Tenant Reviews for 1300 S FIGUEROA ST

I decided not to renew after my orginal lease ended because the rent was just too high and for the following reasons. First, the parking is a nightmare and I found myself calling the staff to see if there was any available parking for my guests. Secondly the replacement staff. At first the previous assistant manager was very helpful and always helping out the rest of the residents. He was always emailing and returning phone calls as soon as possible. He was very friendly to everyone and always keeping everyone updated but he left last year and the replacement was a total nightmare and very uncooperative and not helpful at all. I was thankful he did not last there for a while and went to another place. Lastly, the noise level is just too much. The building itself I think it's not properly insulated and sealed because I can hear everyone that walks outside my apartment, below my apartment, and also upstairs.

I made the mistake of getting a one-year lease here in January and I have some particular complaints. i'd say 70% of the tenants are students living on their own for the first time ..... guys literally run down the walkways, girls click down the hallways in high heels, etc. From inside your unit you'd think clydesdales live here, it's just loud. that leads to my second point - everything echos here. the walkways are open in a courtyard-style so the noises and conversations are not restricted to your floor.... you can hear whatever is going on ANYWHERE in this complex because the sound carries. in addition to outside noise, the walls here are very thin. i regret my decision to lease here every morning when i get woken up at 6am by my neighbors' stomping around upstairs. other in-unit noise includes the washer/dryer machine. it's so clunky that I literally can't place or receive a phone call during a washing cycle. Parking is a nightmare. My "compact parking" is next to an SUV... how does that make sense? i have to navigate my parking at least 3 times to make sure it won't hit me upon opening its door. there's NO guest parking, my friends always have to find street parking. UPDATE* After moving out I received my deposit return and was SHOCKED to see that they kept $270 for the following reasons: $120 Paint Life $95 Carpet Shampoo $80 Cleaning Service Firstly, the tenants obligation to pay a paint-life fee is not disclosed anywhere in the lease agreement and they just try to argue that it's part of wear-and-tear. Secondly, carpet shampoo and cleaning services are customary turn-over costs for property management and are ALWAYS built into their annual budget. Charging tenants for these unsubstantiated costs is RIDICULOUS and illegal.

I have lived her since September 2008. The apartments are nice, I will give them that. But $2756 for a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom? The apartment is only 1,000 square feet. When I could walk down the street and get a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment for $900 cheaper. The pool is ok, the sun only shines on the pool for about 2 hours a day. The gym is small. There has been a band practicing for 6 months below my apartment which they have yet to resolve the noise even though I have complained about 100 times. And if the Lakers are playing or Michael Jackson has a funeral don't even try to get out, because the cops won't let you back in. All of this fun for $2756? I think I'll go elsewhere.

City Lights is a decent place to live. The apartments are very nice on the inside. I'm usually very critical and I was impressed at how modern the appliances are. The pool, hot tub and longue are all nice. I don't really use the media center much because I have a nice TV, but it's nice to have. The gym is quite small and limited. It's ok for a quick workout but not great for much more. Parking is easy and there's always plenty of guest parking (except during Staples Center / LA Live / Convention Center events when they rent it out, that's annoying). The staff is very friendly and the maintenance staff is quite responsive. My biggest beef is noise. My apartment is on the street and I constantly hear sirens, cars, buses, and homeless people. Sometimes it keeps me up until 4 AM. The price is moderately expensive but not horrible for Downtown LA. If you can get an apartment facing the courtyard it's not a good place to live.

I just moved to Downtown and I am very impressed with the location and the building. Everyone is very friendly! I would recommend it!

We are current renters at City Lights on Fig in a beautiful 1-bedroom apartment. If you are thinking of living at City Lights (www.citylightsonfig.com - They have plenty of available studio,1,2,3 bedroom units) they have a referral program where they give current renters $2500 for referring someone to sign a lease and move in by August 31, 2008. We are willing to split this with anyone who wants to move in. ** In addition - City Lights gives you one month free for signing a 12-month lease. Thats 1 months rent free and $1250 in cash to move into a luxurious downtown apartment! Although it is a somewhat expensive apartment (what isnt in downtown LA?), a months rent free and $1250 reduces your rent a ton. With that said, its DEFINITELY worth checkin this place out, especially because the new LA live will be nextdoor in a few months .Honestly, this place is awesome, i love it and am looking forward to all the new entertainment venues being built near the area! The things people seem to be complaining about are the things you COULD complain about any apartment complex. If you are interested in moving in and want in on the deal, please give us a call (414 651 7499)(as you have to bring in a signed referral paper on the first day you visit to get the $1250). Happy apartment hunting!

and thats my biggest beef - they rent the majority of their apts to usc students. Mom and dad come in to sign the lease and thats the last time they will be there until their kids graduate or flunk out. there is constant turnover in this building.<br><br>Many of these kids have never lived on their own, and have little respect for the professionals that live there. they try to skate the rules, like no guest parking, leaving the garage vulnerable to theft. their little dramas are played out in the public areas, with sobbing girls or drunken guys upset over USC loss to UCLA. Once, at 3am, some guy moved out, with no<br>regard to sleeping residents.<br><br>I like the staff - they have always treated me kindly, and I try to do the same. If it wasnt for the arrogant USC losers this place would be a nice place for professionals

I just moved in in August and have to say I disagree with what most of these posts say. It is a smaller apartment building with about 100 apartments so it's not very noisy at all. They have a dog run in the back so that you don't have to walk your dog down the sidewalk. I guess I moved in after the new manager started because everyone in the office has been great! They keep my packages if I'm not home (and I get a lot of packages!) and every time that I have called to have something fixed, it happens the same day. It has NEVER been that way anywhere else I have lived.<br><br>I was told that there is only someone patrolling at night and I haven't even heard of anything happening since I moved in.<br><br>I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who wants to live downtown but not in a loft.

http://hvingrl.blogspot.com/<br><br>If you want ot know the truth about who runs your life.

I am a current resident of City Lights and will be for the next year. I have mixed feelings about City Lights, I've had good experiences and bad. <br>It is an expensive place to live, but it is one of the cheaper/nicer places to live in downtown, and all the amenities make up for the high rent.<br>The pool, small gym, and entertainment room are all beneficial, except don't use the dvd player in the tv room b/c its broken and even though we have complained it hasn't been fixed. The building is also newer so the appliances are not old and all in good working condition.<br>Noise is a huge factor in living here. When I first moved in 2 years ago I had a small studio w/an amazing view of downtown and the staples center. After about 6 months the noise from the bus stop right in front of the building drove us crazy and we moved to larger apartment attached to the smaller inner courtyard. The noise that we deal with now is from the residents and dogs...which isn't any better than the bus stop.<br>The building and grounds are very well kept except for a few dog owners that don't pick up after their dogs.<br>The security is something to be desired. They say they patrol 24/7 but we have had 2 bikes stolen from the rack in the parking garage (yes, they were locked up). My bike was also vandalized another time. Management didn't seem to care much about the stolen or vandalized bikes, which was very aggravating. Word now is that security cameras will be installed in and around the building, so that will hopefully help with the reckless people. Basically if you really like your bike keep it in your apartment. <br>The main manager can be a jerk and can also be really nice...must depend on his mood, but he recently quit, so hopefully new manager will be more stable minded.<br>Overall the experience has been good rather than bad...hopefully this helps in your decision making.<br>