Berkshire K2LA Apartments — Local services in Los Angeles

I lived at K2LA for 3 years (slightly before and during the pandemic) and have recently moved to an apartment with more amenities due to the rent increase at K2LA not really justifying, in my eyes, what was being provided at the time although it was by no means, bad. If one is paying a higher price, there needs to be better amenities. Not amenities being taken away and there is still a price increase.

I've been there long enough to see management come and go. One thing I will say has been a relative constant is disorganization and general lack of, what I perceive to be, common sense and forethought. While management is kind, there has been a tendency to receive very slow replies. Some of my issues were not addressed in a timely manner- to the order of months, prompting me to have to send multiple emails and make appearances in the office to follow up. In multiple instances, there were incorrect charges lingering on my resident portal and I received no move-out checklist which violates at least one point in the California tenancy handbook, such as the apartment being required to give written notice of the right to a pre-inspection. Lesson learned. Megan and the new guy are great.

Things you'll probably want to know and may not think to ask about before moving here: You have to pay for Spectrum cable + internet bundle even if you don't watch tv- adding an extra $80/month. There are virtually no resident/community activities so you will have to go out of your way to meet your neighbors and many of them keep to themselves. There have been about 4 resident activities in the 3 years I've lived at the apartment. Guest parking is no longer free. It is $10/car for an overnight guest and good luck finding street parking in ktown after like 6pm. Also, the guest lot is small so there are times when there isn't any space for your guest to park at all. Demographic is generally diverse with people (single, coupled, a few families) aged maybe 25-45. Lots of dogs that aren't leashed, much to my dismay.

K2LA has standard amenities: pool, jacuzzi, gym, rooftop (which is now overshadowed by the many-story-tall Hilton(?) being built next door so the downtown view is now mostly gone, grills, parcel lockers, security and a lounge that can be reserved for parties or whatever you do in there.

General comments: Sound insulation is pretty good although you can hear you-know-what at the worst hours of the night. You can DEFINITELY hear what people are doing in their apartments while walking down the hallway but maybe that goes for any apartment. If you live on the side next to the alleyway, prepare to hear the yelling of homeless men and other bizarre things late at night. I was once woken up to the sound of multiple police cars and a helicopter overhead telling a man to put his hands up in the alley. Wish I could post the video here because I felt I was in a NPC in a GTA remake. Otherwise, K2LA is in prime location- walkable to many, many restaurants, boba places, cafes, nightlife, etc. I'd just advise being careful at night. There have been some security issues like the front door being broken and unattended. Keep in mind, pigeons if you have a balcony. Maintenance is great- quick, respectful, nice and very knowledgeable. In fact, one of the maintenance men gave me proper moving-out instructions when the office failed to do so.

Ultimately, money is the goal with these corporate-owned apartments. Expect to have things cut at your expense (no more free guest parking). New poolside chairs do not justify 8-10% rent increase. I'm still annoyed by K2LA not providing concessions or anything for existing residents during the height of the pandemic, yet were offering new units at sub 20% the price. My friend moved into a better unit than mine, during the pandemic, at a lower price while I got nothing :(

When considering luxury apartments in the area, K2LA is a solid option that still manages to be on the affordable end of the spectrum. It has the standard bells and whistles and should serve the purposes of most people seeking...

Was a resident here for about 10 months until I had to relocate for work and I enjoyed my stay. Here are some of my final thoughts:

The Apartment I lived in a studio and I felt it was just the right amount of space I needed for a work table, bed, couch and tv. I also felt compared to some of the other studios I had toured around the neighborhood it was similar sized if not bigger. The bathrooms are spacious and the bathtub was really nice for a tall dude, I'm 6 ft/1.82 m and I don't really fit well into typical bathtubs but this one was very roomy. You have a nest thermometer in the apartment and all the appliances were modern and worked great. It was nice and convenient to have an in-unit washer dryer and central air conditioning. I felt my utilities' cost were fair compared to my usage. No apartment can really be fully soundproof, you might end up hearing your neighbors out in the hallway occasionally or sometimes you might hear your upstairs neighbor's footsteps but I knew all of this going into my decision to move in and it wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be while I was living there. Keeping your windows closed can considerably help with sound (I lived on the 7th street side of the building which is typically a busy street).

The Amenities You get a bungalow, a rooftop garden, gym, pool and a garage. They are all nice and completely decked out with modern equipment. Unfortunately the gym was closed due to LA's quarantine restrictions but everything else was still available when I was last there. Some people left reviews with pictures of bugs, I personally have not seen any roaches in the pool or grill areas or any other amenities when I've used them. During my stay I did find a spider in my apartment which I believe is pretty common, but no roaches, pests or any other insects. As a person who really doesn't like bugs I felt clean and comfortable. The building staff is great here, everything is cleaned regularly and they are friendly and nice. I felt the doormen go above and beyond and always had my back. They call this place a community and it felt like a community to me which I haven't experienced compared to other apartment buildings I lived in. Thank you Megan and Steve and the rest of the K2LA staff you guys are awesome!

The Location/Neighborhood I recommend downloading the citizen app if you're going to be living in this neighborhood. A lot of people say Koreatown is a little dangerous but most of the crime usually happens late at night and doesn't mean it's too dangerous to be out and about around the neighborhood. You just have to be aware of your surroundings at night, during the day it's pretty much like any busy neighborhood in LA. There are several homeless encampments all around the neighborhood if not all around LA. There was one right across the street from the building until construction started so the streets were a bit cleaner before I left. There's a great coffee place just down and around the block, in addition to some great restaurants and food in a 1-2 mile radius. It was hard to watch some of my favorite restaurants close permanently over the past year, this area is known for it's predominant restaurant and nightlife industry. I do have hope though that the neighborhood will continue to remain a hub for great food, drinks and a place where friends all around LA can once again congregate.

I enjoyed my stay and most importantly I felt safe and comfortable living here throughout the hectic 2020, which is why I give Berkshire...

It's shocking that people left positive reviews for this apartment complex. I've lived here for several months now, and it keeps getting worse and worse. Even right now during a very chaotic time for everyone, this money-grubbing building and its corporate owners do not care for the residents at all. I've been seeing posts about other buildings in this area right now offering discounts on rent because they care for their residents. This building does not (no surprise!). Don't move here unless you want to be treated less than human!

Before I moved in, the leasing office showed me the photos of the apartment I thought I was going to move into (I specifically asked for photos of that apartment as they couldn't let me go in and see). When I moved in, it was a completely different apartment, and the leasing agent who "helped me" (Erica Medrano) said she never said those photos were for the apartment I was going to move into. I have emails between the two of us that specifically say otherwise.

Other issues living here:

No air circulation anywhere, so you end up using an excess amount of AC. There's a weird smell that lingers in the halls due to lack of air circulation.

The apartment does not come clean. All the handles in my apartment had a sticky residue, and there were tons of stains and marks everywhere in the unit. Also, this building used to have a cockroach problem, yet they expect its current residents to pay for the upkeep? None of us knew about this issue but moving in so why do we have to pay for that?

The floor is uneven. None of my furniture was wobbly before moving here.

There is a mandatory internet & cable package at $80 a month. I don't use cable at all and don't need it but they told me this info after I signed and it was too late for me to back out. The utilities are all fixed prices too, so you will be charged every month even if you don't use any.

$100 extra for a parking spot each month. This is okay except our parking lot is an accident zone. The way its laid out, there are so many chances for cars to hit each other. Maybe add some mirrors or something to help the situation as many residents have said stuff about this.

Not soundproof. Can hear door slamming in the hallway all day long and also the upstairs neighbors.

My advice: do not move here and look elsewhere. There are many in LA that are at the same price point and are...