Consider Moving to DTLA

by Lanie Brice ‘24

If you haven’t figured out your housing for next semester, you might be feeling panic or anxiety. With groups of roommates signing leases before the fall semester is over for the following year to get the prime apartments, it’s easy to feel swept up in making rash, impulsive choices in the name of having housing for next year. But the housing situation around USC is pretty bleak. There are a few major companies that seem to own all the available apartments and houses. They all offer unfavorable terms, sky-high pricing, and a slew of bad reviews on Yelp.

After three years at USC navigating housing myself and hearing horror stories from friends, it generally seems like the massive companies as well as individual landlords who rent in the area take full advantage of the fact that college students don’t know their rights and likely won’t do much about poor maintenance response, badly maintained buildings, and unfair lease clauses.

Eventually, I got tired of this and decided to take matters into my own hands. I wasn’t going to find a place I felt good about around USC. It was time to look farther afield. Since I don’t have a car in LA and can’t imagine driving here, that restricted the places I could look, but luckily, USC is right on the border of downtown LA, and the E Line has multiple stops convenient to USC and all parts of DTLA. My mom was actually the one who suggested I try apartment hunting in the highrises that are a ten minute drive from campus, and she couldn’t have had a better idea. 

Many of the USC students I talk to are shocked when they hear that I live in DTLA and are always curious about what it’s like. So now that I’m graduating, here are my reasons I’ve lived in DTLA for the majority of my time at USC and loved it here!

You’re Treated Like Any Other Tenant 

Renting is inherently annoying. There will be ways you feel scammed or taken advantage of in the best rental situations, but I have felt this rage much less since moving to Downtown. I’ve found that buildings are much better maintained here and that getting any issues that do arise fixed has gone much smoother. Instead of waiting weeks for issues to be addressed, maintenance issues get resolved in days or sometimes the same day. Many of the DTLA buildings have on-site maintenance crews that help problems get resolved faster. Common spaces are typically better maintained as well. I also have found that they follow rules about giving proper notice on entry to your apartment much more readily, and it’s easier to negotiate how many months your lease will last. There’s also often great move-in concessions that help lower the rent prices. 

It’s Still Expensive, But You Get More For Your Money

Don’t get me wrong, LA is a staggeringly expensive place to live. USC prices are inflated because students want to live near campus whereas Downtown typically offers lower prices compared to other areas in LA because it’s seen as less desirable than other areas of LA like the West side or Culver City. While many buildings around USC are pretty rundown, you can get a similarly priced new, modern unit in DTLA for the same price. Especially if you have a roommate to split the rent with, you can find some great deals on much nicer spaces. Additionally, all of the high-rise buildings in DTLA offer gyms, pools, common work spaces, dog runs, and more as a part of your rent. 

Everything You Want is in Walking Distance 

As someone who wanted to live in New York but ended up in LA, DTLA helps me pretend I’m in New York. I don’t have a car, so having everything I could want in walking distance has made my life so much easier than when I lived on campus. There are a few major shopping complexes including Fig and 7th, which has a Sephora, a much larger and better equipped Target, clothing stores, and food options, and the Block which has a Macy’s, Uniqlo, Paper Source, and Dry Bar. Beyond that, there is a Whole Foods and a Ralphs, a Walgreens and CVS, an Urban Outfitters, The Last Bookstore, an Apple Store, and many more individual shops dotted around the neighborhood. Then there’s the awesome restaurants from sitdown sushi to fast casual like Tocaya and SweetGreen. 

The Train Is Free

This recent perk makes living in DTLAis  just as affordable when it comes to transportation as living in walking distance of campus. In the last few semesters, there has been a transportation fee on your tuition bill that comes in at around $100. While that also covers Shryft, which you won’t be able to take advantage of to get home if you live in DTLA, the fee will get you a free metro card. Instead of paying $1.75 each way, those fees will be on USC, and that particular school fee will actually pay off in the long run. While taking the E line to campus does make the commute longer than driving, you can save tons of money by not taking your car to campus (or having one in general), and it makes living in Downtown super accessible even if you don’t have a car. You’re actually better off not having one in this hyper-walkable neighborhood. There are 3 E line stops in the main portion of DTLA as well as ones in the Historic Core and Little Tokyo that are a bit farther from USC, so the world is your oyster while still offering an easy commute.

(Still thinking about this corgi I met on the train!)

If you do need to Uber back from campus for any reason, prices range from $10-$20 depending on how busy it is when you’re looking for a ride.

You Get to Experience a New Part of LA 

I often hear that after a while, campus feels isolated and a bit limiting. Living in Downtown means that you’ll experience a totally different environment on a day to day basis. You can chill on the campus lawns and then explore the awesome restaurant scene near your apartment. There are so many great events, things to do, and places to visit in DTLA. Moving to Downtown offered me a greater sense of work-life balance since I could detach from school on the train ride home. 

Also, I know that DTLA can seem intimidating from the outside, but there are so many unique neighborhoods within it that you’re sure to find your place. The area by LA Live is a bit less dense but full of activity from the Crypto Arena and entertainment block. South Park is right in the heart of the shopping and food offerings making everything truly accessible right out your front door but also having a more chaotic feel. Up the hill in Bunker Hill, where I moved for my senior year DTLA apartment, there’s a much quieter, more relaxed feeling as the area is full of office buildings, art museums, and government buildings. This means it’s sleepier when it comes to food and entertainment options, but it’s also much calmer. Go explore the various neighborhoods and see what speaks to you!  

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