Westside Flats

We have lived in the WS flats for nearly a year, and we are ready to move on. First, I will let you know the type of individual that will love living here.
Tenant Requirements:
You must own at least one small dog, although most tenants own two.
You should be non-​personable, and often rude to others.
You will never think of those living below you as you stomp on fake wood floors during all hours of the day and night.
You should not believe that your animal needs to be leashed.
You love apartment buildings that are full of fake aesthetics.
For us, WS Flats has become a thorn in our side. I presumed that we would receive a rental increase at the end of the lease term, and we did. The rent is set to be increased by $ 240. When you add the $ 75 for parking, increased rent, and the property management company’s «utility» bill the grand total for a 1 bedroom apartment is $ 2,100 — give or take $ 50. The utility bill is odd in that it shows charges for water intake and outtake. The water outtake is always double the intake. I do not know how that is possible, but I didn’t ask. We’re moving on.
Save yourself the hassle, and the dealings with the snotty management. I always liked the former property manager, Alex, but it appears that he has moved on as well. Take my advice, keep on looking and don’t stop here.

Westside Flats is an older apartment building that went through a «remodel» last summer. This is a small, secured building with the largest floor plan for 1 bed/​den I found in the area, near the bridge and Alki Beach, which is attractive to me and definite pros. However, the poor management, cheap remodel and lack of amenities are strong cons.
When I moved in, I was told that the apartment would receive all new counters and cabinets. What they did instead was wallpaper 90% of the front of the cabinet doors with a different color wallpaper than the cabinets with nasty glue that dripped all over the counters. New but cheap counters were installed with bubbles and tears. Some people received new flooring, but the poor flooring in my apartment wasn’t replaced. The appliances were changed to stainless steel, however, the fridge and dishwasher are small and probably won the smallest bid. I had to ask several times for the screws to be added to the new faucets, with the tub faucet falling off into my hands a few times.
There were issues with the contractors such as they got paint all over the side of my leather couch and got drywall all over my desk and personal belongings just for a light fixture change. The management offered to have their maid service clean my apartment but told me to get the paint off my couch — unreal. Lucky for them, I was able to remove it or else they would have bought me a new couch.
The new vertical blinds are too long and drag across the carpet when I push them aside to open the sliding glass door. They changed all of the hardware in the apartment, and some of the handles weren’t screwed in right and I have to force my key into the lock.
Last summer, there was a major ant problem in my kitchen, and I’m a neat freak. It took a few days for management to have someone come in and respond. I’ve been dealing with this again.
The building was quiet for me for the first few months I was here. However, that must have been because the apartments around me were empty. Now that people moved in, it sounds like a herd of elephants every time the people above me are walking around. I can hear them vacuum, open windows, move furniture, flush the toilet and even hear their conversations. I also found out one day while I went to the lobby to get my mail that I could hear my radio from my apartment which is down the hall! You get the idea.
The building offers a dog run area and a laundry room for amenities. Dogs and cats are allowed to be here for a monthly pet rent and additional deposits. I am an animal lover. The lack of cleaning that happens in the lobby and elevators from accidents is annoying and gross.
There’s garage parking at various pricing, depending on how large of a parking spot you need. When you’re in the garage, you also hear the toilets flushing and water moving around.
There was a notice when the remodel occurred that rent would be raised a few hundred predicated upon how big your apartment was. One of my ex-​neighbors told me their rent was to be jacked up $ 600 so they were moving out and buying a home. I’ve heard from a few others of their rent going up $ 300. They also all moved out. The building owners stated the rent was being raised due to the remodel and to match the competition. Well, the competition has many amenities, better appliances, better drywall, and responds much faster and with professionalism to maintenance requests.
I’m not a fan of paying for things online as I’ve been the target of identity theft a couple times. I was given a notice last summer that Westside would no longer accept my rent payments via check and only via online payments. Some people wouldn’t have a problem with this, but I do.