Moved into Axis on 12th 3 years ago in 2017 when the building was brand new and the top floors weren't even open for leasing yet. I moved out this month (Oct 2020). Throughout my time the building went through 3 different management companies and two property managers, Evan & Marcus. Honestly, Evan and Marcus made living at Axis the experience it was for me. They are both outstanding property managers. They are great at customer service and did a wonderful job managing the buildings! My interactions with them both (and I had quite a few) were always met with a resolution and/or exceptional help when needed. No doubt they are a large part of the reason Axis has been such a good place to live.
The building is cleaned, top to bottom, daily and it shows compared to many of the other options downtown. It's also in a good area - away from the heart of downtown but still close to everything, especially Staple Center. There's not as much noise, homelessness or traffic. However, it's still downtown so you will get some of that; no way to completely escape it in downtown LA. The area is very safe and the security is usually very helpful. Dennis manages the security and he was always great & pleasant to deal with (Chris was good too). I loved having 24 hour front desk security/reception and I like that they really do try to be familiar with the residents. I had an issue with a package 1 time in my 3 years and between Dennis and Marcus they handled it promptly and followed up thoroughly to rectify the situation. Besides that it was wonderful having a secure place to hold and pick up my packages (and I order online quite a bit). Security was great at filtering who enters the building and with mitigating any outside disturbances; especially at night. The building has cameras everywhere which helps significantly with safety and security for residents. The "sister" building is Axis on 11th and between the two there are great amenities (when COVID is not a thing). Parking is good for the most part. There are no assigned spaces and there is a charge (unless you're under a move-in/lease renewal special), however, both buildings have multi-level parking garages that are covered and secure (which is definitely not always the case living in dtla). I only had issues with finding parking in my building a couple times when coming home late at night/early morning and those times I had to park in the garage at Axis on 11th instead. No visitor parking though.
The apartments are nice, especially the 2nd and 7th floors which have high ceilings. I lived on the 2nd floor and loved it. Never heard noise from anyone above me. Had some issues from below but that was a building issue that was eventually resolved and Evan & Marcus were very helpful during the duration of the issue. Also there are no apartments across the hall due to the garage on the 2nd floor which means less apartments/people which was really nice. The apartments are modern with some really nice touches such as laminate wood floors (different hues depending on the floor), stainless steel appliances (including really nice gas ranges, fridge & dishwasher), great stackable Bosch HE washer and dryer and a wonderful closet :-).
Overall most of the residents I met were friendly and nice. Of course in a building as large as Axis there are resident issues - not all residents have the same standards of living and cleanliness, but overall it was good. The trash frequently has issues which is a problem but I think that's a mechanical issue with the way it was built...something that needs a permanent resolution. I never had a problem with any pest.
They also came up with some cool community options during this interesting pandemic time (food trucks, virtual yoga classes, challenges, etc...). So...shot out to Marcus and his team for being creative/innovative during this time.
Honestly, I personally got tired of downtown. I also needed more space and have an affinity for the westside. Just like any place Axis has its pluses and minuses. I did have some issues with move-out; however, once again Marcus followed up and was helpful as always to resolve them. My time was certainly not perfect but overall I enjoyed it for the time I was there (hence the 4 stars instead of 5). In my opinion the positives far outweigh the negatives. If you're looking for a place in dtla Axis is a great option and worth a visit. read more