LIV at Winter Park Apartment Homes

sunniandmaddie

Resident • 2014 - 2015

My daughter needed to find a new apartment while she was at school in Winter Park. Her first apartment had gone up in rent twice in a one year span, and had gone down in maintenance, security and the people in the front office were just awful. We found Amber Lakes after doing some research, and from our first call to the office our experience was so pleasant. The professionals in the office are very kind, and even though they were renting to a very young student, never made her feel like a kid, and never acted as though her concerns were not just as important as the next person. The lease signing was easy, and I had to do most of it by fax and email as I was out of state. When we arrived on move in day the apartment was clean, and most everything was in good working order. We had a few light bulbs that were not working, but they were quickly replaced. Since move in my daughter has had a few minor issues with her washing machine, and her air conditioning, but again all service calls are responded to rather quickly. The complex is off a main road, so if feels very residential, and for the most part my daughter feels very safe there. They are a true "pet friendly" complex, and when my daughter brought her dog down to live with her, they were very welcoming, and they even have an on site dog park! They are located on a lake, with a little beach. They have hammocks, and lawn chairs and if you like that kind of thing, you could easily imagine you are on your own little spot in the tropics. We would highly recommend Amber Lakes, especially for the students at Full Sail. I wish I had found this complex earlier, but as a mom of a daughter going off to live on her own 1200 miles away from home, I would say that this is the right place to let your kids grow into adults. I know I wished I could have found a review like this when I was searching for apartments for the first time, so now I hope to ease some other parent's fear of finding a nice, reasonably priced, safe and friendly environment for their college bound kid.

Current Resident 305030

Resident • 2014 - 2015

Do not move here! They are super nice and attentive during the leasing process, but then they are horrible. I put in a request to get rid of the wasps in my balcony over a week ago and they have done nothing. I even had one nest right in front of my door, but apparently that does not cause concern for them. They have all this money to make their leasing office nice but their maintenance staff is too busy remodeling that they can't even take care of what they really need to. The leasing office is completely unreliable. Don't be fooled by the apartment they show you, the real apartments have many things wrong with them that you will have to write down on a sheet of paper to make sure they don't charge you for it when you move out.

Current Resident 15490

Resident • 2015

Ive worked in customer service for almost 20 years. I can spot true customer service easily so after I left Amber Lakes I knew had to give them kudos for the exemplary customer service i recieved. The young lady in the front helped make the process of finding my new home incredibly simple. I enjoyed what the property had to offer also she was very sweet and explained everything to the T. Im truely looking forward to my new place now lets hope my neighbors are just as friendly as the office staff!

chrissyelizabeth

Resident • 2014 - 2015

We love Amber Lakes! There are ups and downs living in an apartment in general because were in such close proximity to other people, but I just want to say over all me and my husband are very happy here. I mean we have our own beach with hammocks to use any time we want! There's also a nice trail next to us that we use all the time (were a family of runners) ! A huge positive is that my children can attend grade A schools living here, we really searched around to make sure we were living in a good area for our children. Our community is great and I'm very thankful to have found it here!

Current Resident 921733

Resident • 2012 - 2015

I would recommend Amber Lakes for several reasons but most of all because of the great renovations to the community. I moved here before the renovations started and WOW what an amazing difference. Like anything in life, there is always the possibility of having an issue; however, any issues that I have had, have been responded to in a timely manner. I have recommended Amber Lakes and will continue to recommend Amber Lakes as a great place to live.

Current Resident 287393

Resident • 2011 - 2015

Look at the rating to know that this complex is sinking fast. When I moved here from out of state the rating was in the high 80s. I have been here just over two years and already it is in the 60s. The noise, the non-stop attempts at fixing it up, the trash and animal poop everywhere. The maintenance and apartment employees can't possibly keep up with the immature antics of the renters they lease to. Oh and my monthly water bill is an average of the usage in my building, plus or minus the number of bedrooms I have. So, regardless of my water usage, I pay huge amounts monthly. Too bad. It used to be a nicer place. Now at a 69% and falling. Pick a different place. I think the two nice reviews were actually employees trying to fix that decreasing percentage. Good luck...

Current Resident 68440

Resident • 2011 - 2015

The development has improved greatly since new management took over. This is a very safe place to live. The grounds are kept nice and the neighbors are easy to get along with. The water/sewage bill is not based on individual units and is instead based a portion of each buildings water/sewage split to each resident. I've had times where I've been away for 3 weeks and still managed to get nearly the same water/sewage bill that I get when I'm in town for the whole billing period. Whenever the water is shut off because of a leak or other maintenance related action, there is no warning to the residents that the water is off. It's understandable that a leak needs to be dealt with immediately but not when there's a planned shut-off due to renovations, construction, or regular maintenance. I've been left with shampoo in my hair, getting ready for work/school, four times since I've moved in. A small bit of (strong) grease cleaner splashed in my eye once and I had to use apple juice to clean it. Even an automated message would've been awesome. (so we can all plan ahead). Overall, the place is pretty great. There are just too many little things that offset the entire living arrangement. I've left out many of my complaints so this review isn't ignored because of its length.

Current Resident 726264

Resident • 2014 - 2015

I wanted to recommend this place if you are looking for something that is close to UCF but not overly priced like the ones right by the school. I love my one bedroom, it has a new kitchen which works for me since I like to cook. Any issues are handled quickly and the place is pretty quiet. I like the fact that it is off of the main drag so traffic isn't that bad. Great place at a great price

amyp1124

Resident • 2015

very nice apartment complex..More like a resort style community. The staff is great, very friendly! The Maintenance Dept is very prompt and friemdly as well..Would definitely recommend this community to live in!!!

Current Resident 797037

Resident • 2013 - 2014

The rude front desk staff, constant "improvements" and lack of maintenance is terrible. I haven't had an issue with noise or my neighbors but waiting weeks in maintenance & improvments that would have been better just left alone are a bit out of control. The remodeled units look like they've been completed by armatures... The new paint colors are awful... The parking lot resurface is a joke, especially when they just go around the dumpster & it's already wearing through less than a month later... Finally they got rid of that idiot in the front office, he was a joke. Oh and there's dog poop, everywhere!!!

Current Resident 841679

Resident • 2014

Short of the long check your monthly bill they WILL try and over charge you every month. Also it can be noisy at night with people coming in and out blasting loud music in their car and slamming entry doors. As for security I would recommend watching out and taking your own security precautions. For starters...If you move in here you had better check and double check and triple check your monthly bill. This is the start of my 3 and I have been over charged 3 times. They have corrected it each time and gave me a credit for the next month but i'm not a fan of investing money that I do not get a return on. I will no longer be paying until they have my bill right and I will not pay a late fee if it is not correct. Next, as others have said and I will re-state, If you don't mind loud music at all times of day and night from people coming in and out then you should be great. However, if you don't want to hear that or loud music bothers you while your sleeping then this is not the place for you. Another problem with the noise is that people come in and out all times of the night and they slam the doors. No one in this complex knows how to quietly shut the door. It doesn't help that the least insulated part of the apartments are the outer doors as they are hollow core metal doors. As for the pool they are never at a constant level they don't clean them until they are way past due cleaning.

Current Resident 363101

Resident • 2012 - 2014

If you are a college student that enjoys drinking and loud music at all hours of the day and night, then this is the place to live. Sadly, I am not. As if the blaring music when people drive in and out of the complex wasn't annoying enough (since it happens at all hours of the day and night), just wait until they get into their apartments and turn it back on in there. It feels as if your entire apartment has become the inside of the speakers attached to an 80's boom box. Trash is left on the steps of many apartments long before the time for pick-up and usually over the entire weekend. A couple hours in the Florida heat and you won't want to open your door from the smell... not to mention the ants and wasps attracted to it. I can't blame the renters completely for the trash though... There is only ONE dumpster and it is always over-flowing. If I lived in the apartments next to that atrocious eye-sore, I would have left the first month. When we moved in the site bragged about all of the amenities. Most of them are just now being finished. We have been here 2 years. The workout room is a joke. You can actually hurt yourself trying to use the machines in there. Not because you are out of shape, but because the machines barely work. You get thrown off the treadmills! The pools are often filthy and in need of repair. One has a ring around the inside that looks like years of dirt and nastiness (and that is the show pool), the other looks like it is cleaned only when it has gone beyond safety regulations allow. It is probably hard to keep up the pools though... When there is at least one party a weekend where college kids bring full bottles of whisky, vodka, etc. then spend the night drinking, smoking, and then vomiting around the pool. We have security that only comes if you call... No scheduled drive arounds. If he/she is driving around, he/she is blind to all that goes on. The office will tell you it is your responsibility to call and tell security. Why is that my job? This is your complex... You tell people when they are moving in that the noise is minimal, that there is no glass at the pool, and that you have security. If you have it, then I shouldn't have to call for it. I won't even say anything about the problems with maintenance. They come quickly, but they don't actually fix anything! if you want people to stay year after year, then maybe you should pick clientele that won't move on at the end of each school year. The only real quiet time here is June through July when the throngs of college students move back in with their parents. If I knew then what I knew now, I would never have renewed my lease. I won't be when it is time again. It could be a beautiful apartment complex, in a GREAT neighborhood... Too bad the people at the office rent to anyone that walks in. There are so few apartments with a Winter Park attachment. So sad.

LucaCanizzo

Resident • 2014

Though there are worse apartments themselves, which they try to make abundantly clear while they're pulling you to move in, there are far better managing complexes. When my fiance and I were moving in it was coming from a very bad situation and we were urgent to get into the apartment asap, and our phone conversations (mostly with Mat) began to feel very much like we were a bother more than future residents. The day we signed the lease our review of the document was paused when a current resident came in asking to speak with someone. Mat went over to him and basically tried to shoo him off, glancing back at us like a person losing a sale, which made us uncomfortable because the man clearly needed something. He was upset because there were bats in his apartment, which had happened repeatedly, and because he had spent hours catching one. He eventually asked to speak to a manager, which Mat did not want to do, he actually said it "wasn't going to happen." But honestly as uninterested and nasty as Mat was being to the guy, I would've wanted to speak to someone else too. The man became upset because Mat was ignoring his issue, saying that maintenance had gone out already. Mat was talking down to the man so much I could hardly believe it, and then pulled his "i was in the army" card when the man suggested he did not know how to interact with customers. Turns out the man had been in the army as well, and he was handling the situation much better than Mat, who was bordering on harassing and wasn't handling anything. He ended up threatening to have the man removed from the office without doing a single thing to help him and doing nothing but instigate, when someone else came in and the man had been outside, he actually verbally stirred the man up again -when he was leaving- for no reason it seemed other than to be "in control" or have "won" the situation, which made my partner and I very uncomfortable, but we needed a place to live, so we signed the lease figuring we wouldn't always work with Mat, and could talk to his manager. Turns out his sister is the manager. Mat actually ASKED US to write a report about how the man had been crazy and unreasonable if needed, which we side-stepped. Time passed and living in the apartments was fine baring a few maintenance repairs which were done no problem. The gentlemen who do the maintenance are great (Bruno and Miguel), but not their supervisor. He showed up in our apartment when they were working once and flat out asked us to write a review about how great the complex was, he gave us a print out of the website if I remember correctly too, which I thought was rude. On the other hand however, when our initial AC was a stinking (FILTHY) and molded, they replaced the unit within the week. Which we appreciated. And on a separate occasion Mat did go out of his way to help us with some paper work when I had gone to the Dr. in Miami. We had a hornet nest on our back porch and they said that pest control only came on thursdays, and when the man came he sprayed the nest. Fine. But there have been at least 10 other nests built in the immediate section of our apartment, and it's gotten to the point where there is one right at our door with a black hornet bigger than a palmetto bug. My fiance saw it when she was walking back from doing laundry and it flew right at her, she ran and fell and scrapped her hands, feet, and legs up badly. I don't know how much worse it would have been if we lived on the 2nd floor or if she was a person with disabilities, I also don't know if it's a poisonous insect or if she's allergic to it. That's the second time I've sprayed nests outside our house with our own hornet-killer just so we could wash our cloths, and I couldn't spray all of them (and honestly didn't want to, because it riles them up) so we just end up running from the apartment to the laundry and back. There are some college students here but I'd say about 97% of the residents seem to be working, and working people do not have the time to deal with this crap just to get in and out of their apartment. Honestly the back porch is useless too because it's got at least 1 nest there. They do not do any preventative maintenance for exterior insects. They don't spray eves or trees, which is exactly where they're nesting, and if you call the contracted worker will spray the one spot YOU found and leave, which does next to nothing. It shouldn't be paid resident's responsibility to hunt down hornet/ wasp nests. I feel the price is high for the service you're getting. I've been in less expensive apartments where they did regular maintenance for exterior pests. I wish I could pick a choose the best and worst parts of the complex.I think the inconsistency with customer service is a big issue. P.S: Unless there's another gym here I didn't know about, that's not an accurate pic. I almost busted my knee trying to use that excuse for a treadmill (it looks like it's made of PVC).

Current Resident 771404

Resident • 2013 - 2014

Horrible maintence they dont know what they are doing, i asked for their services they came 2 days in a row just looking. Calling the office its a waste of time it goes to voicemail and you wont hear from them unless you show your face. They act like they dont know whats going on when they dont have an answer for your questions. They are renewing their facilities, dont expect anything wow, they are just replacing some utilities here and there. Horrible place to live. dont go here!!!!

Prospective Resident 394351

Prospect • Visited 2014

I do not recommend this place at all! The staff tells you 3 different things about how the availability works. We were advised to be put on a wait list by a man because the first visit we were told that there are apartments that are likely to open up because they were renovating. We enjoyed the tour and we were very satisfied by the service that day but it went downhill from there. This led us to our second visit a week later. This was after multiple calls that went unanswered with voicemails left saying to call us back. We were fed up so we thought we were to visit in person so we could be put on the wait list because we still like the place even though the staff was so "unavailable" via phone. The woman that helped us was very kind and said we were LIKELY to get an apartment and that theres a very good chance we would. Because of her we forgot about how we couldn't reach them on the phone all that week. We were curious about our number on the wait list so we decided to call again. Then after another set of multiple calls (within a span of a week) someone (a man) FINALLY answered stating that there was no availability whatsoever so thats why we were put on the wait list and that there is NO WAY TO TELL if we were going to get an apartment CONTRADICTING what the woman has said. We went to Amber Lakes a final time to ask about the availability once more so because we were tired of calling and not getting a straight answer. The same man who gave us the tour and answered the phone that day began to RUDELY explain that THERE WAS NO AVAILABILITY AT ALL AND THAT HE EXPLAINED THIS AT THE BEGINNING. Which he did not. All he said was that there was a wait list and that apartments are opening up left and right and that we were likely to get a place. Don't get me wrong, the place is nice on the inside of the apartments but the complex itself looks too open and not worth the money they charge. The staff could use more training at being concise and completely honest with their customers. We were treated nicely, but the miscommunication between the different people and their lack of availability on answering the phone ruined our experience at the place. We will not be moving here.

Current Resident 567705

Resident • 2014

First off, I just wanted to say how awesome the maintenance staff here is. They're always super helpful, super friendly, and more than once they've gone out of their way to help me out with stuff. The office staff is just as great. Always super friendly, and they're generally just fun to be around. This is the single best apartment complex I've lived in, and I'm happy to recommend Amber Lakes to anyone. The fact that I took the time to write this during finals week should speak for itself. [EDIT] Also, I forgot to mention two of the maintenance guys, Miguel and Tony. More than once they've gone out of their way to help me out. I owe you guys one. More than one.

damalfitano

Resident • 2013 - 2014

When our son moved to Florida to attend college, and needed to find an apartment, the search was on. Amber Lakes was one of our first choices in decision making, for several reasons, the location in Winter Park, the spacious 2 bedroom apartments with lots of storage space, the reasonable monthly rental rate, and the friendly staff to name a few. The staff at Amber Lakes Apartments has been so friendly and helpful, especially Melissa. Whether you call the office or walk in the office, you can always find a friendly smile. As a parent with a child moving to a different state and location, we had several concerns and questions with the area, especially apartment living, and Melissa always was helpful, gave lots of advice, and helped walk thru all the steps necessary not only before the move-in, but during and after move-in as well. Even the maintenance crew are very friendly. I can remember visiting our son after move-in, and we always find them working hard around all the apartment surroundings keeping up with the maintenance, painting, and updates required. And, even when something did happen inside the apartment, we just called the office, and they came and fixed it right away. That s good customer service. We would definitely recommend Amber Lakes Apartments.

Apartmentdweller80

Resident • 2014

I have lived at Amber Lakes for a while now. I have seen different Management Companies come and go with things pretty much remaining unchanged until recently. The new owners are definitely investing in the property. Over the past few months I have seen all new plants being put in, the buildings are getting new paint and the girl at the office said they are adding a beach area. I know that there is a lot going on right now and it can be frustrating, but I can t wait to see how it all turns out. The maintenance guys are wonderful. They generally get to anything I call in within a day. Overall I would say I am a happy camper.

Matrixsurfer

Resident • 2014

I recently moved to Winter Park for college at Herzing University and so far my experience has been very positive. They are currently working on a beach/rec area by the lake and it should be ready by the summer. Pretty quiet area overall. Pool areas are noisy on nice days but that's normal. Maintenance and office staff are really efficient if you need something.

Current Resident 333976

Resident • 2014

I recently moved to Winter Park for school and I rented my apartment over the phone sight unseen. I read reviews and asked the housing department for their opinion while I was trying to decide on a new place. To be honest I was a little nervous moving to a new city and renting an apartment I had never seen. Matthew sent me photos of the apartment and helped me with all of my paperwork. The whole process was so easy because I could do everything over email . When I moved in my apartment looked just like the pictures and even came with a gift bag. My overall impression has been positive, my apartment is quiet, the staff is helpful and for someone coming down from out of state I hope this review gives you some peace of mind. I would defiantly recommend Amber Lakes.

katbell0802

Resident • 2013 - 2014

I spent my time looking for apartments in the area, and was so thankful to find my little retreat in Amber Lakes. They are in midst of renovation - just updated the pool and fitness center(both look great)and are upgrading the interiors as well. The landscaping changes have been beautiful and I am looking forward to the lake beach area that is currently being built. I appreciate all of the positive changes that are taking place and look forward to being a resident for a long time. The staff has made this apartment a home - maintenance takes pride in their work and treats the apartments as if they were their own homes. The office staff surprised my daughter and I with breakfast on Valentine's Day - sharing the love with the residents! The staff goes above and beyond to make Amber Lakes a great place to live!!

ksmith72797

Resident • 2013 - 2014

I had to write a review because recently I lost my dog due to her running out of the apartment while I was bringing in groceries. I was in a panic and ran to the office for help,they immediately started to help and search the area with me. Thanks to them helping we were able to find her before she got too far. I can't thank them enough for being there for me. I feel so comfortable living here and couldn't think of another place I would rather be. Love my apartment and my neighbors! Thanks!

SamuelWalter

Resident • 2013 - 2014

I had my A/C break and within ten minutes of reporting it, Miguel was at my door to fix it. He had my A/C up and running within an hour and even installed a new thermostat since my one was hard to read. I was very impressed in how he went above and beyond.

Current Resident 241618

Resident • 2011 - 2014

I been living here at Amber Lakes for about a 3 years now and I won't be redoing my lease. We have seen so many changes and some are good and some are just worst. This place has been such of a inconvenience to us from blocking parking spots to paint the building to having crap on your cars from all the construction work. The way these people work is unreal, when it's time to renew your lease and you ask what's the rent increase they don't know. This is how you get stuck cause they wait when it's too late for you to give your 30 days that your are not renewing your lease. The upgrades such as adding washer and dryer are great, but doors had to be trimmed to make doors shut, closet door opening inwards limiting to full use of it, bathroom sink cabinets at actually kitchen cabinets making them too tall for kids to brush there teeth even with the proper foot stool. Over range microwave went does not exhaust heat, they never put a vent in the wall to vent out. Bathrooms did not vent correct, no I live in a different apartment and it was the same thing, the bathrooms due to lack of air build mold and it's consent cleaning and bleach use. There's a high turn over rate of people moving in and moving out, the trash dumpster is a whole new ball game in its own. The place only has one location for trash, the dumpster is over filled most of the times and trash is all over the sides of he dumpster. My next go around will be to take pictures and send it in to the county. Also I have seen on a good number of times people going thru trash taking what might be of value to them, this is one way to get you personal information stolen and no one from the complex says anything. The mail oh yes,,,,what can I say, the mail man is really bad, so bad with mail that I had to have a po box, items that are important never get to you, anytime we had a package we had to pick it up for the main post office. The mailman says he attempted to deliver packages but her never does, just as he leaves we go check and all we get is a slip saying attempt to deliver and not we have to chase package down. Do yourself a favor, there are a few better apartments out there and save yourself the headaches of having to put up and deal with these people. For the money your going to spend here you might as well get something better, my next move is about 1 1/2 miles down and I'll be getting a 2 bedroom, 2 bath for $730.00 and its gated. I will be taking pictures and sending to corporate and telling them how much of a crap job management is doing.

sarablue

Resident • 2010 - 2013

I've lived at Amber Lakes a long time and have seen many changes in managment. I have to say that I have been overly impressed with the new management and how they run things. They are doing so many things to the community to make it nicer. The landscaping looks so much cleaner and the pool by the lake is beautiful. Matt in the office told me they are adding a beach and picnic area out by the lake, I can't wait to see it. I have had some maintenance issues but Bruno is fast on fixing it. If you are looking for a nice place to live at an affordable price I would definitely move it.