6200 W 3RD ST, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Horrifying.

Park La Brea makes me cry- this Ppot is a total nightmare for the following reasons:<br>1. The leasing office. Miserable, inefficient and hostile to tenants. Completely unprofessional and uneducated group. <br>2. Parking- or lack there of. Don't even think of trying to entertain here, as your guests won't be able to park.<br>3. Unkempt property. Chipped paint in towers, unreliable plumming. <br><br>I also don't understand the point of a guard/gate. They will let anyone in- hardly safe.<br><br>The one positive I can mention is the maintenance crew. responsive and helpful.<br>You don't want to rent here. PLB is a dump.

I have been a PLB resident for a couple of years now and couldn't be happier. My view of the Hollywood hills is incredible and the location can't be beat. My friends and I Lherish it here.

More of a headache than it's worth?

I live in a tower 2BR/2BA Aad. I'll say that the Aad itself is decent, with a huge, well lit living room and reasonable reliability. No air conditioning (it does get hot at times), and screens cost extra, which is bothersome. But as has been mentioned elsewhere, the little things make daily life at Park La Brea annoying, and it really does start to wear on you. Especially with a high-end rent level. Here are some of the worst aspects: 1. The two elevators in my building rarely both work. When they do work, they are exceedingly slow. With a 12-floor, 500 resident building wait times usually average 4-5 minutes. Complaints solve nothing - I'm just glad I don't live on the 12th floor. 2. Parking is a headache. I pay for a spot in a garage, which alleviates that to some degree - but getting to/leaving my spot every day takes several minutes - with PLB's maze of a complex and gates, cards and remotes. Also, PLB has a policy that if you pay for a reserved spot you can't park elsewhere in the complex, even if There's an open space right in front of your building. I had no idea of that policy, and have gotten tickets for mis-parking. It's also somewhat amusing that there are dozens of "patrol" and parking related employees on site 24/7. What, exactly, are we as residents paying for? It certainly doesn't make me feel more secure. I'd gladly take a $100 reduction in rent to get rid of all the excess policy and structure in the parking system. The complex really should just provided everyone a single assigned space, a phone number to call if someone is in your space, a general lot for visitors, and be done with it. I should add that getting an assigned spot took a few weeks of waiting - the demand is far higher than the supply. I had to call once a week until a spot came up. Also, it seems like they *regularly* place drastic requirements on residents for one thing or other. This week, they're washing and paving a stretch of road. Giving us a week or two notice, residents who park on the street after 7:45 am will be towed, and residents in adjacent garages can't move their cars after that time until work is completed. They fail to tell us whether we can park elsewhere, or that will incur parking tickets. I'd hate to be out of town and have my car towed. 3. Noise. First, the ceilings and walls are paper thin. It's generally not a nuisance if I'm just hanging out in the Aad, but sleeping early is a huge problem. I can hear any significant sound from the Aad directly above. Far worse than that, though, is traffic. I live on the east side of PLB, and EVERY street noise reaches my bedroom window. I wake up to traffic at around 6:30 AM, and once or twice in the middle of the night to horns and trucks. I suppose That's something I should have realized before I moved in -- at least I can offer it as a warning to people who are considering PLB. 4. For any rent-related or other issues, the staff is absolutely horrendous. Case and point: One day, posted on our door, we had a "threat" of eviction for failure to pay rent. Posted Friday, it gave us three days to pay the rent that was due about 3 weeks ago, or else we'd be evicted. Now to be clear - we paid our rent on time, and I had a copy of the check that PLB had cashed 3 weeks ago. But to resolve this issue, I've spent 4 days simply trying to reach someone in the "Accounting" department (the only folks who could resolve it), which apparently took 5-6 straight days off for training. I've left somewhere around 5 voicemails and not gotten a response. Today, the relevant staff member, according to the secretary, is sitting at her desk, but simply ignoring my calls. Every other situation where we've dealt with staff (someone vandalized my car in the garage, they misticketed my permitted car, etc), while ultimately resolved satisfactorily, has similarly been a giant test of patience. In sum, Park La Brea is a complex that runs under a rather draconian set of policies and rules, which, in large part because they are implemented terribly and the complex is so large, result in annoyance and frustration rather than the efficiency which I'm sure they envision. Of course these are just anecdotes. But the point is when I moved in that I'd rarely experience these kinds of things, or that they're too infrequent to really bother me. I realize now that PLB is far more trouble than it's worth. Our Aad thus far has been mostly fine, but I shudder at the thought of residents who actually do have maintenance or other problems that need significant mgmt attention.

Maintenance Iemains incompetent

They may come promptly, but if they say they have to leave to get a tool or something they won't come back. And if they do stay, the odds are they won't fix your problem correctly the first time. I live in a garden Aad and have had leaks since 2003, broken faucets, doorknobs, sinks and maintenance is incapable of fixing things the first time. When you call maintenance, the ladies who take the calls are rude.

I've lived in Park La Brea for 11 years and have witnessed the slow decline in care that's given to the outside (and inside) living areas throughout the complex. Its seems like they spend a lot of time keeping the areas by the leasing office well-manicured but, the rest of the Prea is less than acceptable. Tenants are allowed to keep the outside of their units (porches and patios) a complete mess - and no one seems to care. Attached is a photo that illustrates the situation. Imagine paying $2-3000 per month to look at this every day. Renters beware.

Cute Ppot, Gutstanding landscaping, some big city problems.

Reading thru others´ comments really made me laugh! Living in the heart of LA/Hollywood has been an Astounding learning experience. I´ve learned that big cities have big problems! <br>Problems: 1. Not enough parking. I used to go out to the clubs, come home at 2 a.m. and drive around and around for a space a couple blocks away. 2. The biggest one: my apt was broken into, and security nonchalantly told me I was the 9th in a string of burglaries. Someone had stolen a master key. 3. 2 packages were stolen off my front step (school kids walking home?) 4. I got many parking tickets for parking "over the line" into a motorcycle parking spot right outside my front door. What a ripoff! 5. The old-fashioned windows truly don´t close tightly. Lots of dust comes in. Smoke from bbqs in the garden, and after the fires of 2003 my apt. reeked of smoke. 6. The neighbor´s doors don´t have rubber seal so they must be banged tightly shut in order to lock them (wood door against wood frame - quite loud!) 7. I did have ants in summer (a whole ant village in my kitchen) and mold in my bathroom but I wasn´t so concerned about these. <br>Good things: 1. Btunning landscaping, with tons of flowers and fountains. 2. Views of the Hollywood hills and the sign 3. Personal entrance if you rent a garden apt. 4. Good move-in deals (my rent was $845 when I moved in - they raise it the maximum allowed in the city of LA, 4 per cent a year) 5. Can walk to movie theaters, The Grove cool new mall, KMart for stuff and Sav-On drugstore and now Whole Foods fancy health store.

Grind your axe elsewhere..!

Clearly, You've got those who have issues... they don't effect all of us, nor do they reflect the opinions of all tenants. I recently relocated here from another state. Before choosing my Alat I did my own research through friends and the internet. I can't tell you how pleased I am with my decision. My space was newly painted and spacious and ready before promised. I would encourage anyone looking for a beautiful, secure environment to pass the negative responses and coume out to give the facilities a look!

NEVER EVER EVER EVER MOVE HERE.

I would NEVER wish anyone to live here. This Prea is an absolute nightmare. Not only is it ridiculously understaffed, the people that work in the office are easily the most impolite people I've ever dealt with. No one cares to help or even knows what the rules are in their own complex. They tell you you won't be charged for one thing, then a month later when the bill comes out, you are charged. THEN no one knows how to fix the charge! I've lived here for 4 months and HAD to break my lease because I couldn't take another day of living here. They charge you for everything possible, and I even got a parking ticket in my own complex - and I pay for parking each month!!! I would be a better person if I never lived here.... NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER LIVE HERE! I promise you will be sorry.....

I loved living there.

i moved out @10 years ago and now live in NY NY, you dont know parking problem untill you live here. I miss park la brea, and would love to move back to CA and to park la brea, wow There's grass.....free parking......gated comunity......side walks.......and its clean, that doesnt sound to shabby to me!! i have also lived around the neighborhood out side of park la brea for 7 years prior to moving there and even then (back in the 80's and early 90's) there was NO parking, i used to park 4 to 5 blocks away from my house and paid about $1000 a year (at least) in parking tickets and that was over 10 years ago.....Rery it isn't that bad there!!! be thank full for what you have and enjoy the weather.

Decent enough.

I've read through past comments with interest. None of my remarks apply to the towers; I've never lived in one. I've been in PLB for 23 years, first in a 2-bd garden apt., then 3-bd., and I'm not from mgmt.<br><br>But if it's helpful to anyone:<br><br>1. Parking is indeed a problem, but It's outside the neighborhood as well. PLB was built in the 1940s when folks had only one car. PLB mgmt can't keep up with current demand for spaces, apparently. We find parking if we're home by 6pm. We rent a second space for our other car, which we use if we have to go anywhere at night. That's the reality of the place. And yes, they have recurrent problems maintaining the gates.<br><br>2. Our place is quiet---solid walls and floors. We never hear our neighbors unless it's through the windows, and they're mostly absent or quiet. On rare occasions when neighbors have a party and forget it's 2am, they're polite about toning it down when we ask. Frankly, the neighborliness of our courtyard is one of its big pluses.<br><br>3. Landscaping looks a lot better than it did twenty years ago, and residents can often have their own gardens, which is a big plus for me.<br><br>4. Personally I've only experienced minor theft---garden furniture stolen in the late eighties, two rose bushes swiped last year. Otherwise nothing. We keep our doors and windows locked and so far (knocks on wood) have had no other thefts. My rare experiences with security personnel (for car alarms blaring) have been cordial and responsive. I have no doubt that their jurisdiction and intelligence is limited. Call LAPD for important matters.<br><br>5. Apartments are 1940s-50s vintage; consider this before renting. Style may not be your cup of tea. Lath-and-plaster walls are pretty sturdy and held up admirably during the '94 earthquake. They keep garden apartments relatively cool in summer and warm in winter. At most I find You've got 6-10 days a year when air conditioning would be helpful; otherise the afternoon breezes work fine. Again, in towers your mileage may vary. We've never had a roach problem. Ants like indoor moisure and they come in about once a year. We spray and they're gone.<br><br>6. My experience with maintenance has improved markedly over the decades. They're much better now than in the 1980s and early 1990s. It's true they'd rather repair than replace; that's how they save money. But my experience is that they're helpful and reliable even if they can't get it right and have to come back (we have a persistent minor ceiling leak after rainstorms---they can't find the leak but they never complain and repaint once a year). Once when my refrigerator went out they replaced it with a new one and reimbursed me for lost food.<br><br>7. Office staff is more legit than in the past; upper mgmt seems disengaged and more focused on the "big picture", but that's nor surprising. Current rental philosophy seems to cater more toward young professionals and multiple students---a bit disconcerting when you don't know exactly who your neighbors are, but we try to be Farm and get along. It's worked so far.<br><br>8. Overall I find the location, rent control, and sense of safety to be big pluses. My kids had access to a great public school (Hancock Park Elementary, top-rated) and still enjoy the park-like surroundings where they can walk, meet friends, play. The traffic problems have encouraged us to rely on alternative locomotion (walking to The Grove is easy). We live six miles from work and never have to get on the freeway.<br><br>As for hidden costs, tricky leasing agents, etc.: familiarize yourself with the legalities of renting (i.e., what a lease really means, what your security deposit does) so you're not surprised. Ask the agent every question you can think of. Don't assume anything is free (e.g., parking, pool and gym). Ask. Get it in writing. Don't sign a lease till you know PLB is right for you.<br><br>There's also a renter's association that will intervene if you have problems with the mgmt (PLB Renter's Assn.); it's nice that they're there.