What Living at Sentral DTLA Was Really Like

Today, I want to share my worst living experience in Los Angeles — at Sentral DTLA in the Historic Core of DTLA.

I’ve been counting the days until the end of my lease, and next week, I’m finally moving out.

The problems started around three months after I moved in, when a massive water leak hit the building. Water was literally pouring down from somewhere near the roof like a waterfall. What followed was a month-long “repair process” during which I experienced some of the most blatant violations of privacy and incompetence I’ve ever dealt with.

To begin with, many of the workers who entered my apartment behaved as if it were their own home. Most of them didn’t speak English at all. Sometimes they opened the door without even knocking first. Yes, there were notices saying workers would be entering units — but basic respect should still exist. They placed industrial drying machines inside my studio apartment that ran 24/7. Every single day, I was told, “Tomorrow they’ll remove them.” Tomorrow turned into more than a week. Because they kept lying to me, I stayed in the apartment instead of contacting my insurance company to request hotel coverage. Had they been honest from the beginning, I would have left immediately.

It got worse.

Not only did they repeatedly bring notices less than 24 hours in advance, which already violated proper procedure, one day they simply entered without notice at all. My apartment is a studio — the bed is practically right next to the entrance door. I was in bed, naked, with a guy, when they suddenly opened the door and walked in. That situation was eventually “resolved” with financial compensation after days of back-and-forth emails with management. And let’s be honest: they only agreed to compensate me because they wanted to avoid an official complaint I was fully prepared to file.

Then came the internet issue.

The building required residents to use their internet service through management. I paid for 1000 Mbps internet for six months but was only receiving around 500 Mbps. When I contacted the provider directly, I was told the building itself was limiting the speed. After long negotiations, management eventually reimbursed me for six months of payments.

After that, my car was scratched multiple times in the parking garage because management allowed oversized vehicles — including Cybertrucks — to park in compact spaces. The first time I complained, I was told action would be taken if it happened again. The second time, they suddenly claimed there was “nothing they could do” because technically the vehicle wasn’t crossing into my parking spot — despite the fact that it clearly did not fit into its own space. In other words, they lied the first time just to dismiss me. Eventually, I had to change parking spaces entirely. The parking structure is managed by a different company, but honestly, they weren’t any better.

Two months before the end of my lease, management offered me a renewal, which I declined. They then demanded that I submit an official notice within 72 hours. Seventy-two hours. As if tenants are expected to make a final decision about renewing their lease two months in advance. Legally, thirty days is standard — not this kind of pressure tactic. In the end, I submitted my notice later anyway, around a month and a half before the lease ended, fully within the proper timeframe.

My lease was for 13 months and ends on May 29. Under the agreement, I was supposed to receive a monthly discount of over $400 as long as my payments were made on time — which they always were. Yet for the final month, management charged me for a full 30 days and removed the discount entirely. When I contacted them, they corrected the extra day charge but completely ignored the discount issue. Only after multiple emails and repeated visits downstairs to the front desk did they finally return the money to my account days later.

And speaking of emails — the only way to get anyone to respond in that building is to send the same message to six different email addresses at once. Otherwise, you can wait forever.

Then came the pre-move-out inspection.

Then came the pre move-out inspection. A worker came into my apartment and immediately stated that I would be charged for cleaning and repainting the entire apartment — and I mean the ENTIRE apartment — no matter what. He also said that if they found anything else during move-out, I would be additionally charged for that as well. This is despite the fact that he never actually conducted an inspection. He walked into the apartment, said all of this, and never even came close to the walls. At first, it didn’t immediately occur to me that they legally couldn’t do that. When I contacted management, they told me that according to the inspection results, the entire apartment needed repainting. I asked based on what exactly. Why? I asked the same question multiple times. And do you know what they kept replying to me? “If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out.” I had just asked a question that nobody answered several times. They simply ignored it completely. I’m still going to deal with this during move-out. I already warned them that I will fully document the condition of the apartment, and if they try to charge me more than they legally should, I’m not going to let it slide. They’ve seriously put me through a lot of stress while living here.

But somehow, it still wasn’t over.

Just a few days ago, another incident happened.

It was 9 a.m. I was asleep when someone started aggressively ringing my doorbell. I woke up terrified, my heart pounding, confused and half asleep, trying to understand what was happening and where my clothes were. Then the door opened while I was standing directly in front of it wearing nothing but panties — which is how I normally sleep. There had been no notice, no emergency, nothing that legally justified entering my apartment. When I demanded an explanation, the worker didn’t speak English either. He typed into a translator app that he had been told there was a water leak in my unit.

Of course, I filed another complaint.

Management apologized and claimed they had “mixed up the apartments.” But confusing apartments does not justify illegally attempting to enter someone’s home. Only on the third day did another employee finally respond appropriately and offer a small financial compensation.

None of these compensations come close to covering the stress I experienced while living here.

And the only reason they even agreed to compensate me at all is because I installed cameras inside my apartment and had video evidence of everything. I originally installed those cameras because workers were constantly entering my unit during the repair period as if boundaries simply did not exist. Imagine that: three cameras inside a tiny studio apartment because I no longer felt safe in a supposedly “luxury” building with security and concierge services.

Every worker seems to have access to apartment entry codes — or at least that’s how it feels. Whether it’s technically true or not, the result is the same: I constantly felt unsafe. Hundreds of strangers potentially knowing how to enter your home is not exactly a comforting thought.

And beyond the management issues, everyday life there was miserable too.

People constantly smoked on balconies despite it being prohibited in the lease. I counted at least six nearby apartments doing it regularly. Noise after 10 p.m. was common — both from balconies and from the shared grill and pool area located down on the 7th floor beneath my balcony, despite the fact that the area was supposed to close at night. The ventilation is terrible. If someone in a neighboring apartment smoked or cooked something strong, the smell immediately filled my own unit. Opening the balcony door made it even worse, as if all the air from the building somehow circulated directly outside the windows.

The lease itself was filled with endless rules and restrictions. It literally specified how often residents were expected to take out trash. Candles weren’t even allowed inside the apartment. I read the lease before signing and genuinely thought I could live with those rules. But over time, combined with the constant disregard for my privacy and rights, it became suffocating.

I honestly don’t understand how some people stay there longer than a year.

At this point, I’m simply counting the days until I leave.