Ivy at Interbay — Local services in Seattle

MY FULL EXPERIENCE AT IVY AT INTERBAY:

Parking in this place has been a nightmare!!! My lease ends next month and I have requested to break my lease this month (May 2024) but they informed me I will face the penalty of an additional months’ rent if I go ahead with that, arguably not worth it since I have just about a month left to exit.

To give you a good picture, there are only about 10-20 parking spaces underground for around 90 apartments. When I moved in, I was coming from out of state so hadn’t gotten a car yet, but intended to get one once I settle in, which I told the leasing officer. Because I had no car yet, I didn’t realize how terrible the parking issue was, worse still the small business “Seattle Markers” which is right next to the apartment became very hostile towards parking in their garage, they’ll tow your car even when their garage is totally empty by 9pm on a Sunday evening. The picture I attached was where I parked my car when I got two tickets. It’s towards a dead end, just by the football field, so people park vertically as seen in the picture although you are only meant to parallel-park since it’s a “road-side”. In total I have gotten 7 tickets for parking infractions around this apartment, my car was towed once. There is just no other place to park, even the stacker garages (underground) have issues sometimes (see the other pic I attached) and it seems the officers are now aware and capitalize on this to come around every now and then to give tickets for the silliest infractions like the picture I uploaded (clearly the cars are not obstructing any movement which is the essence of parallel-parking in the first place). I honestly can’t wait for my lease to end by June 2024! I am always hustling to wake up in the morning and repark my car before the officers come to inspect, sometimes when working from home I’ll go as far as parking at QFC across the road and return a couple hours later to find a roadside spot. The management is aware of this challenge, they have the names and apt numbers of those waiting for parking spots but THIS IS SUCH A TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE. If you have a car and intend to move here, be aware of this.

Also, be wary of the washer and dryer unit in your apt, I am currently keeping my cloths to wash them when I move to my next apt. The one I have takes 10-12 hours to finish one load, it’s just one unit that does both washing and trying, seems it was made to suit differently-abled folks since this apt is disable friendly.

My experience with hot water from the shower has been pathetic as well, a lot of time I’ll wait several mins for the water to warm up and that counts towards my utility bill. On the best months, I pay an average $150 for sewage/water/trash bill, and up to $220 on some months. And its just me - a single occupant. This is huge!

ON THE POSITIVE SIDE: The leasing mangers (concierge) are kind and willing to listen to your complaints, even though they can do little to help.

The maintenance helps the best they can and speedily. (I ran into some plumbing issues and they quickly helped with those. In the case of my washing unit, they couldn’t help much to change it.)

The apartment was recently built so has a modern look with no old house issues such as molds, smells etc

Quiet area - close to grocery stores (QFC) and a football field for those that play soccer.

EXIT EXPERIENCE - (NEXT MONTH)

I’ll be back hopefully to say how my exit went.

(Update: exit went well, nothing more to add, just be aware of the parking issues if you plan to...

Strongly recommend against living here.

My move-in date was August 22nd, and despite attempting to contact the office from 10am to 5pm (both by phone and the buildings callbox) I was unable to even retrieve my keys on my move-in date...

I asked for my blinds to be replaced, and they entered my unit without any notice and while they did the requested work, they installed the new blind in front of my window so it couldn't even open (it opened inwards)

In April of this year, a water leak started from a unit above mine, and they responded quickly and professionally. They informed me it was a serious leak and they would need emergency access to my apartment. I told them no problem, and they tore down some wall and installed an industrial dehumidifer in my small bathroom (I could not sit on my toilet without resting my legs on top of the dehumidifer, it was comical lol)

I was informed that I could not turn off the dehumidifer even at night time (it was incredibly loud) and that they would be repairing my wall from 8am - 4pm Monday - Thursday the following week.

When inside my apartment, they threw everything in the entry way into the middle of my space, they knocked down a computer hard drive that was near the entrance of my unit, and stepped on it and cracked it (I told the office multiple times, including the regional manager of Thrive Communities, and ZERO COMPENSATION has happened)

They entered without proper 48 hr notice a total of three times that week, including once when I was in a towel fresh out the shower... they literally came into my bathroom and started working while I was half naked trying to brush my teeth (once the leak in the unit above was fixed and the dehumidifer was installed, it no longer could legally be considered an emergency access situation)

After complaining for a week, they finally moved me into a different, more expensive unit and refused to compensate me for the inconvenience or offer me a discount on my rent (I only had 3 months left on my lease at this juncture)

The final nail in the coffin for me though, was that despite having zero noise complaints my entire time present, a new neighbor moved in and complained about my music being played during the day. I turned it down for her and she still complained. She also went out onto the patio and knocked on two other neighbors windows and told them "Sorry, I know it's saturday but can you please just be quiet"

She even texted me and told me to turn off my electronics and just go to bed because it was 2am!

She complained ONCE to the office and they said if I get another complaint I will be issued a 10-day eviction notice. This is absurd and the other neighbors on this floor are pissed as well. I pay almost $2400 a month and I can't even listen to music at a reasonable volume in my own home (I do audio engineering as a side gig and my speakers were well below the Seattle city after-hours limit of 45 dB...)

Oh, and all the other reviews are right. There is barely any parking in the neighborhood, the office will get your car towed if you park improperly in the slightest, and the stacker garage has had 16 malfunction since I moved in last August (I just went and counted in my e-mail)

Do yourself a favor and stay far away from this joke of...

I rented an apartment here for several years. While the view overlooking the field and golf course is definitely a highlight, there are some serious downsides to be aware of.

Parking Issues: The building’s garage only provides enough space for about fifty percent of the residents. There are two levels: Level One has a stacker system, and Level Two is standard parking without stackers. The problem is, Level Two is extremely limited—you have to wait months, sometimes even years, just to get a spot there.

Because I couldn't get a Level Two spot, I had to park in Level One, where the stacker frequently malfunctions, and it's very hard to park there. When it’s not working, residents are told to park outside. But street parking is very limited, especially because the building is on a dead-end street and there’s a soccer field nearby. During games, visitors take up most of the spots, and if you do find one, there’s a high chance of getting a ticket or towed.

The parking situation got so bad for me that I ended up selling my car. I went over a year without one while waiting for a Level Two spot to open up. Only after I finally secured one did I feel comfortable enough to buy a car again.

Customer Service: At first, communication was okay. But once the lease was signed, it became nearly impossible to get help. Calls went straight to voicemail, emails took forever to get a reply, and even going to the office didn’t help—it was usually closed or no one was around.

Move-Out Issues: At the end of my lease, I noticed a charge or balance on my account and reached out for an explanation. It's been over a week, and I still haven’t received a response. I don’t even know what the charge is for or how to handle it.

Overall: The location and view are great, but the parking problems, poor communication, and lack of management support made my experience really frustrating. I hope this review helps others make a more...