Pacific Electric Lofts

The management is terrible and unresponsive. They used to be on site, but are now remote and do not respond to emails. The building itself is also incredibly dirty, mostly because the people that live there are incredibly rude and let their dogs poop in the halls. There are roaches and rats. Also packages/ other items are constantly stolen. No idea how this building has such a high rating considering all the reviews in the past 5 years are 1 star.

The downsides to the building are as follows: Irresponsible pet owners, cheap appliances, over crowded parking, constant raucous parties and inconvenient movie shoots inside the actual building. Oh yeah, and the neighborhood is seriously dodgy. I grew up living in the city and have considered myself pretty street-savvy but with the rash of violence recently downtown and the proximity to Skid Row, people who scare easily should stay far away from the PE Loft & females DO NOT go out alone around the building at night. (Side note about the location: the entire block smells like urine CONSTANTLY. Don't stand outside on the corner for too long or you might have to hurl). Parking - OK the parking situation is terrible. It absolutely SUCKS. $150 bucks a month to park in the lot is ok.....except there is never parking as the building lets the public pay & park (greedy) they care more about making money that the people who live in & the building & pay to park in the building. You shouldn't plan on bringing guests and parking in this lot either because its 25 bucks for overnight fee. Parking downtown is always a hassle and its one of the worst parts of living in this area. drugs everywhere - I know it legal but there are some people who don't want to smell drugs in the carpark, in the elevator, in the corridor. Wall are thin, constantly disturbed when trying to sleep

I give up with this building. I have an electric vehicle, there a charging stations within in the building this is partly why I chose this building. Unfortunately the building allows anybody to just park in the electric charging spots without using the electrical outlet and because they are right next to the access door to elevators they are always taken (there are signs that the spots should only be used for electric charging but not enforced so people of course people take advantage & just park there). This obviously causes problems because I cannot charge my vehicle... Without a charge my vehicle does not work... I cannot get to work...so I'm completely stuck. I have to go up and down from my apartment again and again in the vein hope that one of the spots will be free so I can charge my vehicle to get to and from work. It's exhausting. I've emailed and contacted the building numerous times about this and they just don't care so now I'm at the point where I either have to change my vehicle or break my lease to leave the building to get somewhere new, which is a nightmare as you can imagine.

This building is dirty and dangerous. Do not waste your time with the most unprofessional staff. The Cecil hotel is nextdoor & they seem determined to be the next Cecil hotel. No wonder they have 20 open apartments & have to offer months of free rent because of the amount of people moving out. All of the people I know in the building can not wait to get out of contract to find a new decent place to live which is not a dirty & dangerous place to live. When I moved into my apartment there were roaches all over -  exterminator came on the first day and put down roach traps? I literally would find roaches crawling out of piping and walls. unbelievable. There are rats in the carpark, big rats. This building has an infestation! I knew I would see these things being in downtown LA, but not to this extent. I also thought management would be more on top of these issues but they are not they do not care - all they care about it your money. Parking is a nightmare - my car has been broken into twice. While I like dogs, people's pets pee and poop in the hallways, and I've seen pee remain on the floor for days at a time. The trash chutes are often blocked and sometimes the lights in the trash rooms don't come on so people can't use the chutes.

I was lured into this building for the charming atmosphere and beautiful views of downtown. This was the ideal place for me to open my business as I work from home. I was there only two months when the problems began. The management informed all of the tenants that they were commencing an invasive renovation project scheduled to begin withing 60 days. Their plan was to have the tenants occupy their units as construction was taking place. Immediately our town hall meeting irrupted with dissenting opinions. Many of the tenants, including myself, operate businesses out of their units and cannot have construction interrupting or damaging their operations. Additionally there are disabled and elderly tenants who require special equipment and assistance for living. All of these concerns would be alleviated if the management company was willing to accommodate and or compensate their tenants for the inconvenience. When asked about this the company's response was that there would be no such compensation of any kind nor would they allow anyone to break their lease. Furthermore they would be increasing the rent of each unit by $150.00 a month for a project not asked for. Meanwhile only 2 of 8 elevators work at any given time. Only one of which has the security fobs working. Security is woefully understaffed, resulting in frequent intrusions by the homeless and criminals. Bikes are stolen again and again. Recently a homeless man was found sleeping on a balcony after breaking in and stealing a bottle of vodka from a tenant's residence. When confronted about issues the company's response has been dismissive and sometimes inappropriate. In one case a resident asked to break his lease to avoid the construction project. He was told "I'll see you in court." by a staff member. Additionally they plan another 6 month construction project, which will render the amenities useless, beginning shortly. Their solution has been to raise tenant's rates so high that renewing your lease is impossible. I've seen many of my new friends and neighbors leave because of this. Our community, which is quite close, is being torn apart by this faceless corporation. Do not move here.

PE Lofts is a totally solid choice for a studio in the downtown LA area. The prices are comparative/reasonable for the area, and it's walking distance (less than five minutes) to the best bars and restaurants around DTLA (and on the same block as Cole's and Semi Sweet Bakery). The rooftop pool is gorgeous and has fantastic views of downtown. The roof especially is very well maintained and kept nice with fireplaces, barbecues, and a dog run. Security and maintenance is awesome and will help you on the spot. The lofts themselves have high windows and ceilings (maybe 11 feet at my estimate?) and get a lot of light, even the ones facing inside towards the rest of the building.

I've been a Pacific Electric Lofts resident since it opened its doors in 2005, the year it turned 100. Its beautiful Beaux Arts architecture and its potent place in Los Angeles history were powerful magnets for this native New Yorker; after 12 years in a post-and-beam on top of Mt. Washington, I craved the Manhattan experience of my first 23 years. The renovation wasn't finished when I moved in, but I didn't care...I was an enthusiastic pioneer at the vanguard of the DTLA renaissance, and I'd found my comfort zone. There's a rooftop patio and pool that rivals any high-end hotel...a dog run for my precious pooch...a well-appointed fitness room I really should use more often...and an exceptional team of security guards who make me feel safe at home. As of this writing, I have lived through 2 owners and 9 management regimes; under those circumstances, my loyalty to this landmark speaks for itself. There's only one other building in the expanding sea of Downtown Los Angeles residences to which I'd move, if necessary (I won't say which, but it's just as iconic as mine)...and I'd only live there because it's in a better section of DTLA than PE Lofts, which is still at the very nasty effect of being on the western border of Skid Row. In the 10 years I've called the Old Bank District in the Historic Core my home, I've seen many desirable changes to the neighborhood...but there are simply some conditions that won't change with cosmetic gentrification. They must, though...in the interest of the residents in the buildings AND the denizens in the streets. I'm exceptionally lucky to live in my lovely little loft overlooking 6th and Main...and the view of those who are not so lucky reminds me every day.