Ascent South Lake Union — Local services in Seattle

Having lived at Ascent for a little over a year now, I have nothing but great things to say about it. This is coming from the perspective of someone who simply wants a hassle free, comfortable, reliable place to live.

Communication: The first and most important thing to note about this place, in my opinion, is the communication. At all times if there was something that might have even slightly impacted my coming and goings, I was notified of it via email promptly. Any issue, any inconvenience that may be minor, was communicated as soon as staff was made aware, thus making me aware. Things happen, things break, nothing will be perfect forever and this would be the case if you owned your own home and it isn't any different when you rent a place to live. Given that, nothing more can be asked than prompt, concise responses to incidents. And that is what the level of communication provided gives. They let you know what's happening, what they are doing, and how long they think it will take to resolve. Now this isn't to even say there was any 'incidents' as I've been phrasing it during my time here. The worst thing that's happened to me is someone blocking my designated parking spot. But that brings me to my next highlight.

Staff: All I personally expect from any staffing is to be present when needed and no more. But the people at Ascent truly do go beyond this. It seems like they live and breathe the community. This makes it so that you don't feel like your burdening them by asking for anything, they genuinely care and reflect that care in there handling of absolutely any scenario. Remember how earlier I mentioned a time someone block my designated parking spot? That was maybe 8pm at night, and to be honest I could have just parked in guest parking and called it a night (I wouldn't even have to be concerned for the safety of my car, which I will touch more on later). But I thought to drop by the front desk and there was concierge there, at 8 pm, eager to help. I told him I was parked there, why, what my car looked like, and my usual parking spot. He told me not to worry about it at all, he'll inform the night time security about why I'm parked there, and he'll look into the person blocking my spot. I went about the rest of the night with no concerns, and moved my car to it's proper spot in the morning. I wish I had more to that story, but honestly I don't. I was re-assured that I was OK doing what I did, told not to worry, and told they'll look in to the issue. Everything I wanted, and I never had the issue again. (To note: This is taking up so much space in the review because it was quite literally the only 'issue' I ever had while here)

Parking: The underground parking has a few floors of parking, and it shares the lot with the sister property, 'The Marlowe' next door. It isn't a problem at all, and if anything gives more possible options for you to pick from. It takes two locked / badge activated garage doors to get down to parking, so it is very secure location and I never felt any concern nor had any problems I see are common with property crime in Seattle.

I could go into more things, but reviews are word limited. The main takeaway I want to give from this is that if you are like me and want a guaranteed place where you can just live, this is the place. It's comfortable and reliable. I don't want to call it boring, but its comfortable. You don't have to worry about surprises appearing, you are free to live at your pace essentially, and I can not describe how valuable that is. Finally, thank you to all the staff at Ascent. Only through your efforts has the incredible experience I've had...

Massive problems with package delivery in this building due to "Fetch". Please avoid signing a lease here!

Ascent uses Fetch to manage all their package deliveries, which is an absolutely terrible service (check their google reviews). The management company, Greystar has mandated all residents to use this service, where all packages go to a Fetch warehouse before being delivered to the residents. Fetch constantly delays packages by 4-5 days, keeps rescheduling deliveries, has lost multiple packages, damaged items in packages, and has absolutely the worst customer service. Filing a claim with Fetch is a nightmare requiring multiple follow ups with the building management and Fetch representatives. Additionally, companies like Amazon don't take liability for packages delivered or returned through Fetch, who have a limit of $500 on liabilities. I have had crucial bank documents addressed to me, and supposed to be delivered in person, signed on my behalf by Fetch. They have essentially communicated an "address change" on your behalf to all delivery companies like UPS, DHL, and FedEx.

The management has been making false promises regarding working with Fetch to improve their service and trying to get rid of Fetch if the problems persist, but have made no changes in the last 4 months despite constant problems. In fact, they have doubled down on continuing to use fetch by Greystar announcing a national partnership and imposing a mandatory "Fetch fee" of $22 on 2023 leases (which is more expensive than Amazon Prime and delays all your packages by multiple days). The management refuses to talk to residents about this issue, saying they are frustrated too, and none of their higher ups are willing to talk. The "community" manager has refused requests for any appointment and defers to the asst. Community manager, who has no control over Fetch.

Lastly, I do want to mention that the staff (Julia, Regina, Patrick, and the maintenance team) have been wonderful over the last 2 years of my stay here, and the property itself is really nice. It's sad that the greedy management is making it an absolute nightmare to live here by forcing residents...

I stayed with Ascent SLU for 4.5 months, yet ultimately decided to end my lease with a Greystar managed property.

Pros: The floorplans of this building are very thoughtful The pricing is slightly lower than comparable buildings offering a similar level of amenities and unit options -All units have gas stoves, regardless of floor level Ty in leasing is extremely helpful The property manager worked with me to ultimately break my lease early

Things to consider -Having concierge is helpful, but not 24/7 -The building rations number of the coffee/tea from machine monthly Would have liked to see more events -Freezers are not standard with ice machine, at least in 1 bedrooms. -You will be charged a full cleaning fee, even if you have your unit professionally cleaned ($170 for 1 bd)

Challenges I experienced I moved into a unit that required a number of work orders prior to move in. Even after moving in my first day, prior known issues were not fixed (stove not working + missing knobs, dryer, clogged shower) My stove did not work for the first ~3 weeks of being there. Work orders I submitted were deleted or marked complete even though they were not fixed. This happened on more than one occasion. I ultimately had to escalate all inquiries and concerns to the property manager and beyond to move this a forward Charged a full painting fee ($200) after move out of 4.5 months. Submitting final payment has been a process. They work with a 3rd party which is actually a collections agency. I've asked to submit my final payment as shown on my move out statement and the response by the agency has been 'we don't have your file in our records'. So now I have to wait for a move out statement to be sent to a collections agency vs. just paying ~$375 directly to wrap up any lingering items. It's been 3 weeks. I just want to pay and be done.

While there are elements that are pleasant at this property, I personally would not choose to rent here in the future. Appreciate my time there but glad to be...