Broadcast Center Apartments

After retiring for three years in Thailand, I decided it was time to come back to the United States. I found the Broadcast Centre Apartments in Los Angeles, landlord *** Park Limited Partnership. Upon signing my lease, I was not aware of the trouble yet to come. On June 4th, I paid my rent by debit card which unbeknownst to me, was charged a $72 service fee. When I asked the Leasing Office Staff about it, I was told that they were sorry no one explained it to me prior and did not refund the charge. This is when I started to notice poor business practices.

Roughly a month after moving in, management began talking about adding a washer/dryer in each unit, as well as a closet to house the units. This was going to be done in the second bedroom, taking up a significant amount of square footage in the apartment. I had expressed multiple times I did not want this done, but was told the closet enclosure for the washer and dryer was mandatory with or without the appliances. Along with expressing my concerns for the installation, I had general questions about what was being done and when it would take place, which were silenced with 'Don't worry about it, ***!? and I was repeatedly told to be patient. A month later, in July, I had finally received the schedule and each unit was expected to take 1 week to 10 days to finish, mine being scheduled for August 13th, 2018.

Upon receiving the schedule, I had again informed the property management that I did not want the want the washer and dryer. When going down, I went to view the 'Model Unit? which brought to my attention that they intended to install a stacking washer and dryer which I cannot reach the top of. Upon making the management aware that this was unrealistic, they had suggested I use a step stool ? I am a 70 year old woman, and that is not safe for me to do, upon telling them this I was essentially told I would have to 'figure it out.'

To make matters worse this mandatory installation was also going to increase my monthly rent by approximately $130+/- for the new washer & dryer, which I explicitly expressed that I did not want.

My complaints and refusals did not stop them ? they appeared at my apartment ready to install the closet and the appliances.

As an elder widow I felt completely hopeless ? I had thrown my hands up in the air. I couldn't stop them any more. Construction had begun. Monday through Friday, 8am to 6pm, there were multiple workers throughout my home.

I was told there would be a 'little dust? and a 'minor inconvenience? with construction going ? my entire apartment was full of dust. They had cut a hole in my ceiling in the living room, and during the day my living room and kitchen were entirely blocked off.

I asked for temporary relocation assistance and they were to no avail. I told management that I do not have friends or family in the area, and that with my bladder condition, I need to have access readily available to a bathroom. Their solution was for me to spend the 10 days of construction in the apartment complex's recreation room, which was to hold 60 people and 1 bathroom. For the first week, I packed my lunch (although residents were not allowed to use the refrigerator), brought my laptop down, and set up in the recreation room. If I had to make lunch in my apartment, the workers would have to cut the plastic away from my kitchen for me to be able to prepare food.

Each day after they would leave, I would go home and not recognize where I was ? there was dust everywhere, and furniture would be moved around to the point I could not lift on my own.

After the construction had started, I noticed mold in my water heater closet located on the patio. I requested the last mold inspection report from management; however, they did not provide one. They had sent maintenance up and I was told that it was 'dirt.? I know what mold looks like, so I privately hired a third party mold inspector, 'Mold Inspection Sciences, Inc.? which cost me over $700 to verify the information I already knew ? there was mold in my water heater closet and had likely spread to the adjacent wall, which was my living room.

Towards the end of the first week, there was evidently a lot of work left to do. My son had returned from an overseas business trip to come home to the disaster I had been put in by the landlord. He was livid and in utter shock of the conditions they have left me in ? from this point we had immediately sent written notification to the Broadcast Center Management that they did not have permission to enter my apartment under CA Law. The e-mail was ignored, and the 'Do Not Enter? signs that I put on the door were removed and construction persisted.

After a couple of weeks of this going on, I was essentially forced out of my home after many attempts at mediation. I immediately rented a moving truck and moved to a new apartment, essentially forcing me to terminate my lease.

I have leased an apartment at the Broadcast Center for 2 years and I have been happy until recently when they informed me, against my will, that they will need to install a washer and dryer in the unit. This process will take 3+ weeks and I would not have access to my apartment Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 6pm - However I am expected to pay the same in rent. This is a major inconvenience as It prohibits my ability to work from home and stay home during the week at my discretion, which I feel is in direct violation of a common lease. There are big gaping holes on the ceiling and I feel that I could be inhaling toxic or unhealthy chemicals that live in between the floors. I constantly find dust from the drywall and from the construction crew that invade my apartment everyday. I find this unacceptable and unethical to put their lessees through this in order to charge more for rent.