How to Rent an Apartment with Bad Credit
I want to know what to do if I have slightly spotty credit. I have never had an eviction and I have a great job, but I am worried about getting turned down. Please help.
Kevin, Los Angeles, CA
Even if you have bad credit, it’s not impossible to rent an apartment. While bad credit will […]
Living in Los Angeles: Santa Monica, CA
Glamorously casual, subtly metro, with ridiculously fab weather, Santa Monica is some of the best of Los Angeles.
Literally nestled between beach communities Venice (to the south) and Pacific Palisades and Malibu (to the north), Santa Monica is somewhere between those cities in vibe: it can be both boho and young professional, cleanly chic and polished executive. You can find comfy studio apartments and million dollar homes, cheap vegan eats and Californian fusion fare, you can shop Third Street Promenade - a popular outdoor center with mall standards Urban Outfitters, Banana Republic, Guess, and more - or browse Montana Avenue’s boutiquey designer offerings of Dries van Noten platforms and Commes des Garcons clothes. You can play away at an indie movie theater and art galleries, or get your wine bar and mindbodyspa on. And whether you prefer living in the Santa Monica closer to Venice or residing nearer to Malibu, you’re only minutes away from enjoying Los Angeles beaches.
Living in Los Angeles: Malibu, CA
So Hollywood and Beverly Hills get most of the cred for stars styling in Los Angeles. And sure, there are celebs living in the Hills, shopping Melrose, and grabbing lattes in West Hollywood - but most A-listers reside in Malibu.
More exclusive than the rest of LA, Malibu is prime beachfront property with a quiet and secluded feel. Malibu’s private vibe is largely due to its location - whether your home’s nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains or sunning on beach sands, Malibu homes typically have a mountain range at their back and face the Pacific Ocean.
Living in Los Angeles: Beverly Hills, CA
Think all the boons of the ‘burbs - quiet, safety, privacy - and all the glitz of the metro - shopping, dining, proximity. Trademarked with palm tree-lined lanes, wealthy movie people, and unshakeable sunshine, Beverly Hills is the better behaved and almost as famous next-door neighbor to Hollywood.
There’s more to Beverly Hills than the mansions dotting the stars’ maps for sale, or the West Coast’s Fifth Avenue and tabloid darling Rodeo Drive. Though Beverly Hills’ beginnings lie with Hollywood’s beginnings - the creme de la creme of the movie industry first settled there during the 1910’s - and while Beverly Hills remains home to some of the wealthiest in The Biz - capital “T,” capital “B” - once you get below Wilshire Blvd. Beverly Hills might pass for the sophisticated older sister to Los Angeles’ best west suburbs.
Get Your Rental Security Deposit Back
Usually one to two times your apartment’s rent, your rental security depost is often a hefty chunk of change. You probably already know your security deposit covers any extreme damage you may do to your apartment while you live there. So as long as you treat your apartment with a reasonable amount of care, you’re almost guaranteed to get your security deposit back. Still, it may take some effort to get your security deposit back in full from your landlord.
Living in Los Angeles: Hollywood, CA
Made famous as the center of the entertainment industry, made famous through the entertainment industry, Hollywood the city is synonomous with the Hollywood industry: movies and music.
The core of Los Angeles’ star business, Hollywood is more the downtown of Los Angeles than downtown LA; Hollywood is more the central business and culture district of Los Angeles than any other neighborhood in the city, or county.
Sunset Blvd. plays home to a strip of clubs and restaurants frequented by celebutantes and other A-list, Melrose is famed for its shopping, and the hills feature some of Los Angeles most notable homes.
Living in Los Angeles: Mid-Wilshire
The backbone of Los Angeles, Wilshire Blvd. is sometimes described as Los Angeles’ true downtown, as the 16-mile boulevard runs through three Los Angeles cities, lined along the way with most of the city’s high-rise business buildings.
Wilshire Blvd. is the core of Los Angeles’ Mid-Wilshire district, which has La Cienega Blvd. on its west boundary, Hoover St. at its east, Melrose Ave. at its north, and the Santa Monica 10 Freeway at its south.
The Miracle Mile - stretching between Fairfax Ave. and La Brea Ave. - is a particularly famous strip of Mid-Wilshire. First developed in the 1920’s, up until the 1960’s the Miracle Mile - knicknamed “America’s Champs-Élysées” - was one of Los Angeles’ most important shopping districts.
Living in Los Angeles: Burbank, CA
If Hollywood is the glammy face of Los Angeles’ entertainment industry, Burbank is the brain at work behind the curtain.
Though Burbank charms with its Pleasantville feel - think small town with mom and pop shops and suburban quiet and convenience - Burbank is headquarters for major entertainment companies - think ABC, NBC, Nickelodeon, The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros., and more - and only a fast drive away from Hollywood’s hip.
Largely upper middle-class and home to entertainment executives and employees, Burbank’s safe and sound is protected by the city’s own police and fire departments. Shop Burbank Village, power lunch downtown and enjoy free wifi, play at Los Angeles Equestrian Center, get away from LA while living in LA.
Living in Los Angeles: Downtown LA
The glaring stainless steel of Walt Disney Concert Hall’s Frank Gehry-branded blobitecture shines as testament to Angelenos’ investing faith and billions into downtown slipping out of its cultural coma. Once home to the homeless and a decaying business district, downtown Los Angeles is going glossy with a solid cultural center and arts district, pushed with city efforts to make it West Coast’s Manhattan.
Grand Avenue plays home to Los Angeles Philharmonic (the Walt Disney Concert Hall), LA Opera (Dorothy Chandler), Broadway musicals (Ahmanson Theatre), the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), and blueprints for future Frank Gehry-designed apartment buildings.
Just south is the Arts District, one of the first downtown neighborhoods to have its old brick opened into live/work lofts. Organic coffee shops and Euro bistros stay open late, and a few blocks over Little Tokyo’s ramen houses and sushi dives welcome red eyes as well.
Living in Los Angeles: San Fernando Valley, CA
Though there are other valleys in Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley is The Valley in LA.
Nestled in a northern corner of Los Angeles County, while the San Fernando Valley was - and continues to be - a butt of Angeleno jokes due to its suburban mall non-culture, the Valley is safe and quiet convenience for those looking to live in Los Angeles without being too removed from - or stuck in - Hollywood’s hubub.
