SB Lofts

My boyfriend and I moved in here in the end of July this year and so far our experience has been good!
Emily the Manager was very helpful and responded to us quickly during the whole leasing process. So far, any maintenance needs have been quickly taken care of.
The rooftop amenities are a nice treat coming from no pool or jacuzzi. The gym however could use some TLC. From what i’ve been told after exploring many bldgs down here before moving from Miracle Mile, SB has one of the better prices per sq foot which is true considering some of the bldgs near us. I was hesitant at first to commit to this bldg based on Unilocal however If you’re expecting a quiet retreat, dtla in general is not for you. Homeless, pee smell, noise and expensive parking should be expected.
That being said, im very happily surprised I never hear my neighbors, mostly just the street noise (adding insulation to the windows helps w that)
Neighborhood has a lot of energy, perfectly located, and is lively at night which I like as lots of people walking their dogs and bar goers make me feel safer.
The alley collects a lot of garbage unfortunately but is super convenient when loading/​unloading.
Overall, I am happy with the price we pay for the size of our loft (almost 1000sq ft) and the decent amenities we get. We looked at much nicer buildings with real nice common areas and amenities but most were very tiny and/​or all interior facing for close to $ 2k or more.
Ill take the sometimes crowded rooftop and dirty alley for the awesome size and space of our loft, which has 2 bathrooms and a tiny mini washer/​dryer (all things I have not had before).
Also, if you are moving here from out of town, I can honestly tell you DTLA has one of the more interesting community of people I have ever lived in, it is filled with things to do and places to eat/​drink. I was raised in LA and have lived all over as well as knew DTLA 20 years ago and it has come a long way!

When I first moved in, everything looked great. Then a month later, the management took out half of the light bulbs in EVERY SINGLE LIGHT FIXTURES IN THE ENTIRE BUILDING. From then, every hallway and elevator only light up half of their capacity. Tenants complained to which the management said it’s to save them energy. But yet, we still paying the same rent. So save energy or save their money?
Then after short time, everything, and I mean everything in the loft starts falling apart. The cheap floor cracked all over the entire loft, windows broken, my fridge broke 6 times in 5 months, the shitty cheap plastic washer/​dryer hardly ever work, and if they do, good luck getting your clothes dry. Everything in my bathroom broke. The towel rack, the faucet, the shower. All the cheap Ikea lighting rig stopped working.
The building is dirty. Homeless people and drug addict ALWAYS sleeping, peeing, picking through the garbage and DOING DRUGS in the back entrance of the building.

Love this place. Ok let’s start with that Emily is not everyone’s personal secretary. I’m starting to see some people in LA watch way too much tv and think they are celebs. Now after that being said. Yes the bathroom have a half window kinda wall thing but hello go buys a shower curtain you poor mo fo’s. I mean come one you already live one DT, paying for parking what’s another 12 bucks and the problem is solved. I was able to upgrade to the PH with no problems. Emily was great with giving me updates and also gave a couple extra days early to move in due to emergency. The pool is always clean and the elevator just got brand new mirrors installed. I’m happy with the location and the management. They offer online work orders or you can fill out one with security. Now about security I feel like they do a great job. Yes they let people in but if you don’t have a stalker you rly don’t have anything to worry about. It’s not the ritz people. Lofts are well priced for DT and the location is the best part. You are in the middle of everything. Hope this helps

This place is okay. My friend lives here and has since may of last year. hes in a pent house now and its nice but i think its too pricey for the quality, then again it is downtown la. They have front desk attendants that are super chill and nice. Usually not a problem getting in. The pool is decent and I have never seen a roach in his place. But one time i did laundry down stairs and there was a few crawling around it was sick. The gym is a joke, but its a prime location. I wouldnt live here, but its a pretty central place and i guess pricing isnt too bad for location.

It is with deep regret that after one year, I am moving to a different area of town, because my experience in 2014 with SB Lofts was nothing short of exceptional. When I first arrived in December of 2013, Emily went out of her way to show me the available units even though my work schedule meant showing up at unusual hours. I only had a few maintenance requests over the last year but they were always answered and handled in lightning quick fashion. From security helping me with my groceries, to the gym that I could use at 4:30 AM, to the Emily’s super fast email follow up, I can honestly say this was one of my top 2 places I have lived in the last 30 years.
It seems that other reviewers here have had some issues — but I’m not surprised as Unilocal has always been home to the haters. I had zero problems and I highly recommend SB Lofts to anyone looking for great lofts, great management and a great location.

This place is gross. Management, Emily, takes weeks to answer a complaint. The guards at the front allow any random stranger to enter the building without checking ID, very unsafe! I have had a package lost two times in the mail room and let’s not get started on the stolen laundry from the basement.
Now, in regards to the building and loft itself. The building smells and the elevators are dirty and hardly all three ever work all at the same time. Secondly, dogs are incessantly peeing throughout the hallways! This is very gross. One day someone is going to slip and SB will have a lawsuit on their hands just saying…
The lofts themselves are nice to look at but have you seem the showers? There is half a piece of glass that is supposed to provide ample coverage for water. I don’t think so… Water goes all over the floor! I don’t know who designed it but they must have just wanted it to look pretty instead of have it be functional. Also, they washer/​dryer units never work.
For tenants facing inside, I feel sorry for you. It is so loud day in and day out I don’t know how you so it. Every day is a party. I once had a neighbor who thought it was amusing to play John Legends «All of Me» on repeat for weeks one time. I wanted to die.
I urge you to proceed with caution before leasing here.

***BEWARE they are raising everyones rent and when some residents attempted to organize in order to prevent that, they shut them down***

I’ve been working in downtown for a year and a half now and always pass by this building. An let me say it’s a very nice and clean place. I’ve had Emily, the building manager show me around and the people that work there are very nice and approachable. The units have great views and the kitchens are awesome — thumps Up!
Currently saving up so I can move to this amazing building!

I’ve lived here almost 3 yrs and I love it! The building is in a great location in relation to restaurants, shopping, bus lines, etc. the building is very clean and well cared for. The veteran security staff (Richard, Akeal & Tony) do a great job. I always feel safe and they are there pretty regularly, so the service is consistent. Work orders (which have been few) have been handled fast and Antonio (maintenance) is very respectful & friendly. This is a place you move-​in and stay! I love having the coffee shop attached for morning coffee/​pastries and friendly conversations with locals/​tourists.

(Weirdly my first post seems to have disappeared.)
Next month will make 2 years of calling this my home, frankly I’m quite surprised that the bad reviews are so recent.
Honestly, every time I have had something come up Emily has taken care of it. I can’t think of a time when she was passive aggressive or dismissive. If anything, I think its a little bizarre that should something happen (i.e.: power outlets loses electricity, kitchen light goes out) you have to wait until a working hours. But I’m sure those policies have nothing to do with Emily. The first week I moved in, when the management was in a unit, I had an issue with a dryer, I can’t remember if it was the one in my unit or downstairs and had to be at work in an hour and I remember going upstairs and being absolutely upset and Emily just looked at me and said use the one in here.
I have NEVER, I repeat NEVER seen a roach in this building; and sure maybe things are out of service here and there but the main issue with this is that its broken when you’re in a hurry or when you want to use them. My neighbors for the most part keep to themselves, the pet community thats in the building is quite lovely (at least on my floor, with the exception of 1). Everyone is pretty considerate of noises and downstairs doesn’t smell like cat pee.
This place has had bad reviews for as long as I could remember and if I had allowed them to influence my opinion I would be missing out today. There’s going to be issues everywhere I’m sure but its not as bad as its painted out to be.

It has been four years since I move away from this place. Looks like nothing has changed. The place was great but the management was terrible. My apartment had some major plumbing problems that resulted in a LOT of water in my apartment and i could not use my kitchen for a week. They «generously» credited me $ 50 off my rent after several complaints in person and in writing. When I finally had it and moved out, getting my deposit back was like pulling teeth. After taking WAY too long to give a check and a detail of deductions (should have been none in my opinion as I kept the place in perfect condition and given all of my troubles). I finally took time off of work to go to their office and demand my deposit. I was told they could cut me a check for WAY less than I thought was fair (about half my deposit). They basically told me take it or leave it. They made it clear getting any more would be a HUGE battle. I took what they offered knowing, at least, I would never have to deal with the SB people ever again. I suggest you do not get involved in the first place.

I lived here for 2 ½ years. The location is amazing. The units themselves are incredible. If that were the only two things I was to base my rating on, this place would get 5 stars. However, the management is the worst. I wish 0 stars was an option. Getting something fixed was impossible. You’re probably better off getting some sort of congressional intervention. I had a broken window I was trying to get replaced for 8 months. I filed paperwork and documents over and over again, Finally when I moved out, they charged me for the window.
They also had a referral promotion whereby they would pay tenants if someone signed a lease in the building and listed the tenant as the referral source. I was referred there by a person, who said they would split the fee with me. He said they never paid him, and I always suspected him of lying until I referred someone and they tried to back out of paying me! After months of ignored emails, they finally paid when I threatened legal action.

SB Lofts are good only due to the wonderful cleaning, maintenance, and security staff: Thank you so much Salome, Jose, Antonio, Ahkil and everyone else on staff who helps make this place a safe, clean, and caring community!!!
Managers (I’ve interacted with five) have always left a lot to be desired but that is due to the SB Lofts poor corporate business practices under which they work (or so I like to imagine) so it isn’t even worth discussing plus they are usually very young and misguided intellectually, professionally.
I love living in downtown Los Angeles but that is different from the fact that living in an SB Lofts building is a total hassle on a regular basis. As a decade long downtown resident I write to verify that every complaint about SB Lofts made here is true just on alternating levels of intensity if you live here long enough; meaning sometimes you get a reprieve for awhile from SB Lofts incompetence and corruptions.
In fact, I only think of moving whenever I have to deal with an intense recurrence of the same old SB Lofts problems.
I recognize all landlords want to make money but SB Lofts is truly an unpleasant and corrupt type of landlord, its too bad SB Lofts business practices chase away professional, reliable, and good long term residents.
My recommendation: «Renters Beware!» (do your research/​comparisons/​ask hard questions)

I had never looked up my apartment building until today, and I have to say I’m a bit shocked.
I’ve been at 548 S. Spring for almost two years now, and haven’t experienced anything similar to what people have complained about. Every time I’ve submitted a maintenance request, it’s fixed the next day. Every time I’ve asked the manager for something, or about something, she responds the same day or the next day at the latest.
Speaking of the Manager… I was kind of blown away to read the harsh criticisms of Emily. I have to say I have had the exact opposite experiences. Emily is a very sweet, responsive, NICE person to have managing the property. She is compassionate, understanding, and I’ve seen her go well out of her way for people in the building numerous times.
The building itself — comparatively — is pretty awesome for the price. Pool on the roof… check. Clean, well designed and maintained common areas… check. Gym… ya, ok thats a bit iffy, and sometimes the equipment in the laundry room needs some TLC — but they always fix things within a day or two.
The building is in a great location (actually, awesome location), well-​managed (Emily rocks), has multiple parking options nearby, and is really very reasonably priced compared to the surrounding non-​SB properties. The tenants are pretty much what you’d want in DTLA neighbors — a lot of creative types, some students, some professionals, some entertainment types — actually a great mix of people to live by. Compared to SF (where I live part of the year), this place is far more interesting and diverse in a really good way.
If you are looking (and you aren’t noisy, rude, or a «don’t you know who I think I am» a-​hole) you should really consider an SB property.

I’ve lived here for six months. There are a lot of really terrible reviews here and I think, all in all, they’re a little harsh. Barry Shy has a bad rap but you just have to be realistic about what this building actually is – affordable (see: cheaply done) apartment housing in a refurbished building made by a developer with his eye fixed firmly on the bottom line. It isn’t luxury living but from certain angles it might look like it. That is why it is cheaper than a lot of other places around.
I think my apartment looks great and the pool on the roof is rad. I’ve lived all over L. A and this is probably the coolest place i’ve lived and i’m paying a comparable amount to what I was before (sharing a 2bd). People in the building are all friendly and it is a vibrant and busy building. The elevators are really fast and the lobby and hallways are always clean. Things do break from time to time, though I’ve found the management and the staff to be really responsive and efficient. There is one dude who fixes everything and he usually shows up the day after putting in the request and he’s quite competent. The doormen are friendly and respectful. I’m actually quite happy with the staff currently (note the date).
We don’t get a lot of noise from neighbors but I don’t even mind when we do. I’m the kind of guy that likes living in a place where things are happening so it fits me in that way. If you’re a misanthropic curmudgeon neatfreak you probably shouldn’t live anywhere downtown. It is dirty and loud and smelly and there are homeless everywhere and dogs poop and people smoke. I don’t mind any of those things all that much so i’m happy.

The WORST. Lived here for a year. Emily the manager is a night mare. Not helpful AT ALL. Very passive aggressive, simply does «not have the time» to help and when you ask her something she acts like she has no idea what the answer is or would be. «You’ll need to call corporate» was all she could say.
My roommate and I moved out, corporate tried to tell us that we dented the stove and they were going to charge us over $ 300 to fix. UM NO! Where is my move in sheet stating that the stove was like that?! How surprising, they «lost» it. Two months later, constant phone calls to corporate to get our deposit back we continued to get the run around. It wasn’t until we contacted an attorney and threatened with a lawsuit that they all of a sudden «found» our move in sheet showing evidence of the stove being dented.
Bunch of crooks who don’t know how to do their jobs.
Washer and dryer’s constantly out of order. Elevators continuously breaking down.
Whatever you’ve heard, it’s true. Its not worth saving a couple of bucks to live in this place.
Renters beware!

Hot mess. They have really nice looking units, but the amenities are less than adequate for the number of tenants and lack maintenance. I could have lived with that, but the unprofessional property manager Emily pushed me over the edge. Who shows property and then says «I only scheduled 15 minutes for your appointment so I don’t have time to show you the pool or gym.»? We came back later that week and walked right past security and went up to the roof to check it out — so the security is a joke.
I dodged a bullet by not signing the lease on the spot and should have been trusting my gut with my inital visit. Trying to get follow up on the Monday or Tuesday after your visit will show you how lucky you are to not lease at SB Lofts.

I had a horrible time living at SB Lofts. The building residents are loud and inconsiderate. My idiot neighbor had the audacity to tell me that I was out of line for asking her to turn the music down. It’s a building full of selfish hipsters and people without any regard for neighbors. The final straw for me was a party that continued on past 3:30AM because the building wouldn’t do anything about it. People were screaming and running up and down the halls.
Cockroaches were a constant problem. The amount of people on the street who let their dogs piss and crap all over the sidewalk and the alley is unbelievable.
To top it off, when I moved out, they kept money from my deposit to repaint. Keep in mind, I had lived in the building for almost 4 years. When asked about the deposit money, they replied we expect our paint to last longer than the industry norm of 2 years, but due to tenant misuse it needs to be fully repainted. What?!?
Do not live here. It was truly one of the most taxing, unpleasant experiences I’ve had in a living situation.

Apartment Hunting. This was #4 in the line-​up. We were checking out all the Spring Street Lofts in one day. I have to say this is one of the better ones. I would put it right behind SB Tower. They both have a great location, however SB Lofts is the place for a more rustic feel, and SB Tower is a place for more modern «sterile.»
Loved the exposed brick. Nice hallways. Lots of floor plans to choose from. However, the places we saw had bad views. (That’s just a coincidence of what we saw.) Didn’t get to see the pool area because we were told they are all the same. So I know that means small and non-​lush courtyard. Parking is a problem. No parking on-​site.
But seriously can’t beat that location, right in the middle of all the happenings on Spring Street!

I’ve lived here since January 2011, and I’m glad I decided to rent here. For the most part, this is a great building! The exposed brick, the huge windows, and the location make this building so desirable.
The fellow tenants are usually very cordial, especially fellow dog owners. Despite the ostensibly high percentage of pet owners, the elevators are almost always clean! Speaking of the elevators, they are extremely FAST (I live on the 10^th floor and very much appreciate how fast they are). My guests have also commented on how fast the elevators are.
Now others have posted negatively about management and amenities. First, the amenities (A/​C, oven, microwave, dishwasher, garbage disposal, etc) have all been great. We’ve had no problems with any of them. The only ding concerns the washer/​dryer that still is absent from our unit. Apparently, there has been a prolonged, on-​going strike with the Italian manufacturers of the washer/​dryer units, which SB Lofts uses exclusively due to the peculiar, under-​the-​counter smaller size. Until then, we have to use the washers/​dryers in the basement, which are adequate. But certainly, it’ll be much better once we get our own washer/​dryer in our loft.
Management has always been responsive. Toi is the building manager, and she almost always responds to emails within hours, if not minutes. If there is an issue, she will use her personal time and resources to help you out.
If we had our washer/​dryer by now, I’d be inclined to give this review 5 stars. But in my opinion, 4 stars is solid… and that’s what I’m rating SB Lofts.