HONEST REVIEW FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS LIVED HERE 2021-2026: Bell is just an OK place to live. Just know that because of the location (metro station, bus stations/stops, and busy intersection) it can feel unsafe. This is about the actual management/enforcement responsibilities of BELL PARTNERS. As of the last 1.5 years, Bell Management has gone DOWNHILL (e.g. main elevator - the only one accessible from the lobby to visitors and deliveries was basically down for MONTHS)! Here is an actual email that I sent to our managers: *START. I want to start by saying we have enjoyed living here and have always found the management and maintenance really helpful. Things are never perfect and that is to be expected. However, there have been a few big misses that are frustrating and that I feel it is only right to share with you directly. First, we were notified in writing about a very specific schedule for our carpet cleaning. I dutifully brought in my outside mat on Thursday to prepare for Friday. Nothing happened. No communication happened, either. Then Monday, I was home on my day off and noticed the carpet cleaner on our floor. I also noticed that nobody had removed their outside items because we were told this was happening last Friday. If the schedule had changed, this could have easily been communicated in an email. This is not too much to ask. Secondly, the fire alarm testing is out of control. We were communicated to multiple times about the inspectors coming into our apartments. We were not told that on multiple mornings, the fire alarms would go off for 10-15 min. or longer! This has not happened since I have lived here (since 2021). This is incredibly disruptive to those of us who work remotely and who have pets. I have had to cancel scheduled meetings. This level of disruption absolutely should have been communicated so we could take action if necessary for our personal situation (like work somewhere else). Also, how are we to know if this is a real fire emergency or not? Now you've set up a situation where everyone will just assume it is a drill (when maybe it is real). This has been horribly mismanaged. Really, really, poor communication! If there actually is a real emergency, due to this lack of communication, I would suspect your actions could place the company in a huge liability situation. Thirdly, The situation with the lobby elevator is frustrating. I realize Bell does not want to pay for a permanent fix, but I would suspect that there are contractual obligations that management has for tenant rights. I will be contacting the City of Pasadena and exploring how to file a formal complaint. This has gone beyond just inconvenience to really a breach of the commitments made by management. Also, it appears the Trash vendor did not pick up on Sunday - FYI. If they did, it was not a normal schedule and everyone had their trash sitting out all night. I puy my recycling out about 6:30 and it never got picked up. I sit here while the fire alarm is still going off for the last 30 minutes, cancelling my 10am Zoom meeting and trying to decide if I should try to force my cat out from under the bed, get him into his carrier, and wait on the sidewalk... All these things are really disappointing. Like I said, we've always felt like this was a good place to live, with good management. Things have totally gone downhill over the past six months or so. I'm not sure what changed, but it has been a marked difference from what we experienced before. Maybe because of the wildfires and the need for apartments Bell has decided it costs too much to provide excellent service and so have stopped trying. I don't know. All I know is it's a real shame. And I want you to know that at some point, I will be airing my opinions publicly, on social media so people know what is going on here. END* Y'all, I know that sometimes the staff's hands are tied by Bell Partners being tight asses with funds (they are in this business to make money obvs) but honestly the lack of communication at times has shown complete disrespect for the people who live here. Things happen - I get it - but there is no reason not to be professional, reasonable, and respectful. There has been complete turnover of staff except for one person, BEN, who frankly has very poor people and communication skills and has deflected responsibility, gets very defensive, is completely passive aggressive, and has regularly shown absolute lack of empathy for individual complaints. I have several friends who are tenants after living here for years and we all agree that things have gone downhill dramatically. For the price point, YOU can definitely expect more than what you are getting at Bell. Lastly, the PROMO PHOTOS that they put online are a misrepresentation of what exists here. Make sure you come in person before making a decision!! As for me, BYE BYE BYE! read more

Ben helped to look at the complex bcz nine of the apartments were available, but jokes were kind of rude didn't appreciate silly comments.

Did a 1.25 year lease at Bell and had a pleasant experience. Highlights for me were the great conditions of the building, quiet community, and nice amenities. Things we liked: 1. Unit was great - appliances were in good condition; loved the island that came with the 1 bedroom, and the 2 sink bathroom was a plus. 2. Management were responsive - whenever we had a complaint we felt like the management team and courtesy police were able to resolve the issues quickly 3. Mostly quiet community - it was relatively peaceful and tenants mostly respected noise levels (you get the occasional parties and indoor arguments but those were rare) 4. Gym was always clean with lots of equipment and a nice yoga/boxing room that is well maintained Things we didn't like: 1. A lot of extra cost / services you have to pay for: on top of the lease you have to pay for mandatory services like trash pickup (which we never used since the trash chute is right next to our unit) or an ATNT bundle (TV service that we never used). So, if you do decide to rent here, add a couple hundred dollars on top of your base rent for the full picture. 2. Occasional smoking tenants - there were a couple of times when tenants smoke and the whole building can smell it. Unfortunately, this comes with the territory of renting, but still something worth noting. 3. Trash room - this has shown up in previous reviews but yeah the trash rooms are pretty gnarly. Many times spilled food and liquid are there - the cleaning staff does an incredible job cleaning it every day (bless them). Overall, a pleasant place to live - would recommend! read more

I lived here for almost a full year (I had to move earlier than I would have liked for a job) but I found the place clean, convenient, and the staff was super helpful. I would have stayed longer had I not had to move for work. Definitely give this place a look if you plan on moving to Pasadena read more

Our current apartment was coming to an end and we were on the hunt for a new place. We were looking specifically for a 1x1 unit with a loft or a 2x2 unit. We visited a few places in the span of a week and Bell was by far the best option for us. They had one 1x1 loft unit left and it was exactly what we were looking for. The person that helped us was Chelsea; she was very helpful in the process. By the end of the tour, we decided to continue and apply with Bell. They were able to adjust our move in date without affecting the price. Overall, Bell seems like a solid choice and we're looking forward to move in! read more

I'm giving 10 STARS to Shelly! This female is AMAZING. I'm a metro employee and guess what !? Lol. I was lost and she brought me in gave me a seat drew up directions and gave me water. So personable and precious ! Thank you sweetie! Bless you ! -Lina Goldsmith read more

Lived here last year. At first it seemed nice and clean. But later hundreds of moths lined the hallways. I dreaded opening my door. Halfway through the lease they removed the ability to have guests park overnight in their leasing office parking area. We SPECIFICALLY asked before we rented if there would be guest overnight parking accomodations -- which was stated up to 3 nights in a row was permitted. But then suddenly halfway through our lease they changed the policy. Halfway through the lease they also forcefully added an automatic trash removal service that we were forced to pay more for. This meant we had new payments that were added to our rent we could not opt out of. We couldn't say hey we'll throw out our own trash don't charge us. Instead we had to pay a random new fee monthly to have our trash automatically dumped for us. Oh and also if you really wanted to make this place higher end, install double paned windows. The single pane windows here are so thin we easily heard the freeway and screaming homeless people everyday. read more

September 2022 Update: I forgot to mention that they also kept our $500 security deposit and then had the audacity to charge us an additional $1000 on top of that for new carpet - as mentioned below the carpet was 2 years old when we moved in, and we only stayed in the unit for 8 months. A master class in con artistry. Avoid at all costs. --- Do not let the flashy amenities fool you - avoid this place at all costs. The unhelpful, incompetent management ruins the entire experience. From the moment we moved in to the last day, we experienced issues - they forced us to move in a day early because they would only accepts cashier checks in person (is this 1953?). There are also hidden fees. We were charged exorbitant cleaning fees (almost $1000) even though we only lived there for 8 months and left minimal wear and tear. The carpet had not been changed in over two years according to the charge they sent us, so it needed a replacement anyway but they passed the cost onto us. They are crooks and should all be fired. We have also run into many people who live in the building and they all have similar experiences with the management. Do not recommend! read more

Great property along with location! Visited a friend who lives there and fell in love with it. Great amenities, and wonderful staff! Shelly and her team were very hospitable and really took the time to answer all questions. read more

Monica is absolutely amazing! She helped me and my roommate so much during the moving in process, and provides excellent help whenever an issue comes up! The apartments are gorgeous, quiet, and well maintained. read more

The building and staff are great. The lobby is welcoming and maintenance team is kind and responsive. My issues are with smoking neighbors (pretty sure this is a non-smoking complex), a good portion of people don't wear their masks, trash being left in the hallways (the Trash Butler instructions are VERY simple!), and people parking in the guest area when they're too lazy or entitled to use the resident garage. I am determined to make this the last apartment that I ever live in, but I've stayed in a total of 4 fairly large complexes and this is by far the best despite the occasional inconsiderate resident. read more

Me and my girlfriend moved in on February 15th and I cant tell you how pleased we are! The staff and overall living has been great. Everyone here is so friendly and respectful I have no complaints about the building or amenities all have been well kept up and cleaned! This location is so convenient! You can find literally everything across the street or walking distance. I recommend this place to anyone student, single living or family. This is the full living experience and more! Thank you Will, Ben, Chelsea, Nick and the rest of the staff and security for making our apt living simple and convenient you all are family to us! read more

My husband and I moved to Bell Pasadena four months ago and we like everything about it! Our first interaction was with Chelsea at the Leasing Office. She was very helpful, she explained to us everything we needed to know and promptly answered our emails! As recent as yesterday I emailed Ben, the Assistant Manager at the same office re a problem with the intercom. In no time Ben emailed me back with a couple of scenarios and sure enough the problem was solved! I might add that we experienced great service from all the employees. They are courteous and always welcoming residents with a smile! Also the premises and common areas are clean and well maintained and residents are friendly and respectful. What else does a tenant need!!! read more

Worst living experience ever. Everything appears nice when you tour but the real problems show up after you move in. 1. Tons of low income housing. 2. Rent increase of 20% + after initial lease expires. 3. Adjacent to metro which attracts plenty of homeless people. Reoccurring problems related are drug usage and lewd acts in the alley separating the building from The Stuart next door. There has also been a stabbing and shooting that has taken place. 4. No parking enforcement. Non residents park in the garage all the time. 5. Bus stop on the front of building on Foothill creates lots of traffic for the parking entrance. The other entrance is on the back of the building which you have to go around the block to access. 6. FIRE DEPARTMENT is one block away. You will constantly hear sirens horns. They charge more for the units on the north side on Foothill but you will be paying extra for sirens and horns blasting into your living room or bedroom. 7. Trash rooms are filthy and people constantly leave trash in the room instead of placing it down the chute. The only people truly enjoying themselves are the ones on low income housing rates. Otherwise, you are not even getting close to the premium they charge here. read more

More than 21 days have past and I still haven't gotten my money back from these crooks as required by California law. They've sent me other mail so they obviously have my correct address. read more

Read every line in your lease!! They will try to take as much money from you at the end as possible. When I asked for an explanation from management and even argued some of the charges, I was met with poor customer service from the building manager. I also echo the review regarding moths -- my unit was infested from when I moved in mid-summer to the end of November, even after clearing out the pantry and having an exterminator come twice!! It is also very loud, I caution anyone from moving into a unit that faces Foothill or Sierra Madre. There is a hospital across the street and the fire department is one block over, it is always loud! read more

RUN far far away... BUGS So I normally don't leave yelp reviews but the public should be warned. Its hard to decide where to start with these people.We had issues with moths everywhere. It felt like hundreds of them. My girlfriend ran screaming from the apartment when we got back one night. The exterminator came several times and the moths would go away for a while.... Then come back. We had to throw away most of our food each time. On top of that we felt the staff was rude, inflexible, and dishonest. One person would tell us to do something then another would charge us for doing what the other told us to do. We felt like we were being very kind and reasonable and they just wanted to steal our lunch money. In general I felt that the amenities were adequate but the apartments were very poorly made. The materials were very cheep so leaning against a wall might stain them and walking across the carpet would do the same. Additionally the walls weren't thick enough to block out the homeless people fighting outside in the middle of the night. Run far far away you will save thousands of dollars and lots of anguish. We almost moved into the Andalucia instead but wanted to save the money. Big mistake. read more

The manager Ben Tam has the worst attitude!! I got several compliant emails form him accusing me of " having loud conversations" during the middle of the nights, which I obviously did not! And I reply him nicely said that I was asleep at that time of the night. And he did not believe it, saying that the resident confirmed it was me making the noises. I was so furious then I go down to he office to talk to him face to face. He basically asked me to admit it because the resident who filed the complain with a voice tape of a man speaking in some Asian language!! I felt discriminated and I am still angry till this day even it happened a year ago. I keep defending myself and Ben keep trying to tell me "just don't do it next time", "everyone said they didn't do it", he was disgusting! Eventually, another manager came in and said it could be the new resident that moved in a month ago. I cannot forget the humiliation I had and will not forgive Ben Tam. read more

If you really looking for a place that will make you feel like home come to Bell Pasadena family, not only because it's a luxury residence but because of the services and the kindeness recived from the staff The staff are really friendly, they even care about my son's bus time arrival. They also ready to hear any Suggestions from the residents. I will miss this place when I leave California Thank you William , Chelsea ,Ben ,Nick ,Vorneca, night secerty I forget his name he always there helping Best team ever Shadina read more

My boyfriend and I recently looked into moving into the Bell & I have to say, despite some technical hiccups, overall the staff, building, and experience was great. This was the second time we've considered the property (the first time the available apartments were out of our price range), and we went as far as putting down a deposit for an apartment, but ultimately backed out due to NO FAULT of the Bell or it's staff. The Good: - Most apartments have a good amount of storage, which is actually hard to find in Pasadena. The Bell really did a great job tucking closets in everywhere. On the balcony, in the entryway, bathroom, & bedroom. - We didn't see any cleanliness issues when we visited last year or this year, although I did notice some new stains on the hallways floors, but not a huge deal. - Nice gym & has a pool. I was told the pool is reopening this or next week and the gym should be open by end of the month. - Chelsea & Ben we're both great and extremely helpful throughout the entire process. Both were very responsive to my emails & answered any questions I had almost immediately (and I had a lot). They were polite & professional the whole time, even after I came to visit the property 2x, put down a deposit, called them several times in one day when I experienced some technical difficulties with viewing the lease & needed help trouble shooting, and then backed out of the lease two days later. (I'm still sorry about that!) I had no trouble getting my security deposit back either, and Ben was kind enough to notify me when my security deposit refund was issued and when to expect it. The Bad: - Mandatory $120 cable/internet bundle. You can't choose to use a cheaper service - Mandatory valet trash service for $30/month that you can't opt out of - 60 days notice, even when you go month to month - Security deposit & first month's rent has to be paid by money order or certified check, which is a little annoying - The Bell recently implemented a new system for self-guided tours due to COVID-19. That system is VERY confusing. After I made an appointment for 4pm I was redirected to make another appointment through a separate link, but my original appointment time wasn't available so I made a 3:30 appointment instead assuming that my 4pm appointment didn't go through since I had to schedule the second appointment. When I arrived at 3:30 I was told to go to the lockbox and input the code sent to my email. It didn't work.(By the way be prepared to receive 8 separate emails with details about how to proceed with a self-guided tour split up into the different emails). We had to walk all the way back to the leasing office to figure out what happened, and apparently the system had my appoint down for 4pm still? Luckily, Chelsea was able to handle things for us and get us in the see the apartment then, rather than making us wait until 4pm. That new system though for scheduling self-guided tours... not the best. - The building is RIGHT next to the freeway & metro, and near a fire station. But I will say I spent around 4-5 hours at the building and visited A LOT of apartments (last year and this year), and I honestly didn't hear the freeway from the apartments I saw or sirens from the nearby fire station, but that was a concern for us. Overall, I had a very positive experience at the Bell and with its staff. I wish things worked out with the Bell, but we ultimately decided to stay at our current apartment because it's cheaper & we're saving for a house. If we weren't trying to save we would've 100% moved to the Bell. read more

I've lived here for a couple of years. I like it. Of course I don't like the price. But you get what you pay for. The gym is great. The maintenance guy is nice and the leasing office lady is too. The washer/dryer in the apartments are awesome. I have no complaints about homeless people fighting in the streets or fire truck sirens but I live by the pool. The only annoying thing I hear is the music they play by the pool starting at 9am. Other than that, the only thing they need to update is the HORRIBLE UGLY POOL FURNITURE!! IT'S HIDEOUS. It's NOT like what you see in the picture. They have ugly cheap looking blue chairs and tacky orange umbrellas by the pool. It's like whoever picked those colors must be colorblind. I think blue and orange are the official colors of the "Bell Pasadena" so I think we are stuck with that ugly furniture. I hope they get cabanas back at the pool like they have in the picture, like they had when I first moved in. All in all, it's a great place to live. The only reason I would move is to be closer to the beach. read more

My experience at Bell Pasadena was amazing; although I only lived there for one year and had to move back home due to the pandemic, I do miss it often! From the moment I arrived to the leasing office, I was greeted by Ben Tam who was courteous and provided much insight. After viewing the complex, I applied the same day for an apartment! My move-in was flawless and everything was ready and set to go. Since moving in, I did not face any issues and did not have to call maintenance except once towards the end, for a change in light bulbs. And when I did call maintenance, they responded quickly and got it fixed immediately. During the move out process, the flow was flawless and I received all the support I needed from all the staff. Although I was sad to leave, I feel that when the pandemic is over and I have finished medical school, I can return and rent again at Bell Pasadena! My experience was truly amazing and I would not change it for the world! Thank you Bell Pasadena for the amazing quality customer service! read more

I have been living here at Bell Pasadena for over a year and I love it! Anytime I have put in a work order request it's been completed within a timely manner. The maintenance staff has always been courteous, professional, and overall just very informative and friendly! The property itself is always very well maintained and up kept. It's also nice to see security at night walking through the property & parking garage. read more

My husband and I have been living in Bell since early 2017. We have recently noticed that Bell Pasadena leasing office is lending IKEA carts to the residents for their moving purposes. We did not feel right since stealing carts from a corporate and using them is an illegal action and is subjected to judicial persecution. Therefore, on 7/17/19 we stopped by the leasing office and asked Chelsea to get us those carts so we can take them back to IKEA. She was very surprised about what we are asking for and the fact that we volunteered for returning those carts. She tried to mislead our conversation by asking for our IDs. We figured that she is not cooperating that's why we went to the assistant manager office, Ben. He has been listening to our conversation with Chelsea since the beginning. When we got to his office, he started to ignore us for few seconds. After we explained that we want to take stolen IKEA carts to the IKEA, in a very disgusting way he raised his voice and called the manager (Will Goode) who was present in the leasing office at that time. He told Will that "These residents have decided to be a JERK!!!!!!! And return our carts to IKEA". My husband and I for few seconds were extremely shocked for the way he called us. We asked him to repeat what he just said to make sure we are not in the middle of a horrible nightmare. He was rude enough to repeat what he said and called us JERK for the second time. We turned to Will who was presented there to see his reaction. He was just ignoring the whole situation. After that Ben stood up and approached my husband, with his disgusting loud voice, he started shouting "Punch me, Punch me on my face"!!!! and he was getting closer and closer to my husband. (I can't emphasize enough how terrified I'm even right now at the time of writing this letter from his terrible acts). After he got close enough to my husband, he acted like my husband punched on his face and falsely fell on the floor like a monkey. Then he started shouting that "He punched me, he punched me" We were both in a deep shock. We could not digest what we are witnessing. We still can't explain to ourselves how this terrible person acted like this in a place which has security camera and everything get recorded. How did he dare to act like this and falsely accuse my husband for a physical assault? I immediately called 911 to have an officer make a report from the situation and make sure his claim of physical assault is a dirty LIE!!!! Officer showed up and after we explained the situation and his investigation from the other side, he concluded that no physical injury occurred and what that horrible person claimed is a lie. read more