A Quick Guide to Apartment Hunting in Los Angeles.

"All I wanna do is have some fun 

I got a feeling, I'm not the only one...

All I wanna do, is have some fun

Until the sun comes up 

Over Santa Monica Boulevard..."

Back in the 90's, when this Sheryl Crow song became a huge hit, this was how I imagined Los Angeles to be like - a fun and exciting place to live, a hustling and bustling city with bright lights, tall buildings, and warm and friendly people.

This pretty much holds true to this very day. In fact, Los Angeles is, was, and will always be one of the best places to live in the US - especially if you're a Filipino expat. Los Angeles is home to the second largest concentration of Filipinos in the world, the weather is nice and sunny for the most part of the year, and yes, they have a Jollibee store smack dab in the middle of Beverly Boulevard. All the more reason to move to the City of Angels, haha!

Photo credit: Daniel Semenov on Pexels.

Now, if you're set on relocating to Los Angeles, it's essential to consider a few key factors when searching for a place to call home, particularly if you're looking to rent an apartment. Keep in mind crucial aspects such as location, budget, and amenities, and consider exploring neighborhoods that are known to be safest places to live in LA, to ensure a comfortable and secure living environment.

It's all in the 'hood

Just as the City of Angels is teeming with life, it's also teeming with a variety of lifestyle options. There are over a dozen neighborhoods in LA, each with its own cultural identity. Choose a place that's close to where you work, and suits your lifestyle best.

Koreatown in Los Angeles.

For instance, there's Venice Beach, a coastal neighborhood known for its charming streets, amazing restaurants, and picturesque boardwalk. There's also Beverly Hills, an affluent neighborhood where you can find the world-famous Rodeo Drive. It's also one of Los Angeles' busiest tourist destinations. And then there's Wilshire, an ethnically diverse neighborhood known for its artsy buildings, trendy shops, and Korean barbecue restaurants. 

Set your budget

As of this writing, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles is $2000. (That's actually a 5% decrease or about $100 compared to the previous year.) Aside from the monthly rent, you'll need to pay a security deposit that's usually equivalent to one month's rent, an application fee, perhaps a parking fee if there's a reserved parking spot, and pet fees if you have a dog or a cat.

Consider your commute

A glimpse of LA traffic.

As I have mentioned earlier, it's ideal to live close to where you work. Traffic has been a perennial problem in Los Angeles, and rush hours can get pretty crazy. Going out and about LA without your own set of wheels can be quite challenging, but if you're okay with public transport, you still need to consider the distance from your apartment to your workplace and the amount of time you're willing to endure for your commute.

Use an apartment search tool

In this day and age of modern technology, the internet makes apartment hunting easier, more convenient, and less time-consuming. With the click of a mouse or a tap on your smartphone, you can easily find apartments for rent in Los Angeles, thanks to reliable listing sites such as Zumper.

Jin, busy with his smartphone.

Gone are the days when apartment hunting would be physically and mentally exhausting. With Zumper, you can easily see apartment listings online, and find a place that suits your budget, location preference, and lifestyle needs. 

See it for yourself

Single bedroom apartment in Los Angeles.

Once you find a place you like, set up an appointment for the apartment viewing. See the apartment for yourself before signing the lease and meet with the landlord or property manager so you can talk about important details personally. Doing this will give you a better feel of the situation and an assurance that the online listing is not a scam.

Sealed the deal and ready to move in? Congratulations and welcome to Los Angeles!

Alfred Coffee.

Explore the neighborhood, find your way around, and discover important places such as supermarkets, convenience stores, banks, hospitals, and clinics. Oh, and coffee shops, too! Meet new people, eat good food, and bask in the bright lights of Los Angeles!