wow. So ladies and gentleman of summerset village apartments… THAT’S WHAT’S GOING ON OUTSIDE YOUR DOOR! the street that leads up to us where the camper is still parked… that’s the area. All hours of the night. .drug deals, sex trafficking etc. They want to raise the rent again… for what? You can’t control your tenants who break leases… the lady who STILL LET’S HER DOG RUN AROUND WITHOUT A LEASH…, burglary in the garages, breaking into cars etc. So this is a 3 year old apartment and there are no stainless steel ANYTHING in this place… no upgraded ANYTHING and you want to raise the rent again? Your office staff is Horrible. No one can even return a phone call or have the common courtesy to do so. The office staff sent us a renewal and my fiancé called to talk to them. she said she would call us back. The original call my fiancé placed to Daliah (spelling?) about the negotiations was put through 30 days before… actually before 30 days. Our callback from her is on our voice-​mail states that she forgot to call us back on our renewal. She dropped the ball. Once again… you guys dropped the ball. I guess Karma sucks when you don’t take care of your people and don’t do what you say you are going to do. You guys are drowning in your own problems and it shows.

I have lived in this location two separate times and just recently moved out. I already miss it! The community is so quiet and plush that when you return home you almost completely forget about the craziness down below. Looking back down there, though, is pretty spectacular. The views from here are amazing.
Lots of grass, established landscaping, two pools and spas, a small playground for my little ones, direct access to hiking trails/​canyon, and a tennis court that we didn’t use for tennis (said we were going to many times) but was the perfect location to allow our 3 year old to ride her bike, or just run around like 3 year olds do. We were in a townhome which had a ton of storage, plus a garage, and a private front area as well as a back patio. Our kitchen was the nicest layout I have had in any apartment and I have lived in quite a few, and on both coasts. We may have been lucky with neighbors, but really never heard them and there were plenty of smiling faces around us making us feel at home each time we were out and about, walking around. It felt like a community, not just an apartment. We definitely miss that.
Convenient location to Starbucks, a few different grocery stores, some great Mexican food at Los Toros (good margaritas, too!) or at Tacos el Cosas (amazing breakfast burritos and shredded chicken), multiple parks/​playgrounds, and so much more.
The only thing that was frustrating was having to jump in the car to go anywhere. No one is walking down that hill.
Summerset, we miss you. Who knows, maybe I’ll be back someday.

PLEASE READ REVIEWS CAREFULLY! I chose to ignore the negative reviews about rate increases upon lease renewal. Equity Residential does NOT value good tenants. They are ALL about whatever calculation they come up with (in our case an 8% rent increase — $ 166/​month) to determine how much they can get for a new tenant moving in. That fact that you are a current tenant, in good standing, DOES NOT MATTER! I tried several times to speak with someone regarding our lease renewal, to no avail. I can only assume they are waiting until the last minute so our options are limited. It is very insulting.
I just read a review about a tenant who moved out, left the apartment spotless, cleaned carpets, etc., but was still charged «sanitizing» (carpet cleaning, etc.) fees. This time I will not ignore the review. I plan to call the management office and get, in writing, exactly what they will deduct from our deposit so we do not waste time, or money, on cleaning (I have ALWAYS received 100% of my deposit back anywhere I have lived).
Since Summerset was the perfect location for us, we had every intention of staying for a couple of years… sadly, that will not be the case.

Decent place to live. You do get what you pay for. The main bathroom’s lock doesn’t even lock. The electricity box is right in one of the rooms. And also the ‘Cold’ and ‘Hot’ handle in the main bathroom is SWITCHED. The lights and fan switch are also on the outside of the bathroom. Also we’re having ant problems. Some young people are sometimes swimming past pool hours at night or in the jacuzzi. They do have a small gym as well and some vending machines. Also a shower for the main pool and a bathroom for the second pool. They also have a tennis court and volleyball net. The place also sits on a hill, so in the right spot you can kind of overlook the city a bit (the main pool). But the neighborhood overall is quiet. People are nice, especially the ladies in the main office. Never any trouble here. The place is also pet friendly with low pet rent and doggie bag stations. Also there’s a trail at the canyon the apartment building is next to.

It’s extremely hard to find a nice and comforting apartment complex because it’s either too expensive in a nice area or too cheap in a bad area. This apartment complex was perfect. Yes, it is in a «bad» area, but this complex is up the hill, so that residential area isn’t bad at all. I felt safe there.
I read some of the other reviews and most of them were about lease fees, etc. Yes, they are quite expensive. I shouldn’t complain for numerous reasons. This complex isn’t cramped at all. There’s plenty area for parking, which is a huge thing for me because I loathe to live in a place where I will have a hard time finding a parking spot. It has access to a hiking trail from the complex too! I loved where I lived because my unit was in the corner of the complex so I did not have to come out in the balcony and see the neighbors. The only negative thing about my unit was that it was right in front of the 118 Ronald Reagan freeway, but I got used to it.
Only 2 complaints were that the residents did not pick up after their dogs, but I appreciated Summerset Village management gave all the residents a notice to pick up after their dogs, and the grass was getting taller and it looked ugly. My husband and I were going to the leasing office and informed them about it, but the following day, they already mowed them.
Overall, I had an awesome experience living here. I was actually sad when I moved out of the apartment because I loved my unit. I wouldn’t mind living here again, but the problem is $ for the rent. Again, I really enjoyed being a resident here.
Thank you for all you do for Summerset Village Apartments.

It’s hard to find a decent apartment complex without it being in a «bad area» or having to pay close to $ 3,000/month for a luxury apartment. Trust me, I’ve looked.
In my opinion, Summerset Village Apartment meets somewhere in the middle. I personally have not resided here, but I have family that did. I know Chatsworth has its «bad» areas as well, but Summserset is in a nice residential area without being far removed with easy access to the freeway and the main streets (like Devonshire). It’s minutes away from the celebrity-​filled Westfield Topanga mall. It’s also an ideal location if you go to school or work in Northridge, Canoga Park, Simi Valley areas. My husband and I were here to visit at least once a month. They offer 1 – 2 bedroom apartments ranging from 748 – 1,257 square feet and $ 1,725-$ 2,055+ for monthly rent. Pets are allowed (dogs & cats) for additional fees.
They lived in an apartment with the Driftwood floor plan at 1,093 sq ft with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, living room, dining room, outdoor patio/​deck, and walk-​in closet. They also had a 1-​car garage as well as 1 assigned covered parking. The kitchen was a decent size with plenty of counter space. We loved to bake and there was plenty of room. I actually enjoyed coming over and didn’t feel cramped at all. You could fit 10 people inside easily at one time. It was pretty quiet inside for the most part and we never heard any noise from their neighbors.
The complex has the following shared features:
WiFi Lounge
24 Hour Fitness Center
Two Spas
Seasonal Heated Swimming Pool
Tennis Court
WiFi at the Pool
Sand Volleyball Court
There’s also access to a hiking trail from the complex.
The only negatives about the location of their building was that it overlooked the 118 Ronald Reagan freeway. They even witnessed a multicar accident from their balcony and you do hear a bit of freeway noise from the balcony and a little from inside the master bedroom. The other complaint was that residents were not picking up after their dogs. I did notice this near the beginning of the year, but since then it had gotten a lot better.
They had a couple maintenance issues, but management had fixed them in a timely manner and they didn’t have any complaints about the management here. They said they enjoyed living there but ultimately did have to break their lease and paid the fees.
Before you sign anything, you should always do your research and read your lease carefully. A lot of people just sign and want to get in right away, but don’t be surprised with fees you weren’t expecting or rent increasing then.
I’ve lived in apartments in my younger days, and our rent always increased every year. It’s just the norm.
After reading a few of the other reviews, I just have to add my 2 cents. I’ve been there, done that (apartments, townhouse, single family house). I’ve lived in pricey apartments that were smaller and in far worse condition than this one. Also, when we bought our 2008 townhouse, we also had a shared water bill (for both common areas AND personal use) which we paid via the HOA dues. So you can imagine how pissed I was when people would wash their cars all the time when we weren’t supposed to. Our HOA monthly dues increased by $ 72 one year!). So whether you rent or own, there’s things that you can’t control. The only time you’ll have control over your utility bills and maintenance is if you own your own single family house. With rent prices this high, you could also rent a single family house.
Just be smart about it and always know what you’re getting into.
¹⁵⁸⁄₁₀₀ Reviews for 2014

We have lived here for a short time but are very staisfied with our experience thusfar. I think we learned quite a bit from reading previous readers’ reviews about issues with lease renewals/​nonrenewals, rent cost, etc. All I can say in response to all of that is try and read your lease agreement carefully. It is common for large apartment complexes/​living communities to raise rent after a year-​long lease in California. If you go into it expecting that, and you read your lease agreement and lease expiration date carefully, I feel like a lot of these complaints could have been avoided. The leasing staff here is extremely helpful and friendly. They’re not out to «get you» or swindle you. When our lease renewal/​move-​out time is nearing, we will be very careful to communicate with the leasing staff about all of our possible options ahead of time, and I don’t doubt they will be accommodating and helpful in this process.
As far as the quality of living here, it’s very nice! I have lived in the San Fernando Valley my whole life… houses and apartments, and Summerset Village is a lovely place to live. The grounds are kept clean and neat (the property is beautiful and has a lot of nice perks), the maintenance staff has been efficient and helpful, the leasing staff/​management are great, and the units themselves are updated and of good quality. Yes, it’s not cheap, but neither is anything in Southern California. You are paying for a good neighborhood, ammenities, and quality units.
I wanted to write this review because I feel like this property deserves an honest portrayal. I read all of these negative reviews before I moved in and decided to take the plunge anyway due to the pattern seeming to be anger over moving out/​re-​leasing issues. Plain truth is this has been a really awesome place to live. Nothing is perfect, but I’m always happy to come home here every day.

I lived here for just over a year and it was my first place in California. After getting over the initial shock of rent being over $ 1000, it was OK. Not the best place on earth, but you get a garage, it’s away from the crazy that is the rest of the valley but close enough to things that it’s not a pain.
But that is how they hook you. My first year I payed $ 1500/​month, then they jacked the price up to $ 1750/​month. That is ridiculous for a 1 bedroom apartment. I am pretty sure that 1,750 $ 1 bills lined up side by side would not fit in the square footage. It was when I found out that this was regular behavior that I started to look for a house.
The lease break fee is 1.5 months now, which I guess isn’t awful, it just hurts because who buys a house exactly when the lease is over? The next awful part is that they, no matter what WILL charge you to clean, paint and wash carpet. So, now I feel like an idiot for actually taking care of and fixing the apartment.
They are decent at fixing things when they go wrong, but they do not seem to fix it correctly. My roof leaked but they left the water spots on the ceilings and walls, the AC evap overflowed into my apartment and they left the rotted utility door. The smoke detector provided for my unit was AC powered, thus when the power went out, there was no smoke detector. Things like this made me wonder where my rent money went.
The last thing that was a scam is the water billing. I lived in the unit, alone, and my water bill was easily $ 70 every month, even when I was not home for weeks. They do some fudge math.
Honestly, this was not a great experience. I have rented at other places with much better management. Not sure how this place ranks for California standards, but expect low satisfaction and «bang for your buck».

We stayed here for three months while we closed escrow on our house. We left the apartment in perfect condition and were paid in full. We expected to get about $ 300 of our deposit back through the postal mail. Instead, today, I just got a $ 630 delinquent item from them show up on my credit report. Mail was forwarding just fine, so it wasn’t like we missed a notice. Will be taking them to court.

After living here for a month, I must say that I am VERY happy, and glad that we made the move to Summerset. In the very beginning, there were some things that did still need repair, but the maintenance team did come and handle everything pretty quickly.
I think the only complaint that I have is in regards to guest parking. It seems the same cars are the ones that are usually in the guest spots.
Thank you for creating and maintaining a beautiful community!

I believe pictures speak louder than words, so I have posted some for your own judgement. Please know I pay $ 2060 for a one floor, two bedroom apartment.
I gave them the one star because the staff is very friendly. If you do plan to rent here, I recommend talking with Kristin. She is very nice, friendly, honest and very helpful. I do not wish to have this reflect on the leasing team. However, I do hope it helps them get the funding they need from Essex to fix the problems.
I read some of the reviews for Summerset prior to renting an apt with them. I honestly thought these issues were rare. The nice responses the Summerset team posted to the reviews, made me give them a chance. I regret that decision now.
A month prior to us due to sign the new lease, I called our manager. It was then that I was informed that we had a new manager. I never received any notification from the new manager introducing herself. When she finally called me back, we met and agreed that the items that were supposed to be fixed at the time of us moving in, a year prior, would finally be fixed. I need to clarify… There are many nice features to the apartment, but «luxury» is not the term I would use because of the maintenance. At the time of our move-​in, many items still needed to be fixed. The previous manager agreed and told us that it would all get done. A year later… not one had been fixed. There was an attempt to fix the sinking shower floor but the job was never finished. When we met with the new manager, she told us all would get fixed, so foolishly we believed her and signed on for one more year.
Since the new manager came, the shower floor and tiles are the only things that have been fixed. The rubber seal for the refrigerator that would only take a few days to order and arrive has not yet been completed. a year seems too long for ordering and shipping.
A year later the seal to the shower door is still rotting and the shower doors still do not close properly. The seal in the windows have not gotten fixed. They removed my closet shelf and left a mess for me to clean up. They also gave my husband some paint so he could paint over the patches they left behind. My husband had to finish the painting touch-​ups and remove the large nails that were left sticking out.
There’s dog poop around our area and some of the tallest weeds I’ve seen. I was just informed that two televisions were stolen from the gym. A drunk stranger somehow was able to get into the pool area where my children play. This man entered the gated pool in daylight passed out on the floor only a few feet away from the leasing office.
Large dogs are running without a leash. I only bring this up because I have small children and I am honestly afraid for their safety.
I’ve heard these same complaints from every tenant I’ve met.
After we signed the lease again, the manager told us we would have to choose one item to be fixed because there is not enough funding to fix the rotting seal on the shower doors, the glazing of the second bathroom, and I still don’t know if my refrigerator seal will ever be ordered.
Visitors have the privilege of parking in spaces located inside the apartment parking lot but if you have additional cars, they ask you park outside in the street.
I’m not mad anymore, just extremely disappointed. It is extremely sad that tenants prefer to pay sometimes over $ 4000 to break their lease instead of staying the remainder months. This will be our last year here and if it gets worse we might not make it that long.

Giving this place one star is being generous. Our entire experience at this place has been nothing but awful.
A year ago we started looking for apartments and found Summerset Village. I was so excited to move here because of the quiet neighborhood, the view and the staff were overly nice. We were told if we moved in w/​in two weeks of applying we would get a break on our rent, which we did but the apartment was not ready. The carpet should have been changed because it is deeply soiled and spots were already popping back up after only two weeks of it being cleaned. The carpet guy came out three times to get it cleaned and guess what it’s still not clean. There was water in our closet light fixture. My husband went to turn the light on and when it didn’t work he used a ladder to unscrew the fixture to find it filled with water, extremely dangerous. Both bathroom shower/​tubs should have been refinished but they were not. You could see where the paint is peeling back and where the «door» used to be by the dark black stain it left behind. Our sliding glass door did not work. the bathroom doors stick all the time, there were pools of paint on the walls from them trying to cover stuff up, etc. It took several emails to the old manager Randa and her staff Kristen and Coral to get anything done and all I got from Kristen were excuses. I’ve been in property management for sometime now and they are the exact reason you don’t want to rent.
Now our lease is up and I was hounded by Kristen for a month if we were going to renew. Finally last night I emailed her to let her know we are not renewing and no response. Today I’ve called three times and emailed three times to give notice and no response. This is exactly what I expect from them. We cannot wait to get out of this sh*t hole.
Thank you for nothing Sommerset!!!

The other post was my experience exactly! After 1 year, they raised our rent 8% and told us 1 month in advanced. We had 30 days to either accept or find a new place to live and move. We accepted and looked for a new place in the meantime.
When we found our new place, Summerset requires a 2-​month rent payment to break the lease. No matter how long you’ve been living there or how much time is left on the lease.
After moving out, the unit was left clean with absolutely no damage. They still charge for cleaning and carpet steam cleaning. When I contacted them, they said no matter what condition you leave the unit they have to sanitize and that is what I’m being charged for. Not damages, sanitation.
I told them to go blow smoke and I received threatening, harassing phone calls saying they were sending my account to collections unless I paid the fees.
I paid them in full and promised to post negative reviews about there awful move out procedures. So here it

It has been almost a year, so I feel like I have calmed down and am ready to write my review.
I have rented numerous times in my life, but have NEVER experienced anything like this.
#1 They ‘low ball’ the rent when you sign up and then jack it up after 1 year. My rent was suppossed to go up 10%!!! I didn’t know this was possible, so once I started googeling I realized that they are in some ‘special’ area outside Los Angeles county and can raise the rent ANY amount they want. I also found out that my 10% was minimal, I read a story where someones was raised 25%… Do yourself a favor, google it. Summerset raise rent or
Lesson learned.
#2 THE WATER BILL! The water is charged seperate. Initially it was just my daughter and myself… we don’t use that much water, so paying water was NOT a bill deal, at all. Then my first water bill came… the second, the third. All of them averaged about $ 90 a month? Then came a month where we stayed at the place only one week out of the month. I opened my electrial bill it was close to 80% lower! Wow what a difference. Then I opened up my water bill, I was anxious and curious. what would it be… Ohhhhhh, still $ 90??? WTF?
When I went to the office and asked the lady if the @$$hole upstairs was using my water when he would wash his cars, she said ‘no’. Well, I found out there is some meters for every 12 or so units and they just divide it among everyone. So, when the gardner decides to leave the water on by accident, you are paying. When your neighbor decides to shove 6 people in his 2 bedroom apartment and have them secretly living there, you pay!
This should be illegal.
The rent is not cheap for Chatsworth. My advice if you only plan on living for a year, go for it, it’s a pretty area. If you have young children and want them to attend a good school. I would look in Porter Ranch, pay a little bit more but get a great school district.
Just my opinion!