Tenant Reviews for 160 S VIRGIL AVE

I lived there for 4 years. First 2 years with different management company, they kept apartment clean and safe, we had 24 hour security guard patrolling the property, but for last two years till now, it is with different management company, everything has been changed, we had no security guard anymore, the common area is filthy, you can see dog poop. I even spotted a mouse in my kitchen, which has grossed me out. Since there is no security guard, I got 3 flat tires in the garage in 3 month, and right before I was moving out, the days before, my car got broken in in the garage. In general, this is not a safe place to live.

Do not move here. It's cheap yes, but your health, safety and sanity are more important than the cost. I've moved in last March and was out by May. For starters, I didn't get the unit I paid for. Instead I got a unit on the first floor (I always kept the window closed for fear someone could climb in). There wasn't a day that I walked through the halls without pet urine and poop, spilled trash, or random smells. The walls are paper thin, so not only could I hear noises from other units, I could understand full conversations. The elevator closes to my unit was out of order during my entire two months there. My job sent mail to my unit three times, and I never received it--all three times. Management told me that Fedex/UPS were at fault. Hello people? They are major companies, seriously? No. When I moved out, I "owed" money because I was required to pay rent until someone rented my unit (even though I had moved out). I paid the balance in May of 2012. It's January of 2013, I've now paid that amount two times and had to wrestle with the collections agency that they called because they "never received the money order." Many times there were leaks around lights, clogged toilets and showers that went days without being fixed. Random holes in the cabinets and uneven kitchen bars are the norm in most units. My unit didn't come with a microwave, but "it's okay because yours comes with a CD player in the kitchen" said the leasing agent. From the time I took my first tour until now, I have worked with 9 leasing agents. There are only two desks. Even they don't want to stay. When I confronted management about contacting me personally to work out issues with the building/management, I received an email from the property manager --------- stating, she didn't have phone access. Ummm.... what property manager do you know in the 21st century, that doesn't have a phone? She could have gone to a pay phone for all I care. That's shady. Beyond wasting money, time and energy dealing with this terrible place, I feel bad for the tenants. It's an old building with creeks, dust and smells. It's not clean and that can't be safe for tenants, more importantly children. As I said, health, safety and sanity are far more important to lose at Emerald Terrace. Be blessed!

The fact that Emerald Terrace criminally kept my $350 deposit and is in the process of lying & charging me $600 (in addition to taking my deposit)for "failing to give them 30 days notice" tells me that new staff hasn't improved the place as much as some reviewers would have us believe. The fact is Emerald Terrace is a slum that has a business practice that aims at screwing its renters any way it can. Do not be fooled by the nice front office appearance & low deposit. I experienced respiratory problems, a broken elevator left broken for six months, urine filled stairways, an unsafe ------ neighborhood, a damaged car from a leaking sewer line in the garage, constantly broken spa, a location where there's nothing fun in a five block radius. And to make matters even worse, like I stated earlier, a contract and staff that is wanting to screw and exploit its renters. Take my advice and avoid at all costs.

My husband and I moved in a few months ago and so far so good. We have had a couple things come up and they were taken care of. We did see the reviews online after we moved in about bugs so we have our apartment regularily sprayed (for free) just to be on the safe side. We picked this place because it was close to both our jobs - downtown and hollywood. It's an older building but it was more cost effective then the more "upscale" places. They also took our dog which was a huge plus. Overall, we are content.