Parents & kids BEWARE!! I recommend that you read all the reviews. Although the location seems good, it has a high party and crime element. the gates and doors are easily compromised. The ICON management is so bad and non-responsive. Once you sign the lease, they quit talking to you. They always keep the security deposit and assume that most people won't go to the trouble to take them to small claims court. This complex is run like the projects, but costs as much as a luxury apartment. read more

Nice place AS LONG AS you ask nicely! An on-site management team makes requests happen faster if anything breaks down

Lived at Icon last year and wasn't going to leave a review, but after seeing everyone else's I thought I'd hop on the train. Not sure if the highlight of my stay was the termite infested room, racist employees, or gaping hole in the kitchen ceiling. Not only was my room infested with termites, but their solution was to stick my housemates and I in the tour unit where we were walked in on multiple times by employees with potential residents on tours. After ripping up the balcony attached to my room to search for termites, many men were in my room and apartment for hours each day for weeks with no warning times, just a 10 hour time frame. Doesn't feel very comfortable in a house full of young girls. The same thing happened with the workers when our ceiling started spraying like Niagara Falls above the kitchen and a hole was left in the ceiling for an entire month. The cherry on top? Employee ABBY saying the n word (both with an a and hard r in front of my black housemate) and homophobic f-slur. When my housemate brought the issue up to KENNY, he laughed and said the same disgusting words that Abby did. This was then brought up to CARLOS, who brushed it off and promoted Abby to leasing manager shortly after. They were also completely unapologetic and did nothing when we caught our neighboring unit yelling "destroy all black people." We also received threats written in lipstick on our front window and icon refused to check the cameras or do anything about it. Property manager Carlos has no idea how to communicate with residents or his staff. On top of everything, this place is extremely overpriced. Overall, incredibly unprofessional business and I would not recommend it to my worst enemy. People who don't enjoy homophobia, racism, or overpriced crap, look elsewhere. read more

Parents BEWARE ! Icon completely fooled me and my daughter with their fancy marketing and internet advertising schemes. I have never had such a horrible devastating experiences with a rental. As a concerned parent sending my daughter off to college, I thought I was doing everything in my power to make her move away from home as comfortable as possible. I thought ICON would be the perfect place, with modern brand new clean & furnished apartments plus on-site managers and supervision and a safe environment (as promised at the sales pitch)! We were told the unit my daughter would be living in will be an All-Girls unit and the roommates would be selected carefully. But God No! All Icon was concerned about was filling up their units. Two boys were moved into their unit when a room became vacant without any notifications to the girls or the parents. The units and the furniture were not ready months into the school year. Kids were put into hotels and started off the school year with anxiety and living off suitcases. Then once they moved in to these newly constructed apartments, there were tons of construction malfunctions which were left un-attended. These inexperienced kids didn't know what to do, until the parents got involved and pushed for speedy repairs! Visiting my daughter often, I noticed that the use of drugs and alcohol was unbelievable throughout the complex while the management looked the other way. Of course unfortunately drugs and alcohol are a serious problem in many college towns and in Isla Visa. But I counted on the security and on-site supervision/management promised to me when we signed up with ICON. Despite my repeated complaints to the management, nothing was being done to better the living conditions there. My daughter finally agreed to move back home and away from that disaster! The day my daughter moved out, the manager was nowhere to be found. She called for a walk through but he assured her that would not be necessary and she would hear from them re her deposit within 21 days. Not only we did not hear from them within the legal 21 days, a few months later, we got a bill over $2000 for damages and replacement of all the furniture in her room and the apt! Apparently we were not the only ones receiving such bill. Other tenants got the same! There was absolutely nothing wrong with my daughter's furniture except for normal usage. Of course it's nicer to have brand new furniture in the units. So ICON just replaced them and attempting to collect from the tenants. Basically renovating a brand new refurnished apt after only 10 months of residency on our expense!! A sweet deal for ICON!! But certainly not good business! My daughter was late in paying her rent a couple of times. I made arrangements with the mgr to make her payment (which I did), but Icon, not honoring our agreement, turned around and traumatized my daughter with an eviction notice after having received my 1st payment. On top of it, they now want to be reimbursed for their legal fees. ICON developers have found a nitch market putting up these fancy (looking) apts in college towns. That part is good for them. But over-promising and under-delivering and exploiting kids, making false claims and advertising is just not right! They are mismanaging their properties and exploiting everyone to make an extra buck! These kind of practices won't go too far. One by one, parents are fighting back and holding ICON accountable! In this internet age, word gets around too fast and ICON will lose reputation and business if they continue their practices like this. read more

Definitely not worth the steep price they charge for a bed. Maybe if this place was A LOT cheaper and didn't charge for utilities, it would be a reasonable place to live. The only plus is that we ended up in a room with huge windows, but the bedrooms are still extremely small and u barely have enough room for your stuff. The management is a complete joke - service requests go ignored unless you bother them about it multiple times, and the people in the leasing office don't seem to know what's going on with most aspects of this property. They're pretty much there to sucker people into renting a spot, and once you sign the lease, they pretty much stop caring about you. Icon does not have its act together whatsoever!! Furthermore, our apartment has ants, gnats, and at one point I even saw a roach in the kitchen!!! The ants are everywhere - in the kitchen, bathroom, etc., as are the gnats. They also told me before I signed the lease that every apartment gets its own Wi-fi - I don't know if this is true, but half the time the internet is incredibly slow/barely works. We might not have to pay for the internet, but half the time it doesn't work. Once you sign the lease they stop caring about you. This place is a rip off!!! Don't live here if you can help it!! read more

Great place to live. Comes with many amenities that I used often such as a gym, pool room, and roof access. Great views of the mountains AND ocean. Practically in the center of IV, so you're close to everything; restaurants, cafes, campus, etc. read more

THE WORST PLACE TO LIVE IN ISLA VISTA. My maintenance requests were pretty much ignored unless I called them 100 times a day. The rooms were tiny and not worth the price, everything was falling apart by the end of the year, and the design of this place is stupid. The balconies are built so close to each other that people just hop over and go into other people's rooms. This "gated" complex has gates that can easily be climbed over by a small child, but that didn't even matter because the locks were broken 99% of the time. The laundry machines only worked for the first few weeks of school and by the end of the year, only one or two of the machines were working for the whole building. Yeah the location was pretty good, but I would have rather lived on the sidewalk on the same street than live inside the building. If that doesn't explain how horrible this place was, then I don't know what else to say... Also, the 4 & 5 star reviews for this place are hilarious. It sounds so rehearsed and unnatural. Don't let them fool you! This place straight up sucks. read more

This place is discriminatory and doesn't fix anything when you move in and there's a hole in the ceiling. Their management company CAMPUS ACQUISITIONS is a joke and lies to the parents, tenants, and their own boss. Lawsuits are coming in HOT. They have facilitated tenants to continue living here when they are a threat to the well being of others, and yet try to evict people that complain about the insufficient preparation of the house by fabricating stories! DON'T LIVE HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DEAL WITH GEARY MCLEOD AND NICHOLAS T HILL EVERYDAY. They are a nuisance and disturb our quality of life. read more

Do not live here. Very unprofessional and over priced. If they owe you a refund or money for any reason...good luck getting it. There is also a high turn over in management. That should speak for itself. When you look at an apartment to rent, it won't be the actual one that you will be staying in??..Suspicious! read more

STAY AWAY FROM THESE THEIVES I lived here my first year of college. I was super excited to move into such a nice brand new building. 2 days before school started they sent us all an email saying that the building wouldn't be ready for another couple of days and put us in hotels. this was a nightmare, i was coming from a different city and living in a box my first week of school. After the first week they pushed it back another week. THEY OBVIOUSLY KNEW IT WASNT GOING TO BE READY! Upon moving in, nothing was ready. the building was still in construction, the rooms weren't as promised, and all we had were beds. It was a nightmare. I shared a tiny room with another girl with one wardrobe. Aside from the furniture being a problem, they gave me no proper walk through at the end of my stay there and basically refurnished my entire apartment at my expense. They are scum bags and are only in it to rip of unexperienced college students. YOU WILL GET RIPPED OFF HERE AVOID ICON AT ALL COSTS. The loop is right next door and yes it may be a bit more pricy but you won't get the added fees in the end read more

If I could give 0 stars I would. Icon and Icon Gardens have to be the worst and most frustrating housing management company I've ever had to deal with before. Not only is the rent extremely overpriced, the apartments are described to be spacious and come with lists of amenities, none of which actually exist once you're moved in. They also are extremely unhelpful and never respond to any emails, calls, etc addressing simple concerns. The furniture is very cheap, inexpensive, and not well put together. I've felt completely disappointed by it all and am stuck in my lease....Basically save yourself a lot of money and grief and put in a little extra time trying to find a better housing business. read more

Avoid these apartments at all costs!!! The most horrific experience I have come across in a living situation. I have never had any problems in the past renting in this area except for here. This business is a joke. They do not abide by the papers you sign. Legal issues and headaches! read more

A good friend of mine lives here and her apartment is so nice; I wish I could live here too! The view from the rooftop is amazing, great place to study and unwind! read more

BIGGEST HELL HOLE I HAVE EVER LIVED IN. First of all everything at Icon is a joke and completely over priced for their bullshit Ikea shit furniture and appliances. never have i ever dealt with people so incompetent. On move in day i moved in with the complex not clean and shit in the toilet with stains on the couch and crumbs still on the counter. Then, the first two weeks of living there my car became rat infested from parking it in their rat infested bs high tech garage. They would mot pay for the damage done and instead told me it was from the streets... when i had never parked on the streets. Then i had packages stolen from my mailbox unit because the mail man didn't lock my box. Fed-Ex delivered my friends iphone to the door and it was stolen by one of icons ex employees who was fired (for stealing) and still lived in the complex. Icon did nothing and did not reimburse her for the phone and tried blaming the carrier. So much for their inside laundry i dealt with a half broken washer for about 2 months until someone decided to finally bring a new one. They are unwilling and not cooperative when it comes to fixing anything or just in general handing out money. Do not fall into their trap there is a reason for their low ratings. The security isnt even security you park in the garage around the back in the dumpsters and walk up an open dark staircase. Sometimes even homeless people will knock on your door! DO NOT LIVE HERE YOU WILL REGRET IT. THE WORST APARTMEMTS IN IV AND THE WORST MANAGEMENT IN AMERICA. Do not waste your money on these pompous assholes. Thanks Icon for the shit experience. read more

Worst place I have ever lived in, worst management I have ever dealt with. I have been trying to sublease my room since October 2015 and they said they would do anything they could to lease my room, and still, nothing. I have nothing nice to say because I still pay over $900 with utilities to have 5 roommates, no AC, and I DON'T EVEN LIVE IN SB ANYMORE! Don't waste you're money here. I am paying, in total, over $10,000 that I will never get back. With all of these awful reviews they should go out of business, or someone should burn down the establishment (in my opinion). read more

Even though I won't be living here like I expected, I wanted to write a review for Icon's amazing customer/renter service. Out of all 9 apartments I emailed and called, only Icon responded, and they were super friendly and fast about it too! Marissa, one of the workers there, gave us a really straightforward tour of the apartments and she gave me lots of advice for going into college as well. I'm really thankful for their help and they are definitely a very friendly business! read more

I have very much enjoyed my experience with Icon Apartments. Apparently, new management has taken over since the reports below were written, because my experience has been nothing but pleasant. The leasing agents were actual students who lived within the community. They chose to live here and were effectively providing me with reasons why my student should as well. In comparison to the other options in IV, from houses to privately owned apartments, just the fact that they HAD on site management and electronically locked doors was a major improvement. My student will enjoy living at ICON if it is anything remotely like the experience we receive in the leasing office. read more

This place is a rip off. You pay for all utilities on top of overpriced rent, they overfill the apartments, making it super crowded in a tiny area. They scam you out of your security deposit and management is unprofessional, slow-acting, and horrible. They moved us in with no furniture last year and none of the promised amenities, they didn't fix things when asked and never respond to emails and just ignore you. Don't live here!!! read more

I wish I'd gotten to live here this fall - I took a tour but the place was full before I got to sign up. Definitely going to try for next year. They have a new manager who seemed really nice, amazing views of the ocean, and it's super close to the beach. I'd definitely recommend to my friends! read more

check it out for your self. ask people you see living here before you sign anything. get a tour and really explore your options. pay attention to small details and be smart. its a lot of money to live here so if you are on a budget I recommend not looking to much into it. but if money isn't an issue then go for it. there are pros and cons to living here. read the other reviews and do your research. read more

I lived at ICON apartments for one year, and while there are a few positive things about this place, I would highly advise going elsewhere. The other reviews of uncooperative management, high rent prices, and sketchy security deposit returns are true. In addition, repairs are not conducted on time, a fight I had in my house between 5 roommates was never resolved after repeated interactions with management, and the lack of AC in our house was killer in the summertime. The gym has broken equipment. It can get loud on the weekends. Any positive attributes about this place are overshadowed by the bothersome nuisances that are sadly routine. Two thumbs down. read more

ICON SUCKS ASS!! My advice to anyone living in Icon, TAKE PHOTOS OF WHEN YOU MOVE IN AND MOVE OUT! THEY WILL NOT GIVE BACK SECURITY DEPOSITS!!!!!! Living in Icon has been a terrible experience. First we had no furniture when we moved in. The furniture they gave us is extremely awful. Then we had a mold problem which they refused to acknowledge. (There should not be mold in a new building??!!) Also, the apartments are TINY, and they are in no way "luxury" apartments and should not be advertised as such because it is a big fat lie. All of the apartments they show on the tour have been decorated by interior designers and are the best ones in the building, not at all representative of the average Icon apartment. Definitely not worth the steep price tag. You can live in a single, on DP, against the ocean for less than what most people pay here. DO NOT LIVE HERE AND DO NOT FALL FOR THEIR LIES. read more

I've lived at Icon Gardens apartments for an entire year and I must agree that these apartments are getting really worn down because some students don't take care of their units. I did not feel safe at these apartments we constantly had loud fights and burglaries (a tenant got held at gun point during a burglary in the middle of the night) through out the entire year. Any one can easily get inside the building. The halloween/deltopia weekend security was an absolute joke, because anyone was able to sneak in. The magnetic keys are frustrating because they would constantly stop working. It is EXTREMELY loud during the weekdays and weekends. I could never do school work inside of the complex because of the loud noise. Half way through the year our lobby got flooded and ruined the elevator for months. After almost every weekend there would be vomit on the stairs or hallways. I ended up paying $950 for a double without utilities. Please do yourself a favor and try to avoid leasing with Icon, it's truly a rip off. On the brighter side, I've met great people but I will definitely lease else where. read more