We moved here in August and absolutely love the place. - The leasing agent (Kimberly) was extremely helpful, responsive and professional while we were looking for our apartment. I have dealt with other apartments in Seattle and none were nearly as close to the service I got here. -The view of Puget sound is unbeatable. Our apartment is s-w facing and we get incredible sunsets. -The apartments are spacious and I can't hear my neighbors at all(big plus). - The 24hr concierge is definitely useful. Nancy has been a treat to deal with. I have lived in apartments where getting packages were always a cat-n-mouse game with the management. Minor downsides are the parking ($200) and that you can hear the buzz of the cars if you step out to the balcony - something I'm used to after living in big cities. read more

Harbor Steps is wonderful apartment in Seattle downtown. I love all facilities and staff service. There is nice and friendly staffs. The room is super comfortable and bath room has a huge space. I've been living since 2008, and I want stay here forever. I really recommend great experience in downtown Seattle! read more

My husband and I recently stayed at this building through ABODA Corporate Housing. The location is perfect and the amenities far exceeded our expectations. I highly recommend ABODA Corporate Housing for your short term or long term, fully furnished stay. read more

Great property ruined by terrible management, for example, promoting the terrible Thai restaurant next to it rather than sending out information that actually affects the property. read more

For the past two years Harbor Steps has been completing exterior and interior repairs on the NE Tower. Working at Harbor Steps during the day, I have had to deal with excessive drilling noise that has forced me to find an alternative location to work. The mgmt. at Harbor Steps has not been forthcoming regarding when the drilling will occur, why it actually needs to occur, or provide viable alternatives. Given the lack of communication and the fact that Harbor Steps has taken away the "quiet enjoyment" of my space for over two years, I am only giving them one star and would give them less than a star if I had the option. read more

Property is very well maintained and staff is responsive and professional. Units tend to have more SF than most of the new buildings and are well built with good quality. Cannot beat the downtown location. read more

My husband and I lived in a studio here for three years. Each year the rent was increased by 10% or more. The location, maintenance crew and views were fantastic - but they priced us out. Only until we told them they we were moving and not renewing our lease did they attempt any type of reduction in their rent increase. It wasn't enough to keep us. No A/C, long elevator waits and some poor interactions with Christopher at the front desk gives our whole Harbor Steps experience a 2. read more

I lived there for a year and a half and just moved out. I was looking for the amenities of a corporate run housing apartment building and they certainly delivered, most of the time the maintenance and concierge were what I needed (with a few notable exceptions of not notifying me for packages, giving me the wrong packages and one occasion of losing one all together). The problem is how much they MAKE YOU PAY for the corporate amenities. I was squarely facing the construction with the endless noise my first year of the machinery, and they still raised my rent 5% year over year. And I'm not just talking rent. The lease doesn't specify moveout other than a 20 day notice. Come to find out I either pay 1.5 months rent to break lease or I pay rent until it's rented at the will of their staffs efforts and the market. So I give 20 days notice and pay the break lease which means they basically got 2 months of my paying for that apartment. These are the kind of landlord practices the Seattle City Council has already started voting to curb, and Equity Residentials response seems to be to squeeze its residents as much as possible while they still can. Even after moving out they still "nickel and dimed" me for the repaint....to the tune of $90 in charges. The only time I heard from them was when money was due. I'm so grateful I was able to absorb these costs without serious detriment to my financial health, but based upon what I now know, I would never have moved in. It's convenient, yes. It's walkable and fun downtown, absolutely. If you moved from a more expensive market you might even be thinking like I was, more amenities for the same price you used to pay. But don't do it. They will rip you off at every turn....you're dealing with not just a corporate, but a big corporate. There is nothing that comes your way for loyalty. The staff I met when I signed the lease was the real reason I signed on... Derek put me at ease in July 2015 that I would get a fair shake if something came up like it ultimately did (I had to move for work)....it's telling that he is no longer there. The place has no loyalty, not for its residents and apparently not for staff. And you will pay a lot. Unless you are independently wealthy and don't care about getting ripped off, find somewhere else. Basically anywhere else in Seattle will do. read more

Harbor Steps withheld our deposit illegally and ignored attempts at communication (except with their collections department). Like many landlords I've dealt with over the years, they have charged us for things the law does not allow and did not follow due process when notifying us of those charges. Unlike other landlords who have attempted this in the past, they have not responded to communications notifying them of these breaches (with the text of the laws included). Instead their collections department calls us repeatedly attempting to collect money the law says we don't owe. Our choice is to pay for items like resealing the concrete kitchen floor or have this appear as an unpaid debt on our credit report, unless we want to take them to court. Unfortunately, we have too many other stresses in our lives right now to muster the energy for that, so we'll probably end up paying them just to put it behind us. But the injustice of it sticks in my throat, and I want to warn others to avoid HS and their corporate bullying. read more

Horrible! I have been living here since Aug '16. Since last 3 months they are doing some maintainence/construction work in NW tower in which I live in. From morning 9 AM To 5 PM it is so noisy that soon you can turn deaf. Mind you it's Monday to Friday. I complained so many times to concierge and they offered me ear plugs. I am sick due to cold weather & have taken a off from work but this noise is making me more sick. And if you are not working men/women and you stay at home all day or if u have a infant then God save you. Please don't take a apartment in NW tower in harbour steps atleast till next year as I have been told that this is a year long project. read more

Once a fan of this place has been completely turned around. This is the worst place ever can't wait to leave this hell hole. For the amount they make u pay they care not one bit for ur comfort. Few months ago it was drilling and renovations around my apartment which created a lot of noise, there was a weekend I woke up in tears cos of the noise , then there is the elevators 2 of them for 22 story building and more than half of the time one is blocked for people moving out. Tonight it's the ridiculous party going on the steps the speakers that are louder than even clubs , even with the doors closed I can't hear my TV or sleep and all they have to say is the noise makers have approval till 10 pm !!! There is also a very lovely lady at the reception desk who absolutely hates everyone and anything you ask her for she makes it certain to make u feel like she is doing you a massive favor and that you just destroyed her day by asking it. I can go on and on but I am rather going to just give them my notice and get out of this hell.... if u are smart stay away... read more

We lived here for a year and we hated the noise, the ridiculously expensive parking fee ($250), the ridiculous renew increase (20%+). I feel they just want to rip you off. They did try to organize many events but ultimately you pay for that in your rent. read more

The first summer we lived in Seattle was like an interview for moving here for good. The hubby was on a job for 3 mo. and this is where they put us up. It was the nicest apartment I have ever lived in. I cannot vouch for the price being worth it or anything like that since it wasn't on our dime, but it was a pretty sweet place for us to live for awhile. They have an indoor pool, three workout areas (one with a climbing wall), a resistance pool, and three resturants within the complex. It was a great area for us to get to know the downtown area and a suprisingly easy jump off point to get anywhere in the city. It wasn't a great place to live with kids, but hey, we were only there a few months so it was fine. Too bad the SAM was closed then too since it is right across the street. You also have the benifit of being right next door to the Lusty Lady and thier funny signs- I never would venture inside (ewweie-yucky-gross) but whoever does the sign has a sense of humor. read more

About me - I lived at the Harbor Steps for one year. I moved out about 3 months ago. Here's my review: If you're not transitory, that is, you're moving to Seattle, don't move to the Harbor Steps. The downtown seems amazing when you first arrive and you may be tempted to move to the area to experience Seattle, but this city is so much more and you'd never know this living at Harbor Steps. It really takes some effort to get to know the various areas, but once you do you'd never consider living downtown - may I suggest visiting the neighborhoods near Green Lake and Ballard? The places you're likely to visit when living at the Harbor Steps get old very fast. The Market and the surrounding businesses are nice, for the first few months. Oh, and everything in the immediate area closes around 6/7 pm. If you're into Belltown, which is a 10 minute walk, live in that area of the city. It's less expensive. Everything at and around the Harbor Steps is expensive - from the little nearby convenient store that'll charge you $3 dollars for a two liter of Coke to small fees at the Harbor Steps itself. Now about the Harbor Steps - the walls are paper thin so you hear every conversation your neighbors have, there's no air conditioning so when it gets hot so are you, and the noise from the street can be unbearable. Parking is now an additional $220 per month for an "unassigned spot", which doesn't seem like a big deal until you spend 10 minutes looking for a spot everyday. And finally, when guests come over there's no easy parking situation unless they want to spend $20 dollars/night at a nearby garage. And while it's true that parking is discounted after hours, the rates are normal - $20 dollars/night - if you stay beyond 8 am the next morning. Oh, and I almost forgot - after your lease expires, Harbor Steps will be sure to increase your lease by $300 to $400 dollars per month. They did this to me and I had a one bedroom apartment. In fact, they do this to everyone, I suspect because they know how much people hate moving! When I was moving out, a neighbor was too so I took the opportunity to ask him why. He said because of the rent increase, which for him was literally - no exaggeration - $400 dollars more per month. Oh, and they'll be sure to charge you a host of fees when you leave too. When I left, they had scheduled a complete remodel of the unit, but still charged me paint fees, despite the fact that they intended to repaint the entire unit a different color! I'm not making this stuff up! For me, the worst part about the Harbor Steps was my interactions with the manager, Christel Cangas, who was completely incompetent. I won't elaborate, but take my word on this, she was a terrible person. If you could interview any of the tenants on my floor, they'd all give you the same feedback. If you decide to stay at the Harbor Steps, I hope your experiences are positive, but I sincerely doubt they would be. Don't be hoodwinked by the initial impression or you'll find yourself posting here when your lease expires. read more

Harbor Steps is one of the nicer apartment complexes in Seattle. I moved here and building is very clean, relatively new, and has some nice little amenities. The "gym" is in two buildings, one in the basement, the other has windows, but they don't open. They blast the air conditioner in there in the summer, but it still gets pretty smelly, especially when everyone rushes there after work. The pool is nice to look at, but I've only seen kids go there, and I have seen the infinity pool, but never gone in. The apartment itself kind of depends on which one you get and which building (I lived in the SE tower, which I would recommend, they have some cool glass elevators, and it's also the taller building so you can see the sound). There's more noise than you think, especially with the Ferry tooting, or late night yelling from the street (you have to keep the windows open in the summer, there's no AC) but it's pretty nice overall. If you're coming from the east coast (like I was) Harbor steps will probably be familiar, they're a dime a dozen out there, but this seemed like the only apartment building downtown with a concierge. Also, one star off because whenever I would go out of the apartment in the spring/summer/fall, there were homeless people asking me for money right outside the building. Also, the parking is expensive, about $200 a month for a spot, so factor that into your rent. The rent itself was higher than if out lived in other parts of the city, but being downtown I thought it was close to reasonable. read more

Haven't been living long enough to make any comment yet. Great home inspection and orientation experience so far.

I rent my harbor steps apartment from national corporate housing. They lied about the view, which turned out to be of a construction site with blazing lightbulbs shining into our room. Told me the apartment was newly renovated, but when we moved in, the living room TV was broken, along with the main blinds, bed, lamp, and dishwasher. When I asked about the problems they told me that my rent was discounted which made me feel like I wasn't appreciated as a guest. I don't know about the other apartments in this building but be careful if you're renting from National Corporate Housing. read more

I have enjoyed living at Harbor Steps, the staff makes this place. They are always so friendly and willing to help out in any way that they can. Very quiet neighbors and I have never had any issues during my term here. Amenities are great as well and they always have some great guest events throughout the month. Only reason I am moving out is because I am moving to another part of town, highly recommended. read more

This is a good place to live; the location is perfect (essentials are within walking distance, as well as many of the cultural and environmental amenities). It is expensive, but not so much for Seattle. Coming from Sacramento, I found everything about 15-20% higher as far as cost of living. The staff has been very helpful. Things are kept clean; privacy is respected. The value of the amenities -- there are several -- depends of course on the individual. It is a bit hard to get to know your neighbors, but that is not HS's fault. They try hard with hosted cocktail parties, game nights, weekly movies, exercise and swimming pool rooms, etc. Many of the people who live here are busy and hardworking folks, but sociable. As I write, I am trying to think of some negatives, but in truth cannot find any. I never hear my neighbors except for some hardly noticeable noise when they are (I think) showering. Sometimes, in apartment living, the management may come across as financially predatory, where customers come in second, if that. That is not the case here. Now I base all of this on 3 months of experience. So far, it is a good place to live. If it suits your needs on the surface, and if it is within your means, I would say don't hesitate. Read more: http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/WA-Seattle-Harbor-Steps-1554452.html#ixzz2NrTSGZ5O read more

Honestly, worst customer service experience from EVA, the concierge. Has had the worst attitude that I've ever dealt with in a customer service related position. Born and raised in Seattle and know how the freeze is but her attitude and lack of concern for people in the building is highly unacceptable. read more

I lived here for about 2 years, and the location is mixed blessing. Yes, you get to be downtown with the wonderful views and proximity to the Pike Place Market, but you have to deal with the canvassers and people asking for money. That is downtown living however. Parking is expensive (but parking is expensive downtown in general). But I have seen where a car had its window bashed in (good rule to not leave anything of value visible!) and well, walking to my car I could smell urine. The NE tower elevators are super slow when someone moves in or out. A ten minute wait for an elevator sucks when you are in a hurry. The rent hike was steep, 15%. Be prepared to stuff a towel under you door or ask for a draft stopper. I could sometimes smell the trash area and a neighbor burning incense. The concierge is wonderful, as is the maintenance staff. Things were fixed quickly and correctly. The carpet, fridge, oven, and microwave were all old but they are in the process of updating things so hopefully anyone moving in will get new stuff. The internet here is great if you get condointernet. People really complained about Broadstripe. I will say again, go for condointernet - fastest I internet I have ever had and exceptionally priced too. read more

Pretty good. The only thing I wish they had was central AC in every apartment.

We have lived at Harbor Steps for several years. It is actually our city home, as our primary residence is in the San Juan Islands. Harbor Steps is awesome! The location is great and it's everything we need for our pied a terre in Seattle. Any maintainance requests are completed the same day. On site concierge's are fantastic. We've thought about buying a condo, but Harbor Steps just makes it too easy to have a great home in downtown Seattle. read more

I am disappointed with the customer service. I am living here in corporate housing for 3 months. I didn't get a tour of the place - I was just handed the keys and told where my place was. A friend sent me a perishable package, but I didn't know that until my friend called me to see if I got it. When I went to the front desk, they said I should have signed up for this email service that would notify me I got a package. I told them no one told me this (and no one told me where the gym was, where my mail was - nothing!) - then the front desk woman said that the company organizing my move and housing should have told me all of this (since my apartment is paid through corporate housing). Really? I don't think that's their obligation; they are not even here! How would they know? I will be telling the moving company about this, though, so that they'll direct newcomers to other corporate housing where you get treated like a guest and not like a nuisance. read more

We have lived at Harbor steps for the past year and a half and our experience here has been beyond amazing! Living at Harbor steps has been our best rental experience so far. Everything about this building is perfect - the location, amenities, service and comfort. A lot of reviews seem to call out noise as the downside of living here but this is the heart of Seattle downtown and you are living amidst the buzz and cannot expect pin-drop silence. If you are looking for a quieter environment, this is not the place for you. We love getting out and exploring the neighborhood and love the vibrant life around us so this just works perfectly well for us. We have also enjoyed the convenience of this building which is very close to literally everything. (Target, Coffee shops, Pike place, Movie theaters, museums etc.!). Also the service, the staff and leasing agents are very friendly and accommodating. Service requests are always addressed within a day. Highly recommend this building if you love a vibrant life! read more

Living at Harbor Steps was the worst living experience I have ever had. Before we signed our lease and moved in, the management staff at Harbor Steps was attentive, accommodating, and seemed like they genuinely cared. That completely changed once they got our money and we were just another source of income for them and nothing else. Everything was going well until about a month after moving in. We had a toddler living above us, and I'm not the type of person who expects silence at all times, but I have my limits. The toddler would bounce a basketball (as we later found out) at ALL hours of the day and night. We called security on 4 separate occasions to complain and after about 2 months, the bouncing finally stopped. We paid a lot of money to live there and expected not to live under a basketball court, but the staff couldn't have cared less. After about 2 months after we moved in, one of the two elevators in our tower (NE) went out. Not that big of a deal, right? Wrong. The elevator was down for two MONTHS. We received emails, albeit sparingly, that they wanted to remain "transparent and open" regarding the elevator, but it was anything but that. The few emails we did receive provided no useful or relevant information. The staff also left a couple of snarky and rude letters by the lobby elevator doors, which only added fuel to the fire. On average, we had to wait 10-15 minutes just to get on the elevator, and that's if it wasn't already packed to the brim. Now, my biggest issue was after we decided to move out. There are a lot more details to this, but I'll save you the time. We chose to terminate our lease early, knowing that we chose to do this and we were willing to accept the charges they would apply. However, after our apartment was placed on the website for about 10 days, I received notice it was reserved and we would be effectively off the hook for rent once the new tenants moved in. Fast forward 21 days, and 7 days before the "new tenants" were supposed to move in, and I get in an email that the new tenants backed out; no explanation or anything. It just so happened that the day before they emailed saying they backed out, I emailed our leasing agent that we would no longer be paying the settlement offer (2 months rent) and we would be paying rent until the new residents moved in (once you say you will no longer pay the settlement offer, you can't take it back and it's off the table). Well, as fate would have it, not even 12 hours after I gave our payment notice, we got the email the new tenants backed out. What a coincidence! We tried at least 10 times to contact anyone and everyone within Harbor Steps management to get some answers and they refused to respond to emails, phone calls, and voicemails. I was calling, my wife was calling, we cc'd everyone, accounting, concierge, the general manager, the residential manager, our leasing agent, everyone and still no one would answer. I am fully convinced there were never any tenants and they were trying to pressure us and lie to us in order to get the most money (settlement offer off the table and being forced to pay rent). The leasing team were the single most unprofessional and useless people I have ever dealt with in a business sense and I strongly encourage anyone who wants to live here for some reason, and who comes across the management staff to run the other way. And obviously not to live there, but I think that's implied. read more

I moved out for work reasons after staying here for a year. The noise continued to be a problem but I could tolerate it. There were a few other issues and I wasn't very happy with how my emails to the staff over various issues would be ignored and I'd have to keep following up. I ended up needing to ask a lot of questions in person to get a straight answer. However, the concierge is usually uninformed and it's better to ask questions during business hours so you can ask the other staff in the office directly. The rent did go up noticeably at the end of the year but I expected that. Anyway, I'm happy that I wasn't charged unreasonably for anything after I moved out, and I was fairly satisfied with living here. read more

Some of these units have water views. There is a pool, workout room, and the lobby is decorated very well. They work with local artists. They are expensive for Seattle. read more

Staff is very rude, and unwilling to take care of even minor requests after you move in. Units are old and run down.

I've lived here 2 months now and already regret moving in- though I can't say I wasn't warned. The day before I moved in I approached a few residents outside the building and asked how they liked living here. The general consensus was that as far as living in downtown Seattle, the location can't be beat. That much I agree with. Everything is in walking distance. However I was also warned that management was horrible, dishonest and you'd generally spend your time here hoping nothing goes wrong and just trying to avoid them. And all of 60 days later, I agree with that, too. Management has flat out lied to me or creatively misrepresented themselves more than once during my stay here. Originally I was interested in signing a short term lease since I was just moving here from out of state. I was told this was no problem and given several different rental quotes for different apartments at different lease terms. Then within hours of my lease signing I was told that Harbor Steps never offers short term leases- only 12 month options. ??? When I became hesitant to sign the lease I was reassured by the leasing agent (Aimee) reminding me of their satisfaction guarantee- if you're not completely satisfied with your experience within 30 days of signing your lease- you move out completely penalty free- just pay for the time you lived there and all other money you paid would be returned. They failed to mention the fact that the move in fee ($300) and the pet fee ($300+) are never refundable.... (so that really doesn't make it penalty free now, does it?? Getting them to admit that to you is an entirely different story.) On top of that, they do charge a significant pet fee and pet rent to live here, but as of recently provide absolutely no pet amenities. The one pet area they did have was suddenly closed without warning- and the new policy is that pets can't be walked anywhere on the property, aside from the fact there are multiple places that would work perfectly well for this purpose. For the amount of rent they charge here, and for a community that advertises themselves to be full service- the lack of the most basic pet feature that can be offered is ridiculous. I've never even heard of a pet friendly community without a designated pet area. I'm not looking for a whole private dog park. How about a 2 foot square of designated space where my pet can go and I can pick up after her??? I asked management about this and was treated very rudely. I was threatened with large fees for violating my lease if I walked my pet on property. Never mind it does not mention this fact anywhere in my lease. When I mentioned that any other pet friendly building in downtown Seattle I considered provides this basic amenity I was told that "Harbor Steps has decided not to move in that direction". I guess that would be in the direction of serving their residents..... Looking forward to my lease being up in 10 months and moving to any of the multiple other living options within .1 miles of here. Very disappointing!!! read more

I cannot comment on actually living here, but I can tell you that the management team does not care about you and they are certainly not interested in your business. My wife and I flew in for a 4-day visit to do a house hunting trip recently and they wouldn't show us anything. They had available units, but the girl was "just too busy" to show us. Instead, they called 5 days later and wanted to book an appointment. Seriously? An appointment? We visited 8 other properties and saw units in each one! If this is any indication of how the management team is after you move in, I would suggest staying away! We actually found a much better deal about 1/2 mile away on a high floor with more space than HS floorplans. I would look elsewhere. These people just have a snobby attitude because they are located a stones throw from Pikes Place Market and feel their place is the absolute best in Seattle. Not so, take your business elsewhere! read more

The location is perfect and the views are amazing, however the management seems more concerned with profits than customer service and they also are short-sighted with how to deal with issues. In the NE tower the elevator ( one of only two in this tower) was out of service 90% of the time for a period of about four months. The management tried every cheap fix in the book, all of which were unsuccessful, before they actually used the vendor to fix the problem ( you get what you pay for, if you try for the cheap route it costs you many more times over, both in direct cost and indirect). Also this tower was under constant exterior renovations for the entire two years I was there. And these modifications were extremely loud. Despite these two issues that made living there very uncomfortable no rent concessions were made, besides to raise the rent 20% and 10% each year. Also if you face Elliot bay the view is amazing, but in the summer the apartment become very, very, very hot. Even a portable a/c helped very little. What would help would be solar windows and the installation of modern blinds that block out heat, but this management team seems reluctant to make such modifications despite the incredible windfall in profits the complex has seen the last few years. Also the washer and dryer are very, very small capacity and generic. No frills. So my judgement is that the complex has potential to be one of the best, and one day it may be, but if you don't mind paying the high rent to fund these renovations, and inconveniences so someone else can reap the rewards after you have moved out, then go spend your money. Or you can move into one of the excellent brand new facilities in town where everything works and there is no noisy renovations going on, and receive a nice bonus for being one of the new tenants. read more

I feel compelled to downgrade my review for two very important reasons: rent increases and no A/C. I understand that Seattle is having record heat this summer and so this may not be the norm, but living at Harbor Steps has gone from cozy living to a hellish drain. There is no A/C here and our apartment inside easily gets to the mid 80's from about noon to about 10PM. Having a gorgeous 14th floor view is useless if you must keep your blinds closed 24/7 to keep the sun out. Even living in almost complete darkness with a powerful fan going and the windows strategically opened, my entire family feels lethargic and miserable here and we would expect more from a high end building. The second reason I am downgrading my review is the absurd rent increase notice we got two months before our lease expires. If we sign another yearlong lease it "only" goes up by $500/month. If we don't sign another yearlong lease, it goes up by a whopping $1,050 per month! Had we known that this is how Harbor Steps does business, we would have never moved here despite all of its conveniences. I have talked with dozens of people who have told me the same story. I understand that they want to keep things competitively priced because they are in business to make money, but with the expense and hassle of moving, they bank on the fact that you'll be willing to shell out the additional money. Never in my life have I had rent increase this much. If you are considering living here, invest in heavy duty portable air conditioning units and budget the rent increases ahead of time so you are not caught off guard. Your rent will go up by about 15%-30% per year. read more