Tenant Reviews for 417 S HILL ST

I been living at Metro 417 for 11 months know...Everything is perfect with managers,Security and all my neighbors their only one problem with the building and thats the front Desk Security Director Seth...His very disrespectful with residents and visitors.Im moving out in a month if u guys are thinking of moving in good luck with this guy (SETH)....

First of let me say that the building is great. The people not so much. This is a very cold and corporate environment. It wasn't always like this, but about 8 months after I moved in they changed the entire staff. When I say cold blooded corporate, thats what I mean. They fired people who had been there for a long time just like that. Now the issue that brought me to write this. When I moved out, after my inspection I was supposed to get $270.00 of my security deposit back. Instead they nickel & dime that down with made up fees and charges until they claimed I owed them $54.00. Not only that but they sent any correspondence to the wrong address after I wrote it down for them 5 times. F*<K METRO 417!!! These people are corrupt and full of ----. You can do much better and get a better building with people whoa actually give a damn.

I have lived here for about 7 months now and I LOVE IT! The walls are thick and concrete so I have never heard any of my neighbors. I can actually watch a movie on a high volume and not bother anyone else. The ammenities are not the best in LA, but they are nice. The hot tub is always a great night retreat since the view is so beautiful and the rooftop in general is a great way to meet people and hang out. The security team and maintance are always welcoming and have a smile - which is so nice to come home to. The safty measures they take to make sure no un-authorized person is in the building makes me feel safe - which is important in downtown L.A.. Location is great - its far enough from USC and FIDM that we don't have very much college traffic, and its right across the street from the Grand Central Market and the Metro Red/Purple Line. Our actual apartment unit is great as well. We always have hot water, its always quiet, the appliances are nice, and I LOVE THE HARDWOOD FLOORS! They are so easy to clean! No apartment building is perfect, but this is my favorite place to live so far. :-)

Metro 417 is a great place to stay but as long as ----------- is there, my advice would be to go somewhere else and live peacefully without any hinderance from a person like him. There are a good handfull of tenants leaving because of his poor customer service skills. A good friend of mine by the name of ---------. moved out recently due to his obsurd actions. I have 7 or 8 people who have mutual feelings for this man. I really have no issues with any of the other staff members. Security is great and I can't complain about the maintenance crew. Theres very nice scenery from the rooftop with a nice hot tub and lounging area, a theatre, pool and poker table, and even a fitness center. I always felt the rent was a little high but it's worth it as long as ----------- isn't around to harass you extensively. If this isn't taken care of soon, I'm sure there will be lots of vacancies in the near future.

Don't even think about moving to 417 Metro. 417 Metro was a good place to live before Mr. ------ became mgr. We are looking to find similarly situated individuals who wish to discuss a class-action suit against FC and Mr. ------. We moved out due to the harrassment. We think the building is being sold and that certain tenants are being targeted for eviction; not sure why. A disgruntled employee has told us that Mr. ------ had simiar issues at another bldg he managed. A PI has agreed to dedicate some time to the issue and will post more info as soon as we receive it. Please email us at [email protected].

My husband and I lived at Metro 417 for a little over a year. Everything was perfect. The staff is by the book which is what I like........I don't think they should make exceptions. I've lived in 4 different apartments and this was the first one that I could literally not here a peep from my upstairs neighbors. The only thing you can hear is when the doors shut in the hallways but that is b/c they are so heavy and sturdy (which I actually like the fact that they are not cheap doors). As long as your okay with hearing the downtown L.A. noise (buses, helicopters) this place would be for you. The staff is super friendly and will answer any questions that you might have. They have an excellent fitness area and lounge area. The parking gates always worked. The building is very secure (for a girl this is a big thing). They have awesome resident parties. The cleaning ladies cleaned everything daily. My only negatives about this place was that the size of dogs they allowed.......I think that for safety reasons there should be a weight and breed limit. I wish that I still lived at this place but we had to move due to job relocation.

Metro 417 has the hardware that fits all my needs- washer and dryer in the unit,location, building quality, etc . However, after I dealt with their resident associate, I knew it's not a place for anyone to rent. I believe I have dealt with the rudest resident associate. It's me, the prospective tenant, who sent every email and made every phone call to check on the status of my application, and the moving details(because he never actively updated me with information I need to know). However, phone calls were never answered even he was in the office. Exception was when he was tired of you "bugging" him, he would pick up the call, and then turned you away with some ridiculous reason. I was turned away because he said there wouldnt be a parking spot which I was guaranteed one when I paid the deposit, and I had to park outside the building. Who would live in a place like that? Finally, I wasted half a month with this inefficient and rude associate.

The building overall is great and well-maintained. Great people live within the building. Great downtown location central to everything. Pet-friendly. Great lobby parties. What to watch out for IS the obnoxiously high rent and money-hungry management. Forest City will do their best to take every cent out of your poor pocket despite the poor economy. It seems that they neglect to keep their residences satisfied. It makes me wonder why there are mover trucks in front of the building almost every other week. Guest parking (Thursday to Saturday evenings)has gotten worse throughout the year. As a current resident, there are several disgruntled residences in the building. Do not let the resident associates/managers make you think otherwise. Their job IS to sell the building. Your best bet is to ask for opinions from people who currently live in the building. You will find residences walking in and out of the lobby or walking in and out with their dogs. Front desk security is great during the day except for the night shift security who is clueless about his job. The security guy will go by the books down to a T no IFS, ANDS, or BUTs. I understand the concept of securing a building, but being military about everything makes you come off unwelcoming, cold-hearted, and --------. Metro needs to higher a new nightshift security guard that doesn't have a stick up their buttocks. About two months ago, Metro 417 has implemented a "new system" of how they rent out their available units. Keep note of the reviews on or after August 2009. I can guarantee that you will see more negative reviews in the months to come... If you're considering Metro 417, I would play -----'s advocate and take all the negative reviews, including mine, into consideration. Forest City owns Metro 417, The Met, and Metlofts so if you're considering the other two buildings - beware! I have been a resident for over a year and a half. Trust me. I'm on your side. I can't wait for my lease to end... Who dares disagrees with me review? Bring it on...

can't recommend management totally unresponsive

Background: I am an attorney who works downtown, and over the past few years, I have called Metro 417 home. Motivation: I aim to provide a rational and fair review of this rental property and its current management. I moved out here right after grad school, and I hope that this review helps those in similar situations. Consistently Good: SECURITY: Metro417 (or its parent company Forest City Enterprises http://www.forestcity.net/properties/metro-417.asp) takes security very seriously. Cornelius is a great guy, as are Junior and Darrelton. CLEANLINESS and Upkeep of Common Areas: the rental property cleans the interiors often and well. MAINTENANCE: assuming I can speak to a person rather than the answering machine, Maintenance is quite good and responsive. Concierge: the current concierge, Lenny, is very responsive and always follows up. Consistently Bad: ATTITUDE: It is my opinion that this rental property lost some of its key management personnel, and the defection of their front-line personnel (e.g. previous leasing agent Krystal, previous associate building manager Jesse) has greatly exposed the deteriorating service at Metro417. For example, the current leasing agent, Xander, is unresponsive, disrespectful, and selectively truthful. It appears that he is only nice to, or makes eye contact with, others if you happen to run into him while he s with a prospective tenant. Try it out when you visit, and he says hi to someone, ask if he knows that person s name. Secondly, while I do not know whether Xander behaves unethically generally, as other reviews allege, I have caught Xander lying to me twice. (By the way, I have seen his style of writing, and some of the glowing reviews here, especially those that look like advertisements disguised as positive reviews, match his.) The head of security, Andre, comes off as arrogant and unresponsive. Every time one approaches him for service, he gives the appearance that he is doing that person a favor. The Management Office, headed by Richard, is unresponsive and unhelpful. It has been my experience that they do not check voicemail regularly, or perhaps they choose to ignore voicemails. I had to contact the General Counsel s office at corporate headquarters to trigger a return call from Metro s management office. The current associate building manager, Christopher, often takes more than five (5) business days to return a voicemail, if at all. Renter Beware: The windows fail miserably at keeping street noise down. The walls also fail at keeping hallway noise down. There is a non-trivial college/grad school population at Metro 417. Of the three elevators that serve the entire building, it seems like each month, there is one that is broken or undergoing maintenance. Your visitors may only park in the guest parking lot for a maximum of 15 days each month. In my view, this is a terrible place for a young professional.