Shorewood — Local services in Mercer Island

I’m a current resident here. I want to leave this so that future residents have their expectations measured a bit here. While the area of Mercer Island is nice and surely there are other apartments that are better on the island you can stay at I enjoy the non jail like feeling you get from other apartments that are crammed in one building. Here is why I gave two stars though.

Leasing:

During the leasing process due to covid I was under the impression I was getting an apartment different than what I got when I signed the lease. The pictures I saw prior to signing my lease showed a balcony and different floor plan sadly I was unable to see my apartment before I moved in which was odd to me.

Quality of the apartments:

Quality of the apartments for their area and price are quite lacking and here is why.

The walls are not insulated, it’s hard to keep it cool in the summer and hot in the winter. Because of poor insulation you will hear your neighbors conversations ver clearly and you’ll hear them enter and leave their apartments clearly. Let’s just say I have neighbors who I could hear into their bedroom very..very clearly and I heard things no neighbor should hear and still be able to look that person in the eye the next day.

Water pressure is quite low, it’s low enough that I called maintainable who said they fixed it but still not fixed and they closed my ticket actively trying to avoid the issue because I think they simply may not know how to fix the problem.

Paint quality: they people they hired to paint the apartment have actually painted some doors and locks shut to the point I’ve had to rip the door loose with force and they’ve left some paint on the windows.

Appliances: while the fridge, stove and dish washer are new the washer and dryer are old and really really small and aren’t energy efficient.

Danger for children: so there is still asbestos in the building. There are attic slots in the ceilings of hallways that the Maintenance Man said don’t open it or you’ll get sick from the asbestos. The apartment company doesn’t let you know about the asbestos or the lead paint until after you sign your lease which to me is a bit backwards.

Parking:

if you live at this address your insurance will go up about 65 dollars simply because of how bad parking is here. Progressive let me know the insurance rates are higher at this address due to the amount of complaints they get from people who have had their cars dinged. Oddly my insurance in downtown Seattle was much cheaper. Parking is really bad here and I would say get the garage for the extra 150 a month if you can.

Landscaping:

sadly all they do is mow the grass and trim hedges. There are areas where there is dead grass from dogs peeing on it but they don’t treat that which is quite an eye sore.

Internet:

The only 1gig Internet is Comcast and that’s only 1gb down unless you pay for the 300 dollar a month 1gig pro package. So you’re extremely limited on internet choices here. Guess the property didn’t get the memo that WaveG is the best internet you can get. Oh well.

Staffing Issues:

often times when making a request for help it seems like no one is actually manning the station for lack of a better way of putting it, you’ll often be forwarded to the answering service which has no ability to do anything as GreyStar blinging defers all responsibility to the property managers and won’t get involved. God forbid you have an emergency too as the emergency maintenance line is also unanswered from what other residents have confirmed.

Rent payment processing:

If you’re paying rent make sure you give it a week to process. They use a third party processing company which ACH transfer take 7 days otherwise if you use your debit card it costs a transaction fee which varies if you use debit or credit cards.

A Wild Karen has appeared:

Yes this place has a lot..I mean a lot of Karens, so it it’s best to kind your Ps and Qs here otherwise they’ll write letters and etc instead of minding their own business and letting you live peacefully in...

First off, I want to thank whoever may be considering Shorewood Mercer Island for their new home. I have lived here three years and building 17-9040 has never gotten so much love and attention from management.

Nearly all tenants have left this building within the past two months. Being the longest standing tenant here, I understand why. These buildings are marketed as "classic" and "restored," but they are actually old military housing buildings with "farmhouse" sinks and retro looking linoleum installed to make them sound cool.

The property is tucked away and quiet if you're not a fan of living in a busy urban area, but over the past three years I have experienced issues with ants, rats, sewage smells, grey water, mold, and more. The cupboards and shelving are poorly installed, and the closet fixtures are improperly hung with nails into bare drywall. The constant plumbing issues are the worst, with numerous residents questioning whether these buildings are even up to code.

The venting appears to run under the buildings rather than through the walls and out the roof. On a hot day or whenever tenants move out, plumbing traps dry out and nauseating sewage scents infiltrate the units. It takes serious protest and lawyers to get any movement from management/maintenance on this issue despite it being a major health hazard.

I acquired photographs from the crawl space under the building. The state of all the pipes wrapped in plastic and duct tape was quite astonishing. Comfort Systems apparently checked it out and reported all was fine, stating I must have been referencing old discarded pipes found down there on the foundation. I think my photos speak for themselves.

According to Don Cole of the City of Mercer Island, Shorewood allegedly refuses to allow the city on the property to inspect. He said, "[City] staff can only look from the sidewalk which is considered in plain view.”

In recent weeks, my neighbor moved out citing black mold. She experienced chronic illness despite running dual air filters and a dehumidifier. She eventually sent a sample to an independent lab and testing allegedly indicated a common black mold.

Shorewood disputes the lab findings despite sending routine emails out throughout the year reminding residents to leave windows open to prevent moisture from building.

"As the weather gets warmer, more residents are opening their windows more often. This is super important and helpful to keeping your home properly ventilated and avoid gathering excessive levels of moisture." - Christian Krupp

They try to convince residents this is normal for the PNW, yet surrounding homes and other Mercer Island apartment buildings do not have this issue. At Shorewood my dehumidifier collected 2 gallons of moisture a day. I no longer need the unit in my new home.

Recently a "Yay, you're here!" door mat has been placed outside one of the empty units. Management and maintenance were seen staging the apartment for a tour with fancy furniture. I heard the woman say, "I want to put a lamp in every corner to cover all the worst parts of the floor."

Most units have wood flooring that has not been refinished. In fact, the high moisture has caused warping and sunken grades in certain areas. My desk chair would drift when unattended and my bed frame never sat flush on the bedroom floor.

Shorewood has a very low review rating for a good reason. To combat this, their staff hounds residents via weekly “newsletters” for reviews. The resident services coordinator has even offered to help residents post reviews if they visit his office.

I recognize that many of the 5 star reviews are written by staff or non-residents. There is usually a flood of them after a poor review. This is a common tactic to bury the critics. Trust the 1 star reviewers and save yourself months or years of frustration. Otherwise, get used to the snarky saying, “Welcome...

I lived at Shorewood for a year. It was one of the worst apartment living experiences I've ever had. Shorewood will lure you in with a cute and updated model home, pretty pictures and manicured landscaping. Don't be fooled. It's owned by Greystar, a nationwide property management company that is more focused on ripping people off than being an honest company.

What they don't bother telling you when you move in at Shorewood is that none of their apartments are metered; everyone's usage for water, sewer, garbage, gas and common electricity is tossed into one bucket and then divided amongst all residents. My unit was over the boiler room; I hadn't turned on my radiators since January and yet I was still paying $50+/mo for what everyone else was using well into summer.

You are required to pay $25/mo for "valet trash service," that was occasionally picked up, but you were still charged the full amount, regardless. And you cannot get out of this lease requirement, if you use it, you pay, if you don't use it, you still pay. One month I was charged the full $25 and my trash was picked up one time. I got it waved and the email I received after I complained said "we'll wave it this once." As if I was the problem.

I moved out 10/12/23 and my lease was up 11/6/23. When I moved out, my apartment was left in immaculate condition. I was specifically told not to fill any nail holes, as that would create more problems for maintenance to fix. I found out I was charged $85 for "partial paint," and when I called for an explanation (I left 4 messages and I sent an email) I did not get any response. There is no way the nail holes cost $85 to repair with paint. And, rather than call me back to explain the charge, they simply took it out of the $750 deposit I'd made when I moved in. I'm still waiting for my deposit to be refunded, I was told it could take 3-4 weeks. They were quick to take my money, but not to pay it back.

They also charged me $150 for utilities dated 10/1-11/6. I moved out 10/12, so the majority of what I was charged wasn't even my use since I was no longer living there. This included $40 for water, $24 for trash, $34 for sewer, $24 for gas, $6 for electricity (never mind I also paid Puget Sound Energy separately) and two "move out fees" that totaled $20. Because all charges are thrown into one pot, I was charged an amount that wasn't at all reflective of the fact I wasn't even there to use these utilities.

If anyone moved out and left their garbage - and they couldn't be located, the total amount is divided and charged to all residents and WE paid for other people's trash. I am unsure where my $2000+ rent was going, as it seemed to be a fee just to live there.

The walls are thin, you can hear everything on the sides, above, below you. It's apparently a lease violation to smoke weed inside an apartment, yet our lobby area always stunk of pot. When I complained, I was told it would be dealt with. It never was. Oh, and parking was a joke, you could never find a spot after work.

They employ a landscape service that uses carcinogenic pesticides in the spring, but they don't mark where they are spraying. If you confronted any of the workers, they become belligerent and threatened to call the cops. The rental office responded to my emailed complaint and told me that they would look into it, but that once it rained, it was safe for pets to walk on the grass. Really? There were so many people that lived there with children and animals and yet Shorewood/Greystar choose to use cancer causing chemicals rather than picking weeds.

If I can save one person from making the mistake of signing a lease here, taking the time to write this review will have been worth it. Don't do it....