Interesting comment from the other poster about this poorly managed business. I rented from them for a couple of years and like others I was was stunned to receive a huge bill after moving out, none of which I was responsible for and none of which I paid. After calling their office everyday for 16 days in attempt to resolve the issue and never getting a call back I gave the "bill" to my attorney for review. He called Civetta Properties from his office, received a call back within an hour and was told it was a mistake and my damage deposit had more than covered the standard post move out expenses. hmmmm..... Several hundred dollars is a pretty big "mistake!"
In discussing the ongoing maintenance issues that seem to plague this business a few things must be considered: The office staff dodges the incoming calls not because they are rude but because they are put in an awkward position of not being able to help the tenants. Their lead maintenance guy is a decent person but unfortunately, like most of us, he is not naturally mechanical mechanically inclined. He has no training in this field and is basically left to his own to figure things out and his work reflects this. It usually takes multiple calls over several weeks to get even very small repair jobs done. If and when the repair guy shows up the work is usually not completed. A neighbor of mine had to listen to the repair guy for 30 minutes talk about his boss's awkward social skills and lonesome social life. Come on man, no one cares about your boss, just fix it! ;)
In summary my advice after renting from Civetta for two + years is STAY AWAY! There are plenty of other well maintained, well operated apartment homes in the North End that are eager to provide quality service. If you do take the plunge and do business with these people be kind to the ladies in the office, they have the worst job in the world. If you need a minor repair job done in your unit do not report it, simply shell out a few bucks and fix it yourself or call a service man and have it done on the DL.
It is only fair to mention that these apartments are kept clean and the landscaping and exteriors are presentable. Most of the buildings are security buildings with locked exterior doors and intercoms. The system works well and if security is an issue for you, you will feel secure here at all times.
In summary I would not recommend this company. Sub par customer service and pathetic maintenance are two issues that they just cannot seem to resolve. STAY AWAY! There are plenty of apartments in North Seattle priced at or below Civetta and many are gorgeous with top notch professionally run office, maintenance and managerial staff.
Good luck and happy apartment hunting! :) read more
