Mural

Not sure why my previous Unilocal review disappeared…
The Mural Apartments has an awesome location and a nicely designed building; this is where the awesomeness stops. Here are a few «lowlights» from my almost 2 year tenancy there:
*Before we moved in they promised to have plants on the patio replaced (as they were dead). It took MONTHS of hounding them (in-​person requests, email and a written letter) to have them finally replaced… begrudgingly of course.
*Near the beginning of our tenancy the Manager miscalculated/​mixed up our payment and put a 3 day notice to vacate on our door. As someone who has NEVER been late in paying rent in my life I was shocked! When I asked about it they said ‘oh we do this to get people’s attention’. Then after a few simple calculations (& me showing proof of payments) they told me they miscalculated and not to worry about it.
*Packages were delivered to the wrong apartment; this happened on multiple occasions. Also a package was left by UPS at my door (despite us opting for package pickup at the office) and it was stolen from in front of our door. Although the Mural is not responsible for the theft it serves to highlight that this building is not as secure as it should be.
*When you pay approximately $ 1,500 for a one bedroom you hope to receive good if not adequate service; this is not the case at the mural. There is a perpetual marry-​go-​round of new managers and staff, who blame the previous leadership for poor service. Much like a politician promises change with every new election, it’s still the same song and dance with the new régime.
*The construction noise on the North side of the building was unbearable at times, starting before 5 AM. Obviously the noise will improve when the nearby construction ends but is good to know if you plan to move-​in during the neighbors construction project.
*The topper is that, despite the apartment being left in good condition, they found a way to nickel and dime us for alleged damages. The phrase «normal wear and tear» is non-​existent in their vocabulary. A scuff to the wall is about $ 60. I would think that they repaint after each tenant anyway. After arguing with them over the deposit they agreed to give us a poultry refund ($ 7.00). After waiting weeks and being reassured that it was coming, the office personnel then informed us we needed to have our mail forwarded to get the refund check. Considering they have our new address on file as they were able to send us the first letter (informing us they were taking our deposit) I think they can figure out a way to get another letter to us. My main concern is not the $ 7 but having a letter informing us that we do not owe anything.
If I ever receive the check and a letter I’ll update this post to reflect that; I’m not holding my breath.

I like this place for the most part, and were it not for all the construction going on around it, I might be inclined to stay. The other residents are generally nice and don’t make a mess of the common areas. Management can be helpful if you can actually catch them. My biggest complaint is the temperature. If you live in a unit with only one exterior wall, you will have ZERO control over the temperature inside. Sorry, but I am not suffering through another summer of constant 85 degree temps inside my apartment.

After watching the services, upkeep, and tenor of the building management go downhill for the past few years, we finally left. As for the building, it used to be a solid 5, at least when we originally moved in. More and more tenants (especially as they have increased the share of subsidized housing tenants) have continued to not clean up after themselves or their pets. It used to be unheard of to have pet urine in the elevator, now it happens regularly. And the management has gone from a high-​level concierge-​type staff to. well, just not okay. We have had managers walk in to our apartment, showing it off to new tenants, and realize they’re in the wrong apartment. We had a eviction notice posted on our door for a few days because they posted our check to another apartment and didn’t bother to ask us. We just moved out and were assured we’d get our security deposit back because we left the place immaculate, and today got a bill from the brand new manager because the manager who checked us out two weeks ago and said we’d get our money back was terminated for being not strict enough… And prospective tenants also need to be aware that the buildings next door are coming down and much of the view will be gone with the two new hi-​rises coming in…

I had lived at the Mural since it opened and the place is going down hill VERY fast. If you are thinking of moving here take some of this into consideration:
1. You can hear your neighbors dog barking, music, and constant smoke from smokers blowing into your unit if you have your window open.
2. NEW MANAGEMENT … The staff are very disorganized (very forgetful with very little follow through) and most recently borderline condescending. The transition between management has been very poor. The Link apartments are under the same management and the tenants there share the same feelings.
3. IF you are not a dog person, there are some dog owners that walk their dogs off the leash, which is very rude and inconsiderate.
4.Extra «star» for its location and cleanliness.

Great location and a nice building. The new management of the building is dishonest and does not deal fairly with tenants. Think twice before signing a lease.

Yes!!! the billing issues with ISTA have been fixed… they have eliminated ISTA altogether!!! Now they have a flat fee for water, sewage, trash, and heated water; it is based on size of apt. and occupancy– very reasonable rate as well (55 for 1br/​1person). Over the past year I have gotten comfortable with the new management and they really work hard to make the Mural a nice place to live. The only caveat to living here (and the only reason I did not give it five stars) is most of the tenants have pets, some very large. Most of the owners control their dogs but a few do not practice any pet etiquette at all and it can get a little uncomfortable on the elevator or trying to get through the lobby.

Prior to writing this I was waffling between 4 and 5 stars and then I decided to make the decision strategically and realized that 5 is clearly the winner! How did I break it down:
People: 5
Building: 5
Amenities: 5
Staff: 5
Location: 5+++
Why did I think it might be 4? well, I’ll be honest, the garbage/​recycling trucks were a challenge and the utilities have been frustrating. But not nearly as loud/​significant as others have implied. The garbage/​recycling issue did get fixed. Every once in a while they’ll arrive a tad before 7am but usually they’re here b/​w 7 and 7:30 during the week and that’s normal for any urban-​living situation. Ista — yes, still confusing but my bills have averaged ~$ ⁵⁵⁄₆₀ per month and that’s on par with what I was told.
And, staff? Hell, they worked very diligently with Ista to address the issue as they did with the recycling/​garbage depts. And, Harbor, who owns the bldg and has another one opening near by also worked very hard with the City regarding the garbage truck noise issue.
So, if you’re willing to communicate concerns and give staff time to address them all those issues are irrelevant.
When I think about home and Mural being my home, I don’t EVER think about the garbage/​utilities. I think about my most amazing view, how home-​like my apt, building and community are, the proximity to everything and when I considered my renewal, it was a no-​brainer!
Can I rave about proximity a little bit? It has been so great to walk to the grocery store, to support the local farmers at the Farmer’s Mkt and never have to worry about driving after having a few drinks at the plethora of restaurants/​bars within walking distance. I am literally around the corner from my yoga studio (Limber Yoga) where I am getting up for a 6:15 class 3x per week. The quality of life I have gained since moving to Mural is worth so much and the idea of moving out doesn’t cross my mind.
I highly encourage you to come on by and check it out — feel free to send me a msg after you’ve checked out the place if you have follow up questions/​concerns because this is a great place to live!

The score for Mural was pulled down by a couple of early negative reviews. Because hey, who takes the time to review his apartment if he has no complaints? But I was shocked enough by the score, especially as compared to a really crummy apartment complex nearby (which shall remain unnamed), that I feel obligated to help balance that out. (The 1-​star review in particular. WTF?)
Mural is a condo-​style apartment building, still practically brand new. Most of the residents I know here have gone through the lease renewal process in the last couple of months, so we’re just past the first year from when the building filled up at the end of summer 2009. And most of us have decided to stay, because Mural is a fantastic building with no real rivals in West Seattle and few in the whole city. The two chief reasons I can imagine avoiding it are (a) if you hate dogs, because Mural is incredibly dog friendly and almost everyone here has one so you’re likely to see at least one any time you come or go from the building; or (b) if you hate people, because the neighbors are very friendly and will ask you about your day when you run into each other on the elevator, or invite you over for drinks after a rough week.
David I think had a pretty thoughtful set of criticisms in his review, and I know he’s a nice guy from the many times we chatted in the elevator or at building-​wide parties. But I don’t think his complaints are universal:
(1) I live on the south side of the building, not on the alley side. My side of the building is very quiet outside. Yes, alleys are busy and sometimes noisy. I once lived in an alley-​facing Belltown apartment and, like David, I felt like it really impacted my quality of life. But the majority of the units in the building aren’t on the alley, and some on the upper floors apparently don’t get much of the alley noise. If the noise is going to bother you, don’t live on that side. If it won’t bother you in a big way, you’ll probably find that the fabulous views make up for it. And it bears mentioning that the building is constructed in a way that I rarely hear anything through our ceiling or floor, and NEVER anything through the walls from the units next door, even though as I mentioned the building is full of dogs which presumably bark on occasion.
(2) David’s criticism about trying to park in the garage with a large vehicle may well be fair. But if you don’t have an SUV, not really a problem. And for those like me who want to go car-​free, it’s very easy to do here in the Junction. Lots of buses, 12 – 15 minutes to bus downtown; and a number of Zipcars nearby, including 2 literally across the street. I’ve never tried parking in the garage because I’ve never needed to own a car here.
(3) As for utilities, which Horatus also mentioned: with the exception of 1 month when we were accidentally billed double, which was promptly fixed by management, our utility bills here have been totally normal if not on the low end for a Seattle apartment. City of Seattle charges a ton for trash/​recycling/​sewage, it’s true; but if you’re in the city limits, you’re gonna pay it. And frankly Seattle funds some great waste management practices so it doesn’t bother me much.
The management, Harbor Properties, is really responsive; the building is well designed; and the location is awesome. And I’ll ditto everything that Matthew said. This is a great building.