Tenant Reviews for 417 S HILL ST

Avoid this place

Metro 417 has great aesthetics. but, street noise is quite bothersome even on the 10th floor. Parking costs $100 monthly per space, which is steep. There's insufficient visitor parking available, forcing your guests to pay just to see you. Most of the front desk staff don't seem knowledgeable, with only a couple of exceptions. I'm counting down the days until I leave.

I left Metro 417 after 10 months of feeling unsafe in my own building. Located in the heart of downtown LA means that safety is a huge concern. But this building does not have security. In the ten months I lived in this building, the following happened: - a drive by shooting occurred right in front of the building at 11:30am when I usually am walking to lunch - an armed individual fleeing from police entered the building and went into a unit. - armed police officers responded with guns drawn to a criminal who had entered the parking garage, and a resident unwittingly entered the garage and was greeted by guns aimed at him - criminals stole multiple catalytic converters off of cars in "secure" area of parking garage - homeless people periodically gained access to the building and would overdose in resident hallways - my bike was stolen off my car in the parking garage that has TWO security gates (cars can follow closely behind others to get past them) The fact that there is not a single security guard on premise is outrageous. We live in a dangerous area--I accept that. But in response the building must take measures to keep residents safe.

After living at Metro 417 for the better part of a decade, I cannot overstate how great the building, amenities, location, staff, and community is here. The historic building with it's beautiful lobby has been an inspiration each and every day that I come home. The concrete construction means that you will not hear your neighbors, which is hard to even put a price on. The staff is like family and they build community through great monthly programming and events. They have been incredibly responsive to the most minor of issues making sure that everything is always perfect with your apartment and all the aspect of the building. You cannot beat the location in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, across the street from Grand Central Market, walkable to Whole Foods, and central to all the amazing neighborhoods of DTLA. You'll get the same location and view of Perch without waiting in line or paying for $18 cocktails. You'll be hard pressed to find a better place to live.

I'm so sick of this place and maintenance barging in my unit with no notice because there's always plumbing problems. Glad I wasn't in the shower when they did it the last time!! DON'T MOVE HERE... there are too many reasons to list but here are the main issues that make me regret ever moving here... 1. The migraine-inducing construction next door that started a few months ago, that is 8-12hrs/day, 6 days/wk and is supposed to go on for another 2 years. There wasn't construction when I moved here and had I known about it I never would have signed a lease. 2. The price per sqft isn't worth it (very overpriced even for Los Angeles), not to mention the unexpected rent increases that you find out about less than 60 days before your lease expires. So you have absolutely no time to find another place if you can't afford it anymore. My last increase was almost 20% so I had to get a roommate! 3. The elevators are constantly breaking - someone was even recently trapped between floors and the fire dept. had to be called - SCARY! 4. The garages and stairwells look like something out of a horror film with cobwebs and haven't been painted/cleaned in a long time 5. There is a trash room/chute on every floor so the halls constantly smell like trash 6. If you have an issue they just tell you to call the front desk, but security can't do anything to fix the problem so it's a complete waste of time. 7. Endless plumbing issues - my unit had a major flood because of the unit above me and I was displaced for a weekend because my ceiling had to be repaired & repainted. 8. Inconsiderate neighbors that smoke in the stairwells and in the 'smoke-free' units. 9. Maintenance has walked into my unit unannounced without knocking while I was home - scared me senseless! 10. This is a pet-friendly community but the pets urinate/defecate in the stairwells/hallways. 11. They also rent/airbnb available units (which are a lot because there seems to be a high turnover of residents) so it is more of a hotel and there are always unvetted people walking around a 'secure' building. SAVE YOURSELF THE HEADACHE and don't move to any Forest City property as all they care about is collecting rent and when you have an issue that requires upper management there is no sense of urgency. I've left messages before at corporate and no one ever calls back. If your rent is a minute late you'll get a call/letter within 24 hours, but have a issue that requires management and it's a crap shoot if they contact you or ever resolve the problem.

Life in a Fish Bowl - Metro 417 is a great building with a friendly staff and many appealing amenities. Unfortunately privacy is not an amenity that is extended to the residents. Management will occasionally inspect your apartment and you have no options but to submit to their schedule. They will also schedule mandatory maintenance visits around holidays when many people are away which seems questionable. Water and elevators are two on-going issues that they can't seem to resolve. Other than that it really is a fantastic place and I would recommend it but I would advise any new tenant to not expect privacy, running water, or working elevators. It may seem like sarcasm, but it's not. I will likely renew my lease but I'm more prepared now for the Metro fishbowl lifestyle. UPDATE - I will most likely NOT renew my lease. They are at it again with the holiday maintenance. They've just announced that two days after Christmas when many people will be away they plan to unlock every apartment door just to see if the locks work. If you value privacy and/or security then this is NOT the place to live. I can't imagine how many people left for the holiday and locked their door expecting that it would stay locked while they were away.

Life in a Fish Bowl. This building has a lot to offer but unfortunately they do not respect the privacy of the tenants. They will frequently enter your apartment for a variety of reasons. Many visits are scheduled during holiday times when people are likely to be away. They seem to prefer that you not be home when they visit your apartment. That's about the only bad thing I can say about the place so if you value your privacy then you could be very happy here.

If you consider running water a standard amenity then this is not the place for you. They frequently shut the water off for hours at a time and sometimes without warning. If you don't care about running water then this place is great. Truly...except for the lack of running water it is a great place to live.

I lived at Metro 417 for a year. (October 2010-October 2011). My stay here was overall pleasant. I had a 2-bedroom apartment with wood floors which was nice coming from a previous carpeted apartment. The walls are concrete and the door is heavy so I did not hear any of my neighbors. Which was great since that meant my loud music or loud movies did not bother anyone. There was however, several loud rooftop parties that went well past 2am that kept me up. I called security and they didnt seem to care or do much since it did not stop. There was a staff change during my stay and I didn't really sense a huge change in attitude or service. Generally if you're nice to people, they will be nice right back. The parking is pretty packed and its $100/spot on top of rent. I felt pretty safe in the building, the surrounding area however, not so much since a lot of homeless hang out at the park across the street. The cleaning crew was great, the place was always clean. Also, its great walking distance to grand central market and surrounding stores. I would have stayed longer but I wanted to move to a building with a pool and with more amenities. When it came re-signing the lease, the rent went up like $80 or so.

Lived here for a year. After a year, I was presented a month-to-month rental option that was $1,000 MORE than my already $1760 rent! (Glad to see they're loyal to their current tenants.) Even if I signed another 13 month lease, as I had done in the past, I would have had to increase my monthly rent by $160. You would think that with such large rent, simple upkeep of the apartment would be taken care of. However, when I left -- I lost my entire security deposit to the following charges: - Shampooing the bedroom rug. (I would hope they shampoo the rug between tenants.) - Shampooing the carpeted HALLWAY outside my apartment that leads to the trash. (Didn't realize I was renting the hallway.) - Overall Cleaning of the apartment for the new tenant. (Mopping, Vacuuming, Wiping Counters, etc.) - Paint Job (I hung ONE picture. No joke.) BE AWARE that when you leave your security deposit, that it basically covers the cleaning ladies for the next tenant. Seriously, they made it sound like I left the apartment like a complete cocaine addict -- windows broken, doors off the hinge, smoke stains in the rug, etc. I can assure you the place was just fine. Did it need a vacuum and wipe down of counters? Yes, definitely. But that shouldn't make me lose $500 in security deposit. As for shampooing the outside hallway, I also didn't realize my security deposit was responsible for the wear and tear of a SHARED carpeted hallway that lead to the trash chute. It sounds to me like they basically charged me for the usual wear and tear of a tenant living there. Ha. Funny, you would think my $1760/month rent could have covered some of those normal wear & tear charges. RIP OFF. I can't stress enough -- DO NOT LIVE HERE.

This place used to be GREAT. We had a top-notch staff who really made you feel welcomed. They let go of the staff so they can try to sell the building - they've sold other buildings recently - and brought in new security and personnel. It totally sucks now and the staff who you see daily - handle your guests, parking passes, packages, greet you, etc... - are terrible. They make you feel like you're bothering them and give you so much attitude. Everyone constantly complains about them but since the head of security, ----, is good friends with the manager, it falls on deaf ears. I would stay away and pick some of the other place downtown with much friendlier staff, who have people who WANT to help you. This place feels like a Hollywood club now with BS and angst and attitude. Can't wait to move out in a few months!!! The building is great but the staff, who you interact with daily, ruin it now. They just came in a few months ago and it bites now. Too bad....If you want attitude, go to a Hollywood club instead (at least they give you bottle service).