Tenant Reviews for 245 N Alvarado St

DO NOT MOVE HERE!! Don't be fooled by the suspicious "positive" reviews out of nowhere (3 in the last 2 days, really?). Seems to me like the new management is trying to do damage control. This place is hideous and the new management that is suppose to "amazing" if you read the last 3 reviews are a joke. They don't return calls or emails and they have little interest in the tenants unless it has to deal with collecting rent. Parking is TERRIBLE! I fear for my life every time i pull out of the garage because it is so dangerous and there is absolutely NO guest or handicap parking in the garage. If you have guest over, good luck with them finding parking. My friend was chased by gang-bangers while trying to park his car and and there are girls prostituting at the gas station just a block away. A neighbor of mine told me the housing department found mold in her apartment after she called them to inspect, and she hired an attorney to get out of her lease ASAP. This place is in an unsafe area and the management is all about how things look on the outside. Overpriced for what you get and not worth the hassle. Washer/Dryers are constantly eating quarters and not working I will also be contacting the housing department to file a claim and have them insect MY apartment. DO NOT MOVE HERE!!!!!!!!

Recently moved from Orange County to La and had Alvarado recommended to me by a friend. I can say I was pleasantly surprised after visiting several communities in the area whose standards in hadn't come close to Alvarado. The staff immediately acknowledged and greeted me despite being occupied with other prospective renters. I was lead on a tour around the grounds and noticed the parking off the bat. If you have lived in apartment centers before then you are aware of possible dangers in "shady" parking. But safety seems to be a big focus point here and I was thoroughly impressed by the carports and general secure environment that Alvarado seems to pride it's self on. I was shown the laundry room, a cleanly area that was well lit and functional (no non working dryers or washing machines). After little deliberation I decided to make the move and have been living and loving the La scene at Alvarado. After sometime here I became acquainted with the management and fully appreciated how well run and handled this facility is. Maintenance workers are amazing and friendly! I would recommend Alvarado to anyone!

Got a new job in LA and had to start the daunting task of finding my new place. After looking at 10 other communities I finally decided that Alvarado apartments was the place for me! Everything from the location to my super cute new apartment has been fantastic! The staff has been so nice and so welcoming that it almost feels like I have lived here for several years. After only 1 month, I already met great new friends that also live in the complex. Love my LA life!

This is a wonderful place. The new manager Gabe is a great guy. There is also a whole new staff. Everyone seems great and they solved my issues that the previous management company could not. I plan on signing a new lease if they keep this up. Thanks!

I moved in in April and should have moved out the very same day. The apartment was FILTHY upon move-in (mold, fire alarm beeping, AC rattling, dirty carpets, dusty windows, and the bathroom was beyond disgusting), and wasn't cleaned for two days. They moved my parking spot 3 times in the first 2 weeks, I didn't have a screen door, there are pigeons laying eggs on my patio, hot water has been shut off with no notice, and as the past month I have been fighting for them to exterminate my apartment because I get bites every time I stay there. I refused to pay rent until it was addressed and rectified but ended up paying because they put a 3 day notice on my door the day before I was leaving out of the country. I contacted the department of housing and they are coming to investigate and inspect the apartment. EVERYONE WHO LIVES HERE SHOULD CONTACT DEPT OF HOUSING AND FILE A COMPLAINT!!!! I have email correspondence and pictures dating back to day 1 that show the managements negligence and apathetic attitude toward their tenants. I have NO problem going to court and suing them for my deposit, rent and some because I can NOT live here. I have not stayed in that apartment for over a month out of fear of continuing to get bitten. If you live here, call 213.351.7892 to file complaint with department of housing. It's unfair they get away with treating us this way

Just found out all the really rude new people that cant find help are MESA MANAGEMENT OF NEWPORT. And the snob pregnant one is in charge. She has put me off as to where my rent went since they say I didnt pay. So basically the people before stold my moneyorders. I have copies and initials as reciept. Now a 3 day notice. How do I get help. Im scared. Im on ssi. no help. Please someone tell me what to do. They have locked us all out of office. New people come but leave. Nobody will work at this hellhole. Im calling police tomorrow. I cant sleep.

AVOID!!! This place is an overpriced attempt of some anonymous owners to "flip" the area and get rich but not actually be responsible to the residents or managers. They refuse to hire more than ONE manager for THREE large properties (this one and its two sister complexes), so we went through 3 different managers during the 2 years we lived here and I don't blame any of them for quitting. One of the managers told me she had to fight with the owners for weeks just to get a wireless router put in her office, and she had to work 7 days a week just to keep up with all the paperwork. Maintenance requests were often overlooked. We notified management twice of mold growing on our windows and water leaking in when it rained and nothing was ever done about it. The most recent manager Rebecca also illegally withheld part of our deposit when we moved out and never took responsibility for it but gave the money back only because we threatened to sue. These apts are also not rent controlled and the owners absolutely take advantage of that loophole (our rent went up 20% after the first year). They actually BRAGGED about the rent control loopholes when we first viewed the apartment ("that guy in the elevator, he won't live here much longer." YES, they actually said that!!). The updates looked nice at first but were VERY cheaply done (e.g. cabinets sloppily painted instead of replaced, doors and windows not sealed, outlets not working, paint is cheap and sticky, etc.). The view was great, I'll give them that. Having an assignment parking space was nice but there is absolutely no guest parking. It is also extremely dangerous coming in and out of the parking garage (you can't see traffic coming over the hill and cars parked on Alvarado block your view even more). Neighbors in the complex were great, we never had any problems (at least after the guy who didn't clean up after his dog in the hallway moved out). But the street noise off Alvarado (sirens, helicopters, traffic, honking, weekly parties across the street) became too difficult to deal with, especially when working from home. The fire alarm also went off at least twice a week over a period of several months, though they might have fixed that by now. Every time a resident moved out, they would renovate their apartment, which means constant construction noise and unannounced water shutoffs (not for long periods of time but we'd always be startled by the water/air spitting out when turned back on). The area around the complex is safe enough, but there isn't much to do in walking distance. Laundry facilities are broken all the time, I ended up using a laundromat anyway. I know it's difficult to find a "nice" apartment in Echo Park at this price... But for the money, you're MUCH better off looking elsewhere.

Management at the alvarado apts is horrible. The "manager" Rebecca is ridiculously rude and leaves the poor assistant vernon to handle all her dirty work. Although he does an excellent job communicating with us residents and taking care of our longstanding issues Rebecca refuses to address i dont think its fair she is privildged to consider herself a manager when she is never on the premises and available. I spoke to a number of other residents who are not renewing their lease because of rebeccas attitude and short attention span. There is nothing the maintenance men or vernon can do because rebeccas attitude is too sharp for us residents whenever we do encounter her. the maintenance guys do have a interpretation issue but they still find a way to help us whenever we need them. I would recommend the community if you dont have to deal with rebecca.

Management is unbelievably horrible. They do not care about your issues. The building is nice on the outside but a mess in the inside. The sewage lines got messed up and feces came up through my bathtub and filled it up, which resulted in my apt having a mess load of gnats. The worst thing is it took management 3 days to get back to me about the gnat issue only because I demanded they fix the problem, and it took another 2 days for someone to come and bomb the apartment. Overall, management doesn't care and its not worth the headache. They only make it look good, it's a nightmare. I've never had problems with where I live , its a joke and management is useless.

Pros & Cons of Alvarado Apartments: PROS: -Modern, very ATTRACTIVE remodel, beautiful wood floors, granite tops, and new appliances including fridge, microwave, and dishwasher. This place looks really nice for east LA, inside and outside the building. -Laundry & small gym on site. -Lots of closet room for storage. -Garaged parking for 1. -Outdoor fountain, plants, and seating area outdoors create a nice atmosphere. -Close to the freeways. -Helpful staff, accomdating maintenance crew. -Central area, close to all the main cities. -Pet friendly. CONS: -COCKROACH and pest problem. No matter how much you clean, treat, or utilize the monthly pest control program. Found cockroaches even in my BED, bath, kitchen, you name it! (I'm a clean freak, and it still doesn't matter.) -Hallways are very dirty, and have no ventilation so it smells horrible. You can smell what everyone's cooking FOR DAYS, and the aroma from the trash chute will also get trapped in the hallway. Hot summer days or rainy days will increase the smells intensity throughout the halls. (But at least the units do not smell inside- just the hallways) -Elevator also has a different scent. By different, I mean it usually smells like a dirty foot, or even death. -Apartment has no ventilation either, but if you open your doors/windows more cockroaches come in. -Very busy street, and MAJOR blind spots! Driving in/out of the apartment is very difficult and dangerous. But if you're fast & aggressive, it may not matter. -Parking for guests may be hard, and it is dangerous at night. -Very noisy. Not only do I hear traffic, the walls are thin enough to hear my neighbor cough...so can you imagine how amplified everything else may sound? Or vice versa...your neighbors can hear you. FUN. -A LOT of careless tenants with LOTS of children (Near an elementary school)...which creates a lot of trash and noise everywhere. -My apartment was remodeled, everything LOOKED beautiful...but the quality of the construction is horrible. Leaks, cracks, unfinished openings, broken knobs, broken screen doors. (However, maintenance is available to fix throughout your stay..) -Plumbing is off. My kitchen sink will randomly fill with water & waste from when another tenant disposes their food...it magically goes through the pipes, and into my sink. SURPRISE! - Water through the faucet also has a strong odor. Either very dirty, or like chemicals. Depends on the day. YUM. -5 of my light sockets don't work, and don't even fit a plug through. -Poor storage space for kitchen. So if you're a cook, you're outta luck! -Although the complex is nice and safe, your outside surroundings are not. Lots of police/helicopter action in the night. -Very pricey for what you get. -Front gate buzzer is broken, so you have to come down & get your guests when they come. Get's annoying if you're social and like to host!