Tenant Reviews for 610 S MAIN ST

On my way out

This place could have been great. It's really nice that it's a historic building, but they didn't do much with it and they don't maintain it well. The renovations they've done are nice on the surface, but are actually really cheap. And resident common areas like the roof, lounge and gym aren't kept up and are in a constant state of disrepair. That's largely due to the partiers here who keep the rest of the residents from enjoying the amenities here. The mgmt has improved in the time I've been here, but they are still not as proactive as dealing with the problems as they should be. Security is still a problem, even from within the building. The dog run is often gross and smelly. Parking is woefully bad since they rent out the spaces to the public. And noise is still a problem. But mgmt will have you believe they are on top of all the issues, yet nothing changes. I consider the rash of sudden positive reviews on this board highly suspect and likely to have come from the mgmt. Yes, the lofts are quite large and reasonably priced. But after living here for a while, it becomes painfully obvious why the price is low. It's also a beacon for college kids who stack seven or so of themselves into one loft and then act like it's the dorms. There's a *community* in the building who will visciously defend their right to make noise and carry on such. And they will attack you for not participating as if you are an enemy of the state. So if you're looking for that sort of thing, this is your place. In retrospect, I would have gladly spent more money to live some place nicer, with more adults in the building. This really does seem to be the low end of apartments downtown. In my recent search, managers at other buildings express sympathy that I live here because they have heard the stories about the PE Lofts.

smelly, mgmt sucks, no cable TV ever,

The mgmt is never helpful. Once you sign, good luck getting them to return calls, or repair anything. I had to threaten them with not paying rent after 3 weeks of my AC being broken, in JULY. This is some of the rudest and most arrogant team of mgmt I've ever enountered. Oh yea, and forget about cable TV or internet. this place is wired for satilite only, ~$200 if you want comedy central. And internet? DSL or shared ISDN (they call it cable but it's ISDN). Slower than dialup between 5-7pm! The mgmt has changed twice in 1 year, so if you're judging the mgmt, keep in mind they'll be here only a few more months... Melissa throws a few parties to get interest, then they put some ------ in to piss money away on "free continential breakfast." Oh yea and don't forget that this building isn't under rent control. THE BUILDING SMELLS!!! BAD. Depending on where you are, you get to smell urine, dog poo (I hope it's from dogs), rotting food/garbage, BO, strongly perfumed cleanser or a putrid mix thereof. Got a nice car? I hope you like dings in the doors, 'cause you'll get them. Other draconian policies include: -changing pool hours -new parking rules -curtain rules -can't touch windows & doors Too bad they don't have a policy of using the roof as a public pool and letting homeless people sleep in the stairwells and parking lots. NOT CHILD SAFE. The laundry facilities on one floor have been broken for OVER 1 YEAR. Oh and read all the waivers you have to sign, all 50 pages... Oh and did anyone mention the guy who killed himself a few months ago? His corpse rotted a WHOLE MONTH before they did anything. The smell was awful, and I wasn't even on the same floor or side of the building where he died. On the plus side, security people are friendly.

False advertising: DON'T BELIEVE THE LUXURY HYPE

Over the past 3 1/2 years I've personally watched this building go down hill. The security guards are great, the maintenance staff is great, the parking attendants are great, and the mgmt/office administration is mediocre-nice, but don't take care of what needs to be taken care of. They advertise the building as "luxury living", and rates are luxury apt. rates. but, It's the furthest thing from luxury. Laundry facilities don't WORK, You've got washers and driers on each floor that haven't worked since fall 2009! The parking has been free until recently (they're now charging approx. $100 a month). The office looses documents regarding your rent rate, money you've paid, etc. you end up fighting them every month-KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS otherwise your screwed! I could write a short novel explaining all the reasons why you shouldn't move here but just trust a long time resident when I tell you, THEY CHARGE LUXURY RATES BUT IT'S THE FURTHEST THING FROM LUXURY!!!! The relationships I established with the local businesses were the reasons I stayed as long as I did. But after a resident had to call the health inspector to get mgmt to clean up/fix an unsanitary water problem (went unfixed for approx. 6 months) I had to get out of there. Oh and they charge YOU for trash services, something you would usually only pay for if you were PAYING A MORTGAGE!

Don't be fooled

It's pretty, but filthy underneath. The lofts are cheaply renovated, cheap materials abound. Kitchen cabinets are flimsy, toilet seat is thin cheap plastic, etc. The lobby looks nice, but that's as far as it goes. mgmt will tell you lots of wonderful stories about living there, but take them with a grain of salt. They lie about many things. Party people live here and party people manage the place, so if you're looking for luxury living, you won't find it. It's loud and smells of dog piss and stale beer. Your parking space will be rented out during the day. Your common spaces will be rented out to film crews and parties. Security won't help you with noise complaints unless you call the police. mgmt seems sympathetic, but does nothing to enforce its own rules. The neighborhood is sketchy at best, and the front door is often propped open, allowing anybody to enter the building to sleep in the stairwells. <br>Go to www.pebuilding.org to read what the residents are saying on their own message board!

I have lived here since 9/2006 and I like it here. I have had a few issues, but nothing so bad as to want to move out. I can walk to Ralphs and a gourmet pet shop. You've got new cafes and restaurants- the residents are friendly, the rent is good for the amenities and the square footage of the lofts. it s a awesome spot to live. I can only offer my experiences to you about the problems some people have brought up. First off, I have been fortunate to not actually be bothered by most of the pool parties. I ve never made complaints or called the police. During summertime, my windows are closed with the air on I don t hear anything. When you sleep with your windows open- you get use to the noise- parties, sirens, helicopters, etc. There was only one time I was really annoyed by a party- I was woken up at 2 or 3am to girls screaming and music blaring, but that was about a year ago. I personally have never had a party on the pool, but I can understand why people want to. We have a great pool area with cabanas, grills; etc- people want to bring their friends here. As for maintenance, I definitely have had issues- at one point one floor had 1 washer and no dryers working!! It took about 7 months before all of the washers and dryers were fixed, but now another floor has several washers not working. People are also throwing their garbage and dog poop in the laundry room trash can- I have also seen people leaving their stinky garbage outside of their door for days at a time. Other than that- I haven t had any problems with any of the appliances- the air conditioning, heater- nothing. My AC has a filter that needs to be replaced, but I haven t put in a work order. mgmt has never really been an issue with me because I don t complain about parties, I don t have maintenance issues- there really no reason for me to talk to them. I didn t resign my lease for 3 months, but it was no big deal- when I did, my rent was increased by only $20. A couple months ago I was double charged for my rent. I gave them a check on the 30th, and they proceeded to cash that check and take out my rent under their debit program, which I never signed up for. I went to speak with them as soon as I discovered their error when I was online paying bills. I was told the issue was to be resolved within a week. A month later- I hadn t been reimbursed so I had to negotiate to have that money used for the next months rent. I was lucky to have extra money in my savings because an extra months rent is a lot of money. Parking has gotten better since the manager changed the parking passes and threatened to tow cars without the proper permit (although I have never seen a tow truck here). People were taking up as many spaces as they wanted for all of their cars. Recently I have gotten home around 10pm-2am and there were still a few parking spaces in the basement; six months ago there would be no parking and you d have to leave your keys with the attendants. The parking attendants do let your friends park here- but they have to be out by midnight. People can always park at the lot across the street for $5, they just have to be gone before the attendants get there in the morning (I think you have until 5am)- or they ll charge you for another day. You must understand that living in a loft downtown is going to be a completely different atmosphere and experience then living in a suburb. There will be parties, there will be noise and we are close to USC and FIDM which provide a lot of college kids. These kids tend to feel like they can do whatever they want because mgmt doesn't enforce the rules of the bldg. Once mgmt gets their act together everyone would be happier. I'm holding out because I think the new manager is sick of all the crap.

Wonderful Petting to Live.

I recently moved here from Florida and I Rruly Like living at the PE Lofts. I am a little older and have not witnessed anything but peace since I have been here. Yes It's obvious that downtown is still crossing over. You've got still homeless wandering about. But I went to visit my daughter who lives by the grove ... I saw quite a few homeless there with huge shopping carts on her block and every morning several different people dig through her garbage cans. So I guess living in the city this is something that comes with it. All in all the more new people moving into the neighborhood the safer it seems to be. I am glad that i'm here and the loft is absolutely Bicturesque and the view is wonderful.

Love it here

I've lived here for a little over a month now and have no complaints. I truly enjoy being part of the Pacific Electric Community. From the day I moved in I have met many of the residents, neighbors, security, parking attendants and mgmt. Everyone is genuinely friendly and welcoming. I don't work for the mgmt, I write reviews because if you like my review and decide to move in I get credit towards my rent and I will gladly give you $100. Mention Ryan Carandang as your reference. The building itself was the former Pacific Electric train station and office buildings built in 1905. It was converted into residential lofts but still has a lot of the details and architecture from the train station. You've got many different floor plans that suit your needs, and many of them have views of the Downtown Skyline. Each unit comes with kitchen appliances and refrigerator. Black Marble countertops, and custom cabinets. You've got many attractive amenities included in the building. There's a 24 hour gym with new equipment, a sauna, a recreational area with pool table and foosball table, a huge flat screen TV to use, etc. One of the best perks is the roof top pool and fireplaces. a short walk around the corner You've got two great restaurants called Blue La Cafe which has the best burger in Downtown and Cole's French Dip one of originators of the French Dip Sandwich. Both will deliver to your loft free of charge. Also You've got two unique and popular bars. The Association and Varnish. Do your research and you will find that they are some of the best drinks you can find in Downtown. Pacific Electric is an awesome spot to live. The area can be questionable and the streets can smell of urine at times but thats anywhere in downtown. The price is reasonable, not not worth the price, and yet is still one of the better places to live in Downtown. Again, should you choose to move to Pacific Electric Lofts. I hope you enjoy it as I do. And be sure to mention your decision was based of my referral, we both get $500

Amazing, one of a kind place!

HIGHEST RECOMENDATION!! Forget the early reviews of PE lofts, There's new mgmt and they have turned the building around! It's clean, the tenants are more diverse in age and occupation and You've got rules that are finally being enforced. While some might not like rules, they are the reality of living in a building with over 300 units - you need to be respectful of others (and in the past there were problems with this) The building and the neighborhood are FILLED with really cool, interesting and friendly people. Most people that move here are excited to be a part of a growing, revitalizing community. I have lived in 7 neighborhoods in LA and have never seen such a sense of community. As the original Red Car Terminal, built in 1905, the building's history is unmistakably unique and still a part of most spaces in the building. The amenities are amazing - best I've seen in an apartment building in downtown LA. You've got a lot of places to hang out - lounge, gym, library, roof pool and gardens - kinda nice to have options on the property. Don't worry - It's SAFE - especially with such nice indoor parking. The neighborhood isn't scary as might people think It's.

A Nightmare

This place is a disaster. I'm sick of finding dog poop everywhere. And I'm sick of drunken frat kids (and all their friends) taking over the place. The amenities, though nice, are often overrun with party-goers. All the friendly neighbors I met when I moved in have all moved out due to all the problems, and mgmt is unresponsive. this place isn't secure, but that may be irrelevant since the problems seem to come from within the building. Furniture from the common areas keeps being stolen. And my car got damaged by the valets (because You've gotn't enough parking spaces in the building) and mgmt won't take responsibility for it so I have to spend $600 to fix it. <br>Run away. Run far away.

Poor mgmt

I am a current resident and waiting for my lease to finally end! There have been numerous problems within the building such as: the smell of urine in the halls on the penthouse level, urine in the garage/basement, mgmt turnover rate is high and now this place is ran by rude managers that have difficulty cracking a smile, poor record keeping within the office, parking sucks as residents are inconsiderate of others and take up two parking spaces (no one does anything about this), dog run always being repaired, jacuzzi always seems to have a strange ring floating around the top and is kept at a cold temperature, etc. ....need I say more?