Alexa and Crystal are the most attentive, caring staff that I ever experienced living in an apartment complex. Island square is a perfect location to live, from easy access to highway, to grocery stores and restaurants around. To top it the neighbors are very nice and we have made friends for life here in the community. We love breaking bread with neighbors whom are our close friends now and it's all thanks to good management of island square for keeping a healthy, safe and thrilling environment for residents to live in. read more

We've stayed at Island Square for 1 year. 2 years after moving out I received an email from collection agencies about 70$ payment for some utilities, I never received any email about it from island Square before. The billing office of the complex never responded to my request to resend me the copy of the email, they never sent it earlier, just simply decided to waste my credit record ! The entire year we didn't have access to the pool, it was on construction, access to common guest house was open for 3- 4 months before that went on construction. Our apartment was facing the streets, therefore it was very noisy. We had 2 incidents of water coming out from the kitchen sync and had to deal with it in the middle of the night ourselves since we couldn't reach any maintenance people at night. I'm very relieved to not live there any more. read more

the staff is terrific!!!!!staff is wonderful! I have lived here for over 12 years i like where my apartment is located. 10 stars read more

Island Square Apartments are really nice. We live in a newly remodeled apartment and are really pleased.

This was my 2nd time leasing from a UDR managed property and this experience was barely better than the last. I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, and I was admittedly limited in options because of how abrupt my previous UDR lease at another property ended. The amenities at Island Square, including the hot tub, were routinely out of service during my 15-month lease. The elevators (I was in Building A) were also randomly, frequently down. One time for a few weeks, which happened to coincide with me being on crutches and I was forced to crutch all the way through to the patio level and then into my building and up more stairs. Getting food and basic necessities was tough during that time and Island Square offered absolutely no support for the situation. I shudder to think what someone in a wheelchair had to do to access their apartment during this time. In addition, there was constantly work going on around the building which made navigating it inconvenient. You expect a certain amount of projects/renovations to be going on, but the work has been constant for 13+ months and it's certainly more of a nuisance at Island Square than it has been at any of the other 5-6 apartment buildings I've lived in. Also, when I went month-to-month they pulled some shady stuff and pretended the month-to-month fee was $100 but it was actually $1000 and I had to move out on short notice. I found out by happenstance. And to put the cherry on top, they are the first apartment building to refuse to give me a Summary of Charges/Itemized Invoice upon move-out despite requesting it explicitly about 4-5 times. Instead, they have kept my security deposit, despite paying $375 for an Express Move-Out fee that would've covered any minor wear and tear damages. Also, the unit is set to be gutted and renovated anyway, so I'm not sure what they could possibly be withholding my security deposit for, and I have no way of knowing because billing wont provide me with a summary of the charges. TLDR; UDR is the least professional apartment management group I've encountered, Island Square was iffy in its accommodations at best, and they've elected to retain my security deposit for no valid reason and refuse to provide me any invoice detailing the charges. To top that off they sent me to collections for $34 when they're the ones who owe me money. So unprofessional. read more

This apartment's leasing team has gone above and beyond. I just moved in this last weekend and they offered their services as well as having their maintenance manager help me! The apartment was extremely clean when I moved in, with the leasing team even adding a sort of welcome home goodie bag with all the essentials to get you through until all over your stuff is unpacked! Nothing but good things to say about Tia and Z! read more

Chrystle and the staff were fabulous! They responded quickly and efficiently to any needs. It was a fantastic location so convenient in walking distance to everything. The amenities at Island Square were nice. We were there for 5 months during a stressful transition and the time spent there was perfect! read more

Island Square calls itself a community. The great thing is - in this case - that's actually true! I give much credit to Chrystle - the property manager - who constantly goes out of her way to care for her tenants. When things happen or we need assistance, she's always available to help out and make us feel like someone actually cares. Chrystle is the real deal. The same can't be said for the UDR - who owns the property. They purely exist to ensure every last cent is squeezed out of the property. An example: They recently snuck in an addendum to all lease renewals without a formal announcement that all tenants are required to pay upwards of $80 for a "technology" fee whether they use an internet service offered by the property or not. It's unfortunate there is no option to not sign the addendum if you want to lease a unit at the building. So much for right to choose your service. read more

It is expensive to live here. We asked for a new Washer and Dryer, cause the set we have is old, but was told our rent would increase if they gave us a new set, we said No Thank You, however renewing our lease the Rent still increased, with no type of upgrades, go figure, SMH. However, the maintenance department does a great job. read more

we love living here! chrystle and tia are amazing and always go above and beyond to take care of us, the property, and contribute to mercer island as a whole. thank you so much, we appreciate you guys! read more

We relocated within the community into our newly remodeled apartment home last year and have been really enjoying all the new features and looks of our new place. The whole staff is always very helpful and keeps us well informed. They have fun events around the neighborhood. Mercer Island is such a wonderful place to live, and Island Square is the best community by far. Thank you all so much for everything you do read more

We've lived here for a year and everything has been great from move in, to living here summer and winter with the different amenities and we're looking forward to another year at Island Square! Has been great for our kids as well and very friendly neighbors. read more

My husband and I have an apartment in Island Square for the past 2 years and really enjoy living here. it is located in the small town of Mercer Island where we can walk to stores, restaurants, post office and other amenities. We have an awesome long term management team of Chrystle and Alexa who consistently communicate and respond to concerns. This is especially important as we are in a 3 year renovation period. Their warmth and support make all the difference in creating a positive sense of community. We have also moved into a newly renovated apartment which is lovely upgrade. So glad we chose Island Square! read more

Responsive, friendly and expert maintenance is one of the main benefits of living at Island Square. Art, the maintenance manger, and his team do an amazing job. read more

Solid team of people. Safe, clean area. Frequent building issues which are handled in a timely manner.

I so much appreciate the time taken by Art to explain to me the A/C vent attachment in my new apartment home. I am thrilled to have this feature, and to know it's there!!! ...and how to use it. These are the things that make all the difference... read more

For the past few months I have lived here it has went downhill . Dirty hallways , trash collection not getting emptied . (Excuse )equipment not working there is always a way if you want to get a job done . Double charged constantly on my monthly rent . And you never can get ahold of the office . For the amount of money we pay for rent it should be well managed and someone always on site after hours in case of an emergency . Important things come first when you run an office especially when you see garbage piling up . read more

Art and the maintenance team has always been terrific. Very polite, and this includes after I was a bit salty with one of my requests recently. Art understood, took care of the request, and apologized for the inconvenience, even though it was legit unavoidable. I am very appreciative of the on-site staff here at Island Square, and I'm the squeaky wheel so I expect a lot. read more

I have lived on the property for several years now and love living here. All the shops and restaurants are within walking distance. Our property management team Chrystle, Alexa and Art are always courteous and helpful. They are always responsive, attentive, and efficient in handling administrative matters and maintenance work to ensure the property is always clean and in top shape. I also appreciate that we have regular community activities that make us feel at home and connected. I'm really enjoying the new high-end upgrades, especially the oversized kitchen sink. I hope the rent stays affordable so I can continue living here. read more

Krystie in the front office was incredibly helpful and accommodating in our search for an apartment. She provided candid answers to questions and helped us locate a unit that met our needs. Location of the complex is great, as stores and services are walkable and there is ready access to I-90. The unit is light and bright. Able to accommodate our 2 dogs. read more

Island Square by UDR Apartments - Imaginary view from our unit - Apartments Near Me - Mercer Island, Washington

I strongly suggest everyone reads all the reviews doing so will provide a clear picture of the pros and cons of renting a unit at Island Square. For most, the best value for our dollars is the highest expectation sadly UDR/Island Square is failing. A common theme shared in most reviews (Good or Bad) addressed security, cost, cleanliness, and repairs. These are value-adding concerns that cannot be neglected especially in today's economy.  I have been a tenant for almost 2 years initially I gave the complex high marks mainly due to the professionalism of the onsite management team they are PEERLESS addressing every concern promptly.  However, over time the concerns (Security, Cost, cleanliness, and Repairs) multiplied demising value.  Anyone reading my review if value is important, you may want to look somewhere else...UDR/Island Square if you're going to keep your current customers and lower your vacancy rate add value not cost. read more

After seeing other reviews here I toured and scrutinized the contract ... fees on everything from hundreds in admin charges to deposit fees, a different $500 fee for cats and dogs so you have to shell out a thousand if you own both. The tour did not go well. Online images are heavily photoshopped and /or possibly years old. It was nice once? IDK, I felt cat fished. The shock from what was advertised to reality was hard to shake. The community area was in poor shape. The gym is clean but it is older and weight equipment have hairline cracks. The apartment was nice, but with heavy signs of wear around everyday use items. A lot of things could be nice about this property but the upkeep does not support the luxury ticket price. read more

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CRAZY RENT HIKE- PLEASE READ BEFORE LEASING If you want to stay here for longer than a year, proceed with caution. I moved in here 15 months ago (Dec 2021) on a 6 month lease. We chose to renew for an additional year because we have enjoyed our unit and have had a fairly small number of annoyances/trouble. A few days ago, we received notice that Island Square/UDR intends to raise our rent by more than 25% for a whopping $600+ more per month - and that's if we renew early!! When we last renewed, we resigned a lease with them after the rent increase moratorium ended, so it's shocking that they believe the value of our unit went up by over $600 a month in under a year. Before this increase, I would have told you that the apartment is decent and the property has some flaws such as: - Mailboxes broken into at least 4 x in 15 months, requiring a new mailbox that doesn't arrive for 6 months, meaning we have to get mail from the office. - Elevator is so temper-mental that a dried leaf in the track will cause it to break (for which a repairman has to be dispatched). Wish I was kidding - Private parking garage gate frequently breaks, and there are a number of break ins. - Not enough trash and recycling for how many people/units are in the building. It's constantly full. Chrystle and her team made living here decent which is why I give them 2 stars- but I cannot justify that much extra. When I contacted renewals, they stated that all apartments in the area are going up this much (not true) and that there is nothing they can do to negotiate. Weird, since the unit above us with a similar floor plan is going for 2795 right now. Huh. Save yourself some hassle and look at somewhere else. read more

Amazing quick reliable service. He explained us what could be driving the issue and resolved it immediately.

Toured the facility, and the renovated home look amazing! Chrystle was very helpful and informative about the upcoming renovations. When the time is right, we look forward to moving in. Hope Chrystle is still there as her customer service and friendliness is stellar. read more

Art is always o helpful with all of our maintenance needs. Responds quickly, very knowledgeable and has a great attitude. Great suggestions for repairs and usage, and goes above and beyond to get parts. 5 out of 5 stars for sure!! Thanks Art! read more

We have lived at Island Square twice now. This last time has now been 6 years and counting. There are many things to love about Island Square. First and foremost is the property manager - Chrystle. We have been through at least 5 managers since being here and Chrystle is, w/o question, the absolute best. She is responsive, caring, and aware of everything happening around the property. She takes care of issues very quickly, while also having a sense of humor about challenging issues that are out of everyone's control. The other things we love about the complex is the proximity to parks, restaurants, grocery stores, and public transit. It is a very safe area and we feel safe in our apartment. The things that we have always had issues with is the management company itself - UDR. We recently released and they added an addendum buried into our lease for a $70 technology fee. We don't want to use their wireless and would prefer to use our own equipment and choose our preferable servicer. If we do that, we pay twice for internet. Very frustrating. They are also remodeling all the units in this complex and moving out tenants at the end of their lease to do so. Our unit was completely remodeled 6 years ago and we love it and do not want to leave, but unfortunately we will have no choice in the future. Very sad that this is how they choose to treat long term, very satisfied residents that have no desire to move - especially in a unit that is fully updated. read more

I'm not the first person to mention this, but Chrystle (and her team) are what make Island Square an excellent place to live. From our initial walkthrough process to routine maintenance requests to lease renewals, the management team at Island Square is professional, responsive, and more generally, everything you hope for in a property management staff. Outside of the staff, Island Square is conveniently located on the north end of Mercer Island which makes getting to the Bellevue or Seattle extremely easy. The amenities make the apartment complex feel more like a resort - there's a sauna, spa, gym and resident lounge (kitchen, pool table, TV, etc.). The price points for units are comparable with new apartment buildings in neighborhoods like Cap Hill, Bellevue and Ballard, but generally speaking, you get more bang for your buck in terms of square footage, convenience (parking, 10 minute drive to downtown Seattle before 7:15am, etc.). We love living here. read more

I have lived at Island Square for 3 years now and wouldn't live anywhere else. From the very beginning Chrystle, who is the Services Manager, has always been so responsive and thoughtful whenever I need help with anything. I recently experienced a health issue and Chrystle was so kind, she went to the market for me! It's personal attention like that which will keep me loyal to living here! I, also, enjoy the safety aspects the building provides. My apartment is quiet, cozy and well appointed. The 2 times I needed maintenance it was addressed immediately and professionally. The building has convenient (walking distance) access to stores, restaurants and easy freeway entry. read more

Worst place. Never stay there. I lived there for many years and always paid my rent and was a good tenant. The management lies. If you are injured on their premises because of their negligence -- they NEVER compensate you and they knowingly lie about their responsibility. Never again will I stay there or recommend Island Square to anyone. Shame on you! read more

I had 4 major issues in my first week of moving 1. Microwave stopped working 2. Flush pump in the toilet stopped working 3. Leakage in the storage room from the water inlet pipes. 4. Garbage disposal in the kitchen sink stopped working. 5. Smart rent lock was not working due to internet connection issue. The maintenance person is super nice and helpful. He provided prompt help and sorted the issues for us. read more

I recently did a walk through on the newly renovated units definitely worth looking into if you're looking for an updated unit at a reasonable price! the manager was there to personally show the updated units with all the latest and greatest appliances! chrystle made Island square feel like home! read more

I've lived here over 3 years and this year I am honest with my 5 star review. Here is why: full stocked gym; more social activities; all the locks on the gates work; new key access so no more being locked out; responsive maintenance on site and after hours; improved clean waterfall hot tub; fun game room with old school video games and pinball; less creepy residents who bathroom their dogs on site/stairs and cleaner common areas. read more

Stay as far as you can away From this dishonest and money hungry APT!!! I have moved across several APTs from East Coast to West Coast in NY, SF, and LA. I have purely great rent history and have never been charged any move-out fee with all deposit back. Island Square was my first APT since I moved to Seattle and really opened my eyes in a negative way. 1. The APT is poorly managed and all the facilities are old. When we moved into APT, kitchen cabinet door was broken and the smoke detector was missing. We asked the leasing office but didn't get any response. The maintenance guy even left his tools in our unit and we returned to the leasing office. Now when we moved out, we were asked to pay for these. The most ridiculous part is I was at home for several smoking tests, the guy entered my unit and told me everything is ok even not mentioned the smoke detector is missing. 2. The APT charged you a cleaning fee ($180+) immediately after move-out pre-inspection in your last months' bill along with over $200+ utility fee (it's normally $80+ for us) without any notification and pre-inspection report. 3. When we moved out, we did not do the clean because of the paid cleaning fee. After around 2 weeks we received a move out the final statement for extra around $700 for appliance repair/replacement due to dirty. Obviously, they want to renew the APT but they don't want to pay for it and ask the move-out resident to pay. 4. Since the day we told the leasing office that we would move out, we keep receiving a lot of email, phone calls and text asking us why we're moving out. Those just like spams and disturbed our normal daily life. I don't care about the money but I feel very sick about this APT. I will warn all my friend to stay away from this APT and put it in my company's blacklist to make sure no one will experience this again. read more

Island Square is an apartment located in a great location on Mercer Island. It is across the street from QFC and it has a lot of other restaurants nearby too (Starbucks, Einstein Bagels, McDonalds) This apartment was not bad overall although there are some quirks as with every other apartment. PROS: -Wes is the nicest apartment front desk staff I have ever met and I have lived in a lot of apartments already. He bends over backwards to accommodate your requests! He actually lives in the apartment so if you have any questions about living there he would know best. -Office is open on weekends too -LOCATION! I basically went to QFC everyday. The QFC is open 24/7 so it was super convenient. -Spacious bedrooms. Our 1 bedroom was 925 square feet or something ridiculous like that. -Washer/dryer in the unit. -Community hot tub is cool (although I haven't used it) -Courtyard with BBQ grills CONS: -The recycling had to be taken downstairs to the recycle room. The room was a bit smelly and not very convenient to reach. The trash rooms on each floor should have recycle bins in there! -If you live on the courtyard level you have a patio but you have to hop your fence to easily get to the courtyard. Or walk around the hallways to get to the courtyard. -The courtyard and other common amenities do not have key fobs - they have a second key and it's really awkward to insert the key and turn the handle at the same time especially when your hands are full -Pet rent and fees are pretty high. Check the fees before you bring your pet. -The default lights in the room are mostly heat lights so if you leave them on the room tends to get very hot. -The garage door is consistently broken. I see that it's up a lot meaning that any cars can get in. -You enter in the garage on the LEFT hand side (and exit on the left). -The gym is not that big. Also most of the equipment was quite old. I had the pedal fall off the bike one time. read more

My family and I have lived at island square for over a year now. The place is fantastic, it's always quiet and the staff is helpful when I'm In need of assistance. I would say the biggest downfall of living at island Square is the plethora of entitled people that live here. I feel so sorry for the staff here, ive seen on multiple occasions other tenants complaining about the most insane things. I can only imagine how frustrating it can be for those lovely ladies in the office. You can tell just by reading these other reviews by what I mean. So if you move here you will enjoy it. Just be wear you will be surrounded by a lot of entitled whiners. read more

We moved to Island Square in 2018. Eventually we had to leave in 2021 as things got worse overtime. Unfortunately, we had to end our stay primarily for three reasons: safety issues, poor communication and unfair rent hikes. Here are the pros and cons; hope it helps you to be well informed before you make a decision: Pros: 1. Location; proximity, 24/7 QFC 2. Amenities: gym and the lounge room 3. Fairly spacious units and hallways 4. Responsive maintenance technicians Cons: 1. Recurrent storage break-in and theft. Our locker got broke. into. Lost items worth $3K. 2. Used Syringe found in the stairwell 3. Homeless found sleeping under the parking stairwell 4. Dirty/ littered hallways and suspicious strangers in the hallways 5. Unfair/ uncontrolled high rent increases each year- way above inflation rate and the WA state employee raise rate 6. Unfair high charges for cleaning and 'repair' for what is normal wear and tear after you leave despite paying $250 cleaning fees. We left the unit intact. Right away we received an email claiming we owe $650. Emailed back and called them multiple times. Never got a response. Never got an official bill. Then received a bill from a Collection months later through the mail! 7. Rushing you to move out days before your contract actually ends with constant calls and texts 8. Very Noisy overnight/ early morning truck deliveries in the ally next to the building 9. Delayed automated texting system instead of an actual person- no matter how urgent your request is 10. Elevator kept breaking in the A building. Got trapped once. Had to wait for firefighters to rescue us 11. Occasional Amazon package loss and miss-deliveries 12. Location- no other access when I-90 is closed i.e. due to an accident 14. About 2 months after we moved in we were offered a free night Lounge room reservation for a 5 star Google review... (Documents, texts, picture, emails and police report available upon request) read more

I have lived here for many years. Grab another place if you can. This place is so frustrating. The office is nice, but nothing gets done. My bathroom faucet was streaming water. Not dripping, pouring. Maintenance came after many hours. Shut my water off. And at this point it has been off for four days. No updates on when it will be turned back on. Zero communication. It's the way it always is here. Always passing the buck. They are consistent in that. and don't get me started on the dog pee every day by my elevator. And don't get me wrong, I love the puppies. Just not the pee. And one more thing. I don't need to do all the rest... My refrigerator went down. They repaired it. Two days later it went out again. So they ordered a new one. I lost all my food & freezer items. I talked to the office about it. They gave me $100 credit. which was not even close to what I lost in there. Clown show here. But the location is wonderful read more

We've had a wonderful move in experience. The complex is very well-managed, clean, safe, and overall great, liveable environment.

Absolute nightmare! Further details to support the claim above: Experiences at island square oct 2018-oct 2019 1. Piles of human vomit in the hallway 2. Dog poop on the stairs 3. My brand new Jeep broken into via a screwdriver in the door lock while in the garage. 4. Paper thin walls and floors. 5. Multiple doors that don't close securely making it a non secure property. Anyone can walk in off the street. 6. The hot tub overflowing for hours on end even though maintenance staff was informed of the problem. 7. The trash compactor was down for a few weeks and trash just piled up everywhere. 8. There is not enough recycling so it is constantly covered in recycling strewn out downstairs. 9. The garage doors being broken multiple times. Once making me late because I couldn't get my car out. 10. A $600 deposit that they don't return as well as $200 charge for what they call "express move out" plus a $550 charge for missing screen door that was never there to begin with and never replaced even though multiple fix it tickets were submitted. 11. Expect to add $400 on top of your base rent every month for "utilities and fees" 12. Constant battles of overcharges. 13. Rude/sneaky office staff that doesn't care at all about the tenants. read more