Avana 522 Apartments

When our family had originally looked for places to live we chose Avana522 (even though it was further from our work places) because we thought it offered to many cons that the pros did not matter too much. From day one we told the leasing staff that we were expecting a child and asked to lease an apartment in a quiet area of the complex. Luckily (we learned later how unluckily) there was one unit left to rent in the back of the complex and all we had to do just share one wall. The trash compactor of course was located right outside the Windows. The Valet waste employees do not know what or how to be quiet and respectful to those living there. Many nights they would be doing their trash service well past 11pm and by throwing the trash in the compactor kept us up and our small baby until they were done. We complained, and only months later did the valet waste people get more efficient with their pick up but stayed just as loud as before. We should have know from the get go how much of a problem this place would be. From day one we had issues with signing the lease as the staff kept sending us the wrong move in dates or different costs and they told us it was a system issue and they would solve it. Ok we get that. Then after making a mistake on our move in costs, the leasing office realized they forgot to charge us even more for a pet deposit and left a note on our door asking to pay promptly. They harassed called the next day threatening to evict us even though it has been less than 24hrs since we received notice and I told them I would bring them a check once I get off work. After we moved in the very first week we discovered that none of our outlets work, the water knob for the bathtub would only turn to cold water, the dishwasher door does not open and that one of the drawers in the kitchen does not fully open unless you open the stove door. Great right. We had to call maintenance crew three separate times to get everything fixed and even labeled the outlets that still needed to be fixed. No luck for the drawer though.
The maintenance crew is horrible except for one guy that works there. The other two that I have had to deal with are a waste of time. In October when the pipes would get backed up from all the rain we had (our unit was on the first floor) we called them for emergency as we had no running water and the maintenance guy told us he didn’t know what the issue was or how to fix it and that he would have to do some ‘research’. Are you serious? We had no water and a two month old to take care of for over 12 hours until someone came in next day to fix the issue while we were at work. I won’t even get into the other times we have called them to fix items and they would either half do it or leave a huge mess behind for me to clean up.
The place has a constant bug problem. There are spider webs all over the buildings and the stairwells. It’s disgusting. Those same spiders make it into the unit and then surprise you have to deal with it. I think the only time we didn’t have the cobwebs was when the unit above us got their patio pressure washed and we got some areas clean on ours. But don’t worry the Windows got the semi cleaning too and the dirt that we had to clean up to even look outside. And then there is the constant squirrel/​potential rat problem. How happy were we to discover that all of our items stored in the storage unit on the patio were covered in animal fesces and got chewed on by an animal. We had to throw everything out as it was so contaminated or plain destroyed. Bye snowboarding gear.
And then there is the problem of the front office crew. The only one who has always been courteous and professional is Eric and the previous management (but we were told she is a ‘fixer ’ so she got transferred to tend to another problem). Every interaction you have with them, make sure you get something in writing. Because guess what? It turns into a she said he said kind of conversation. Lovely. The new manager Kelsey is beyond belief rude. In all my years working in retail and managing a retail location myself I have never dealt with someone who does not know how to even sympathize or own an issue. Every interaction with her ended in no compassion or even an apology when her own team members messed up. What happened to customer service? Or taking the feedback and coaching your employees on how to act and deal with clients. When you receive a customer complaint you should take it as an opportunity to learn something and not do it again. The move out process has been a nightmare. You would think that the employees would be trained a little better. These are labeled luxury after all. What have I been paying for then?

My apologies for the terribly long review, but my hope is that this will prevent anyone from moving into this place…
Ridiculous Rent Changes — Before we even signed a lease, they quoted us a price for a unit, and we decided to think about it for two days. When we came back to sign the lease, they had increased the rent by $ 60 per month because several similar units had rented, and as available units decrease, they increase their rent. Additionally, as you renew leases from year to year, they begin to gouge the hell out of renters. When it came to us attempting to renew for a third year, the rent was so high, we instead moved into a house in Mill Creek that was TWICE the square footage for the EXACT SAME PRICE.
Incompetent Staff — When we agreed upon a unit to rent, the girl who was helping us showed us a floor plan and a demo unit so we could get an idea of what our new place would look like. When we arrived a few weeks later to get our keys and begin moving in to our actual unit, it was a completely different floor plan than what we had agreed upon. The girl who helped us immediately got defensive and argumentative, and was no help at all. Management stated that they would try to fix the issue, and offered to move us to a different unit with the original floor plan we had wanted, ONCE ONE BECAME AVAILABLE. We opted to stay, because who the hell wants to live out of boxes until another unit becomes available, and then have to move a second time?
Faulty Wall Sockets — Every wall socket in our unit could not hold a power cord. Everything we plugged in — lamps, phone chargers, vacuum cleaner, etc., would literally fall out of the plugs. This was consistent throughout the entire unit, in every room.
Valet Trash & Dumpster Removal — Due to numerous residents there who had no idea how to actually throw their trash into a dumpster, the management was left with no choice but to remove the dumpsters and hire a valet trash service. I used to watch the garbage truck pull up to the dumpster area outside of my window, and the driver would get out of the truck really upset about the amount of trash literally tossed on the ground all around the dumpster, and he would take pictures on his cell phone to report, since he was the one who had to pick it all up before loading the dumpster into his truck. I actually felt sorry for him. The valet service was suddenly an extra $ 25 per month, and didn’t pick up on weekends nor holidays, when you actually produce the most trash. And, since they removed the dumpsters altogether, I couldn’t even bring the garbage down myself if I wanted to. Oh, and then I received nasty letters on my door that garbage cans were only allowed on the front door landing area after 4:00 PM on the nights the valet service was active.
Car Towing — For two years, I took the bus to work, and my car sat in a parking spot. During the weekends, we drove my wife’s car that was in a reserved spot under a car port. They had my car on record with make, model, year, color, and license plate. A nosy neighbor decided to report my car as «stolen and dumped there», and after that, my car became a target, and instead of simply looking up the car in their records and contacting me, they tried towing it three times, each time putting a big fluorescent orange sticker on the back window that never peeled off easily, and I had to use Goo Gone and a razor blade to remove it. Every time, I went to the manager and asked what I had to do to stop this from happening, and I was told to take my car to a car wash, and move it to a different parking spot every two days. Really?
Additional Fob — We asked for an additional fob so that my wife and I had our own access to the pools and fitness rooms. They wanted $ 50 for a four dollar fob.
Dog Feces Not Picked Up — On numerous occasions, my kids would come in from playing outside, and we would smell dog poop. Of course it was on their shoes, and upon walking around in the grassy areas where they were playing, we found piles that dog owners weren’t picking up. After notifying management, they sent out an e-​mail to all residents reminding them to pick up their dog’s poo, but nothing changed.
Painting Units — When we moved in, we asked if we could paint our unit, and the girl helping us (the same one that rented us the wrong unit) stated that we could not only paint, but that they would give us the flat white paint to repaint the unit when we moved out. Turned out that was completely inaccurate, and we had to go buy the white paint ourselves to repaint the unit, or they would have done it for $ 100 PER WALL.
Power Outages — During our two years there, we experienced numerous power outages, and it only affected our row of buildings. No idea why, as half of these power outages occurred during the spring/​summer in beautiful weather, and the rest of the complex was unaffected.
Water Shut-​Offs — Also during our two years there, we had several notices that the wate

I HATED living here. it’s kept clean but I don’t care… they raise rent EVER year. You aren’t welcome here. They want you to move out to replace you and when you move out they charge you for every little thing close to 2k when they place was spotless they will not I repeat will not give you your deposit back. They charged me to replace the carpet for a new one even though they were replacing it with hardwood. Charged me for not properly bagging my trash, when valet pick up is add to the rent. They charge you for losing the «fob key» to the gym. They will charge you for every little thing. Dont live on the bottom floor there will be bugs. Lock your car doors and with an alarm they are multiple car break in. Ask the front desk about it or other tenants. Everything I have said its 100% TRUTH

Great location and community! If you tour an apartment, make sure you schedule it with Brittany. She is professional, knowledgeable and always so helpful for the year that my wife and I lived there!

The first year that I was here (2012 – 13) was fantastic… until it was time to renew the lease and we were priced out of our 3 bedroom apartment as the rent went up over $ 300 per month!
Despite the unexpectedly high rent increase I decided to stay in the complex, and down size to a 2 bedroom. This is when it got ugly and, in retrospect, I should have just left then. The leasing agent I was working with was super sweet and polite but failed to reserve the apartment we agreed upon not once, but TWICE. Each time we had to rush to find another available apartment. As a result, I ended up paying an extra month’s rent in the overpriced 3 bedroom while I waited for a 2 bedroom to open up. In fairness to management, they did agree to give me that month at the original rate since it was their error (s) that caused it.
In the end, the only apartment left was a 2 bedroom that is nearly as expensive as the original three bedroom. I also had to pay $ 1200 to replace the carpet in the old apartment due to my former roommates’ dog. As far as I can tell from previous reviews and from what I’ve heard from other residents, it’s common practice for this complex to charge pet owners to replace the carpet, whether there was in fact damage or not. It also doesn’t matter that you’ve put a security AND pet deposit down. Pet owners should expect a $ 1200 bill after move out. I guess that, the pet deposit, and the pet rent are all the price you pay for living in a «pet friendly» community.
The biggest mistake I made was renewing my lease here in 2014, rather than finding some place cheaper in the city. Yes, you read that right. Before I decided to stay, I found houses for rent in nice neighborhoods in Seattle for as much as $ 500 less than I pay here.
Other cons:
— It is nowhere as nice on the inside as it looks on the outside
— Forced to use the concierge trash service, which does not pick up Friday or Saturday
— Monthly admin and upkeep fees are high, and expect dog poo in the yard for weeks
— If you don’t have an assigned parking spot, expect to walk ¼ mile to your apartment
— Smoking is being banned on the premises so smokers will need to leave the grounds to smoke
— Every few months, there’s a rash of car break ins
— Once per year, an email goes out warning to keep animals off the grass due to the toxic chemicals they use to treat it
Pros:
— It is relatively quiet
— Close proximity to the expressway and easy bus access (if you’re going into the city)
— Shopping nearby
— Two outdoor pools
— BBQ area that you can actually use if you go early or late enough to grab a grill
— Two small fitness centers

Management is what really makes apartment communities stand apart from one another, and Avana 522 is expertly managed. Over the course of the year I lived there, I had 3 minor service requests — and all 3 were handled within hours. All my interactions with the staff have been pleasant, and email correspondence has been promptly replied to every time.

Horrible place! Do not live on the first floor. You will
Hear everything above you! I don’t even live here, im visiting and it is the worst! Stay away! Or ask for top floor!!!

My stay here was ok — even though sometimes the maintenance tasks took a long time to get done. The kicker came once I moved out. The management billed the entire carpet replacement — of the whole fricking apt — on me. They knew moving me in that I had a little dog and I even paid the non-​refundable pet deposit and a monthly pet rent. They said the carpet had to be fully changed because there was wear to the carpet from a 9 lb Chichuahua. I requested for proof to substantiate the charges and I am yet to receive anything after 3 – 4 weeks of requesting this information. I get ridiculous feedback everytime I call them re: this issue and there is only one person in the entire Management team that is authorized to work on this and that person is never available everytime I call or drop-​in. Please do yourselves a favor and DO NOT RENT FROM THIS PLACE. What a rip off.

Was potentially looking at moving here filled out the online application which required $ 350 plus the application fee decided not to go with it and hadn’t thought about it for a little while is it all when I credit card turns out if you don’t cancel within 48 hours they forfeit your $ 350 that they require is a deposit to do things online sleazy sleazy place

I felt like an individual and not just another client. Getting into an apartment at AVANA522 was an incredibly pleasant experience. The staff (Britney, Eric, Shawntell, Brenda) were exceptionally patient processing our non-​ideal application. They went out of there way to communicate and even «held our hands» when portal malfunctioned and I had to fill out a hand written application.
The amenities here are spectacular. The facilities are kept in excellent condition. The neighbors I’ve met have been kind, quiet and pleasant. 5 out of 5 for me.

We just moved in a few weeks ago, here at Avana 522, and we absolutely love it! Our entire process from start to actually picking up our keys, was easy and painless. The staff was super kind and extremely helpful and answered my million questions with out making me feel like a burden. The neighborhood is quiet, the complex is clean and nicely attended to and the amenities are awesome!
I would highly recommend this place to any of my friends or family looking for somewhere to call home!

We had an appointment set up with a Sharon (I think that’s what she said on the phone) today at 4:30 because she said 4:30 would be the last time they could show any units. Well we showed up right before 4:30 after rushing to get there and by the time 4:45 rolled around there still wasn’t a single person to help show us a unit. Sorry but there are plenty of other apartment communities that have the same types if not better floor plans for about the same price and they keep their showing times. I find it extremely unprofessional to make an appointment time and not be there for it. Very poor customer service in my opinion so we will never be back.

I currently live here and I love it. I don’t know what some of these complainers are talking about. Valet garbage is awesome!!!
This place is very quiet and clean. Love all the swimming pools and the gym. Love how close it is to the freeway and parking ain’t all that bad. Our remodeled apartment looks awesome and I have nothing to complain about.
I love the staff in the office, very polite and helpful. Very professional!!!
I highly recommend these apartments.

I hate living here. They just started ‘valet service’ garbage pick up. Which means they got rid of every dumpster on the property. Great if you have minimal, non-​smelly garbage and recycling. They give you one small can to put garbage and recycling in. You must keep the garbage can in your house until 6 – 8 pm. Great for people that have a baby (dirty diapers!) and cat litter to dump every night. I love that smell in my house. Oh, don’t forget the dog poop I can’t put in a dumpster, that gets to go in my garbage can inside, too. They’re solution for me? Keep the garbage an on the back patio. Yes, because I spend $ 1500 a month to smell shit on my back patio. Since no one is going to throw their dog shit in their own garbage cans, expect to step in dog poop everywhere. So much for all the nice outdoor amenities. Oh, and this mandatory fire alarm test that is going to happen Mon-​Fri 9 – 5 pm that you can’t ‘schedule’ is awesome. They will be coming into MY house to scare the crap out of MY animals. But they can’t tell me when. So… now I have to find someone to watch my dog and cat in their house for a week and they have given me 4 days to do so. Or I get to pay a buttload to have them boarded. I asked them what they think I should do and the solution is to take them to work with me.
So, if you don’t mind your house smelling like shit, stepping in shit or having the shit scared out of your animals, you should totally live here.

although i disagree with the trash program they have inplemented this year. im happy with the manager and there staff. i have called them a number of times about different questions and concerns. and they always followed up with me. either a phone call or e mail. to resolve the problem or answer my concerns. they keep the property up. and any maintainence concerns has bin quick and easy to resolve. i would recommened this complex

I have been living here for about four months now and have yet to encounter any negative experience. The staff has always been friendly, the amenities are great, and the apartment is comparable to others in the same price range. I do miss the soccer goals they had in their grass area, but I prob won’t be playing much on icy grass anyway. It’s been a great place to live so far.

Worst apartment experience I have ever had. I work in customer service and the way they treat their «customers» is absolutely not considered service, if we were not bound by a lease I would have left a long time ago, it is pathetic that they can charge us what they do and treat us the way they do. The staff is horribly rude, and inconsiderate, that is when you can get a hold of them. If you ever need to speak with someone in the office make sure you have 3 days to wait. They called me and left a voice mail to tell me that I had not signed my lease renewal and now since i am late I am in a month to month term with them and I owe them $ 300 more than my normal monthly rent, when in fact I had signed my lease the day prior. It took me 3 days of calling over and over until someone finally answered. Any time you need to get a hold of them it takes more than a few hours of calling before any one answers. I have nothing good to say about this place after the new ownership took over. There are many other apartments in the area that have a much better staff and way of doing business that I would recommend you find somewhere else to leave. The location and amenities may draw you in, but that’s not the only thing people are looking for and if you are looking for some simple common courtesy you will not find that here at Avana 522.