Hub LA Figueroa, Jefferson Flats not ready for move-in

Ryan Kober, a sophomore majoring in human biology, had planned to move into Jefferson Flats Aug. 15. He was eager to live in a brand-new apartment. Kober signed the lease last year, but in the last week of July, he received an email that construction was delayed to Sept. 15. 

Two weeks after receiving the news, Kober received a follow-up email stating there was another delay and students would not be able to move in until Oct. 15. Being from Philadelphia, this added stress to Kober and his family as he was left to find housing a few weeks before the school year began.  

Similar to Jefferson Flats, Hub LA Figueroa, another student apartment complex near campus, is not ready for move-in despite the advertised move-in date of Aug. 14 they gave future tenants. 

Last fall, the developers advertised brand new off-campus apartments for students for the upcoming academic year — Fall 2023 classes began Aug. 21, and USC Housing move-in took place Aug. 12 and 17. 

Originally, the developers of Jefferson Flats told students that if the situation got to a point where they would not be able to move in on time, they would get $400 off a month for the remaining school year. Kober said he had received an email soon after that conversation stating that it would only be $200 a month. 

“They told us that, ‘We originally said it’s $400 if you’re living in a studio, but if you’re living with other people, then it’s only $200 off. So I didn’t argue that,” Kober said. “I mean, it’s $200 off a month, which isn’t bad but the Airbnb that I’m at now is still more than what my rent would be.”

With the two-month delay, Kober is now living in a studio-style Airbnb alone as he waits to see if he can move in Oct. 15, and his roommate is now making 30 to 40-minute commutes to and from campus. 

“I’m not really stressed, but I have about a mile walk from campus and back every morning and it’s been so hot,” Kober said. “I would have originally had to be walking less than 10 minutes to my place or to campus and now I have to walk about 25 minutes.”

Jefferson Flats did not reply to the Daily Trojan’s request for comment about the delay in move-in dates in time for publication.

Amenities for the Hub LA Figueroa — located at the 3000 block of  S Figueroa St and the second project near USC of the Hub LA Coliseum’s developers — included a pool, a gym, study areas and an outdoor lounging area. With this, students eagerly signed up and were promised the apartments would be built before the new school year began. 

During the summer, Hub LA Figueroa tenants received messages announcing this would not be the case, as the complex is still under construction, leaving students to figure out housing just several months before fall classes began. Students were told the delay could last one to four weeks past the original move-in date. 

In a statement to the Daily Trojan, The Hub wrote that it offered several options for students who signed leases for the unfinished complex: They would have to continue paying rent but could claim a daily stipend of $100, temporary hotel accommodations and storage, or $200 per day and complementary storage until they are allowed to move-in. If they didn’t want to pay rent in exchange for the temporary accommodations, students could have also chosen to prorate their rent, find their own accommodation and not receive a stipend until the complex was ready for move-in. 

Bella Borgomini, a junior majoring in cinema and media studies, had signed up for a personalized, shared apartment with her roommates, but with the delay she is now temporarily staying at an Airbnb 10 minutes away from campus. 

“I felt a little silly for signing the lease with a place that wasn’t even built yet,” Borgomini said. “I was kind of clouded by feelings of excitement that it would be brand new.”

Jefferson Flats, located at 1300 block of W Jefferson Blvd, notified Borgomini June 26 that her apartment would not be ready and the move-in date had been pushed to Oct. 15. With less than two months to prepare, Borgomini said she went into “planning mode” as she explored her options. Although she was able to find an Airbnb about 10 minutes from campus, she said she is still dealing with the delay’s repercussions. 

“It’s definitely an added stress,” Borgomini said. “It’s not too bad in the scheme of things, but just the stress of having to move twice.”

Borgomini isn’t paying rent for her unfinished apartment at Jefferson Flats until she officially moves in, and she’s also been promised a rent deduction of $200 total for her and her two roommates. That’s the only form of compensation she and her roommates are receiving, she said. 

While she’s at her Airbnb and farther from campus than she’d like to be, Borgomini said she’s dealing with the added time she has to budget for commuting and going home less often during the day. 

“It does mean I have to structure my days a little differently in the sense that I’m on campus for longer,” Borgomini said. “I’m excited to be at Jefferson and be able to go home in between classes and stuff.”