YAMMER Project
to post a review on an apartment complex you've lived in or click any city above to read reviews.
Have you ever moved into an apartment that turned out to be a disaster? Well, it will never happen again! Here you can read and write reviews about your Los Angeles apartment complex.
The 10 most necessary attributes when it comes to deciding on where to move to
Size
The size of your apartment is imminent to being a happy apartment renter. You may think square footage is just a number but it’s not. The bigger your apartment is the more room you have for your wings to spread. The smaller your apartment the more you feel claustrophobic and unable to live a free and happy life style. Every extra foot counts. The day your roommate walks into your 4x4 cramped bathroom when you are 10 minutes late to work is the day you realize just how much size matters. Instead of a full size bed you get a queen size. Instead of a stand-up shower you get a bath tub. Instead of a love seat you get a sectional. It all matters.
Amenities
Amenities for the most part seem like a bonus, and often times they are. But amenities can be everything. If you are paying $2,000 for a 2 bedroom 2 bath and your friend is paying the exact same for the size, neighborhood and bedrooms/bathrooms but has a gym, a pool, a Jacuzzi, a roof top pool and secure parking, then it starts to matter. You want to feel like you are getting what you deserve. Rent in Los Angeles is expensive so if your apartment building doesn't have any amenities, it better make up for it with location and price.
Neighborhood
Arguably the most important aspect of deciding where to live is, the neighborhood. If you have lived in Los Angeles for more than a few months you know that from street to street the 'neighborhood' changes. It may still be the same zip code and the same 'area' and the same city name but every street is different. One street might be known as the oversized street with the palm trees while the next block is the dirty street with the night club. Neighborhood is especially important for all new people moving into the city, this isn't Kansas anymore. There is no more 'East Side', 'South Side', 'North side' and 'West side'. So when you see a review and the neighborhood has a 1 next to it, you may just want to steer clear. Most of the time neighborhood will be rated based off of safety, convenience, proximity to bars, proximity to the beach and proximity to most jobs.
Safety
Safety often goes hand and hand with neighborhood but is a bit different. If you do have a neighborhood rating below 5 it may be safe but have nothing near it, it is boring, it is anything but boring, the neighbors are not what you expected etc. So safety is neighborhood, but it is also how safe your actual building is. Does it have security? Does it have security cameras? Does it have secure parking? Are the locks on the doors proper? All of those and much more make your apartment complex safe or not.
Cleanliness
Your apartment complexes’ cleanliness can be a very telling sign of what kind of complex you live in and what kind of management you have. It is always nice to come home to a clean complex rather than one with trash all around and spider webs in every corner. If your apartment is clean you’ll be more inclined to take pride in your own apartment and be happy to invite friends and family over.
Noise
Noise has a few different influences when it comes to apartment living. There is the standard sound proofing of the entire building, often this has to do with the age of the building and how well it was built. Noise from apartment to apartment can really make a living situation unbearable. Also, there is noise from other tenants. Is the generally culture of the complex to keep to yourself and stay quiet, or is it loud and have more of a party feel?
Landlord
Your landlord can really make an overall experience at an apartment complex. If everything is awful at your place but your landlord is the nicest person alive and does everything is his/her power to fix and make everything as smooth as possible, it just might be enough to stick it out for another year. On the other hand, bad landlords can be really bad. If you have never had one, try and keep it that way and get as far away from the low scoring landlords as possible. Often times landlords will not fix things in a timely manner, refuse to answer technician calls and penalize you if you are a minute late on your rent. It also can play a big role if the landlord is on-site or off-site. Some people prefer landlords that are on-site so they are near when needed. Others prefer off-site so they don't ever have to deal with them. Whatever your preference is, it all matters.
Parking
Parking can be an extremely difficult process in Los Angeles. Los Angelenos often base their entire day off of what type of parking situation their destination has. If your friend lives in Santa Monica or Hollywood you may want to cancel your trip or at least carpool in order to find parking within a mile of their house. So what is guest/street parking like? Does it take 30 minutes to find a spot? Is there always something you can find? Or does your complex offer guest parking? Convenience for guests can be a huge factor when deciding on an apartment.
Value
What is the price of your apartment compared to what you think you should be paying? It may have no amenities and no parking but if you are paying $300 less than everyone you know the value might be higher than some. If you are paying $300 more but you’re okay with that because you have a barbeque area and a gym then maybe the value is right where it needs to be. Value often drops below the #5 rating if you expected one thing and you got another. If you’re happy paying $300 more than all of your friends because you were told you’d have a pool but the pool area closes at 8pm and its never clean, then maybe your ‘amenities’ aren’t valued properly.
Overall
What is your overall feeling for your apartment? All things considered this is probably the score that matters the most. Maybe it is none of the above attributes, maybe it is just a feeling that you get when you walk in your building.
We consider a total score...
above 90 to be considered 'Top Notch'
of 80-90 ... 'Solid'
of 70-80 ... 'Sufficient'
of 60-70 ... 'Definitely Missing Some Things'
of 50-60 ... 'You Might Want to Reconsider'
of 30-50 ... 'Only Move in If its Free'
of below 30 ... 'Don't Do it'
All of these scores are based on a scale from 1 to 10. 1 being the worst. 10 being the best.
Real Testimonials from Real People!
Nov. 10, 2011
'This is a great service. As the need arises, I will refer my clients to you.' -Lauren
Nov. 11, 2011
'Hello... Dear Yammer Project, It's so nice to know that someone does care about the needs of the renter. I have experienced all those things you mentioned above and more...when I rented property. In fact, the last three places I experienced my oven and stove not working properly, or at all. I wasn't able to prepare dinner for the Holidays.'
-Sonya
Nov. 13, 2011
'Yammer project has been a huge help in my move to LA!' - Shelly
Nov. 19, 2011
'Finding the truth about apartments in LA is almost impossible. Until now. Check out this great site that helps you find out the good and the bad about apartment buildings, complexes, landlords and anything you can think of!!! You can help out by writing reviews about your current apartment as well as previous experiences!' - JH
Nov. 22, 2011
'Very helpful, great site.' - EH
Nov. 26, 2011
'Doing the reviews is actually really fun!' - KJ
Dec. 2, 2011
'Great Site' - BT
