Do not rent here! I am currently in a dispute with the management company, Greystar, who has an F rating with the BBB...for a reason! They did not return my deposit, violated WA State tenant laws regarding the return of deposit, and their reaction to me trying to resolve the situation is to avoid answering their phone or returning phone calls. The management cited WA State tenant laws, when asked about the move out procedure, that were completely false. The onsite management has the obstacle of dealing with the bad business practice of Greystar.
Inside the apartment, the temperature exceeded 100 degrees even when the temperature outside was mid 80's. The building becomes an oven in even slightly warm weather as there are no windows or ventilation in the hallways. The building actually looks like a microwave if you step back and take a look. You simply cannot live in this building without buying an air conditioner!
The elevator in the building is slow and much of your time will be wasted waiting for it. On the day that I moved out, there was another tenant moving in and another moving out which made for a horrendous moving day waiting for use of the elevator. There was no coordination with management regarding move in/out. The slow garage door is also another obstacle that will try your patience.
The location is directly on the busiest and noisiest intersections in West Seattle. The noise from the beeping bus stop, construction, KFC's drive through, and the stadium will drive you insane! The stadium holds high school football games that are incredibly noisy; the blinding lights of the stadium will light up your apartment if you are on that side of the building. During track season, the starter gun every five minutes will be enough to frighten your pets and prevent you from having any peace. On the note of noise, you will never be able to have a phone conversation or watch television (without blaring the volume) while the dishwasher, washer, or dryer are running. The appliances are modern and new, but the noisiest appliances I have ever experienced.
As for the maintenance of the building, the trash area is a nightmare. It did get somewhat better at one point, but for over a year it was so bad that rats were living around the dumpsters which are located inside the garage. Despite numerous complaints, there were no attempts to remedy the problem. In all fairness, I believe that the trash situation was addressed, but it is worth noting that it was not addressed for two years.
To a simply and tastefully appointed lobby, every feature known to man (water feature, more lighting, wallpaper, new paint more than once, music, more furniture, a rug) was added, without prioritizing known problems around the building. The music is often turned up so loud in the small lobby that you come home from an exhausting day and feel like you have entered a night club. Many times the volume was turned up on Saturday and not adjusted until they came back in the office on Tuesday.
And then there are the power outages. You can expect that to happen at least five times a year, if not more. The smoke detectors will continuously beep at a high pitch during a power outage; my two senior dogs would panic. During the power outage, you will have absolutely no access to the building unless you stay inside and deal with the beeping from every single smoke detector (2 in my one bedroom apt) from every single apartment and the hallways. Exit the front door and you will not be able to get back in. You will not be able to leave the parking garage as the gate is electronic. On several occasions, without there being a power outage, the fab entry system would quit working. There is no on site maintenance person after hours and even sometimes during working hours. I had the displeasure of waiting outside in 40 degree temperatures for over two hours with my senior dogs one night.
I lived there for two years and had numerous problems, but the move out and failure to return my deposit is where I drew the line. I filed a small claims against Greystar and the building owner despite numerous attempts to resolve the discrepancies outside of court. I am hoping that my efforts will encourage Greystar to become more informed of WA State landlord tenant laws and put them into practice for any current or future residents of the building. I also hope that Greystar will understand that readying an apartment for a future tenant (with the exception of things outside of normal wear and tear) are operational costs and the cost of doing business as an apartment building.
Their tag line is "Life is Better Here". I don't know where someone has to be coming from for that to be true. Don't get mesmerized by the nice finishes and fixtures inside the apartments!! It is a facade for a noisy building that is riddled with operational issues related to the business practices of Greystar.
LIFE IS MISERABLE THERE!! read more