Orchard Hills

My husband and I have lived in a 2 bedroom/​2 bath unit at Orchard Hills for over 2 years now. Like anywhere else, this apartment complex has its pros and cons.
It’s a well kept property with beautiful floor plans and all the usual Irvine Company amenities. We’ve been very happy with our unit, but less so about the management and community itself.
They have issued SIGNIFICANT year-​over-​year rent increases, which is ultimately forcing us to move to a new community. This year alone, they raised our rent by 10%! We even tried talking to the office about it, but they were unable (or unwilling) to help. They even said they’d have someone contact us to follow up on this matter, but that never happened.
Our complaints begin with the constant updates happening throughout the property. I can appreciate that they like to keep things nice & new, however, since we have moved in, annoying speed bumps & spike strips have been installed and parking permits are now required for every car outside of a garage. Additionally, the office, business center, fitness center, pools and jacuzzis have all been closed for periods of time for what looks like pointless renovations. I’m not necessarily complaining about the renovations, but to make us pay way too much for things we didn’t ask for is absurd. However, in all fairness, we were warned before moving in that this is one of Irvine Company’s flagship properties so we are basically «guinea pigs» for their other properties.
Although the property is nice, neighbors never make an effort to say hi or get to know you. We are constantly given notices on our doors about things like «pick up after your pets,» or «we’re re-​sealing the parking lot so you can’t park here for several days,» or «we’re doing inspections so cage your pets.» This happens CONSTANTLY. I’m honestly just tired of all the inconveniences.
We will be sad to see this apartment go, but have decided to stay with Irvine Company at another property. We gave notice to Orchard Hills just yesterday.
The last straw happened tonight after coming home to a notice about not slamming doors or washing your laundry after 10 pm. I don’t know if this was served to everyone, or just us, but I find it hard to believe that after 2 years with no complaint notices, we happen to get this one a day after we give our notice to vacate. I can tell you that inadvertently, I’m sure everyone in the building has slammed the door by accident when the windows are open. It doesn’t matter if this was directed to us or not — I move out in a month. But every time I come home to a notice on my door, I get mad. It’s never a flyer with fun activities or events, it’s ALWAYS bad news.
Take it with a grain of salt — the apartments and community are beautiful, but even if you get a good rate upon move in, don’t expect it to stay that way. Expect some inconveniences along the way, with all the usual Irvine Company strings attached. Overall, loved the apartment, community was just OK at best.

An update to my original review, now at the two-​year mark from when we originally moved in.
Both the community and unit itself are just as nice as when we originally moved in, however I have to lower my overall opinion after the recent string of permanent inconveniences that have made living here less and less enjoyable.
–Implementation of a parking permit system (find a better way to penalize the hoarders who use their entire garage as a storage facility, not the rest of us respectful tenants)
–Installation of one-​way spike strips at both exits
–Installation of multiple speed bumps (which don’t improve safety for pedestrians but certainly makes driving in and out a hassle)
The final deal-​breaker (in place of what would have our second lease renewal) was an outrageous 10% rent increase. What a «thank you» for being respectful tenants who’ve paid rent early every single month and have never had a complaint filed against them. Talking to management/​resident services only results in the unsurprising «our hands are tied» response with no real concern over keeping existing tenants. Really disappointing, so now it’s time to move!

I would like to give Mike a stellar review. The other day there was a resident seemed distraught and in the street he came and got the person out of the street and made sure he was ok. He is one of the best hires as Audra our new manager. Love living here and my neighbors are great too!

U know me. I live in 934 whispering trail in orchard hills. MUgurlu. Dont play dumb. I still have ur emails threating to evict my family because my infant son ran around my apartment to much. Sad place to live. Very disappointed.

Excellent maintenance request service!
We had an issue with our garbage disposal. I called the office at around 4 pm. Someone came right away. The issue was more than just unblocking it, so someone else came along and replaced it with a new disposal right away. Issue addressed. The maintenance staff is amazing, responsive, kind and courteous. Very impressed!

My husband and I just moved into Orchard Hills with our dog and while the complex has its pros, there are a few complaints.
Pro:
*nice looking complex
*spacious bedrooms and apartments
*friendly staffs
*nice bbq area
*free gym
*feels safe
*far enough from the shopping centers to avoid the craziness but close enough to go shop
*before getting on to the 405 fwy, you pass Tustin Market Place, Diamond Jamboree, AND the District.
Con:
*people do not pick up their dog poop and when they do, some throws the doggy bags into the bushes rather than in the trash. This is not OH’s fault but they should do something about it. It’s disgusting.
* the walls here are extremely thin. They are so thin we can hear our upstairs neighbors flick their light switches (not even kidding or exaggerating). We can also hear them walk. We can also hear when the guy upstairs snores at night. The worst part is we can hear them having sex.
*the apts here are very close together and people here love to slam their front door. They refuse to close it quietly. My dog goes berserk every time that happens since he think someone is at our front door.
*the clubhouse is not free, residents have to rent it if they want to use it
*everyone complains about parking and I can see why. If you come home after 7pm, good luck finding a space.
There are more pros and cons but the cons are what has been disrupting my stay here. Hopefully the company will fix these problems.

Looked at model homes here and they are decorated so spectacular and all the sales office people are extremely friendly.

Been here for about 3 months now, I love how quiet and peaceful it is. The only negative thing is parking. I didn’t think it would be since there is A LOT of spaces, but over by the Haggens end of it, there’s a lot of multi-​room apartments. And after observing empty driveways I have a feeling that they aren’t using their extra driveway parking space behind their garage, which is annoying. Forget about finding any parking in that area after about 7
— — — — –
*** Update: they’ve started a parking permit requirement and this has cleared up the parking problems immensely. It’s not as enforced as it should be, but people seem to be better about using their designated parking.

Guest parking is impossible on the weekends. I work nights and have zero luck finding a spot and have to park in the shopping center next door, which seems kind of sketchy.
The gym has no weight rack, which I’ve never seen before in any gym. There is also no stair master or attached restroom.
The leasing office has been closed for remodel, not sure why because it was new and nice, so they’ve moved to the club house which hasn’t been available to tenants in months.
There was construction right above our building for a while but I think it’s recently wrapped up.
Between the construction and beautiful greenery this is an allergy sufferers nightmare.
HUGE piece of advice is to scope out your actual apartment. I’m on the second floor and my upstairs neighbors have a toddler who literally does laps at 3 am, 6 am, 8 am and through out the day everyday. We tried to tell them nicely the noise was really loud, in case the were unaware and the mom snapped and started making complaints to the office about our dog barking. Funny thing is he barks at the football warm ups going on upstairs lol. If it were me I would take my kid to the park once in a while to get some energy out and be considerate but to each his own I guess. Why someone with a kid wouldn’t live on the first floor blows my mind. Zero consideration.
I’ve lived in some of OCs nicest apartment buildings and this one has my favorite layout. It’s a very open floor plan and the appliances are top of the line and great.
The pool is gorgeous but needs to be heated, especially at the prices the tenants are paying.
It’s a little over priced in my opinion but there are a ton of neighboring complexes if you’re looking for something more affordable. Irvine company buildings/​staff are amazing in my experience.

Enjoyed living a year and a half at Orchard Hills. Jose is great in maintenance. Jana, Tatiana and the staff are great. Rents are a bit high, but it’s one of IAC’s better properties and convenient to everywhere via the 261 and 241.

I have lived in this community for about two years and I absolutely love it. Truly a hidden gem in the Tustin ranch area. The staff is always so friendly. I recently visited the office to discuss my renewal and was immediately greeted, and offered water or coffee. Denise was very helpful and let me know Jana would be able to assist me with the renewal. Jana listened to my situation and was able to find me a better offer. It reaffirmed my love for the property and I am
So happy I will get to continue to love where I live.

First of all if you want to have the best service and experience you need to talk to Jana and Jonathan. Everyone in the team has been great but Jana and Jonathan are the best of the best :)
My wife and I have been living in Orchard Hills for a year now. Our lease is almost up here so we have visited many (if not all) of Irvine community apartments and others as well but we couldn’t find a place we liked better than Orchard Hills. Jana and Jonathan definitely went above and beyond to find the best option for us here and we are staying for sure.
We love our apartment, the layout is great and the apartments come with high end appliances, washer & drier, you even get your own garage. You cant beat it.
The community is always kept neat and you definitely get what you pay for. The pool are is great! I work from home some times and I just go to one of the bungalows and can work peacefully and feel like im in a resort with the great OC weather.
Maintenance team is awesome, Jose and Pedro are very good at what they do. They are very friendly and I feel safe letting them in m, y apartment while I am at work.
The events here are good as well. Always getting to meet new people in the events and made some new friends because of it.
We have a 7 month old daughter and we love that this is a quiet and peaceful community. but is also entertaining and fun.
If you are looking for a peaceful place that is beautiful, close to everything but secluded enough that you feel like you are in a resort, great residence service and good amenities than you should live here.

I have lived in Orchard Hills Apts. for almost 4 years. I have had the best experience here than other places I have lived. I feel like I’m living in a little Tuscan villa. First of all the floor plans are spacious with plenty of cupboard space in the kitchen, which I love love. The amenities include 2 huge pools, with bbqs and a fireplace. The staff has always had a friendly «hello» for me and have been prompt with maintenance requests. I also find the short walk to the grocery store and food places next door a bonus. The area is very clean and quiet. I’m sorry we have to move due to needing more room for our family for I would like to stay here.

Going on my 7^th year living at Orchard Hills. Been great! Janna has been wonderful to work with, very helpful and hands on in making our move smooth. Management is top notch. Anytime I have ever had any problems with anything in my apartment maintenance team is there in no time to fix it. Highly recommend moving to Orchard Hills.

I have lived here for about two years now. The office staff has changed since then and although I like the previous staff better the people in there now are fine. I will say that the maintenance staff has always been super friendly and very helpful. Especially Mike Davis and Mauricio Alvarez. Over all I would say this is the better complex to live in out of all the Irvine company complex’s. The location is great. You can walk to the store or to go get food or go to happy hour and you are close to freeways.

I lived here for a year on the 2^nd floor towards the back on the left side and now that I have moved, this is my update.
My time with Orchard Hills has been great but with a few negatives. Here is my list.
Pro’s
1. Quiet & clean (the walls are thick enough, glass are double pane)
2. Updated layout
3. Updated appliances
4. Safe
5. Quick with maintenance
6. Great amenities (pools and gym)
7. Plenty of parking spaces if you get back before midnight.
Con’s
1. An allergy zone when the winds blow
2. Construction of homes going on in the back adds to allergies. Not so much noise.
3. COMPLETE DEAD ZONE for cell phones
4. Not enough grass for pets to do their business.
5. Not much to do in this neighborhood.
6. Far
7. The front desk is sometimes not knowledgeable because they move around so much from other locations. It’s always someone new every other month.
8. Pricing isn’t negotiable any more
Middle of the Road’s
1. Way too expensive.

My wife and I moved to Orchard Hills Apartments Homes (OHAH) in August 2014. The community is great, clean, organized, and very safe. The pools are amazing along with the work-​out equipment and clubhouse. The apartments themselves are great because of their high ceilings, appliance-​ready kitchen, and many other features that are just worth it.
The location is great because you have a full-​sized Pavilion’s next door (bakery, deli, pharmacy, and more) along with the Tustin Market Place just down the street.
Overall, a great experience in living!

Ever since we have moved to Orchard Hills, we have truly LOVED it! Here are a few reasons why…
Pros:
–Orchard Hills village — groceries, pharmacy, spas, dry cleaning, restaurants are all so close and wonderfully convenient.
–Location — it’s so close to Tustin Market Place and the District, where we spend a lot of our time.
–The apartments are nice — furnished with stainless steel appliances and beautiful crown molding. The provided fridge and washer/​dryer was definitely a big plus for us!
–Friendly staff — They do their best to accommodate any needs/​requests, and they are great about throwing special events and engaging the residents.
–Accommodations — the pools and gym are very well kept and a great amenity.
–Maintenance — whenever I have placed a maintenance request, they are VERY good about getting back to us as soon as possible. Usually, the issue is taken care of the next day.
Cons:
–No elevator for some buildings. If you live on the 3^rd floor — I’m warning you now, your movers will hate you… and you may want to rethink your next IKEA trip.
–Parking can be a hassle. Everyone gets at least a 1-​car garage assigned to them. However… you’ll notice some of the residents don’t use their garage space as they are supposed to, so it does create a headache when you or your guest are trying to find a parking spot in general parking. It’s normally the most crowded when I come home from work later than planned or am out late at night. The team at Orchard Hills is trying the best they can to resolve this issue, and if you don’t mind walking a bit to your apartment, it’s definitely something that’s annoying but easy to deal with.
Overall, it is a fantastic place, and I’m so glad we went with Orchard Hills for our home :)

I would like to start by appreciating and applauding the team handling Orchard Hills property .
Jonathan is a perfect blend patience and excellent services always ready to help and listen to renters.
Jana and Alex are doing excellent work in handing the community and taking care of residents.
The maintenance team under the leadership of Tom is doing the best job, he and his team is doing marvelous job in keep the community clean and well maintained.
The location is Awesome, Shopping next door :), and one of the best schools Orchard Hills School in Irvine is also at the walking distance.
I am glad that we chose the perfect place for us, «a home away from home»
Boomchi

The apartments our beautiful inside and fully upgraded. Everything was super clean. The garages are big and shopping center right next door. There are some fun events like taco night and food trucks!
The negatives for me are the price is high and parking is a pain at night. Also construction from new neighborhood is not fun. One more thing if you don’t live on first floor the balconies are super tiny and small bathrooms.
Overall decent, quiet, clean, upgraded community. If you don’t mind paying the higher rent go for it.