Westlake Steps — Local services in Seattle

Moving to a new city can be a stressful experience, but the team at the Westlake Steps leasing office made my transition to Seattle incredibly smooth and welcoming. As someone who relocated from the Midwest with only three days to finalize housing, I toured over 20 apartments and had by far the best experience at Westlake Steps.

Grace was my guide for the tour, and despite some scheduling confusion, she went above and beyond to accommodate me on short notice. It was my last day to secure a place before returning home to pack, and Grace made sure I could see everything I needed. She took the time to understand exactly what I was looking for without rushing through the tour. Not only was she thorough, but our shared interests in travel led to a fun and comfortable conversation, which really put me at ease. Since I wouldn’t have a car, I was concerned about public transit options. Grace thoughtfully introduced me to Marena, who helped me figure out which bus routes would get me to the places I’d need to go. When it came time to process my application quickly so I could move the following week, Grace and Marena were incredibly efficient and kept me in the loop every step of the way.

Beyond just helping me move in, Grace continued to be a great resource and support. When I was looking for furniture within a budget but found limited options in South Lake Union, Grace noticed my comment on a post in the building’s resident portal and even helped me move a piece of furniture to my apartment. When a friend visited for the weekend, she arranged temporary garage access and a parking space so we could rent a car with ease. Grace genuinely went out of her way to make things more convenient for me on multiple occasions, which has made a huge difference as I’m settling in.

Marena has also been wonderful. Every time I pass by the office, she’s always ready with a warm hello. She even offered to give me a ride to my climbing gym, when she noticed me traveling to the gym one day on her way back home, which was incredibly thoughtful given that my journey usually involves switching buses and walking a bit. Marena and I have bonded over shared interests like phonetics, performing arts, and theater. Both Grace and Marena have made me feel like I have friends here, which is so comforting as someone new to Seattle.

Jonathan was also helpful with the logistics of moving in. I had been coordinating elevator access with Grace for my movers, but when she wasn’t available, Jonathan stepped in seamlessly. Because Grace had already updated him about my move-in, he was able to assist without any delays.

Brandon also went out of his way to make things easy for me. I’d requested a color printout for a document that needed notarizing at the bank. Brandon not only printed it but also let me know he’s a certified notary and could handle it for me right there, saving me a trip.

The team at Westlake Steps has genuinely gone above and beyond in supporting me throughout my move. Grace, Marena, Jonathan, and Brandon are exceptional individuals and incredibly thoughtful in the ways they help residents. If you’re looking for a community-oriented place to live in Seattle, I can’t recommend Westlake Steps...

Adding my review so future residents can be aware.

Before I talk about the paint points, I would like to give a shout-out to my girl Grace. In my experience all the staff members are nice and helpful. During the move out the staff helped me with the elevator on demand.

My pain points : Call box does not work even though there is one. It's broken. I was not told about it when we toured. If you are someone like me who invites people to watch movies on the common area, you will have to buzz your attendees. Common area kitchen has few major flaws. The sink often has food particles blocking the water. The motor that grinds the food does not work and water flows out of the sink. The microwave does not work. It was disappointing since we are still charged $75/hour. Lack of dual fob key. The doors automatically lock on exit. If you forgot the only key you have, you have to pay $200 fee to get it opened. The person who showed me the apartment, Kyle (he does not work there anymore), would ask people to rate 5 stars as soon as one signs the agreement. I was not comfortable with this request. Both sides of the door, Westlake Ave and Dexter Ave, are not automatic. It can be a problem if you are specially abled. It was painful when I was moving in and out due to that. Package lockers are charged and there is an additional penalty of $3 for not picking the package within 3 days. Sometimes the packages go to a room which can be picked during office hours only The bowling alley did not work or stopped working while we were playing the few times I went. After moving out, I was charged an extra ~$40. I reached out to the billing team to understand what it is for. They say it’s undisputed without mentioning what it was about. There is no future resident or temporary guest parking available within the building.

Lastly, Idk if they tell in advance while leasing, I was not explicitly informed that there is a $192 moving out fee for cleaning.

The obvious upside is the location. It is chill neighborhood. Roof tops and common areas are cosy and cool.

Edit : After dropping the review, I received a call from the management. I thought they called to address the $40 discrepancy. I would have given them credit for it. They were concerned with the rating and not about the extra charges. I did not get any response...

I just moved out about a week ago so I thought I'd leave a detailed review while I still remember :)

Location 5/5 If you need to live in Seattle it's In a very nice part of SLU, good restaurants in easy walking distance and a great view of the lake from the roof and some of the rooms.

Staff 5/5 Everyone I talked to was always professional and welcoming. Whenever concerns were offered they were quickly addressed (they became amazing at organizing the mail room during my time there!)

Room 4/5 The 1br/1ba is pretty average size for a city apartment. While it does leave you wanting a slightly bigger space, the build quality is great (well insulated, I only hear my upstairs neighbors occasionally) and the windows are huge which is amazing for natural light. Do be careful which direction your room is facing however because if it's in the 2nd (green) building facing south you're going to hear garbage trucks consistently at 2-3 AM on weekdays. It was worth it for me for the amazing southern sunlight but others may want to avoid that direction or will need some rain sounds on a speaker or earplugs for sleeping.

Amenities 3/5 Many of the TVs in the side lobbies don't seem to work, at least as far as hooking up HDMI to watch movies/games with friends. The bowling alley is often closed for repair. the pool tables are missing balls/ have large dents in the fabric. But the roofs are gorgeous and grills are great for parties and that's what you should really be here for in the end because it's incredibly calming watching boats and planes in the spring/summer.

Rent price 3/5 I don't totally hold this against Westlake steps because a lot of Seattle is like this and I know it's "market price" but it's definitely not cheap, and from my experience increases around 5-10% per year for the two years I've been there. Hopefully this is just a "returning to the norm" after cheap quarantine prices, but it's still expensive for the size either way.

Conclusion: 4/5 stars All in all a great place with lovely staff. The only reason I personally moved is I just wanted to get out of the city, nothing to really negative to say about this apartment that you couldn't say about any city apartment.

Thank you Westlake for taking care of me...