Seabrook At Bear Brand Apartments

It’s sad when the good reviews about this place are your outliers. My family and I are in the process of moving out after only 5 months. If you really want to come home every night in a fit of rage about the numerous issues with this complex, from its worthless management staff to its overall uneducated and incompetent maintenance staff you have picked the right place. Let’s be honest, the apartments are pretty nice, especially for the price in this area. But, it is a rare occasion to find anything to be pleased about here. I hate to say it, but pay more and be at least happier somewhere else.

I lived with my dad at Seabrook for almost 20 years, since I was 3 or 4 years old. I wouldn’t have chosen anywhere else to grow up. The memories from my time at Seabrook are some of the best I have – the office staff was always friendly and helpful, and the maintenance team went above and beyond in providing quality, timely service. I could say more, but I’ll let 20 years speak for itself. If you’re looking for an idyllic place to live, close to the coast and a literal stone’s throw away from a shopping center that provides all you’ll need, look no further. I would recommend Seabrook to anyone and everyone.

I have no idea why this place has such bad reviews! My boyfriend and I moved here in October and I have nothing but good things to say about our apartment and the staff. The maintenance team is so friendly and helpful and I have to say if it weren’t for Kassandra in the front office we wouldn’t have moved in. She provided us with absolutely superb customer service and made us feel like this was the right place for us. We are so happy with the decision to make Seabrook our home,

One star for a reason it’s horrible management tells you no ac nessecary it’s a lie. It’s unsanitary dog piss everywhere on the roads, it’s noisy kids are skateboarding everywhere. They refuse to work with you and let you out of the lease, everything inside the condo is old so please believe me don’t rent here it’s awefull

I’m just about to finish out my second year here, and overall, it has been a good experience. Seabrook has it’s fair share of ups and downs just like any other place. My favorite thing about living here would be the grounds– lots of water features and beautiful landscaping! Also, it’s walking distance from Ralph’s, Trader Joes, Starbucks, frozen yogurt, my favorite bagel shop, the movie theater, and some fun little restaurants. My apartment has vaulted ceilings which makes it feel bigger than it is, and also, I get lots of sunlight. I have my washer and dryer in my apt, a pantry, and a little island in my kitchen. The set up is really nice. I’ve never had a bad experience with the people in the leasing office– they’re pretty formal and professional which may get misconstrued by some as rudeness. The leasing agents are nice people, and I can tell they try their best to be accommodating… but some people just refuse to be reasonable.
Now for the less awesome things about living at Seabrook: my number 1 gripe– construction. They have been telling us for over a year that the pool/​fitness center/​leasing office will be finished… and none of them are. In fact, I’ve lived here through 2 summers and both summers… no main pool and no gym! This is a huge bummer for me because I have summers off and don’t get to enjoy the amenities I pay for. When my lease came up for renewal last year, they raised the rent by $ 80. I asked them why this was so– they aren’t making any upgrades to my apartment and the amenities that I pay for aren’t available to me and won’t be for the foreseeable future, but they couldn’t budge– rent went up. I realize the speed of construction is not under their control, but I feel a hike in rent is preposterous without amenities like the main pool and gym. Especially since I used both all the time before they were torn down. I was offered a 24 hr pass free of charge… but still, not as convenient and not the same thing as having a gym on premises. The second bummer about Seabrook is the fact that the walls are pretty thin and if you don’t live right by a waterfall, you’re going to hear a great deal of your neighbor’s daily living noises– opening and closing cupboards/​closets, showering, entire phone conversations, arguments… you name it. Parking can be a pain, but if you work out a routine such as last person home gets the carport, it’s really not so bad. Maintenance has gotten better– all of the maintenance crew are extremely sweet– they’re busy, though, so they prioritize their calls based on importance. All in all– I’ve maxed out at 2 years here. I’m ready for some new scenery and an apartment that is in better repair (I’ve got bathroom mold that keeps coming back no matter how much I leave the fan on in there, lots of termite damage, and for obvious reasons — cheap cheap renters carpet that I just can’t stand anymore). I know that my lease would be raised at least another $ 80…and still no amenities. I can’t stomach paying $ 1800 or more for a 1 bedroom apt. I found something cheaper, more upgraded, and closer to the beach for less.
I would recommend Seabrook to somebody who is in search of a dog friendly environment that is fairly mellow.

I lived in the Seabrook apartments for 3 years. The location is nice and the grounds are aesthetically pleasing.
However, be prepared to be treated more like a number that merely contributes to Shea Property’s bottom line than a neighbor who is part of a community. They will invariably raise your rent at the end of each lease (mine was by 6% each year). And they are very inflexible when it comes to enforcing their policies.
They tried to impose the rent increase even when the complex was under constant construction and the fitness center, pool, and convenient parking were all unavailable.

Well, after reading the issues with resident parking vs. visitors, I’m doubly appreciative for not having those issues with which to deal.

I do enjoy much about Seabrook; the architecture, layout, landscaping, the general aesthetic of the apartments and grounds. I’ve found the front office very amenable and quick to resolve any issues that come up. The community of tenants I’ve found friendly and upstanding.
But there are issues I’m not at all pleased with. Management charges a price that is supposed to include a community center, workout room and the larger of two pools. The smaller pool is a postage stamp.
However there has been no such facility for months on end. It was razed to accommodate the new facility now under construction, way, way under. It’s ostensibly to be ready during April. Here we are the middle of February and hardly beyond framing. Days of complete inactivity consume the days when there’s any crew at all.
Compensation in the form of rent reduction? Not exactly, we get free monthly access to the 24 Hour Fitness in the mall next to us. Well, there’s 50 bucks I won’t have to spend!
Though I’m so far not effected I was troubled by the recent, pretty ham handed management notices declaring that random inspection of garages was in motion, forbidding tenants to use their garage for anything other than parking unless having alternative parking options. Otherwise tenants should try leaving their vehicle on the main thoroughfare of Golden Lantern, as in overnight, as in bad idea.
What a foolish abandonment of loyalty, good will and common courtesy.
Why is the resolution of this tenant hardship not resolved by focusing on the somehow favored and teflonized visitor? As in, let it be they who get to park on Golden Lantern.
Their risk would be fractional compared to the tenant leaving his vehicle overnight.
Really now, which impacted group will result in a higher rate of vacancy; inconvenienced visitors or disgusted tenants?

Seabrook is terrible. The leasing staff is terrible. Rent here and you will come to find very quickly that this place loses it intial asthetic appeal. The only thing they care about is parking. Cars get broken into in the outside parking while the «security» guy drives by once a night at around 4 am and writes violations for parking to RESIDENTS. They will tow your car. Only alternatives are to «park at Ralphs or on golden lantern» meanwhile there is open spaces for guests available. Joke. Rent is way over priced and continues to go up. Construction for 8 or 9 months straight. Can’t have your garage door open for 3 minutes without receiving some type of complaint for it. The list goes on and on but I’m not going to waste anymore of my own time on this place. DO NOT RENT HERE. Terrible apartment complex.

Worst place I have ever lived. Deserves 0 stars. Leasing staff is joke rules are outrageous amenities under construction and rent goes up. Staff here is rude and not helpful whatsoever. A few maintenance guys are cool besides that it’s awful. Don’t live in a place where they tow residents cars to make room to accommodate «guests». Horrible horrible horrible

Shit complete shit. If you like your neighbors throwing parties every weekend, management not doing their job, and paying a ton of money for mediocre living then this is your place! They recently painted a numerous amount of parking spaces as «visitor» if you actually live here and there are no other parking spaces available when you get home besides the «visitor» spots… YOU WILL GET TOWED. What a concept, you pay to live here but you get towed if you park in a visitor spot when all the other ones are taken. What idiot came up with that grand idea?

I realize that positive reviews are a lot less entertaining than the negative ones, but I’d like to offer my opinion after 3 years of living at Seabrook Apartments.
Overall, it has been a great experience. Seabrook has been a wonderful place to come home to.
We really appreciate the location, and the fact that almost everything we need is within walking distance (Ralph’s, Trader Joe’s, CVS, fast food, Bed Bath & Beyond, etc…) We also love being so close to the beach (about 2 miles). Dana Point is easily the most amazing place I’ve ever lived.
The grounds are generally kept very clean. We’ve only used the pool a few times, but when we did, it was in good condition. The water features (streams, ponds) around the property really help neutralize any noise problems. Only rarely do we hear our neighbors.
We’ve rarely needed to call for repair work, but when we did, our issues were usually resolved quickly and with one visit. And the service pesonnel are friendly and knowledgeable.
Parking can sometimes be an issue, as residents of 2-​bedroom apartments get only one assigned space, and are left to fend for themselves for that coveted second parking spot.
There are supposed to be ‘courtesy patrols’ checking up on the area periodically; I think I’ve seen them twice in the 3 years we’ve been here. So, there is definitely room for improvement in this area. But we haven’t encountered any real safety issues. We feel very safe in this community, even though it’s not gated.
Pet owners are required to pick up after their dogs, but some do not. So I would list this as a negative. I even observed one neighbor who allowied his dog to poop right beheath our bedroom window, and never bothered to pick it up. Not cool.
The office staff is generally friendly. I do wish they were a little friendlier, but this is not a deal-​breaker. I’m sure they have good and bad days just like we do.
We enjoy having a washer and dryer in our unit. This eliminates the need to hoarde quarters and shlep our laundry back and forth to an outside laundry facility.
The last time our lease was up for renewal, the renewal letter showed an rent increase of $ 200! But we contacted the rental office, and they agreed to reduce the increase to a more manageable rate.
Please keep in mind that once you sign your lease, there is ZERO FLEXIBILITY regarding its terms. A while back, the wife and I both lost our jobs. So we met with a leasing agent to discuss our options. I approached them with 4 proposals. 1: We were willing to move to a less expensive unit within the complex, 2: We were willing to move to a less expensive unit at a different Shea Properties complex, 3: We offered to pay a reduced rate until at least one of us was employed, or 4: We asked if we could simply break the lease without incurring any penalties. None of our proposals was even remotely considered; Instead, we were told that the eviction process would begin within 3 days of late payment, and that no penalties would be waived. Fortunately, we got some help from family members, and were able to pay on time. But be aware that companies the size of Shea Properties simply will not negotiate or make exceptions for you. It’s all business in this respect. They are only protecting themselves. Understanding and accepting this is MUY IMPORTANTE!
Again…our overall experience has been extremely pleasant. And now that my job is requiring me to relocate, I’m having a very hard time finding a complex that’s as nice as Seabrook. All in all, I would not hesitate to return to Seabrook Apartments, if I had the opportunity.

This place is a complete scam! Avoid moving in here because everything will be broken, you will be met with unfriendly and unhelpful leasing consultants. They will increase your rent every year by at least $ 150 per month (this wasn’t just us, but every neighbor we spoke to). Finally, on move out, they will send you a huge bill and want you to replace items with normal wear and tear. This is an institutional landlord, like the Irvine Company, so they do whatever they want and charge you for whatever they want. However, at least the Irvine Company keeps their properties in great condition.

worst place to live! they have a very deceitful business model. it’s all about sucking u in and then squeezing u for every last penny when u leave.

If you don’t like being woken up at 6:00am by children running downstairs to school then do not move to this neighborhood. Its so loud here! There are sooooo many kids in this neighborhood. The amount of trash you see is a disgrace. This place is ghettto now.
Biggest mistake signing our lease for the second time. The leasing office straight up lied to our face about the new pool being ready in February. yet they increase our rent by $ 100? For what? We have NO AMENITIES. Whatta joke. Its now July 3 and its nowhere being done. The new apartment buildings on cabot and crown valley parkway is 100x the size of seabrooks new leasing office/​pool and they are almost done! How could one small little leasing office take this long to build? Secondly they put a TIMESHARE below our apartment. Guess what that means? Constant out of towners who have no respect whatsoever, who are loud, rude and are here to party. Right now I’m in bed and all i hear is loud music coming from the timeshare below. Ever since they made that place into a timeshare its been nothing but noise. How uncomfortable having people stay below your home that you don’t even know.
This place has changed since we first moved in. Its so awful now I don’t know if new management came in or what but this place is a disgrace.

I wanted to write an update. As said in my previous post that my husband and I had been at Seabrook for 2 years coming October 5^th. As our lease was coming due and in need of a two bedroom not the one bedroom we are currently in, we decided to check out our options in the area.
I really wanted to move closer to the beach, more in the Lantern area, but after a ton of research and looking for 2 months I opted to stay in an apartment community for a number of reasons.
First the deposit is lower
Second, there is the swimming pool, (1 heated)
Third there is a gym
As my husband and I looked at the Apartment complexes in the area; we were wavering between Monarch Coast or staying at Seabrook. We loved the 2 bedroom layout at Monarch Coast but the prices were a bit higher. Monarch Coast has full size washer and dryers whereas Seabrook has stackable apartment size. Both have 2 swimming pools, one heated and both has gyms, Monarch’s gym is larger and has more equipment. But I am a personal trainer and the Seabrook gym suited me just fine. Every once in a while there would be machine down but always gets fixed. Mind you, a normal gym has the same issues. I am saving $ 70 a month on a gym memberships between my husband and I by having a gym that does the job. Yes I wish there were more equipment but since I am a trainer I know how to make due with exercises that do the same thing as the equipment is lacking in this gym.
My husband and I chose to stay at Seabrook. We are moving this weekend and the move will be relatively easy because we are moving to the larger 2 bedroom unit directly below us. Both of these units have incredible views of the ocean and surrounding area. A big plus. In addition to the views the cost of the 2 bedroom is still the least expensive of the apartments in the area. We wanted a two bedroom with a washer and dryer with views.
Downfalls
1. Yes there are a lot of speed bumps, I live in the farthest back corner location of the property and there is 9 speed bumps no matter which way I go to get to my unit.
2. We had somewhat of an issue with the transfer because our leasing agent was new to the property, therefore new to the policy and standards. She was very pleasant to work with and the problem was solved, in fact they went above and beyond because of the hassle with the paperwork and transfer.
3. You can’t choose your neighbors and sometimes they are loud or they don’t keep their porch picked up. But again, this is apartment living. For heavens sake this is Dana Point, not the ghetto and for the most part people are respectful, courteous and clean.
Bottom line. You have to choose for yourself. Everyone is going to have a different experience and unfortunately the bad experiences are usually the ones you hear the most about.

I live in Seabrook for almost two years. First off if I could of moved sooner I would! The apartment is outrageously expensive! 1500 for a one bedroom seriously? I was interested in a two bedroom and rather than making more money from me and keep yet another apartment from going empty the told me without paying almost 5000 $ in deposits and rent I couldn’t move into a larger place, are you kidding me! I already paid all that for my one bedroom. So I moved out. In my two years there there was someone moving at least once a week.
Most of the tenents are rude. The attitude and DGAF attitude I received from the people at the office was unprofessionally and uncalled for. Further more the gym is too small to get a proper workout in, the apartment is old fashioned small and poorly laied out. The kitchen is useless and the biggest complaint, bees.
After noticing bees in my bathroom we make several calls to th office. Took over a week to get someone to spray for bees and yet they were still in my vents for another two sprays over two months. The last straw that led up to my early 30 day notice was the bees yet again back in my vents and my 1 y/​0 daughter being stung and having to go to the hospital.
Add this with the Mexican yards keepers constantly sleeping right infront of my parking spot, the maitence men digging through the dumpsters for cans, 3 $ wash and dry at the laundry and a almost 200 $ increase in my rent when I signed a new lease even after the overall rent rate for a 1 bedroom only being 1200 for the area. This place is cheap quality, expensive, rude, unprofessional, and not worth your time!

Why pay outrageous money to live in a trailer park atmosphere. Do you like when your neighbors throwing trash into your yard then move here! Do you like when parents dont watch their kids and let them trespass onto your property then this is the place for you. This place sucks!

Recently moved out of Seabrook Apartments and please find my review of management, facilities, amenities, and personal comfort.
1. Management: if you simply put the fact that it takes a minimum of 36 hours for management to get maintenance to your apartment if something does happen to your washer/​dryer or the sink overflows, then the front office is pretty nice and usually available. However, the leasing consultant lied to us regarding the terms when the lease ended and please keep in mind that they are only faces in the office and have absolutely zero control or power. Seabrook is owned by Shea Properties and I rank their management to somewhere near or below slumlords.
2. Facilities & Amenities: very poor. First off, it took 15 speed bumps to get to our apartment. The kitchen is sub-​standard with cheap appliances and for over $ 1400 per month for a one-​bedroom, it’s one of the most plain and unoriginal apartments I’ve ever seen. The gym is small with only a few machines and the machines that Seabrook does provide are old and faulty. The pools and spas are always dirty and the trash containers will remind you of a landfill.
3. Personal comfort: after the upstairs neighbor yelled out of his window to tell my girlfriend and her friend, who were chatting on the deck at 9pm, to «shut the f-​up» only after moving in the week prior, we already had out first complaint to the management office. In the same weekend, our apartment along with our building got toilet-​papered, and we met a nice group of guys who had to tell us how they beat up a guy that was raping another guy near the pool. So needless to say, the first few weeks were unbelievable. However, after checking with local law enforcement, no actual crime was reported, but just the fact that he told us the story was scary enough.
The icing on the cake was the animal that got trapped in the wall of the bedroom. For a couple of weeks it made a very loud, scratching noise as if you took a hammer to concrete. After a few attempts to get management to assist, they finally sent out exterminators, who only set up poison containers in and around the apartment. They made two separate trips to the apartment and finally after week three the animal went away.
In closing, the lease ended and as our leasing consultant (who no longer works there) told us the rent would go month-​to-​month AT THE ORIGINAL LEASE PRICE, we got a notice. It said that the new month-​to-​month rate would increase over $ 200 per month. And that if we signed a new lease it would be about the same per month for one year and it would decrease about $ 75 per month if we signed a longer lease.
Please keep in mind that OC rentals are down over 6% over the past year, Seabrook Apartments has at least one moving truck in and out of there every weekend, and this country is experiencing one of the worse recessions since the Great Depression. Seabrook nor Shea Properties made any attempt to negotiate or try to keep us as tenants.
For the same price we found a larger apartment, newly decorated, ocean views, and we can walk to the sand. Seabrook is dirty, overly priced, the amenities and apartments are below par, and the people are not friendly.
Good luck in your search and steer clear of Seabrook Apartments at Bear Brand.