Chelsea Santa Monica

Update Oct 2025: They never contacted me and I had to contact them. The new mgmt and old mgmt have been useless. They're making me take them to court instead of complying with CA law or even providing basic evidence to why they are charging me for paint (they need to prove damage beyond wear and tear which doesn't exist). Thoroughly read the detailed reviews for yourself and talk to current/past residents yourself. Ask them about the sewage issues, leaks, and bug issues. I know multiple people who shared the same grievances as me. This isn't an exaggeration or a one off bad experience. I wouldn't write reviews out of spite.... The building constantly smells like raw sewage and they have a known plumbing issue that leaks grey water into the parking structure. Greystar illegally charges for paint that would be within normal CA wear and tear. Be ready to pay 5 star prices for 1 star building. Don’t face 2nd street or else you’ll be hearing homeless people and constant honking (and people hitting their clickers for their cars in the parking structure. If you face the alley you get a beach view but the trash truck will wake you up 6am. Massive bug/fly issue in the parking garage as well. Place is a pigsty and the owners are extremely cheap despite knowing of serious sewage and plumbing issues. additionally my oven hood didn’t even work properly which set off the fire alarm. They couldn’t even fix it because they had no maintenance person available for over 2-3 months!!! Not to mention they call this building the crown jewel of Santa Monica but fail to tell you about the "step up" homeless shelter next door. I personally witnessed a homeless person jumping off the parking structure in front of the building to her death after 2 failed attempts.

I enjoyed living at the Chelsea. The staff was friendly and helpful. When we had a problem with our AC unit they fixed it quickly. The walls are thick enough that I never heard noise from my neighbors, and it's well located.

Recently, I moved in and I am loving everything thing about my apartment. The staff are super friendly and supportive. I feel that this has been my best decision when it comes to my apartment hunting. The location is superb. Also, I admire the cleanliness of the apartment complex. I would highly recommend anyone to Chelsea Santa Monica. Lastly, the Manager Roze is so welcoming. Roze listened to my desires with amenities which I gotten a good studio with a nice view of the city. Roze is always professional and greets all residence when passing. I am very impressed and happy with my decision.

I lived at the Chelsea for ~2 years, and unfortunately, had nothing but poor experiences. Appliances - the "amenities" are limited to the rooftop grill and the ground floor area, and the grill was broken the majority of my time at the Chelsea. My freezer broke and took about 3 months to fix, my dishwasher constantly leaked water on the floor, and my W&D had mold they couldn't remove. All maintenance requests took many weeks to address including multiple follow-ups. Additionally, the walls are EXTREMELY THIN, so you will hear everything going on in the units next to you, and certainly above you. Security - there is a package room, but the security does not monitor it well. I had multiple instances where packages got stolen (and caught on camera), and security did nothing about it except show me the footage (despite them being on duty at the time). Additionally, the building is located in a homeless hotspot, so you constantly feel unsafe just going into the building. If you live in the alley (facing west), you will hear screaming through the night from the homeless out there. Also, the trash collectors come and pick up the commercial dumpsters every day (sometimes 7am) and it is EXTREMELY LOUD in the mornings if you are west facing with "ocean views" Garage - about half of the year, the garage will smell like sewage as they haven't figured out how to fix the pipes. It gets so bad that you need to detail your car to get the smell of sewage out of the interior. Additionally, there are leaky pipes that stained the hood of our car (which we billed back to the Chelsea). Security Deposit - we did a walkthrough with maintenance and they said that everything checked out and nothing beyond "normal wear and tear". Then we get the bill and they took every dollar of our security deposit, and I asked for evidence that there was damage and they said they will send shortly, and never sent. I have send them multiple follow-ups (probably 5-10) and they have stopped responding and are trying to keep everything. They are also claiming there were some "lingering" utilities' expenses that they decided to back charge me for, but don't have evidence of it either. The property manager is friendly and a good person, but somewhat unresponsive and all the aforementioned issues do not justify the price of these units.

Chelsea Santa Monica has been a great place to live for the last 5 months. The Greystar Management team took over when we moved in and there has been noticeable positive changes. Rochelle who manages the property is amazing - kind, responsive and committed to making this a great community to live. The building is clean, quiet, and the apartments and spacious and well appointed. The roof is amazing with BBQ and views of the ocean and Santa Monica Pier. Highly recommend this property - we are really enjoying it!

Great community, excellent management, great location! I lived in the building for a few years and had a great experience. The amenities are top-tier, and the building is new and cleaned daily, which adds to a great experience. Every maintenance request I had was taken care of promptly by Chris, who did a great job. Management was run seamlessly and very professionally by Rochelle, who went above and beyond to make the resident experience the best it could be. The building residents all get along. I highly recommend this building because of the small community feel and individualized attention.

I’ve been living at Chelsea for almost a year now and I can say it’s been an incredible experience thus far. The rooftop of course has one of the best views in Santa Monica overlooking the ocean which I enjoy every minute of. My neighbors are wonderful, Rochelle the manager is always attentive and if I need something fixed maintenance is on point. I would recommend anyone to live at this beautiful building.

Moved into a 2br in Nov and experience had been amazing thanks to the staff. Everyone from the building manager, Rochelle and her colleagues to the maintenance staff have been supportive and make for a great living environment. The building is kept super clean and the location is amazing (beach, restaurants). There is a beautiful roof deck with BBQ overlooking the ocean and secured under ground parking. The apartments are well appointed and have great sound protection. Would highly recommend considering living here.

I lived at the Chelsea for ~2 years, and unfortunately, had nothing but poor experiences. Appliances - the "amenities" are limited to the rooftop grill and the ground floor area, and the grill was broken the majority of my time at the Chelsea. My freezer broke and took about 3 months to fix, my dishwasher constantly leaked water on the floor, and my W&D had mold they couldn't remove. All maintenance requests took many weeks to address including multiple follow-ups. Additionally, the walls are EXTREMELY THIN, so you will hear everything going on in the units next to you, and certainly above you. Security - there is a package room, but the security does not monitor it well. I had multiple instances where packages got stolen (and caught on camera), and security did nothing about it except show me the footage (despite them being on duty at the time). Additionally, the building is located in a homeless hotspot, so you constantly feel unsafe just going into the building. If you live in the alley (facing west), you will hear screaming through the night from the homeless out there. Also, the trash collectors come and pick up the commercial dumpsters every day (sometimes 7am) and it is EXTREMELY LOUD in the mornings if you are west facing with "ocean views" Garage - about half of the year, the garage will smell like sewage as they haven't figured out how to fix the pipes. It gets so bad that you need to detail your car to get the smell of sewage out of the interior. Additionally, there are leaky pipes that stained the hood of our car (which we billed back to the Chelsea). Security Deposit - we did a walkthrough with maintenance and they said that everything checked out and nothing beyond "normal wear and tear". Then we get the bill and they took every dollar of our security deposit, and I asked for evidence that there was damage and they said they will send shortly, and never sent. I have send them multiple follow-ups (probably 5-10) and they have stopped responding and are trying to keep everything. They are also claiming there were some "lingering" utilities' expenses that they decided to back charge me for, but don't have evidence of it either. The property manager is friendly and a good person, but somewhat unresponsive and all the aforementioned issues do not justify the price of these units.

I'm on my third lease at Chelsea. I upgraded from a studio to a 1BR once COVID hit and WFH life became a reality. I am so grateful for seemingly noise proof windows and walls, I need it quiet for work calls all day. Perfect location for someone like me without a car - Farmer's market is out the front door and so many places to bike, eat, drink and chill at the park/beach. Rochelle and the Greystar team took over during COVID and are friendly and responsive, and made some nice updates to the common areas including the rooftop. It's nice to live in a place where interacting with management/staff is a pleasant experience (many buildings I've lived in or toured are not like this). They've also done a great job keeping the building safe through COVID, both securing the building and ensuring a clean/safe environment in the common areas. Quick to respond to any maintenance requests, although the units are newer so I have had very few issues. You'll read a lot about the rooftop. It's essentially the same view as Elephante, except one level higher (better), no line, fire pit, BBQ, lounge chairs, couches, night lights, and night sky views. I've met many similar minded and kind residents in the halls and on the roof for sunsets, I feel at home and highly recommend living here!

I've been living here for a month now. The building is well taken care of, super quiet, and the service has been awesome. They're continuously cleaning the apartment. Appliances are top-notch. The rooftop is beautiful. Front office people are extremely friendly. Most importantly you just can't beat the location - this is by far the best location if you're looking to live in SM. Equinox is across the street, amazing restaurants nearby etc.

Highly-recommend Chelsea! Excellent location in downtown Santa Monica, with great views of the pier and ocean from the rooftop. The building is very clean and well-maintained, with all the latest amenities. The underground, reserved parking is a plus. The management team (especially Rochelle) is awesome and very responsive. Again, the location is great: just a couple minutes walk to the nearby stairway on Arizona Ave that leads down to the beach bike path, and right next to the Wed/Sat Farmers market. Perfect if you enjoy surfing, longboarding, biking, etc. Great for holding a bbq or fireside chat up on the rooftop. This has been my favorite apt complex I've lived in so far.

Do not rent here! Can't get ahold of anyone and this building was cheap cheap cheap! Appliances are dated, design is trash and the the place has vermin. Roaches from the downstairs restaurants and mice. There's also a ton of section 8 folks roaming around so this building is not for the ultra wealthy. Avoid this place!

I am new to the LA area and finding an apartment was incredibly stressful! I came across Chelsea Santa Monica and instantly fell in love. Gorgeous property, and easy application process! Given that I am new to the area, I was worried about so many factors... until I spoke with Rochelle! She was SO helpful with the entire application process and answered all my questions and concerns moving to a new area without even seeing it. Rochelle was attentive, responsive and an overall delight to work with. During a very stressful time, she made this experience the best possible! I would recommend this property 1000%

I am really glad I chose to live here! I've been living here for a month now and everything is exactly what I wanted, the apartment is amazing, Rochelle and the management team have been super helpful (I was relocating from far away and had a delay in my move, she kept communicating with me and made sure I moved in very comfortably), and the location with the rooftop are great.

My wife and I were relocating to LA in Nov and found the Chelsea Santa Monica toward the end of our search. We emailed for a long distance virtual tour and was immediately seen the next day. We saw two apartments "virtually" and signed the next day. They made the process super easy and were extremely communicative. Coordinating the movers etc went perfectly! The apartments are high end, clean, and quiet. There are grille's, a sweet roof top and convenient protected parking right under the building. The staff is very personable and management is onsite. Rochelle the building manager is amazing and has taken great care of us. We are loving it!

Chelsea Santa Monica has been a great place to live for the last 5 months. The Greystar Management team took over when we moved in and there has been noticeable positive changes. Rochelle who manages the property is amazing - kind, responsive and committed to making this a great community to live. The building is clean, quiet, and the apartments and spacious and well appointed. The roof is amazing with BBQ and views of the ocean and Santa Monica Pier. Highly recommend this property - we are really enjoying it!

I love living here. They do not skip any details. There is bike storage, surf storage, and building security. The staff is very kind and helpful and the residents are respectful.

I have lived here for 4 years and management has been nice. They come and fix your apartment if anything is ever wrong. And they are always available for any questions . Security too. Nice place to live

DO NOT TRY TO RENT HERE. I had a viewing scheduled for 4 pm, which they confirmed, and I drove and hour to come to the showing. I got here and nobody answered. They kept telling me to call the main line...which was the same number and only had two options. I tried both, and they just told me to call the main line. A random person let me inside, so I wandered around by myself for a while. Nobody was there, zero security. I called again and they just told me to reschedule. UM, no thanks! Also building was really not nice and super loud.

Beautiful property and well maintained. I visited the property for a tour and Rochelle was very helpful and patient as I had a lot of questions during this uncertain time. The rooftop view of the beach and location is top notch. I usually wouldn't go above and beyond to write a review but it is well deserved. She made me feel comfortable and was funny and nice by being relatable to my situation. Although my move in date is far out I have this on my #1 list for the summer. Thank you Rochelle, you're awesome!

I was very excited to relocate to Santa Monica and moved in with my girlfriend back in December and we are loving every moment being here. Maintenance is very responsive and quick with our needs and Rochelle the manager has been wonderful as well. She has been there for us resolving our parking issue, quick at responding to any concerns we have and we are just appreciative with our experience at Chelsea thus far. The location is prime and we are excited for summer!

One of the finest rental buildings in Santa Monica, including new construction and prime Santa Monica location.