Malibu Canyon Apartments

"We have been residents at Malibu Canyon Apartments and can say that WHENEVER we have a maintenance issue, it is handled quickly, efficiently, with a smile and just top notch service. I have never had a complaint with them being right on top of issues with the apartment. This makes my decision from going to house to apartment....worth it. I LOVE IT HERE!"

"Lived here for 14 years. Gone through a lot of changes. But it's a great community, and maintenance is always friendly and excellent. Love the amenities!"

"Where to begin. The only maintenance team is excellent and friendly. The property manager is horrible. Managers:Management is extremely greedy you will not get your deposit back no matter how clean you leave your apartment. California law requires units to be painted in between each tenant and to avoid paying out of their own pocket they will use your deposit. After speaking with my neighbors I learned they all shared similar experiences. One of my neighbors described her experience during a confrontation from the aggressive on site manager who attempted to charger her twice the amount of a security deposit citing some fabricated reason. I’ve come back from work numerous times to find the local property manager snooping around my unit it felt very invasive. Smart rent: each unit comes with a smart rent system as the person who gives you the tour explains. That’s all I was told is that I get one. Towards the end of my lease I got a call from SmartRent customer service asking how my experience was. They told me I had been paying hundreds every month for all of these features I was never told about and that my UNIT WAS NEVER ACTIVATED. The agent told me I he would create a formal document showing that my smart rent unit had never been turned on throughout my lease so I could try and get a refund for the thousands I had spent. I sent the proof of documentation and the smart rent agents contact information to the local property manager and he stated they would not be refunding me. The most concerning this about this whole situation was that my door code was the vacant unit code. Meaning any maintenance personnel or the property manager could enter at any moment. This was troublesome because I got a super off putting vibe from the manager to begin with and knowing he had access the entire time was terrifying. Pests and noise: my unit was infested with various bugs before and during my stay from roaches to ants and mites. These units are ANCIENT and many of my neighbors had leaks. Expect to always hear your neighbors if you live in a lower unit and the endless screaming of random children until about 10pm every night. Mail room: see photo a thief’s dream. I would plead with anyone considering this as an option to LOOK ELSEWHERE. I just moved into essence apartments in Thousand Oaks and I love it. There are plenty of better options with better management and nicer units/facilities all while being affordable. You owe it to yourself to do more research before your come trapped in a lease."

"I have lived here for three years so far, from 2020 to 2023. Overall, I'd say these apartments are fine but pricey for what they are. I unfortunately cannot recommend, due to the skyrocketing rent (+10% every year) and increasing fees. Apartments are fairly well laid out, but the kitchens are small. Amenities are good. The pools are nice. The gym is small (as most apartment gyms are) but well equipped. In my opinion, the best amenity offered is proximity to hiking and biking trails. You can walk out your front door, and be on the trails in minutes. The hills and the open space are beautiful. If you want to be closer to nature without being too far from the city, this is the place. The buildings themselves are somewhat older, and it does show. My apartment's roof has leaked every winter for the three years that I lived here. Maintenance came and looked at it every year, but it still leaks when it rains heavily. The windows are also poorly sealed, which leads to moisture on my windowsills constantly. In 2020, shortly after my move-in, the pipes burst and flooded my bathroom. Maintenance fixed the issue promptly, but the work to replace bathroom fixtures was sloppy (ie: there are still water stains on the walls/baseboards, white paint on the bathroom floor, damage to caulking around the sink, dents in drywall, etc. caused by their work) My air-conditioning broke down during the hottest part of the summer in 2022, and I spent several days with all my curtains and blinds closed, just hoping the indoor temperature would stay below 90 while I was waiting for a fix. On the upside, the walls must be well insulated, because the dark interior of my apartment stayed in the mid-80s while the outdoors were 110+ F. My washer/dryer needed constant repairs until it was finally replaced after a dozen or so breakdowns and service requests. Luckily, there is a laundromat across the street. None of these are damning problems on their own. I just wouldn't have expected to deal with so many of these problems so frequently while paying premium, luxury apartment rent. And the rent is high, for what these apartments are. Expect that your rent will increase by the maximum legally allowed amount every year (that's +10% every year, no matter what)! And remember: you're outside the city of LA here, so no citywide renter protections can help you. They'll also find little ways to increase fees every year on top of the rent increases themselves (convenience fees, locker delivery fees, and parking fees all increased for 2023!). My rent has increased $700/month over the three years that I lived here. I realize that California housing is a brutal market, but the fact is that the vacancy at Malibu Canyon Apartments is more than ten times what it was when I moved in (60+ available apartments at the moment!). I can't imagine what the logic is behind pushing for maximum allowable rent increases while residents seem to be moving out as quickly as they can. Ultimately, the steep and constant increase in rent and fees is why I could not recommend this complex as a long-term home. Move-out Updates (moving to 1 star): I would now actively advise to not rent here. 1) I was told that I would be charged for repainting after living in the unit for 3.5 years, even for normal wear and tear on the paint. I have never been charged for normal wear and tear, and I am not certain that this is legal. 2) I scheduled an in-person move-out inspection to verify the state of the apartment. AIR Communities provided a 3.5 hour window for the inspection to take place and refused to make an appointment time within the window. I waited in an empty apartment for over 3.5 hours. No one ever showed up to complete the inspection. This is incredibly unprofessional, and is emblematic of the bumbling and disorganized nature of the management of this property."

"Lived here for 3 years and have little to complain about, especially compared to past renting experiences. Rent and fees did increase significantly over the time we were there, but I appreciated the general responsiveness of the staff and maintenance teams. I wish the amenities (pools, gym) were cleaner and better cared for. But overall, this was the only renting experience I've ever had that I would overall rate as positive."