USC VILLAGE- Brilliant idea to bring all these restaurants and stores to the students ! Millions of…read moredollars were spent here and it's worth the visit anytime you're near USC! Love the Rock N Reilly's pub and Cava! Dulce is great to eat as well. They also have a Trader Joe's and Target and of course Starbucks! Plenty of basement parking and outdoor chairs some with shade! Totally phenomenal vibe! Can't wait to go back !

Very nice being so close to campus and such beautiful architecture too. It was seamless between the…read moreshops and forms in the Village. Every building fit together well. Loved that there was a Trader Joe's and Target in the Village as well. Makes it easy for visitors and students to get their groceries literally within walking distance of the campus. Easy to get to plus plenty of street parking as well as underground parking available. It was Sunday so maybe it wasn't quite as busy as a school day but it was still vusy but pleasant. Everyone we dealt with was nice as well. Also a few restaurants to grab a bite to eat. Nice little center for sure.

Mackenzie was absolutely amazing! She went above and beyond to help Emma and me complete her…read morehousing, roommate assignment, and leasing paperwork just in the nick of time. She was patient, knowledgeable, responsive, and made what could have been a stressful process feel easy. Every question was answered with kindness and professionalism. We are incredibly grateful for her dedication and outstanding customer service. Mackenzie is a true asset to your team--thank you for everything!

I took my son to move into his "off-campus" housing at University Gateway. What started out as…read morewhat, for all intents and purposes should (would) have been a disastrous outcome due to an unknown/unforeseen situation, turned into the best outcome and resolution due solely to the above and beyond efforts of Mr. Gavin Graham, General Manager Sales & Marketing. University Gateway has the following verbiage on their employee business cards, "People Matter Most, Do The Right Thing, Create Moments, Own It and Evolve." I'm not sure if this is a company motto or a description of Mr. Graham! From the few employees that I met, it is clear that the employees reflect management. I am beyond excited that my son will be housed in a building with such professional and caring individuals.

Had an amazing time and the food was amazing also. We actually closed the restaurant.read more

My roommates and I lived at one of the Robinson residences for 3 years during our time at USC and…read morewe had a great experience! We deeply cherish our college house. Janice, Jim, and their maintenance worker Victor are all very communicative, pleasant, and helpful. They always answered our questions promptly. The Wallace House is within fryft area and our rent was very fair--overall awesome USC off campus housing. Thank you Jim and Janice!!!

I lived at the mirage and Pam and Harold are such a pleasure to work with!…read more Management is amazing and maintenance is super quick. My experience living here was quiet and peaceful, and it was a perfect apartment for grad school at USC! It's walkable to the village so I can walk to get all of my groceries, and walk to school easily. The 1 bedroom apartment space is also huge! Was a very great amount of space.

If you're a student or just looking for safe housing near USC, avoid CDI Management. I've only been…read morehere two months and already had my locked scooter stolen from inside the gated area of the property. When I reported it, the front desk was dismissive and unhelpful. I had to email the company president multiple times just to get a reply, and when he finally responded, he blamed me and said the camera footage was "blurry." He refused to help any further and even threatened me when I said I would escalate the issue. I didn't ask him for compensation once I understood he was not liable in that sense, all I wanted was help reviewing footage and improving security. The lack of accountability and complete disregard for resident safety is alarming. Gated does not mean secure, and once something happens, they won't help you.

Ah, Deans' Hall, (a.k.a. "Dork Dorm"). Fond memories here. Probably everyone thinks this way, but…read moreI truly believe that I lucked out and ended up living in one of the best halls on campus our year. No, Trojan Hall and Marks Hall doesn't have the best reputation, and probably the "Dork Dorm" moniker is usually deserved at any given time. You do need to qualify to live in Dean's Hall (scholarship recipient or other special academic program), which leads to a general population of studiousness and non-rambunctiousness. There's also no AC, and the area is generally loud. Rooms facing the courtyard get random, college type noises from other rooms, Ground Zero coffeehouse and other dorms (Pardee Tower is also part of the courtyard). Facing Fig, you get urban noises like random people screaming random things at random times, traffic, and 24 hour bus service. For the most quiet rooms, you'll need to get the ones facing south, towards Popovich. Though, I did live on the 1st floor near the bus stop, so I learned to sleep through all sorts of loud noises. The rooms also remind you of a bomb shelter. The walls are concrete blocks, and the rooms themselves are pretty spartan. Bring a fan, and for god's sake don't hang anything from the sprinkler! The building itself is made of 3 stories (and a basement) in 2 wings, forming an L shape. - Basement has a laundry room. - 1st floor - lobby, common area, TV, faculty advisor apartment, and one wing of dorm rooms (males only). - 2nd floor - 2 wings of dorm rooms (females only) - 3rd floor - 2 wings of dorm rooms (males only). If you're a girl, then you have no choice but the 2nd floor. If you're a guy, I highly recommend the 1st floor, since it still retains the restroom facilities of the non-existent 2nd wing. As such, you have as many showers/toilets/urinals but for half the people, meaning they stay cleaner and more sanitary longer. Because it gets gross in all the restrooms. Especially on the weekends... barbarians. Right around you, you have easy access to a coffee house, PSX, the Popovich Cafe, the basketball/sand volleyball courts, and the bus stop on Fig. Also a very short walk to Chipotle, Coffee Bean, Coldstone, and Quizno's (none of which existed when I was there... sad face). And there's also the McD's in the Science Museum. It's not a great dorm... probably one of the worst ones now that there are brand new ones built. But it isn't THAT bad either.

I lived in TRO during my freshman year, 2013-2014…read more First things first, IT'S NOT AS BAD AS EVERYONE SAYS. I came in with the world's lowest expectations thanks to what former TroBros said on Reddit and CollegeConfidential but I promise it's not the cockroach-infested place the YouTube video portrays it as. Tro isn't the Honors Dorm anymore (since taken over my Birnkrant) so the people vary. It's a three story building, no elevators like Marks Hall and other shorter buildings. The first and third floors are male only and girls can only live on the second floor. No biggie. 80 people on the second and third floors. 40 people + the live-in faculty on the first floor. First floor still gets the 2 bathrooms, so it's about 20 people per restroom rather than 40-some on floors two and three. This is typical of basically any building in South Area. There aren't many in-house amenities, but it's central to a lot of things you need. There is a simple lobby with a TV and some tables. Well-lit. It's close to Ground Zero, Popovitch Cafe, Starbucks, Pizza Studio, Built, Doheny, the Public Policy School, the Galen Center, the Expo Line, EVK, etc., etc. TroGro, Leavey, and the campus center are a close walk. You can get clear 'cross campus to the Lyon Center with a 10 minute walk/6 minute jog, but Marks Tower has a small gym thing and it's like 20 steps away. The rooms are small, but manageable. I think they're the same size as all the other rooms in freshman dorms, so... yeah. New carpeting in all hallways and rooms. No A/C. Bring a fan. My roommate and I ended up with 3 fans total. Feel free to PM me any questions about how the bathrooms work, how the rooms are layed out, etc! I know how hard it is to find info about Tro so I'll try to answer as best as I can! Fight On! EDIT 07/07/14: It's right next to the bus stop and really close to two metro stops. Yay freshman transportation.

absolutely amazing quality! I love this places so much! Definitely would recommend my friends this…read moreplace in the future! The management and leasing office also provided great service: they are super patient and respond to your email promptly. Take this place! the rent worth it and it's super close to USC campus. Can't find another place that's convenient like this!

The Rita was a great student experience, Edgar and Kendra made the experience awesome. Clean, safe…read moreplace to live while you attend USC

Honestly, USC Village is easily one of the coolest spots to hang out on or around campus. It's…read moresuper convenient because they have a Target and a Trader Joe's right there, making it a perfect one-stop shop. I recently came here for a morning meeting and ended up stopping by Dulce for coffee and a croissant, both were absolutely delicious. The whole vibe in the morning is just so relaxing. There are tons of tables and chairs set up outside right by the fountain, so you can just sit back, sip your coffee, and soak in the morning sun. It's seriously the best place to start your day. Major bonus points: parking is free for the first two hours in the underground lot, which is a rare find around here. Definitely a great place to study, meet up, or just chill!

Nice area for students and neighboring locals to meet, shop or grab a bite to eat. Theres a Target,…read moreTrader Joe, CAVA, Insomnia Cookies and a lot more. Theres several places to sit, rather inside of an establishment or outdoors. We also spotted a celebrity, an actress from the show Office! The downside was the parking, spots seemed limited and we couldn't find the parking structure for visitors.

bad experience here, staff was rude when I was asking questions at the beginning of last year when…read moreI first signed a lease, I feel like you will also soon realize that sometimes they have flooding issues and roaches.

The parking redesign is a fail. Using credit cards to get in and out, annoying and a hack risk…read more Redesign flow to exit a fail. You have to get out of your car when exiting cause you will not make angle to get next to the card reader. Bravo Idiots!!! Now I find your credit card only machine to enter the parking garage discriminatory. Not everyone has credit cards. You can get in and out to eat there with cash only while being under the time limit from being charged. This shows you're business practice is not in touch with the neighborhood.

Given the lack of good quality and affordable housing, CarGar is actually quite good. Below is a…read moresummary: (2P = 1B2P; 4P = 2B4P) Pros: Location, RA on Duty, no leasing, some quiet apartments depending on your bedroom layouts, walk in closet for some, toilet and bathroom are separate for 4P room, newly installed ceiling lights and windows that reduce noise/better insulation, work order maintenance is 100% reliable but workers come in whenever they want to. Cons: Stress during housing lottery, thin walls (sometimes), no singles, some noisy apartments depending on your bedroom layout. The remaining part of this review is meant for those who care about noise. I'm a light sleeper and I've lived at Cargar for three years (F third level, H third level, A second level). I've suffered tremendously in my first two years but finally lived peacefully in my last year in A building with 2P room. So I'll be writing down info and tips for those who want a peaceful environment (assuming your roommates aren't jerks and your neighbors are reasonable). Location: This really depends if you're 2P or 4P *and* if there's construction nearby. I woke up to annoying high pitched construction noises from the village at 8am on weekdays despite living in F, where it's supposedly quiet. So, pay attention if there's construction and see which buildings are close to it. You could ask the CSC if you're unsure. If you're 2P: All 2P rooms will face the bulky doors. That means you will hear every *clang* when the door closes and drunk idiots at night. But, I couldn't really hear them in my bedroom, which is farther away from the main door. Anyhow, keep this in mind! As for rooms, I recommend A206 as it's the only one that doesn't face the cars, far enough away from courtyard, and very close to laundry. The bedroom is also not sharing a wall with another room. There's another room that I was considering that seems to be in a good location. That's F454. This faces the trees, but also the balconies across. Let's hope your neighbors don't talk so loud outside on the balconies. Like A206, it shouldn't be adjacent to another room (hopefully my memory is correct). There are probably other 2P rooms that are good, but if you have a friend in cargar then visit them and see the room layout yourself. The room numberings are listed on the outside. Avoid I building if you can because it faces the basketball court. More info on this down below. If you're 4P: Avoid A, B, G, H, and I (I actually don't recall if it's I building...but I comes after H right?) Buildings A, B and I (?) directly face the streets. A and B faces Jefferson and I (?) faces McClintock. Buildings G and H face the basketball courts, which should be demolished because it only benefits the handful of players who use the court. No matter how great your earplugs are, you will hear the constant thud from the basketballs. Sometimes, players are reckless and the balls will hit some of the walls of your room (if you're first floor or basement). Some players even blast music while doing so. Most of the times, players don't adhere to quiet hours. Some folks even play in the early hours (6am) and I once literally had to get up and tell them to play at a later time. Anyhow, avoid the basketball area at all costs. F building is convenient, but you will directly face the courtyard. I followed the advice of fellow Yelpers, and I genuinely regret this. People can chitchat really loudly at night or have random parties outside whether it's during quiet hours or not. This doesn't happen every night, but it's an occurring issue for me almost weekly. Even my apartment mate who doesn't care about noise called RA on Duty a few times because residents can get really annoying outside. I would recommend D building as it's definitely the safest bet. It's nice and quiet but the farthest from any laundry rooms available. Buildings C and E are also good choices, but they have balconies that face each other. Shouldn't be a problem most of the time. However, E building 4P faces the sun so try getting the third floor. General notes: The walls connecting the apartments are quite good, but thin for some of them. I can definitely say that the walls within the apartment are thin, so make sure to have good and considerate roommates. Ah, and pray that your neighbor doesn't blast their music on speaker or stomp heavily on top of you. I've encountered both of these situations in separate years. Invest in good earplugs. Really. There will be street noise and people casually talking very loudly late at night. CarGar isn't situated in a suburban area, so keep this in mind.

Cardinal Gardens' main draw is LOCATION. And, of course, not the neighborhood itself, but its…read moreproximity to campus. You're officially living off-campus, but it's just across the street. It's safer at night than other housing complexes (in my own opinion) because, if you use the main front entrance, you can walk towards Gate 5, which is staffed 24/7, and the intersection of Jefferson and McClintock is brightly lit. The back alleys are a little sketchier though. Mind you, in 3 years of living there, I never had any problems with crime and such. If you're lucky enough to win the lottery and be assigned in CG, do everything you can to get into Building F. You don't have any buildings immediately in front of or behind, so it's quieter, and I felt better about hanging out on my balcony (only in the 2-bdrm apts). You're also near the front entrance and mailboxes. And the central location means you can park anywhere and not walk far; same goes for the laundry rooms. Only disadvantage I can think of is that you're far from the dumpsters. I would personally avoid the building along Jefferson due to road noise; the one along McClintock (Building A I think? I totally forgot) isn't as bad, and neither is the one along Orchard. Though a big benefit is that you can easily recycle by throwing your bottles out onto the grass, and by morning someone on the street will have collected it for you (note, this is also technically littering, so don't say I didn't warn you!). The buildings are split-level, so there are 5 levels in each, separated and gated by stairwell (your gate key will open all of them in the complex). - The 2B4P (2 bedroom, 4 person) rooms are on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th level. The rooms on the 3rd and 5th have balconies. The rooms on the 1st have a one-way back door. Bedroom wise, I like the far back room for its isolation, so when you move in, get there early and claim your spot! It also has a walk-in closet. The foremost bedroom has sliding doors (which I got stuck with my first year there, so I just took out the doors for more space). The bathroom is a great set up; the sinks are in the middle, the toilet on one side with a door, and the shower on the other side with its own door. This helps with getting ready for class, with 3 other people getting in the way. - The 1B2P rooms are on the 2nd and 4th, and neither have any openings besides the front door. But the living room is bigger than in the 2B4P apts. Decently sized walk in closet as well. The bathroom has the toilet/shower in a separate room than the sink. I want to say there's even a walk in pantry in the kitchen, but my senile mind may be failing me. It's more expensive, but I enjoyed living in the 1B2P room. You're also near by UV and across the street from B of A, as well as being close to Wendy's, BK, Cafe 84, Lyon Center, and the USC Credit Union. Also not too far from the 2-9. Yep, it was a blast living here.

It has been a pleasure working with Mosaic and their team. They are respectful, communicative, and…read moreeasy to work with throughout the entire process. Everything goes smoothly, and I truly appreciate their professionalism. I'd be happy to work with them again anytime!

All the terrible things you read about this property management company are indeed true. They have…read moresome really nice houses under their umbrella, despite that RUN. First off you're not getting the majority of your deposit back, no matter how you care for or clean upon move out. They will charge you to repaint the whole unit, take money off for cleaning and other things that simply don't make sense. My daughter and her friends lived here for one year and as parents we were on their lease. The leases are written terribly, and the times of move in and move out will be in the middle of months yet you will be paying the entire month. The leasing agent will explain that for example for 10 months the total is 50,000 and they just divide that to 5k a month for August 15-May 15. Be prepared. The maintenance people are so to respond and you will have to keep inquiring. Also at this unit they stored items in the basement so the maintenance people who enter just to get stuff that had nothing to do with the care of this specific unit. When you're thinking, I don't wanna move again maybe we should stay another year you will learn they are raising the rent so much that you must cut your losses and go. Trash pick up is inconsistent, and again they charged us upon move out for trash removal when we did not leave any: guessing other tenants did and they just charged everyone. I didn't have the energy to take them to small claims court. They are definitely lacking ethics, customer service or interest in protecting their tenants. Many items were stolen from outside the units while living here, keep your scooters and anything of value inside.