Santee Court

Just wanted to update my review, i dont think its fair to give the place 2 stars wish i could do 2.5, i do LOVE living here, its a great place and i do enjoy the proximity to everything… Hanah in the leasing office is freaken amazing and one of the nicest leasing agents ive ever had the pleasure to work with, she always makes sure we are taken care of so for her alone this place should have 5 stars.
Again i will reiterate my prior complaints
The rent hike i think is a bit much i mean we pay our rent timely every month and have never had a problem, yet they raised our rent nearly $ 300 dollars this last time, i think this is a bit much, considering most jobs only give you a 2−3% rise. a 10% raise a year really puts you in the red.
The AUM billing is the absolute worse i cant get over how horrible this company is i just wish they would find a different company to bill for the water and trash, this company is HORRIBLE.

I love Santee court! For starters, Hannah is amazing. She is so prompt, and genuinely cares about every resident. Every time I call for any need in our loft, they are quick to answer and quick to respond to our need. I have lived here for about a year now and it has been the best living situation I’ve had in la thus far. Not to mention, there are a couple coffee shops in Santee court that are fantastic. I would highly recommend this apartment to anyone that wants personal care and a kind community.

I hate to be doing this, as my former review should reflect the deep love and joy I had for a large part of the time I spent living here. But after 6 years as a resident, my husband and I finally had to move. What once was a vibrant and enjoyable community to live in is now … kind of lame. Santee Court was always about the people. Early on, people like Andrew and Phil ran things in a way that made you feel cared about & happy to be a part of the community. Then a major corporate entity that owns half the properties in town came & bought out the property and slowly the «corporatization» of Santee began. They don’t seem to care about creating a vibrant and thriving community of residents. They just appear to care about quotas and getting the highest market rents possible. Not to mention, they slowly did away with the fun events that once brought residents together. In the past, there were flea markets, 80s Prom, beer & bingo nights, art shows & concerts … and residents all actually got to know one another and had fun together. Not anymore.
Hannah, Sarah, Haley, Chris, Andrew & Phil all were AMAZING office staffers through the years. They were like family. They made residents feel loved and always went out of their way to help solve any issues. Only Sarah and Hannah remain, but it’s also clear that they aren’t always given the support that they need. The corporate owners ought to better grasp the value of the amazing staff they inherited at Santee as THEY are the reason that some of us have stayed as long as we have.
In the last several years my husband and I have waffled over moving. We loved our space. We loved Hannah & Sarah. We loved downtown and weren’t looking to leave. But the rent increases were constant and ridiculous. Not only that, but they consistently seemed to be combing the leases for ways to get more money out of us. First, they suddenly wanted to start charging us for the parking that was made available to us as part of our rent cost when we moved in over 6 years ago. They wanted another $ 300 a month for our tandem space. That took our rent up over $ 400 more a month. We persisted, only to find this year that there is yet another significant rent increase as well as now they want to start charging $ 50/​mo PER PET for two dogs that have been living in our space for the entire 6 years. I get pet fees when it’s upfront on move in … but I find it gross that they would gouge long term tenants who have always paid on time and been reliable by suddenly charging rent for dogs that have been here all along. Our rent was getting out of control and we finally decided we’d had enough.
Here’s what you need to know. All those long term awesome residents that made this place feel like a community? Over the last few years most of them have moved out and on for similar reasons. There are a few left, but my husband and I were some of the last of the hold outs. Now there has been an influx of residents who aren’t so great (the guy who moved in across the hall from us delighted in hacking his lungs up loudly day and night … even lobbing wads of whatever he was coughing up in the hallway right outside our door). The guys who moved in above us have wild parties … that culminate in both screaming into the streets late at night as well as having actual knockdown drag-​out fights. Not to mention that the building next door is under construction for the next two years, so we spent the last 9 months of our lease delighting in hearing constant loud drilling right on the other side of our bedroom wall from 7:45am every morning till about 3 or 4 in the afternoon. The air conditioning units are constantly going out in various Santee buildings and many of us have had to sweat it out for way longer than appropriate during Los Angeles’s super insane heatwave this year. The office staff tries their hardest to take care of people, but can only do so much.
So … it just wasn’t worth it anymore. The cost of living here keeps escalating in an extreme way yet the quality of life (in my opinion) has gone way way down. I’ll always remember the golden years fondly, but I’m happy to be out.

STAY THE HELL AWAY!!!
Better lofts north, don’t waste your time and money here.
Pros:
–n/​a
Cons:
–Parking is a block away and 6 floors up. LOL.
–Shuttle, that takes you from the parking lot, is only available in a little window of time, if you’re paying $ 2000/​mo, boo, the shuttle better work all hours of the day! The money went to replacing the lobby floors with cheap ugly tile instead of hiring shuttle drivers for round the clock. LOL.
–It is inevitable you will always smell urine and feces.
–Hopefully someone can catch the lazy dog owner who can’t pick up their dog’s sh! t.
–The post man can’t match numbers so you don’t get your own mail 85% of the time, but when it comes to rent notifications, you can be sure to get yours!
–On premiss parking is $ 150/​mo. Or pay $ 5, $ 7, $ 12 (yes $ 12, on the WEEK of Mother’s Day) or whatever they decide to charge for 12 hours. LOL
–Getting the AC fixed during that 100+ degree weather was not a priority to these lovely humans who run this place.
–Neighbors with skid row.
— There is a sign ON the trash door to toss cardboard on the lower level. There are always boxes in front of the chute. Really…
–The 420 friendly people on the same floor can be more courteous to not stinking up the hallway. RUDE.
–Drafty windows.
This is where newbies come when they don’t do research and want something «cool».

This is a mixed review for just the courtyard. As a non-​resident, Santee Court is a great little oasis in Downtown, with little shops and a food court and it is just a generally pleasant place to hang out when I’m visiting friends. My only complaint is that most of the shops close early or aren’t even open on Sundays so I rarely have the opportunity to take advantage of them when I’m visiting friends after work. But all in all, it’s really a please little courtyard.

I lived at Santee Court just short of a year. I would’ve stayed longer but had to move out of state for personal reasons. I wanted to write a review for the management team here. They are fantastic! Someone was always able to answer our questions, helps us with all our issues and generally be awesome to communicate with. Anytime something broke or stopped working, maintenance had it fixed by the end of the day. Santee made it so easy for me to move out by helping me every step of the way. I cannot recommend this place more if just for the management.
The apartments themselves are very beautiful and cool. They come with nice appliances and the bathroom is big! We did experience some roaches, however, they sent over an exterminator and we didn’t see them again. The amenities are mixed. The gym is great, no complaints, but the pool and jacuzzi are pretty small. I’m glad parking is free, but it’s a little annoying it’s in skidrow, although they offer a shuttle to and from the parking lot during the evening.
All in all I really enjoyed living in Santee Court. The stores on the bottom floor are great to have and the people are very friendly. I think that if you can handle the cons (close to skid row, potentially having to use an exterminator from time to time and can deal with loud noises such as sirens and such) you will love living here because there are a lot of pros as well. Good luck!

I moved in about 3 months ago and overall it has been positive.
When I initially started looking, I didn’t even consider Santee Court as an option. I thought it was a little too close to Skid Row and mostly it was just ignorance of Fashion District. I was living over in swanky Financial District and Fashion District was just a little off the radar for me. After looking at several places and leaving unsatisfied, I decided to check out Santee Court and discovered it was actually pretty nice.
Not all buildings in Santee Court are equal. I was first shown a unit the Connell Building which was a bit underwhelming. Then I saw the Santee Building, which are a bit swankier because it was originally built to be sold as condos, so the finishings are nicer and it has an in-​unit W/​D. This was also the first place I toured that had a great view. I thought about it for 24 hours and decided this was the place.
Pros:
— As I said, units have nice finishings, in-​unit W/​D, and a wall of windows facing East.
— Santee Building is in the middle of the block and surrounded by other buildings or parking lots. So while there is some street noise, it’s not as terrible as other places in DTLA.
— Different vibe, seems like there’s more creative types on this side of Downtown than where I came from in the Financial District, which I like. FiDi is kind of bro-​ish and more lawyer and finance types. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but as a creative myself, I like Fashion District more.
— There’s a great little market, a great coffee shop (Coffee Colab), and a few great restaurants (Bronzed Aussie, TBLA, a sushi place I hear good things about) on the same block/​alley. The market has a good beer selection amongst other things, and they sell Tacos on Fri/​Sat.
Cons:
— You would think those concrete floors would be pretty resistant to noise. You would be wrong. I have an upstairs neighbor who spends her whole life in high heels (I assume it’s a she and I assume they are high heels from the sound). She never takes them off and all you can hear is *clunk* *clunk* *clunk* almost any time she’s home. I know exactly where is in her unit at all times. I have a neighbor below me who has a small yappy dog that barks non-​stop when (I believe) the owner isn’t there. It’s not a constant thing that happens all the time, maybe once a week, but it won’t STFU once it starts. I have no problem with dogs, but wow, I’ve never heard a dog bark for hours upon hours like that one. I don’t hear a peep out of my next-​door neighbors so there’s that.
— While parking is totally free (which is unheard of in DTLA), it is offsite and 2 blocks away in Skid Row. It can be inconvenient at times, especially since you also can’t park in front of my building during certain hours without getting a ticket, which is on a dead end on Santee St. If you have a lot of bags and what not you’ll have to walk or come home between 6 – 11 and catch the shuttle. The shuttle is convenient but doesn’t run all the time. Parking adjacent to my building is $ 115 and there’s onsite parking under Santee Court for even more.
— You are on the outer cusp of Skid Row. This doesn’t bother me too much as I don’t get harassed, but my girlfriend has already had a couple of incidents walking to or from the parking garage just in the few months I’ve lived here. If you are moving to the Fashion District, you need to be okay with this.
— While I said that you are somewhat shielded from street noise by not being directly on the street, you still here the sirens of the busiest fire station in all of LA county located just 2 blocks away. It actually isn’t that bad in my building but I assume it’s worse for people who are on 7^th and Los Angeles.
— There’s Santee Court, and there’s Santee Village. Santee Court are the rental buildings and Santee Village are the condos. I have a hot tub connected to my roof that I can’t use because I’m not a Santee Village resident. I have a bike cage in the basement that I can’t use because I’m not a Santee Village resident. The perks of being a homeowner (or somebody who rents from a homeowner) I guess.
— Rooftops closes at 10pm. I assume because of the penthouses on the rooftop.

I’ve been living here for about three months now. I live in the Santee building, which is the tallest building, the building with the fastest elevator, and the only building with in-​unit washers/​dryers.
I’m definitely a fan so far! It’s a nice little community, but not too buddy-​buddy, which is sort of what I was looking for. Okay, so I wasn’t really looking for a community at all (I prefer big city anonymity), but Santee Court manages to be a community without making you feel like you’re trapped. City people will know what I’m talking about.
The leasing office staff is excellent — very friendly, professional, and helpful — and the maintenance staff is quick to address any issues. My building seems to be populated with a mix of artistic types, which is perfect — there’s some noise at night, so I don’t feel terrible when my dogs are barking (I’m a total night owl, so nighttime noise-​complainers are basically my worst enemy). The walls are thick (had to get an extender for my WiFi) but the ceilings/​floors are not. I can hear the dog upstairs running around, which is totally fine with me, but may not be fine with you. People seem to be generally chill overall — nobody is jumping down anyone’s throats about parties or pets making noise or whatnot. That said, if you’re the type of person who wants to live in perfect silence… this may not be the place for you.
Santee Court is right on the edge of Skid Row, but I don’t feel unsafe at all. As I mentioned earlier… I’m a night owl, and I have dogs, so I frequently walk around the area at 3 a.m. Of course, I did grow up in the largest (and probably safest) city in the world, and I’m pretty used to urban environments. Assuming you’re a relatively aware, alert person, you really shouldn’t have any issues. The company does employ «security» guards who do a good job of keeping the inner courtyard area free of homeless people, so there’s also that. I don’t think the security guards have the authority to really do anything about people who are not on the property, however.
All apartments come with one (at least one?) included parking space, which is in a garage about two blocks away. You do walk through Skid Row to get to the parking structure, but like I said… I’ve never felt unsafe. There’s a courtesy shuttle from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. that runs between the parking structure and Santee Court, which is nice if you have a lot of things to carry. There are two Joe’s lots behind Santee Court, which cost $ 100 and $ 115/​month. That’s decent for downtown monthly parking (you can always park on the rooftop of the Flower Market, which is across the street, for $ 50/​month), and it’s super convenient.
Overall, it’s a pretty nice place to live! All of the buildings have rooftop amenities — one building has a pool, one has firepits/​grills, one has a half basketball court — which are kept up nicely. The pool is pretty small, but it’s usually empty during the day (even on weekends). All residents have access to all amenities, no matter which building you live in. The gym is open 24 hours and is honestly the nicest apartment gym I’ve ever seen. There’s also a market and a food court, an Australian meat pie shop, a Korean-​influenced BBQ place, and a decent sushi restaurant on (or basically on) the premises.
One warning for people who are not dog people: Everybody seems to have at least two dogs. Seriously. There are so many dogs here. Which is great for dog owners, but perhaps not so great for non dog owners. The inner courtyard is basically where everybody walks their dogs, and so it can get a little… smelly. People are pretty good at cleaning up after their dogs, but yeah. I don’t know. I wouldn’t sit on the ground out there. And I have two dogs.

I have lived here for 2 years, and have recently begun having some MAJOR issues with the noise levels in the courtyard. It seems that the more popular downtown is getting, the more the courtyard is being used as a children’s playground (think screaming and yelling for hours without break while parents set up their laptop and zone out), a dog park (owners letting their dogs bark incessantly while they catch up with a friend), a weekend kickback spot with blasting music and hoards of people who don’t live here, and worst of all — an outdoor bar. The market in the courtyard sells beer and wine and it has become routine for the same group of people to buy cases and sit in the courtyard drinking, yelling, laughing starting at happy hour and going until 2am almost every Thurs-​Sat. Not sure how it is legal to sit around getting drunk and obnoxious in public, but I’m definitely forfeiting a lot of relaxation time in my apartment — and sanity –in order for them to do so.
There’s also some businesses that rent street level store fronts and for some reason receive /​dispose of shipments through the courtyard. There are a few days a month that sound like i live in a construction site almost the entire day.
There are also a lot of pros to living here, just make sure you do not choose a unit facing the courtyard…
The management is a little disorganized but very professional and pleasant to deal with all of the time.
The grounds are maintained constantly, which I love. I used to live in an SB loft which was a bit of a disaster. The security team is walking around the entire block and courtyard constantly, so I feel pretty safe here and have never had a bad experience of that sort. They are also extremely professional.
I would really like to be able to give my guests a code to work the elevator so i didn’t have to go downstairs each time a friend stopped by or I got food delivered. But I also do understand that’s why it’s very safe.
The gym is 24 hours and very nice /​clean. The pool is maintained properly. The central A/​C works very well. Maintenance requests are responded to promptly. You can set up autopay for your rent through the resident portal.
Overall the place is nice and affordable for downtown, they need to set some noise restrictions or «house rules» though.

Wonderful community and place to call home. Sarah and all the gals in the leasing office are gems! They are so available and on it! They pay attention to the smallest details, which you would hardly expect from a large property like Santee. I have lived here for almost 6 months and I just love it!

I’ve lived at Santee Court for 3 years and I have nothing but amazing things to say. I’ve read the previous posts and yes, the property IS close to skid row. but what Santee Court has to offer totally outweighs any negativity that may come. If something is broken in your unit, they fix it SAME DAY. The gym is always very clean and its HUGE! The leasing office is so friendly and understanding– they really go out of their way to help with any issues you may be having. Most property offices are never there (santee court is there 7 days a week!) and they take forever to fix things in your unit.
I’ve sadly left the dtla area and left my heart with santee court! if you are lucky enough to find a unit here, cheers to your new amazing loft! XX love u santee court!

I lived here for a year. Aside from the great people I met living here you are on skid row. I have seen everything I never wanted to see, people using the sidewalk as a bathroom, smoking crack, shooting up, pimps, hos, pimps beating ho’s etc.
They raise your rent almost 10% when you go to renew your lease and if you want to go month to month it is raised 40%.
Good luck getting your deposit back, the maintenance guy said not to worry they clean all apartments upon move out yet I was charged $ 95 cleaning fee. Also, no one told me they don’t use your auto pay account for the last months rent and I was charged a $ 75 late fee in addition to $ 170 for losing one set of keys. Last time I checked keys cost about $ 3/​each.
Talking to long term residents this place isn’t what it used to be, avoid it.

Will move in soon. But here’s my eval so far:
Tour:
Everyone was really nice. Sabena was the staff member that helped me and she was definitely 5 out of 5 stars. She was very friendly, helpful and informative.
Facilities:
Pretty good size gym. Rooftop pool and lots of interesting spaces up there in general. Has a convenience store at the bottom of the BH building which is a major plus.
Location:
Right smack on downtown. Near skid row but area still felt safe. Seemed more real with the eclectic types of people walking around.
Parking:
Parking structure is about 2.5 blocks away and closer to skid row. I walked there and it seemed fine. Would be sucky if you have stuff to move. But there’s a shuttle that they provide.
Apartment:
I’m moving into the bailey building and I think my space is awesome. The apt in the other buildings seem pretty cool too.
Further evaluation to come once I move in.

Living at the Santee Court gets better and better!
First off, as a renter, the value you get is amazing. Top of the line appliances, free parking spot, and great, well maintained amenities. The community is great and the neighbors are respectful.
The maintenance team is exceptional. I submitted a maintenance request a few days ago for some light bulbs and within 15 minutes someone came and replaced them.
The ladies at the leasing office are also great and super responsive and proactive. This place is fun, affordable, and very clean. they are also super pet friendly!

Santee Court, I love you and I miss you. Leaving you wasn’t my idea – heartbreak’s hangover often includes waking up in a place that isn’t home. And it was my home for a few beautiful years.
My leasing situation was a little different than most of the other reviewers. Santee Village is the condo side of the development and Santee Court the rental side. I rented one of the lofts on the condo side for a couple years until the owners lost the place to foreclosure. Enter the Santee Building and my gorgeous penthouse level Santee Court loft with a big terrace we turned into a tropical paradise, views to Catalina Island on a clear day. Most units didn’t have this but the same view can be had from the rooftops. One of the best things about an industrial space is that you can turn it into a «wow» loft and that’s what our friends said when they came over. Between our 2 lofts there we pimped them out for a music video, a perfume commercial and countless photo shoots.
One of my favorite things to do was the jacuzzi on chilly nights. There were always cool neighbors hanging out by the pool or downstairs in the alley. I’m so grateful for the store. I’d be lazy and the few blocks to Ralph’s would seem terribly far away or I’d be in the middle of preparing a feast for my friends in my Bosch oven (Santee Bldg perk) and realize I HAD to have something. When the gym opened, I dropped my Gold’s membership. Nicest «complex» gym I’ve ever had.
I’d like to address a few things I read in the previous reviews. I also noticed that a few of the whiniest Santee Court Unilocalers have returned to their square states. Good riddens!
–Yes, this complex borders Skid Row. Did you not notice this when you initially came to look? It’s Skid Row 24 hours a day, not just between 2 and 6am. It’s pretty obvious. I kind of miss the woman who used to stand on the corner of 7^th and Los Angeles St at 215am every night and scream for help for about 10 minutes. She did it for about 3 months in 2010.
–Noise: It’s the city for chrissakes. There IS a fire station a block and a half east. After a while I didn’t hear it. At night you’ll hear buses and sometimes trash trucks in the morning.
–Amidst the cafes, galleries, bars, clubs and shops of the Fashion District, Historic Core, Jewelry and Old Bank District are crackheads, whores and various miscellaneous homeless people. You can have an expensive dinner at the Artisan or buy crack a short block away. Welcome to the city. I had some neighbors a couple lofts down who were afraid to go outside at night. «WHY did you move here?» I asked. I often wonder what the thought process is for these people or if they just do zero research before they rent a place. Hint: Walk briskly and aloof as you dream of your stucco over styra-​foam palace in a gated community in Calabasas and you won’t have the problems you’ve been having. Put that «mad dog» on your face and street people think you want to fight.
–Parking: Most rental lofts do NOT provide parking. The garage location is less than ideal at a block and change from your loft. On the plus side, there’s a shuttle that will come to your door if you call them. The bad is that I always operated outside the hours of the shuttle and ended up walking. My story about how secure the garage is: one night I was tired and left my phone and wallet (credit cards, $ 100 cash) on the roof of my Benz. I went back the next day and everything was as I left it. Regarding the walk back and forth: Entertaining street scene but nobody ever threatened me and nothing ever happened. I finally got lazy and rented a space next to the building for 90 (now 100) a month and it wasn’t because I was afraid of some bag ladies and a few crackheads. Bottom line, all the other lofts don’t offer free parking so a high-​tech secure garage on the edge of skid row is a bonus. IF you’re going to buy monthly parking, make sure you go on the 1^st. He runs out of passes.
–Security: I never, EVER saw anything like the incidents described happen in the alley. N E V E R. I’m a night person and would occasionally see a «walking dead» try to enter and security would get rid of them as soon as they set foot in the alley. I saw this maybe twice the whole time I lived there. As crappy as the security guards are paid, those guys have radar and most of them are really cool. The alley is an oasis ²⁴⁄₇
Santee Court has the perfect balance of aesthetic, location and price. I’ll be returning to DTLA soon. I miss the unadulterated space, free of such nastiness as laminate flooring and beigification. Will I go for Santee loft #3? I just might. Santee Court is awesome. Because of the layout, it’s a far friendlier community than typical DTLA loft buildings. I miss being able to walk to the end of the block and buy fabric for all my little projects.

I’m writing this review based on the experience my husband and I had here touring as possible future residents. We loved the look of the apartments based on apartmentguide.com’s photos and the apartments in person did not disappoint. They are beautiful, artful, and oh so very contemporary. And they were in our price range.
But we will not be making Santee Court our home. We called in advance, as I was invited to do via voicemail the day before our touring appointment, for instructions on where to park for the tour as the building is located in the heart of the downtown shopping district of L.A. and their parking structure is about a block and a half away.
So we were instructed by the lady leasing agent over the phone to park in the lot at 7^th and Maple, pay the $ 7, and her exact quote was «I can get your money back for you.» So when our leasing appointment came around, we arrived early at about 3:45 and paid the parking attendant his $ 7. The price changed to $ 3 after 4:00, but we went ahead with the $ 7 since we would get our money back anyway.
We took the tour, our leasing agent was very informative and helpful (not the same agent who had given the parking instructions) and we really liked the place. It was my husband’s favorite building we had looked at so far.
We weren’t ready to make a decision that day, so we left, saying we were definitely interested and we would keep them in mind closer to the date we needed to decide by.
Well, out in the parking lot in which we had been instructed to park, there was no parking attendant to be found and therefore, no way to have our money returned to us. A friendly Santee Court resident was kind enough to inform us that the parking attendant almost always leaves for the day at 4:00 and does not return until the morning. So, my husband went back into the leasing office to explain the situation (nicely, of course, since we thought we might possibly be living there soon) and see about retrieving our money.
The lady leasing agent who had given us the parking instructions (she looked to be in her late 30s or early 40s and had very short, spikey-​ish hair) refused to address the issue and actually had the nerve to say to my husband, «this really isn’t my problem.» We never got our money back, even though we waited for a while longer just to see if the attendant might return. The $ 7 obviously didn’t break us, but I’m sure you can see that this is not the point.
It’s my conclusion — though you can judge for yourself based on the story I’ve presented — that this leasing agent was intentionally deceptive about the parking situation. She knew our appointment was at 4:00 and if one of the residents knew the parking guy left at 4:00, I can’t imagine that she didn’t know as well. I think paid parking for future residents is the only thing they have available and they are not about to let that information leak to potential customers, so they just assure you that you’ll get your parking money back. And if you tour the building before 4:00, I’m sure you do get your money back.
AT BEST: this Santee Court leasing agent was rude and disrespectful to potential customers who had not treated her badly and unwilling to take responsibility for something that was obviously her fault.
AT WORST: this Santee Court leasing agent was intentionally deceptive about the parking as well as rude and disrespectful to customers and unwilling to admit fault.
It really doesn’t matter which is the case. I wouldn’t live in a building run by staff who I know to be rude and disrespectful to customers and residents. And I certainly would not live in a building run by staff who I know to be deceptive.
Seems like Johan T. below also experienced how unethical Santee Court leasing agents can be. …Hmm. I wonder if he was dealing with the same lady we encountered.

So this is hipster meets Skid row (because skid row is your neighbor)…
Thought I’d write an update since almost being here of 6 months:
What I like:
* The residents are amazing. I have never lived in an ‘apartment complex’ (if you even want to call Santee Court that) where everybody is just so friendly & will hold doors open for you. You can tell people take the time to get to know you here & remember your name.
* The $ 1 tacos you can buy every Friday & Saturday. They are the best!
* The market is very handy too, decently priced. They even carry specialty items like food for life gluten free bread & coconut oil.
* The hanging lights are pretty.
* Very clean gym, & it always smells like Febreze in there.
* Security are always friendly.
* Rent is due on the 5^th, which gives you more time.
* The stainless steel appliances are nice.
* Maintenance responds to your requests in a very speedy manner. Out of all places I’ve lived, Santee Court has had the best maintence team.
* Gym is updated & there are free weights.
What needs improvement:
* Parking (pretty sure this is a big one). I just don’t understand why the company can’t provide one (1) parking spot either in the underground parking, or the lot next to the Bailey Hat building. Just doesn’t make sense! I really dread walking through SKID ROW every morning, let me tell ya (that’s where your free parking spot is located). It’s just a joy getting hollered at by homeless people. I also don’t think it’s fair the closer lots are still not very affordable: $ 160 for one underground parking spot (correct me if I’m wrong) & then if you are parking in the Joe’s lot it’s $ 100/​monthly. Also the free parking spot you get locks on Sundays, so without your card, you’re screwed. The door to get access to the stairs *sometimes* works. Card will cost $ 50 for a replacement.
* Recycling bin is located in trash room in the Bailey Hat. It’s nasty & there are flies. & Messy a lot of the time.
*LAUNDRY: You use a stupid card. The machine only accepts $ 5,$ 10,$ 20 bills. Oh & to reload the card the machine is in the Bailey Hat building or the Connell Building.
*The light well located on the 2^nd floor in the Brownstein Louis building is not smoke free. So because I’m on the 4^th floor, smoke travels UP, and through my window!!! I really don’t understand why this place isn’t smoke free. It’s very irritating because there are times I’d like my window open. I’ve talked to the leasing office about this, & their response was ‘can’t do anything about it, since it’s not a smoke free building’.
**** TIP: DO NOT move into units 14,15,16,or 17 in the Brownstein– Louis building. You will have NO privacy because the windows in these lofts face the walkway where people are constantly going in and out to get to the elevator. The view sucks. Window is closed all the time, feels like a cave!
*** TIP #2: Get used to having your feet black, as concrete floors draw dirt (not a surprise) but I figured this isn’t a personal problem with me, as I spoke with other residents who have the same issue. Think about it: you’re dragging bits of skid row into your loft.
BTW yes it’s TRUE your rent will get raised up once your getting near the end of your lease. Which is a bummer.

This is the third Essex property in which I’ve lived, and it is far and away the best of the three. It’s clean and very well maintained. It has an excellent and attentive security staff, and the management and maintenance staff have gone above and beyond.
The courtyard is lovely, with the only real drawback being the dog pad, which gets a bit stinky when the sun is on it. The area can be a little noisy (there’s a fire station right at the corner, and one hears frequent traffic and police helicopters), but to me, this is just the music of city life. Aside from the occasional siren, it’s surprisingly quiet at night. My particular unit seems somewhat sheltered from the worst of the noise.
As other reviewers have mentioned, being snugged up next to Skid Row makes moving around the area at night a little hazardous (I haven’t had the courage to try), but there’s a shuttle during night hours between the parking garage and the building. This offsets the hazard a little bit, but it’s not always available. I walked past some pretty scary characters on Wall a few days ago, and will avoid that route if at all possible from now on. Yikes.
The amenities are fantastic: the property, which is very industrial-​chic, boasts a large and well equipped gym, rooftop pool and recreational spaces, plus some lovely conversation spaces in the courtyard (complete with fire pit and fountain). It’s within walking distance of a supermarket, Gallery Row, LA Opera, and Grand Central Market, and is, of course, right in the thick of the Fashion District.
Those are the perks. What has really stood out to me are two main things: the staff have been incredibly helpful to me, and the apartment seems to be smartly designed – enough power outlets in the kitchen, for example, to be useful to a foodie like me; an ENORMOUS bathtub and mostly well-​designed bathroom (the sink drawers are a lovely visual design but a little impractical). I plan to tweak cabinet spaces, which are huge, with extra shelves and tracks to make things more tidy and accessible. But I’m a freak like that.
This is the best apartment I’ve lived in (I’m in the Santee building), and it’s the best kitchen I’ve ever had, even in homes I’ve owned!

3 stars for an A-​Okay place to live. Everyone wants to live in DTLA now so Santee Court-​Essex can charge an arm and a leg for rent. Is it worth it? I would say yes because of the beautiful gym and cool outdoor spaces. The staff is very attentive also. Whenever I had a maintenance request it was fulfilled within 1 – 2 days. If you live in the Santee Building, they constructed this building quickly so expect to find things wrong with your apartment like the faucet handle coming off all of a sudden or the bathroom drawer constantly falling off. Our kitchen sink was not assembled properly so it kept sinking, literally. Instead of clamping the sink on the bottom maintenance offered to take the sink out and put it over the top. This would be ugly so my boyfriend and I band-​aided the problem by asking to put wooden stilts underneath the sink.
The constant problem I had in the Santee Building was the sink. First the sink was re-​glued. When maintenance fixed this it kept leaking through the garbage disposal. Maintenance had to come back 2 – 3 times within the week to re-​fix the problem.
Again the tenants in Santee Can be annoying because of their dogs. The dogs pee and poop everywhere. Maintenance does a good job cleaning this up, but it get irritating seeing pee and poop around.
When my boyfriend and I moved out of Santee Essex did not rape us on the security deposit. Given our apartment was relatively clean. They charged for one wall painting and cabinet painting. We cleaned the majority of the apartment and they were fair with this.
Tip: If you are a light sleeper I would not live in Santee Village, or at least the Santee Building. The ceiling walls are thing and you can heard a lot of thuds from artists, or dogs barking. Some artists like to play random loud music at any time of the day. I heard Rihana and Bruno Mars songs on repeat constantly.

I’ve lived at Santee Court for almost a year now and it’s been great. I feel especially appreciative of the property managers when I read reviews of other properties downtown and when my BF expresses his frustration with SB Lofts. Philip and Sarah are attentive and issues are addressed right away.
In terms of safety and cleanliness, I think management is making the best of circumstances over which they have no control. I don’t love the fact that I have to walk through some sketchy territory to get to the parking garage, but I do love the fact that parking is included in my rent and that there’s a shuttle in the evenings. I think management would contract with the Joe’s Autoparks lot right outside the complex if they could get a decent rate, but the garage is probably much more economical.
There’s always security walking around the complex, which I appreciate considering the proximity to Skid Row. In terms of cleanliness, the biggest issue is that a lot of dog owners let their pets do their business in the common areas, which I find completely baffling. Really? The rest of downtown already smells like piss. Can’t we have a courtyard that’s relatively free of urine and feces? I have a dog, so I understand the challenges of canine care in an urban environment, but I think people who let their dogs do their thing in the courtyard (outside the Bark Park) are just A) not that smart, B) completely self-​absorbed, or C) immature and not paying attention. Thanks for making the rest of us dog-​owners look bad.
I would also add that despite the fact that there are greasy restaurants, a market, a huge trash room, and who knows how many residents here, I have not seen one roach or rat.
The only thing that concerns me is that my lease is up in December, and there really is no month-​to-​month option. I mean, there is, but your rent goes up about $ 400. And if I want to renew my rent is going up at least $ 100 a month, which hurts.
PROS:
–Apartment is beautiful
–Pet-​friendly
–Parking is included
–Parking is abundant for visitors
–Good management and maintenance staff
CONS:
–There’s a fire station right up 7^th and if you’re east-​facing in the Bailey Hat building, the sirens are frequent and really, really loud
–Since I’m east-​facing, my apartment is basically a green house, which means I have to run the A/​C in January if the sun is shining because it gets so hot in the apartment
–The corner of Maple and 7^th and the area in front of the parking garage are kind of scary
–Dumb dog-​owners, as mentioned above
UPDATE 5÷5÷13
I decided to move out when my lease was up, but the staff was great and I got 100% of my deposit back. I would still recommend Santee Court even though I chose to move to a different part of downtown.