I'm sharing this review based on our experience as residents at 525 Broadway back in 2025. I normally don't leave reviews, but the experience we had felt important to share. While the building itself is beautiful and located in a great area, our experience with management unfortunately took away from what could have been a great place to live. During our time there, we had several uncomfortable interactions with a leasing staff member, Lupe Silva-Solis, that made us feel unwelcome in our own building. There were a few occasions where our guests were approached in common areas like the pool, Gym and questioned in a way that felt unnecessarily confrontational. On weekends especially, it seemed like my family or guests were being watched closely and asked to leave areas even when they were simply visiting us. Situations like that can be embarrassing when you're just trying to host friends or family. We also had moments where staff came to our door asking about who was visiting. While we understand that buildings have policies and security procedures, the way these interactions were handled often felt more aggressive than professional. What made the situation more difficult was that we tried raising these concerns with management and even upper management hoping things would improve. Unfortunately, the overall tone of the interactions didn't really change during the time we lived there. Lupe seems to do whatever he wants and tarnishing the image of Greystar Again, the building itself is nice and the location is great, but a big part of any living experience is feeling comfortable and respected in your own home. I hope management takes feedback like this seriously and works toward creating a more welcoming environment for all residents and their guests. read more

Great experience with the management and leasing team. Andrea and Lupe were incredibly helpful and professional during my apartment transfer, even with tight timing. The new security team has also been amazing -- very friendly and supportive. I really appreciate how the building handled everything with care and respect. Happy to be staying here! read more

Terrible apartment. DO NOT RENT HERE. The front office staff is full of morons and treat you like complete crap. They have no knowledge of anything and refuse to help with any issues whatsoever. You have been warned read more

Brittney is simply the best. Attentive and helped me identify my needs when I was unsure. Great tour, great people. Thank you Brittney!!!

Great location from the Santa Monica beach. The apartment is well maintained and the staff are very helpful, especially Brittney. She reply to emails quickly and answer questions well, so it's easy to understand. I like her personality and hospitality. read more

I had the pleasure of working with Brittney this past week and she was absolutely phenomenal. She really helped me with an issue I was having and I felt heard. She listened and overall just made my experience here a bit better. She's been a great addition to sway as I've also heard from other residents here. Thank you Brittney! read more

Amazing location with killer amenities, especially for Santa Monica. The staff are super helpful and welcoming. Shoutout to Bart and Danielle who have helped me tremendously since my move in. They're always so accommodating. A hidden oasis for sure! read more

Poorly assembled units. The microwave display doesn't function properly, the towel rack hangs loosely from the wall, washing machine leaks. On top of that, they consistently rent out their pool deck and bring in live musicians and DJs who play music loud enough that it will sound like they are right inside your apartment. Location is the only perk. read more

Avoid this place - when I first joined sway - this place was overall very good albeit premium priced. Things have gone down hill - maintenance requests now take forever to actually get implemented, the staff is just bad and doesn't respond to any complaints - they just frankly don't care. What used to be a quite, premium living accommodations have now turned into a loud, unresponsive and overtly expensive place - you can find better. read more

I have lived here for 4 months now, and it has been great so far. The leasing office is absolutely outstanding!! They are responsive, attentive to detail and happy to help with whatever you need. The security guys are also great. They are all very on top of things, and are very good at managing this place. I enjoy seeing them whenever I walk in and out because they are so kind and pleasant. I greatly appreciate the leasing office being so helpful in my move-in and throughout my time here. They also coordinate such amazing events for residents. The location is also great being close enough to walk to the beach and with a Trader Joe's and Target just a block away. There's also a One Medical downstairs, so super convenient to see a Dr if you're feeling under the weather. Having a gym and pool inside also is a nice perk. I am loving living here so far. read more

There are 10 EV chargers in the parking garage and literally none of them work. I specifically chose to live in this community because of the EV chargers. Slowly one by one they all stopped working. One is physically broken and hasn't been fixed in almost two years. The others have all slowly gone "offline" and only properly function on very rare occasions. What was the point of spending the money to install these chargers if you can't keep them operating? Many community members have relied on these chargers to get to work in the morning and now we have to look elsewhere. It's an enormous imposition to charge elsewhere when we could charge in the convenience of our own garage! read more

I've lived her for 6 months; it's GREAT. The apartments are incredibly clean, well designed and the amenities are beautifully maintained. The gym is my favorite spot, it's popular but never crowded. The staff? Fatima is hands down, the most endearing and responsible of the management team. Tim, the manager, handles every problem with professionalism and respect. Feeling safe, like you live in a beautiful place, that your packages and mail are always tracked and that your home is lovely - all these things matter to me. In short, Sway offers a luxury apartment with all the bells and whistles for a fair price. Highly recommended read more

Unfortunately, we were late for a Viewing Appointment due to typical traffic on Saturday at 4:24pm , 10/13/18. The young woman in the front office was very rude to my Agent and us, as her clients. Telling us , "you're late, you missed your appointment and you can't hang around here" My agent was calm and asking for possible alternatives but this young woman continued to cut her off and be out right rude. We are relocating due to work and had to go back East the following day. If we were not able to view, OK, but the blatant rudeness and disrespect was not called for. With that attitude and POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE, I would not give this property any of my hard earned money. Truly unprofessional and rude for no reason. I would not recommend this property, if there is no regard to being kind and professional. This is a true example of poor customer service . read more

I toured with Bart at Sway and although I did not end up leasing there I thought he deserved a shout out. He was very knowledgeable about the community and floor plans answering all of my questions. I loved the functional floor plans and community. Amazing gym, parking and well kept facilities. It was a tough decision but I ended up renting a place with a yard for my dog. read more

Great location, but was very taken aback by the very rude and unprofessioanl office staff (Marie). We moved into a corporate apartment funished by Suite America. During normal leasing office hours, she locks the door and you need to speak to her via locked doors. Asked to speak with her manager and was told "manager is on vacay and cannot take calls". When I asked her if she could call me post vacay, that was also not an option. :( read more

Danielle and Blanca the on-site management and their staff are great! Professional, friendly and their follow up on all is second to none. Great place to live. read more

Blanca has been such an amazing help through out this whole process making my life much easier by explaining things step by step. Danielle always has positive attitude whenever I step in to ask questions I wish I can rate this place more starts I am amazed with the customer service here !!! read more

Sway Santa Monica is an awesome place to live. It's different from the other apartment buildings in neighborhood. Its laid out very well. Ample parking! The private residential courtyard is beautiful with the fire pit, the pool, they call it "Blue Agave" that's awesome. And Management is great. Speak with Matt in management he's a great guy! read more

Sway - Great Lobby - Apartments Near Me - Santa Monica, California

I don't know why you would live anywhere else! Amazing amenities and a five minute walk to the beach. Thank you to the staff for always being so accommodating with my needs. 5 stars! read more

I agree with the other 1 star reviews about the customer service. I would ask for the guy sale associate instead , he was more helpful .

I just leased a place here and had the most pleasant experience with management. I am in the real estate business and have dealt with many management companies in my career but I was pleasantly surprised by how professional Fatima and her team were at Sway. They were very fast in their response time and processed my paperwork within a day which is unheard of for these larger management companies. Fatima was great in walking us through the paperwork, walkthrough of the unit and making sure that all our needs were met prior to moving in. Great building and service. Definitely getting my money's worth. read more

This is one of the best places I lived at. The place is immaculate from the moment you walk-in and screams classy chic!! The amenities are great, from the well equipped (and actually CLEAN) gym, to the pool, etc. The management company are on top of their game too, they are extremely responsive and professional. The property is brand new so there were no maintenance issues other than basic items (battery change for a soke detector once a light bulb that went out is all I can remember) and they took care of them as soon as I reported them. They went above and beyond taking care of my packages too, and I receive a lot of them lol - Highly recommended if you are looking for a great home in Santa Monica. The area is really good too, walking to all the restaurants and local shops never get boring. read more

Sway is my home-away-from-home, and for good reason. Matt and his team are the best in the business at taking care of residents and building a healthy, fun and upscale living environment for each person. Hailey, in particular, is consistently going above and beyond to assist the people who live here- always with a smile on her face. If you're a professional looking for a positive atmosphere to ground your living situation with lots of natural light, convenient and top-line living and entertaining spaces, fully equipped exercise room and a few block walk/bike ride to The Pier & 3rd St Promenade, Sway is home for you. This lifestyle is worth the price tag! read more

Sway is a great place to live. The amenities, location and management are excellent.

I have been renting at Sway since the building opened which is over 2 years. The gym, pool and all the facilities are first rate. The apartments have so many extras, like a wine fridge and great shower heads, you just don't find in reg Santa Monica Apts. Mathew the manager and all his staff are spectacular, so helpful and caring. Stephanie is great and has worked at the property since day 1. I am very proud to be a mamber of this exceptionable, high quality apartment community. read more

Excellent facility with incredible amentities. The location is unbeatable as well. I was always treated with professionalism and loved staying here! read more

Wow. What an experience. I lived here for a year and loved every minute of it. Honestly the staff specifically Damien are amazing. He really was so accommodating when I moved out eventually (for work purposes). I have to move around a lot for work and this was the easiest I've ever had anyone make it for me. Furthermore whenever I had an issue the staff at sway helped out whether it was me bugging Damien about a package or letting guests in while I wasn't home for me. Absolutely fantastic place to live. Highly highly recommend. read more

We've lived here for over a year now and love it! The amenities are nice and the staff is great! They host events to meet other residents which is nice since we moved here from out-of-state. We would highly recommend living here! read more

Living at Sway was my worst housing nightmare ever, from start to finish! When I arrived with my movers at the scheduled time, there wasn't anyone in the office to let me into my apartment, which wasn't ready. Sway's repetitive music tracks played loudly in the courtyard during business hours, disturbing my work. Uncollected trash in the public areas and rubbish rooms was a perennial problem. Sewage flowed on the floor of the garage for three days sending a stench to upper floors on the elevators -- no notice or explanation was provided to tenants even though the County sent a health inspector. Security was an ongoing concern: malfunctioning building entry doors often remained unlocked all night, with reported nocturnal intrusions by homeless people who inhabit the area. Although the building itself is nicely designed, the pool gets limited sunlight, especially in the colder months. When I moved out, management withheld a $180 cleaning fee that was not in the lease. The nightmare ended in small claims court when Sway was ordered to pay me $2,800 (plus court costs). Where are some of the other negative reviews I read earlier on Yelp but are no longer posted? read more

Two stars for the property, minus three stars for the super rude front desk staff. I walked in for a tour and the woman at the desk was very unpleasant. She did give me a tour but acted super rushed the whole time and as if she was doing me some huge favor showing me around. I stood in front of her desk for several minutes discussing what we were looking for and she never even offered me one of the seats at her desk to sit down. It was poor manners from the start. Considering the front desk people are who you would have to interact with the most while living at a property, it really turned me off to living there. The property was certainly nice compared to the others in the area with a gym and pool but it's nothing spectacular by any means. Unfortunately the woman's bad attitude outweighs the amenities and finishes of the apartment and I would not lease here. She did mention that many people lease sight unseen so I can only assume that's how she gets away with being so unprofessional to the wall-ins. The man at the desk next to her seemed very pleasant and I'm sure my review would be different had I toured with him, but I'll never know as I won't be returning. read more

I lived in Sway for four months and couldn't wait to break my lease. I lived in a unit facing the pool and I was constantly bothered by the music. Various appliances in my apartment kept breaking, which is a little surprising for a brand new apartment building. We lived in the unit for over a month trying to sleep with a loud thumping noise coming from the roof that sounded like a drum, which was a broken air conditioner. The layout of the apartment made it so that if you turned on a light in the bathroom, you would hear a loud buzzing in the adjacent bedroom. So if my partner were to wake up for a 5:30 am to take a shower, rest assured I'd be waking up with him. Things you don't even realize until after you've signed a year lease... But the worst part of the apartment was the management. It took forever for them to remedy basic requests, like adding my name to the call box for deliveries. They were also standoffish, unfriendly, and confrontational. This is a very big deal when considering where to live, since you are you going to have to walk past these people every day. As other posters have mentioned, the amenities are absolutely beautiful. That's how they lure people into paying 6k+ a month for one bedroom. But the gym has large windows facing the street and no blinds, allowing homeless residents of SM to peer at you and make sexual faces while you complete your work out. The pool is loud and there's not a lot of space to lay out on the weekends. Also, the elevators take forever, so if you live on the top floor, factor that in to your commute time. If you do make the mistake of signing a lease here, the management will look for every possible way to nickel and dime you. Make sure you ask for a pre-move out inspection. Otherwise, you will be paying for a full paint job, carpet cleaning, maid service, and other expenses that normally fall under "natural wear and tear." Honestly, the whole experience was such a headache.. Save your money and time, and live somewhere else. read more

The apartment looks really nice, but the customer service is terrible. My boyfriend and I made an appointment, but when we came to the apartment, no one was there. We called the leasing office and were not able to get a hold of anyone to be let in. When we finally got in, there were two other couples waiting for someone at the leasing office. The doors to the leasing office were locked and no one was there. We waited for almost thirty minutes before giving up and leaving. read more

After spending 4 months researching literally hundreds of apartments in SM, my realtor introduced me to this unique property and immediately i knew it was exactly the cool, hip, relaxing place that I wanted to call home. I moved in October. Having a home in both Chicago and NYC, my standards and expectations were extremely high and I was feeling very discouraged with rentals prior to seeing SWAY. I can factly attest to there being NO other property in Santa Monica that can even compare to Sway, on many fronts. Sophistication meets luxury mere steps from the ocean. Externally: Yes, the location is fantastic; the pier is steps away but off the beaten path for tourists. The amenities unlike anywhere else: salt water swimming pool with flat screens, salt water hot tub with flat screen; fire pit to snuggle or roast marshmellows during cool evenings; fantastic club house with kitchen, fireplace, pool table, more flat screens, constant security, guest parking, revolving art collection bamboo and waterfall garden, intimate gathering and entertaining areas,, outdoor chef's kitchen with grills...very respectful, friendly neighbors, impeccably maintained and landscaped.... could go on and on but there are other outstanding reasons for loving life in this uber cool luxury environment and it is the people that take the most anesthetically beautiful apartment building in Santa Monica and make it your HOME....and that is it's incredible MANAGEMENT! First off, such a LA thing but should be mentioned....the entire team is just so darn attractive! Then, they are nice, and caring, and kind, and are fun...and extremely professional!! Moving 2500 miles was seamless. I felt as if they were waiting for me with the lights on and welcoming me as if I were a family member. That's the big word here: family. In a building with a high percentage of people relocating from a distance, there's an immediate feeling of belonging and caring. Priceless! Perhaps it's the above and beyond effort that the management puts forth in so many ways...by hosting regular cocktail hours around the pool, or having Chef's dinners complete with wine pairings in the Clubhouse or the catered holiday and Super Bowl parties provided for the enjoyment of us and our friends and family....but it seems as if there is also a subliminal deeper meaning that is being conveyed over these efforts and all the other things they do: that we, as residents, are cared about and that they want us to truly enjoy and love calling SWAY our home....... They win, I win, anyone who is fortunate enough to call this "home" wins! Couldn't be happier! read more

We lived here for 4 months and overall the location is amazing. Additionally the building and tenants were great. The reason we are giving Sway one star is that the management was horrible. We had numerous issues that were left unresolved for weeks. The first was a sewage smell in the parking garage. We could actually see the waste water bubbling out of manhole covers in the basement. We complained multiple times per day and the issue took days to resolve. Next the door to the pool area on our floor was broke the entire time we live in the residence. The issue was reported numerous times and never resolved. The bathroom by the gym facet did not work and was never repaired. Most troubling was the door to the outside did not always lock allowing random people to walk into the common spaces. These are just some of the examples of problems. In addition the management staff was horrible and inconsiderate in email and in person. They acted like they were inconvenienced by the tenants. You should also be aware that they do not follow the "normal wear and tear" law. No-one showed up to our final inspection and they charged us for painting and cleaning. When we complained about the charges, they told us they would send us pictures which were never provided. Bottom line --- nice location, terrible management...recommend you look elsewhere. read more