Calligraphy Urban Residences - Brea, California

Thomas L.

I rented a 1-bedroom apartment here for a six-month lease due to their short-term flexibility and low $500 security deposit. While the apartment itself looks modern and offers amenities like a pool and gym, I strongly advise future tenants to be cautious about their move-out charges.

Despite hiring a professional cleaner and leaving my unit in good condition (as evidenced by my time-stamped move-out photos), I was still hit with a $438 move-out charge (see statement):

- Interior cleaning – $170
- Steam cleaning – $75
- Power scrubbing – $55
- Refrigerator cleaning – $25
- Washer/dryer cleaning – $30
- Painting/touch-ups – $83 for 3 hours (plus additional fees for carpet cleaning and more)

This was excessive for normal wear and tear, and I later found out that other residents had experienced similar overcharges.

Additionally, if you're an EV owner, be prepared for frustration. The two Loop EV chargers in the parking lot were problematic:

- One charger never worked.
- The other incorrectly billed me for parking—charging me for an extra 7 hours when I only charged for 7 hours. This happened 5+ times and I can provide email proof too!
- Management repeatedly failed to enforce parking rules, allowing non-EVs to occupy the EV charging spots. The first time I reported it, they said they would notify the car owner instead of towing. A few days later, I saw the same exact car parked in the same spot again. This has happened multiple times.
- While the complex may look nice on the surface, the move-out charges and EV charging issues make it hard to recommend.

Proceed with caution! If you’re considering living here, be fully aware of these issues. The hidden move-out fees and unreliable EV charging made my experience frustrating. If these aren’t deal-breakers for you, then the amenities might make up for it—but I personally wouldn’t rent here again.

Mel S.

Beautiful place to live! A nice staff ready to help if you need something! Maintenance problems taken care of right away! Delivery to your door is difficult but that's really it!

Bianca M.

Love living here all the amenities that are available for me to use are so convenient for me. I can go to the gym any time. Parking is also a big plus specifically for apartments. Would recommend to anyone looking For a place to live with commodity.

Katie Y.

Pros: The apartment itself is very spacious with brand new stainless steel appliances and in-unit washer/dryer. The management staff respond to email in a timely manner and any maintenance request was handle quickly. Lots of guess parking spot.

Cons: I stayed in a 1 bedroom apt and the bathroom was twice the size of the bedroom. I prefer my bedroom to be bigger than the bathroom. My apt was on the 3rd floor, but my parking spot was up on the rooftop. It was a struggle when I have a lot of groceries because I had to walk down a ramp, take an elevator down to the 3rd floor, then walk to my apt. I had a one year lease and had normal minor wear and tear prior to moving out and they charged me $400 for painting, cleaning, carpet cleaning and other fees. The apt complex has poor ventilation. The hallways smells like weed and when the guy downstairs smokes on his patio my whole apartment smells like cigarette.

Overall the complex is beautiful with state of the art gym and pool. The amenities are great and the rooms are nice. However, BEWARE of the move out charges.

UPDATE: Changing this to 2 stars due to the fact that they charged me over $300 for cleaning/painting for normal wear and tear and they refuse to give me a receipt of the charges.

Tiffany B.

Just finished my tour with Winola (Nola) the leasing consultant and it was amazing. She made the residence feel like home. If my partner and I decide to live at Caligraphhy it would definitely be because of the wonderful amenities and being able to see Nola. I loved how she gave each apartment a name after one of my childhood faves goldy locks and the three bears. Our favorite was the mama bear aka the Kraft. The staging in this unit was impeccable and gave me an idea on how I would love to decorate. Overall I had a great experience!!! Thank you again Nola!.

Jet N.

Lived here for over a year during the pandemic, in a one-bedroom with a den (w/ my boyfriend), second-floor unit, towards the back.

Overall, we really enjoyed our time here. What stood out to us the most were:
• the new-ness and sleek design of the interior of the units (made us feel like we were living good!)
• NO BUGS inside our unit, ever (this is a bigger deal for me than for most others because I literally have a bug phobia, but throughout our time there, I practically never came across a bug inside our unit! For others who might share the same phobia, I think it helps to live on a second floor unit vs a first floor unit in any building, in general.) We did see some june bugs or something similar a few times outside in the hallways, but they were usually dead from the regular exterminations.
• The availability, communication, and friendliness of the staff (including Jared, Taylor, Stephanie, & maintenance). My boyfriend & I rarely had to ask them for anything, but I appreciate that the staff sit in a glass office near the front entrance and are easily accessible (I’m sure that makes their job harder!). The office almost always has at least one person sitting there during office hours, and our few/minor maintenance requests were addressed within 24 hrs.
• Reasonable move-out charge & no surprises! (we requested a walk-through before moving out [took <10 minutes], and the maintenance guy told us ahead that it’d be a flat rate cleaning fee if we didn’t clean it ourselves or missed any cleaning. We ended up moving ALL our items out, but leaving the cleaning up to them, and they ended up charging us ~$150 total for cleaning the home/carpet. We did take care of our home and didn’t have any pets. Other: • I think the noise level you experience in this community largely depends on the location of your unit (relative to any large streets, who your neighbors above/below/on the sides are – if any, etc.) We got lucky and were facing a quiet alley and had relatively quiet neighbors (although we could occasionally hear music from above/below; I also think it might be louder living near the parking garage). We also started running the loud air/fan consistently through the day or night as white noise, which worked surprisingly well in drowning out any noises throughout the day. • Although there are clearly nice amenities in the building (including the gym, pool, pup-wash, sky lounge, etc.), my boyfriend & I really didn’t care to use any of them (not sure why), so the opening/closing of the amenities throughout the pandemic didn’t really bother us, which may be different for others. Overall, each person’s experience may depend on their expectations and the exact unit, but Calligraphy and its staff definitely does a solid job.

Cameron M.

Great facilities at the complex. Parking is great, there was a plethora of spots for residents and guests! Staff is very friendly. With prices being reduced this place is definitely worth it! The only con I have is the smell from smokers, the stench lingers for quite a while.

Alex C.

I began this search highly stressed because I’m moving from one state to another and Jessica completely changed everything around! From our first conversation to completion of me signing my lease everything was above and beyond any experience I’ve ever had! She was attentive to my needs and made sure I felt safe with my decision. This community has won me over and I’m so excited to call Calligraphy my new home!! Thank you!!!