University Gateway

I’ve lived at Gateway for the last year. So far, so good! Management does their best to maintain and are always super quick to get things done! They like to throw resident events each month. free food works for me! Waiting on my roommates but plan to renew for my last year!

The outside may look good. The lobby may look good. The rooms may look decent, but the staff and everything else that operates within Gateway is terrible. Half the time, you will get cold showers. The staff members have terrible attitudes and throw your package around like they just don’t care. The only time they are ever nice is when your being in the check for rent. The fire alarm goes off every 5 days or so and most of the time it is at 4am. When a student has a hectic schedule and study time, 4am fire alarms are just unacceptable. The staff constantly knocks on your door to annoy you about renewing your term for next year. Sometimes they will constantly knock on your door and just barge in without permission just to ask if they can do maintenance.
Overall, living at Gateway has been a hell for me this whole year. I will never return.

After living at gateway for almost 2 years now, I can say that it has mostly been a negative experience caused by the staff. Today was the last straw. Our microwave had been broken for 2 weeks and it was just replaced today however it was not done so without a mess from the staff (see attached photos). Every time I have tried to call gateway there is never any answer and they do not return calls despite the fact that the answering machine says to leave a message. This year, gateway decided to raise the price of parking from $ 100 to $ 175 and if you want someone to come visit you forget it because gateway will make sure they pay top dollar just to park in the garage for a few hours. There are a few security guards that are super nice but there are also one or two that are completely rude and I have received multiple complaints about them from other residents as well. The only good thing about gateway is the location

I’ve been a resident at Gateway for about a year and a half or so. I would definitely say there are perks living so close to campus, which was the access to the 24 hour fresh and easy, and being in the middle of all the restaurants and to the row as well. The rooms are big if you don’t have a roommate but at least its spacious enough if you do have a roommate and can get along.
The gym is rather small, and I prefer going to school, but if you’re looking for a light cardio then the gym downstairs is a great option. They have printers in the study room near the lobby but beware because they don’t work some times.
I’ve had bad and good experiences with gateway, but they overall are doing what they can with the resources given to provide as much accommodation to their residents. If they were staffed a little more, and had better equipment, I think they would be able to finish service requests more quickly, and other miscellaneous things. The workers are nice, and if you book appointments to see management, I do think they can help. Their are downfalls to living here, but for the convenience of being near school it is a place to consider living at. Their’s subway, blaze, cream, and hopefully a supermarket down below.

AMAZING! I love the staff that works there! They are so nice, great with answering all of my questions and most importantly, they make me feel right at home. They have a study room with Mac computers, a gym and a nice view of DTLA on the roof top. fresh and easy is down stairs too ! USC up the street and Starbucks around the corner ! Can’t beat it, gateway is the way to go !

***update
Michelle, the executive manager gave me a reasonable solution after I reached out to her and she compensated for my lost packages. I believe gateway will get much better under her management. Feel free to reach out to her if you have issues. She’s responsive and professional.
Gateway is the worst ever! There is an agent called Danita and she’s so bitchy about everything. I used to live there and I just moved out. But two of my packages were still at the package room at gateway. I called the carriers as she suggested and the carriers told me my packages are still at gateway and are not returned to them. I asked them to check the packages again and she said the packages are not there. I want to speak to other more reasonable people but she called the security and ask me to exit the building otherwise she’s calling the police!!! Wth!!! I can’t believe this is happening. I’m here to get my packages and I’m not even allowed to enter the common area which everyone is allowed to be at. And I was resident who lived here for two years before! I didn’t do anything illegal but just here to get my package. They don’t want to assume the responsibility and don’t even allow me to stay in the lobby. A good management should be responsible and helpful. I’m really disappointed at gateway at this point. I just emailed the manager Michelle and hopefully she will give me a solution regarding this issue.
Please return my packages and seriously fire this irresponsible agent called Danita. Some agents there are nice. But I guess it’s just a bad day that she’s the only one who’s in the mailing office when I try to get my package and no one else is there.

1 star is being generous. Grossly incompetent is being charitable. Easily the worst-​run and managed place I’ve ever had the misfortune to step foot in, the only reason to live here is for the convenience.

BEWARE of this place. They will cheat you. I could go on and on about the rude, arrogant and mostly worthless staff, the abysmal conditions of the common areas, the lack of response to broken appliances and their sneaky billing practices, but I have wasted enough time on these jokers. DON’T live here, you will regret it and get ripped off in the process.

The network in study room was broken for more than 3 month. The coffee machine stop work frequently. The internet in the apartment is slow and shuts down frequently. The fake fire alarm can ring at 2 am.
When you move out, they will find every damege they can find to charge you,.even the damage was there when you move in.
Do not live here.

If I could give this place negative stars I would
I’m going to break my review into 2 parts because thats how many complaints I have
Part 1: The management from Hell
This place has the potential to be a very apartment complex. Unfortunately the management here is literally filled with horrible people who do not give a shit (excuse my language) about any of the residents once they have signed a lease.
You will literally and I mean literally not figuratively have to threaten to sue them actually start the process to get them to treat you with even the smallest amount of respect that someone who actually lives there and pays rent deserves.
If you think I’m exaggerating keep reading.
My problems all started about 9 months after I had started living there. Right about the time that spring semester ended and most people had moved out for the summer. My roommates had left and since I was interning in LA for the summer I was in the apartment by myself. I got a notice on the door that gateway would be entering the apartment to inspect the apartment and clean the empty room. Okay whatever I was fine with that. What I was not fine with was the fact that they entered my apartment multiple times without knocking before hand. One time I was trying on outfits in the living room because my full length mirror was there and well because I was living alone and I can do what I want in my apartment. So yes random people saw me half naked. Other times they entered they broke things, made huge messes, and left my oven on. Oh and one time they entered and painted without giving me notice before hand so I literally could not be in my apartment for the rest of the day because of the paint fumes. Imagine coming home from a long day of work and finding out you can’t stay because paint fumes are giving you a migraine.
What did management do when I complained? Absolutely nothing. They said they were «so sorry» and they wouldn’t enter without clearing it with me before hand any more. Did it stop? no… that’s where the threatening to sue came about.
The worst person of them all is Michelle the executive director… she will will to your face tell you she is sorry and that it will never happen again and keep doing what she has always been doing.
In addition they will lose your packages, charge you for completely random things, mess up your accounts and claim you haven’t paid for things that you actually did and have proof of, take 3 months to fix the simplest work orders, and go out of their way to be extremely unhelpful and unresponsive to phone calls and emails.
Like all the previous reviews have stated its nearly impossible to talk to anyone unless you track them down and threaten to sue or actually do,
But wait there’s more!
Part 2: The Amenities that never work or are just plain terrible
Don’t be fooled by what the leasing agents tell you about all the «wonderful amenities»
— The apartments themselves are tiny. It would be okay for 2 people but 4 people hardly fit and for the price you are paying combined you could afford and actual luxury apartment downtown with 24 hour concierge who will bend over backward to accommodate you because they actually realize that you are paying for their salaries.
— The gym NEVER has AC on so it always smells like dirty laundry and sweat and is so muggy that it is impossible to breath let alone work out in.
–The free printer and coffee machines are always broken or out of paper/​coffee so good luck trying to use those
–The one site parking is an absolute nightmare. Factor in an extra 15 – 20 minutes to your drive time because you have to wind down 6 stories because resident parking doesn’t actually start until the 6^th floor. There’s also always some idiot who didn’t validate their parking from the shops below blocking the only exit while they argue with the parking enforcement people.
–The pool. Its only 3 feet deep… Also theres only about 1 hour of sun around 12 because of the way the building is angled so if you’re free at the time I guess you can use it.
–The study rooms wifi is worse than USC wireless. They always have chairs missing and are 1000 degrees because you can’t control the AC

Whatever terrible things you’ve heard about Gateway management are 100% true. I had problems before I even moved in, and dealing with the ridiculous incompetence that is their management on a daily basis is so frustrating.
They don’t care about your requests, they’re extremely understaffed, and whatever staff they do have is completely useless and untrustworthy. You’ll be told 5 different things from 4 people, and none of it will be right.
Save yourself a year of trouble and live anywhere else.

Management at Gateway is terrible. I lived here for a year and had never had so much trouble. I would not recommend it to anyone.
— The hallways are always dirty, there was constantly trash thrown around.
— We spent two weeks without hot water at our apartment, and management did not do anything to try and get it fixed.
— The lighting at the apartments is terrible. Because of the construction of the building there is almost no natural light throughout the day, and then at night the apartments barely have any lighting themselves.
— Packages were constantly misplaced and getting lost.
— Management gets increasingly inefficient throughout the year. At first theyre super nice, but as soon as you sign your lease it’s all downhill from there.
Honestly, don’t make the mistake I did and live somewhere else. Prices are inflated because its next to campus, but the extra minutes of commute are worth it for living somewhere else.

Just moved our daughter in yesterday. Her shower doesn’t drain and their response is «you’re on the list and it should be fixed by Tuesday.» I know in the whole scheme of things this not a crisis, but what we are paying in rent, this is annoying (I guess we should have taken a sower before she unpacked).

Stay away!
The only advantage to living here is the distance to campus.
The disadvantages are numerous. They have been stated before such as the constant fire alarms, dirty apartments, and lack of working security doors and parking fiascos.
The management is honestly the worst. They will not hesitate to gouge you for your money at any given moment.
I was fined a move out fee because I was locked into the building and couldn’t move my belongings out.

The management people here are HORRIBLE. I did know they have a bad reputation before I move in, but what I did not know is they are EVEN WORSE. Gateway did not even give back my deposit when I move out, because they said they need to charge «cleaning fees».
A give one star to the security guards, because they really work hard.

To people who are considering University Gateway,
Here are the Pros and Cons of this establishment based on my experiences:
Pros:
1. Location: This is probably the main reason people live here. It’s close to campus and there are many useful vendors like Fresh & Easy or CVS.
Cons:
1. Management: University Gateway is very understaffed. This is probably the origin of many other problems. Furthermore, some of the staff are unresponsive and clueless. I did have a couple of good experiences, but there were moments when two workers gave two different answers to the same question. Also, they are sometimes just not there when you need them. I once had to wait 15 minutes to pick up a package.

2. Thin Walls: There is literally no privacy. If people are talking in the living room, you will be able to hear everything they are saying. When your suite-​mate blasts music in his room, you and other rooms around him will be able to share his musical tastes. That’s how bad it is. If your room is near a party, you’re going to have a very unpleasant experience.

3. Slow Service Requests: My room’s lock was on the wrong side of the door when I moved in. Basically, a naughty friend could lock me up inside my own room. After I turned in a service request, it took Gateway around 3 weeks to fix it. If one of the machines break in the public laundry room, you’re probably going to have to wait a very long time. Someone ripped off the laundry door on my floor and it took around 3 – 4 months to get it fixed. The only time I got a quick response was when my ceiling was leaking. Apparently, the people who lived above me left water on in their bathroom and flooded the entire apartment. I wonder how much they got fined.

4. Unhygienic: My room’s carpet has multiple stains. I’m guessing the people who lived before me were very clumsy or intoxicated. I hope it’s the former. Also, there are remnants of lasagna in the oven. It was there before I moved in, so I don’t know how old it is. I don’t know why Gateway didn’t clean this out. Furthermore, there is occasionally vomit in the hallways and weird liquid in the elevators. The trash disposal room is very disgusting. I guess that’s normal for apartments. However, when irresponsible people just chuck their trash and block the door from closing, the whole hallway smells awful. Laundry rooms are filthy most of the time.
5. Irritations: There were around five instances when I did not have hot water in the morning. It really helped me obtain my fastest showering record! Humans can achieve incredible things when put into extreme circumstances. Those days were probably the only days I was fully awake for morning lectures. Thanks Gateway! Other than unpleasant showers, there were also multiple cases of fire alarms going off at night, which ruined everyone’s beauty sleep.
6. Parking/​Driving: If you happen to drive, you’re probably going to have some bad moments in Gateway. First four floors of the parking structure is reserved for the vendors’ customers. Most of these spaces are vacant most of the time, so it’s a complete waste. This also means that resident parking starts on fifth floor. It takes ages to get from ground floor entrance to the resident parking entrance. Due to this, some people get really impatient and drive really fast in tight corners. There were multiple instances when I almost collided with these people. Also, you’re probably not going to find a parking spot on the floor you live.
I can’t really give any reviews of the amenities Gateway provides, because I never really used them. However, based on evaluations of people who lived in Gateway, I’m pretty sure they are below-​average. If you’re all in for convenience, Gateway may be the place for you. Yet, I’m pretty sure your experiences will be similar to mine. I just hope it’s not as bad. Is this place livable? Yes. Did I enjoy it? No. Is it worth the money you pay? Definitely not. I just hope that Gateway won’t fine me for something I was not responsible for. With my lowered standards, I am pretty sure I am going to have a better experience in Ellendale, even though it’s kind of far from campus. Time to invest in a bike!

This is my second review of what a bad choice living in this place is:
1. I signed the lease for a specific amount, and the leasing consultant assured me that I would pay that amount for the entire period of my lease. Last month of the lease i find out there is a hike in the amount i’ll be paying because the ‘concession’ has expired. Same thing happened to my roommate who is paying quite a high price for her single where the leasing consultants tricked her into thinking her rent is going to be way lower to make her sign.
2. Fire Alarms: they go on for hours. I understand safety hazards is a thing, however unauthorized entry and long hours of fire alarms in the name of safety is ridiculous. Rather than informing residents through emails so they can find any alternative place to stay, they barge into your apts and inform you about this inspection early morning over the speakers
3. Construction: even after everything has been built there is some noise or the other.
Please stay away! Worst experience in this place

My one-​star review still stands, but I felt it was imperative to include one good thing about Gateway: and that’s how hard the service staff works, including the big friendly security guard on the penthouse floor. That guy definitely deserves a raise or a promotion or something. He’s always asking how he can help and being proactive about helping residents on the infamous PH floor and I think Gateway could really use more guys like him. I give credit where it’s due, and the big security guard (he told me his name once but I totally forgot because I’m terrible with names) and the clean-​up crew bust their asses for Gateway even though it’s a totally thankless job.
Just thought I’d give a quick shoutout.

I’ve been waiting to write this review for 2 years. My first 1-​star review. Where I do even start…
The facilities themselves are decent but definitely overpriced. It’s a nice, spacious apartment though and I can’t really complain. Proximity to campus and retail/​dining options is a huge plus.
The real deal-​breaker is the management. The first semester we lived here, we didn’t interact much with them and thus had no doubts about signing a lease for a second year. Here’s where things got fun.
Gateway:
— Threw out my roommate’s possessions over winter break, a period when she was STILL PAYING for the room (I kid you not. We now have signs on our bedroom doors telling management not to remove anything from our rooms, along with copies of our signed leases.)
— Charged us more for rent than was stated in the lease, something they did not change until we noticed and contacted them
— Grossly overbooked parking spots, making it physically impossible to find the parking spots that we paid for (This one is just ridiculous. It takes some real laziness and incompetence to overbook a parking garage with a finite amount of spaces.)
— Showed us a condescending attitude whenever we tried to talk to them about any of the above issues. For example, I sent a detailed email to leasing manager Dana Ballesteros regarding several issues, and she replied with a couple lines that did not address the issues. The information she did give was STILL incorrect re: leasing rates and rooming info until we pointed it out to her once again. The best part was that she was not in any way apologetic, which could have otherwise made a big difference in my impression of Gateway.
There have been other fun instances where Gateway leasing managers have purposely ignored our calls and said they were «out for the day» when in fact we could see them sitting in their office. Not to mention the fact that despite their stated hours, there is never anyone staffing the concierge desk in the lobby. It’s impossible to talk to anyone here and have them listen unless you’re talking about signing a lease.
I’ve been tempted on multiple occasions to tell people coming out of the leasing office to avoid signing at all costs. I read a lot of bad reviews on Unilocal for Gateway and ignored them when I signed my lease two years ago, and I regret that. Hopefully you won’t make the same mistake.

At its worst, Gateway’s fire alarms were going off every night, there was vomit in the hallways that went uncleaned for weeks and the trash chutes were so overflowing that I couldn’t throw my trash away. What’s more, resident services was never OPEN to take a single complaint.
However, living so close to campus is a blessing, and Gateway has its benefits, like its new «pool», a tanning bed and a weekly trash pick-​up service. If you ignore Gateway’s problems and live there with a grain of salt, it isn’t half bad.
I left Gateway to live at The Lorenzo because I am paying $ 300 less (with parking), but I must say, I miss being so close to campus. And the fire alarms are just as bad at The Lorenzo, if bot worse.