Torrey Ridge

Have since moved to a 2 BR place. Let’s see if this scenario works for you:
235/​mo rent increase in one year to 2675/​mo
–for a place that’s CONSTANTLY ant infested,
–refrigerators that are tiny and can’t even be bought in stores they’re so small and outdated:
–toilet seats that constantly become unhinged due to cheap plastic fasteners
–wood floor pieces with nails coming out of them all the time which rip your socks, which they will not replace.
–And if you have neighbors above you, you’ll always know it as you’ll hear endless stomping.
Carmel Valley is a good location but this place is SOOOOO overpriced, it’s ridiculous. The ants are also a major problem and we’re extremely neat and clean the place constantly.
Don’t get sucked into the nice pool and decent little gym… to steer you away from the fact the apartments suck especially for the ludicrous rent they charge.
And the robotic/​auto-​generated replies to negative reviews on Unilocal by Torrey Ridge are WORTHLESS window dressing. If you want to get ripped off and LOVE insane rent increases, this is your place.

Their logo is «love where you live» but in reality they make it impossible to love this neighborhood.
They have zero costumer service. The apartments are outdated. They increase rent how ever much they want disregarding the law. They market this community as gated but the gate is rarely close and there are a lot of crimes (automobiles are being broken into on a regular basis, one resident was found dead at the pool exc). I just renewed my lease and got a remainder as to how bad costumer service is. I should have taken the time to look for another place instead of waiting to the last min and signing up because couldn’t find any other place.

I have lived at Torrey Ridge for about 6 months after moving from Torrey Villas. The rent is higher then I would like but we have been satisfied. Its in a safe area, plenty of parking, close to shopping, good schools, and freeways, and nicely kept grounds.
The office people are mostly friendly and helpful. The Irvine Corporation will raise your rent every year without anything you can really do about it. This is not our long term home due to the increasing costs but we will stay through our lease and our sin finishes high school.
It is a pet friendly complex and there are dogs of all shapes and sizes (though I thought there was weight limit). I pick up my dogs poop but not everyone does and it is obnoxious. There are 2 pools and the main pool is normally overrun with children who are not closely watched. The lap pool on the other end is nice for people who want to swim, chill, work out. There are BBQ areas so you can grill and eat by the pool. People of overall friendly. I love the idea food trucks are hear weekly.
When we left Torrey Villas we got a good chunk of our money back from the lease so I think overall they were fair. They do charge $ 123-​$ 125 to clean your apartment upon move out– now you have the option to clean but if it doesn’t meet their standards — you will be charged, so just pay the cleaning up front.
The grounds are nicely kept and overall clean. If you enter a work order they respond within 24 hours. In one of the other reviews there was complaints that there is garbage sometimes next to the can — i think it is because children cannot lift the lid so they place it on the ground. At least that is what I have observed.
I would say give Torrey Ridge a try –
I hope this helps

06.05.15 A further update to my update of my review of the Irvine Co. Torrey Ridge apartments. So this spring was brutal for the Irvine Corporation. Their 10−15% rent increases this spring backfired. People left in droves the vacancy rate is now an all time high. In some buildings over half the units are now vacant. The Irvine Co’s response was not to lower rents and retain renters instead they subleased many units to a company that specializes in providing furnished apartments to corporate relocations. Short-​term furnished rentals sends the message that the Irvine Co is more about maximizing returns and not creating stable environments to foster relationships. Enjoy your stay it will be short, your neighbors stay will be even shorter.
04.25.15 Update to my previous review. What I wish someone had told me when I was looking…
The Irvine Corporation is a professional company staffed by professional people who sole purpose is to create as much income for the property owner as possible.
When looking for an Apartment here are some of their tricks.
Scarcity– No matter how many vacancies whether they have 4 or 40 they will tell you there are only 2 or 3 of the model you are interested in. One will be the dog by the gate with all the noise that no one wants. One will be the one they want to sell you. You will not get to walk the property and cherry pick the good units or see how many vacancies there actually are. Sometimes they will say there are none of the model you are interested in and you can get on a waiting list. Of course they will call you back in a few days and tell you one became available but it is a couple hundred more.
Deposit– They will not require much to move in, maybe only a couple hundred because they want to make it easy to get in. They don’t want people who can save or who have money as they will have the money to move out at lease end.
Lease Renewal– When you lease ends no matter what the market conditions they will always give you an increase. Even if units are for rent for less than what you are currently paying. They are betting that you will be lazy and rather pay the couple hundred more every month that go through the cost and hassle of moving.
Lease Termination Fees– Currently they charge $ 4,000 for early termination. They will offer you the choice of allowing them to market the unit and you can just continue to pay rent until they find a replacement for your unit. Well it is not in their best interest to rent your unit especially if they have others that are vacant. They will tell you within a couple days that they have an applicant for your unit. That you can move out and not pay. Well of course after you have moved they will say the applicant did not materialize and you will be stuck paying the rent of your vacant apartment until it rents which will never happen. Pay the Early Termination Fee if you have to but do not enter into any kind of agreement based on trust.
Month-​t0-​Month. The law is that yearly leases revert to month to month contracts at the same rate and terms when they expire. The Irvine Co however does not adhere to that. They charge a 25% premium if you wish to go month to month. So tough luck to those parents that want to only stick out a few months while their children finish school. They will require you sign a new yearly long contract. They may make an exception and let you sign a new 9 month contract but you have to pay their new higher rent.
I hope this helps anyone foolish enough to enter into a contractual agreement with the Irvine Corporation.

If you are reading these reviews while making a decision on a place to rent, you really need to read more of this review and look at the reviews of Timothy R. Tyler S., LB, and Juno K., and seriously try to resist the urge to tell yourself that people who write bad reviews are just malcontents and it won’t happen to you. We experienced the pros and cons, and ultimately decided to move because the rent was becoming ridiculously expensive for what we were getting.
The pros of the place are that it’s well-​appointed and pretty. The pools and spa are nice, there’s a really nice rec room for special occasions, good location to freeways. The view from our apartment, 2^nd floor just past the rental office, had a really nice view, pretty sunsets, etc. The apartment was spacious, and fortunately we never had any serious malfunctions with the appliances.
Here’s the downside. The location of our apartment was also close to the pool that’s behind the rental office. The pool was a popular place for families (as it should be because they pay rent too), but the noise level was often very high in good weather. It seemed like the people with families felt like the common areas were theirs to enjoy without any concern for the noise they might be imposing on others. As a preschool teacher, I’m used to the noise that kids make, and really this was above and beyond. On one occasion, I went down to ask the parents to quiet their kids because I was having trouble hearing my tv when I got home from work. As I was walking through the pool area to see which parents to talk to, 2 other couples came up to me and complained about the kids loud play as well. They were happy to point me toward the culprits! The pool was literally right outside the rental office, and no one from the office ever made an attempt to have people quiet down. The other side of that was that the times I wanted to use the spa, it was usually occupied by families with small children (really? You take your toddlers into a spa with hot water??), and Im sure the toddlers in the spa weren’t potty trained. So nice when we were paying $ 2200 a month for a 2 bedroom.
The location of our apartment was also right at the main driveway to the rest of the buildings. That meant that every single delivery van, moving truck, motorcycle, maintenance vehicle either drove by or (usually) parked right under our windows. When I first moved there, I thought the noise complaints of my boyfriend might have been a little exaggerated, until the day I realized were having a conversation and had to stop talking because we couldn’t hear each other over the noise. I would suggest that the Irvine Company consider allowing for a staging area for service vehicles in the next property they build. At the rate they are raising rents, I’m sure they will be building more.
The trash areas were poorly maintained. It was not uncommon to go to the trash area to thrown my bag of trash in, only to find that people would just leave their trash on the ground next to the dumpster instead of putting it in. The animals would come at night and spread the trash all over. Yuk. If someone doesn’t want to touch the trash bin, then put a grocery bag or glove over your hand to keep your hand sanitary. Well, our photos and reports to the office did very little, i anything. Vana would say that she couldn’t prove who did it, and there was never any effort to at least have the maintenance check the trash areas to tidy them up.
We had a single mom above us with a young girl, and large family below us. The mom was angry when my boyfriend finally told her to stop her child from jumping on the floor, so she did little to cooperate by stopping the jumping. The office didn’t do anything about it either. The family below us liked to burn incense which drifted into our apartment, and one of their family had a daily need to sneeze loudly (you wouldn’t believe how loud) every morning.
We also saw the dog poop not being picked up, and there were the frequent groups of people who needed to say their goodbyes at the end of an evening right under our window too.
The bottom line with this place is that they are great at signing up people, but they don’t make much of an effort to practice any meaningful customer service. We tried to communicate in a variety of ways, sometimes showing frustration, or being quiet and professional, sending texts with pictures, etc., but the response was always the same, that they would send a letter. Really? Vana showed little expertise in customer service, and was actually rude on several occasions. Matthew and Amber, on the other hand, were always kind and helpful when we asked for help. Unfortunately, Amber was let go and everything was hushed up about why. Be very careful in making your choice.

You don’t always get 5 star service just because you live at a five star property…
However, I have here. I have lived here for 4 years and the maintenance manager Mustafah is truly one of a kind. He is genuine, trustworthy, professional, friendly and follows through.
He not only ensures an issue is resolved but will make the effort to ask you instead of making you call again and again.
He also cared enough and had the quick instinct to stop his golf cart and other passing cars when my crazy puppy was chasing after him in his golf cart!!!
He could have been ran over if it wasn’t for him. I was so grateful!!!
I also want to give a shout out to Bau. He too is great to help out. He is friendly, cheerful trustworthy and I can’t say enough about him.
I’m sorry to the guy who has had a bad experience in the 4 months he’s been here but give them another chance. I’ve been here 4 years and it’s because of people like Mustafh and Bau I have stayed here so long.
Thanks to both of you!!!

After first touring the area, the complex seems very nice; however, once you live here over a year, realization sets in that this place sucks. The buildings are cheaply constructed allowing for decay and constant repairs. This is reinforced by the notion the entire walkways and stairs needed to be replaced by the construction builder due to improper drainage and water damage (I am sure they got all the mold out too). Most of the neighbors are loud and drive fast (good luck if you try to sleep through the night and have children walking to the playground and pool. Make sure to watch where you step with the pet droppings. At least the front office is nice; just not helpful with anything. If you sign a lease, ensure you do not intend to stay longer as your lease will increase substantially upon expiration. And the lap pool is not world class; its 23.5 yards and there are always people in there who are not lap swimming.

In the matter of 4 months, we’ve had 2 water leakages in the bathroom, where the entire flooring had to be replaced. The management will lie through their teeth to save costs on their part, and they don’t care about the convenience of the tenants. (yeah, I’m talking about you, Mustafah)
Two buildings down, there were also incidents on the 1^st floor units where main pipe was clogged and the units were flooded with $hit water.
I wish they had «lemon law» for apartment rentals.
Stay away from this apartment complex at all costs, unless you want to throw away $ 2000 every month.

AUG 2014 UPDATE — 2 MAJOR ISSUES:
1) They are trying to raise our rent almost $ 200/​month (9%) and they won’t budge! Talking to neighbors, it seems that they are increasing rents for current residents ~$ 100−200/month this year, and there is general frustration, and lots of turnover (at least 4 moving trucks packing people up today alone!). Starting to feel like short term housing here rather than a place to call home :-(
2) There has been an influx of smokers. Now, rather than enjoy the fresh air from the canyon, my wife and I are subjected to unhealthy and unpleasant cigarette smoke in our own home, or walking or jogging along the canyon paths. They have no policy against smoking. If you live here or are considering it, please tell management that smoke-​free living is important to you!
If you are frustrated by increasing rents, poor service, and a general feeling that the rental system is stacked against us, please sign these petitions for improving the rental experience in San Diego:
Improve Renters’ Rights:

Implement Rent Control:
Make Rentals Smoke-​Free:

I’ve lived here going on 3 years and am very happy here. The staff and maintenance employees are great. They are always friendly and helpful. I’ve read some reviews and yes the kitchens and bathrooms might be dated a bit but they are clean and all appliances work great. If you need seething fixed they seem to always get to it that day or at the latest early the next day. They do their best to keep up with the dog poop. Yes some owners don’t pick up after their dogs but maintenance do a great job tending to that. They always have dog bags available as well. Pools are amazing and clean. Yes I agree the prices are a little expensive but I feel the staff do an excellent job keeping up with safety. The grounds are always kept nice and there are plenty of sidewalks for walking and the views are amazing. It’s worth checking out.

I toured the community this Tuesday afternoon, actually greeted with a smile unlike Torrey Villas. Community was Clean, Staff was Excellent in helping me with options for a three bedroom apt home. I appreciate the time the young man spent taking me on a tour of the community and showing me the details of the property!

My gf and I have been living here for about 2 months now and it’s been wonderful. We are extremely happy with Torrey Ridge and all that they have to offer. We recently moved from another Irvine Company location in Carlsbad and we’re happy with the Management company which is why we chose to stay with them.
We came here on a last minute whim since we had slightly ruled them out for the 2 bedroom price range was a little higher then we expected to pay. However, we took a look at the 1 bedroom with attached garage and immediately fell in love with the layout and flow of the apartment. Eyn was our apartment consultant if you will and showed us both 1 bedroom floor plans with attached garages. As soon as we could we jumped online to the Irvine Companies easy to use application and apartment hold process. Next thing you know we were moving in that weekend.
Since we have been in our new place we have had very little issues with the apartment. But the issues we have had were handled the same day we mentioned them to the front to office. It’s great feeling knowing the maintenance staff take pride in their work and make sure everything is comfortable and enjoyable for your living stay. Oh I forgot to mention they even offered to paint 1 wall complimentary as long as we supplied the paint. How awesome is that. We had a nicely painted aqua accent wall when we moved in.
We live on the bottom floor and have only heard our upstairs/​next door neighbors maybe twice. So nice the walls are not paper thin like some places we have lived.
They also have a 24hr gym which we use practically every other day. It has only been crowded once but we learned then don’t go on peak hours and you should be fine. The equipment is okay, it needs some upgrades and some new pads as some of them are worn out. But it gets the job done.
The pool and clubhouse look amazing but we have yet to try them out.
Torrey Ridge has a few different things going for it like, 3 different food trucks at night. My favorite is Tuesday night pizza truck, super delish. Detail Car Wash every other Saturday and I have also noticed cooking classes which I am looking forward to taking.
Everyone here in the comped is super friendly and you can’t find a better place to live. Every day some one says hello with a smile and it’s a great feeling living where people want to live. And if your a dog owner or lover then you have found the spot, not only is the place full of doggies but owners that care about their animals and clean up after then pets. I have yet to see doggy doodie anywhere and for the amount of animals here that blows me away.
We are extremely happy to live here and I can assure you that you would be happy to live here too.

My friend has been living at Torrey Ridge for the past 6 months and I’ve visited her about 10 times since she moved in. She has a one bedroom/​one bath with an attached garage. The place is spacious compared to other complexes we visited in Mission Valley and the other Irvine Company complex, Torrey Hills in Carmel Valley.
Her apartment has a good size kitchen, living room, 8×10′ dining room, large bedroom, double closet space that leads to the bathroom. I like that her place has an attached garage that leads directly to her apartment. This feature is very convenient and she almost never enters/​exits from her front door. She has two patios — one in front and one in back.
The way the complex is set up, you normally have one person next to you and not on both sides. If you live on the second floor, then you’ll have someone above you, beside you, and below you.
It’s a very comfortable apartment and the rent is on the high end of the spectrum (around $ 1,960.00 for 817 square feet). You can walk along a path around the outside of the complex and you have a wonderful view of Carmel Valley.
There are some negatives though: 1) The walls are not too thick, so you can hear people walking around or washing clothes if you have someone living above you (not so much when someone is next to you, but you can hear them a little bit); 2) It would be nice to reach the bathroom without having to go through the bedroom; 3) Every once in a while, you’ll hear the fighter jets taking off from the Mira Mesa Air Force Base.
Overall, a quiet complex. There are some people walking with their kids or dogs, but not nearly as much as when she was living at Monte Vista in Mission Valley.
Xie Xie!

The staff, particularly the maintenance crew here are amazing, very friendly and always willing to help. I a very happy to have chosen Torrey Ridge, my expectations of renting have definitely been exceeded

Really like this place because of its big apartment sizes, proximity to great beaches, San Diego, La Jolla, and Del Mar. Close grocery shopping too. Looks pretty nice on the inside too but not stainless steel appliances like I hoped but nice big size apartments.

Updating y’all on the state of Torrey Ridge…
The good: The property manager, who was new as of the last review, has settled in nicely and really does a tip top job with everything. The office is now unbelieveably responsive to concerns. They offer cooking classes, yoga by the pool, food trucks… nice touches.
Maintenance is great… probably the nicest team around, friendly and taking care of business. They work extremely hard to get things done.
The bad: Rents are very high for a 3br apartment versus a local condo or townhouse rental… in some cases it’s more cost efficient to rent, per sq ft, an $ 850k house just a few blocks away. The 2br is a much better deal if you don’t need extra space. For this reason, this is only a 3 star rating. Money matters most to them over community, and it should to you too.
Bottom line: Many more apartments are coming online with the July opening of Torrey Gardens. The rents are slightly more expensive but may have a few conveniences that might make it worthwhile to move. Like brand new everything. Hopefully, corporate will notice this and respond with more reasonable prices that help build community, not dismantle it for extra coin.

Torrey Ridge is a great location, but watch it You might get in with a good rent special, but they will keep increasing your rent anywhere from 5−10% upon lease renewals each year. They dont care how long or good of a tenant you might be… Units havent been updated still white tile counters, white appliances, fitness center is dated and machines are old. Not big enough for number of residents who live there. They dont put back into the property except for landscaping. Carpeting is very cheap, not berber.

Pros:
Safe & clean neighborhood
Pet friendly
Nice canyon view
Vons next to the complex
Cons:
First & foremost, NOISE!
This complex is very close to the departure/​arrival corridor of MCAS Miramar. On weekdays, slow-​moving low-​flying noisy helicopters and MV-​22 in the helicopter mode keep flying by. Hours of endless helicopter noise is not rare here. Those who plan to work from home should take this seriously. Before signing the lease, check out the noise level on a weekday NOT weekend with a lot less training activities. For me, working from home is not an option because of the noise.
Noisy garage door is another problem for some of the units here. The powered garage door shakes your bedroom when it opens/​closes. I would be surprised if anybody can sleep through this.

At first I was excited to rent the apartment, I knew it was pricey but I thought I would give it a chance, I have agreed for 7 month lease.
Sarah Moore, the girl who assisted me with paperwork was very nice and accommodating.

If you are a dog owner, then this is a great complex to live. Park-​like setting with walking trails along the canyon, plenty of dog bag stations (and usually supplied, but always have your own just in case), and lots of friendly dogs on your evening walks. There is the standard pet deposit and monthly pet rent fee, but the cost is in line with most other places. Bonus is a dog park within walking distance.
Even if you don’t have a pet, this is a great place to live relative to other landlords and complexes. The location is central to all work centers (Mira Mesa is accessible through back roads, downtown SD and Carlsbad are both just about 20 minutes against traffic). There are two pools (the smaller lap pool is much quieter). Plenty of parking (as long as you don’t live right next to the leasing office or clubhouse). And garages for about half the units (including attached garages for some of the ground floor units) and one assigned covered parking for the rest.
Drawbacks? It is a little pricier per SF than other places, but if you can get a canyon apartment with wide open views, then it’s worth it. Also, it can be a drive to get gas or go grocery shopping anywhere besides Vons.
They just recently updated their online systems, so now you can manage your lease documents and rent payments electronically, as well as submit maintenance requests online (or thru your phone app). Be sure to sign up for auto-​payment and you get a discount on your deposit.