I agree with all the negative comments written elsewhere on the web. Unico, the managing company, is more concerned with profits than tenant well-being, comfort, or reasonable rent increases.
* Gym - woefully pathetic compared to all every other similarly priced complex downtown
* Rooftop "Garden" - ditto; 3 tiny trees do not a garden make! The gym and "garden" areas were sacrificed to allow more space for overpriced penthouses, restaurant, and grocery store.
* Dirt - everywhere! Stairwell railings have been covered with a film of white construction dust for months - never cleaned. Stairs themselves haven't been scrubbed since the building opened 16 months ago. When we moved in, we were told that the windows would be professionally cleaned AT LEAST 3 times/year. In 18 months, they've been cleaned twice. Hallway carpets were vacuumed daily when we first moved in; now they are vacuumed 1x/week if we are lucky. Door handles, elevator buttons, etc. are not regularly cleaned or disinfected. The large mat at the front entrance reeks of dog and/or human urine most of the time. Same in elevators. We've had many guests here that complain about the toilet smell of the front entrance and elevators.
Windows - the "1920 historic, original, renovated" windows that the Cobb advertises so heavily are the worst constructed, leakiest windows we've ever had to put up with. It will always be freezing in your apartment unless you use lots of masking tape to seal them. Even if you seal them, the single-pane construction does nothing to seal in the heat or keep out the cold.
Noise - Fourth Ave. is one of the main streets in Seattle for ambulances and fire trucks. You will hear them with VERY loud sirens all day and all night. Purple Cafe is directly across the street, and at least once per day, you'll get to hear dump trucks behind them in the alley dumping trash and hundreds of bottles.
Smoking - Unfortunately, this is a smoking building. Even more unfortunately, the connecting bathrooms between units have drop ceilings that allow smoke to flow from unit to unit. If you don't smoke but your neighbor does, you will smell their cigarette smoke very strongly because the partitions between walls have not been sealed properly. You will also smell everything your neighbor cooks.
Rent - be prepared for one of Seattle's greediest owners. Although I agree with a poster above that the Cobb isn't the only apartment building that is gouging prices, that's hardly a justification for 40-50% rent increases that most residents were handed. Those residents who "suffered" a full year of dust, dirt, constant construction noise, things breaking, etc. were "rewarded" by Unico with outrageous rent increases.
"Hot" water - for those people who like really hot water to shower/wash dishes, forget it. The Cobb management (claiming this is city regulation) turned the maximum water heat down. You can leave the water in the kitchen or your shower on full hot and hold your hands or body in it.
Heater - Similarly, the Cobb maintenance crew (or the company they hire to service the heat/AC units) "fixed" all thermostats so that we cannot set our thermostat above 76. While that may sound warm enough, when every single huge "historic, restored, original" window is POURING cold air in the room, even 76 degrees won'tt keep your apartment warm.
Staff - This is one of the ONLY things at the Cobb that has been consistently good. However, they are under the greedy constraints of Unico, who is much more interested in turning big profits than in providing the best apartment in Seattle for tenants. Two of the original, excellent staff members quit the Cobb because of problems with Unico.
Moving in/out - Although this is no fault of the Cobb, moving in is very difficult. If you are using even an average sized moving van, it won't fit into the underground loading dock. Your only option is to pay for 2 or 3 spaces at the front of the building. We did just that, but then spent almost 3 hours trying to get the police to tow away vehicles that had parked illegally. Even if your moving truck IS small enough to fit in the underground loading area, the path that the movers must make with all your belongings is outrageously long, involving two very slow elevators.
"Community Room" - This, like the rooftop "garden" and "gym", this room is pathetic compared with community rooms in nearly every similarly priced apartment complex downtown. The "community room" consists of a sofa, TV, lamp, a few chairs, a large business meeting table, and a sink. No pool table, no kitchen, not even a microwave or coffee pot. If you want to entertain even a few people, you have to bring everything from your kitchen in sacks and trays, fully cooked, ready to go. You can't even heat a cup of water. No towels to clean up.
In summary, this is a building that the owners are trying to pass off as a pretentious, 5-star, "luxury" apartment complex, but it's far from it. read more