The reality of renting in Westwood is that you'll be charged high rent for unworthy "luxury" apartments, and 430 Kelton is an amazing example of this. I lived there for two years and am so happy to be done with this place.
Management is terrible. I had FIVE different
"landlords." When a new "landlord" comes, they know nothing that the old one knew. So, maintenance on common areas is very slow, and the management is chaotic every time there is a change.
I used to personally give the "landlord" paper checks each month to pay rent. They lost the check twice, and tried to blame me for not paying on time.
When I moved out, I was charged for things that were not agreed on in my inspection. They dropped this after I fought it. But, this incident (along with "losing" my rent payments) is sketchy.
Regardless of when your lease starts, you have to decide whether you will renew by February. When you move in, nitpick the place and START DECIDING EARLY whether you want to renew. Also, the only option for lease length is 12 months, which sucks.
They probably pressure you to renew early in your lease on purpose, hoping that you haven't lived there long enough for the disappointments to truly set in so that you will renew. Once you sign that contract, you are trapped paying the rent until the lease ends or finding a sub-letter.
Kitchen appliances are good. Bathrooms look nice on the surface, but have issues you won't notice at first. Your two options for lighting are a heat lamp, or an overhead light with a loud fan that doesn't work. Every time you shower, expect the entire bathroom to be soaking wet with condensation, toilet paper, and mirrors included. This is not normal.
I had endless issues with my toilet. It kept running water after flushing, and the flush handle broke off three times because it was made from cheap plastic. The toilet also flooded two times. Maintenance did their best to help, but I had issues until I moved because the parts they used to fix the toilet were cheap. The shower head is so low that my head touched it. The tub faucet and knob are made of cheap plastic that can detach from the wall.
One bathroom had silverfish and spiders, the other had termites. The landlord refused to send an exterminator until we brought the carcasses to her office and told her firmly to get it fixed. The apartment also became infested with cockroaches during my second year, and it took months to get an exterminator. My bedroom window looked out to the hallway where people walked to get to their units, which is terrible from a safety and privacy standpoint.
There's only one elevator that is too small, too slow, and breaks constantly. Need to move furniture?
Have fun taking the stairs!
There are 40 units in the complex, but only three washers and three dryers total, which is not sufficient. There was once a three-month stint where only ONE WASHER AND DRYER was operational for the entire complex. Unacceptable.
Maintenance is the one thing they got right. When you submit a request, they will come in an efficient manner and do their best to help you. The maintenance workers are also very nice. My only complaint is that some things (e.g. toilet) kept breaking.
The building has an "atrium" design, and all hallways are outdoor ledges, so anyone could keep a list of who lives where if they wanted to. During the day, the front entrance is propped wide open. Anyone can enter. At night, no management is present. Residents are too lax and will let anyone in the building from the lobby. No one monitors who enters or leaves the building, which is unsafe. The doors to units are flimsy and can be easily broken into. Units also have bedroom windows in the communal hallways, which could be broken into. In Westwood, break-ins are not uncommon. These factors led me to feel unsafe living there.
Lastly, packages are thrown lazily on the floor of the lobby and I had many packages stolen. There is no reason why a luxury apartment shouldn't have a secure mail room system.
Come on, 430 Kelton. At least advertise the place for what it is. Do not call yourself a luxury apartment until you start doing more than the bare minimum. Fix the laundry, elevator, and package situation. Start investing in quality parts so that repairs to the building actually last. You are a luxury apartment in Los Angeles charging $5k plus per month for a 2B2B. You can do better. read more