I lived at The Marc for ~3 years, almost since the beginning. My first major complaint is about the current property management, second complaint is a systemic problem with the overall quality and architecture of the building itself. First, to give credit: The Marc feels modern and everything is new because it was built recently. The view from the 3rd floor shared patio is nice. The maintenance guy Gustavo was always very nice and did a good job. The toilet paper holders are elegant and practical. Complaint 1) I recently moved out, and the current property manager, Arturo Barragan Jr., had told me that if we wanted them to clean the apartment then they would charge $250. I agreed to this, but then our final bill arrived and showed we were charged $320 instead. It wasn't even for additional wear and tear or anything, they just straight up charged a higher amount for "General Cleaning". I figured this might have been forgetfulness by Arturo, but when I contacted them via email he said something very brusque like "yea needed to clean the floors too", which doesn't make any sense since that's obviously part of any general cleaning. I still honestly guessed this was professional negligence (maybe he didn't want to upset his superiors for messing up?), but then I noticed this other review here on Google stating exactly the same problem - he charged someone else $320 after promising $250! What?? Definitely sounds sketchy. Complaint 2) This one is less personal, but probably more relevant to readers. This entire building was clearly built by the cheapest suppliers and architect the original owner could find. Below is an incomplete list of my reasons: - Most dishwashers are mediocre at cleaning, but the one's at The Marc are remarkably bad. Doesn't remove even the simplest soiling, leaves lots of residue. - The dryer destroys clothes more easily than your average dryer, even though it's brand new. - The microwave beeps three long excruciating beeps when it's done, even if you open the door before it's finished. It repeats this long beeping process forever. Literally forever, like until the end of time. Quite annoying. - The bathroom fans basically do not work. You can't turn them on or off. This is deliberate, apparently. They are "moisture sensing" and will not allow you to turn them on otherwise, which means you cannot use the fan to help with smell. The moisture sensing also doesn't work accurately, so it never turns on or off at the right time. - One side of the building straight up doesn't allow entry. They decided not to add a key fob device to enter there, you can only exit. This means you have to walk all the way around whenever you're walking home from the south side. - The middle stairway straight up doesn't connect to the inside of the building. To walk downstairs to the pool or gym area, you have to walk down the stairs, exit the secure area into the public parking lot, then use your key fob again to enter the secure downstairs area just to use amenities "inside your building". - The window blinds in the living room and bedroom are excruciatingly loud (your partner cannot remain sleeping even in a totally different room while you use them), and they let in lots of light even when shut entirely. - The tankless water heater has two huge problems. 1) It takes a solid 3-5 minutes before you get hot enough water to shower, and 2) it's just barely warm enough to shower, definitely not hot enough to wash dishes well, way cooler than the "130 degrees" it was supposed to be generating. - Thermostat does not have a C wire so you can't replace it with most smart thermostats, and their default thermostat only allows cool or heat mode but can't maintain dynamic temperature. - The fire alarms are hyper sensitive. They go off all the time for both us and for neighbors when cooking normal things. - Toilet is barely functional. Normal sized poops with normal toilet paper clog it. Also frequently requires flushing 5 to 10 times. - The heating/cooling system blows a lot of dust into the apartment. read more

I give 4 stars to this apartment complex because I see they trying to do their best! I know it's not enough storage space inside of apartment, construction sounds from building Target next door... But as well I think we have a good neighbors, everyone is quite and no loud parties at nights.. We enjoy playing games in game courtyard, and we love to do bbq in garden area as well. read more

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If you have recently moved to Santa Barbara from a major city, eventually, many of the homes ranging from $3,000 - $5,000 per month will become hard to write rent checks for. Let me explain, many of the homes in Santa Barbara are located in an oasis of beauty however the homes themselves are very old and have not been renovated. If you are used to modern kitchen appliances, secured parking garages, insulated window, your own washer/dryer, and amenities then it becomes very difficult to find something less than $4,500 per month that will remind you of home. The Marc fits the bill to the "T," Furthermore you are most likely used to a secure package/mailbox facility, secure entry, key fob based door entry, etc... The large differentiator would consist of being greeted by friendly staff and you will find that in spades. Alix is one of the nicest individuals I have had the pleasure to meet, and I have lived in some of the most sought-after buildings in Chicago, Boston, and Ft. Lauderdale. I am beyond thrilled to have found "The Marc," as I have moved 3 times thus far in Santa Barbara due to homes falling apart, horrific bug problems, and very loud neighbors that typically constitute a grouping of college students splitting the rent. You will not find that atmosphere at The Marc, you will find a nice hot tub to relax in after work! read more

We lived here from July to November 2018. Overall, I give this a 3 star rating and give individual ratings below: Location 5/5 Walking distance to supermarket, fast food places, a mall, gym, and soon Target Value of money 4/5 Relatively expensive. Our rent was about $3800/mo because it included an extra parking spot and pet fee. You get access to a secure parking garage, gym, pool (cleanliness is debatable), secure apartment access. Maintenance requests are done timely. Management at the time was slow, required multiple emails and often times several phone calls to get a message across. There is now new management so not sure how much will change. Appliances and fixtures were new, definitely a plus. The outdoor common areas are well landscaped and provide a great social atmosphere. There was no on-site security and noise was an issue at night. The noise essentially is amplified based on the layout of the balconies all facing center court. We had multiple nights (at least weekly and not falling on a Fri or weekend) of noise from parties and people smoking weed, playing with the cornhole, and then the random drunk person ringing my doorbell at 3 am only to realize they were on the wrong floor. With that said, I felt generally safe with my young kids. Just a mix of college kids and working adults. Moving out experience 1/5 Everything is always better until you move out and realize you would not get your $599 refundable security deposit. Prior to checking out, I discussed in detail what I would be required to do. I was told that I would not have to clean the bathroom or mop the floor or clean the carpet as these were already factored into the initial non-refundable fee. I still did basic cleaning and it basically was in the same condition when we moved into the unit (again only lived there for a few months). I asked if I should repair the drywall paint coming off due to adhesive hooks, and was told No as this was a recognized issue by management (Amanda property manager) and that we would not be liable (my mistake for not having it in writing). I had to take the extra effort to call the management company a month after move out as they never called or processed my refund, nor did the new manager have the record of my move out. To my surprise, I received nothing back for my deposit and was told it was due to cleaning fees and to replace the carpet (how convenient and coincidental at the time of new management changes). I also did not receive an exit report detailing the reported damages (the same walkthrough I did on my own to note pre-existing damages) Misc items - parking spaces can be narrow. our car was swiped by the neighboring tenant and left red paint residue from his car. Pretty obvious, but thankfully it rubbed off and so we didn't chase it - the maintenance person is awesome. very nice, good work ethic and approachable. I hope management realizes how valuable he is. Final thoughts If having up to date appliances, a closed secure garage, and walking distance to most things are valuable then it may justify the high rent. Just be aware that noise is an issue, and questionable move out practices may exist (which I'm looking into to determine if this was a common theme for move outs around the time management was replaced). I'm not sure how hard it will be to get in/out of the complex when the new Target is open. Guest parking was non-existent and traffic flow was moderate during construction. Good luck and hope your experience was better. read more

The management is not the brightest. Walked away without getting a tour as they turned us away, then actually ran out the door after us to try and get us to come back. What?! read more

Art and Itzel are excellent leasing agents. I can not recommend this place enough. They are very responsive, kind and welcoming. This is a great, safe and inclusive community with all the amenities of a big city high rise. read more

I've been a resident at the Marc for 3 years now and I'm glad to say I'm a content and proud resident. I have a 1 bedroom unit and the apartment complex overall is very well managed and maintained. Anytime there is an issue with my unit the maintenance team is on top of it immediately and they always do a great job and solve the issue within a day or 2. Also the management team in the office is second to none, they are always helpful, very hospitable and respectful to all residents. The assistant manager Itzel is very warm and inviting and diligent in her work ethic, I always tell her how much I appreciate her because she always goes the extra mile to lend a helping hand. I'm an elderly woman in my Golden years and some tasks that others can do easily - aren't exactly easy for me to do anymore. For example any time I need to bring groceries up to my apartment from the Target across the street - Itzel always comes to my aid and helps me. Every morning I take my dog for a walk but before we leave the complex we make a quick stop in the office to visit Itzel. Now and days I don't have many people to talk to but Itzel always takes time out of her day to talk to me in the morning before my walk. I love engaging in small talk with her and my dog loves her too, she taught my dog how to tricks for treats and now visiting Itzel is the highlight of both of our mornings. Overall I love living at the Marc, over the years it's become more then just my place of residence, for me it's become a community. Most of these people who leave poor reviews are just pre moddona type characters who speak badly on the staff because they're stubborn and immature. I love the Marc and I love the staff, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the city of Santa Barbara, I couldn't imagine a better team. Thank you Marc staff for all you do, I deeply appreciate you. read more

I lived here from Oct 2017 to June 2018 I'm only giving this a star review because Itzel is an incompetent, rude, and overall terrible assistant property manager. She is discriminatory to college students as well as minorities. If you're not old, white, and come from money (all three required) she will not give you the time of day. She is utterly useless. She still uses a white board to book appointments instead of using google calendars like a regular person which makes scheduling with her a nightmare. My dryer would not dry for 5 months! When I brought it to her attention she had the nerve to say "did you pay the gas bill" instead of having a maintenance person come check it out. I had to constantly email, call, and tell her in person to fix the dryer in the apartment. From the day I met her to the day I moved out if felt as if she hated me. This made the communal areas in the apartment difficult to go in without running into her. After talking to a few of my neighbors that were also college students we shared our horrible experiences when dealing with her. It was somewhat comforting to know it wasn't just my apartment. Although I was a college student, my apartment was not loud, rowdy, and free of drugs. We all took school very seriously so we had no idea my she had so much disdain against us. Please make sure to get everything in writing because they "lose" paperwork all the time and there will be random charges on your account, and if you ask for a break down they "cannot provide it." One of the worsts complexes I've ever lived it. On the upside Arturo actually was very pleasant to work with. He was very reasonable and attentive. I just wish that Itzel was a better person and better at her job. My advice I would move into a newer property with competent management. read more

Where do I even begin. The place is not luxury as you are led to believe. There is no counter space in which to cook despite being sold as a "gourmet" kitchen, the appliances suck, like really suck. The heating element in the oven is in the drawer (first time I've ever experienced this) so it takes forever for the oven to get up to actual temperature and it ruined my very expensive wok because there was no where else to store it. Ruined years of seasoning and the hand carved wood handles. Also, the smoke detectors are way too sensitive and the exhaust hood doesn't vent anything. You want to brown butter? It'll set off the smoke alarm. You want to get oil hot enough to properly cook a salmon filet with crispy skin? It'll set off the fire alarm. I've boiled water and the steam set off the fire alarm! We've been going out a lot more to eat which kills me because I love to cook. Let's get back to storage... There is none. None, zero. There are two closets (where you'd want to put clothes) and that's it for storage. You open a drawer next to the fridge and it'll open the fridge. Bad design! They also got doors that were too short for every doorway including the front door. When they pressure cleaned the outdoor floors after the fire there was a huge puddle of water inside my apartment from it. Also, we were told there was a coat closet in the apartment and the coat closet is filled entirely with the shitty washer/dryer combo (it rattles, it's loud, and it takes forever). The instant hot water that they tell you about is not instant. It takes a good 5-10 minutes to get the water warm enough to wash your hands or to get the shower warm enough to even step in to and then within five minutes of turning off the warm water it goes back to being ice cold. It's very water inefficient, so much waste. Speaking of waste, this place claims to be pet friendly, but there is no place for the pets to use to go to the bathroom. On top of that there is no place to sanitarily dump their waste. There's dog piss all over the grounds in places people walk and there is a lot of uncleaned dog shit on the grounds. I've never seen a dog friendly place so ill-prepared to actually handle dogs. Now on to the noise. If you like quiet do not move here. I work from home a lot because my office is a fair commute away and what do I hear all day? Construction (lots of it and was told that it would stop at the end of the year, but nope, still going, at 7am everyday and now Target is being built next door!), there are small children that run up and down the halls screaming just about every day and the parents do nothing to curb it. I have no idea where it comes from because the sound in the building carries so no matter where it is it sounds right outside your door (which again does not meet the threshold). There are also a ton of college kids here that LOVE to party well into the morning hours. They're outside on their deck at 3am screaming and hollering on a Tuesday and Wednesday night. I've filed multiple noise complaints on which apartment it is and the management has not responded once. I've called the cops, but it makes them stop for a night and they're right back at it a day or two later. Really makes it feel like the closet we live in is a dorm. Even when people are having sex (loudly) on their decks at 5:30am. Yep, that happened too. The pool is disgusting, I've not once seen it clean. Same for the hot tub (which is as deep as the pool). If you want a loud building with lots of partying college students, constant construction, poor construction, no storage, unresponsive management then this is the building for you. For what you get and how miserable this place will make you, you pay about $1500 too much a month for rent. Don't live here, it sucks. We're counting down the days we can break the lease and leave this place. read more

Bryan covered a lot of it. Luckily we haven't met the aggressive pool neighbor but we've experienced plenty of party noise and loud young residents who are rude and basically make it feel like a dorm. The staff is suddenly too busy to respond as soon as they've moved you in. The fire alarms are ridiculously sensitive and the units are very cramped with zero storage. It's also the first building I've ever lived where the office won't keep packages for you so we're constantly at the post office for mail pickup. On the positive it's a nice walkable location and things are fairly clean. I'm sure there are worse places and we'd love for it to get better but at this point we're just counting down to our lease end. read more