Archstone Playa Del Rey

This place has extraordinarily high rent, especially in this economy where there are some great deals out there. They have barely lowered their average rent, so expect to pay 30% more than the market value. They charge you for water and trash, and if you have a pet you'll have to shell out an extra $30 per month on top of your rent. Plus, when you move out they'll charge you for everything, from painting to cleaning, even if your apartment is pristine when you move out. Kiss your deposit goodbye. Are their apartments worth the extra cost' A resounding NO. Many apartments are very dark, with little sunlight so you'll have to have your lights on at all times of day. They are also very small, and poorly built. The cabinets have peeling edges, the baseboards & doors are falling off. The closet space is very limited, and the dishwashers do not work. They also have an exclusive contract with Verizon DSL, which is horrible, I think my connection was faster back in the days of dialup. The gym is ok, but the TVs do not get cable so its local stations only, if they work at all. The parking garages get broken into all the time, bikes and cars get robbed often. So if you don't mind paying through the nose for a crappy, charmless ugly apartment have fun at Archstone Playa del Rey. Cons: Numerous more

I thought this was a great area when I first moved in, but I came to learn that Playa Del Rey is not what it is cracked up to be. The area is going downhill and Archstone seems to rent to anyone and everyone. They get you with a really cheap move in (only $500) but when your lease is up, the rent goes up 20% to 30%. It is criminal, really. They wanted to raise my rent $300 a month if a signed another year lease and if I went month-to-month, it would be an increase of almost $600 per month. If you have noisy neighbors or people around you who constantly break the rules, don't expect the leasing office staff to enforce the rules and regulations they make you sign. It simply is not worth the cost and definitely not worth the increase at the end of your first lease. Pros: Somewhat quiet area, but not much longer Cons: Price, Neighbors, Traffic, Airport Noise more