Esplanade

I just moved out of these apartments so I figured I would update my review. I tried really hard to like these apartments, I mean I REALLY tried. For $ 1662 a month, it’s not worth it. I’ve had to put in online requests for maintenance more times than I can count on both hands!
*******My apartment had a MAJOR mouse problem******* My apartment was always kept clean, never had any roaches or other critters but man, mice were TERRIBLE. The first time I noticed them was a year after I moved in, apparently they chewed through my kitchen walls that faced my patio. After seeing the tell tale signs I immediately put in a request to maintenance. it took them 5 days to even come out. Yes, FIVE freaking days of having mice run all in my kitchen. I didn’t use my kitchen at all during those 5 days. All they did was put down glue trap after glue trap until I suggested they glue up the hole they were coming from. In total, those damn glue traps caught 10 mice. The maintenance men were always nice, but they could never remember to recheck the mice traps. They put a glue trap behind my dishwasher and I literally forgot about it for 3 weeks before I started to smell something disgusting. I immediately put in another request and low and behold, there were 4 dead mice on the glue trap. DISGUSTING.*******
Besides the mice issue, it seemed like appliances were always falling apart. My sinks and tub were always clogged, my upstairs neighbor’s water heater leaked through my bedroom ceiling leaving an eye sore of a stain, our water heater busted, it was just problem after problem with these apartments. My fellow residents were alright… besides the 3 domestic abuse cases and hobos ravaging through the dumpsters. I don’t even know why they have security, it SUCKS. Our car got broken into at our covered spot.
The only positive things I can say about these apartments is that it was close to base, and friendly office staff. Just stay away from these apartments. The models look nice, but do NOT be fooled they are the crappiest apartments ever. I’m so ecstatic my husband and I were able to get out of our lease! So long, suckaz.

I think i didn’t give any stars for Here
The first, I feel so bad when I moved on here … My apartment has bedbugs … I came to office and complains that but No. They blamed for my family brought bedbugs. WTF !!! They suggested my family pay $ 400 for cleanup…
The second, after 5 – 6 month my mailbox has problems… I came to office again … They told me: don’t worry!!! We will fixing locker about 24 hours. Right now 2 weeks my mailbox still not working… I’m so tired …
If you want to rent in here … Pizz thinking about that again because you live in here after 1 years you need pay extra $ 100 for rent apartment… I don’t know why!!!

First off I would like to say this place sucks… I would never recommend this place to anyone. The only thing good about this place is that the gentleman who helped me was very nice and professional, thats the only plus I can say about this place.
For 1600 (if no pets and you happen to stop by the right time of the year) you can get this place that cheap (if cheap is what you want to call it). We have 2 dogs and thats already 1700 not including utilities and bills. Pet Friendly is a STRETCH! Felt like a pet prison, constant nagging from the leasing people. I even got accused of having 3 dogs and the lady said she was gonna give me a notice to leave, Just off an assumption they’re almost ready to give me the boot.
Not even the 1^st week in I came home to this place My AC broke! It took them about 5 days to tell me that they were ordering a part for it and never told me when/​if they were gonna install it. Good Communication! Then my garbage disposal messes up and leaks everywhere. The pre-​inspection check they did was a joke, they only wrote what they wanted to write down and as minimal as possible according to my eyes but I can bet my salary they will charge me for the stupidest reasons when I get out of here.
The garbage by the pools is always over flowing. Cant even have some items in your patio because the leasing office doesn’t like it or some policy nonsense. And I got locked out of my house one day but thank god for their «24÷7» maintenance team… but wait their «24’7» maintenance team only works mon-​fri regular hours and couldn’t help me open my door, he said «call a Locksmith…» Thanks again, and that cost me over 200 $ And I started my lease on the 8^th and I turned my rent in on the 8^th and they just gave me a overdue late fee of something around $ 200! Are you kidding me, I dropped off my rent the day it was due and they’re quick to give a late fee! Are you serious! But when it comes to taking out the trash Esplanade can take 10 days. How cheap of them to do their renters like that now it’s making me think if they even pro-​rated me for the first 8days I didn’t even live here! With all the noise and drugs I can smell by the pool I can say they don’t have NO security team over here or their security team is asleep. Even the dumpster management is terrible which I think we pay for but I guess which we pay it for it to smell. It looks like it comes monthly because it’ll pile up and get infested with flies and smell everywhere. There’s barely any grass on the inside of the apt complex, mostly surrounded by dirt, they just make the outside look nice to trick people apparently. Tiny parking spots held by wooden beams that take away from the parking spot itself.
Their maintenance team policy or procedure that they have is that they prefer to get maintenance done when the tenant isn’t home… CREEPY. I told them to call us if they were coming just in case someone was home like my female roommate and of course they don’t call and warn anyone, but then again I’m not surprised.
Read the reviews of how people hate this place and why it gets 2 stars as a rating, I cannot wait till I leave this place! Im also not trying to get an email from the Esplanade community representative trying to defend her complex unless she’s gonna refund me the money to the overdue rent fees which were paid on the due date then I don’t want to hear it.

I’m updating now that I have the bill in my hand:
$ 60 for carpet cleaning
$ 52 for PAINT SUPPLY – seriously?
$ 66.06 for water bill – This accounted for a month and half which is about normal.
$ 70 for painting
$ 55 for apartment cleaning – the lady said my «bathtub was dirty».
Total: $ 303.06
Screw you Esplanade…
California Law allows for a leasing company to charge: For cleaning the rental unit when the tenant moves out, but only to make the unit as clean as it was when the tenant first moved in; and for repair of damages, other than normal wear and tear, caused by the tenant or the tenant’s guests;
(1) You stated on the phone that my apartment was clean except the bathtub. I cry foul. My bathtub looked the same as it did when I moved in, probably even better.
(2) Normal wear and tear=pictures on the wall.

This place was our home for the the first two years of our stay in San Diego and we totally loved every bit of it.
About the apartment: Ours was a 1BHK, size wise it is tight but ok for a couple who does not have too many household items. One can choose between a laminate wooden flooring and carpet, rent varies accordingly. All of the apartments have a patio, well cabineted kitchen with appliances (dishwasher, refrigerator and cooking range), store room. My only crib area was the bathroom size which was quite tight for my liking.
Amenities: Include common washer area, pool and jacuzzi, reserved car ports, open slots for guest parking /​additional cars, easy access to park, public transport, shopping, schools and colleges.
Leasing office /​Maintenance: During our stay we were interacting mostly with Maggie from the leasing office. She is solid in the work she does and handled everything wonderfully! The process of leasing, lease renewal, maintenance, rent payment had all been very smooth and hassle free. We had maintained the apartment wonderfully and this showed, in that we were only charged the standard deductions.
All things considered (like location, outlook, maintenance, landscaping, etc) this is perhaps the only economically prized apartment in the Mira Mesa area. But it never felt like budget living :)
Thanks Team Esplanade and Maggie for giving us a beautiful living experience!

Esplanade Mira Mesa is awesome! The support provided is fast and friendly whether you need repairs or an exterminator or whatever. The people in the office are friendly and helpful and all-​around good people. Thanks, guys!

This is probably the best deal you’ll find in Mira Mesa. The apartments are a bit old, most noticeably some of the cabinets and closets, but the complex does an excellent job with renovations. The kitchen appliances are in excellent condition, and the sink/​shower area looks brand new. Make sure to ask for Anthony Melendez, who has provided by far the most amiable experience I’ve had in looking for an apartment. When I arrived on move-​in day, he had already thoroughly cataloged the current condition of the apartment, and kept us up to date on all last-​minute repairs and touch-​ups. Thanks so much Anthony!

lived in esplanade for 3 yrs almost, it was pleasant experience, we had our baby during our stay, so its more emotional connection to this apartment, and our friends around us made it more easier, today i needed some documents out of archive and Fritzie helped promptly and got me the documents in no time. I recommend Fritzie for his communication skills and willing to help.

First and foremost, I want to comment about the exceptional service I specifically received from Anthony M! Aside from his tangible dedication to find you the best living arrangements, what really blew my mind was that he took it upon himself to inspect every nook and canny of my apartment EVEN BEFORE my lease started and had a short list of general comments you find in renting an apartment.
I don’t mean to suggest that the apartment had a laundry list, but as with every rental complex you do need to be thorough to note the existing condition of the unit. I spent half an hour looking for anything I wanted to add to the inspection to no avail. I lived in La Jolla area for 5 years and I had to move every year due to living arrangements. This guy was hands down the best person to talk to for apartment hunting and settling in. Two thumbs up for Anthony and the complex, which is, mind you, very affordable yet well maintained in a nice residential area!

I moved in to this Apartment a week back and found the all the issues (like plumbing, lighting, etc.,)found in apartment on the first day was resolved within 2 days.
2 Bed apartment is very big and spacious!!! Well maintained modular kitchen. Lots of tree around, pool view well ventilated rooms with good natural light.
Even the people in rental office were able to explain every questions asked helped me by giving all possible pointers where I can get my SDGE, money Order etc., to be done so that I can occupy the apartment on time without any issues.

Best deal you might be able to find in Mira Mesa area. Me and my husband used to live in La Jolla and it was just too expensive. We moved to Esplanade since September 2014 and we couldn’t be happier. The apartment layout makes it feels very spacious and modern. They also renewed our carpet before we moved in so that’s an added plus. I also love the gas stove and the huge closet. The best thing about Esplanade however, is their maintenance. You can call maintenance ²⁴⁄₇ and they usually respond within an hour or two. I had problems with my fridge and electricity before and the maintenance guy came less than hour after I gave them a call (the fridge problem happened on a Sunday morning and electricity problem was on Wednesday afternoon). I highly recommend this place :)
I also recommend you to talk with Anthony Melendez at the leasing office. He is a great and friendly guy. We love him because he doesn’t only sell but he also listens to our concerns and help us solves them.

Happy to list my experience with the maintenance. I needed to mount a white board for which I submitted an online request. Even though maintenance team do not take care of private needs, promptly they called me and fixed it for me quick. I am so glad !!

Your home is what you make of it! A lot of people complain about Esplanade costing too much, it’s old, items breaks, things clog, parking is an issue, etc.
For the area the cost is comparable, they take large pets (which VERY few apartments do), maintenance is quick to respond to requests, the office staff is friendly and honestly… these apartments are 30 years old! You can’t expect them to be pristine or for things to not get clogged or even need to be replaced.
Bottomline is that this is going to happen and tenants need to keep an open mind. I’ve been here 2 years now and it’s worked for my daughter and I in our situation. Good news is we are all entitled to our own opinions… don’t let someone cloud your judgement. See for yourself!

The best way I can describe this place is: GROSS.
Do NOT be fooled by the professionally uploaded photos. Those are way off. Laughably off. The apartments have the same layout, but otherwise look nothing like those photos.
We rented this place w/​o reading reviews, unfortunately, and paid the price. Just got out of our 9mo lease – thank God it wasn’t longer – and just finished arguing with leasing management over the phone (for the 3^rd time) about the bogus charges they came up with on our security deposit.
Gross:
— People don’t clean up after their dogs even though there are waste bins everywhere. No one enforces this. It’s disgusting, especially in the summer, flies everywhere. (and yes I have a dog who I always clean up after)
— When maintenance comes in to fix something, after you’d waited 3 days, they leave a mess behind.
— Black mold.
— The walls and floors, cabinets, tub, and appliances are old and used. They can only get SO clean. Just «clean enough.» Nothing is actually white, rather a yellowish off-​white. Trust me, you can clean allll day, and the place will still look like a dump. Also, the appliances, tub, faucets, drains, and blinds break all the time or just don’t work at all.
— When we first moved in we found a rotting peach in the fridge. There was also some kind of bug repellent in the cupboard and some other weird items that they never came to retrieve. We just didn’t use that shelf.
— When we first moved in we noticed that the place was not very clean and the floors were nearly black. Disgusting. We spoke to Anthony in the leasing office and were informed that Esplanade changed cleaning companies and some of the apartments were missed. WHAT? MISSED??? But I guess they weren’t going to say anything, wanted to see whether we would notice. They promised to not charge us for carpet cleaning when we moved out.
Other Cons:
— Floor layout sucks. You have to walk through bedroom to get to bathroom which is awkward when having guests.
— Paito is unusable as a patio because there was a huge fan thing in the middle of it. No room for a grill or chairs or anything. We used it for storage.
— Pool is okay, but sometimes unclean. One day I walked past as 2 girls were having a bubble bath in the hot tub and another resident walking by was on the phone with maintenance loudly informing them of the misdemeanor. There were bubbles overflowing everywhere around the tub and into the grass.
— I wasn’t aware Esplanade had security. Some reviewers here said they do? I never saw anything or anyone that would indicate this.
— The parking spaces are ridiculously narrow. We have a tiny little Prius and still had trouble parking. No clue how the SUVs and trucks got in there.
— The neighborhood is blah. Boring. Everyone in bed by 9. Too far from everything else in SD to Über/​taxi.
— Expensive. 1br for $ 1450 + utilities + water. For the quality & location, should be $ 1000/​mo. If that. They jack the rent up a lot if you want to renew (but why would you?).
Pro:
— Pet friendly up to 50lbs and they don’t check to see if the dog is really the weight/​breed you say it is.
Upon Leaving:
They use this company called ConService to charge you water. This was shady from the beginning. You’re grouped up with x amount of other apartments and the bill is divided between you all. is that legal? Our bills usually ranged from $ 45 – 65. Except, conveniently, for the very last one. Wouldn’t you know, even though we moved out 2 weeks before our lease was up, we received a $ 97 ConService charge. Those numbers just don’t add up. Additionally, we were charged for them repainting the entire apartment, cleaning fees, and that carpet cleaning fee they said they’d waive. «Surprise, you get no deposit back!»
After many emails and arguing on the phone, we were able to get back NEARLY HALF of our deposit. And they think they’re being generous. (We’ve always received our ENTIRE deposit back, every time, from every place we’ve lived, even with owning a dog.) Live here at your own risk.

The parking spaces are incredibly small. It’s hard to park without hitting another car.
The hot tub was broken the entire time I lived there, they knew it was broken, they didn’t care.
I can never seem to get anyone on the phone when I call, unless I say it’s to lease a new apartment.
A woman in a white van drives by about once a week to take pictures of your back patio and inside your windows to make sure you’re following the rules. We always made a point to wave at her while she took our picture.
The cabinets are made of crappy plywood that fall into dust around the kitchen floor every time a drawer is opened.
Overall, they’re cheap apartments that are meant to be lived in while you’re in between houses. No one wants to stay there.

Living here was weird… At first, it wasn’t so bad. We were dedicated a parking space and we didn’t think it would be difficult for our 2^nd car to find a space. We were absolutely wrong. Unless you get home early or you live in a place where you have no residence, it’s hard to find a space at night. I recall several times when I had to circle around the block just to find a spot in the middle of the night. I was not happy.
The apartment allow pets, so we heard dogs barking a lot. If you’re not a dog person this may not be your cup of tea. For the most part, it was quiet, but then again the fiancée and I came home late pretty much every night when everyone was already sleeping.
There were a couple times when I felt unsafe at night, but then I would just hurry to our place. The apartments are dated and we shared a 1 bedroom/​1 bathroom. The bathroom is NOT ideal for 2 people. We oftentimes bumped elbows.
No laundry unit in the apartments — there is a community facility. I do not do community laundry facilities… Find an alternative.
A positive was that the apartment had A/​C. The negative was that the A/​C was located in the dining room and it would take hours just to cool the bedroom. Not centralized, which made it hard in the summer!
I remember on our first day, our neighbor came by and introduced himself with his bulldog. He was a retired Marine. COOL! A few months later, I decided to look up Megan’s Law and the predators living in the area… Low and behold, our neighbor who nicely introduced himself, was a child molester.
REALLY?!

Our lease at our old apartment ended 8−5−14. We stayed at my boyofriend’s parents house for a few days with our things but, my! I’m so impressed by how fast everything was processed here at Esplanade Apartments. Anthony was amazing to us and let us know everything we needed to know prior to move-​in. The whole process, beginning with our applications took LESS THAN 3 DAYS! We got approved for the apartment same day thanks to their awesome system, and after we got all of our paperwork together plus the first month’s rent check we picked up our keys on Friday 8−8−14.
PROS:
— Wonderful staff team
— Quiet apartments
— Laundry room has an app and takes card
— Good looking pool area
— Pet friendly
— Large refrigerator space and shelving
— Storage space outside/​large storage space inside
CONS:
— Old looking interior, needs upgrades
— Small vanity area in the bedroom
— Lots of noise from the outside (roads, passing cars, etc.)

Pros:
+Friendly staff. Everyone was very easy to talk to. Open and honest people
+Dog friendly. I don’t believe there is a restriction on dog size. Very rare to find any place that allows for a dog over 35lbs in San Diego.
+Quiet rooms. I rarely hear my upstairs neighbors, and never hear the neighbors on through the side walls. Never get sound from outside.
+It has a pool and grill area. I’ve never used either, but the looks clean.
+Gas stove
+Laundry rooms take credit cards. I never carry cash, so this was a huge plus for me.
+Nice flooring. We had some wood-​like tiling that was really nice in our living room/​dining room.
+Cheap deposit. I think it was $ 199 plus 250ish for dog and some other stuff.
+Neighbors are fine. Ethnically diverse group, a good deal of good-​natured Marines, and pet lovers all over the place.
+Felt safe.
+Within walking distance to a 7 – 11 that sells Gas and 2 plazas with a lot of good stores including a Target. This had my wife sold… the fact that it had a Target :)
In between:
*Rent WAS reasonable. However, the price to renew appears to have increased more than 12%, or at least it has with the doubling of pet rent. This was the primary motivation for me to decide to actually buy a condo to live in. I would have given this place 4-​stars, but the rent increase is pretty ridiculous.
*Parking can be a pain sometimes. Certainly a lot better than when we lived in UTC, but you may be walking a little farther than you would like.
Cons:
–Heating is loud. Rarely had to use it though.
–A/​C is loud and not really effective for a 2 bed/​2 bath. We had an in-​wall AC unit. I think they are upgrading the A/​C units though. We just had a really lousy one.
–Laundry rooms can be pain sometimes when everything is full.
–Camino Ruiz is a busy street.
–Didn’t include a microwave. Not so much an issue to me, but my wife didn’t like that there was no microwave included.
–New rent cost. I know I had this above, but it would have been so much more costly to renew our lease with Esplanade.

We moved out because it got too expensive to live here for the amenities we were receiving and the space of the apartment. Every time we would renew our lease (every 12 months) they wanted to increase our rent by $ 50 and it honestly just wasn’t worth the price they were asking for.
I lived in this place for 2 years and was charged $ 1300 for a 600sq ft apartment (plus $ 600 safety deposit). Our apartment was dirty when we moved in, but they still ended up charging us ADDITIONAL money for bathroom/​shower cleanup even though I told them multiple times that the bathroom stall doors were rusted and dirty when we moved in and NO AMOUNT of bleach I used had cleaned them up. Apparently I didn’t mention it in the paperwork when I did the first walk-​thru so I was charged for it (even though I mentioned it to the front office).
We also had an issue with maintenance being slow so when our garbage disposal broke our drain clogged so I called and said we needed someone out ASAP so that our pipes didn’t overflow. Well, lo and behold, the next day I came home to a wet carpet and an overflowing sink. They dried out the carpets, but when I moved out decided to charged me for the carpet repair even though their slow maintenance was the cause of the overflow in the first place. The repair guy even put our products under the sink while it was still wet so it left rust stains everywhere — I was charged for this too even though I mentioned it to the main office a few times.
CONS — No parking, small parking spots so your cars get dinged and scratched all the time, busy street noise, sketchy neighbors, high rent, they charge you for EVERY LITTLE THING… even after you’ve moved out.
PROS — In central Mira Mesa so very close to a lot of restaurants, Target, movie theaters, shopping, etc. Beautiful landscaping. Depending on who you get in the front office, I’ve had great experiences and not-​so-​great experiences. All the maintenance crew members are super friendly and nice.

My fiancé and I leased a 2 bed/​2 bath from 2013 – 2014. Our actual apartment was okay (but not great), but several of BRE Properties/Esplanade’s policies & regulations made us feel uncomfortable and often placed us in inconvenient, upsetting situations. I highly suggest that you reconsider your other options, ESPECIALLY if you have pets!
Pros:
* The complex is pet-​friendly; Up to 2 pets max per household. I’ve seen dogs (both big & small) and cats. They have dog poop stations with a trash bin & dog bags. They also have plenty of bushes & grassy lawns.
* Walls are NOT thin; You can’t hear your neighbors.
* Convenient location; Close to malls & eateries — there’s a 7 Eleven right across the street.
Cons:
* Pet owners don’t pick up after their dogs. Many also leave their dogs outside on their patio unattended & they bark incessantly.
* Parking is HORRIBLE. You are given 1 covered parking spot. The uncovered spots are on a first come, first serve basis. The parking spots are extremely narrow and small. Dings & scratches happen all the time & the lot is completely full by around 6pm.
* Dumpsters are always overflowing with trash & there are strange people rummaging through it.
* FLEAS! About 3 months after we moved in, our kids got a horrible case of fleas. Even when we were able to get the kids flea-​free, they would catch them again within a few days of walking around the complex.
* Strict rules; We had reed fencing that covered our balcony railing so our dogs don’t fall through. After 9 months of having it up, BRE contacted us & told us to remove it because it was against their policy.
* Slider doors don’t seal completely; Even with the doors shut, cigarette/​BBQ smoke from outside would seep inside.
* Plumbing issues; One of our bathrooms would ALWAYS get clogged and overflow.
* They say they offer 24-​hour maintenance; Unfortunately, if you are locked out of your apartment when the leasing office is closed, you’re out of luck & need to find & pay for your own locksmith.
* Lots of road noise.
* They increased rent by $ 100 to renew for the next leasing term.
* Before we moved out, we opted for a pre-​move out inspection where a maintenance worker inspects your apartment and informs you of any damages that need to be fixed in order to get the most of your deposit back. I planned to do this a few days before our lease was up. Well, about 2 weeks before our lease was up, BRE dropped off a notice on our door saying that they will be entering our apartment sometime TOMORROW for a PRE-​PRE-​move out inspection. WTF? I’m sure this wouldn’t bother some, but as a working pet parent, it was very distressing to have to coordinate where to put our dogs within a night’s notice. I eventually had to have a family member drive 2 hours to come grab the kids. It was either that or pay $ 50+ for boarding.
* Once we gave our notice to move out, BRE gave us a piece of paper detailing all the specific areas we needed to clean before we moved out — or we may incur additional fees. I spent a day and a half perfecting our apartment, it was spotless. However, we were still charged the standard cleaning fee (about $ 95). I wish I hadn’t bothered to clean since someone told me later that they still charge the same fee whether you take the time to clean or not. What a waste of my time!
We were hoping that we would be comfortable enough living at Esplanade to call this place our home, but we never truly could.