The Judson

I have lived in the Judson with my boyfriend for just about w year now. Overall, we love our place — we have made it our own, and will continue to do so. Danielli the property manger upon moving in was at first, hard to get in contact with, but once we made the connection, we haven’t had many problems since. I have a few maintenance requests to put in, so we will have to wait and see how well of a response those get, and maybe I will re visit this review with an update.
Things I like:
Tall ceilings
Different floor plans
In unit laundry (in my unit at least)
No dog breed restrictions
Large windows
Great community rooftop space
Amazing community of tenants
Great appliances and overall design
Trash AND recycling shoots on all floors
— cement floors are great for quick cleans (easy to sweep and mop)
Neighborhood (great restaurants nearby/​downtown in general)
Things I can complain about:
–Loud alley (totally not the buildings fault — but being on the second floor, and only having single pained windows (something that should honestly be fixed) the alley can get loud. Between construction (early morning) on the building across the way and dumpster diving homeless people (late night) there can be times the noise is quite annoying.
— windows — although they are a large size, I HATE that they are single pained. It’s like having the window open all the time, when it’s not (noise factor)
— cement floors can be hard to maintain TOTAL cleanliness– leaving feet very mildly dirty.
I am sure I could go on, but off the top of my head, that is what I have. Overall I have enjoyed living at the Judson!

I’ve been living here at The Judson for several years and can honestly say that this is the best deal (price wise) anyone can get in DTLA. Danielli (Leasing Manager) has definitely looked out for me and when I have any maintenance issue, it gets resolved in a timely fashion.
It’s a bummer that there is no parking available here, but there are plenty of garages nearby that you can choose from. If only they would lower their monthly parking rates…
The only noise complaints would be from the construction workers who were working on the lofts next door (which are more expensive for less square footage).
I enjoy staying here and it definitely says something that when the people who reside here have been here for years and there’s hardly ever any vacancy. We know we got a good thing at The Judson!

I really love living at The Judson. We moved here from the east coast and had literally two days to find a downtown apartment about a month prior to moving. No other apartment stood up to a) the space and b) the style of the 2-​bedroom at the Judson. FWIW, we really like the Metropolitan as well, but the size/​price ratio wasn’t as good as the Judson.
We’ve been here for about 16 months and are happy with our decision (did renew our lease, and frankly we asked for a two-​year lease because we’re so fond of our space). The apartment is huge and we get a lot of compliments on the layout, light, and floor from visiting friends and family. The floors get dirty; this is a dirty city! We’ve found that as long as we keep up with Swiffering and take our shoes off at the door, it’s perfectly manageable. The rooftop is gorgeous, although I’m convinced we’re the only people who use the jacuzzi (which is kind of fine by me!).
What really makes the Judson for us though is the people. Apart from a couple bad seeds — as you’ll find in any building — we’re made such good friends here. It’s dog-​friendly so dog friends are easy to make. The property manager lives here as well and I think she does a good job renting to responsible tenants. I’d say the building skews a little older — 30 somethings and up. It definitely doesn’t feel like a just-​post-​college building.
We’re new to apartment living so I can’t really comment on the maintenance response. Things get fixed — sometimes faster than others. Our W/​D took a while last year, but our stove was replaced with a brand-​new one the same day I sent in the maintenance request. I suppose if you’re really Type A and want near immediate response, you’ll be more comfortable in a luxury building (and pay for that privilege as well).
We have $ 100 parking 3 blocks away; since we rarely drive the walk isn’t an issue. Others may find that too far and choose to park closer (and pay more).

Updating to address some of the concerns in other reviews…
Yes, it can be difficult to reach Danielli, but she has been pretty good at replying to my texts and e-​mails. Those are absolutely the best way to reach her, FWIW.
Noise:
This depends (heavily) as to what floor you live on. I have to say that the worst noise comes, not from the tenants, but from the construction contractors who’ve been out in the back alley working on 430 S. Broadway (the Broadway Lofts) next door. Yes, people have yelled at them to shut up. Do I think there have been times it was warranted? Oooh yeah. I don’t know about you, but I generally don’t need to relive some guy’s sexual conquests (fantasies?) in graphic detail on the regular… That said, that noise is mostly gone now.
Dirty feet:
This was an issue when I moved in. What worked for me was the Swiffer Bissel with Steam Boost. I’m on my second and that thing is a MUST OWN. I use it on my floors once a week at minimum and all has been well. I think a lot of the issue was (again) the dust from the construction. Since that’s died down, I haven’t found it to be anywhere near as dusty. Also, I picked up Method’s Stone & Granite cleaner and put that on the floors at one point… It worked quite well and definitely removed old residue.
Dogs:
The Judson is VERY dog friendly. I’d venture a guess that more than half of the tenants own at least one dog. Yes, dogs have had accidents in the halls. That being said, those on my floor have always cleaned it up ASAP. Occasionally you have disrespectful people who may not, but I’ve never seen this to be a regular thing. The tenant who did is long gone.
Parties:
There is only one unit I know of that threw semi-​regular parties… and that problem has been remedied. I work at home, I’m here all day… again, the noise comes from the contractors, not the tenants. That may still be a deal-​breaker for some, but generally speaking, The Judson is not a ‘party’ building like the SB properties. Frankly, it’s one of the reasons I still live here.
Units:
The Judson works for me. I’m paying a reasonable amount, far less than many of the other buildings in the area. When the place next door is charging $ 1250/​mo for a studio that’s the size of my closet, there just isn’t much for me to complain about. Granted, I’m pretty easy going with a lot of things… I also will do some of my own maintenance just because it’s quicker, but it is what it is. Would I pay $ 1800+ for where I live? No. With that said, it’s a good deal and I have become friends with many of my neighbors. All in all, I think it’s a pretty good group of community oriented people who reside in The Judson. Of course some people will be jerks, but such is life, right? I have a huge space in the back of the building (thus the construction noise) but I really wouldn’t trade it. I’ve looked at other apartments that have come on the market and none have been as large as my current unit. It also has an unbelievable exposed brick wall, which few of the units on this side have. I want to say it’s one of the only ones aside from the 2 bedrooms… or it was when I moved in.
Roof:
Whirlpool rocks. I use it, but always on off hours so I basically have it to myself. Maintenance has kept it up very well recently (aside from a period where it needed a part that was on back order… and that was not the fault of our management.)
Simply put, even with an increase in rent, I’ve yet to find anything that’s comparable in size, layout, amenities and neighbors in the area. I have friends in the SB buildings and others and while I can appreciate the appeal on the surface, that’s management I definitely wouldn’t want to deal with… And as much as I love the Arts District, paying 2200 for less space is just a big ‘No thanks!’ If you have questions, I’m pretty sure any number of the current tenants would be more than happy to honestly tell you about the ups/​downs of living here. As a whole, I think most of us realize we’ve found a good home at the Judson. I’ve been here 3 years. Others have been here 5. Another since it opened (7-​ish years)… By that standard, they’re doing something right.

Brace yourselves kids, this is going to be a long review.
First off… if it wasn’t for what has happened this past month, I would’ve given this building about 2 stars but, I can’t rightfully do this after all the crap they pulled.
Here we go…
I’ve resided here for 3 years. I first moved in here after a year long hell. Lost my job, had to move in with my folks, lost relationship… so on and so forth. I had to find something quick, it had to be cheap and also be in downtown. After a crazy search, I moved into the Judson. The manager, Danielli was very cool. She allowed me to move in a week early without having to pay for it. I got all my crap in when I started noticing all the lil things that can drive a person mad. Awful neighbors, every appliance breaking down, dogs urinating in the elevators, so on and so forth. I couldn’t get a hold of her unless I made at least a half dozen annoying calls that went straight to voicemail. For example… I had a neighbor upstairs that would let her poodle shit and piss all over the balcony. Our balconies are not fully floored. They’re made with a grid system which means they’re completely open. Get it?! Yah… The poodle’s shit and piss would go right thru the girds and onto my balcony. Danielli did nothing of this. I had to actually go upstairs and scare the living crap out of her to make her stop. Yes… there are people this stupid in this world. 2^nd. Now, it’s summer. My air conditioner breaks. This took an air conditioner guy more than 5 visits to get it right. Why? Because they hire the cheapest labor to maintain this building. It took the span of the whole summer to get it working. But, that’s not all. My air-​conditioner, dishwasher, fridge, stove and toilet all broke within the first year I moved in. *Sigh*… Ok… I got thru the first year. My second year was better. For the most part, things calmed down. My shitty upstairs neighbor moved downstairs, my appliances are finally working and most importantly, I met the man of my life. 3^rd year. They raised my rent 3%. Ok… I can deal. Not a month after this, they started 2 constructions with buildings connected right next to ours. Hmm… I thought. Very suspicious. Raise everyones rent right before thet start massive constructions. You wouldn’t believe how bad it was. In fact, till the day I moved, it’s still going on. This is my favorite part of the story. Just last month, I was told they were raising our rents 10%. Yup… that’s right kids. Not only do you get to live with construction hell for an unspecified time, you’re gonna pay severely inflated rents to live in it. Danieli tells me that this was a «business decision» made by her boss to get the rents up to market. Let me just say, I have been living in downtown for almost 13 years. This building is NOT up to market. The only buildings that have raised their rents this high were the ones that are making updates to the apts. Such as, remodeling or security. In other words, they are making the buildings more desirable to ask for higher rent. The Judson? They haven’t done shit. Nothing, nadda, since I’ve been here. Security? Haha! That’s a joke. They have one guy sit at the front door for 2 maybe 3 nights a week for, I’m guessing, about 5 or 6 hours. The rest of the time? There’s no one there. Has the maintenance gotten better? Haha!!! Good luck with an emergency because all you’ll get is Danielli’s voicemail. Oh and parking? No such thing. The closest parking is a block or so away for $ 175 a month. Amenities? Thant’s a joke. Unless you consider a mini swamp like jacuzzi an amenity. So, do you think this place is up to market value? If you came up with the same answer as I did, you’ll walk away and walk away fast. I am now living with my dude in his loft which is 100 times better until we buy our own loft next year. Last but certainly not least, it took a month to get my security deposit back. Every time I’d ask Danielli where it was she kept giving me the same bullshit answer, «It was sent last week». I had finally received it after I threatened to sue the company. When you move out, they must return your deposit within 21 days of your move out or you have the right to demand double. God, I can not stress enough not to move in here. In all the years I’ve rented a loft downtown, this has been the worst building I have ever lived in.
This is the thing. I’ve rented apts my whole adult life. I’m not unreasonable. I understand that there will always be frustrations between tenants and management (owners). I’m a damn good tenant. Always pay my rent on time, keep my apt immaculately clean and I don’t have pets, but the Judson owners and management doesn’t give 2 shits about whether or not you are a good tenant, they’ll just rape you for whatever they can.
Please… don’t move in here. Take the time to search for a place you won’t want to kill yourself in.

Hi again everyone, sorry I have not been on in a long time so I am just starting back now. So here is my update on living at The Judson. I am starting my 3^rd year and I think they are going to need to carry my dead body out of my place, lol. Granted there are only 4 units like mine in the place and it is truly the best out all the «9 million» places I looked at.
To answer the questions that have been asked of me by your Unilocalsters:
Is there parking? No there is not, since I no longer have a car since I live an work down here it is not an issue, with Zipcar and Enterprise rental so close I never have an issues. There are 5 or 6 garages near the most expense a block away and the cheapest 3.
Is the internet good and stable? Yes, I have 100MB Time warner internet and it is very fast, very stable and very expensive, but there are several other smaller package that I assume with be just a stable.
Is it loud or «cool» people live in the building? SOOOOOO, tricky question at the moment. Are the people that live in the building loud, no and in general I think they are much quieter then any building I have lived in. Are the people «cool», YES! I love the folks I live with, and they are very sweet to me they busy body, nosy old man living in the building. We even have out own FB page for the people that live in the building. We have become close and watch out for each other.
No the other part of this, as we all know there are hundreds of constructions project happening or starting to happen over the next 3 years. We have construction that is happen on 2 sides of the building now. It can be a bit loud, it has died down a lot. But, the projects near us are going to be done before the mega buildings going up, (main & 6^th, 5^th and Olive and 3 theater renos on Broadway), we will be free and clear soon and not have to worry about it in the future.
How is the property management or manager? I have a great relationship with the manager and I think she does a great job. I have not annoyed her yet and she lives right under me, I think I am the loudest in the whole building. I have no issues, (and not I do not own or work for The Judson, LOL).
What do you like best? Well I do love them amenities and high ceilings, but for me it s a pet building. No breed or size restrictions on dogs, most people have dogs and I will say 99% of them time there are no issues with dogs, dogs and owners, etc. I have see pee on the floor once in 3 years. We are a dog lover building. I have a 120lb dog and cat and there are million place to walk my brat.
Is there anything you don’t like or would change? The items I would change I am not sure have anything to do with the building but I need to be honest. The only TV service I can get it Time Warner, I hate, I hate, I hate peter pan, I mean Time Warner. They are awful in service, hardware and cost. I like them for my internet, but not TV.
The second thing is the homeless on 4^th and Broadway are working my last nerve. I think that is going to change with the new bar coming on 4^th and Broadway and a few more restaurants. The issue is the corner is a no mans area at night and then check advance/​cashing place is right there. Please note I do not feel unsafe, I am just tired of stepping over them and their trashed thrown all over the side walk in front of my place.
Hope this helps!!!

I cannot believe that I actually got stood up by the leasing agent… First it took them over a week to get back to me and needed to reschedule on very short notice.
I agree with Matt B, if this is how they treat prospective tenants I wouldnt want to find out how their tenants are treated.
Maybe they did me a favor because I will definetely not be moving there or recommending this place to anyone.

I lived at the Judson for over a year and was somewhat sad to be moving out. It’s a great building and my loft itself had decent space/​appliances for the price but it doesn’t have a parking garage. I know it’s downtown, but the closest, reasonably-​priced 24-​hour garage was 3 blocks away in the LA Times parking lot (I was told there was one across the street for the same price but it was actually double the $, ugh). I figured I’d be walking most of the time anyway but the walk to and from my car at 2−3AM was not so cool.
Other than that, the security guards are really friendly and the building rooftop has a nice little garden/​grill/​patio/​hottub area with an amazing view. The gym is tiny and in the basement… the other «amenities» including the game room, etc. were never finished even though at the beginning of my lease, I was told they’d be finished «soon.» The lofts are pretty/​modern (high ceilings, concrete floors, huge windows, up-​to-​date fixtures) and usually quiet although the windows aren’t double-​paned so if you are facing the street, you’ll get the street noise. There aren’t that many things I’d really complain about except that the fire alarm went off about 5 times (during the whole time I lived there) in the middle of the night for really stupid incidences. Also, the sides facing other buildings really don’t get any sunlight AT ALL.
If I had done just a wee bit more research, I’m not sure I would’ve chosen this place again.

Incompetent leasing office. No thanks.

Unbelievable. I scheduled two meetings with a leasing agent to tour the Judson and was stood up both times. I can only imagine how the management treats tenants.
UPDATE: The leasing agent mentioned above just left me a voicemail saying she thought we were scheduled to meet two hours later than the agreed-​upon time. She’s either lying or incompetent. I would never schedule an appointment for that time, as I have to be at work at that hour. She also kindly informed me that she accepted a deposit on the unit I wanted to look at. Stay classy, Judson.