Centennial Tower
Seattle, WashingtonAn Editorial
This site details our experiences with Centennial Tower Apartment Building, located at
2515
4th Avenue
Seattle, Washington
98121The building is presently managed by:
APEX Realty Management, Inc.
4020 Lake Washington Blvd NE
Kirkland, WA 98033This site contains and includes our opinions.
Purpose of this site:
There are few issues more central to the human experience than the concept of HOME.
Psychologists tell us that humans have certain needs. At the top of the list are these two: To survive and to procreate. In order to accomplish either, a stable, safe and livable home is of the greatest importance. When all the world is out to get us, where's the one place on Earth we can retreat to, to seek comfort, safety, rest and peace? Home. Indeed, there's no place like Home. International wars have been waged, won, and lost over the concepts of "home". Millions have sacrificed their lives to protect their home. Untold hundreds of thousands have gone to jail or are in prison currently because they violated the sanctity of home. Tens of thousands have been killed, rightly and legally so, by a homeowner defending his home.
The concept of home is intensely emotional. A person's home is of the utmost, the utmost importance to the very survival of that person, and there's not a government, society or people in the world which doesn't recognize that fact.
Much of the population of the United States lives in apartments. Unfortunately, the very concept of the apartment experience means that the resident is more or less at the mercy of the good will of (a) his/her neighbor, and (b) his/her landlord. When good neighbors go bad, there is often some recourse. You can call the building manager; you can call the police; you can call building security (if available). These remedies may or may not work to restore the peace, safety and sanctity of your home, but at least you can try them and see. This leaves the resident feeling as though there is at least a chance that his problem will get solved, and that the security, livability and value of his apartment home may be kept intact. The sanctity of one's home, regardless of its arrangement, location or construct, is of paramount importance. Few apartment managers even begin to understand the trust which is placed in them when they contract to provide space in which someone will make their home. Managers handle the responsibility with varying degrees of success. Some managers don't handle the responsibility at all. And some managers are such a clear and blatant detriment to the well-being of their apartment community that they should be evicted themselves.
This site endeavors to help the millions of apartment dwellers avoid problems in the communities in which their apartment-homes are located, and to understand what kinds of problems can occur when bad managers are in control.
Tenant Comments About Centennial
The comments below were posted by tenants on other Internet sites
The reader can do a string search through Google to find the original postings
This website contains and includes our opinions and the opinions of the submitters below
Opinion: RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN!!!!! From: -Anonymous- Date: 12/27/2003
The rents in this building are outrageous for what one actually gets! The manager, (which will remain nameless, YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!) is the biggest BITCH I have ever met. I have seen her humiliate her staff, and she is always treating them like crap. The doorman is never there to actually open the door, so that is a service that you pay for, but 9 times out of 10 never get to utilize. Overall, the office staff is okay. I can´t harp on them too much after seeing what they have to work with. Parking SUCKS! I have no idea how they expect us to park in spots big enough for a mini cooper. I drive an SUV, and may as well leave it on the street, because It takes an hour of 3 point turns to get out of the damn garage. Overall, I would not suggest that anyone live here. I just moved over to the Metropolitan, and absolutely love it. The ammenities work here unlike the Centenial, The doorman actually answers the door, The manager is great! and the parking situation is better. (still not the best.)
Overall recommended: No
Years at this apartment: 2003 - 2003
Opinion: Dirty Building, Bad management From: stephandiedrich@yahoo.com Date: 11/12/2003
Where does one begin! Yes the office has their favorites and loves to gossip about others. I use to work in the building under another managment firm. The owners really need to bring back that firm as the building is so dirty now, service is really bad. I had a new $1,600 bike stolen out of the garage with a titanium lock on it. The manager, Correna, brushed it off like no big deal. Treated me like she didnt care or give a hoot about anything. I ended moving out early do to a lay off. Hardship move they call it. They rented the apartment for me but after we offered them an extra $500 to do so. However they kept my deposit (which is not legal) and charged me up the a.. for more rent (after they told me it was ok to move out). I would not recommend living in the property under the current managmement. Even though the views are the best in the city!
Overall recommended: No
Years at this apartment: 2002 - 2003
Opinion: BEWARE: Greedy, unethical, shortsighted management From: -Anonymous- Date: 8/27/2003
Unless you can find absolutely nothing else in the Belltown area -- which is unlikely --I would STAY AWAY from this building. The physical amenities are OK, but the management is absolutely impossible to deal with. They are all smiles when you sign the lease, but they will seize any opportunity to bilk extra money out of you when you move out, and if you need help or have a problem, forget it! In addition, maintenance of the common areas is terrible -- malfunctioning elevators and whirlpool remain malfunctioning indefinitely, the gym is poorly maintained, and, for a "doorman" building, more times than not neither the doorman nor the concierge is at the door. Apparently the new management company that took over this year is concerned about only one thing: making more money for the owner. It sure isnıt quality of life for the tenants.
Other friends of mine, who live in other buildings around the city, have had much more positive experiences with building management. I would seriously recommend looking elsewhere -- you donıt need the headaches that come with living here.
Overall recommended: No
Years at this apartment: 2002 - 2003
Opinion: Not good enough for the price you pay From: -Anonymous- Date: 6/20/2003
Fitness room equipment is not maintained properly. I have never seen anyone clean the place. They never fix what´s broken. The cleaning person does not turn up sometimes and nothing was working when I first moved in. Some things still don´t.
Overall recommended: No
Years at this apartment: 2003 - 2003
Opinion: Nice place to live, but the staff is horrible From: -Anonymous- Date: 5/25/2003
Overall recommended: No
Years at this apartment: 2002 - 2003
Opinion: This place is a giant optical illusion!! From: -Anonymous- Date: 3/7/2003
I lived at Centennial for a year, and for the price I don´t think it was worth it. You pay on average about $2 per square foot. The apartments here are small, the elevators are slow, and you can definitely hear your neighbors (and the garbage trucks in the morning). I would say that parking is adequate, you just have to find a good spot (It is pretty secure, although there have been about 5 cases of vandalism since I´ve lived here). The amenities are good but not great for the price you are paying. There is a large indoor pool, and a nice community lounge. The fitness area has some good equipment, but they don´t maintain it (for instance, there was a bench press machine with the alignment off and although numerous requests were made for it to be fixed, it never was). I would say the biggest complaint with this complex has been the management/leasing staff. They tend to be rude, unfriendly, moody, and don´t go out of their way to help or assist you. Basically, they play aloof to the issues concerning their residents. They also definitely play favorites!! If they like you or you are part of their circle of people, then they take care of you (i.e. free parking, discounted rent, basically they are flexible with you). I think all places are what you make of them, but you have to go way out of your way to make this place even remotely feel like home.
Overall recommended: No
Years at this apartment: 2002 - 2003
Opinion: Unless you can afford a high floor, forget it because...... From: -Anonymous- Date: 2/24/2003
I lived on the floor below the top floor, so the noise wasnt a problem. My rent was major and the space was minor. Make sure you drive a small car, the spaces are so small its a struggle. I loved the location, and I loved my view, so I stayed a while. I just ran out of room, and forget anyone moving in with me because there wouldnt be room for the 2 of us in this tiny 1 bedroom floor plan. Management seemed to pick who they gave a darn about, and as a single woman... it wasnt me. Anyway, to summarize, I would say search high and low before you rent here, and only rent here if your close to the top of the building. Ive heard from everyone the noise in unbearable closer to the street and ally.
Overall recommended: No
Years at this apartment: 1997 - 1999
Opinion: Not A Great Urban Living Experience From: -Anonymous- Date: 1/30/2003
To the jerk who said this is a "Great Urban Living Experience": Why donıt you let the readers decide what is accurate, instead of telling them not to believe what other reviewers have said.
If you like it there then fine, go ahead and toot its horn. Praise it all you want. But donıt make personal attacks on the people who didnıt like it, okay pal? Anyone who didnıt like it there is entitled to their opinions. Just because those people donıt agree with you doesnıt mean you have to put them down. Why donıt you stick to reviewing the apartment? Too much for a "cool" jerk like you? Maybe you need to work on some of your own interpersonal skills instead of being so critical of people that donıt think like your arrogant ass.
Oh, and by the way, I agree with a lot of what the negative reviews say: parking sucks, noise, rude staff, expensive, etc. Conclusion: Centennial apartments suck.
Overall recommended: No
Years at this apartment: 2002 - 2002
Opinion: Price is expensive, Staff are passive, Walls are thin, Parking a nightmare. From: unhappyrenter9 Date: 11/12/2002
So the walls are paper thin in the Court. You can hear everything from your nieghbors music to their toilet flushing. Parking is a nightmare - the clicker never works - they do nothing to correct the problem. The spaces are tiny any space you have a decent chance of getting into is usually reserved. If you pay $50 per month for the priviledge youıd at least like a clicker that works. The hallways are hot in summer and cold in the winter they never get it right. They donıt even tell you where to put your larger rubbish once they have your money (little touches that help you feel settled). The staff are generally dis-interested in finding any solution to any issues you may have - they donıt even listen half the time.
If you want a decent nights sleep donıt face the street as the windows are not soundproof and most of the time you will feel like they are open. Donıt face the alley otherwise you will be woken by the garbage truck. Donıt face in or youıll be accused of spying on the people in the pool. There is also the fire station nearby so expect to be woken up several times during the week as your windows do not serve their purpose. There is no sense of community inspired by the staff they are just filling the time earning a buck. Prices for the apartments for a place where you canıt park easily, have to hear your neighbors ıgoings onı and donıt get a good nights rest is disappointing. Do not live here!
Overall recommended: No
Years at this apartment: 2001 - 2002
Opinion: High priced, low quality From: -Anonymous- Date: 9/24/2002
What I am about to describe is just my opinion, and is based on my experiences. However, I do think that there is a lot of truth and accuracy in what I am describing.
This is without question, the worst apartment complex I have ever lived in. It is also the most expensive apartment, by far, that I have ever lived in. I moved into Centennial Towers (That is what it was called on the lease, not Centennial Plaza) because of the location, and because it appeared to be nice luxury apartment. I figured that despite the high price, there would be some benefits to living in a luxury high rise in downtown Seattle. Boy was I wrong. Moving to Centennial Plaza was the biggest mistake I have ever made with regard to apartments.
The apartments are too small over there. But given the high price, you would think there would be something above average about these units. As it turns out, there is nothing great about them as far as appliances or amenities, or anything else. Basically what you get is a tiny box to live in, way up in the sky. Instead of being a nice place to come home to at the end of a long hard day of work, you come to a box that is more like a prison cell. I use the analogy of a prison cell because the units are small, the tenants are jerks, and the walls are paper-thin.
When I moved in, I was expecting a mature, civilized crowd as far as tenants go, given that this apartment complex was expensive as hell, but prided itself on being one of the premier apartments in Seattle. Instead, I found myself living amongst mostly snotty young people and snotty yuppies. Most of these people were incredibly rude and inconsiderate. But given that Seattle is overrun with such people why should I be surprised? (These are the people that have transformed Seattle from a nice Northwestern city into an unlivable expensive piece of gridlocked crap that is infested with MTV jackasses.) Nevertheless, living in close proximity to the yuppies, young punks, and the rest of the mocha crowd is an experience in its own right. You wait about ten minutes each way for elevators, regardless of which floor you are going to. Then when you get to your apartment, you get treated to a fine dose of door slamming, stomping, dropping things on the floor, etc. from your friendly neighbors. I have lived in a lot of apartments, some noisy, some quiet. And I know that when you live in an apartment, there is going to be some noise. But the noise at Centennial Towers is worse than most places I lived in. (And at these prices???!!!!) The tenants in this aparatment complex are complete jerks with no consideration for anyone but themselves.
In addition to living with some of Seattleıs worst, you get to sqeeze into a tiny parking spot, that is most likely sandwiched between two SUVıs. And, of course, you pay a nice high rate to park your car in there.
And I should also mention that, except for a few people, the management and service people are completes jerks, just like the tenants that live there. They are rude, unhelpful, and act like you are the one to blame if you come to them with the simplest problem or question (e.g. Informing them that someone is parked in your reserved spot in the garage.) About a week after I moved in, I had some large items shipped via a moving truck from a storage facility to the apartments. I was in the process of explaining to the movers where I wanted the furnature placed, when I received a call. The person calling was from the management office, but didnıt identify themselves. Instead, the first words I heard were: "You need to move the truck out of the way, now." This is typical of the rude attitude of the management office. (I canıt use any names here, because this might be censored on this website, but that fake, blonde jerk in the management office knows who Iım talking about.) The moversı truck was on the street, because it could not fit in the loading area of the building. The truck was parked along the side of the street, and not blocking anyoneıs entry into the building. But apparently this wasnıt good enough for the fine folks who manage Centennial Towers. Maybe three blocks away in the some empty alley is what they had in mind as a place to unload.
I have lived in other luxury apartments/condominiums, and have friends who live in condominiums. All of those places have at least some good qualities, despite the high price. Centennial Towers has none of those. There are apartments that rent for half of what I was paying that are quieter and better maintained than what Centennial Towers has to offer. Overall, Centennial Towers is a horrible, noisy apartment complex that is run and inhabited by the people that you see most in the Seattle area: young people, yuppies, and the rest of the Microsoft mocha crowd. All intolerant and snotty. All complete jerks.
Overall recommended: No
Years at this apartment: 2001 - 2002
Opinion: apartment is nice, but lacking in other aspects From: -Anonymous- Date: 6/21/2002
The apartments, facilities, and building are nice and very clean. However, the rent is expensive for an older high rise, in relation to the economy and the many newer and nicer high rises in the area comparable in price. The sales efforts and vancancy rates are indicative of this. Parking is an absolute nightmare given all the big cars, tight angles, and tiny spaces, and even then the lack thereof. About half the management employees are bothersome to deal with, lacking intelligence, sincerity and diligence in the area of service to current tenants. However, the concierge, maintenance, and door men are excellent.
Overall recommended: No
Years at this apartment: 2002 - 2002
Opinion: Okay, not great From: -Anonymous- Date: 12/12/2001
Lived here eight years. Minimal trouble with loud neighbors and parties. HUGE amount of trouble with no hot water, or no water at all. More trouble with that in eight years than in the entire rest of our lives living in 23 states and three countries combined. Management company is quite greedy, to the point of obnoxiousness. But aren´t they all? Gripes: We pay rent to include a doorman, yet in an informal survey we note that we actually HAVE a doorman only about 14% of the time, during the hours a doorman is supposed to be on duty. Also, we pay for amenities, such as a pool and weight room, yet the new building next door has been given rights to all of OUR amenities---which makes them crowded. This has tended to also overload our already overloaded elevators, and has contributed significantly to noise problems in the building. It´s just more greed, at the expense of the tenants. The rent here is HIGH, some of the highest on the west coast. Units are unbelievably small. Vacancy rates are high, yet instead of lowering rents to a level people could afford, they pester us with huge rewards for bringing in new tenants. We find ourselves constantly on the verge of moving out.
Overall recommended: Yes
Years at this apartment: 1991 - 2001
2-21-04: Commentary from SYSOP:
We've read through the tenant comments posted above and are compelled to comment on them (new tenant comments, if any, will be posted below this segment).
Many tenants complain about the parking problem in Centennial's garage. Yes, the spaces are exceedingly tiny. But they're small through no fault of management. The building's parking was physically engineered in such a way (poorly) so as to prevent the spaces from being any larger. This must have been an extreme problem back when the building was built, due to the size of most cars then, and it's a testament to the planner's stupidity (though he was brilliant in other aspects of the building's design). Still, one has the opportunity to view and inspect the garage before signing the lease. To move in and then complain about the size of the parking stalls doesn't seem quite fair to the building. Would you buy a red car, then drive it home, then send a nasty complaint to the dealer because the car was red?
With regard to the noise problems, we distinguish ambient noise in this way:
(1) Avoidable Noise
(2) Unavoidable Noise
The regular noise of the city is unavoidable. Traffic, horns, screeching tires, bangs, crashes, gunshots, the screams of knifing victims, and general street noise are just part of the "city experience". It's there, it's always there, it always has been there, it always will be there. To move downtown and complain about the regular amount of street noise is not fair to the building and actually demonstrates a certain naiveté on the part of the complainant. Belltown ain't the burbs.
Some unavoidable noises, however, are in a kind of gray area. The garbage trucks that work in the alley are utterly obnoxious. They are the loudest damned things we've ever heard except for the time we accidentally moved next door to a 24 hour aluminum recycling plant. On the one hand, garbage trucks are just part of city life, and one could argue that the tenant has little right to move downtown and then complain about the noise of garbage trucks. On the other hand, these garbage trucks are particularly noisy. They're so incredibly noisy that we don't believe anyone could have been expected to foresee this level of noise. These trucks are simply without compare. They are ear-shatteringly loud. We believe it's fair to say that no one could be reasonably expected to have been prepared for this level of noise from garbage trucks. We've chosen not to mention them in our many complaints about the building, because for our part, we're willing to accept what we feel is a "mostly" unavoidable source of noise. We understand, however, when some tenants feel this particular noise is over the top. It really is.
We make the same argument for the sirens that plague downtown. The south and east sides of the building are particularly vulnerable to sirens. While it can be argued that when one chooses to live downtown, one must expect to hear sirens; it can also be argued that the siren problem at Centennial is far beyond what anyone could be normally expected to anticipate when moving in here. The fire station half a block from the SE corner of the building often responds to calls every few minutes, especially on weekends. Whenever we think of our old unit on the east side of Centennial, the one image that first comes to the forefront of our consciousness is of the ear-splitting, mind-bending, incessant sirens and air horns. They are actually, physically painful, and we wouldn't doubt that were a competent study to be done, some level of hearling loss, albiet it minor, could be detected in long-term east and south-side tenants. The sirens echo and amplify between the buildings until they become a physical force drilling into your skull. Most visitors are absolutely shocked at the level of pain. While this particular type of noise (sirens) is firmly in the "unavoidable" category, it is also far, far beyond the level that anyone could have anticipated before moving in here. Does management have a moral, if not legal obligation to warn prospective tenants of this? We feel they certainly have a moral obligation to do so---but that presupposes management has any morals. Do they have a legal responsibility also? We doubt it has ever been tested in court. But, given the unbelievable frequency and level of the siren problem, we feel someone could probably successfully argue that management was legally obligated to warn them about the fire station and the frequency of its responses prior to offering them a unit. We moved here willing to put up with anything the city could dish out in the form of unavoidable noise---remember that we lived on rescue tugs for years, listening to 3000 HP engines and gen-sets 24 hours per day---but we were not prepared for the magnitude of the siren problem in "Tower at Centennial". The west and north sides of the building suffer from just "regular" siren noise and we don't feel anyone on those sides has a legitimate complaint about siren noise.
We see many references in the tenant complaints (above) to the snottiness of the office staff. Frankly, we just haven't seen that. The only overtly nasty office staffer we've ever encountered was the woman who was manager when we first moved in, in 1995 or whatever. She was nasty enough that many tenants expressed the heartfelt desire to do her bodily harm. She was perhaps the most blatantly rude woman we have ever encountered, in any state, in any country. By the same token, she ran a tight building and would no doubt be utterly appalled at what this building has become under Apex Realty Management. We're sorry that tenants have had unpleasant experiences with present office staffers. We simply can't speak to that, as we just haven't experienced it. This excludes our experiences with Carl Carilao, one of the doormen. But while we believe Correna certainly has the capacity to be unprofessional and nasty, and we've witnessed this behavior when she interacts with her staff and other tenants, we have carefully avoided her almost since she took over, so we have not personally been the victims of her rudeness face to face. We've only been the victims of her unprofessionalism, incompetence and dishonesty.
The largest source of avoidable noise in any building comes from the tenants themselves. Many tenants above have complained about the rudeness and inconsiderateness of other tenants. These complaints are valid. We struggle to conduct ourselves in such a way that no neighbor of ours must ever, not for one second, endure noise that we have created. Not once. Not ever. Not for any reason. Not even a little noise. To do otherwise would be unspeakably impolite. We keep our TV turned very low. When we want to listen to the stereo we use headphones. How arrogant we would be to think that anyone else wanted to be forced to listen to our music! It would be unthinkable to us. We speak softly or whisper in the halls. When we knock on a friend's door, we do it as gently as possible, just loudly enough to get their attention, never loudly enough that their neighbors would hear us knocking. When we enter or exit our unit we hold the door and push it closed carefully, so that only a soft click is heard. If we ever accidentally let our door slip and slam---which has never once occurred--we would apologize profusely to our neighbors. We keep our phone ringers on the lowest settings. When we're out on our deck, we whisper. How obnoxious it would be to think our neighbors would want to be bothered with our conversations! When we move pots and pans in and out of our cupboards, we do it carefully, quietly. Why would our neighbors want to hear us slamming pots and pans around? We try---and we try hard---to be the perfect neighbors to our neighbors. We believe we succeed. When we move in to a unit we generally slip a note under our neighbors' doors, advising them that we have moved in, that we always try to be quiet and respectful, and that if they ever hear the slightest noise from our unit to not be afraid to knock on our door and tell us about it. Whatever the cause, we'll stop it instantly. We pride ourselves on being the best neighbors we can be. In return, we don't expect that level of courtesy. We just expect a "normal" level of courtesy. Unfortunately, as this management company has struggled for profit and occupancy, it has brought in a type of tenant who laughs at the courtesies we describe above. To ask these new tenants to act with respect would be like asking your goldfish to drive you to McDonalds. It ain't gonna happen. The concept is so far beyond them you might as well be speaking another language. So polite people will complain to a manager once or twice or a few times, then stop trying and simply move out. That leaves more vacancies for the scum-bags. 75% of the noise in the Centennial is avoidable. Management needs to set an example---but it fails utterly. Consider this experience:
I was waiting for a "down" elevator one afternoon about a month ago. I could hear one approaching from above, and at the same time I heard a woman's voice from four or five floors above, absolutely yelling. It sounded like some old drunken broad in an argument with someone. I hoped the owner of this booming, foghorn of a voice wasn't in the elevator that was coming for me. But of course it was. The doors opened and I started to step inside. Lo and behold, the megaphone voice was coming from none other than Correna. Backed against the wall was a nicely dressed Japanese gentleman who seemed to cringe and wince every time Correna's voice hit a new decibel level. I honestly wanted to cover my ears, but figured that would be too rude. She was showing apartments to a prospective tenant, and extolling the virtues of the west side views. I don't know if she completed the sale or not. We would have hit the button for any floor and run far and fast had it been us in his shoes. As I stood in the elevator hoping the ride would be quick, a phrase popped into my head---something I had read years before, from who knows where: "You can put lipstick on a sow and call it Monique, but a pig is still a pig". --Sorry---that's what I thought of. We've watched Correna in the lobby on many occasions, completely suspending and superceding all other conversation in the area, as she bellowed about one thing or another. We've commented on it and cringed. Correna was subsequently shown this paragraph in another area of this website, and since then she has spoken in barely a whisper in the building. Something obviously "clicked", and while she doesn't seem to have gotten anything else, she got that, and altered her behavior. Still, being loud and obnoxious is something most children are taught to overcome when they're four years old. It's amazing to us that someone could make it into their 50's, never having learned this simple social grace. Saturday Night Live used to do a skit on the phenomenon---it was called, "The LOUD Family."
So here you have a building in which tenants are paying some of the highest rents in the city, many of whom, by their own admissions above, are paying these rents for one main reason: TO GET SOME PEACE AND QUIET. Yet you have a company (Apex Realty Management), which installs as manager into that building one of the loudest, most obnoxious human beings we've ever encountered. Then Apex wonders why the building is filling with problem-cases and why the tenants are up in arms.
One or two tenants complained (above) about losing their belongings to theft (bicycles, etc.). Is this management's fault? Not directly---though the argument could be made that by filling the building with scum-bags, the theft and vandalism rate will certainly go up, and it has (we've invoked the Freedom of Information Act to obtain crime stats and police responses for these two buildings over the past five years (Centennial Tower and The Court at Centennial). We'll post the stats when they're ready, to illustrate the recent increase here). In all fairness, however, when the building was better run, we still experienced vandalism and theft on a pretty active scale. We just experience more of it now.
Tenants have commented (above) about the availability of far, far better housing for far, far less cost. This is absolutely true. A friend recently left Centennial and obtained a two bedroom unit, 940 square feet, on the top floor, corner unit, surrounded on three sides by forest; a garage, pool, exercise room (about the same amenities as Centennial), a private entrance, walking distance to a mall, in a five year old building, for $775/mo. This is in Kirkland---which translates to NO BUMS, and a crime rate about 27% lower than Belltown. He was given the first TWO months free.
We have ourselves recently secured a new unit: One bedroom, 760 square feet (as opposed to our 555 in Centennial), about half of the amenities of the Centennial, free parking in a covered garage with larger spaces; top floor, with a private entrance, and most unique of all: this unit shares no common walls with any other unit due to an interesting building design. This means, essentially, no neighbors. The unit is every bit as clean and nice as Centennial; we interviewed management at great length and are convinced the building is managed as we would manage one ourselves. There is no vomit in the halls. There is no broken glass on the steps (one of Centennial's stairwells has several floors which are covered in broken glass and have been for well over nine months), and best of all, the rent is less than half what we were paying at Centennial. Less than half! Factor in free parking and paid utilities, and we can sock away an additional $1000/mo. That leaves us plenty for savings---or for filing lawsuits, or for advertising websites (Thank you, Centennial).
We see that one or two tenants report positive experiences at Centennial. Good for them. We hope their Prosac bills are worth it. They must be taking mega-doses of the stuff.
One thing we note with interest in the above tenant comments is that almost all of them report that they've lived in Centennial only one or two lease cycles. We also note that almost all of them posted their comments and report moving out since Apex Realty management took over. There are virtually no comments entered before this trying time, even though the website that recorded their comments has been available for many years.
One tenant reports that "the tenants are all complete jerks". While this is not a fair or balanced statement, it has some credibility. Once we've had time to take a post a polygraph, we'll post a few of our own experiences with tenants---a few that are not already posted in these pages.
Some tenants report that management has its "favorites". We had never really thought about that until we read that comment. The fact is, until Apex took over and we began being outraged, "we" were management's favorites. We did get free parking for several years. We did get discounts on rent. We were treated especially well by staffers and management. We didn't realize we were getting any special treatment. After reading some of the problems other tenants experienced, we realize we were treated better than most---at least until Apex came along. Now we're being treated criminally, with conspiratorial intent. Fair should be fair straight across the board. Unfortunately, this job (apartment management) tends to draw small, mean minds, because it offers a means for petty people to wield an amount of power over others. These are exactly the people who should be prevented from being property managers, but of course there is no license or training required to be in control of other people's lives on such an intimate and basic level. We feel there needs to be legislation which requires training, licensing and tracking of rental property management personnel. We feel this is one of the largest areas of modern American society in which good people are being treated horribly by stupid, incompetent people. It needs to change. That's one of the things this website hopes to bring about. Only by being given a true and accurate insight into the pettiness, underhandedness, criminality, incompetence, sneakiness and dishonesty of a modern-day realty management firm, can society begin to understand what the problems facing renters are, and what might be done to correct them. The home and apartment rental industry in America is an embarrassment to logic, honor, and anyone's sense of basic decency. It's a pimple on the butt of a society struggling for fairness and stability. It's a festering fungus rash on the skin of civilization. We feel there could be no more fitting company to illustrate this problem to legislators, law enforcement and to the public than Apex Realty Management of Kirkland, Washington.
More Tenant Comments:
(Note that virtually all comments critical of Apex Realty are submitted anonymously. Why? Because the tenants know they'll be victims of retaliation by management if they complain openly.
Opinion: Terrible Building
From: -Anonymous- Date: 3/3/2004The leasing staff is uninformed, slow to respond, and requires numerous reminders just to get basic services or repairs. They are too busy talking to each other to deal with paying tenants. They have yet to return a voicemail message.
They have major problems with building security. Storage clostes have been robbed, these are closets on tenant floors, and cars have been stolen, for a while
it was multiple cars per month.The parking elevator lobby in the Court is a pig style and often defaced and strewn with spoiled rotting garbage because the trashcan there is never emptied.
They continue to raise rents and yet provide worse service. Their recent desperation to occupy the building cause the rents are ridculous has forced them to rent to people who are loud, noisy and disruptive. Nothing is more fun then going into the elevator in the morning that has been soaked with beer (floor to ceiling). Numerous noise problems with roof top deck and neighbors. They make no effort to enforce their noise policy and evict disruptive neighbors despite multiple complaints from multiple tenants and a written policy stating so.
You can pay a lot less for more square footage in a just as nice building somewhere else cause the court at least has nice fixtures.
The only thing good about the Centennial is Carl the concierge who is a pleasure to talk to and the repair staff. But you can only get to the repair staff after yelling at the leasing office and leaving multiple phone calls. The guys on the repair staff are nothing but nice, helpful and definitely believe that just cause it is time to go home does not mean the job is done and will stay late to get something fixed even before a big holiday weekend.
Overall recommended: No
Years at this apartment: 2002 - 2004