I'm disappointed with my experience regarding my security deposit and move out process. The process has been frustrating, and when I reached out with questions, the staff were unhelpful and rude. They were not willing to address my concerns. Instead of working with me to explain the charges or resolve issues, I felt like my concerns were dismissed. Overall, this was a disappointing experience, and I would encourage future tenants to carefully review any move-out charges and ask for detailed documentation before accepting them. read more

Loud neighbors. People smoking weed. I see people letting their dogs poop and just leave it there and management does nothing to prevent this. This place is overpriced and god forbid you need anything from management, super quick to take your money but the second you need any type of assistance they act like you are a bother. I highly suggest you move anywhere else in la Mesa. read more

Mr Ernesto is ALWAYS so kind and helpful when he gets the call to fix something in our unit!! The BEST!! Good job, Mr Ernesto!! Thank YOU!!

I've lived here for several years, and I have to say that Ernesto (Maintanace) has been absolutely amazing! He's consistent, reliable, and always goes above and beyond. As a single mom, I truly appreciate how he not only takes care of repairs quickly and efficiently but also offers to help with heavier personal items when I need an extra hand. Ernesto has such a kind heart, he's always on time, available, and willing to help. It's been such a blessing to have someone so dedicated and genuine in our community. Because of people like him, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else! read more

Good environment nice staff very accommodating , from coming in very welcoming area staff are polite, hope to enjoy my one day stay here!

Friendly neighborhood. Walking distance to the trolley and the manager and maintenance crew extremely nice and helpful.

I've lived at Serena Vista for a few years and I've lived at a number of places in San Diego. The reason why I moved from my last place was because of poor property management.. You don't realize how important property management is until you need to renew your lease, report a problem, or have an issue. With that said, I just went to see my property manager, Terezinha, about a small request and to report a minor issue resulting from the most recent southern california storms. Needless to say, she was very responsive and reassuring. I've reported other maintenance issues before and she always makes sure it's taken care of. She follows up with calls and emails for status updates, and with my busy schedule - I'm more than appreciative. read more

Terezinha is incredible! My fiancé and I are military and were working with a crazy schedule and limited time frame to find a place. She was attentive, informative, and definitely went the extra mile to accommodate our needs! Not to mention she's extremely friendly. It's hard to come across a property manager like her. You can tell she truly takes pride in the apartments and wants you to enjoy living here. We've been living here for 3 months now and we love it! It's a quiet community, which is refreshing! The units themselves are beautifully renovated. The complex is super convenient as well, with many shops, grocery stores, and restaurants nearby. Freeway access is also a breeze. I cannot recommend this place enough! read more

I have lived at the Serena Vista Apartments going on 5 years now. From the initial move in process to date, Terezinha has been an amazing leasing office manager. She is so friendly, very sweet and swift with her replies and call backs regarding any maintenance issues. If you are considering moving here, reach out to Terezinha, she is the best! read more

5 star service Renovations were amazing and new washer and dryer! Theresina is amazing read more

I moved into the Serena Vista apartments in 2018, and love living here. Terenzinha the property manager is awesome and always available to help with any questions or services needed. read more

Just Moved in! Such a beautiful complex! Terezinha, the manager has made the hectic moving process so much easier. She is the kindest, most accommodating manager I've had in years. She jumped over many hurdles to make sure my apartment would be ready and I could move in in time and I am so grateful. The complex Itself is immaculate and perfectly maintained. Couldn't ask for a better person to oversee this wonderful complex! read more

love Serena Vista apartments they are always so clean and very attentive to any issues you may be having. The property is always clean and we'll take care of. It's in the perfect location, surrounded by schools, stores and parks. I enjoy working out at our community gym that's full of great exercise equipment. The management team is amazing here, Terezinha Allen is always so sweet and helpful. I recommend this apartment community to everyone! read more

Terezinha has been amazing through our entire move in process. My wife and I had a lot of questions about moving in and what information was going to be needed from us, and Terezinha answered everything quickly and was very friendly. We haven't had the best experience with our previous manager because of communication, but my wife and I can tell that won't be a problem with Terezinha. She made herself very available and was more than helpful with everything. We cannot wait to start making our new memories here at Serena Vista! read more

We only just moved to these apartments and it's already the best decision my husband and I ever made. The Manager, Terezinha, is amazing! She helped us through the entire move in process, gave us all the information we asked for and answered all our questions. After moving in, she walked us through our new apartment, showed us around the property once more now as residents and made us truly feel like we were home. We are looking forward to our time here! read more

The community manager Terezinha ALlen, and the property account Fetiya Tujuba at global reality Corp are frauds and unprofessional and incompetent, and unfortunately owe me $535.00 for a deposit paid to hold a condo we didn't end up moving in the community thank our lucky stars and are entitled to a refund, due to these woman's incompetence as a manager and accountant they never returned my phone calls or emails and sent a alleged check to a random address after it was sent back weeks later they never bothered to contact us and get us our money they kept our money and spent it. We are still owed our money today please avoid this property. read more

This is a long winded review but renting an apartment, unlike other transactions, requires a higher level of commitment since relocating one's home is expensive, time consuming and stressful. Because of this, one can experience a tremendous burden if the property chosen for a home falls short. I hope this review provides insight and our experience helps others. We lived at Serena Vista since before it's name was changed from Vista Amaya. It was a nice place, roomy units, lots of closet space, and the rent was incredibly affordable, in 2012-2013 it we paid $1250 per month for a 2 bed 2 bath unit. Many residents had been there more then 10 years. The property was sold around 2013 and our rent was raised to $1550. The property was sold again in 2016, our rent was raised to $1770, and they added an additional $100 (approx.) charge for water/sewage. So from 2013 to 2018 rent went 50% in 5 years. This is where things go south: In 2018, any resident still there from before the 2016 acquisition, were forcibly evicted so that their unit could be renovated. They offered us an "opportunity" to move into an already renovated unit, at the our expense. No accommodations were offered to cover our moving expenses. So our reward for being a long term resident in good standing... Was an eviction. The new units were offered at a $250-$300 increase in rent, on top of the $620 more in rent increases we've endured. which put them at $2,000-$2,100. I had no idea this was even legal, but in many cities (not all), it is. When we expressed our dismay to the property manager, she insisted that this was not an "eviction". e·vic·tion [ivikSH()n] NOUN the action of expelling someone, especially a tenant, from a property; expulsion."the forced eviction of residents" When we left there were 20-25 vacant units being working on at the same time. The evictions were done in waves, no one had a choice. If that wasn't a bitter enough pill, we were unable to provide a 30 days within the 60 days notice they gave us, because no properties in San Diego CA will hold a property for 30 days, not even Serena Vista. Yes you read that right, the manager admitted that they themselves can not hold an available unit for 30 days for a new resident, even with a deposit. So, per lease, they kept our entire security deposit, billed us another $63 to cover the 9 days we left "early", because we couldn't afford to stay. In addition, they bill you for trash, water, and sewer, but there's no meters, so you just pay whatever they tell you to pay. The billing is two months behind, so no matter what, they'll keep $200 of your security deposit. They now charge extra for a parking spot even though parking was built into the complex because that was the law at the time of construction. In the end we paid $1600 for the moving company, $1850 for the new deposit on property we could afford, Several days of benefit time spent from work, and now we're out another $563 because... Well, they don't giving a flying 'you know what'. UPDATE: The entire property is UP FOR SALE AGAIN! as of 11/2019 it's listed as for sale, and they never finished renovating all of the units. Pros: The water pressure is pretty amazing. It seems like it shouldn't be that good. Our view from our patio was very nice. Cons: * The renovation in many units was done on the cheap. They used cheap laminated flooring, they painted over the old kitchen cabinets, and just replaced the doors, etc. The new stainless steel appliances are cheap, and cheap looking. * The renovation involved removing all carpeting and cottage cheese ceilings. While this looks much better, each unit has become an echo chamber. If you walk the complex, you can hear EVERYTHING! Every conversation, every TV, and in the warmer seasons when residents leave their windows open at night, the entire complex gets to hear when someone has "relations" with their significant other. You can hear your next door neighbor walking from the living room to the kitchen. * In many units the AC is located in the back corner of the dining room, making it ineffective for cooling the living room, or either bedroom. We had several fans lined up attempting to move the air, so on hot days, our unit sounded like we were living in an airplane, and there was always a 10-15 degree difference between the dining room and the living room. Some residents moved their bed to the dining room in the hottest months just to stay cool. * The carports are unsecured and falling apart. there's a shared alleyway for this complex and the condos next door. The condo residents like to park in the ally, blocking residents from being able to pull in/out of their spot. * The storage bays in in the car port are open at the top, so birds can nest in there, people will throw trash in there, and the bays are often tampered with. * They removed all of the trees, so ZERO shade. See my comment about the AC situation. * They do not allow ANYTHING on the balcony. read more

Serena Vista Apartments - Apartments Near Me - La Mesa, California

The apartments are a nice size. The renovated unit we saw had these beautiful grey wood floors that immediately caught my attention. There were also updated stainless steel appliances, and everything was very clean! We also viewed the pool area, gym, club house, laundry room, and bathrooms which were also clean! I really appreciated these signs of good maintenance and upkeep all around. As for customer service, not only was Sergio a sweet and cool character, he was very helpful, and guided us through the application process smoothly. I came to view some units with my son and boyfriend and since scheduling the appointment to do so, Sergio was extremely helpful. Any questions you have about this place, I'm sure Sergio would gladly help you! read more

I toured here today and am beyond happy with the service I recieved Theresa was amazing! She showed me a few apartments and was friendly while doing it! read more

Application Process: It was a breeze. Big Thanks to Sergio. He really helped us out a lot. A special thanks to Emma for working with our Move-In date. Pros: Newly renovated apartment. Our unit is very spacious. Open concept. Parking is very close. (Would've been a deal breaker) Very quiet area. I don't hear our neighbors through the walls and if anything it's really faint. PET FRIENDLY. Deal breaker as well Management/ Staff is really friendly and Accommodating. Cons: Dumpster Divers. I don't mind them, but at least have the courtesy to close the garbage gates and doors. (I want to leave a sign for them, but I don't know how management will feel about it) For some reason it's hard for Uber eats or and type of food delivery service have a hard time finding the place. My neighbors cars. We'll Neighbor to be exact. I've witnessed 3x to when she leans her belongings on my car and she can easily lean it on her owns and when she opens her car door she allows it to hit my car. No Common Courtesy what so ever. Other than that I LOVE THE PLACE! I will update if anything else comes to mind. read more

I moved on April 1, 2022, and love it! Terezenha Allen is the manager and she has been so wonderful! She really made sure I got the unit I wanted and is very professional and very friendly. She truly cares about the residents here and that we are comfortable and all is in working condition in our home! This is a very peaceful place and I have met some other fellow residents and they all have been very welcoming! The grounds are kept up nicely and clean. I recommend this complex very highly!!! read more

My girlfriend and I moved to La Mesa in 2020. During the entire experience, the Property Manager Terezinha was nothing short of spectacular! She was easy to communicate with, very flexible, and super understanding of our situation (having to move cross-country during the Pandemic!). We have been residents at Serena Vista since we arrived in California, and we look forward to renewing our lease once again! Terezinha is always accessible, quick to respond, and always willing to work with you to ensure you have the best possible living experience here. 10/10 would recommend this lovely little community! read more

DO NOT EVEN CONSIDER THIS PLACE! Emma is by far the worst manager I have ever encountered she's rude and condescending. This pace is not worth the money you pay 2k that does not include water, trash, and sewage! The washers and dryers are obscenely gross with constant dog and cat hair. The type of residents are questionable and do not fall for the 'onsite security' the guys is always looking down on his phone completely missing the bums that come and dig in the trash at late night hours. Different managers EVERY DAY that do not communicate with each other so you're always left hanging. This place is a pricey joke. Resident from 2015-2017 read more

I've lived at Amaya Apartments for about 8 months now.... Generally, the outdoor areas are well-kept and clean. I haven't had a maintenance issue, so I can't vouch for that feature. A good portion of the tenants are families with children who play around the apartments from time to time. My only complaint, is the large population of lizards! I am afraid to keep my front door open for fear of having lizards enter my apartment again! Yes, it happened before... The rent is overpriced, but I don't think this isn't the case anywhere in California! Overall, I've been a happy camper... read more

I love my new community!! It looks like the pictures posted on the website. Terezinha the property manager is amazing. She was very helpful when I became interested in these apartment homes. Moved in on May 5th and it's been great. read more

I have lived here for about two and a half years already and we have gone through three different managers. Honestly, I have not had a problem with either and my rent has never gone up, which I am so thankful for! My favorite part about living here is the location and how green it is here. It's an old building, so things do tend to break down easily here. We have had problems with roaches, but once we told the (second) manager, the problem was immediately solved. The only complaints I have as of now is the fact that the second manager allowed pets and third manager continued it, so now I see poop everywhere. I even have cats sleeping on my car... and that's when I began to see scratches on my car! Which is a big NO. I wish they would just go back to no pets allowed. My current problem I have now is termites... Yuck. I've yet to see how fast and reliable our current maintenance is, so I may update on that later when I contact them about my termite issue. Overall, it's a beautiful place, but I wish they would upgrade all the appliances, plus the gym. The gym is extremely small and all the machines are old and rusty. UPDATE* I thought they were termites, but it turned out to be some other bug that looks like them. Anyway, it didn't take long for them to come check it out and the bug issue was immediately resolved. The manager here is a sweet lady and a lot of time when I walk in, she tends to seem pretty overwhelmed. But even then, she still keeps a smile on her face and tries to help you the best she can. Unfortunately, I will be moving out of here soon, but I will definitely recommend this place to anyone. read more

I love living at Serena Vista! Terezinha the property manager is amazing. She was very helpful when I became interested in these apartment homes. I moved in April 2021, and it's been great. The maintenance staff is very responsive when I have issues. The renovations look exactly like the photos posted on the website. The grey wood LVP flooring throughout, stainless steel appliances, and I opted to have a washer and dryer installed in my unit. The neighborhood is quaint and quiet. read more

DO NOT BE FOOLED by the remodel of the units. Nothing in them really works, and don't even try asking Emma for help with anything, as she will always make it seem like she's doing YOU a favor by fixing appliances, shower, anything. Parking is a disaster. And while they complex says its "dog friendly" this could not be further from the truth. Overall, Emma is the worst property manager we have ever dealt with, she is extremely rude, EXTREMELY abrasive, and virtually useless. She made our experience here so bad we could not wait to leave. Also, there are much cheaper places with the exact same cabinetry and flooring right up the hill for much cheaper! The maintenance men are awesome, and Sergio is very helpful as well. The floors are nice, and the AC works well (WHEN it works). read more

When we first moved in, it was really nice with beautiful trees and greenery but every since the new manager took over it's been way overpriced for low quality apartments. The new manager is snarky and rude and does not know how to do her job, she honestly should not be working with people. The washers and dryers in the laundry rooms work half the time but apparently new pool furniture was the priority. The only reason we stayed here was for the pet policy. read more

My husband and I just moved out this past weekend. We lived there since June 2008 and were generally pretty happy there. We've never lived at any other apartment complex though so we have nothing to compare it to. Here is what we thought of the experience: Pros: 1) Pretty quiet area 2) Convenient (very close to Grossmont Center) 3) Pretty good sized apartment for the rent amount; layout was nice and not weird 4) Good storage: Walk-in closet, storage space in parking area, lots of cabinets 5) Many of the people who live there are quiet families or young couples. Not too many partiers. 6) Complex gets regular gardening and has some nice plants. I liked our hibiscus plant outside our living room, and my mom loved getting some free figs on the tree by the manager's office. 7) Every unit has a patio or balcony. I really liked ours because we were on the ground floor, but we were over the carports so it was like the balcony was on the 2nd floor and that made me feel safer 8) Our rent was never increased even when we went from a year lease to a month-to-month 9) Rent includes water/sewer/trash Cons: 1) Had 3 different managers and none of them seem super competent. The current one is better than the first two though. 2) Had my laundry stolen last year and nothing was done about it. People kept propping open the laundry room door with a rock so anyone could get in. Though my clothes may have been stolen by someone who lives there, and the manager who was there is gone now. 3) Complex seems to have gone downhill a bit. More noisy/a bit shady people have moved in, loud kids playing outside (which is fine once in a while, but it's been more frequent), haven't seen many building improvements. Though it sounds like the new manager is planning on doing some updates. The parking lot is supposed to be repaved pretty soon. 4) Our unit had pretty old cabinets and the carpet was on it's last leg. I hope other units are a bit more updated (and they replace some stuff in ours before new people move in) 5) Popcorn ceilings - ugh 6) Needs better window sealings and around the air conditioner unit. 7) Windows are single pane and rattle when the people above us stomped around. 8) They don't allow pets anymore. We had a cat but we just barely got approved right when they were starting the no pets rule. read more

For the last 3 years there have been 3 sets of managers. A bit ridiculous. There are good and bad aspects. Normally pretty quiet and peaceful. A few "loud late nights" but those are very rare. Maintenance requests have always been handled quickly- I've gone through a new dishwasher, fridge and AC since I've been here so they must not have been the best to start with. They desperately need to replace the windows. At one point prior mangers started in one building? They rattle horribly anytime either of my neighbors close front doors- heaven forbid a door slams! Location is by far my favorite part. Close to Harry griffin park and schools, and grossmont. My rent has increased twice since moving in and that's a bummer. I like the current management the most- hopefully night security patrol is brought back on. read more

Unfortunately I was so ready to leave this complex, i'm so disappointed in the office staff especially Emma. The last couple of days before I moved out there was a ton of bugs every where.... they were never helpful when i needed anything fixed or looked at. At first this was a perfect place to live but as time went on there was someone almost always parked in my designated spot, my mail box was always open (not by me), the dogs that lived next to me would NOT stop barking ever. At night there would always be random people digging through the trash or someone sleeping next to the dumpster. The washer and dryers that they have there are scams and end up over charging you every time . This complex is a scam.... the amount i got back on my deposit is absurd and doesn't make any sense . Do yourself a HUGE favor and do NOT live here!!! read more

I moved into my one bedroom apartment in 2015 when it was Vista Amaya. The manager was super nice and gracious. I remember having a 30 minute conversation about shows we liked to watch. The rent was 1225 with paid water and garbage included into the bill. Several months into the lease we were told that a new company was taking over. Immediately after the complex was sold they chopped down all the nice trees. They then took about a year to finish painting all the buildings. During the construction it was embarrassing to bring people over considering they didn't do one building at a time instead they painted a portion of all the buildings making it look extremely ghetto. The new manager is not very friendly and very interested in making money. They now charge for water and for the garbage. Accidentally forgot to pay rent for a couple days and was billed $50. (my fault I know, but there's no grace period). Even though I don't have a remodeled apartment rent has gone up about $300. Also got wind that they are forcing all their old tenants to move out soon so that they can finish renovating old units. Another con is that the trash cans are always full and there are only 3 guest parking spots. Management also threaten to tow your car if you park in the future resident spot. Overall, I'll give it 2 stars because I like the size of my apartment and I don't have to worry about high crime. * another thing I forgot to add is that on one occasion I was mistakenly billed a late fee. I was told that it would be taken care of. The next day came and I had another notice to pay or quit on my door! So I had to go to the office once again since they had forgotten to remove the fee! Nowadays I always request receipts. read more

This place was a real nice gem with renovations and location. With new management, it tumbled. First with burglary's, breaking into cars, weed smokers. If your looking for a ghetto place this is the place for you. We complained to management and get no where. Anybody planning to rent here, good luck. Save yourself the heartache and spend a little extra money else where and don't be deceived by the new fresh paint and plants that disguise the mis management of this place. read more

My husband and I moved into this remodeled complex because the units are big and semi redone. The main reason we moved in here was because this is a "Non smoking" complex, of any kind.....well everyone here smokes and the newest neighbors next to me have been smoking marijuana since the day they moved in. I have called and called and now emailed and complained to management about this issue because the smell comes thru the bathroom which we now keep closed because it smells so bad. We all received reminders about the rules and I have called many, many, times to complain about this problem and the manager confronted the neighbor and smoke was coming out of her mouth, the next step was for me to email the manager and now wait until the attorney's are notified. So in the meantime, my rent is going up $100 when our lease is up soon and have to deal with this mess until resolved. We no longer wash our clothes here because the residence are dirty and wash their dogs belongings and leave not only fur but hair all over the washers so now and so lug our laundry to the laundry mat down the street every weekend. In the first 5 months of living here we had issues with mice twice, ants twice and cockroaches as well.....now there are lizards everywhere and have to keep our doors closed so they don't come in. I'm over this place and the weed smoking neighbors!!! read more

I've lived here for 2 yrs. & over all its just a nice place to live. What i like most is the size of the apartment. Most apartments dont have enough closet space, that is not the case at Vista Amaya. There is a walk in closet in the hallway, + linen closet by the bathroom. Both rooms have wall to wall closets. Pool area is nice, but would be better if the pool was heated (its always freezing cold, even in the hottest months). The location is also a plus. Close to schools and surrounding freeways. The area does have a lot of spiders, due to all the trees in the area. Parking sucks. You get 1 assigned spot; if you want you can rent an additional spot for $25, but if your a 1 adult home like me, you cant rent another space. Visitor parking is ridiculous, you have to sign in your visitors in the office, during office hours only (9-5). Your visitors are at risk of being towed or ticketed if they come after the office closes & some days office is closed. I've had maintenance issues but they were resolved quick. Windows are single paned, so they rattle if anyone runs/walks fast/closes the door, in your apt or below. It would be nice if the patios were covered. We've had several cars broken into in the parking lots; but owners are now putting in a surrounding fence/gate to enclose the property. Overall, the complex is good; the best thing about it is the location & layout. Would give it 5 if they improved parking for visitors. read more

Sergio and Emma are great! When i first contacted Serena Vista Apts. I spoke with Sergio he was such a great help through the whole process he sent me picture of the exact unit i would be viewing and we were suprised to see the pictures actually matched the unit. Sergio helped us through the application process and even stayed late to finish with us and was able to work with our move in date since we had to move in ASAP. Emma and Sergio respond very quickly to any request or concerns we have. read more