Club Marina Apartments

I was not going to write this review because things can turn around with the new leasing manager, but felt I had to let this off my chest and move on from a poor experience with Club Marina and their Corporate offices.
After a year of mold (red spots in the kitchen and bathrooms), water leaks, and 3 leasing managers my lease was finally over. I moved into a unit that needed work (they are old units), but the leasing manager at the time promised to repair things… Unfortunately for me, the leasing manager was extremely incapable of doing anything! Instead, I had to use scotch tape below kitchen counter tops to help reduce the amount of wood fragments from falling on the ground, purchase blinds to repair broken blinds and lights around the unit.
I also had an issue with the bathroom fan which 9 months later was repaired only after it was plugged in.
To add insult to injury, I left the unit cleaner than my initial move in to be slapped with high charge fees which I received in the mail recently. If the new leasing manager paid attention to detail, she would have noticed 3 tone shades of paint across every room which were there previous to my move in. I was a good tenant who left my unit extremely clean and only reached out to the leasing manager (s) regarding issues with the unit.
A month before I moved out, there was a water leak caused by the neighbor above which damaged and stained the ceiling. Wonder if I was charged for the painting of the ceiling as well? Knowing the units are in POOR shape, why would you charge tenants high fees to repair messes that have lived in those ceilings for years is beyond me…
Luckily photos tell a larger story than what can be said here…

The building is not worth the price and the management company is ridiculous. They took payments from my security deposit that I proved I paid with copies of the bills and my bank statements as well as charged me for things that were present in the apartment when I moved in. It took weeks for me to even reach anyone to speak to regarding my security deposit.

DO NOT MOVE HERE!!! Worse management and apartment ever! There is mold in parts of the building, the building is super dirty like it belongs in section 8 housing, there are NO amenities! The gym machines don’t work from the 80’s and it stinks like mildew in there — you won’t ever find anyone in there because it’s beyond disgusting, the sauna is a germ pool — never cleaned it’s been closed several times because few tenants that used got rashes and skin irritations, the laundry machines don’t work properly 2 aren’t functioning at all lost my quarters, the garage has dangling metal parts where it can be dangerous. The elevator was repaired 3 months ago we were told last minute and the mgmt said 3 weeks without elevator (totally against ADA act) and it turned out to be almost 2 months of no elevator!!! And beware they are notorious for keeping your entire deposit for no legitimate reason. Anyone who gives this more that 1 star has the lowest standards of living!!! I would give it NO stars if I could. This company is a rip off charging $ 1695 for a ¹⁄₁ promising all these things and not delivering on anything! I’ve asked for mold reports/​inspection they never answered and there is always beer cans and trash around the building. I could go on but you get the picture. GROSS!!!

Note: I do not live here, my score is based on communication issues.
I moved to LA just three weeks ago. Beforehand I was looking for apartments already and trying to contact managers to get info. My eye fell on Club Marina and I tried to call one of the various numbers you can find on the web. No one picked up the phone the multiple times and days I called. Then I sent off emails, which never got answered. With my last attempt I finally got a hold of the manager and she sent me an email. When I got to LA I tried contacting her again, but surprise surprise, again no answers at all. I eventually gave up and found another apartment with much better customer service. You lost out!

I’ll be honest, I’m a reasonable person, and I don’t get bothered by noise or things like that. Hell, my biggest fear living in apartments is that *I’ll* make too much noise and get noise complaints.
Overall review: ⁴⁄₅ based on the price for the location, and not living in a rundown building.
I work nearby and it’s near all the freeways, so it’s a great location. I have my own 1 BR for $ 1600, which might seem high to some, but compared to our neighboring buildings (where the rent is easily $ 2400+ for a 1 BR), it’s not too bad Sure, nearby places are newer and shinier, but for the price it’s not worth it. The building is from the late 80s so it’s not that old. Price is from location, location, location.
Sure, my heater didn’t work, and the repair guy couldn’t fix it. Sure, the shower looks like its 20 years old. But in the end of the day, if you want a non-​dumpy place (has a fireplace and some nice hardwood style floors) at a reasonable price in the area, I can’t imagine getting anything cheaper. Go to Palms to find a reasonable place to rent, some said (it’s $ 1800+ for the same amenities). Culver city is reasonable they also told me ($ 1900+).
Some other things:
— Tracy, the apartment manager, is responsive digitally, but somewhat difficult to reach in person (which is completely fine by me).
— If you don’t like noise, live in the side of the building furthest from Jefferson Blvd. I haven’t heard a peep from construction, but I can imagine it being loud on the other side.
— The building gets festive! Which I really like. There are decorations at Christmas and community events like the Super Bowl. Nice to know that Tracy cares.
— Elevator is slow as bloody hell, and the stair locations are poorly designed (apartment floors can’t reach the lobby floor by stairs! Need to exit the inner building then walk around the outer building, then re-​enter the inner building on the ground floor).
— Some package carriers can’t get in the gate, so I started shipping larger packages to work instead.
— Don’t lock your bike on the side of the building, had a front wheel stolen (only $ 50 to replace, but still lame)
Overall I’m happy with Club Marina Apartments in that it does two things: give me a place to live in the area I want to be in without costing an arm and a leg, and having reasonably nice apartments.

Despite all the construction, this is a convenient place to live. There are your usual apartment living woes but its an apartment, thing happen, right?

I first moved to this apartment because it was close to work and I didn’t know any better. Not a very good place to live for the amount they were asking for rent.
You are better than this place. You can deserve it to yourself to find a better living situation for the price.

I lived here for a year. And bailed as quickly as possible. The main problem is that the manager is just about as unhelpful as possible and there’s no way to contact her superiors. Occasionally she’d be decent, but most of my interactions with her involved me letting her know of a problem and her either making up excuses or ignoring me.
Examples:
A) There was a constant clicking noise coming from the bathroom that was loud enough for me to hear it through the closed bathroom door and keep me awake at nights. It took over a month before anyone was sent to repair it, as the manager kept saying it would be difficult to fix. How difficult was it? The guy came while I was away at work and apparently fixed it in about 2 minutes.
B) I stepped out of the shower one morning to find a repair guy in my kitchen. With no notice from anyone. Apparently the manager had called and left a message, while I was in the shower, asking permission. Not getting any, she let the guy in. When I asked her not to do that anymore, she said ok, but decided she had told me already and continued to make snotty cracks about it for the rest of the year, suggesting that I have a poor memory. Funny, everyone else I know remarks on my fantastic memory.
Other issues: the jacuzzi in the lobby area looks gross, no one ever cleaned the building (for example, someone left a half-​empty beer can in a stairwell that was there for months by the time I left, and, for all I know, is still there), the gym equipment is from the 70’s, noise wherever you live (busy Jefferson out front, construction starting at 7 am 5 days a week and 8 on Sat)…

I’ve lived in Club Marina for more than a year now. I moved right in straight from North Carolina. When my job transferred me out here, they gave me some money and told me, «Good luck!» I was on my own as far as finding a place to live. Not having the kind of cash available to fly out to LA or local friends to help me find a place, I had to do all of my searching virtually. The search was rather difficult given that I have a dog, I didn’t know the area, and I’m all by myself. Most of the places I contacted would not rent to me without having me fly out and meet in person. Some places wanted me to send them money before they approved my application. Some places wanted me to bring my dog in for some sort of psych analysis!
The instant I talked to Tracy, who manages Club Marina, I knew I found someone who would help me and not take advantage of me. If you’ve ever lived an apartment with terrible manager, you know how important it is to have a good one. The best thing about Club Marina is Tracy. She helped me from the moment I called her to inquire about a place to live right up through the move. I can call her at any time of day or night, and she is responsive. I have not once had a problem with maintenance that has not been fixed right away. I’ve even called the emergency maintenance line a little before midnight, and Tracy came down to help me – in her bathrobe and all – with something that turned out not even to be a problem.
The few maintenance issues I’ve had ranged from fixing the toilet and unclogging the tub to fixing the water heater. All of these issues were fixed the next day. I’ve never been told I had to wait to have something fixed.
As with everything there are pros and cons. Depending on what you’re looking for, Club Marina could be just for you.
Pros:
1. Dogs are not only allowed, they’re a part of the community. There are doggy stations right outside, which make picking up after Max easy. There’s also a dog park a little less than a mile away.
2. The location is great. It’s pretty close to the beach, the airport, the 405, and Marina del Rey – which I love. There’s a Starbucks and Chevron right at the corner, which have both come in handy.
3. My particular apartment is spacious for a studio. I have wood floors, a gas fireplace, a built-​in bookshelf, built-​in pantry, huge shelves, a large closet, and patio. It also came fully equipped with a brand new refrigerator, stove/​oven, microwave, and dishwasher.
4. The apartment manager is responsive and available for any request or needs you may have, even after hours.
5. The amenities are pretty sweet. There’s a Jacuzzi, which is rarely used by the tenants, but is available and clean. I’ve gotten in it once myself and I didn’t contract AIDS or HIV from it. Though it’s not surrounded by marble, it’s great to use when you want to relax. There’s also a rec room with a pool and ping pong table. This room is in frequent use because we have a lot of ping pong enthusiasts in the building. There’s also a fitness center. The equipment works and plenty of people use it. I use the treadmill often. It’s not the latest and greatest, but it sure beats the heck out of paying a monthly rate. The movie room has comfortable theater-​like seats, a large flat-​screen TV, and Blu-​ray DVD. There’s also a laundry room and a room to host parties.
6. There are community events. We had movie night, a ping pong tournament, and catered lunch.
7. The area is safe. I can walk around outside at night without fear that someone is going to accost me. I haven’t had my car broken into. I haven’t had anything stolen from me.
Cons:
1. There’s no AC. If you’re a particularly hot individual this can pose a problem. For me, I haven’t had any issues. I find that the ceiling fan is enough to keep my apartment cool. I leave the patio open during the day and most nights, which also helps. I’m a little biased on this issue because LA is not hot to me in comparison to the south. Also, I’ve never liked running the AC; I prefer an open window.
2. The outside noise can be pretty bad. There’s construction going on behind the building and a heavy traffic area in front of the building. If you prefer absolute quiet, then this place would not be for you. There’s a constant hum from the traffic and the construction starts pretty early – 7 a.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. on Saturday.
3. The price – $ 1350. I may be a little biased about this coming from North Carolina, where I had a near 700 square-​foot, one-​bedroom apartment, fully equipped with a washer and dryer, microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator, and oven/​stove, all utilities included for $ 550 a month and no pet rent. At the same time, I’ve seen studios in LA for way more.
This place is great for me for where I’m at in my life. Many of the residents feel the same way. There have been people who have lived here for 10 years and more. I can see why.

FOR PROSPECTIVE TENANTS, DO NOT MOVE HERE!
Club Marina Apartments is going through a slew of changes. They’ve recently painted the outside of the building, installed new dual-​flushing toilets, and added new patio furniture. None of which came cheap and they’re pushing the cost to the tenants.
The rent has been increased a few hundred per month. They’re crazy! To top that off, because of the changes, maintenance requests have been pushed back and indefinitely delayed.
The bathroom fan has not been venting out properly, and moisture has been building up and as a result, mold and mildew has formed on the ceiling. A request to have this fixed resulted in the landlord saying that due to all of the changes, they’re backup up. That was months ago! Even to this date, the bathroom fan hasn’t been changed out. It’s a serious health concern that they don’t deal with.
The units are also not equipped with air conditioning. Enjoy the sweltering summers without it. Sure you could open the windows, but the noise from Jefferson Blvd and the alley in the back would make is very noisy.
I’ve noticed that now the garage is maybe half full with cars and that street parking right in front of the building is no longer a problem. Clearly, many tenants left and new tenants have not moved in.
In the front of the building, for some reason, now there are no parking signs. So now parking in the front of the building is a hassle if you come home late afternoon.
There’s many more reviews like this on other sites.
There’s so many better places to live than here. Save yourself the hassle and keep on searching.
RUN FAST! RUN FAR!