Mozaic at Union Station Apartments

This place irritates me. They quoted my roommate and I $ 2590 for a 2 bedroom, apparently by accident because later they said their rate sheets reflected $ 2595 that day. Whatever, $ 5. But it was the start of a nickle and dime campaign to get every last cent out of us. They claim to be pet friendly. «Pet friendly» and still requiring a deposit is fine. But charging monthly «pet rent» — $ 100 for 2 pets — on top of a hefty deposit doesn’t feel friendly to me. The door to their pet run actually locks when you close it behind you and they say you have to get a separate key for it, unlike all the other common areas that are opened by one key fob. So that’s annoying too, and of course the pet run stinks so you don’t even want to use it anyway. There are also roaches there (and in the parking garage) at night, which I am petrified of.
Upon looking at my bill for month 3, we’re also getting charged $ 50 extra dollars for «water» «sewer» and «trash». Really? Most apartments will just include that in the rent. And besides, I used to own a condo nearby; we didn’t pay nearly this much for these services every month. This is outrageous. I’ve never even heard of a fee for a «central boiler» but they charge almost $ 10 a month for it! There’s a «December charge» right now for $ 3 something called «Code enforcement program». Why am I paying for your code enforcement? What is this? There were two different «admin fees» on the same day for $ 2 and $ 2.65. What the hell? Can I just get a single monthly payment and then I cover my own gas/​electricity like every other apartment? We’re already paying a ridiculous amount, it’s just insulting to have all these little fees piling up to an extra $ 50 every month. It’s infuriating and it doesn’t feel honest.
On top of all that, the place isn’t maintained well. The corridors are dirty. I saw the same huge dead bug in the stairwell for a week before I finally said something to the managers — obviously no one is checking the stairwells for anything, much less cleaning them ever. There are times when someone spills a coffee or something in front of the elevator on the ground floor — where you would tour a prospective resident — and it’s there for a day or two before it gets cleaned. There was some nasty junk next to my parking spot for like a month before someone cleaned it up. Once the elevator smelled like human urine. The elevator button in the parking garage was broken for like a week once, and the other one had been uncooperative for like a month before that. You know, where you have to keep pressing it and pressing it, trying different angles and stuff, but it just won’t take. When the other one broke too, I would have momentary anxiety about whether the elevator would ever work because of this stupid button.
Worst of all, and not under anyone’s control I guess, there’s no guest parking. You can pay like $ 15 a day to park in the Union Station lot next door. I liked living in Renaissance Tower better, because it was super clean all the time and had guest parking, but I needed to live closer to the northern part of dtla so I tried Mozaic.
Mozaic earned 2 stars because it’s super convenient, spacious and my unit is well designed, and Briana seems pretty on top of things when I tell her about specific issues, and I feel like she works hard. And I agree with the other reviews, if you need something fixed, they do come pretty promptly.

My boyfriend and I moved into the Mozaic with short notice and Akilah made the transition as smooth as possible. We were impressed with the building AT FIRST-​apartment was very clean, building was quiet, and staff was friendly and helpful. Not to mention, maintenance was very impressive. Any requests we put in were taken care of almost immediately. CONS: Definitely PARKING. There is none. One bedroom came with only one parking spot and my boyfriend was forced to rent a spot from another resident for $ 170/​month. As time progressed, we noticed that the quality of the building seemed to decline. There were many staff changes made-​we were disappointed to see the friendliness of the staff come to an end. We definitely missed being addressed on a name basis. We felt like new staff did not take the time to get to know residents. We also noticed a decline in the cleanliness of the building-​every time we would go to the pool there would be hair floating around in the water and even saw a resident with their dog in the pool. Noticed bugs in the stairwell on more than one occasion. Trash coming out of the dumpster in the parking structure. Lastly, one of the reasons we decided to move was the conduct of some of the other residents. Example-​a man having topless women dancing in the jacuzzi while another woman poured champagne on them? UNACCEPTABLE. I have family (children) that used to come to enjoy the pool with me and that is definitely something inappropriate for them to see. Videos of this behavior was even posted on social media. Not the kind of building I want to live in anymore. Moved to another equity property and couldn’t be happier.

I have complete mixed feelings about this complex.
Let’s start with the pro’s:
— Maintenance: Phenomenal. Any time anything breaks, cogs, light goes out, washer/​dryer need fixed, ANYTHING… they’re there same day. One day our A/​C went out towards the end of summer, I put the ticket in online around 6pm and the guy came back to work at 7:30pm to fix it.
— Washer and Dryer in unit
— Nice appliances
— Good layout for roommates (couples or couple & roommate)
— Allow pets of all sizes
— ROOFTOP POOL /​SPA — The view of downtown and the hollywood hills are incredible. Kind of small and shallow (3ft) but it’s something. The spa is always hot and usually clean
— Union Station — we would take the metro to Pasadena, Hollywood, Downtown all the time. this was a really awesome feature to have right next to the apartments
— Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Art District all within walking distance. great food and awesome bars all around
Cons —
— Equity Corporation vs Management: Equity gives zero authority to their management. The property managers had their hands tied to their backs the any time we had any requests.
— Sales Driven Management Team: When we signed up they over promised and under delivered (see parking comments below)
— No DirectTV capability — TimeWarner only
— 3^rd parking spot is unlikely — This is the main reason we left. When we were inquiring about moving in, we mentioned that we had a third roommate and would need an additional parking spot. They said that they didn’t have any at the moment but ensured us that one would be open in a few weeks. We waited a few weeks, a few month… eventually moving out after 9 months because they kept kicking the ball and bullsh*tting us.
— No guest parking — All my guests had to park in the MTA building about .2 miles from the apartment for $ 6/day…it wasn’t bad for downtown but a pain in the ass. (this is where my roommate had to park every day).
— Dog Area: Really small. We rarely used it because they have these wood chips back there that make it difficult to see what’s poop and wood chips so I would step in dog sh*t all the time. I had two dogs (1) 50lbs & (1) 25lbs
— Less than 1 mile from Twin Towers County Jail and the Federal Prison. Not a safe area for kids. This being said… my girlfriend and I, would go on walks all the time and runs in the morning and at night. We never had any issues but it was stressful always being on guard.
Overall my experience was ⁵⁰⁄₅₀. I loved the location, amenities, the amazing pool side views and being right next to union station. I hated dealing with management (which I hear is all new now), being lied to about a 3^rd parking spot, and the dog area.
Recommendation: If you only have small dogs. If you only need 2 parking spot. This is a cool place to live.

Andy Tanner, the Apartment Manager, is excellent in every sense of the word.
The apartment community far exceeded my expectations. There are a few things you should know:
1. This is downtown LA, next door to Union Station. It can be a very busy place. But for as busy as it gets around here the apartments are surprisingly quiet.
2. High traffic area with the train and bus station next door can make the floors of common areas a bit dirty.
3. The citizens from the bus station aren’t always professional types. There are occasional issues, but the security detail does a good job of patrolling and keeping the peace.
My apartment has a couple of things that aren’t easy to find in decent LA apartments. I have an in-​unit washer dryer and a secure covered parking space. These were not available in similar locations I looked at.
I do like access to public transportation.
The pool here is really cool.
It’s been quiet and peaceful.
The fitness center is very good — I use it every day.
The staff are happy and very helpful.
I’ve shown my place to others and all agree it’s a great place.
THANKS ANDY!!!

Let me first start by saying, I travel every 3 months for work and my company places me at apartments. I did not personally choose this building to live in. Management is great, very friendly, very helpful. My apartment was clean and spacious. My biggest concerns and the reason why I will never spend my own money here is safety.
Just the other day I woke up at 6am to walk my dog and there was a homeless man sleeping on the outdoor furniture within the complex. Finally after two days in a row, someone must have woken security up, because they finally escorted them out the building. A man and woman would also sneak into the complex and go through the garbage on every floor. I complained to managment and noticed they weren’t by early in the mornings anymore, then got ballsy again and started coming again. I finally confronted them, used the word «deported,» and haven’t seen them since. I’ve also noticed LOTS of helicopters with spot lights around the building, which is situated next to Union Station and not far from the Prison. Always had a fear that an inmate was on the loose. LOTS of homeless people outside when I walked my dog.
Parking was also an issue. If i ever wanted someone to visit, they would have to pay to park.

I’m writing to give a shout out to Kyle in the leasing office at Mozaic. He was super helpful and patient with the many requests from my husband & me during the leasing process, including changing which apartment we wanted, the move-​in date, getting a parking space with a charger for my electric car, etc. Ultimately we didn’t move to Mozaic — a house we’d earlier applied to lease became available — and what was hardest was telling Kyle — he had made us feel like we were already part of the Mozaic community.

I love living here. It’s so convenient to the train stations and Olvera street where I’m craving great Mexican food. It’s a little pricey for the area, but I guess I can complain because of the convenience. The staff here are very personable and I’ve never had any issues. Well, except for the homeless people that use the postal annex and the sidewalk right below my balcony as a urinal or bed.

I lived at Mozaic for 2 years and loved my experience. The location is so convenient being located just minutes away from most major freeways to include the 5, 10, 60, 110, 101, and 405. The security patrol is one of the best I’ve experienced living at an apt community. Being located next to Union Station is also amazingly convenient which helps to secure the property as well for there are always police patrolling the area. The amenities are basic but they are open 24 hours so you can use them whenever which is great. The roof top pool and bbq have amazing views of DTLA. I did live on the top floor but I can say I never heard any of my neighbors or any outdoor noise do to the quad pane windows. Also I never received any noise complaints on myself either… which is shocking cuz I turn up too much at times haha… but all in all it was one of my BEST apartment living experiences and I would highly recommend it to anyone! Especially because I leased site unseen 3000 miles across the country and I lived there the longest I have lived in any apartment. The only true con was parking was a nightmare and there is very very very limited free guest parking… but then again welcome to DTLA parking is always a nightmare!

I lived at Mozaic for a year and had mixed feelings about it. First off it was super expensive but it was centrally located and second it was brand new so I expected everything to be sparkling. When I initially moved in Lincoln was the management company. They were amazing. The apartment was always clean, the management was friendly, the maintenance staff was helpful, and most of all they were very pet friendly. After Equity took over things went downhill. The management staff was extremely rude, the maintenance staff didn’t do a good job, and the grounds started getting dirty. When I moved out I gave full notice but did not finish until late at night. I contacted the office and asked them what to do with my remote and key FOB. They told me to leave it in my unit. I left the keys in my top kitchen drawer and locked the unit as instructed. The next morning the office called me and told me they would not be returning my deposit because I did not return my key FOB. I reminded them that I left them where I was instructed but they refused to listen. After arguing with them for almost an hour the lady finally relented and returned my deposit but not without explaining to me how to be a responsible adult. I was horrified and called the main office for Equity and reported her. I don’t know if the same management staff runs Mozaic but I can’t imagine ever doing business with Equity or living in any of their apartments.

When I had warm instead of hot water, I was told that I lived too far from the boiler and if they turned the temp up, then the people who lived close to the boiler might get scalded; be sure to live mid-​distance from boiler. If my shower was too steamy, the smoke alarm would go off. When a neighbor flushed a toilet, water pressure in the shower drops. The jacuzzi water is green more often than it’s clear. The pool is not heated except by the sun so is too cold to use until July.
If you use a wheelchair, be aware that the crosswalk between buildings ends at a curb so you’ll have to ride in the street to one of the driveways if you go to the pool/​gym/​management office, etc.
Building is located between two prisons. «Security» is in name only. I asked security guard if mgmt was aware of an issue. He said that he can only contact management during office hours. After several break-​ins, a new security company was hired. I called the new security when there was a loony guy on my floor and got voicemail. Mgmt said that security doesn’t answer when security is on the property. A sign at the parking gate warns that only one car can pass thru at a time, but in reality an unlimited number of cars can pass thru gate, and then anyone can get into the building from the parking lot. Location is sketchy so not good for walking. If I had a nickel for every time I saw a security guard during the year, I’d have 5 nickels.
I lived facing Union Station and above the stoplight where traffic (many buses) idles. If I left my windows open, I would have a black layer of dust on cabinets and carpet.
Before I moved in, I was told that my window covered in calcium deposits (?) was going to be replaced; it wasn’t. I was told they were getting new pool furniture; they didn’t.
If you pay your movers by the hour, expect to pay up because no place for trucks to park except on street at red curb. If two or three others are moving in/​out, then your truck might have to park pretty far from entrance, and elevators are super s-​l-​o-​w so even slower waiting for others to move in/​out.
What I loved: washer & dryer in the unit, being next to Union Station to catch Fly Away bus to LAX, and super easy to catch subway or DASH shuttle, view of downtown at night, a lot of kitchen cabinets.

I only lived here for a little over 3 months, but I’d highly recommend it to anyone who works in DTLA or commuters. This past June, my husband and I moved from NYC to LA, had 2 weddings, and started new jobs all within a week’s time, so we needed to sign a short lease on a reliable apartment STAT. Mozaic offers 3, 6 and 12 month leases all with the option of extending month by month (the shorter the term, the MUCH more expensive the rent, as you might imagine).
The leasing office — Andy, Kyle, Akilah — are all very professional. They understand busy people and do everything they can to make your life at Mozaic as simple as possible. For example, I was basically never home to receive packages, but they would hold them and either wait for me to drop by during office hours to pick it up, OR (if I emailed with this request) would drop it off inside our apartment. Similarly, if anything needed to be fixed in the unit, all we had to do was create the request through their online system and within 12 hours, the issue would be resolved with a memo on the counter detailing exactly what was fixed, and how. The management also keeps tenants in the loop via email about EVERY little modification to the building.
Neither of us made too much use of the pool, sauna, gym, lounge etc but they’re all beautiful and well-​maintained. We are moving to a greener, more neighborhoodly spot, but have nothing but good to say about the Mozaic team and apartments. Thank you Kyle, Andy and Akilah!

My wife and I had nothing but first class, professional interactions with the leasing office. Special shout outs to Andy and Kyle. This is a pet-​friendly property — and as dog owners we really appreciated the efforts the property and staff made to make the community comfortable for all — including our pups.
You cannot beat the location: central to all the DTLA nightlife, Metro, Bolt Bus, LAX Fly Away — just mere steps from your door!
We used the gym, lounge, and courtyard regularly — nice amenities on site.
If you are moving to LA (like we did from DC) or want to live in DTLA — be sure to check out Mozaic. Ask for Andy — he’s a pleasure to work with.

After living at the orsini for a year don’t waste your money, look pay the extra 100 bucks and live here. Better location, rooms are much nicer, and the staff actually having brains and college degrees. I can’t say enough Andy the manager and Kyle and Kelia are amazing. Been so amazing and helpful. It really is night and day compared to the orsini chain. They text you when u get a package or he catches you and delivers in person. Plus they actually have a heated pool. Like it’s actually heated. Very clean unlike the orsini, bugs and trash everywhere. Can’t say enough good things about this place — plus unlike orsini they have places for electric cars to charge.

While it’s expensive and billed as a «luxury» complex it is anything but that but the locational one earns it three stars. They do not adequately maintain the property. Don’t judge the book by its cover — look at the underbelly of this place. Talk to tenants before you move in. Just some examples below:
*the secured parking is not so secure. Tenant cars have been burglarized.
*Elevator not working for months. Take the stairs and get a good workout!
*The sauna has been mostly broken since I moved in (they even asked residents to try to fix or «reset it» but there’s no reset button and you may risk electrocution)!
*The hallways look like a war zone with dirt.
*The gym equipment is sometimes not functional or feels as if the bolts will fall off while using!
*The blinds upon move-​in were filthy and they tried to blame it on «sun spots» and refused to clean them until photos were taken and it was clear that the sun doesn’t create food stains or soiled stains!
The only redeeming quality is the location.

This place is really cool. It has a fountain and lots of nicely set sitting areas and the actual apartment rooms are nice as well. There’s also a pool and gym and probably some other things too.

My family stayed there for only one night. The apartment is clean and comfortable. 7 minutes walking distance to union station. One of their staff with the name of Vic (could be wrong spelling) is very friendly and helpful. He helped our luggage storage which gave us a whole day to enjoy at Universal Studio.

Great location. Good amenities (when taken care of… and also, not when taken away for over 5 months.) Inconsistent office staff. Good to live for a year, but extreme RENT RAISES (we’re talking over $ 1,000 1^st year and an additional several hundred the following.) Amenities were dropped, taken away for a supposed couple of months which lasted 4+. Maintenance crew is On It though! Great group of people, wish they had more control of the entire property. EXTRA COSTS: Rental Insurance is Mandatory. Not a bad deal, you just should know. Oh, by the way, something they Don’t Tell you (until you move out) They charge you minimum $ 150 cleaning fee when you do leave. Unless you want to find your own, in which they must approve. (just another one of those extra fees you don’t know about because they never tell you.) PS– NO amenities included. You pay for a lot of things (rubbish removal ?) that you’ve never heard of.
Once again… not bad for a year or temporary. Unless you want to pay LOTS for not that much.

I lived at Mozaic for 13 months. I would’ve stayed but a new job took me to the westside.
What I loved:
Price: I paid $ 1,600 a month in rent for a 644 sq. ft. 1 bedroom apartment that included covered parking, gas, a washer/​dryer in unit, stainless steal appliances (microwave, stove, and dishwasher), marble countertops, and new wood cabinets. For those amenities, $ 1,600 is a bargain, especially because a similarly sized 1 bedroom with identical amenities on the westside is at least $ 2,100.
Location: Traveling to LAX has never been easier; there is a $ 7 flyway bus from union station that leaves every half hour and goes straight to the airport. Getting down to SD via Amtrak was also highly, highly convenient. I worked at the federal courthouse, so it was a short walk to work as well.
Amenities: as mentioned, the amenities are top notch, and I never had any service issues with any of them.
Friendly leasing office staff: speaks for itself.
Quiet: I faced Alameda St., but barely heard traffic. Although I occasionally heard Olvera St. partying on Sundays, it was generally quite quiet given its location.
What I did not love:
Noise above me: I could hear my neighbors in the unit above me play with their dog constantly. Seriously, it had to be a dog racing back and forth throughout the apartment, unless they have a rambunctious and speedy little kid.
Dearth of food /​drink options: not many places within walking distance. Although Little Tokyo (and its many restaurants) weren’t THAT far away (maybe 1.0 miles), walking in that part of LA at night was… unpleasant.
Homeless people: Listen, I feel badly for homeless people, but they are ALL around union station at all times of the day. I got aggravated with getting panhandled every single day while in my car waiting to turn onto Alameda St.
What I hated:
Guest parking: There isn’t any. Not one spot. The only realistic option is to have your guests spend $ 6 to park at the union station lot, which might be fine, except it’s about a 10 – 15 minute walk to the building. Really, the parking situation was a huge negative; I never invited people over and found myself constantly traveling to friends’ places to avoid the parking headache.
Overall, my experience was terrific, and Mozaic served exactly my needs (1 bedroom apartment, in-​unit washer/​dryer, walking distance to work). I would likely have stayed there at least another year had I not changed jobs, but I couldn’t see myself making it a semi-​permanent location because of the aforementioned lack of guest parking.

Great place to live. Amenities are wonderful (rooftop pool, gym, etc), excellent access to downtown via the metro, lots of good mexican and chinese food in walking distance, included parking.
Only downside is the rent is a little above market rates, particularly when you renew. Make sure you put on your negotiating hat before doing so, they will budge if you twist hard enough.

I just moved in a couple of weeks ago and so far I really enjoy it. It’s quiet, seems safe and has lovely, well-​maintained amenities. The staff is really friendly and helpful. I had a maintenance issue this week and there was someone here within 5 minutes and fixed the problem immediately and thoroughly. And being close to Union Station is really nice, even if you’re not a commuter. There is 24 hour security there outside which is great, and there are a couple of eateries inside (Subway, Starbucks) and a 24-​hour Famima. Its proximity to Chinatown, Little Tokyo and Olvera Street is also great.
Aside from the community area, the apartments themselves are really nice. I have a 1-​bedroom and it’s pretty spacious, nice storage, new kitchen appliances, granite countertops. Mine has an interesting floorplan; I think there are a couple of different ones. Also, there are great windows that let in a lot of nice light, and they are double-​paned so there is not really much noise — and absolutely no train noise, which really surprised me.
So here’s why I’m giving it 4 stars. Guest parking is really an issue. Since it’s so close to the train station, all the surrounding parking is paid. They say you can use the leasing office parking spaces after hours, but there are only 5 of those and they are always full. The only parking is down Alameda a little way, which doesn’t seem acceptable to send your guests out to walk a few blocks, especially if it’s late.
Also, as I mentioned, the amenities are really nice, but the pool and hot tub are really tiny. I’ve only been up a couple of times to use the hot tub, but I’d imagine the pool must get super crowded in the summer. There are only ten or so lounge chairs.
All in all, this is a lovely place to live so far. I’m really happy with my decision to move here. The fellow community members are really friendly, and I look forward to enjoying my time here!