The Merrick Apartments

We have been at the Merrick going on three years. We have had an overall great experience here. We picked this location from out of state because of how close all transit is to the Merrick. We knew the walking score wasn’t great going in. We hop on the max or street car, (two whole blocks away), and go downtown all the time, very convenient! We love Niko in the leasing office, he takes care of whatever we might need. The maintenance staff is prompt and professional, we’ve never been kept waiting to have something fixed, down to a simple lightbulb replacement. My only complaint has been neighbors setting off the fire alarm because they don’t know how to cook. My advise is always do your homework about a property and read the fine print on any lease agreement. Not every building is a good fit for everyone but the Merrick has been good to us so far. Hope this is helpful!

My partner and I decided to rent here, apartment unseen, well over a month ago because it’s close to our jobs and was cheaper than any other similarly sized apartment in the area. The application process was disorganized and the service was poor, but we looked past it because hey, everyone makes mistakes. Once approved, we paid $ 500 to hold an apartment and we signed an agreement saying we had 72 hours to change our minds. Literally the moment we scanned that agreement back, they stopped answering us.
For over three weeks, not one email or phone call we placed was returned. We finally reached out to Prometheus, the management company, and said we wanted our deposit back. We didn’t know what to expect and didn’t want to wake up on moving day, still waiting on a response. We were directed to the apartment manager. She immediately emailed and asked for our correspondence with her leasing agents, but then said we couldn’t have our deposit back because we didn’t explicitly ask for it within 72 hours. She didn’t address her team’s failure to answer.
We replied and stated (along with a detailed account of our experiences) that we felt as though the 72 hour rule shouldn’t apply if it was impossible to reach them. After waiting another week for her to «investigate» the situation further (the results of which she never provided), she said due to Fair Housing regulations and the need to treat everyone the same, she still couldn’t give it back to us.
We are forced to conclude from her statement about equality that people routinely pay the deposit, cannot reach anyone for weeks, and are then denied their deposits back. I implore this company: change your practices! I impore you: please don’t become one of us!
*She also didn’t provide us the contact information of a supervisor or customer service manager when we asked for one.
At the end of the day, maybe this is legal, but it doesn’t seem right. Be careful.

If I could give zero stars I would. Building is nice enough for what they charge. The problem I have is with all the break-​ins. They happened in the garage which is one thing, people shouldn’t leave belongings in their vehicles regardless of where they are parked. Now though, every single tenants mailbox was broken into and contents stolen including the rent Dropbox! This is unacceptable! The building is in no way secure and Prometheus isn’t doing a thing to fix it. There are zero security cameras and no ownership of the problems. I know this now gives potential thieves an easy target by writing this review and pointing out that there is no security, but maybe there is an off chance Prometheus will do something about it. If you tour this building as a potential renter and see that there are no cameras installed in the lobby know that it is still not safe and they have still done nothing. Stay away.

There is nothing within walking distance unless you want to go to Wendy’s, Denny’s, Red Robin or a Blazer’s game. BUT it is central for driving. Really weird convention center concrete sort of neighborhood. Nice walks on the river within a five minute walk.
Cheap apartment with high rent. Fan in the bathroom goes non-​stop — just extra noise — never a silent moment. People with dogs that don’t always pick up after their dogs. Too bad — because I have a dog and it makes us all look bad. This place only takes dogs because they are desperate for tenants. I have no idea why the rent is so high — its awful.

Please, I urge you to stay as far away from this place as you can, possibly Prometheus all together. I have so many more negative things to say about this building than I do positive.
Firstly, I still cannot imagine the premium you’re paying for. It certainly isn’t convenience, unless you see Trailblazer’s games often, find Subway appetizing, or think of Safeway as an actual good grocery store. There really is nothing in walking distance here.
Secondly, it looks and feels very cheap. The heating and cooling is very bad, baseboard heaters in the bedrooms, a very loud AC and Heating unit in the living room, and oversized drafty windows. The kitchen is well below par, and has the cheapest possible appliances. The finishes throughout the apartment are awful. The neighborhood isn’t terrible, but it’s not great. They don’t offer Guest Parking, which is a huge disadvantage since there is metered street parking. I think rent is high, especially when you calculate building-​wide shared utilities, pet rent, parking, electricity, and frivolous move-​out charges.
Thirdly, Prometheus’s corporate practices are not as atypical like they project themselves to be, they really seem to be out to collect as much money from you as possible. Piles of side-​blinding fees, and outrageous month-​to-​month rates that’ll either send you out the door or commit to another lease agreement. They’ll possibly also, without hesitation, take all your security deposit, if not more. They replaced our entire 2-​Bedroom Apartment’s carpet just because of one room.
The few positive things I have to say are, that the other tenants are very friendly, and the staff are just as equally. Maintenance is good, I never had any problems with getting things fixed.
Overall, I would not recommend this place. Simply, I think it’s just a huge money pit, with so little to offer.
I decided to move up the street, to a beautiful Irvington Neighborhood for much less, I suggest you do the same.

A Change of Opinion
The Apartments:
We upgraded to a 2 bedroom/​2 bathroom, and though the rent is more expensive, we’re definitely getting more bang for our buck. Storage in the larger units is much better, and the patios are large enough to hold a bike. This unit also came with brand new carpet and newer appliances. Very please overall.
The Price:
The rent is comparable to other secure-​entry apartment buildings in the area. When our first lease was up and my husband and I were looking at other options, The Merrick offered us the best price for the biggest apartment.
The Amenities:
The missing hand weights have been replaced and all equipment is up and running. The club house and hot tub are great for parties and private gatherings. The office staff has held a few community events there over the last year such as wine tasting and a fireworks viewing party on the 4^th of July,
The Staff:
The office staff is great these days. They’re quick to notify about packages, and great at asking any questions that I have. The maintenance staff is also top notch. Not only does this team keep the building running great, but they’re all really great people and make the building feel like more of a community.
The Neighbors:
The only reason The Merrick doesn’t get a 5-​star review these days. Many neighbors at The Merrick are incredibly disrespectful to other tenants in the building. Whether this means leaving piles of trash in the garage, overflowing the trash room and recycling bins, leaving bags of dog poop in the stairwells, failing to wipe down sweaty gym equipment, or smoking on their patios below their bedroom windows, many neighbors will do basically anything they can to be irritating without getting caught. Whenever the office staff posts notices reminding tenants of the policies of the building, they just get covered in sarcastic graffiti. It’s kind of a bummer.

For the Lloyd Center area it’s not bad. You are centrally located but there is no neighborhood feeling. Most of the restaurants and shops nearby are chains. Plenty of homeless people nearby. My suggestion is to look elsewhere.
There’s a nice courtyard to walk your dog and lounge on the 6^th floor to relax. However my experience is that the dog owners here do pick up after their pets and they urinate in the hallways.
Very thin ceilings, leasing office staff is friendly but newer management is horrible.

My boyfriend and I lived in the Merrick from mid-​June 2010 to mid-​May 2011. The Merrick gets 2 stars (and barely escapes a rating of just 1 star) for having up-​to-​date appliances and its walking distance to the MAX line. Aside from that, for the price you pay monthly for rent, parking AND storage, the complex is subpar.
First off, utilities are charged by BUILDING usage (I believe this is called charge-​back or something, where they take the building total then divide it between units, not sure), not by each individual unit’s usage. What does this mean? Well that means, no matter if you conserve your water, if your neighbor likes to wash their laundry every single day of the week, you will pay for it.
Although the building is secure entry, they like to leave the freight/​dumpster area open, so it’s not uncommon to see dumpster divers walk straight into the freight area and go through your trash. (Word of advice: if you’re going to live here, shred your documents! ;))
From the very first month we moved in there were issues with our bills; they were always incorrect, we carried a balance every month and management could never figure it out! They charge a late fee of $ 75.00 if you don’t pay your rent by the 5^th (regardless if the late payment is due to bank error), but won’t cash your check until about the 20^th (?!).
They wanted to increase our rent by $ 60/​month, plus another $ 50/​month per parking spot and another $ 10/​month per storage unit… and chances are you WILL need a storage unit, since they pretty much only have a (smaller) walk-​in closet and tiny coat closet for storage in the 1 bedroom. Oh, and like the other reviewers commented on, they do take an additional $ 70 out of your deposit for carpet cleaning for the future tenants! The cheap management (Prometheus) can’t even eat up that cost.
The Merrick is pretty much the red-​headed stepchild of Prometheus Management, where they charge you and act like they’re first class, but you end up feeling like you were sitting in economy.
I could go on and on, but the point is don’t drink the Merrick koolaid! In the end you’ll just feel sick and regret it. It’s not worth your time OR your money. There are plenty of other places to live in Portland.

Methinks not.
I moved into the Merrick for the same reason everyone else does. I just moved to Portland and needed to find an apartment fast. The short-​term lease was perfect while I scoped out something more permanent (better apartment buildings don’t offer month-​to month.) The Merrick is set up to be welcoming, and has the feel of a hotel, which is great at first.
Here are some of the things you have to look forward to at the Merrick:
Parking fights. They rent assigned spaces at $ 100 per month, then double book spaces with other tenants. Over the course of my 3 month stay, I rented two spaces on separate occasions. BOTH TIMES I found out the space was already rented to someone else, and either I was blocking them, or I get home to find the space filled. Of course when you get home from work, the office staff is gone, so you’re left fending for yourself on the street, where there’s no parking at night, the meters run until 10pm, and the meter maids are ninjas.
Getting a package in the mail? If it’s over 2“x3,” you’ll get a notice in your mailbox to pick up the box in the office, but the office will be closed. After a few days when you manage to make it home early or leave late, they will look at the box and make a comment about what you bought. Funny at the office, not something that’s really fun at home. I don’t need an «Ooooh! something from J-​Crew! Woo Woo!» When I get a box.
You will feel Nickel-​and-​Dimed to death. I was thinking about writing a mediocre review on Unilocal,based on the above, and the general depressing feel of the building and neighborhood, but then came my move out, which really pushed me over the edge. I signed a 3 month lease, ending June 30^th. I told the housing manager in person that I wasn’t going to extend. And as you can probably guess, I didn’t send a formal email until the 7^th of June… So here’s where the discretion at the Merrick shows their contempt for tenants. Not only are they billing me for 7 extra days, they raised my rent, so I’m billed for 7 days at a higher rate.
The Merrick will bend of backward to get you in the door, but as soon as you sign the lease, expect a sinking feeling in your stomach.
There still aren’t many options for a short term lease in PDX, so I don’t really have an alternative to suggest, but please try something else. These guys don’t deserve our support.

After spending a little over a year here all I have to say is RENTERS BEWARE!!! Everything WAS great for about the first 3 or 4 months and then the real stuff started settling in. Almost every month our bill was wrong, riddled with additional charges that made no sense. They also DOUBLED the parking costs, after coming home several weeks in a row to either someone else in our spot, or a nasty note on our car asking us not to park in other people’s spot (even though we were assigned the spot). I honestly think the just draw a parking spot out of a hat and let the other resident who also have that spot just fight over it. WHAT A MESS! THE HARASSMENT WAS THE WORST! As we were getting ready to move and had put our 30day notice in Linda, in the leasing office kept calling my cell phone saying we had to be out of there tomorrow even though we had paid through the end of the month. She kept harassing us saying that we are indeed financially responsible for the apartment for the last 30 days of our lease but we HAD to vacate immediately so they could get new tenants in. So lemme get this straight, you pay your rent for the month, over $ 1,000 and half way through they try and kick you out because they are leasing an ALREADY OCCUPIED apartment to someone else… uhhh what… We eventually had to pay our lawyer to get involved as the harassment got to be to much. They definitely changed their tune after that though, but common what a mess. Also we just got our deposit back which was stated as a «Full Refund» but they kept our pet deposit AND charged US to professionally clean the carpets for the next tenants!!! DO NOT MOVE HERE, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!