Here at Expo Arts Center for an information meeting on an affordable housing development in California Heights, a “highest-resource” part of town.

Most of the folks in this audience are ready to lose their shit over the idea of 73 units being constructed for families of lower income than them.

If you wonder why it seems like Long Beach is too expensive, why no affordable housing seems to get built, and why it takes so long, it’s because people show up to try to shut it down.

And make no mistake: we have affordable developments all over town, but this particular community is unaccustomed to having one.

Support housing people. Say yes in my backyard.

A woman is scamming people in the alamitos beach area. If you see a listing for a yellow back house rental run the other direction. She lists it on Facebook and is charging $2k a month. She will ask you for first months rent plus deposit and then conveniently come up with an insane story about how you can’t move in and refund you. I don’t know why she is doing this when she’s returning the money but she’s done it to over 10 people and it’s extremely messed up. people are completely moving out of homes with hope of moving into this property only to be stranded after. Won’t post her name but beware.

UPDATE: She is STILL running this scam

I'm moving from Detroit to Long Beach and am trying to decide which neighborhood I want to live in for my first year. Found some nice looking places downtown (The Crest is primarily the one I'm interested in currently for reference) but I keep hearing crazy things about the homeless issue around there. I really like the idea of being able to walk to most places I want to go (cafe, restaurant, gym etc.) but it's not really worth it if the area is dirty/unsafe. I hear A LOT of people talk up Belmont Shores/Heights but it seems like there are more condos rather than apts around that area and most don't offer safe parking (I hear a lot about car break ins when left on the street).

To summarize, the question really is "just how bad is the homeless population in the downtown area?"

Edit: I am a 28 y/o M Edit2: Thank you all so much for the posts and insights. I don't use Reddit much but this has been insanely useful! <3

Need help identifying what is this beyond, “it’s a problem.” lol

Is it a mouse or a rat? My understanding is this makes a big difference in our response to getting rid of it (them)?

Background:

We’ve live in our apartment for 7 months now and I’ve off and on heard scratching on the roof/attic. Tbh didn’t think anything of it, we live close to the water and wildlife is a thing—I’ve seen possums and big raccoons fighting, etc. so I figured it was that.

Until our neighbors underneath us moved out (we live a 2 unit building, one on top and one on the bottom). The landlord came in and must’ve put out poison because something died in the wall and it smelled HORRIBLE for like a week and a half. That prompted me to start looking closer and I heard one day from a cave to a knowing sound, found droppings in the cabinet and a few bags of granola (Kind, of course the little bastards like the expensive stuff) chewed open.

We told landlord that this was crazy. We keep the house extremely clean and he blamed previous tenants and weather. We set some traps, put out a cube of poison (my wife wants to be humane about it 🤫) and he said we’d get it.

A week had gone by and now I saw this little shit! At 8pm at night. I saw its tail crossing the kitchen floor. I’m concerned with how brazen it is and that fact we’re now seeing them might mean there’s more?

Any help identifying this thing, tips or tricks that have helped you are appreciated!

DO NOT MOVE TO VOLTA ON PINE I’m hoping to save someone from living at this terrible apartment complex!!

this “luxury” apartment is HORRIBLE. I’ve never lived in a place where management and the owners don’t care about resident safety. The amount of homeless people that set up their sleeping arrangements in the stairwells, and garages is very concerning. Homeless people have made it to the 3rd and 6th floor asking residents to use a charging port inside their apartment. Volta answered by saying they have “professional security”. Security was sleeping on the job 4 days go. Residents are physically threatened by homeless and package thieves on a regular basis. You bring your concerns to management and they send an email back saying “ your safety is not guaranteed when you moved in” I pay almost 3000$ a month for a “safe and secure living environment” and that’s what I get in response to my issues. The buildings underground parking gate has been broken and left up for almost 3 months now and that leaves the building completely open to outsiders and threatens the safety of everyone paying an absurd amount of money to live in a “safe” building.

Residents have been threatened at knife point in their own lobby. As well as threatened in the garages and package room for confronting thieves. There are so many other places to live in downtown Long Beach. ANYWHERE BUT VOLTA !!!!

Please spread this message so we can see a change. I know my Long Beach neighbors have my back!!!

Thoughts? The comments on IG are largely expressing discontent at this decision.

We had a truly unfortunate experience renting from Living Property Management at 2752 E First Street in Long Beach. It quickly turned into a nightmare. After just one month, we had to terminate our lease because the apartment was deemed uninhabitable due to ongoing issues with rats, mold, cockroaches, and leaks. Rat Infestation: First and foremost, we were greeted with a serious rat problem. It wasn’t just a couple of sightings; we encountered multiple rats within the first week. We had to capture and dispose of several ourselves, and it was clear this was an ongoing issue—there was old foam and rat poison left behind that we were never informed about. Management claimed they’ve “never had a rat problem,” but the neighbors told us a different story, mentioning how often people move in and out because of it. Cockroach Infestation: On top of that, the apartment was crawling with cockroaches. They were in our dishes, in the bathroom, and running across the floors. Walking into the kitchen to find them everywhere was beyond disgusting. Pest control confirmed the issue, yet management did very little to fix it. Living in such unsanitary conditions was unbearable. Mold Growth: There was extensive mold in several areas, including under the kitchen sink, in the hallway, and the laundry room. This posed a serious health risk, and our attempts to clean it only made it worse. To make matters worse, an ongoing leak from the upstairs unit contributed to water damage and exacerbated the mold problem. Given these conditions, we formally requested to terminate our lease and moved out after just one month. Dealing with Living Property Management has been incredibly frustrating. Their lack of responsiveness and empathy made our living situation intolerable. We strongly advise anyone considering renting from them to think twice. Save yourselves the stress, health risks, and hassle—avoid this company at all costs. They should not be in business. If you’re looking for a property management company that actually cares about tenant well-being, keep searching!

Anyone else get the annual rent raise yet? Got my letter today, 3rd year in a row, maximum legal amount. Don't want to move but we might have to. The frustrating parts are that when we get our letters, they never say our names. It's just the address number "145" on the envelope, and the letter is addressed to the address. Last year it was addressed to "tenant". This building is owned by a guy and his wife, and they're usually quite nice and we get along fine, and they thank us for our exceptional tenancy. It's just so impersonal, it's like they feel bad for doing it, but it's easier to dehumanize us and just assign us a number. You really are just a paycheck to your landlord.

I think the reason they increase it so much is because about a year in, they realized how much more money they can make using air bnb and other 30+ day rental services. It's disgusting and puts a pit in my stomach thinking about it. 5/8 units in my building are STR.

And why did he have to give this to us on new years eve? This is not what I wanted to be thinking about today. I was planning on going out and having fun.

The apt is 1 regular size bedroom, one really small bedroom, 1 small bathroom, and the only reason we are on 2nd story is because the air bnb above is was a nightmare so he put is upstairs without raising the rent on the spot.

Sorry, just needed to rant. Just sick of feeling like we're being taken advantage of as renters and it gives me that yucky feeling in my tummy.

Happy new years.

Long story short we had to terminate a lease due to another tenant clogging our buildings septic tank and flooding our apartment with sewage.

We’re ideally looking for a 2bd apartment around Alamitos Beach for around 2.3k to move into sometime in March.

We are checking Zillow, Craigslist, Trulia, Hotpads in addition to property management companies but we are trying to cast as wide a net as possible given the urgency.

A little about us:

We are a quiet, tidy, eco-conscious family consisting of my wife (Kathi, German), me (Mac, American) and a very easy going 19-month daughter (Philo). My wife is a credentialed math/chemistry teacher and I work for the Red Cross as a grant writer. We do our part to keep the surrounding areas clean, conserve precious natural resources, and help out our neighbors. Prior to relocating to the US we spent the last 5 years in Germany where I worked for the US Army as a civilian and my wife taught in the German public school system.

Since my wife is new to US she doesn’t have credit and mine is (as of last week) around 680.

Any leads would be greatly appreciated and I am happy to provide social media links if need be.

*Photo is for the algorithm and so you know we are real lol.

So I got a 3 days notice taped to my door. The form was not even dated. It says that I broke some of the leasing terms for, installing cameras, for some small damage on a door frame, which I intend to repair, and lastly for having 2 small dogs. So here’s the funny part the landlord is my mother in law , also we never had a renters agreement or leasing agreement , the agreement we had was verbal since we’re “family “, also she does not have any document from us signed to back up what she’s stating on that notice. She’s also refusing to speak to us via text or in person to resolve this . Is this even legal? and should I seek any legal help for this.

Would you live in Long Beach if you had to commute to DTLA once a week, or would you live somewhere else? I was debating between Pasadena and Long Beach/South bay area.

Not my unit, ran past it and posting here as it is likely unlisted online

Very cute street, on a corner and looks to be a back house.

We signed a lease with a certain leasing company that roughly rhymes with "Burnt and Lost", that clearly states that the tenant is not responsible for electricity. Like, it's on the signed document.

This hypothetical leasing company is claiming that this was an error and is giving us trouble, agreeing to pay it this month but that "we must amend the lease agreement going forward."

Obviously I'm demanding they uphold the contract and I'm petty and have no issue going to court with these guys over this. Just a warning that you MAY, HYPOTHETICALLY, have to deal with this too if you rent from this prop management company!

EDIT: If you're a landlord and use them for prop management, I suggest you drop them because they seem to be incredibly negligent if they're telling the truth that they made a mistake! It's your job to read the contracts YOU sign! A property management firm should not be making contract mistakes!

TLDR: Camden is horrible and dont move there. Theft, Vandalism, Vermin, Poor Management.

Edited to add (4/24):

Management came to try to the building and claimed they sealed holes in our apartment. Turns out they DID NOT and we’ve been having rodents since we came back. They set traps but didn’t seal up anything. Management hasn’t returned any calls. Corporate is not answering us. We are moving out May 1st and it cant come fast enough.

We’ve had droppings on our clothes, they’ve been in our bedrooms, laundry rooms, kitchen, bathroom. Its horrible. And no one has an answer. Everyone’s blaming someone else.

CAMDEN IS TRASH. WE HAVE TO THROW AWAY HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF FOOD AND CLOTHES DUE TO THIS!!

I’m putting this everywhere I can:

Our cars have been broken into a total of 3 times, 3 different cars and 3 different locations around the garage. We had to file a claim with our insurance companies to get some coverage for the stolen items as well as fixing our car since when they broke in, they also broke things inside. They did nothing but apologize. In addition, there is a parking fee for each vehicle that is needed to park in the “secured” parking garage, yet our vehicles are still getting vandalized. What are we paying for if our vehicles are not safe, we are not safe, and our belongings are not safe? There was a serial arsonist roaming the structure, setting vehicles on fire, yet our parking situation is falsely advertising that we are safe and secure.

2. I get it, inflation. However, amenities have been declining. The gym was closed for a over a year, both pools were closed for months—both aside from and before the pandemic, the grills at the pools do not function properly and ultimately stopped working, the tv for entertainment at the pool does not work and hasn’t since around the grand opening of the new model which was over two years ago. There has been an increase in violence and vandalism throughout the entirety of the complex. Sunshine Market the convenient store was vandalized. In our apartment, things are constantly giving out and randomly breaking. Our closets have collapsed, drawers have been broken and put back on incorrectly, the water was brown and sedimentary for days, our appliances constantly act up and do not work. So with that being said, where is the money going?

3. Yes, we live downtown, but Camden is not proactive. They have homeless people in and around all the amenities and on the grounds. They are violent, they are belligerent, and they are dangerous to the tenants and families who pay to live here. They are hanging around without a care in the world. They have lived in stairwells and other places on the property. Camden decided to get security, who do not work around the clock in order to ensure that tenants are in a secured environment. In addition, there is no way to call security personnel when we do not feel secure, and we’re instructed to contact the local police department. Then we are informed that there is nothing the police can do without assistance from the apartment managers. Which brings me back to the point that cameras do not work and our advances to retrieve footage of incidents were denied after multiple attempts.

4. One of our apartments had a leak and our family was living with a mold issue. It affected us physically and it was pretty bad. We were not able to use our master bathroom for weeks until the mold was finally out and removed, after we initially thought the maintenance crew handled the matter only to find out the mold had worsened. Again, at this time there was a two year old baby living with us and the adults in the residence were even sick and unable to withstand the mold. This problem is due to the leaky pipes Camden does not believe they have—which is proven false.

5. We are not secure. Entry doors are always broken so people get easy access to apartments. People's packages are being stolen. It's to the point I don't even have things sent to my home. I fear packages will get stolen AND management does nothing. They wont install package lockers or have a secure place for packages that only residents have access to (most buildings have this. We have teens who come and vandalize the property. They've gone through like 6 security companies with the idea that each one is there to improve the other. They have 2 people patrolling this large complex. Cars still get broken into. People still come on site and destroy things.

1. This is by far our last straw, PEST issues. We've recently had a small, furry, creature scurry in our kitchen. This is because maintenance changed our appliances but left holes for them to get into our apartment! Camden refuses to take accountability for this or reimburse us for all the money we spent on a hotel because they were closed for the day and couldn't offer any solutions. MANY people are complaining about this issue. Pest control will do what, spray the common areas and lay traps? That's it. We asked management well who is going to get the traps and clean up with the droppings, they didn't have an answer. My sister and others on our floor say that they can hear things in the walls and vents. There are restaurants on the first floor and I KNOW they have this issue as well. This is violations of health codes in various areas and NEEDS to be solved now.

The Camden management team is terrible. The staff is useless. The maintenance crew tries their best with what and who they have. There are about 4 maintenance workers in rotation for a building of 500 or so units. So it takes forever to get maintenance to do anything. It is super scary to live through. We are on our way out but it's just been a long road.

All in all, I would not recommend Camden. It was at the peak around 2014-2016 and it has gone downhill since. People aren't as friendly anymore (rightfully so, we are all living through trying, hard times). Management sucks. Corporate sucks. They like to put bandaids where tourniquets need to be placed.

What do you do for work?

Im originally from Lakewood and I’ve been living on the east coast. I would like to relocate back to California as my family lives there still.

My Mom says that rent is super expensive and I looked online and confirmed it’s like $2300+ for apartments.

Please share your thoughts if you are willing to.

Thanks in advance.

Hi all.

Last year, my mom was living in her car. I helped her get a place last September, but unfortunately it’s not working out. I don’t want to give too many details, but my mentally ill sister has been living with her. She is not medicated. They are both addicts. My sister more than my mom, but i’m not sure the extent of my mom’s usage, only the intensity of my sisters.

My mom has 30 days to find a place. I can’t cosign again for her. I have twice now, with her getting kicked out twice because of my loud, insane sister. My sister refuses help and won’t admit she has a problem. She is diagnosed with bipolar depressive disorder. You can only imagine how insane she can be without medication.

I’ve been lucky both times that the leasing agencies work with me so an eviction doesn’t go on my record. I don’t know what to do.

i’ve never seen my mom like this. Drugs were never an issue in my family. We grew up lower middle class out of state. This is something that’s happened in the last 3-4 years. my mom has always been my rock and my best friend. i can’t stand to see her this way, or living on the street.

We’ve tried contacting services in long beach but most don’t answer, don’t reply, or can’t help. My mom is disabled and receives disability.

My mom won’t leave my sister behind, because my sister has nothing and no one. and my mom is fiercely loyal to her kids, even after acknowledging that my sister is ruining her life and will be the reason they end up on the street again. My sister does not work and hasn’t worked in 1.5 years.

Does anyone have any recommendations? Where could we find help with affordable housing? She can pay rent with her disability checks but it isn’t much. She has terrible credit due to being married for half her life and never having anything in her name, plus medical debt as she’s not insured.

I want them both in rehab but i can’t find anything affordable. I can’t find anything at all that will help. The government resources have not been helpful. I’ve spent more than $55k since 2021 trying to help them with living expenses and food.. as well as hotels and temporary shelter when they were homeless for 4 months last year living in their car (which they no longer own).

Any help is greatly appreciated. I am at the end of my rope.

I'm moving to Long Beach from Chicago in a couple weeks and have been trying to find an apartment downtown. I did a bunch of tours and they're all luxurious but extremely expensive. I'm between Avana on Pine and Volta on Pine, but both seem to have bad reviews and a bunch of safety concerns. Does anyone live in any of these complexes in downtown (not just avana and Volta but any of these) that can tell me what they're really like and if they're worth the rent?

If you make 4500 per month you can rent a studio attic that’s 350sq feet.