Clara Apartments — Local services in Seattle

Edit: Changed from 2 to 1 star after I emailed them regarding their reply below this review and they said they weren't actually able to do anything until August.

Before I really get into the negatives, I just want to say that the leasing office has been very helpful, and any issues I have had have been resolved very quickly. However, there are some things the leasing office just can't resolve.

There's a lot of minor things with the building. For example, laundry costs $4 per load ($2 wash + $2 dry) load, which seems insane for a building I am already paying rent to live in. The internet, which you will pay anywhere from $25 - $60 a month for, more often than not will not reach the advertised speeds (it usually reaches only around 13% - 20% of the advertised speed) and I often experience intermittent connection issues.

All of the minor things aside, my number issue with this apartment, which has had a notably negative affect on my overall mental health, is the utter lack of natural sunlight in my unit. Combine that with the view out of my window being a concrete wall, it kind of gives my apartment a Norwegian prison vibe. I attached some pictures that were taken exactly at noon, with not a single cloud in the sky. Even on a beautiful sunny day my apartment is very dark.

When I initially toured the building I was not shown the actual unit I would be living in. I was instead what was presumably one of their show units. The virtual tour and photos for my floor plan, surprising enough, also had no pictures of the actual unit. Had I have known about the lighting situation I would have lived in this complex. I feel misled to be frank. If you're looking for studios I would look elsewhere, especially further west...

Just ok. Was one of the first tenants in the building once it was built and it seems nice but I know property management really squeezes its tenants for every last penny. For example, on the left side of the building their was problem with the pipes and tenants had to move out for weeks and the apartment complex did not give any compensation. I will also say utilities are super high for no reason, specifically the "sewage capacity charge" that seems to get higher and higher every month, I have friends in the area who pay way less. One good thing about this building is the Amazon lockers and timely maintenance appointments. Oh also, the leasing process was really not professional, the website said one price then the leasing agent told me a higher price and then they finally honored the promotion they had listed on their website after having to go back and fourth with them on it and showing screenshots. Also some rooms don’t have bathroom sinks even if its in the floor plans so beware!

The move out process was ridiculous and my move out report was very harsh. Every ding and scratch was noted, even things that the builders messed up when I moved in. Of Course the apartment is not going to be spotless but they were really knit picky and I ended up loosing $300 from my deposit.

Overall, if you are on a budget I would not stay here as the price will just keep going up and you'll end of paying $200 in utilities each month. Also! If you don't breakdown your boxes in the recycling room they will...

Perfect if you wanna pay $4.50 to do a single load of laundry (they recently raised the prices from $4.00). That would maybe be understandable if the laundry room was well maintained, but it's not. More often than not the laundry room is disgusting and your clothes will have a lovely musty smell to them.

Also, if you enjoy paying an exorbitante amount in utility fees this is the perfect building for you. You'll especially love the "Sewer Capacity Charge." This is essentially the bill that building owners have to pay in order to get a new building connected to the cities sewer system. However, thanks to a lovely little loophole in the city's laws, it is perfectly legal for the building management to pass this burden on to you via your utility bill - which Tripalink happily obliges too! You'll definitely enjoy paying around $50 a month for a bill that the building owners should have paid up front. Also, if you want the ethernet hook up to work in your room to work that will be another $60 a month because why not.

TLDR: If you like Spirit airlines you will love this...