Tenant Reviews for 369 S COLUMBIA AVE

I've been here a longgggg time. Over 14 years within this complex. I have experienced many things. My apartment being broken into and ransacked, moving around a few units as my personal life changed and a few managers within the building. I can say, the rents are reasonable for the area just outside downtown LA. You aren't getting many extra amenities like a pool or community center, so hence the lower price of rent compared to the newer surrounding apts. There is a laundry room with a vending machine and the machines are usually functional most days. Each unit comes with a dishwasher but no fridge. They used to provide a rental company name for the fridge rental but I just brought my own. My unit hasn't been updated since I moved into it around 8 years ago. I know they have updated the units as they become available, usually with hardwood floors, a newer stove and dishwasher and updated bathroom. They have installed security cameras everywhere within the complex and do alert the residents of any issues that arise. Due to the location of the complex, crimes do occur but they aren't as frequent as you would expect them to be. The overall maintenance staff do a good job at fixing things and keeping the surrounding areas clean. Overall, the noise is not bad at night around here. There is the Rampart Police Station less than a block away (we are behind it) so I suspect that keeps the nighttime activities to a minimum. The neighborhood is a little rough but not scared for your life bad. The new manager, Zoey, has really tried to upkeep the complex and is helpful and attentive to my needs (fixing things and taking in my complaints). The one major Con is that if there is any major plumbing repair that is needed in any unit, they have to shut the water off for the entire complex. This is a pain but usually there is ample notification from Zoey about it. I lived here a long time and appreciate my time here. I do plan on moving out when my current lease expires in the spring. This is mainly due to going to a better school system for my kids and not on any issues with the complex itself.

Tuscani Villas is in a good location, and the staff is great. Leslie is very nice and she was always taking care of everything. Also, Armando fixed a couple of things in my apartment very fast which was great.

STAY AWAY! At one point this was a chill and relaxed community, but it has been plagued by many burglary issues over the past few months. Of the residents that I know, three have mentioned that they have had mailed packages (the UPS man inferred that there were many more thefts) stolen and another said a laptop was stolen from his apartment while on vacation. Albeit most of my experience here was positive, the rent is reasonable, and there was a kind working class community. This shift seemed to occur when the past property manager left, and an influx of sketchy residents arrived. The new manager doesn't seem to be the best judge of character or in touch with the residents. It's pretty normal to hear from community members about crimes, fights, and people stealing the keypad code and sleeping in vacant units.. I'm moving out ASAP.

I lived here for 7 years, and honestly, it's a steal for the price I paid. My original rent was $1095 per month, and I had a 3rd floor apartment with a view of the skyline. The leasing agent threw in a dishwasher since that apartment was one of the pricier ones. My rent was raised only $80 the entire time I lived there. The neighborhood is definitely working-class, and I wouldn't necessarily feel safe walking around at night, but I felt safe inside my apartment. It's as gated as it's going to get in downtown LA, and even though I'm sure many people were able to piggy back either through the front door or through the garage, I never had any problems with theft. I was once blamed for throwing a party and leaving empty beer bottles outside my apartment, but when I told the manager that I was not at fault, I never heard anymore about it. I didn't need the repair guys to come out very many times (maybe a handful in 7 years), but when they did, I had no complaints. They were friendly and always said "hi" to me when we passed each other on the property. I'm aware they have a new leasing agent who was hired shortly after I moved out, so I can't comment on that. I received almost all of my security deposit back, which surprised me since I had gotten taken advantage of at my previous apartment. I was even able to leave my fridge behind, which was sold to the tenant moving in to my place. One thing I didn't like was that we weren't allowed to have satellite tv when I was there. I was forced to get cable (Comcast or Time Warner I forget) which was really expensive, so I had no cable at all. Parking was also an issue. There were guest parking spots when I first moved in, but soon after, they were taken away. After that, if we wanted to reserve a guest spot we had to do so in advance and pay $5 per day. Overall, this place served me well when I was a graduate student at USC. It's conveniently close to the freeway, and is right in between University Park Campus and the Health Science Campus which was ideal for me. There is also a great taco truck that parks nearby that operates late into the night! Great value for the area.

this place is disgusting! parking structure and the streets smell like urine! unknown resident constantly urinates in the trash can in the parking structure. u definitely get what u pay for. I regret moving here , I should've paid $200 more per month and moved somewhere nicer

The manager is hardly there and never returns calls in a timely manner. I had a friend trying to see the apartment and meet the manager as a possible tenant, she called for a week straight and never got a call back. If there ever a maintenance issue which there's plenty it'll take a good two weeks to get the job done she the manager is hardly there and not on top of things. Channel the old manager actually did her job right. I would not recommended this place for its horrible manager that makes living here a horrible experience.

Pros: Rents are reasonable No roaches Cons: Every three months they have to change the garage remote code because someone gains access and breaks into someone's car. On three occasions, in the past 4 months, the garage door has been stuck open. Its cheaper if the repair man comes on a certain day, so they will let it sit open (for 2-3 days)until they have a repairman come. People have stolen my clothes out of the washer/dryer before. The landlord has no control of the level of constant noise that is either coming from a chronically screaming toddler or may of the college kids that have recently moved in. These noisy folks are positioned perfectly in courtyard units so that the noise echoes throughout. All I have to say is you get what you pay for.

This is a good location for simple living. I've lived here for about 7 years now and have seen how the property has changed during my stay. It has definitely improved over the past couple of years, so I will do my best to give an accurate picture on how it is to live in Tuscani Villas nowadays. Quick points Pros: -Good price for the area -Spacious living space for the price -Nice simple layouts for the room -Gated parking Cons: -Very difficult parking situation due to neighborhood's crowded nature -Walls and flooring are thin, so depending on your neighbors, can get noisy -Courtyard echoes a lot, so if you have a courtyard-facing unit, people talking and children playing can be distracting. -Sometimes the hallways can carry kitchen and smoke odors very far. Not good for if I want to get some ventilation in my place -Expect water to be shut off for a large chunk of the day every 1-2 months. Most people want to hear about the cons, so I'll fairly go through them. Parking and noise are the number 1 complaints. Parking on the street is hit or miss and sometimes guests have to drive around for 15 minutes if they want to street park in the evening, and oftentimes can't find parking at all. The gated parking allows you to pay $5 every 24 hours for guests. If you are not able to get a parking pass in time, you can park at the hospital the next block over for $6 a day. My business grew over the years and it was hard to have some hired help come over to do some work with. Not to mention tough to having the lady visit me. I've lived here a while so I've gotten used to the noise except for kids going crazy from time to time. What you should expect are audible footsteps and creaking from the floor above, depending on how heavily the above tenant walks. People playing music and television loudly is definitely noticeable. When I work on my computer, I can phase it out with headphones most of the time. When I have guests over, they tend to freak out a little from the footsteps above. Live here long enough and you would sometimes hear arguing or amorous couples. But in the last 2 years I have had pretty quiet neighbors. The build and quality of the doors, cabinets, counters and shelves leaves some to be desired. Armando is a nice superintendent that is very efficient and friendly, though don't expect for the work done to be luxurious. Chanelle was the original manager for years up until last year and had been very accommodating and an all around nice lady to me through any issues I may have had. I was sad to see her go as she moved to another job. Leslie is also a nice lady and does her best, but hasn't quite gotten as solid of a grasp of managing all the ins and outs of the building. I'm sure she will reach up to Chanelle's ability soon, though. This place was great for leading out of my college years, but now that I'm a 30 year old business owner, I've definitely outgrown the space and am now looking for other options.

Tuscani Villas was not the best place I have lived but was certainly not the worst. There were a couple of things that became impossible to live with. The carpet was stained when I moved in. Make sure that in your contract you ask that they clean the carpet and ask to see the receipt with the date that it was cleaned. The neighbor who lived above me was incredibly noisy. The floors creaked so loudly that when there was a small earthquake I initially thought it was my neighbor walking around. He/she would also pace at odd ours, like 2am. He/she would also play loud music and the next door neighbor would fall asleep with their TV on. The parking is horrendous. If you have more than one car it's impossible to find street parking. Also, playing $600 for an extra spot is pretty rediculous as well as paying $5 for guest spots. I know people talk about the security guard as a plus, but I was hassled by him. My car battery had died and so I asked my friend to help me jump it while we were in the garage (because I could not move my car). He waited until my friend had left and while my car hood was still open, started to yell at me that I was not allowed to park another car in the garage. This was obviously not the situation and he needed to ask me if I needed help, not start berating me about something I was not doing. I liked Tuscani Villas but I also felt like they tried to charge for everything. Balcony is extra, dishwasher is extra, and another parking spot is extra. Otherwise it was an okay place to live. Chanelle was very nice and helped me with most of my requests, I just think their was nothing she could about the noise and should have offered some alternatives like discounting my rent. However, I feel for the price and even location that better places can be found in Los Angeles and its surrounding areas.

I found this apartment for my daughter last September. We had checked several apartments in the downtown area. They are either expensive or the unit is very small. This place is a gem. The outside area isn't super nice but this is downtown, what can you expect. We love the courtyard. The hallway is open to the courtyard, so there is great air circulation. In most apartments the hallways are enclosed, so you can smell all kind of funny smell. The building is maintained very well and clean. Tenant has an assigned parking in gated garage and there is also a security comes in to work at night until morning. As for guest parking you have to check with manager in advance or find a spot on the street if you are lucky enough. We found the bathroom sink had a small leak late at night one day and notify the management. They sent someone over first thing in the morning. At least we know they are very efficient in getting things done.