Gemma Ktown — Local services in Los Angeles

Update: for transparency, a lot of the 5 star reviews you see are part of a giveaway raffle, and may not be the actual opinion of the reviewers.

Update 6/19/23: I hate living here. Do not move here, especially if you have a pet or want management that will do anything. Things got better for a while, but now after a turn over of 4 property managers in a year, it’s easily the worst apartment management experience I’ve ever had. Not worth the $$, time, or energy it costs.

Have lived here for three weeks so far, and there's definitely things left to be desired for the cost of the place. The apartment units look great, but so far so many things are not "ready" or working yet, so many of the amenities are still waiting to be available for use. For example, the gym is great, but the "rooftop" area is impossible to find and you cannot use the grill or the firepit yet as they haven't been installed fully. Same goes for the mail area, so all your packages just get put on the floor and you have to rummage through everyone's packages to see if you have one. The parking garage isn't great either, as there's no direct way into the building from the garage. You have to walk up stairs and out of the building to be able to get in, which doesn't always feel safe at nighttime. Finally, and most importantly for me, the entire building's A/C is slowly breaking. My A/C doesn't work, and I've heard that several others don't work either. The hallways are also hot, and my apartment has read 80+ degrees F for the past 48 hours. The only place getting consistent A/C is the first floor and the elevators. I have been told they would "be fixed today" several days in a row and have no idea when or if the units will be fixed. So far I have lost a lot of hope of getting any clear direction about whether they will be fixed or not, and if so, when. I want to believe they have their tenants' best interest in mind, but so far I have yet to see that level of effort.

Overall, you pay too much to live here for the state it's in now, and it's not worth it so far. You're better off going somewhere more established for now. Will update as things progress. I hope they take the criticism here and from others to heart because this could be a great place to live if they would actually finish the development.

Update 6/10/22: We have now been two full weeks without A/C and I have heard no further news or updates from the apartment.

Update 6/18/22: There is still no A/C and have yet to hear any updates on when it will be fixed. They gave everyone portable A/C units that have to run 24/7 to work, and there is no talk to tenants about if the electricity for these units will be credited back, so expecting a $300+ electricity bill this month. I still have to go and ask for updates for the place, there has been no communication from management.

Update 6/20/22: A/C finally fixed. Rooftop area is still not complete, nor are most of the other amenities. Another quick update - this is not a very pet friendly place, so I have learned. Nowhere to take your dog that is clean and sanitary. If you have pets, I would urge you to look elsewhere, preferably a place that has a dog run or a closer grass patch.

Update 8/20/22: The complex is now under new management, and she is, at the very least, much more communicative. I actually know what is happening, and although the emails are a bit convoluted at times, it's better than no communication at all. The apartment is still very unfriendly for pets, but I've been making due. I would still say that the apartments are not worth the price, especially considering the construction going on next door that will also soon block my view that I initially picked my unit for in the first place. We will still be moving at the end of our lease because of all this, but it at least won't be as bad as it was when we moved in. I also still hold the opinion that you can find better for a...

UNLIVABLE NOISE Noise from above your unit is impossible to manage as the floors were built so thinly that not only do NORMAL FOOTSTEPS PRODUCE LARGE THUDS, but it even causes the floor to shake

I’ve tried every remediation - utilizing a white noise machine and wearing AirPods on noise canceling mode simultaneously - but even if you can block out the noise, you're shaken awake at night or in the early morning

A good night’s rest has been rare and since the first week I’ve moved in, I’ve made management aware that the conditions are unlivable

UNWILLINGNESS TO DISCUSS ISSUES My chief complaint is the noise, as being able to sleep is the bare minimum somebody needs.

Unfortunately, nobody was willing to even have the conversation around an early lease termination. Property management informed me over and over again that they don’t handle lease terminations, that regional does, but that regional has been ignoring their own team's messages on my behalf

SECURITY I was hesitant to post about this earlier since it’s related to safety, but up until a few weeks ago, the front door often jammed when opened and did not completely shut, essentially letting anybody walk right into the building

Management has been aware for over half a year, but only recently addressed this basic safety concern

MAIL The package concierge system that is utilized is faulty - about 25% of my deliveries end up in a locker that’s jammed and can’t be opened

The mailroom’s lights were out for weeks on end at times (you could just replace the light bulbs, right?)

GARAGE / ELEVATOR I noticed that there were belongings that seemed to belong to a homeless person in one of the garage levels. There were also feces in the garage that hasn’t been cleaned up for weeks, even after I let management know.

Additionally, there has been graffiti in the elevator.

MOVE IN ISSUES / DISHONESTY REGARDING UTILITIES There was a number of issues with my unit upon move in - a giant ant infestation in my bathroom, leaking bathroom ceiling

I was told that utilities average about $100/month, but was shocked when the first bill was $224. I was told that the leasing agent doesn't know the number off the top of her head, but this is a very typical question and to be so far off, is disingenuous at best, if not manipulative

FALSE FIRE ALARMS Every 2-3 months, the false fire alarms are set off, resulting in residents being evacuated and waiting outside for 45 mins to 1 hour at a time. Never is there an explanation for what set the alarm off and a resident has to eventually call the fire department to check in. Each time the fire department indicates that nothing actually was set off. If you're going to force an evacuation, shouldn't there be some system that calls somebody to check what's going on?

SKETCHY OWNERSHIP / BUILDS Keep in mind Gemma is managed by Tripalink, a foreign company, that basically takes outside money and sets up low quality buildings disguised as "luxury" all over Los Angeles.

IN SUMMARY From these experiences, I found that Gemma has created a living experience with a 100% focus on profits over reasonable living conditions. Be aware that Tripalink, the property management company that oversees Gemma, and Jamison, the property builder, have buildings all over LA - I’d steer clear of all those buildings.

Any buildings with higher Google reviews are likely artificially inflated. During Christmas time, the staff hosted a tenant event where in exchange for prizes, tenants had to provide 5 star ratings to other properties in their portfolio. They also recently hosted a tenant appreciation day where they advertised free boba. I showed up and received green jasmine tea with no boba in it (and Tripalink is a Chinese company!)

I do want to end by saying I really do like their staff (excluding upper management and leasing!) They’re incredibly nice people and always try their...

The location is amazing, tons of restaurants, grocery stores, coffee shops, concert venues, etc., in walking distance. However, Gemma North itself was not ready for residents to move-in at the start of May. If Tripalink were actively working to fix things I could understand, but in my 3 months of being a resident here some things are unacceptable. The A/C was broken for THREE WEEKS. I'm not sure that it was the entire Gemma North building, but temps in my apt. reached 95 degrees and the only accommodation management provided was a window A/C unit that was LOUD and only blew in the hot air from outside. Imagine waking up at 3 am just MAD b/c its hot!

There was no direct entry from the parking garage to the Gemma North building. You'd have to walk outside and reenter the building through the lobby OR take the long trek through Gemma South and cross over to Gemma North. Major inconvenience. The solution now is management has allowed the door near the gym and bike storage to remain open. They've communicated that they're working on a fob entry....3 months later still nothing. One management staff had the audacity to suggest we consider it a work out. Say less. I'll get my work out shoes.

Three months in and it still takes 5 - 10 minutes for the water to get hot. When it finally does get hot it will sometimes revert back to cold water. The excuse was that there were not enough residents in the building. Yep, still no solution. Its cool a cold shower every morning gets me energized.

You forgot your fob for entry into the lobby? No worries. One of the lobby doors doesn't lock so absolutely ANYONE can walk into the building. Management has been aware since Evar and staff where onsite. Still nothing.

While we've been told there are 80+ security cameras installed on the property along with 24/7 security, management can't confirm security has access to those cameras. So, who's securing what?

Will they ever fix the parking garage gates? Management has allowed the gates to remain open going on 3 weeks now b/c they're always broken. Anyone can drive in and park - hopefully not in your assigned parking space. Like the lobby door, they need to fix ASAP. That's a security issue so stop being cheap Tripalink.

They failed to clean the windows from the outside. We've been told window cleaners will clean all windows, but that should have been done before the building was ready to lease. Imagine a dusty haze each time you look out the window.

Since Gemma North was converted from a commercial building there are no air filters in the apartments (the ones that need to be changed every few months), unlike traditional residential apartments/Gemma South. If you've allergies or ya know just prefer somewhat clear air, management has yet to disclose what type of filtration system is in Gemma North. I've asked twice as my personal air filter will randomly give me a notice of 'bad air' quality. No response and/or management is just clueless.

Oh, to actually get to the gym or parking from your Gemma North apartment there is only one of three elevators that goes to the basement. I know current residents understand the sentiment of getting off on the 1st floor and then taking the one elevator that will take you to the basement level! Yes, we can take the stairs, but again this building is not a convenient residential building. Many things are an afterthought that can't be addressed.

Remember this building was gutted from a commercial building. It is not new. A lot of my complaints definitely stem from that and some are just poor property management. While the new manager Danielle has definitely communicated ongoing projects and timelines to fix things, she's since been fired. Probably something trivial. So, onto the third property manager and, I'm certain,...