Tenant Reviews for 1737 WHITLEY AVE

I had moved to Hollywood for work and looked for a place for 8 months. I stayed in with a friend in an apartment by Larchmont which was a bloody dumperino... so bad... so horrific, I can't even convey. It was courtyard "Melrose Place" style building which was horrible. Walls paper thin, roaches, you could hear the neighbor on the phone. Pot growers downstairs...awful, wretched, horrendous. Then, an absolute savior... I found Kevin at La Leyenda. I knew from the second I saw the place I just HAD to live there. Kevin approved me, and I lived there from Dec. of 2011 to May of 2012 . Kevin (the building manager) was fantastic, attentive, nice. Very congenial, honest, just a peace of a guy. When I left, there was no issue at all... he let me sublet my place as long as the new tenant checked out, which of course, she did. And believe me, when she found out that her moving date, she was beyond tears because she had the same inkling... she too knew she was home... she HAD to live there too. I have to say that not only did I have THE BEST view in Hollywood, but I loved my neighbors, loved the history of the building (word had it George Raft lived in my old apartment... I'd like to believe that anyway as the guy's in my script!), and loved, loved, loved my apartment. It was my safe haven from the streets and stresses of Hollywood. Everything was well maintained. If there was a problem, it was fixed the same day... I only had one issue, and can't for the life of me remember what it was.. so obviously it was not too important. No bugs whatsoever... not even a fly flying in. I had a dressing area with built ins, my bathroom was GORGEOUS (I am enclosing a picture of the view from the bathroom!). I had beautiful hardwood floors, lots and lots of closet space, loved the wall color chosen, LOVED MY VIEWS- THE BEST EVER, kitchen was adorable- had an old ice box converted to a pantry. You didn't even know you had a neighbor- the place was built like a brick sh$%house in the 1920's, and the history of the building is just so old Hollywood, you feel as if you have stepped back in time from the minute you walk through the door. They allow dogs, but you wouldn't even know any were there. Seriously, I cannot fully express how much I loved that place. So what was the big problem... why am I not there? Even the palace that La Leyenda was could not resolve my problem... I missed my boyfriend and just HAD to move back to New York. I moved back for love and have never looked back! I am beyond thrilled to be home in NY... but if I EVER had to live in L.A. again, I'd pray there was a vacancy here. Definitely grab an apartment should one become available! And no, no one's paying me to write any of this!!!

You need to be warned about these apartments. They have cockroaches and mice. They had to spray and still the apartments had problems. They fixed problems but kept other tenants from knowing about problems that could impact them. They are deceiving in rent prices...they can charge more any time they decide. Do yourself a favor and do not rent there.

I had an excellent experience living at La Leyenda. The historic feel of the building contributed to the overall "oasis" feeling for me... every day when I came home, it was like all of my stresses faded away when I walked in the door. Even with the noisy apartments nearby, my neighbors were always considerate and kind, and if there were ever any issues they were taken care of immediately. I LOVED La Leyenda and would recommend the building to anyone!

I would NOT reccomend this place to my worst enemy. In the most dangerous part of hollywood right across from a motel 6 where hookers and drug dealers live. There has been a bed bug infestation in 2013. gross. the managment is awful. RUN!!!! this place is horrible. not well taken care of. really run down. smells bad, no parking and not worth it!

This could be a great little hollywood treasure but unfortunately the management there is terrible. Total nightmare to deal with. nothing is maintained or kept nice. For the holidays other apartment buildings would put up a christmas tree or lights or be festive in some way but there is absolutely no effort to make things nice. it is very run down and across from a motel 6. so its a pretty shady area. The manager Kevin should be replaced. That may make it a better place.

my husband and i lived there for a year. the historic value of the building is great but the management is the worst. there is no parking. you have to park in the structure on cherokee for 120 a month unless youre a friend of the mamager and he lets you park in the buiding. the water and power is shut of at leat once week. the manager puts long, disturbing letters on doors once a week. he has made comments to my husband that i wouldnt repeat here and which freaked my husband out. a building is only as good as its management. this could be a great place to live. it takes at least a week to get any repairs done. our toilet was out of order for a whole week. we had to use the niegbors, meanwhile the manager has spendt thousands of dollars remodeling his top floor palace apartment.

Been here nearly for a year. It is the best managed apartment I have ever lived in, and I have rented apartments for fifteen years. Kevin is an expert, returns calls and emails often within hours, always within a day. The place is impeccably kept up. Kevin clearly loves this building. He makes it a home for all of its residents. Very grateful to have found La Leyenda. It is a special place in Hollywood.

I was a tenant in Apt.205 back in the early days. Rent for a one bedroom back then was $625.00 all bills paid - of course it wasn't as nice as it is today, but still I called it home. I had great times living living there - I called it "My Oasis". I will also venture to say, "That building comes to life at night". I've experienced weird unexplainable goings on. I truly believe this place is haunted. Stories of witches living on the sixth floor, ghostly encounters of which I too experienced. A strange fire that took the lives of some pets while most tenants were at work - someone should do a ghost investigation - I'm sure they will detect some sort of paranormal activity within the confines of La Leyenda. It was truly an incredible experience and such a learning phase part of my life.

To everyone who is currently living at the La Leyenda Apartments and is enjoying their stay that's wonderful, I'm very happy for you, that s what it should be. You SHOULD feel safe when you enter the place you call home but please don't discount the voices of everyone that lived at the complex during the late 1990's and early 2000's. This review site does not have a cut off date in which we cannot voice our opinions about the complex or discuss what happened during our time there. Some of us experienced true violence at the hands of the building owners and the company that managed the site and are only using this as a forum to discuss what happened and to inform others. If the same owners still hold title to this property this is useful information. If the building was purchased and is managed by completely different people that's even better....it's safer for everyone. I was a tenant at the La Leyenda Apartments from 1998 through 2001 and was verbally harassed and physically assaulted by its then manager, Jim Barnes. I'm simply writing about what happened to me, I have as much right as anyone. To the woman that is currently living at the La Leyenda Apartments and has been for the past ten years that thinks people don't have the right to rate this complex because they lived there 10 years ago....YOU DON'T KNOW ME and if you were as smart as you think you are you wouldn't be renting for all these years, you'd invest in real property, stop paying rent and actually own something.....jackass!

I cannot express how happy I have been living at La Leyenda. I am a pretty picky renter, having lived in lots of apartments all over the country. I had hoped that settling down in L.A. wouldn't mean settling for a crappy apartment, and I have been so pleased with this building. It was my goal to find an apartment that felt like a repreive from the rest of the world, and this building is IT. The manager, Kevin, has never let a single service request go more than 24 hours without giving it attention. If anything breaks, professionals are there immediately to fix it... and he always follows up with an email to ensure the quality of the repair. He has always acted as though he genuinely cares about our comfort and happiness with the building. He answers his phone and email and is always in the office. I know all of my neighbors by name, and many of them have been living here for years. They are friendly, respectful and QUIET. The back garden is a lovely place to drink wine with friends in the summer, read a book, sit in the swinging bench, look up at the stars. There is a workout room, lots of working washer/driers, a fountain out back... and beautiful ornamental ironwork in the foyer. Although it is a dog-friendly building, hearing so much as a bark is a rare occurence. My puppy adores her dog neighbors and loves the cool tiles in the bathroom. The hot water gets hot instantly. All the accents in my apartment are beautiful - wall sconces, LOTS of storage in the cabinets, three closets, a vanity, a dressing room, colored tiles, a new showerhead with great water pressure... all in one studio. Every night when I walk into this building I breathe a sigh of relief because I know I've come home.