Avalon Meydenbauer

Great place to live! I love the location, and the staff are always helpful and friendly.

I’ve been living here almost 3 years now and shortly if you just want a place to live it’s good but if you want a community it’s terrible. Here are my experience:
Pros:
1) Nice location
2) Friendly stuff and maintenance
3) Nice insulation
Cons:
1) Terrible security!!! You can get murdered and your apartment can be set on fire without getting seen by any security cameras:
2) There are two big constructions going right in front of the building which creates incredible noise.
3) Sewer smell in the parking lot all the time
4) Chemical liquids will ruin your car’s paint and they won’t come off without acid treatment (Which still messes up your paint)
5) Anytime you go to leasing office with a complaint about community, nothing will get done!
6) If you tell them weights in the gym is melted it will take 6 months to replace them.
7) Each year they’ll increase your rent almost 10% if you stay in the same unit. I’ve moved to the next unit of mine last year just because it was much cheaper.
8) Elevators are the slowest in the world and every other week they will stop working and a technician will spend a day or two fixing it while you walk to the other side of the building to be able to get out.

Pretty nice staff and neighbors. There’s plenty of parking and stuff to do in the area.
If you want to live somewhere quiet, this is a great place.
One thing that would have made it better? A more secure garage. I had stuff stolen out of my car about a week ago.

Heh… I just noticed there are 16 filtered reviews where most of them are 1 stars:
Anyway…
Hello, I have lived in the same unit in Avalon Meydenbaur for a number of years. I would have left two years ago except my work’s stressful periods corresponded with the moving out dates so I didn’t have any time to hunt for a new apartment. With that said, there are still a few nice things about living here. And here is a short list of pros and cons I will be going over.
Pros.
1. Location
2. Good Maintenance staff
Cons.
1. Noise
2. Price
3. Misc
Pros:
1. The apartment building is relatively new and its location is great. As far as «being happening» on the Eastside goes, this is pretty much it. Next to a kick ass park, a movie theatre, and the best shopping mall in the state. Sure, it’s on top of a Safeway too. But I always see more grocery bags from Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and various ethnic grocers. The good news is it’s not a far drive to those stores!
2. The maintenance and front office staff are all pretty chill. They are polite, courteous, and most of them are friendly too. I really like how responsive they are for service requests. I submitted two requests on Monday and both were fixed by the time I got home on Tuesday. They also fix emergency issues immediately.
Cons:
1. I recommended this apartment to one of my friends from work, because I was a greedy lil’ money grubber and wanted the referral bonus. Unfortunately, he moved out in the first 30 days because IT WAS TOO DAMN LOUD.
If you live on the West side or North side then without fail, some drunkard will wake you up every weekend right after last call. Best of all, during the summer, all of the high school kids hang out at in the parking lot by the frozen yogurt place. And my god do I hate listening to children trying to out do each other in being loud and obnoxious.
The good news is when the weather gets wet and cold, all of the drunks and kids stay in doors. Yeah! :D
And for the people on the South side and East side, I’ve heard a few complaints about the Safeway trucks. Maybe the inner courtyard is the only place for peace and quiet.
Also, I’ve both annoyed and been annoyed by neighbors with music and running the washing machine and dryer. So once again, noise is a problem.
2. I’ve noticed people are constantly moving out of this apartment, and it is always because of rent increases. One family of five told me their rent went from 2,100 to 2,500 and then 2,900 over the course of two years – that’s almost 20% increases per year. Most of the single bedroom occupants only see jumps around 10 to 12% a year, which isn’t ridiculously but still pretty steep. I wonder if the company prices the rate hikes higher for families because they have a harder time moving than people without kids. Anywho, I keeping on losing my neighbors because no wants to pay 200 dollars extra in rent every month. But I guess squeezing more money out of the tenants is more important than fostering a community.
Also, the apartment claims a standard parking spot is 75 dollars a month, but after surveying other people, I found people pay either 0, 25, or 50. In other words, if you think you are getting a good deal and saving 25 dollars a month by paying only 50 then you are a sucker!
As for the move out process, I have heard only neutral things so hopefully my experience will be better than the horror stories described on Unilocal.Or maybe I will get fined a million bucks for writing a less than favorable review. :P
3. There are various things wrong with the people living in this building – I saw a dog poop in the elevator last weekend, people smoke in the hallways and the garage, etc. Oh yes, that’s right, it is supposed to be a non-​smoking building but people do it anyway.
I understand these issues are caused by the residents and are minor annoyances at best – actually smoking might become a bigger concern because we are considering having children in the near future.
But when I first moved here the front office was responsible enough to remind people to follow specific rules whenever they were broken. Now days, I don’t even bother complaining about the pet piss on the walls or cigarette butts on the hallway carpets because every time I am given some polite excuse about why this and that can’t be helped.
Seriously though, if Avalon wants to charge «luxury» apartment prices then it would be nice if it managed the property accordingly. I’ve had fewer issues living in way cheaper places. It becomes even harder to justify the price when friends who are living a block away pay way less for a bigger unit.
I did make a joke about referring my friend to live here for money, but in reality, I am actually pretty embarrassed for having recommended a place he couldn’t stand.

Pros: location
Cons: hot apartments in summer, heater doesn’t work in winter, elevators slow, leasing agents make it impossible to move out, can’t open windows when it’s raining, most apartments are noisy, especially in the morning when the leaf blow at 8am

I stayed in a studio apartment at Avalon Meydenbauer for a year, and the experience was great. The main reason I left was because I wanted to move to a different area.
When I first met the leasing agents, they were very friendly and helpful, and outlined all the details before I even moved in. The apartment was thoroughly cleaned and spotless when I moved in, and everything was in great shape. (Even the inside of the dryer had been cleaned, so there was no blue residue from washing/​drying jeans!)
There was only one or two cases where I had to make a maintenance request, and the requests were dealt with promptly. If there was ever a time where management had to enter the apartment, they always gave lots of notice, and explained the reason for entering in further detail when I called to ask them about it.
Being immediately above the Safeway parking lot did mean that I heard a few noises once in a while. However, the noises were never distracting or bothersome; I never woke up because of them. (For comparison, it was less noisy than living near a busy road in Seattle.)
The common areas of the apartment were kept quite clean. However, on my floor, the smell from the garbage chute room would diffuse to the waiting area for the elevators. Fortunately, I did not have the apartment unit closest to the garbage chute (there was one directly opposite the garbage chute room). If you’re considering an apartment unit close to the garbage chute, ask the management what they will do about the smell. This is a good question to ask any apartment community though.
The elevators in the buildings are slower than most elevators. I’m not sure why that is. However, this was no more than a minor inconvenience for me.
Upon moving out, the management and staff were just as friendly and transparent as any other time I’ve interacted with them. They sent me details about the move out dates and answered the questions I had.
In my experience, they did not eat all my deposit upon move out. In fact, since I hadn’t really damaged anything, they were quite fair in what they withheld from my deposit. I did notice, however, that they were much more thorough in their move out inspection than in their move-​in inspection. I suspect that was because at move-​in, the apartment unit was in almost perfect condition. To be fair though, it’s also the tenant’s responsibility to be thorough during the move-​in inspection.
It’s also worth noting that they clean and prepare the apartments really well before handing them to new tenants, compared to other apartment communities I’ve stayed in. So it’s clear that they actually do use the cleaning deposit and other deposit funds to actually repair, clean, and prep the apartment. This is more than I can say about other apartment communities.
Regarding rent increase, after a year of living there, renewing my lease would have required an 11% increase in rent payments. Given that inflation in Seattle was 2.7−3.7% in 2011*, this amounts to real increase of about 7.8%. That was still quite steep, in my opinion. If they spring this on you, I suggest negotiating it down.
Overall, I was very pleased with this apartment community. I know there are a few other reviewing on Unilocal about Avalon Meydenabauer that have quite a different take on things. I’m not sure why that is; maybe the particular staff working there has changed.
* Acquired inflation data from
. I tried to find inflation data for Bellevue specifically, but I could not find the numbers.

For starters, what is true is true. This is a very well maintained community and the staff is very responsive. I have never had a problem with maintainance all calls where responded to within 24 hours. Then why I am still giving a one star ?
As a customer I like to know what I am paying for up front and don’t like surprise and hidden fees. For a rent of nearly $ 1700 i expect all those services and I got them. But i did not expect the bill of $ 1500 on move out.
I have lived in 3 previous apartment communities (including another Avalon in Bellevue Downtown) and have never ever paid more than $ 200 in move out fees. I cant understand how my cleanliness standards could have deteriorated so quickly. A few scrub marks on a couple of walls don’t warrant a painting bill of $ 700!!!
All in all if you are looking for a nice community to stay in the heart of Bellevue this is the place to be. Make sure you mentally pad another $ 50-​$ 100 to your rent to cover move out fees. Expensive surprises where I end up paying are not my cup of tea.

Avalon is a terrible apartment to stay at. i slayed here for 2 years and while leaving they burnt a deep hole in pocket [1000 $].
Friends of mine that stayed here paid [1500 $] and this is just for natural wear and tear of the apartment that they dont acknowledge.
According to them you are supposed to have the aprtment in «exact;ly the same condition» as you got it !
I would like to give 0 stars but I guess thats not option.
People ! please think twice before you decide to give this a shot. You might as well throw 1500 bucks in a gutter!

The place is ok to stay at and the moment you leave this place, you cry! Now this is not because you loved the place but because they simply rob you. I stay there for almost 2 years and when we moved out, we had to pay $ 1000 out of our pockets.
My fiancé who stayed in the same building. his room was clean like anything. Still, no deposit was refunded and he had to infact pay out of his pocket.
The place isn’t very awesome. their carpets aren’t of good quality and tend to wear down.
Don’t stay there!

I finally got out of this place, and unfortunately the move experience was the same. They eat all your deposit, and throw salt in the wound with a million nickle-​dime items to make you OWE money on way out
Also, it should be noted apartment prices were going up, and were already comparably quite high for the area. Safeway below isn’t worth and extra 300−400/month

Wow does this place really take any and all good will they have built up with you and crap all over it on the way out. I had to leave at the end of my lease due to finding a position in another state. Not only did they go above and beyond to make it a painful process but they nickel and dimed us on everything that would be considered normal wear and tear to completely eat up the deposit and have a rather large amount due on top of that.
I had been a very big cheerleader of the community and the staff and even went as far as to defend them to those on other web forums but now I know what they were talking about. I was truly hurt by how this process went and the way they treated us.
After 18 months, one would expect to be able to have a smooth transition but instead we saw what Avalon really wants– just our money.
Well you are getting even more of our money but you have lost our respect and admiration in the process. I agree that it was definately not time well spent.

This didn’t feel like «Time Well Spent».
First the Pros:
1. Safeway conveniently located in the building.
2. Decent square footage in some apartments.
3. Good closet space.
4. Very large, comprehensive gym.
5. Across from Downtown Park
6. «Pet-​friendly» but there are friendlier options out there.
Cons:
1. Noisy apartments due to outdoor noise and very noisy, low-​grade appliance package. You cannot hear the TV if any of the following is running: dishwasher, laundry, heaters. Apartments facing Safeway parking lot experience problems from car alarms and general public noise, especially during summer months when school is not in session.
2. In wall, electric heaters are inefficient in heating a room quickly and at low cost. For reference my electric bill ranged from $ 50-​$ 100/​month for a 950 sq ft. apartment.
3. Lack of guest parking.
4. On going problems accepting out-​going mail.
5. No AC which is fine in the winter but these units heat up like ovens in the summer even when it’s only a mere 80 degrees outside.
6. They have a lot of hidden fees that they are not upfront about when they quote you the rent.
7. Slow elevators: You have to wait more then 5 minutes during rush hours like going to work and coming home from work.
8. Lack of general maintenance and response to maintenance requests. The common areas are not well taken care of and show signs of abuse. They don’t wash the outside of the windows as often as necessary. They never replaced our door number after it was stolen a few months after move-​in.
9. Numerous fire drills throughout the year and during harsh weather conditions.
10. Large building footprint will make this a very expensive move in/​out or just painful if you decide to move yourself. There is only one truck loading dock and only one freight elevator on the far end of the building which does not serve a majority of apartments well because you have to move up to 2 blocks through the internal hallways.
11. They will nickel and dime you for every cent of your security deposit and will charge for every single normal wear and tear item they find. Don’t count on getting your security deposit back and you should factor that into your monthly rent. They also refused to note down problem items in the move-​in inspection.
We moved to Elements Too and found those apartments to be much more comfortable.
Good Luck.

Overall, for future rentals, I’m going to avoid Avalon communities.
Pros:
1. Convenient location to Downtown Bellevue.
2. Safeway just downstairs.
3. Pretty good closet space within the apartment.
4. «Pet-​friendly» — In that they accept pets up to 25 lbs with a non-​refundable and refundable deposit, AND a monthly $ 35 pet rent.
(oops…I guess I should move into the cons now)
Cons:
1. See «Pet friendly» above. Please also note that pets are not allowed anywhere else within the apartment complex! And even if your dog is good, you’ll be treated like you’re one of the other deviant dogs + dog owner (i.e. you let your dog pee in the hallways or in the courtyard). My dog doesn’t even pee on buildings, posts, or flowers! He knows that he needs to find dirt, mulch, or rocks to do his business.
2. Half way through our one year lease — apparently, all the mail boxes were broken and we had no outgoing mail. It took months to fix all the other lobbies, but still there are no outgoing mailboxes in our lobby.
3. Can I also mention that 4 months into our move, our apartment number got stolen? Funny — ha ha — except that when we order food for delivery, they get lost, and then decides to call and meet downstairs in the lobby instead. Not so funny when your pizza’s getting cold! Upon moving out, we still don’t have an apartment number.
4. Our window got pooped on by a bird. Nasty looking, so I only open the blinds ½ way so that I don’t need to see it. Put in several service requests along with checking in with the leasing office: I was told that they were getting bids next month to have all the windows washed. Didn’t happen, so checked in again. Same response. Waited. Repeat process. I gave up asking, but months later, it was clean.
5. I have to say that our elevator sucked. It’s super slow and when it’s busy, I have to add an extra 5 minutes to my commute to work. Not to mention that it’s broken a lot of times. Of course, there’s other elevators to use, but then you have to snake your way around the hallways to get to the other elevators. Annoying if you have your hands full.
6. Finally, Avalon tries hard to be nice and polite. Their maintenance guys are funny and goes out of their way to fix things and help out with whatever problem arises. But, don’t trust the office staff with a smile on their face and tell you that it’ll be okay. Because, it’s not. They say things and then «forget» to what was agreed upon. Make sure you have something written! During our initial inspection of the apartment, Barbara would not allow me to write down anything because it was a brand new apartment! There were cracks in the wall, some spotting with the paint (there were areas that were painted in a different gloss and some scratches, etc.), some scratches in the kitchen counter-​top, etc. and I mentioned them. But, they wouldn’t let me write it down. I decided not to work with Barbara, and went to the office to another staff member that wrote it down on a sticky note to be added to our file. That never happened. Upon our inspection to turn in our keys, none of our notes were available. We hired professional cleaners and carpet cleaners (yes– our dog did have 2 – 3 «accidents») to make the apartment spotless, but all for nothing. They criticized very little thing and stated that it was not part of «normal wear and tear». We were told that it would be a 5 minute inspection, but they showed up with 3 people, took 30 minutes, and tore up the carpet to inspect the bottom layers. I specifically ask prior to the inspection what would take place– they said 5 minutes to look over and that they understood normal wear and tear would be there.
Liars!
I don’t know how many times I felt cheated at this place. It doesn’t help that my last Avalon experience was pretty much the same.
I will not be going back to another Avalon community.
I’m trying out a UDR community this time and I’ll let all you folks out there know how it goes.

May look nice at first but this complex is more like a joke! The only plus is its location (Safeway is just downstairs) but you also get a lot of apartment options in DT Bellevue besides this place.
we are paying about $ 2000 per month for an apartment less than 1000 sqf and get VERY FEW for that much.
CONVENIENCE:
First off, none of the apartments have AC which made the place like «hell» this summer. We were out of the place from 9am to 9pm everyday for about 7~8 days. For this price almost all of our other options in DT Bellevue offered AC, but we didn’t think that this would be a problem as we were new to the area and everyone said that
we won’t need one.
Second, the elevator broke down for about 5 times within 10 days this summer which meant to get into my car, I had to go down 5 stairs and then literally walk for 10 minutes. When complained, it took them long to address this issue.
CLEANNESS:
This 2009 complex is literally DIRTY. It takes so long for them to remove a bunch rather large stains from the carpet which makes the hallway less pleasant than my college dorm. The lawn gets serviced very far in-​between. Not goo for a «luxury» complex…
CUSTOMER SERVICE:
Not a very friendly staff (some; not all though). NOT ORGANIZED at all, we have had package problems: at times we had to make several trips to the office to get our mail which had arrived a few days before (haven’t lost one though).
They have used any opportunity to charge me for various reasons. For instance, there is a $ 35 fee if you want to pay your rent online or over the phone! Besides, I was told by their representative over the phone (after about ~20 minutes of waiting) that, even though I have successfully set up my recurring payments, but I have to monitor my checking account manually to make sure that the deposit has been posted and if not, make a one time payment and pay that $ 35 «convenient» fee!
Finally our apartment looks into the lawn. Nice at the beginning… Not anymore. We rarely got a good night sleep, as people walk their dogs all the time and sometimes they into a fight (pretty noisy). But more importantly, during summer time all windows are open (including ours) and you can literally hear people in their places. Their TV, someone yelling at children, etc. We have nights that some poor guy who couldn’t get a night sleep was yelling SHUT UP from his place to calm down one noisy neighbor… So if you do ever want to move in (NOT what I would suggest though), do yourself a favor and stay away from those apartments looking into the yard/​lawn/​BBQ area…
In a word, this kind of money for this kind of place is a real JOKE, no wonder they have brought down next year’s rent by this much… Our lease is up in a month and CAN’T WAIT TO GET OUT…