Sentral DTLA — Local services in Los Angeles

It looks as though staff members and/or their spouses (who are mostly residents) have written a fair number of the reviews on here, so be weary of anything else you read.

I don't frequently write reviews. In fact, I don't frequently feel the need to write reviews, as I'm a usually a very forgiving and passive person. However, if I can convince even one person to avoid The Nightmare on Spring Street, I feel as though I've done my civic duty for the next decade.

I moved to LA for a 4-month work contract for my work as a systems architect (software). The Griffin fit my budget of $6,000 per month, and seemed nice enough on the surface, so being in a rush I decided to give it a try. I moved in on 1/7/2019, with a 4 month lease (ending the week of this writing, May 7th). My unit is on the 25th floor and is a 1200 sqft. corner unit, with 2 bedrooms.

The building itself:

First things first, my neighbors can peer into my bedroom from their living room. I have attached a photo below. Do not get a corner unit here. The windows are not tinted in any way, and they can see my entire bed unless I close my shades due to the angling.

Never have I seen the expression "lipstick on a pig" more personified than in the Griffin on Spring. The craftsmanship on near everything was done as cheaply as possible. My $5,500 per month unit has crooked Ikea-style cabinets. The doors have 2 inches of gap at the bottom and are not sound proof. The appliances are all a budget brand. I could go into more detail, but basically, everything in the apartment (doors, shower, shelves, etc.) is cheaply and shoddily made. Feel free to come for a tour and see for yourself.

The hand rail in the elevator is broken and was poorly repaired, still hanging from screws. The coffee machine in the common area is never refilled. The machines in the gym that require software subscriptions have not been fixed for 4 months and are unusable. The hot tub's hand rail was broken for over a month. The list goes on and on.

Logistical issues:

My roomate and I ran into the first major issue almost immediately after move in. We are two people, but were given one (1) key. We quickly went to the leasing agents to try and get a 2nd, and were told to write down our emails so we could fill out additional paperwork and that they'd take care of it and get us a 2nd fob in the next day or so. But we were never emailed, and waited almost a week. So again, we went down, asked about it--and again were given the runaround with no email. I wish I could say this was taken care of quickly, but I almost laugh to say WE WAITED ALMOST 1.5 MONTHS going back and forth before we had quite literally call the corporate office and ask how to receive a 2nd key. Great.

I made it clear with Karis (our leasing agent) that I was to live here for 4 months on a work order. Yet when our week of move out came, I came to ask about a $5,500 pending charge on my account. She proceeded to tell me that since I did not "formally" notify her of my move out 30 days before it was supposed to happen, that I would have to pay an ENTIRE extra month's rent (almost $6,000). I made clear that this was not going to happen, and then she stated she would take care of it, and said she had adjusted the move out date on some paperwork to the 7th and had me sign it. The next day, I received an email from her stating I cannot move out on the 7th and will now have to pay the building $5,500. She essentially tricked me into signing a form, and then edited the date on it as to try and get me to pay an extra month's rent. I am not making this up. Still dealing with this issue and will update this review when it is handled.

The area is completely unsafe to leave from at night. I would never let my Girlfriend walk alone, even during the middle of the day due to the literal horde of vagrants on the same block, outside of CVS on 8th and Spring.

Closing remarks:

Do NOT move here. Come visit for yourself and pay close attention to affirm anything I've stated here. The only redeeming quality was Tom,...

I have a super good impression of this complex. I fell in love at first sight, I did not have any problems. For the first time I saw the building from the roof of another building and fell in love immediately said that I would live in this complex. We have been living in this building for six months now, so I can give you a 100% opinion on my opinion. Two buildings, each building has its own pool, jacuzzi, cool roof with a view, there is a grill area everywhere, large tables for company, billiards, gym, everything you need. The building is new, all the apartments are clean, everything works everywhere, if something breaks, everything is repaired and fixed inside the building, you just need to submit an application. I really like the service, if there are any problems, the workers below are always at the reception, they will always help, they will always solve your problems. Also, the building has its own rules, like everywhere else, and if you follow everything, everything will be cool in your stay. And I can also say a huge thank you to the manager Stanislav, he helped us a lot when checking in, helped us fill out an application, explained everything, showed us everything, and if we had any questions about payment or parking, he also helped us do everything very quickly. Well, you need to understand that we are not alone in this building, the workers can also be busy with other apartments by other landlords, but if I had any questions, they were resolved either on the same day or the next, I have never had problems with this. The apartment has a microwave, refrigerator, dryer, washing machine, good water pressure, hot water is always available, there are no foreign insects in the apartment, the building is quiet, the neighbors are not noisy. There is also security in the building and the coolest thing is that your parcels will always be with you because they are brought to you, you do not need to worry about your delivery. You can bring your friends, guests, use the pool, jacuzzi, have a barbecue, this is very cool, and you can also reserve for some of your own Event or roof or recreation area, just warn in advance, this is free, this is also very cool. We are renting a one bedroom apartment with a living room, we feel very spacious compared to other new buildings in downtown, here I think there is more space for a better price than in other new buildings where there are fewer rooms and higher rent, this is one of the very good advantages of this complex. And I also want to add that those people who move to Downtown should understand where they are moving to, yes, there are quite a lot of homeless people on the streets, police, firefighters, this is all present because this is a metropolis area in which there are a lot of business skyscrapers, residential buildings, a lot of young people, popular rap stars, so there is always some movement here. When you go outside, this is a different life than the one you live in your house, complex, in your apartment. What happens on the streets does not concern the building itself. You yourself make the choice that you are moving to this area. But also within walking distance you have supermarkets, shopping centers, everything you need within walking distance, you can get it, it is safe to walk along the central streets, there are no problems even if there are homeless people, they do not bother you in any way if you do not bother them. At night, it is probably better to stay in your apartment, there is enough comfort here, you can have a barbecue with friends, you can go swimming in the pool, sit on the roof and drink tea and feel safe and comfortable. This is a great review and my personal opinion about living in this area in this good quality clean...

I want to start off by saying this review is not aimed at maintenance or the front desk staff. As a resident for over 4 years, I wanted to share what new residents should expect from leasing + management, especially Stan and Ahmed.

I have had the unfortunate experience of watching the building's quality degrade in real time. Every single issue that I have seen is the result of mismanagement, penny pinching, and ignorance. Grills have been out of service for 7+ months; gym equipment left inoperable for over a year and a half; and every TV on the roof is broken for around 2+ years. Please try to turn on the TV's on the roof if you go on tour. When they show the building to you they are selling a dream, not reality. Bugs like beetles and cockroaches are being seen in the halls more and more often due to trash from airbnb parties being left in the halls.

Sentral used to have package lockers that worked great, but now every resident is forced to pay $35 monthly for "package delivery service". This would be fine, but they only have one person delivering packages, and it can take upwards to two weeks for them to bring your package up to you. We have already had multiple lost or stolen packages since the switch. It's much faster to go downstairs and bother the front desk to grab it for you. Why am I paying $35 each month for them to hold my package?

Sentral also used to offer AT&T fiber for their internet but now they are forcing residents to opt into a third party ISP that uses Spectrum's lines and force you into paying $85 for worse internet and cable. Who uses cable anymore?? Again, why the hell are we being forced to pay MORE for worse services?

I asked Stan if he could waive both fees if we renewed because we were happy without paying extra for these and he waited until the deadline of our renewal to say we could opt out but still be charged.

What a joke.

Ahmed tried to speak with me, but when we needed to reschedule our meeting he refused and said "he is no longer going to spend any more personal time with this matter", and ghosted us till this day. His staff said he was in the office when we went to see him, but he said he was out. The lack of communication was jarring. I shouldn't have to contact cooperate to prompt a response from the "Resident Experiences Manager".

All management cares about is how they can turn you into more revenue services without providing any benefit. There's no wonder why so many of the old tenants have called this building quits and it's getting filled with more Airbnbs.

Management doesn't care. They even advertise that they are Airbnb friendly, but will lie to you and say they don't allow it. This causes huge drama with your parking. If you're lucky enough to secure a space, be prepared for Airbnb guests to park in your space, and management will refuse to tow! Their guests can park where they want for free while residents are charged $375 each month to park in a garage where homeless people often break in and assault residents. The parking gates have been broken 3 times this past year, and the solution was to have a guy stand there and let anybody in.

As long as these people are in charge, this building is guaranteed to get worse and worse. Don't let the recent shill reviews fool you. Stay far...