The Highlands at Grand Terrace - Grand Terrace, California

DiMathew Roman

As someone who’s lived here twice and used to love it here, I suggest reading the bad reviews and looking elsewhere unless you're comfortable with leaving the quality of your experience up to luck. The apartments look nice, but the quality of your unit can vary a lot, the amenities are constantly vandalized / shut down, and you can’t count on management to deal with any issues. They also push everyone for google reviews, so a bunch of their good reviews are either from people who toured or just signed their lease, not long-time residents who know the property.

One of the major issues is the lack of thorough inspection of units before move-in. When I first moved here in 2017, we were in the middle of a heat wave and found out our A/C unit was broken the first day. After a week of dealing with a rude office management team and enduring mid-90s temperatures in our apartment, they finally replaced the A/C after we threatened to call the news. This was a terrible start to our lease, but the rest of our experience was okay.

When I moved back into a newly renovated unit earlier this year, it was clear that the focus was on superficial upgrades like repainting and replacing appliances, rather than ensuring the unit was in good condition. Issues like mold on the fridge water line, cabinets hanging by their hinges, a cracked bedroom window, and a broken garbage disposal were overlooked. While maintenance generally responds quickly, these issues should be addressed before move-in.

My main issue has been with noisy neighbors. I moved into a downstairs unit again, knowing some noise is to be expected, but the constant running and jumping from the kids upstairs is unbearable. I notified the office over two months ago, but there’s still no resolution. They initially ignored my emails, only sending notices to the neighbor whenever I’d call, but even when the leasing consultants would leave notes for management and promise they’d call back, they never would. Don’t expect management to take ownership over handling disputes or following up until you go off.

After sending them tons of videos of the noise and confirming with the previous tenant that they experienced the same issue, they offered both my neighbor and I unit transfers, which we both declined. When I was finally able to speak to the property manager, Danielle, all she had to offer was condescending comments reminding me that some noise is to be expected from neighbors. She forwarded everything to their legal / regional team, but after two weeks there’s still no response and they can’t share when I should expect one. They also gave me Greystar’s corporate number, but it immediately goes to voicemail, as does the option to speak to an operator.

As far as amenities go, they’re constantly being vandalized. The mailboxes were recently replaced again after being broken for 6 months, the dog park door was completely detached for a while, the exit gates often don’t work at all, the clubhouse is filthy, and the gym isn’t even open half the time due to repairs. Despite paying a premium for these amenities, they’re often inaccessible.

Update: 7/11/23
Their legal team responded and stated that their client (The Highlands) deems the noise in the videos as “the type of reasonable noise disturbance that residents of multifamily housing are expected to tolerate”. They also claim I’m asking them to “silence their children or somehow eliminate the noise” which would be discrimination due to their familial status… huh? What an insane misrepresentation of the situation.

Their solution to this issue is to send me a menacing legal letter, accuse me of discrimination against children, and deflect for months. That's how they handle everything here. So if you plan on working from home, enjoying peace and quiet, or entertaining guests ever, stay far away from here. But if you're a loud, inconsiderate neighbor or someone who enjoys overpaying for old creaky apartments and run-down, filthy amenities, you're in the right place!

Robi J.

I wanted to mention how awesome Ruben in maintenance is! We had an issue in the apt the other day. I went to the office but it was closed, as I was walking away Ruben asked me if I needed help. I explained to him what was going on and that it was affecting my elderly mom. He was quick to help me and got my apt information. He came to my apt within an hour and took care of us! This is the best service I’ve ever had from a maintenance team in any apartment I’ve ever lived. Someone that truly cares about what he does and wants to help out the residents. Thank you so much Ruben! We appreciate you!

Nic K

I do not know why such a low rating on Google, but the apartments are very decent. The territory has everything you need: swimming pools, gyms, sports grounds, plenty of free parking space (1 covered + 1 on the territory). For a year and a half, we have not had any unpleasant situations. The place is quiet, the houses are nice. Service staff solved problems within 1-3 days (air conditioner repair, replacement of bulbs, sockets). People in general are normal and quite comfortable. About a minuses, they wrote about them before, in the most intense heat, several ants appeared in the house, and after that there were no more ants during the year. And once a year we saw spiders, but again for a very short time and very small. The post office is a little inconveniently located, you need to walk about 5 minutes. Very good place to live.

Zachary Reynolds

Called here yesterday inquiring about apartments. Karina was the women who answered she very helpful and answered all my questions. Def recommend applying here. Most apartment places I’ve called are short and to the point and don’t really help out. Karina took her time and was patient with me. I really appreciate her efforts to make it a comfortable experience for me. Huge KUDOS to her!

B D

I been living here not even a year and the parking is horrible. You don’t get NOT EVEN 1 assigned parking and many people move in they have multiple vehicles and if you work late past 9 PM, there’s no parking around the whole complex so you would have to look for parking outside of the complex. I continue to call the leasing people and they never answer as well or you leave a message and don’t get a call back. I have been waiting for my laundry doors since I moved in. They said it will take a couple weeks a month max to receive them and my washer and dryer keep getting filthy after a couple months. They said that they would let us know about the doors if that was the case I would’ve just picked the different unit, but it was promised it would be done ASAP. If you have any kind of issues, it’s quite Disappointing management is very disconnected after moving in. They said they will fix the problem, but don’t return calls or don’t answer.

KAVITA DESAI

I would not recommend this place. Interior is tacky. Andddddd, is there a way to keep water from running off onto the cement and making walk pathways muddy and slippery? Not is it a serious fall risk, but it makes it difficult for me to keep my fancy long dresses, wide leg pants, and nice shoes clean. These are basic things that can also improve the overall aesthetic of the property.

Xenia Carranza

I have had several experiences with both office and maintenance. I really appreciate the office personnel as the lady’s are always understanding and kind. Recently I placed several work orders for my unit. I personally requested Jerry to come to my unit. Jerry hands down is respectful , knowledgeable and great at what he does. It was so pleasant dealing with him. He got each task completed with accuracy the first time. Because of dedicated workers like Jerry it makes living in this community pleasant and enjoyable. ☺️

Gabriela Ayon

*Update* (current resident) Rating went up from a 1 to 3 star - would give it a 3 1/2. Pros: Quiet, beautiful trees all over, amenities, washer and dryer in unit. Cons: Parking; if you work late it's hard to find a close parking (I'm handicap and don't have a handicap parking near me). When you call the office it goes to voicemail 7 times out of 10 and service requests do take a while to complete.