I really enjoyed my experience with icon apartments. Looking for housing for a UCSB student is a daunting task, but I found the staff here incredibly helpful. Particularly Magy was extremely helpful and knowledgeable in letting me know the different housing options, and walking me through an application process. Highly recommend Icon due to their great customer service! read more

Magy is the best one I've seen! She has been so incredibly helpful and amazing and kind and kind and I could never think of a better employee to communicate with than with magy! read more

Living here has been great, when a problem arises the staff is always of great help. very caring. The building is very modern and super elevated especially for student housing! read more

Icon is a great place to live with really amazing amenities and helpful workers. Magy helped me thoroughly with the all of the questions I asked and through all of the steps of my leasing process. read more

When I came to icon, Magy was so sweet and kind. She answered all the questions I had about Icon and gave an amazing tour of the apartment. She also was very reliable and responsive when I followed up with questions after about the lease. read more

When I first moved here, the managers did not inform me that my unit was flooded until after I signed my lease. That was red flag number one. While staying at a nearby hotel while the unit was being repaired, the current manager had promised us $30/day as compensation for Uber transportation to UCSB and for food. I was very grateful at this point because $30/day sounded like a lot of support to me, and it seemed that the ICON staff was trying their best to accommodate tenants for the inconvenience of not being able to be close to school as well as not having a kitchen to use in the hotel. At the end of this incident I stayed there for a total of 19 days which would amount to around $570 for my stay there. ICON was supposed to take this money out of my novembers rent, and to put in perspective, the money i had used for those 19 days was money I saved for my rent.In short , that 570$ was rent money I was expecting back to afford my rent, as I was not utilizing the full 30$ a day, and instead pulling out from my own money. So when november rolled around, to my surprise, they did not take it out of my rent. I contacted their higher up, Sara, and at the end, she said she was only able to approve $200 out of the $570 they owed me. I insisted that it was unfair to not only me but my other roommates. She said that's all she could approve, even though she had told us originally that she would be granting us this money. Not only did they go back on their word, but left me $370 short of rent money. And if that wasn't all, Im transferring my lease to someone for December and they still haven't transferred my payment to the girl even after I had called their office multiple times within the past 6 days. And to put the cherry on top, they are charging me $350 for a relet fee I was not made aware of until now. How are they going to leave $370 short of promised rent money just for them to come back around and demand $350 as a relet fee?! Additionally, how are they charging anyone 350$ for a relet fee as it serves any inconvenience towards them?? Not only have I caused the situation with the relet to be effortless by searching out for a tenant through social media, but I have also made it simple, as the latest tenant will pick up the payments as soon as I leave. Ive honestly just had a pretty bad experience and am trying to save others the hassle. Management could use some communication, honesty, and as well as transparency. read more

There is only one reason that I am living at Icon Apts next year, during my final year at UCSB. This is simply the best place to live in Isla Vista, period. The negative reviews seem to have been made during the first year that the building was opened. Of course there may be some minor areas that were not finished on the VERY first day of move-in. I see absolutely no "holes" or anything at this point, so that is my theory. Also, Icon employed entirely new management prior to the current lease year (after the negative reviews were posted). I did not live here when the original management team was running it, but the NEW management and maintenance team are superb. If you care to know why I am choosing to live here my second year in a row, read on: Location: It is a 1 minute walk from every restaurant and ATM machine in Isla Vista, 2 blocks away from the beach, and a block away from the UCSB campus. Quality: The Icon building that I am living in is only a year and a half old. Therefore the furnishings, appliances, and finishes are still new... unlike the 30+ year old houses that most students live in. The bathroom reminds me of an upscale Marriott hotel restroom with modern attributes and a walk-in, stone shower with a glass door. To be living anywhere else in this city would be a downgrade. Management: Management is extremely kind, helpful, and accessible. I had an issue with one of my old roommates, and they went out of their way to ensure that the problem was solved. They have a Community Assistant on-call 24/7 so that any issues at any time of day or night can be dealt with immediately. Every other resident here who I know has become a friend of our management, because they are genuinely friendly people looking out for the tenants' best interests. I currently live at Icon, and I thought long and hard about where I wanted to live next year, but there was simply no other high-quality apartment complex that could compare. I mean where else in Isla Vista can one study on a 5th story rooftop lounge (indoor and outdoor areas) looking out over the entire ocean? (Check out the pictures!) I love this place :) read more

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I've been at Icon for about 9 months now, moved in in the midst of COVID but love it here! The rooftop and study rooms are great. Very secure and close to all the restaurants and beach. All of the staff is amazing and go over the top to help make everyone feel safe and included during these times. read more

I had the pleasure of living at icon for a year when I transferred to UC Santa Barbara. I was nervous about transferring but icon made me feel welcome, held events to meet different people, and was always there to lend a helping hand. The location is superb- and the rooftop views are unbeatable! If you want a true place to call home make sure you check out icon :) read more

I have been living at Icon for almost a year and am planning on staying a second year because it is one of the nicest apartments in Isla Vista. Although COVID has taken a toll on a lot of the amenities around us, the staff at the office and maintenance crew are way more than helpful. The Icon office is frequently hosting events to participate in through media, as well as providing their renters with fun gifts and prizes. It is evident that Icon cares about their renters and have always been super friendly to me and my roommates. On top of this, we have the best view in Isla Vista, no doubt! As well as fully equipped apartments. Definitely recommend living here! read more

AVOID ICON LIKE THE PLAGUE. I would absolutely not recommend living at Icon. The management is unprofessional, dishonest, rude and difficult to get in contact with. This was the worst renting situation I have experienced in IV, and I think that says a lot. My roommate and I were looking for apartments towards the end of renting season, and we went to check out Icon. After touring some studio double units, we were told that other people were looking at the last unit and that if we wanted it we should commit and sign the lease within the next day. We were also told explicitly that the rent was $1250 for the entire apartment. Because it was towards the end of renting season, we felt pressured to secure this apartment and signed the lease. Fast forward to August, the first month that we owed rent, and we find charges of $1250 EACH on our accounts. We called management to discuss the confusion and all the advice they had to offer was to read the lease more carefully. When we brought up the fact that we had been sold on $1250 rent total for the apartment during the tour, they asked for proof. Of course there weren't any documents signed from the preliminary, so we were basically told that we were out of luck and to be more careful. When my roommate and I actually moved in, the unit was dirty. There were hard water stains all over the shower and dust and other debris was all over the rest of the apartment. I had also called and explicitly asked if my twin xl mattress would fit the bed frame and was told yes. It turns out that the bed frame is just a regular twin, so I had lugged an entire mattress from LA to SB for nothing. I was preparing to study abroad for winter and spring quarters so needed to find a subleaser. I found one through Facebook and had her sign all of the appropriate documents. We had made an agreement that she would only pay for the months she wanted to stay, since we had signed a 12 month lease. As a sidenote, we had also been told we would be able to sign a 9 month lease but were put on a 12 month. My roommate was able to get out of it after numerous calls with corporate in Chicago, but I was not for some reason. Everything with the subleaser was fine until literally the DAY before I left to study abroad when she was set to move in. She was at the Icon office to sign the lease and when she mentioned that she was initially looking for a shorter lease, Icon had her sign a lease with a different unit. I wish I could say I was surprised. Before I had found the subleaser, I had asked about them helping find someone to take my spot. This, along with the incorrect rent rate, was advertised to my roommate and I during the tour. When I went to talk to management, I was rudely told that I was on my own and that they would always fill their own empty apartments first unless the prospective renter specifically mentioned a unit and the name of the current tenant they would like to sublease from. My subleaser had explicitly mentioned my name over the phone, over email and in person when contacting Icon. Despite this, they had her sign a different lease for a different apartment. They had stolen my subleaser that I worked to find myself and left me to pay $1250/ month for 7 months that I would not be living there. I found out about this 20 minutes before their office closed and the only response I got from them was that it was the subleaser's idea to switch the lease, which she made clear it was not. After several calls and emails we got her put back on my lease, but it was an unnecessary nightmare. Kassie, the relatively new manager at the time, was extremely rude and unhelpful. She is the one who was involved in putting my subleaser on a different lease and I dreaded working with her every time something went wrong. When it came time for my subleaser to move out (while I was still abroad), we had agreed that she would tell the office that I was coming back to collect some things that I had left for her to use. She told the office this over email and in person and they did not raise any objections. Shortly after she moved out, she was charged a cleaning fee. After asking what the fee was for, management explained that once you turn in your key you also relinquish rights to the apartment, even though we were still paying for 2 more months. They had thrown out everything that she had explicitly told them I was coming back to collect and were charging for this service. They said that this policy was in the lease. I understand this, but it would have been nice if the staff had told the subleaser about this during any of the many times that she had mentioned this plan. Finally, after they failed to send me my deposit refund several times, my dad had to physically drive to SB to pick up the check. During my time living there, the only positive interactions I had with the staff was with the maintenance personnel. He was extremely kind, helpful and responsive, unlike the rest of management. read more

Icon apartments is poorly managed and not accommodating in the slightest. The first problem, my roommate and I signed up for a 2 bedroom studio relatively early when most of the units were available. We requested a unit from their gardens building and they assured it wouldn't be a problem. But upon moving in they decided to put us in an extremely loud unit right next to their office In the regular icon building. This unit was extremely uncomfortable because there was no way to get ventilation in the unit because no a/c in sb and the windows were just pointed to a hallway. EVERY single night we had to take a fan and put it in the hallway before we slept otherwise we would have to sleep in an 86 degree room. And during summer, the Fan wouldn't help at all so we still slept in a hot room. Second problem is the noise, and the noise from the other residents wasn't bothersome. It's the noise/music during the day that the office is playing to attract people walking in isla vista that they wouldn't turn off. Repeatedly, my roommate and I every couple of weeks would have to ask them to turn it off because we can't study with music blaring while we're studying. It's extremely annoying to have to do that every week or two. Lastly is a problem with the security deposit. Apparently as others have noted, they like to milk you for as much money as possible and keep a part of your security deposit for multiple reasons. We got that the unit needed to be cleaned and painted. It's California law that you can't charge for normal wear of the paint, which is what they charged for. And trust me, we didn't wear the paint one bit. And there was a ridiculous $180 cleaning fee for an apartment that we cleaned thoroughly after moving out. The downsides heavily outweigh the benefits of living in this "luxury" apartment. Sure the location is great, the younger staff are very nice and units are newer than others in iv, but don't trust their shady marketing tactics. They said when I visited that they're at 90% capacity or something for next year, when in reality they were probably closer to 40. read more

I don't understand how this building is still in business. Here's a few key points: - Elevator was supposed to be fixed by Jan 5th, 2022, it's now Jan 16th and nothing. (it's been broken over a month) - there is only ONE maintenance man for 2 buildings who is doing his absolute best (appreciate him, he gets the star) but the buildings are so derelict that he takes weeks to get back to you when you put in a work order (he's got too much to do) - when I moved in Sept 2021, the house was disgusting, my white socks were black underneath after walking up the stairs to my room - I've been trying to contact the office for about a week now and it has been closed and someone keeps HANGING UP THE PHONE ON ME - laundry room has about 4 broken laundry units and have been broken since Sept when I moved in - the unit I moved into had a broken dishwasher and management said they were replacing it. Dishwasher came 3 months later and was the wrong size. The maintenance man had to go buy another one and installed it over Christmas break. (did not have a dishwasher all of fall quarter in an apt of 6 people) - window in my room doesn't close properly so I hear EVERYTHING - single rooms are not actually single rooms, there's a glass wall separating you from another room - gym doesn't actually look like the photos on their website, there's only 2 of the treadmills, bikes, rowing machines, and one rack and one bench Honestly, there's so many more things I could say but I'm just so over this place, and the worst thing is that I can't find anywhere else to live so I have to release due to the massive housing crisis. These people do not care about their tenants whatsoever. The only person who cares is the maintenance man. Usually there's only one guy in the office who has absolutely no idea about anything, he only knows how to sign a lease with a tenant. We complained so much to the office about the state of our house and how the amenities promised were not delivered, and they only gave us $100 off for one month. I pay over 1.4k a month to live in an apartment that barely functions, and the sad part is that I have no other choice. The least management could do is fix up this sh*thole. We are PEOPLE. We have the right to housing that WORKS and management that HELPS US and doesn't leave us hanging when we need them. I have looked into what legal action I can take against ICON and will look more, and am preparing to take that action. ICON is not somewhere to house your child for their college experience, and this is coming from someone who is that child. I do not recommend this to anyone else, and I suggest looking elsewhere. read more

Mostly-modern amenities with some issues. I could tell 90% of the over-priced rent went into the shower alone while the rest of the apartment was given the lesser of the rent. Microwave and stove died and took a while to get fixed. Room-furnishings were inconsistent and low-quality (my dresser felt like something a middle-school woodshop kid made in a time-crunch). Views are nice and location next to campus and within walking distance of the beach are of course selling points but could being consistent with noise guidelines from other residents and having bikes stolen out of their "locked cages" don't help. Overall, not bad and got the job done of providing a decent residency to a college student - if you have the budget with low expectations. read more

Please don't stay here. I lived here for 6 months and after a couple weeks started to become very sick. I was having ringing ears, confusion, headaches, coughing and so many more symptoms. I discovered the place has mold and made me and 2 other roommates so sick we had to take a semester off. STAY AWAY PLEASE. read more

Icon - The people above us ceiling. - Apartments Near Me - Isla Vista, California

This place its the worst ever !! The management making money with the residents and they rent the apartment in airbnb and they smoke week and they are very rude !!!!! read more

Icon - This guy rude and the manager make Money from This airbnb - Apartments Near Me - Isla Vista, California

My son sub-leased an apartment here in the summer of 2022. He rented it sight unseen, as we don't live in the area and he needed housing for 10 weeks for a summer internship in Santa Barbara. The housing itself was adequate, though expensive. Not exactly "upscale" as advertised, but we didn't really expect that anyway. The two-person room was so small that one of the tenants had moved his desk into the living room in order to have adequate space. Even then, the remaining desk had to be placed in a way that it blocked the opening to the balcony, which cost extra, of course. I think it must have been a room designed for one person that they stuffed two people into, because there really wasn't space for furniture for two people. My major issues come with what has happened since he moved out. Exactly 21 days after the end of his lease, as required by law, my son was notified that his entire security deposit would be returned. We expected to see the deposit in the mail and waited a couple of weeks before following up. It didn't arrive, so my son called. They told him that the checks were issued from outside of the office and it hadn't arrived yet. So he gave it a few weeks before calling again. This time they told him that the check was waiting for him to come pick it up in Santa Barbara. Since he's in New York, he asked them to mail the check to his home address. It never arrived, so I finally called to follow up. Apparently, the office was out of stamps so they weren't able to mail it. They assured me they would get stamps soon and mail the check. I called again a couple of weeks later. Same story. No stamps. Apparently, the manager quit and nobody in the office is authorized to purchase stamps. They suggested I drive down from Northern California to pick it up. I waited for them to get stamps and called again a week later. Still no stamps, but this time they assured me that a manager at another property (different office) was mailing them some stamps. At this point, I sent them a self-addressed, stamped envelope. That was a week ago. I talked to the office staff this morning. He told me that they will be getting stamps soon and told me that my self-addressed, stamped envelope has not yet arrived. He promised he'd call back today after the mail comes. I'm not holding my breath. They have now held the deposit longer than my son lived there. Without the deposit return hassles, I'd have given the place three stars. read more

Icon Apartments will always have a special place in my heart, I got to live for a summer and it was perfect. It's right next to campus, a block from the beach, and has its own gym, patios, & BBQs. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for housing in Isla Vista. read more

I am currently living in the ICON Gardens. When I first signed up, I was told that I wouldn't be paying for any utilities other than electricity. A month later, I received a bill for water and gas and I confronted the management and they explained that I am not paying for water and gas, they are and I am just paying them back. I could spend an hour typing about all of the things that are wrong with this place, but I only have time to mention a few. First of all, the people that live in all ICON apartments are filthy party animals. They only live to party and as a result puke everywhere, which includes our balcony. The neighbors above us have puked on our balcony 3 times so far and we basically harassed the management to do something about the situation and they have just blown us off. Construction was apparently "Completed", however the constant jack hammer noises from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m tells that is a lie. The construction that was completed is a total joke. The building is already falling apart and one of the tenants had to evacuate his unit for a month because there was a water leak that caused mold in his walls. The restaurant construction below us found 2 water leaks about a week into construction. The same happened to us underneath our sink. There tends to be a trend of mold with ICON. We also put in a service request for a broken door handle twice and I overheard the maintenance worker on the radio get told to tell us that they are processing it, but they weren't going to do anything about it. They bought the cheapest of materials for the apartment and it is showing. Please don't get ICONned into signing a lease with them. They flat out lie to your face and give you plenty of attention and the illusion of an active management, however it is just a ploy to get you to sign a lease. Do yourself a favor and don't make my mistake. Get a much nicer more spacious unit far away from ICON. read more

Icon Isla Vista is an all star team lead by Kassie. Great response times and very willing to work with parents. Glad we found these guys!

I would not recommend living at Icon. My daughter moved in in September and from the get go it's been a challenge to reach anyone in the office. When you do actually talk to someone you don't get any answers. They are one of the most expensive complexes in IV but lack the customer service that comes along with the price. They are extremely slow at fixing anything. At one point not one washing machine worked in the complex so my daughter and her roommates had to go to the laundromat. I know they think their residents are "just college kids" but it's inexcusable especially for what they charge. We pay for parking but maintenance is frequently blocking my daughters spot. There are better, less expensive options in IV. Keep looking! read more

This is if not the best apartment complex in Isla Vista. It is a great environment for students where they can meet friends. The rooms are very well put together and fully furnished. read more

Worst experience ever ! We paid around $3000 for a one bedroom apartment at Icon, and this company, without a notice, doesn't renew the lease for next year. Instead, they rented it to a different person. We called them and they just said "oh so sorry but we can't do anything is leasing to another girls because you guys didn't respond". Yes, we didn't respond because they NEVER sent a letter to my daughter or called her to let her know. We are going to take legal action. Thank God we're in the Real state law business. read more

Just going to write a review to inform people of my experience back in 2016 fall- 2017 spring. My first problem with this place is their parking structure. Besides the large monthly cost I had to deal with dozens of breakdowns and moving my parking spot 5 or so times which was a major inconvenience. My second problem with this place was how horribly built it is. My room and entire apartment had these large bubbles of water damage and multiple leaks all over the apartment. We had multiple buckets and towels around our place and the management refused to do anything about it for MONTHS. So whenever it rained we were screwed. Once they finally addressed it all they did was put a dehumidifier in my room for weeks and that was it. Management was also horrible and I received many nasty calls from them in response to my issues with them. If you are looking into living here please do not live here for the sake of yourself or your children. I do not make many yelp reviews but this one was important to let people know. This place completely ruined my year in Santa Barbara. read more

Icon - Hole from water damage in my room - Apartments Near Me - Isla Vista, California

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This is my second semester living at Icon and I have no complaints. The management and maintenance is very attentive and on point. It is a 3 minute walk to the beach which is one of favorite parts of icon and not to mention very convenient! Icon is a place that I've made so many memories and friends at and will continue to make! I would absolutely recommend Icon to anyone searching for housing in SB. read more

When I first moved here I was unhappy with my living situation, luckily I received a lot of help from Carlos from the leasing office. I was able to move into a better living space within a few weeks. The furnishing, appliances, and floor designs are amongst the best quality for Isla Vista housing options. The office staff are very friendly, accommodating, and understanding. Thank you Carlos for your help! read more

Icon - Living room with adequate space - Apartments Near Me - Isla Vista, California

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AVOID AT ALL COSTS! When my roommates and I first were looking into icon and scheduling when to go to the office to sign the lease, they said that they were reserving this specific unit for us (with a specific price for rent) for 24 hours so we could all come into the office the next day and sign the lease, but within that time window before we went to sign the lease apparently another group had signed the lease for that exact unit online even though they said they were keeping it on hold for us for that time window. We got stuck with a smaller unit that was almost 100 dollars more expensive per month just because it had a tiny weirdly shaped balcony. Right off the bat, there was little to no transparency of the entire situation. If they promised to hold the property for us for 24 hours, they should have done that. If it wasn't possible for them to do that, then they should have said that. One of my roommates and I were the initial residents to move into our apartment, we were shocked the model unit that we had seen as well as the photos on the website were sooo nice and our unit was honestly horrible. Icon boasts of furnished units and this was barely furnished to say the least. The two bedrooms each had two lofted beds in them that looked like they were crudely built an hour before out of 2 by 4s from Home Depot. The only reason I know they weren't hastily built right before we moved in was because mine had a random girl's name written all over it in pink marker. The "desks" that they promised us from the floor plans were single thin rough planks of wood that ran under the length of the lofted bed. My roommates and I believed it was worth it to pay extra money in rent each month since the place was coming completely furnished, but the extra money wasn't even close to being worth the miserable excuses for what Icon titled "modern furniture." Additionally, the mattresses that initially came with the apartment were straight out of a horror movie, they looked very old and worn and had many weird stains on them. Furthermore, this is what the state of the apartment was when we moved in AFTER one of the people at the leasing office said she walked through all of the units multiple times: -Bathroom door handle broken -Stove not working -Tv and cable (that they advertised came with the apartment) wasn't working -Sliding glass door for one of the bedrooms was stuck and weirdly positioned -Floor was disgusting -Cabinets had shelves just laying inside inside of screwed in place -Bunk beds were built so haphazardly I didn't even feel comfortable climbing up there, I had to ask them to tighten the hardware -One of our windows was broken so that it was stuck open, their excuse for "fixing" it was just to break off the handle so that we couldn't ever actually open the window again for the rest of the lease Additional Problems Throughout the Lease: -The toilet clogged too many times to count and all we put in it was toilet paper -One one occasion, sewage flooded into our apartment from the sink and pipes -Half of the washing machines in the laundry room were broken for almost the entire year, one of the washing machines would even allow you to swipe your laundry card and take money off of it but then wouldn't work -When Covid-19 first happened (March 2020) through August 2020 (the end of our lease) they closed down the amenity spaces including the gym and study rooms which part of our insanely high rent was going towards, we really should have gotten some of our money back -Sometimes packages would be delivered to the leasing office instead of our mailbox and the leasing office just wouldn't let us know that our packages had even arrived -Utilities have a service fee which is very much not the norm in Isla Vista, very much a scam just to get more money, not sure if this was the fault of Icon or the utilities company that they used, but they should not be using a utility service that charges a fee when most if not all other places in Isla Vista don't use services that do this. read more

I live at icon currently. My lease on dp with friends fell through because someone couldn't get their share of the deposit together, so I signed my lease here kind of last minute not knowing who I'd move in with. I lived at Beach City in Santa Barbara last year, which has a similar feel and I had a blast. I feel uncomfortable in my own home due to my current strange roommate who does odd/ revolting things at night, catch my drift. It's just nasty honestly and I've never been put into that situation before which is extremely uncomfortable. I have confronted the dude maybe 6 times to no avail and now I'm just pissed. Ive spend maybe half the time in my own house and just stay at my girlfriends instead. I've had my friends over here maybe twice and that was to take a bathroom break from a night of partying. Never have I even cooked a meal here because the environment in so frustrating and there are so many bad vibes. I just want to move out of my current apartment. Upon move in the apartment was dirty in the bathrooms only, like they hired someone to clean the whole house but my bathroom in my bedroom and the Washing machine was broken. It took about 3 phone calls and several weeks to fix this. The building itself is pretty nice and it has a great location (I just wish I would have chosen a different apt here). I've had a leak in my house for about 3 months. Every single time is rains water streams through my ceiling and I have requested it be fixed numerous times. Carlos, the new manager in the office is great and has really improved over the last person who literally got nothing done. He's expedited fixing the leak in my home and has tried to remedy it for the time being. The weather has not permitted repairs in the last few weeksHopefully he will be able to help me out. Update awaiting as I see what happens with my current living situation. I really hope to move into another apartment. Thought I'd share my experience here. If you're looking for an upscale student environment that's safe and has chill people, I'd give this place a look. Just be mindful of people you move in with. read more

Icon - Mold - Apartments Near Me - Isla Vista, California

Just to be fair, I'm going to specify that I lived at ICON Gardens last year, which was their first year open, so many of the issues I discuss might have improved since then. Possibly not. Also, this is a review for the building on Seville road, not the main building on Trigo above 7-11. They're two different places under the same management. The building is pretty much the closest you can possibly get to the UCSB campus, which is pretty convenient. It's also extremely close to Pardall, which serves as the 'center' of Isla Vista. The building is ugly as all hell, but I suppose that's not super relevant to your living experience. Hideous facade aside, though, the interior of the apartments is modern-styled, which gives everything a clean but somewhat sterile appearance. Each apartment is fully furnished and even has a large flat-screen tv. The shower is spacious and warm water was never an issue. The building is court-yard style, which is both pleasant because of the open appearance of the hallways, and unfortunate because the entire courtyard turned into one big, loud party every weekend night. When I first moved in, the workers had left countless tar footprints all over the floor, which I had to spend hours painstakingly scrubbing off. I don't think I was even able to remove them all, to be quite honest. And though it might not be an issue for everyone, one fridge was not enough for the five of us girls living in the town house. The result was some of my roommates purchasing two additional mini-fridges. There also was a huge issue with cupboard space, but in that case, I think it could've been solved if roommates were willing to share certain items. (Pots, pans, appliances, etc.) My roommate and I shared an (expensive) double together, and were told before signing our leases that our room featured a juliette balcony. No such balcony existed, and that our room was so small, not all of the provided furniture could fit into it. My roommate spent the year with her wardrobe out in the living room because it was the only possible option. And from what I'd seen of other people's rooms as well, ours wasn't even the smallest. There were others who had to opt out of wardrobes or desks completely because of space. That being said, however, I've also seen some rooms that are decently sized, or even large. There's no consistency at all in the layouts of these apartments. Each one is completely different from the next, and because they don't offer tours, you don't have much of a clue about what you're going to get. Even the floorplans they showed us were completely incorrect. There is also extremely little in the way of roommate conflict resolution. They had us fill out a roommate-matching form before moving in, which is a complete waste considering you sign a lease for a specific spot in a specific apartment. The only thing matching roommates together is gender and chance. And if you end up with, I don't know, say a literal kleptomaniac as a roommate, there's literally nothing to be done about it. On that same note, there's no locks on the bedroom doors within the apartment, aside from the press-in sort that you can only use while you're in the room. While the front door is locked with a proximity-sensor key, once you're inside, everything is fair game for those with sticky fingers. We had an issue with ants year round. It was annoying and disgusting, and ants were an issue in every single room. We also had a pretty sketchy water-damage crack on the ceiling of our bedroom, and when it rained the paint on the wall bubbled up and eventually burst with rainwater. Good luck in an earthquake. Security is nothing special. They say that the gates into the building are locked with the proximity sensor keys, and that's true for one door, the other gate on the side of the building is literally formed like a ladder to climb over. I even did it myself a few times when I forgot my key. There's nothing to keep outsiders from climbing over to get in. The rooftop is large and provides a nice view of the ocean, but is also pretty darn boring. Nothing up there except lawn chairs and a fake-grass patch. The gym was decent, nothing to complain about there, but the laundry was a nightmare. At one point all the dryers broke for several weeks, so we had to haul our laundry to the laundromat at the end of the block. And in addition, the machines use a card system that can only be filled by the employees in the office on Seville. You have to go during the precious school hours. Wifi was out for an entire week once during finals week. Just tossing that in there as well. read more

STAY AWAY! My son went there last year, and wanted to leave after few months. I have been dealing with extremely rude managers there and a corporation that wants to take advantage of students in order to solve the situation. Nothing was solved. At the end of the year they added unfounded charges to my son's account. We confronted them about it and thought we solved it. Never heard from them, and now I get calls from a collection agency for it. Basically THEY ARE THERE TO GET AS MUCH MONEY as possible to people who make the mistake of getting there. read more

Icon apartment are very worn, all the furniture it's slightly damaged or fully damaged. The floors are absolutely disgusting, if you walk around with or without socks, your feet will be black. All students don't take good care of their apartment. The walls easily scuffed and there is no way of wiping the scuffs off. You won't get your security deposit back, living here, I've never heard of someone that does. The head manager is EXTREMELY rude. The apartments can be very loud on weekdays and on weekends and even if you call in a complaint nothing will usually happen. I do not recommend living in Icon apartments at all. I pay 950 for a room that I can barley walk around in. There has been several fights here and now there has been a tenant held at gun point and been robbed. This building says its secure but anyone can get in, read more

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Avoid ICON - it's easy to find a better, less expensive place elsewhere!!! Don't fall for the company's website photos. ICON is completely overpriced and they cram people into poorly equipped apartments. Parking was secure but expensive at $125/month. Incredibly annoying that even though we paid for monthly parking, on several occasions my daughter couldn't access her space because ICON's work trucks blocked the driveway! The furnishings were a total joke. Part of the living room furniture consisted of a $39 plastic IKEA coffee table that was approximately 18" tall - perfect height if you happen to be a troll. Completely useless as it only served to take up scarce shared space. A modest kitchen table would have been nice - at least the tenants would've had a place to sit & eat. The refrigerator in the apartment of 6 tenants was ridiculously small - we had to provide 2 additional mini refrigerators just so all the roommates could store their food. My daughter's tiny bedroom had 3 people in it with no closet. While the lack of storage was clearly a problem, the mold did grow quite well around the window sills. FINAL WARNING - Don't expect to be treated fairly when it's time to get your security deposit back!!! We were charged for the replacement of a new bunk bed mattress even though the original was in excellent condition at the time of move out. My daughter had never, NOT EVEN ONCE, slept directly on top of the crummy, cheap, thin one provided the entire 9-10 months she lived there. She used a foam top & bedding that completely covered/protected the original mattress. When we attempted to dispute the mattress charge by calling ICON 3 different times, the management office would not put me in contact with anyone in charge - they said we could only try to dispute via email. We feel scammed by ICON and would not recommend that place to anyone. read more

Moving out of icon was probably the best thing for me. After posting a Yelp review on icon I got a call from the office saying she wanted to talk to me but I knew it was just going to ask me to take it down. So when I dropped off my rent check, the manager came out and said was the Yelp review directed to her and I said it was to the whole management working in the office. And about the apartment being dirty when we moved in, she said I should have said something ( which I have before and nothing happened ) and she can help but what is there to help, you're still going to charge me for everything. I didn't even mention in the last post how my car was towed in December despite me having a parking spot that I pay $150 each month for. So many people have parked their spot outside the garage and blocked me and have made me late to work but nothing happened. I wrote so many notes on people's cars to move and told the office people keep parking there but they didn't do anything. So one morning I left my car out for maybe 15 min and she towed my car. When I asked if she towed it she said no and then I asked the tow guy out side the apartments and he said she called. She lied. Apparently I was blocking "employee parking" but there was so sign that said that or in our lease. Where I parked was were the electric car goes but it wasn't there for days. I had to pay $360 to get my car back and she only gave me $150 off!! I pay my own rent and everything and I don't have money just to blow on being towed because I blocked her spot. Again I have lived here for 3 years and this past year has been my worst year living here because of the new manager. She says has made the place better but she hasn't. My roommates have had so many issues with her as well. Example being her mom has a handicap sign so she parked in the designated handicap spot and she left a note on the car saying next time it will be towed because it was only for residents and guest. Yet she was a guest and she spends thousands of dollars on her daughters rent. Another incident happened with a key and her mom wanted the corporates number but she wouldn't give it. She was so disrespectful The view we had was amazing!! BUT with a management like her I wouldn't never live here again. I loved the location and it being furnished but it's not worth it because how much you pay, the management there sucks read more

I moved in half way through the school year and my apartment was so small that our living room was also our kitchen. Icon has a lot of useful amenities but it's not worth the price you have to pay to live here. read more

After looking at several housing options in Isla Vista, we decided on Icon Gardens for our daughter. It was a bit more expensive than some of the other places, but in much better condition and at a really great location. We were concerned with all the negative reviews, but since Icon was under new management, we decided to give it a try. We've been very happy and our daughter has signed a lease for next year. The management is strong and the young men and women working in the office have always provided us with great customer service. We have had a few issues, a broken screen, internet out and dishwasher backing up, but these issues have been handled very quickly by the maintenance crew. My daughter has always felt safe at Icon, and that is our number one concern. read more

Great staff, location, and amenities. Definitely one of the better places to live in Isla vista

***WARNING*** DO NOT MOVE INTO AN ICON APARTMENT!!!! Icon sucks ass!! I've lived at Icon gardens for 6 months. Worst experience EVER!! This place is trashy and crowded with immature SBCC students. The management is a disaster. I officially canceled my lease and signed out but they still want me to pay for the room. I don't wish living at Icon to anybody!!! read more

To be clear, this is Icon GARDENS, on Seville Rd. Not the original Icon apartments building next to The Loop and above 7/11. I was hesitant about how many stars to give this place. My instinct was fewer stars, but then again, compared to the rest of IV, it's pretty darn nice. PROS: -VERY close to campus (UCSB). Almost as close as you can get. Also close to Caje, Woodstock's, 7/11, Pizza My Heart - most of the food joints in IV. Great location. This was a big thing for me. -Very modern: stainless steel fixtures (full-refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, stove/oven), grey faux-wood floors and black "tile" in the kitchen, nice glass doors in the shower, roll-down white shades on windows -Storage space in bathroom cabinets -Ceiling fan in common room (not sure if this applies to every unit) -Beautiful rooftop deck with a decent view of the ocean and great view of the mountains...also a fake-grass section for yoga/lying down -Generally pretty safe, except the outside gate lock is inconsistent. People always rig it so their friends can get in. I haven't heard of any robberies, though. -Proximity sensor keys -Courtyard layout lets in more natural light -Firehouse Subs down below is sooo good. Go try it. -Single rooms, split doubles, double rooms, and triple rooms are available, as far as I know. CONS: -misrepresented floorplans (less space, some say they have balconies but don't, some are mirror-image) -Pretty pricy. For a tiny double I'm paying $919 and so is my roommate. Probably a ripoff, but oh well. My roommate in a split double (big room with a sliding divider) is paying $1020. Wifi and trash are included, but water and electricity aren't. -they don't let you take tours of the apartments to see what they're really like -we've had a lot of ant problems, but they really haven't been that big of a deal. they come and go and generally stay away if you seal your food/keep it out of your room. -Squeaky beds/cheap furniture in general. Personally I'm a fan of the Ikea look, but you can tell that they aren't great quality. But whatever, it's college living. -WIFI. I cannot repeat this enough. Be sure you get connected to your own router that's supposed to be in your apartment because if you use the "general" wifi it is terrible and drops every few days at night, when no one is there to fix it until 11am. -Elevator is sketch...not working a lot of the time -Maintenance requests take forever to get done unless you go to Luis directly (he's great and is willing to go out of his way to help you...but don't take advantage of him) -The management in general is pretty inconsistent; they seem nice and helpful, but sometimes they aren't -You have to go to the office to reload the laundry card. Really, can't you just put a machine in the laundry room like The Loop does? -Since I signed the lease so late, and since it was the first year of the building, they were offering 10-month leases, but they no longer are (at least in January 2014 they said 12-month leases). And here's the thing: they WON'T LET YOU SUBLEASE. So unless you want to drop $3,000 on a place you won't be living in in the summer, find some place else or convince them to give you a 10 month lease. -Parking is something like $1600 a year, and from what I've heard, it's impossible to get in and out of your car in the fancy movable garage thing, and it dings up your car. Good luck finding street parking nearby. -It can be pretty loud on weekends, but luckily the doors are pretty sound proof and drown out the noise well. I've never had trouble sleeping because of what's going on in other apartments. -Their website doesn't give a good idea at all about the interiors. One note about the cons is that, to be fair, it is the first year of anyone living here, so certain problems are expected, and hopefully they'll be worked out in the future. Overall, I liked living here and honestly would again if it weren't for the 12-month leases with no summer subleasing. That was the only thing that deterred me. The problems were mostly amusing more than anything else - nothing too serious. read more

Icon - Apartments Near Me - Isla Vista, California

Pretty nice but overpriced. Great location, food right below me, park across the street, all my friends are in within 1/4 mile from me. Love my balcony and rooming with my best friend. Nice full kitchen with plenty of refrigerators lol. I'm very happy I got the closet though because the armoire is tiny and would never fit my clothes. The staff are great and super nice! Have been very communicative with everything and are on top of every issue. I'm a first year and am honestly just filling out this review to get the rewards. Thanks for the Amazon card read more

This is by far the most Trumatic and awful living circumstance I have ever experienced. I leased a room in a three bedroom apartment in the icon apartments across the street from the 7-Eleven. After my first night there I began to feel ill. As a week passed, my brain became inflamed. I visited urgent care as well as my primary care physician and determined that I was exposed to an extreme case of mold. my apartment in the icon apartment building had a ton of flooding issues to which the staff did not take correct precautions to remediate which caused extreme water damage. After only four weeks of living there, I was placed on bed rest for six months due to mold poisoning from Icon apartments and I'm still dealing with health implications a year later. I am aware of five other situations with students experiencing the same tragedy within icon apartments. Do not live here. read more