I don't know how bad it used to be @ Cosmo - I came only recently but.....I've had a bit of a different impression that the other folks here. I'll try to tell it like I see it.... circa March 2009, I am an ACTUAL CURRENT TENANT, I don't work for the landlord (they won't like some of things I say anyhow) and I have no motivation to lie :)
Medical Marijuana Clinics - none in the building - though you will become familiar with the phrase 'KushMart Moved to Hollywood Blvd'
Meghan's Law Sex offenders - none in the building
CAM charges - these are a part of most multi-tenant commercial leases and they cover the costs of the common areas of the building. No 'Shady accounting practices' that I've experienced so far. It's NOT a residential lease and you need to understand CAMS are just part of the total cost of being in the space. They are fixed and assuming the building stay relatively full (which it does) shouldn't dramatically change from year to year. I've done a couple leases over the years - they all had CAMs of some sort.
Management - I won't lie - it could be better, but it was worse when I moved in end of last year and EVERYTHING has gotten better since then. Still ain't the best....Like most landlords - they'll call you back pretty quick on the easy stuff - and you will NEVER hear from them on the hard stuff so you have to pester them into submission.
Parking - here's the first real drawback to the building - someone told me recently that they lease the lot off to a third party vendor called United Valet Parking. That in and of itself isn't all that bad I guess - the bad part is the out and out criminals that company trusts to run the lot, seriously - these guys are like parking pirates. Broken parking meters and damaged vehicles are daily occurrences. Not that I would recommend using them but even so - they offer no discount for tenants ($7 a day, $10-20 in the evenings are the regular rates) and they make more money NOT selling monthlies to tenants ($175/month) so they discourage it. I recommend my clients avoid the lot like the plague. Friday and Saturday nights the parking lot guys turn the entire street into a mini Vegas with disco lights and loud music - all to attract more cars they cannot hope to park in the (rather small) lot. Jams up the street with traffic, noise and drunk people until 4am all weekend long. I've heard others complain about this too so maybe it will get better soon.
The Building itself - cool architecture - great vibe - that's where it ends. Sadly everything is a cheap as it could be. Most of the fixtures are garbage and I can see they'll need frequent replacement with daily use. The walls are thin and with so many hard, exposed surfaces - it's very noisy. Windows are thin, single pane cheapies that block very little of the music that blasts from the 17 clubs that fall within a 500 foot radius of the place. Security is a little funky too - I have heard stories from tenants that have lost both clothing in the laundry room and property from a vehicle parked in the lot. The location is great if you're in the 'business' but again - it IS A VERY CHEAPLY DONE BUILDING and clearly every expense WAS sparred when it was renovated. As for upkeep - that's pretty good. The hallways are always clean, they keep the walls freshened up with paint and the trash emptied. I hear the first floor lofts get big roaches from time to time (gotta love hollywood). The exterior is well-lit at night and there's enough actvity at most times around the area to provide a 'strength in numbers' sense of safety.
Laundry - 'W/D hookups in unit' means: there's a closet with space for one and a regular wall socket. However - you need an all-in-one style washer/dryer combo that does not require a vent or 240volt power (like you'd find on a boat for drying towels and such). They will NOT allow the use of normal gas or electric (240v w/ a vent outlet on the back) in the unit. The combo units run about $2500....ouch! Basically - don't expect to use the hookups.
Pets - they do allow small pets with an 'interview' - a few people in the building have small dogs - never have I heard a bark - ever - so they must scrutinize pets pretty well.
There's my run-down. I hope that helps someone.

User Responses
From: nyrents	Date: 03/23/2009
"Meghans (sic) Law Sex Offenders - none in the building" http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/cgi/prosoma.dll?searchby=offender&id=6670208001109& lang=ENGLISH Are you sure you don't work for the scumbag landlords? You're suspect!
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/01/2009
nyrents - time to get over your bad experience and move on.

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