3324 CASTLE HEIGHTS AVE, Los Angeles, CA, 90034

Management was great when I first moved it and collectively got worse over time. I experienced 3 property managers switches throughout my 2 year of residency. Not to mention my car was broken into with a lot of my stuff + valuables stolen inside the parking lot, due to a back door in the lot had been broken for quite a long time (according to the police). The building did nothing to help me or acknowledge my issue, they fixed the broken door and moved on like everything was normal. Also wasn’t the first robbery or car break in reported it be building! Someone had their bike stolen and another had their car windows broken into and stuff stolen as well! Additionally, I lived 2 months without AC in the hottest months of the year and management did nothing to help or expedite getting this fixed they claimed to have been waiting for a part? For 2 months. I think they should have these parts in hand to ensure residents don’t suffer. Safety definitely isn’t the biggest priority with garage front door into the lobby and back door being left open and broken. Any random person can just drive into the garage following another car. There are door knobs leading to the stairs that are wobbly and one kick from being broken into. The area is being taken over by homeless people and one sleeps on the outside bench almost every night. The front smells like dog poop and pee 80% of the time, and poop isn’t cleaned up.

I lived at Waterstone for 4.5 months out of my 11 month lease. I originally did a virtual tour as I was moving from another country, so I wasn’t able to see the actual state of the building clearly. Leasing experience: Management is very fast. Leasing and arranging move-in was painless. The lease break fee was one month’s rent, which was not mentioned in the original lease forms I signed. I understand most apartments will need to collect a fee to break the lease, but it needs to be included in the original lease contract. Move-in experience: Good luck getting your furniture into your unit. My delivery guys couldn’t fit some of my furniture into the tiny elevator and had to take it up the stairs instead (which also barely fit). Same thing when I moved out. Pests: Moved out because of roaches in my unit and roaches throughout the building. I saw roaches outside on my window sill outside, roaches in the elevator lobby, roaches in the garage… I started seeing high activity 6 weeks after I moved in, but found a couple small dead ones when I first moved in as well. Common Areas: The amenities are ok. The pools and gym are small but they make that clear when you’re touring. The hallways are carpeted but also open air so they get wet when it rains. There are also tons of stains in the carpets, probably from dog piss. The building is overall very damp. My towels hanging in the bathroom never dry and get a mildew smell quickly. There’s negative circulation. Laundry: It’s shared laundry with 2 rooms on each floor with 2 washers and dryers each. One of the washers on my floor was broken and was not fixed, but also didn’t have an out of service sign. You’d wash your clothes and they’d come out sopping wet. Garage: The upper ground garage is much nicer than the lower ground garage. It’s cleaner, brighter, and close to the mail room/bike racks. Unfortunately, my assigned spot was in the deepest corner of the lower ground garage, next to the wall. It was home to a big spider and multiple dead roaches. The light near my car also didn’t work for the first week or two after moving in but seemed to be fixed soon after. I have also seen a massive dead American roach crushed by someone’s car in the lower garage, along with many German roaches (dead and alive). There is also this huge dark brown permanent stain next to the door to the elevator lobby. Not sure if any efforts have ever been made to clean it. Tenants also use their parking spots as storage. The parking garage gate has also malfunctioned before. One night when I came home the gate was already open and it would not close. When I drove in a sketchy man walked out after I caught him snooping around the cars. Apartment unit: The kitchen appliances were nice enough. On the other hand, the cabinets/drawers are old, finicky and painted dark gray so you can’t even tell if they’re clean or not. The paint job in the unit is honestly pretty bad. It’s patchy and highly textured, either from a bad paint job or from god knows how many layers of paint from over the years. The result is a permanently tacky surface that sticks to whatever it comes in contact with. When I took things out of cabinets/drawers in the bathroom or kitchen, paint residue would come off and stick onto my belongings because of how sticky the surfaces were. Move-out: I’m being charged for a deep clean now that I have moved out but when I moved in the floors were covered in animal fur. Everywhere. I must have vacuumed and mopped 10 times before I stopped seeing pet hair. Not sure what happened to the deep clean before I moved in because I was told by staff that they charge everyone a move out cleaning fee ($149). I was also charged $309 for apartment painting. I lived there for 4.5 months and aside from 1 wall in the kitchen, all other walls were in good condition. All in all, I wouldn’t recommend Waterstone for the price you pay. You’re paying a little less than actual luxury apartment prices for a very old apartment building that has minimal cosmetic upgrades. Pay a little more and rent a newer construction.

I found this apartment during the pandemic and at the time it was definitely a steal. I was looking to move more into the city and wanted to have a few more amenities than my previous complex. I liked that the complex had a few more amenities but also a grocery store, Starbucks a few restaurants, a bank and gas station within walking distance. The complex is on the smaller side so you're definitely able to hear your neighbors from time to time if they're loud. Overall the place is pretty chill. I haven't had any issues living here outside of plumbing but I definitely wished I got more for my money (coming from an east coaster who got waaaaayyyyyy more for much less)

I enjoy this L.A. Westside location as it's close to the Palms Metro station on the Expo line so I can take the train to Santa Monica and to downtown Los Angeles. Close to access several major freeways for trips that require driving while also central enough to use city streets to get to the Hollywood Improv for standup comedy events. The apartment community is pet-friendly, has a great fitness center, parking, and A/C! There is a grocery store and pharmacy across the street with many others available nearby. It's a short drive to the Culver City Co-op for amazing organic food, the public library, and great restaurants.

I'm elated that I chose Waterstone at Metro as my new home in LA. The leasing staff, John and Jazmin, are exceptional! My neighbors are sweet, the amenities are great, and close proximity to everyday conveniences like groceries, pharmacy, nails, shoe repair, Starbucks, etc. Plus I feel super safe living here.