I have lived at The Venue at Orange for 2 years and over that time, particularly since the change…read morein on-site management to sentinel after my first year, the quality of the community and the responsiveness of the staff have declined noticeably.
The most significant issue was my lease renewal. My offer to renew was approximately $2,900/month. At the same time, the identical floor plan on the same floor was listed on the property's own application site for new applicants at $2,459/month for the same term -- a difference of over $400/month for the exact same unit. When I asked whether my rate could be matched given my tenure and standing as a resident, it took a week to receive a response, and I was ultimately told the pricing was fixed and could not be adjusted. I then asked whether I could end my lease and sign a new lease for the same unit starting November 1 to receive the market rate. I was told this was not permitted unless I move into a different unit (same floor and everything, just move to inconvenience you!). In practice, this policy means a resident cannot access the current market rate for the apartment they already occupy, but can access it by moving to another one -- which functions to keep existing tenants paying above-market rent on their current unit rather than reflecting any genuine operational constraint.
This becomes even harder to justify when compared to nearby alternatives. The Standard at Redlands, a short distance away, was built in 2025 and apts starting around $2,150-$2,200/month (much cheaper than Venue and bigger apartments in sq ft). Amenities there are comparable (or even better since they have elevators, responsive front desk, and no carpet in bedroom). By comparison, I was being asked to pay $2,900/month at The Venue at Orange for an older unit, in a complex where the dog park is poorly maintained and frequently left uncleaned, and where hallway carpeting has not been properly cleaned and retains a persistent odor from dog pee. Given the price difference and the condition of the property, there is little reason for a prospective or current resident to choose The Venue at Orange over a newer, better-maintained, similarly or more affordably priced alternative.
Package handling has also been a recurring problem. I never enrolled in the parcel pending program, yet my deliveries are routed there regardless. I have had 2 packages go missing despite having photo confirmation of delivery. When I contacted the office -- on 5 separate occasions, each time providing the specific date and time of delivery -- I received significant difficulties to having the matter investigated or having security footage reviewed.
More broadly, communication from the leasing office has been consistently unreliable. Phone calls frequently go unanswered, and requests are often not followed up on. I have repeatedly been told that someone would call me back, and in no instance did that call back occur. In fact I have called about issues and been told to call back the next day to "remind them".
If management genuinely wanted to retain residents, treating long-term tenants fairly rather than pricing them above market and ignoring their concerns would be a reasonable place to start. Instead, this property appears to be experiencing high turnover, and the dissatisfaction isn't isolated to my own experience -- speaking with neighbors, it's clear that many current residents are unhappy and in the process of moving out as well or plan to as soon as their lease ends.