Allie M.
Yelp
I lived at the diplomat for 5 years and I loved it. I'm moving away because my we bought a condo, and I'm actually getting a little emotional about leaving! I wanted to post this review with the info I was looking for when I moved in.
I lived in the one bedroom apartment for 1 year, on the street side on the 3rd floor. I enjoyed it but there are some considerations:
- It doesn't have central AC. It has a large wall unit which works fine BUT it doesn't flow into the bedroom very well, and it's super loud when you're trying to watch tv. I like to sleep with my room icy cool and the summer was a bit of a struggle.
- You only share one wall with another apartment which is nice
- The bedroom window overlooks the street. It seems like there is a trash truck 7 days a week and I would hear it every morning. Otherwise I never heard traffic even though it's technically near the freeway
After living in the one bedroom, my boyfriend and I moved into a 2 bedroom on the third floor, a non-corner unit. It is more than double the size of the one bedroom for way less than double the price AND most importantly for me, it has central AC. The bedrooms are huge, lots of bathroom counter and storage space, closets are big. Windows are all new and block out noise well. It also has a "fireplace" with a mantle which is fun to decorate in the holidays. We lived in ours for 4 years and loved it. Here are the considerations for the 2 bedrooms:
- the fireplace kind of throws off the feng shui of the living room if you want your TV somewhere other than the mantle. Also, the flame on ours was literally tiny and I never saw the point of running it, so I wished we could just have the wall space back
- The kitchen storage is limited. Not a huge deal
- There's only one AC vent in the living room so if you have a lot of people over or you're cooking with the oven it has a hard time keeping up
General tips about the complex:
- everyone gets one tandem parking spot but you can pay $50 for another tandem spot. There is usually street parking close enough by, but my boyfriend got his truck broken into when it was parked closer to vineland and we have 3 cars, so we bought the extra spot.
- They do a really really great job with maintenance. I never had anything left unfixed for more than a day or two. They are really careful about the plumbing, so even if I just had a drain clogged with hair, Rogelio would come out and take care of it for me.
- They are kind of funny about the property. You're not allowed to have your own doormat. They supply their own. Blinds have to stay up because they want it to look uniform from the outside. I think we even got a letter once about not putting Christmas lights in our window for the holidays. I could be misremembering that but it just seemed silly.
- The fitness center is new and usually empty. The tv in there only gets one channel.
- Water is included in your rent. Cable internet is through spectrum
- You need a code to get in the garage AND you need a code to get OUT of the garage. The code to get out is just silly - it just needs an automatic sensor or something.
- The lack of elevator is a bummer. Costco runs are only for the strong.
- The buzzers in the apartments for when someone needs entrance to the building are SO. LOUD. Give you a heart attack loud. Wake you from a deep sleep when you're in another room loud. I can hear them from other apartments LOUD.
- You have to supply your own fridge or pay to rent one from management. I think it was $35/month in 2015. There wasn't a water hookup for an ice maker in our 2 bedroom.
- As of right now there's a good mix of residents and everyone is really respectful. Some families some couples some friends and some single folks. Everyone pretty much keeps to themselves but is very kind whenever you run into each other
- Laundry room still takes quarters and the washers are really small but they're well maintained and clean. It does suck going up and down the stairs on laundry day.
- I found it refreshing that the owners would invest in updates to the property. During my 5 years, they built the fitness center and storage rooms, completely redid all the landscaping, painted the railings, and installed brand new water efficient toilets in all the apartments. We were never disrupted by the work - it was done quickly and quietly.
- Rent increases each year were about 2%
- The neighborhood across Fair is absolutely gorgeous
- You're close to all the restaurants on tujunga and ventura
- Super close to every freeway. You have a freeway in every direction EXCEPT who. Traffic on the 101 is of course brutal during commuting hours but you're super close to the red line.
Overall I would recommend Carlo properties and would definitely live at the diplomat again.