Xavier Ortega not only unclogged our sink, he also went the extra mile to clean the sink trap out to prevent future clogging. Highly appreciated. The maintence team goes above and beyond. 10/10 read more

I would like to extend my thanks to Mila, Preston and the entire Patent team for their amazing service and care. They go above and beyond to make sure we have a great experience and I can't thank them enough! Keep up the great work! RG National Corporate Housing read more

just moved from one apt at Patent 523 to another and the customer relations group could not have been more helpful. just outstanding customer service! Thanks! mike P. read more

My rating is based on 2 things 1. What does Patent 523 offer? 2. Can we get what Patent 523 offers at a lower rent in the same area? IF YOU WANT ANY FURTHER PROOF OF HOW DELUSIONAL THEIR RATES ARE, YOU CAN READ THE RESPONSE FROM THE OWNER HERE AND SEE ATTACHED FLYERS OF APARTMENTS NEAR BY OFFERING 1BR at $1,445.00 whereas they offer it at $2100.00 The apartments are modern, I lived in a modern 1 BR. Which is nice way of saying that my studio has a small sleeping area which does not have doors and includes half partition so everyone who is in the living room can see what is going on in the sleeping area. Electric stoves (no gas burner), normal flooring (nothing luxurious), normal carpets, clean common areas, small gym(nothing special here) and an incredible view from the roof. So all in all there is nothing exceptional about this place than the rent. I moved to this apartment in a hurry, because I didn't have time to find anything cheaper at the time. The pricing of the apartments are straight out of a fantasy dream of the landlords. I paid $1,767.00 for a 400 sqft apartment which offers LITTLE TO NO PRIVACY IN FRONT OF GUESTS, LITTLE TO NO VENTILATION LITTLE TO NO NATURAL LIGHT AND NEGLIGIBLE STORAGE SPACE. I asked around the nearby apartments, older ones offer 1 BR at 1500-1600 which are quite larger and well lit and well ventilated. Studio apartments are available from 1300$ in the area. I believe there is a deliberate attempt from owners of this apartment to overcharge people who have not done their research in the area, which will eventually lead to rising the average rent in the area. Then they jacked up my rent to $1,895.00 after just one year. When I pointed out the unrealistic nature of their rent, they did what they do best - THEY JUST DID NOT RESPOND TO THE EMAIL. The staff are well trained on downplaying this difference in rent, but truly there is nothing that Patent 523 offers, that justifies the high rent. The building is new, but most buildings in the area are either new or the apartments are recently renovated. So you don't NEED the entire building to be brand new, to enjoy almost the same amenities and a bigger living space, better ventilation and lighting. And you can get apartments in such buildings at a much lower rent. The management would respond to this review by asking me to contact them with my concerns. But I did contact them with my concerns, to be specific I contacted Stachio Glowasky and he decided that the best course of action is to not respond to my email / address my concern and not to talk about the unrealistic and incredibly high rents they offer to tenants, even when I met him in person read more

Patent 523 Apartments - Nearby Sheffield Apartments offering 1 BR at $1414.00 while Patent 523 offers it at 2100.00 $ - Apartments Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I moved to Seattle from Dallas about a year ago and came up for a weekend in August 2019 looking for a place. I settled on Patent 523 after losing another apartment. The PROs: --the leasing office folks are pretty nice --move in was super easy --the maintenance folks are great and get to things fairly quickly --the location is pretty convenient --the units have a lot of storage The CONs: --there have been a number of break ins with stolen packages and cars that have been broken into. There was even a car stolen from the secured garage. I had my car broken into in Feb. Despite several incidents, we had only received 1 email about the break ins. It took several incidents over a few months for them to reprogram our keys. They have added an extra security patrol at night but again it took several incidents. I've attached a pic of one of the cars here. --the prices in the area have gone down recently. When I tried renewing the lease, the community manager was difficult to negotiate with. Initially they offered a renewal at the same rate. They did come down but it was still higher than other rates in the area. My place is now listed on the Patent 523 site and it's $120 lower then the best office they gave me. I probably would have resigned at this price - not sure why they didn't have to foresight to just offer it up but it left a bad taste in my mouth. --for the price, the amenities are ok. The gym is nothing spectacular and the roof is nice but standard compared to other big buildings in the area. --they upgraded the locks to smart locks which sounds great but these locks are a pain. The building settings for the locks are really restrictive. There are limits to the number of door codes, hours of access and consecutive days of access. To get even a small thing changed, it took a lot of back and forth with the management. --the unit layout made the place feel way smaller then it was. The bathrooms were huge and bedrooms small. Overall, it's a standard building with a great location but the management could be better. read more

Patent 523 Apartments - A car that was broken into in the Patent 523 garage. - Apartments Near Me - Seattle, Washington

After living here for more than a year. I can say that there is absolutely no security for resident parking garage. I know parking garage is managed by Diamond and now they switched to Ace, but apartment manager has the access to the security camera. My car got broken into around October 6th, 2019, apartment manager says she is going to look at the security videotape and get back to me ASAP. And that's the end of the story, she never contact me. On February 16th 2020, I found two cars parked right next to my car got broken into as well. Looks like apartment manager did nothing to improve the security. And the parking is 175 per month. read more

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While the elevators are a little slow, everything else is great. The staff is awesome even though they won't let me throw raves in the lounge, on the roof, or anywhere else on the property. Shoutouts to Kyle, James, and Mila. I can't remember the names of the others but they're great too. read more

I am honestly overjoyed with how seamless, quick, and fun this process was. They have a great team here. Kyle and James answered my endless questions and helped with with any little hiccups that came up. The place is beautiful and functional and has the best vibe. I really lucked out here, so I'd recommend this place to anyone. read more

Chris and the Patent 523 Team are very helpful and committed to providing excellent service and ensuring that residents have a positive experience at Patent 523. They are very receptive and go the extra mile in advocating for residents. Responsive, professional, and communicative, the ideal team to work with a residential community. read more

I am a current resident of one year. I have very much enjoyed this being my home from the great customer service in the leasing office to the nice views and amenities in the apartment and overall location. Everyone in the leasing office is always very helpful and gets back to me quick in time sensitive situations(Marichu, Stachio, Matthew). Maintenance is also speedy and nice. I do not have parking in the building I have a zone pass for street which is a lot cheaper but also can be a hassle to find parking after 9pm which is to be expected since you're right in the middle of Capitol Hill. Con of living here -package situation: there are amazon hubs which I think tend to be full because most of the packages get put in the mail room in one big pile. I personally haven't had any problems with stolen or lost package (there is a camera) but it is one thing that's annoying. I do understand it is a big apartment with a lot of people so there simply just isn't enough space to put the packages. In summary I have pretty much nothing but positive things to stay about Patent 523 Tamia B read more

This review is based on my experience with the rental office, which has been great. Dominique is the person you want to work with. It is still a hassle as they are closed and talk to you outdoors or you need to set up an appointment. But as for Dominique's service and willingness to work with tenants, I'd say she is stellar. read more

Cars get broken into multiple times a week, my car personally got broken into TWICE this march & i had to drop ~$1500 total to fix my windows that got smashed. Property manager basically laughed in my face when I asked her to put up more cameras since 4 other cars got broken into last weekend. Even if you don't own a car, packages get stolen all the time. I've gone to the mail room to pick up a package just to find all the packages were opened and emptied. read more

If you for some reason want to pay for an overpriced-for-what-you-get apartment, try this complex. The only saving grace would be Matt and Mari. They can take a bit to reply to emails if you're already a resident. The garage is $175/month and breaks down randomly about 1-2x a month. The gate won't open even when you and others use their garage openers. That guy Kevin at Diamond Parking(they manage the parking for Patent 523) takes 24 hours to reply IF YOU ARE LUCKY to even get a reply. They will not offer any credit for the day(s) you couldn't park at the garage so don't get your hopes up. Spots are not assigned so basically you pay $175 to go look for a parking spot in a garage and there are lots of people who park there. They have "24 hour reserved tandem parking" spots that are 99% not used but you can't park there. They'll do maintenance without informing residents. So for example, I came into the garage to go to work and they blocked off one section. No notice or email so you don't even know if they're legit working for the building. Communication is only via flyer in the elevator. If you're lucky to get an email, it'll be poorly written with grammar errors that make you question the legitimacy. Update on 11/17/18: My car and others were broken into in the garage that We pay to park in. I asked for video footage and they told me that they only record near the entrances of each floor where the garage door moves up/down. 90% of the garage is behind that door so yea I was out of luck. read more

Patent 523 Apartments - Apartments Near Me - Seattle, Washington

RENT: A little over $2k for a 1 bedroom/1 bath in the hottest neighborhood in Seattle is considered a STEAL here. The Good Stuff: -Location. Location is Superb. Everything you need on Capitol HIll is right outside your front door. ("Oh, you forgot that crucial ingredient to that secret sauce? No problem, just walk to QFC, be back in 5.) -Management: They're nice and friendly if you're nice and friendly to them. SO BE NICE & FRIENDLY, k? They're people too! -A cool fob for the front door. It's the future, baby. -The rooftop view is quite spectacular if I say so myself. Go ahead. Take that amazing selfie with the Space Needle to make all your friends on FB jelly. The OMFG Factors: -Car traffic: Not so bad if you pretend it's the ocean instead of buses and cars passing by. -Homeless Drama Series (now LIIIIVE ON BROADWAY): The homeless people bickering about whose "corner" belongs to who. Yes, you can hear everything if you're on Broadway or facing QFC. It's entertaining to watch on a Friday night if you're bored and don't have a life. -Every 6ish months you'll be locked out of your apartment because your front door is battery operated and your Fob will stop working. -Loud people blowing steam from the work week stumbling drunk on the streets during the weekends. No judgment here as that's what the weekends are for. All of the above is part of city life. ADVICE TO NEW TENANTS: You must keep an outfit by your bed when you have to evacuate the building at 2 am in the morning for another fire alarm. I sleep in barely-there-pjs or in the nude and now I have to reconsider what I wear to bed as stumbling half naked and half awake in the dark in total panic mode to find clothes really sucks. And this occurs almost every 2-3 months (no joke). Oh, and you might notice a small case of PTSD from this, like when my alarm goes off, I now have fear & anxiety washing over me... because that fire alarm intensity is serious stuff. (Not your average the-water-is-boiling-so-the-alarm-in-the-kitchen-going-off-type-of-fire-alarm but "more like get the efff outta here or you'll really die" kind of alarm.) Overall....the Joule is a decent place to live. Not great and not bad. I give it 3.5 stars! read more

Since the leasing office was open my wife and I decided to stop by and get some information about the building and apartments availability. We were really disappointed with the customer service. We were not welcome, it felt that we were bothering her by asking availability and apartment sizes. She did not have time to show us any of the units she told us. If that is how they behave with potential customers I can't imaging what is to be a tenant in the place. Yikes!!! read more

I have to write a review because I came close to not living here after reading some of the negative reviews posted on Yelp. I'm so glad I trusted my instincts and lived here despite those reviews because my experience at Joule was fantastic! First off, location. You are in one of the best parts of Seattle- you get the advantages of being in Capitol Hill without having to deal with the noise and craziness of the pike/pine area. This part of cap hill is definitely quieter, but still has a lot of good restaurants and bars nearby, and pike/pine is just a 10-15 min walk away. There's a Starbucks across the street, a library just behind the building, a grocery store, UPS store, and plenty of fitness options on your block (corepower yoga, orange theory and gold's gym). Oh, and a dental office! ;) Second, amenities. You have everything you need here. In unit W/D of course; workout room with yoga/dance studio; lounge with free wifi, couches and TV; and an amazing rooftop to BBQ while watching gorgeous sunsets and see the space needle and city lights at night. Some people complained about noise, so I chose an apartment on the top floor facing inside the complex. I had no noise issues at all. Only minor complaint is that the units don't have A/C. But let's be real, this is only an issue for like 1-2 months of the year. Also, the lounge and the hallways have A/C (go figure), so on those hot days many people just leave their apartment doors open to get some of that glorious cool air from the hallway. Worked just fine for me! I got a good deal on my rent, but I think the place is reasonably priced for what you get. If you're getting disheartened by the negative reviews for this place, just know that there was at least one tenant whose experience was nothing short of fantastic! read more

My wife and I have just moved out of our town home at the Joule apartments after living there for 1 year. I'm not sure if Capitol Hill was really our scene, but the area is convenient with lots of great bars and restaurants close by. Of course, with it being Capitol Hill, a certain crowd is attracted to the area, so there is often issues with noise-especially in the Summer. Lots of pan handling at QFC which becomes wearing when it's on the daily. I just can't afford to hand out money to everyone on the street every time I walk out of the door-sorry. The building itself is OK- I actually think the shared areas are nice, and the roof deck is excellent. I found the leasing staff and the maintenance team very helpful- with the exception of one rather pompous young man. We have lived in similar buildings with comparable rents, and expect better quality fixtures and fitting for the rents they command. I would liken the interior of our apartment to something you would expect to find in a mobile home. Cheap kitchen, plastic bath and shower unit, and the worst carpet I've ever seen. Extremely poor quality finishes throughout. To her credit, the lady that showed me around our apartment made it clear that there was the expectation that the apartment would be returned exactly as it is found. I suspected at the time that Essex Properties would expect my wife and I to foot the bill for the maintenance of their apartment. Unless you float around your apartment and do not use the facilities you will be charged for cleaning repairs, etc. This company does not consider wear and tear at all. I see this is a common complaint here. I'm always conscientious in leaving an apartment in the way I would expect to find it. However, I simply could not stretch to removing every trace of us ever being there. I have never experienced this with any apartment building I've lived in. It's unfair/borderline dishonest. Considering the high rent, looming construction project, sub-par interiors, and the fact that you WILL face unfair charges on the way out, I would not recommend this building. To conclude, there are plenty of better options in the area that have been finished to a higher standard, and, in my opinion offer better value. I'd skip this one until they have updated their apartments to compete with others in the area and gotten realistic about the realities of wear and tear. read more

We lived in the Joule for two years, at the end of the 2nd year, the rent went up to $3,050 a month, started out at $2400....you gotta be kidding . The space was wonderful for the 2 bed 2 bath. Now for the negatives. Don't know what the upstairs people did, either a bowling alley, or a walking marathon. IT NEVER STOPPED, back and forth day and night. The various fixtures. towel racks, were mid Walmart. And the office staff? forget it except for Alex who cared, and now he has left. Finally, my partner of 57 years is in a wheelchair, and at 85, it was impossible for him to get in and out of the building on his own. It was suggested we take it up with ADA, but it's easier to move. read more

I have been living here for almost 2 years. Overall, it has been very comfortable, convenient, and safe. I would recommend this place for those who don't mind paying extra for location and comfort. Pros: Location - Best possible spot to live, in my opinion. 7 minute walk to the 8 bus stop, 2 minute walk to QFC and the 49 stop, tons of good restaurants around, the best bars are a 10 minute walk down Broadway (I see this as a pro, the noise level is much lower near Joule), Urgent Care, UPS, new Yoga Studio, bank, one of each kind of restaurant you'd want to casually pick up dinner from, and Eat Local all in the building. Joe Bar, Vivace, and Roy St. all nearby. Gas station around the corner. Noise Insulation - My unit is top floor, facing the court yard. Unless a dog or someone is running by my door I hear NOTHING (not even white noise). It is dead silent at night, except when drunk residents are screaming in the courtyard (generally before midnight on Friday nights, no big deal). I often forget I have neighbors. However, I imagine it is different facing Broadway on a lower level. Quality - the building is new, the facilities are really nice, everything always smells clean. My utility costs are pretty low, and I can generally control the temp in my apartment so that it's always comfortable. Never had any issues with the apartment other than the occasional clogged drain or light bulb replacement. Nice fixtures, plain but modern design, etc. Amenties - great roofdeck, gym, package reception (they will actually deliver it to your apartment if you request it), and maintenance is excellent about fulfilling requests immediately. Washer/Dryer in unit a huge plus. Garage - compared to the other garages I've been in, this one is actually quite roomy. Most parking spaces are decent sized (some are 'compact') and I've not once had trouble finding a spot. Security - You have this electronic key faub that gets you in everywhere, which includes: a front gate after hours, the building door, the roofdeck, gym, and your unit. It's convenient, and the place is pretty locked down. I feel extremely safe in the building. Cons: Price - it's pricey, and I'm sure all the unnecessary stuff like the deodorizing scents they constantly swap out in the hallways to match the season, while nice, are a part of the reason for this. There is also a huge gap between a studio and 1 BR, expect a sizeable $800+ price difference. Payment process - it costs $25+ a month to pay online. This is absurd. I just pay by check in person, it's not that inconvenient. If you do happen to pay late, they will not only fine you (fair), but they will slap you with a super harsh notice of delinquency and an eviction threat. I get that it's probably effective, but the language in the letter is really polarizing. Space utilization/Layout - I have a 500 sq ft studio which should be considered big. It is very comfortable, but the kitchen/entry way is nearly half of that square footage and the bathroom is unnecessarily huge. Doesn't leave much for the living area, which I prefer to be the largest space. I have seen a few other layouts, some are better, but the studios and open 1BRs seem to over index on a large galley kitchen configuration (not shown in the pictures below). Undecided: Staff - the person who ended up selling me my unit was lovely, and she always made a point to say hi to me by name whenever she saw me (even on the street). Most have been perfectly nice, some have been whatever, a few have bordered on rude. It seems like they go through a lot of turnover with staff, so this constantly changes. read more

I guess most of the people who write reviews have had bad experiences so I thought I would display a more accurate sentiment: I moved here 1/2014 and have been loving it ever since. Apartments like these are pricey because it's Seattle, it's Capitol Hill, it's new and it has amenities. There is outside noise coming from the street but my unit is facing the courtyard and I only hear some noise on the weekends which is to be expected. Sometimes, I can hear washer/dryers, dish washers and people walking upstairs but not always and that's to be expected as well. I've never had any negative experiences with anyone in the office or the staff. I feel as though they notify me promptly when I have a package. They host monthly socials in the club room and there is a gym here with an added yoga room. The people who live here are very nice: I've met and talked to at least 3 people on my floor since I've moved in. Overall: I'm extremely satisfied. read more

Let me begin by saying that I do not live in the community but had such a wonderful experience touring with Chris that I wanted to leave a few comments. Joule is a beautiful community in a fun area of Capitol Hill near lots of shops and restaurants, particularly a great little coffee shop right across the street. Ultimately our decision not to lease with Joule was because of a strong need to have closer proximity to work and not at all regarding the community. Chris toured us around the community and was such a pleasure! He was kind and funny and made us feel so at home at Joule. The apartment complex itself was also extremely well maintained with some great apartment layouts and amenities. Everything was clean and inviting and my boyfriend is quick to note that it smelled very nice! It's the little things sometimes that make you feel at home and we really had such a great experience in this place. Again, had the Capitol Hill neighborhood been more accessible we would have loved to live at Joule! I opted not to give 5 stars because I do not actually live in the community but had a wonderful experience in my very stressful apartment search and felt it deserved some feedback! read more

Patent 523 apartment complex is a very well kept environment that you would look for in Capitol Hill. Rooftop which is overlooking Space Needle and the sunset is a very excellent venue for bbque party. Maintenance will be right in your doorstep the next day you request for it. Once you decide to live here, things will not go wrong. I lived here for almost 2 years. Stachio must be complimented for his dedication and efficiency. Keep it up. read more

Patent 523 Apartments - A place to unwind just above my apartment unit. Priceless! - Apartments Near Me - Seattle, Washington

As a disclosure - I did not end up leasing with Joule. That said, the reasons for not doing so were related to my family affairs an not the property itself. I was given a tour by Chris and that was just wonderful. I was also very taken how he took interest in his staff. The location is marvellous if one one wants to be in the centre. Connections are relatively easy to everywhere in the downtown area. The place has a gym which can save you some buck and more so, time. Apartments themselves are not bad at all and my experiences with the staff were pleasant as well. Common areas seemed nice too. Reasons I did not choose to lease from Joule were basically family and location oriented. Wife wants to stay a bit more off the broadway and we did end up finding a bit more nicer layout. Rent is a bit on the high side, but that's Capitol Hill for you. Don't think that my 4 stars is bad at all - I reserve 5 stars for something truly exceptional. read more

My experience living at Joule was fantastic! I'm leaving for a new job out of state, and I wish could bring this place with me. I've lived on the 4th floor facing Broadway for 1.5 years, and everything has been top notch. I've seen reviews about the noise on Broadway, but just close the windows which keeps the sounds to a minimum and blackout drapes are perfect if you're sensitive to the lights outside. The apartments are clean, with updates amenities, including a washer and dryer. Bonus! The building also has a rooftop lounge with bbqs and an absolutely amazing view. I went to watch the lunar eclipse and the city skyline. The grounds are beautiful, and they feel like a community, even though they're right on the main street in Capitol Hill. The location is perfect: close to shopping, restaurants, grocery store, and the 5 highway. I've maybe driven my car once a month, since I can walk to everything I need. Management is amazing. They have always notified me via email when I have packages, which is great, as I don't usually take calls during work. The office is even open until 7pm on Tues/Thurs, which comes in handy a lot more than you'd expect. If you're late coming home and you order Amazon, there's an Amazon locker half a block away! Maintenance is pretty impressive as well. I've had two requests for work done and they've come promptly to fix the issues within 24 hours. They leave a note confirming the fix. With all these amenities, it makes sense the price is steeper than other places. I don't mind paying for a bit more luxury and it also keeps out the riffraff. I've never been woken up to loud neighbors, and only occasionally do I hear the tenants walking around upstairs. If you're looking for a well organized building with exceptional management and professional tenants, this is your new home! read more

Patent 523 Apartments - View from the rooftop - Apartments Near Me - Seattle, Washington

My roommate and I are looking for an apartment for a year from now. We stopped by Joule and took a tour with Chris, who was extremely nice and helpful. He gave us plenty of good information about Joule, but was also honest/transparent in giving us advice about the surrounding area and searching for apartments in the Seattle area in general. The Joule apartments were the nicest that we saw. The 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom floor plan was great for our needs because the two rooms and bathrooms were equal in size (most apartments have a master and regular bedroom--my roommate and I are looking for an apartment with equal rooms so that we can split the rent equally). There are also plenty of awesome amenities. Joule is certainly on the expensive end, but it seems fair for what the apartments offer--the area in general is just very expensive. I would certainly recommend Joule! read more

Actually one of the worst least organized apartment groups Iv ever dealt with in my life, they simply just want you to give them money and move in, I called about a Craigslist add and they said "are Craigslist adds usually arnt accurate so maybe come into the office" like I'm sorry what ? Your adds YOU post are not accurate? I wouldn't live here if my life depended on it, get your shit together people. Just updating that I was informed that my miscommunication was because they outsource all there calls to a call center, i would give half a star if I could. read more

I truly am not someone who regularly writes reviews at all, but i wanted to take the time to write this as I'm shocked by the joule's 'move out' policy. My husband and I lived in the building for 1.5yrs. It is an undeniably convenient location. We rented a 1 bedroom, 800 sq ft loft and often heard neighbors above us, but luckily I did not find the noise excessive as other tenants have experienced. In addition, I usually found those in the office and maintenance personnel helpful. However, I could not be more disappointed with our move out experience and cost. We had to break our lease and gave 30 days notice as specified in the lease. We also paid 2 months rent as per policy. I truly spent an additional hour after our movers left cleaning the apt (which I kept very clean while living there). The bathrooms and kitchen were spotless. I even cleaned the floor of the 'laundry room' on my hands and knees . Of course the carpet was a bit more worn, but certainly not stained and dirty. I just received a $600 cleaning bill. I contacted the corporate office (from which it was sent) and got no response after multiple emails and phone calls asking for clarification. A week later when I finally got someone on the phone (after I received an automated recording via voicemail indicating this would go to collections), she was not helpful. She explained that it is expected that the apt is left in exactly the same condition as it was found upon move in. This seems absurd. All apartments experience 'wear and tear' during a tenant's stay. In addition she referred me to the lease, which outlined typical costs of cleaning services. The lease read $85 for carpet cleaning. However, they used a company that charged $225 for cleaning, (this was not carpet replacement, only cleaning) and passed this on to us. $225 seems nuts for an 800 sq ft apt with no carpet stains. They also charged me for painting the walls upon moving in (no problem, that was expected as I chose to have them painted various colors as permitted), but charged me again to repaint upon moving out. This costs $150 per wall. I know this is long winded, but please be careful. I understand completely that breaking a lease is not ideal and costly, however, their charges are excessive. At the end of the day, given the 30 day notice plus 2 months rent, we paid 3 months rent total plus hundreds in cleaning fees to break a lease on an apt that I left very clean and undamaged read more

This place has been OK. There are a lot of pros and a lot of cons. Pros: (1) Facilities! The building is nice. The common room and rooftop deck are good for entertaining and the gym is a decent place to do a basic workout. These are all free (but note the price of the building in the cons section). (2) Staff! The office staff are fabulous, the workmen are very responsive to work orders. (3) Location! The neighborhood is pleasant. There is a grocery store right next door and several bus lines, coffee shops, restaurants, and parks within walking distance. (4) Features! Washer/Dryer/Dishwasher/bathtub all in unit. Apparently these are not all standard in Seattle. (5) Extras! You can get your dry cleaning picked up from and delivered to the front office. They do a good job and are "green," but check the price list before you send your things. Cons: (1) Prices! Rent and parking are high for the space. Some of the construction is so-so (no quarter-round molding so crumbs get under the floorboards). (2) Penalties! Penalties for breaking the lease are really high (thousands of dollars). (3) Noise! The construction noise on the first floor, which is sometimes once a month and sometimes every day, can be really loud and disturbing from 8am onward, with no notice. There are still businesses being developed, so don't expect the noise to stop anytime soon. (4) Close Quarters! The space is smaller than it seems. You have to live in a pretty barren fashion to make these spaces work well. (5) Package delivery! Packages are delivered to the front desk (yay for security) but they are also held hostage there until you can manage to go to the desk during business hours (8-6). They do notify you when packages arrive, but sometimes not until several hours or a day later. HELPFUL NOTE: The counters are really high - expect to buy custom/extra-tall bar stools if you have a bar. read more

This building is generally nice, but fire alarms go off regularly, usually at night. I was about to go to bed after a long day, but the fire alarm went off, and I just spent almost an hour outside waiting for the firemen to turn it off. This has happened something like 10 times in the past 2 years. Once, my neighbor set off the sprinklers in his apartment, and the whole hallway got soaked. Bad combination here of irresponsible tenants and an overly active fire alarm system. Plus, there were a lot of break ins to the garage, and bikes stolen from the bike room, though management did increase security and we haven't had a break in for quite some time. read more

The good: Joule is decent, but expensive. The location is great; you're right by QFC and the 49. The bad: Aside from the advertised fees, the payment system is horrible and if you are not extremely careful, this may result in huge 10% late fees. Rent dues don't show up on the online system until after they are late, so you have to schedule a "prepayment" every month and manually type in the quantity. Also, their autopayment system is broken and doesn't always charge you in time, so you may be slapped with 10% late fees. How great is that? Staff sign for packages, which is nice, but sometimes they don't organize and send you notice that they've arrived for several days, which is bizarre. read more

This review has been a long time coming. I have lived in this building for 3 years, since it opened. Has this been the worst place to live ever? No. Is it worth what I am paying for it? Probably not. For people thinking about moving in, here is a long explanation of what you can expect: --The bad news first-- Staff: Sorry, the office staff is in general pretty terrible. The turnover rate is extremely high here, so after my first year I just gave up trying to get to know the people in the leasing office. If you have something that needs to be resolved, expect to remind the people in the office two, three, sometimes more times before they begin to address the issue. I feel that the people in the office are oftentimes extremely unprofessional and sometimes downright rude. Not everyone working there is like this, and again, the people working in the office are always changing. So your experiences interacting with these people will change more often than the seasons. Noise: Oh god this is probably one of the worst things about this building. The noise insulation between units on the sides is great. I never hear my next door neighbors. BUT the noise from above (and below if that neighbor likes to play ridiculously loud music) is awful. For one year I lived above a couple that argued a lot. Every night I could hear their dysfunctional verbal abuse. Screaming, cursing, slamming doors. They moved out (Thank goodness,) but now the person living above me walks incredibly heavily, so I can constantly hear them thumping around. Do you like knowing when the person above you is taking a shower? Using the toilet? Opening and closing the drawers in their bathroom? Well if you do, move into a unit here, because you will be constantly aware of their activities. I would only recommend moving to this building if you are going to live on the top floor, or are an insanely heavy sleeper. This way, you do not risk living below a neighbor who is awake at 3am showering, because you will hear it. I'm facing the courtyard as well, and a lot of people living here seem to not have normal nine to fives, because I am sometimes woken up by the sound of drunk people yelling and laughing at all hours of the night even in the middle of the week. Also, dogs. So many yappy dogs. Smell: This isn't really the fault of the building, but there are some strange smells that seem to linger in the hallways. It's not even a result of this being a pet friendly building. I always take the stairs, and the stairwell once smelled like gas for like 2 months. Right now, it always smells like fish. I'm not the only one who smells it, I've had visitors comment on it. That's embarrassing. The staff puts air freshers in the hallways, but this doesn't really help the stairwells, which are usually the worst offenders. Common spaces: These are alright spaces. The lounge is cozy enough, the roof is nice, etc. My complaint is that almost every weekend, the lounge is reserved for some party, and in the summer the same goes for the roof. This means that even though I am paying for these amenities, I hardly get to use them because they are seemingly always reserved. This is more a problem with the building not having multiple spaces that can and cannot be reserved, but I don't like the fact that I pay to live in a building with amenities, and can never utilize them when I have the free time to do so. Price: I get that it's expensive to live in this area. But my rent increased 15% after the first year! Then in the second year my rent increased another 10%! I increasingly feel like I'm not getting my money's worth. --The good-- Maintenance: Seriously. The maintenance dudes here are awesome. They have way more courtesy than most the office workers, and do a great job. They fix what needs to be fixed, and are quick and efficient. Always super friendly if you see them in the hallways, and seem like genuinely nice guys. If it were in my power to give these guys raises, I totally would. Location. This is the main reason I have not moved in three years. So awesome to be right on Broadway. The neighborhood is fantastic. I would argue there is no better neighborhood in Seattle. Safe: They have a night patrol and number you can call. I've never felt unsafe in the building or surrounding neighborhood. --TL;DR-- If noise isn't a huge issue for you, or you are looking into a top floor unit, this might be a good place for you to live due to the great location. Otherwise, I'd probably recommend you keep looking and really compare your options. read more

Pros - Building is pretty new and in good condition - Gym (with yoga room) and other amenities - LOCATION - right next to QFC, restaurants, walking distance to downtown (for me, anyway) - Staff are very friendly and maintenance is prompt to handle issues - Friendly neighbors - Pet-Friendly - Quiet, I never hear my neighbors (but I live on the top floor) - Dishwasher, washer/dryer in unit, etc. Cons - Living on the Broadway (East) side of the building, you'll get street noise: Garbage trucks at 11pm, delivery trucks after midnight, drunks yelling for no damn reason, protesters, emergency vehicle sirens, etc. - Living on the Broadway (East) side of the building, you'll also get a lot of dust/soot from the street when you have your windows open. Apartment gets stuffy if they're closed. - PRICES! (IMPORTANT) Yes, the Joule is very pricy, but people have to remember, the closer you get to downtown Seattle, and the newer the building, the higher rent is going to be. If you want cheaper apartments, live in older buildings in less desirable neighborhoods OR further away from the city. - FIRE ALARMS go off more often than QFC has a sale! OK, maybe not THAT often, but about every 3 months. It seems to mostly go off after 10pm and when it's raining. The alarm is brain-piercing. It's so disorienting that it takes you a few seconds to think about what you're supposed to do. Then, people gather in the courtyard between the buildings, by the exits, with their freaked-out dogs that try to attack every other freaked-out dog that tries to get out of the building. Tenants need fire evacuation training, in my opinion. Too many idiots. - PARKING is managed by Diamond Parking, not Joule, so they get to exercise their freedom to raise the parking rate at any time, regardless of your lease, leaving you with the option of sucking it up or trying to find non-existent street parking in Capitol Hill - Room sizes. All I have to say is, if you live in a studio, you're in a sardine can. Don't expect a lot of room, just because you pay $1,500/mo for a 450sq ft studio (which I live in). IF I COULD afford the $2,000/mo for the 1-bedroom, I would definitely stay in this building, HOWEVER, for $2,000/mo I should be buying my own house. read more

I was relocating to Seattle and pointed out the Joule as the perfect location on a previous visit to the city. When it came time to look for a place, it was my first stop but I left knowing there was no way it was the place for me! First of all, it's ridiculously expensive. Like $1900+ for a one bedroom! Secondly, the complex was clearly built prioritizing the overall aesthetic rather than with the resident's needs/desires in mind. The hallways feel impersonal and like a hotel. Given the high price point of the one bedroom, I checked in on two available studio options and was really put off by their floor plans. Both were on the small side and their layouts made them seem smaller. For example, rather than having a galley kitchen setup, they stretched across the entirety of the room. I really don't know how you create a delineation for sleeping and living spaces if the kitchen spans the whole unit... read more

I've been a resident of Joule for almost two years now and I'm counting down the days until my lease is up. This place is the Bank of America of apartment complexes. It is owned and run by a huge property trust company whose only objective is to make a profit. The apartments themselves are cheaply made and poorly constructed, the walls must be thin because I can hear my neighbors talking (in normal volumes) on each side and the upstairs tenants walking and talking above me. My apartment had only one previous resident who lived there for 3 months, within two months after moving in, hinges were coming off of cabinets after normal use and closet doors have come off their tracks multiple times, which isn't what you would expect from a brand new building. When I went to resign my lease after the first year, I was informed my rent was being increased by 10%. When asked why such a large increase, I was told by the "leasing specialist" that it was consistent with rent prices of surrounding buildings. When I asked for specific examples, the employee kept repeating the same statement, and it was clear to me that this is what she was told to say and lacked any knowledge of what bullshit she was trying to spin me. Moving would've been way more expensive at the time, so I sucked it up and resigned. Even worse was when out of nowhere they increased my parking $20 per month without notice- I was already paying $100. Again I went to question this, and was met with complete apathy and this statement from the assistant manager, "We increased it because we felt older residents weren't paying enough." Mind you the availability of parking hadn't changed at all...currently working on a BBB complaint regarding this but that's another story. In summation, this complex is way over priced, the building is constructed with cheap materials and seems to have some 'kinks' (like the problem with the fire alarm falsely sounding off through out the year- sometimes a few times in a row, or the resident garage door that has broken on multiple occasions), and the office staff is unhelpful and (at times) unprofessional when dealing with residents. Keep looking is my recommendation. read more

I have been living at the Joule for 11 months, and will be leaving at the end of my Lease. I had a good experience here, but the rent is just way too high for what you get. I also don't think it's a very safe neighborhood. All the bikes got jacked up from the cages in this huge hit, and all Joule did was send an e-mail to tell people to file police reports. They do have a security who I see roaming around once in a while. If you're rich enough to not want to save your money and give it to Joule, go for it! But charging a variable amount for Parking ranging from $160 to $190 (that's what I pay) and the really high rent, makes me regret my decision. But being new to Seattle, I didn't know any better. moving to a way cheaper place in an older building which has it's suits completely renovated in a quieter street 3 blocks away, and super happy about it. read more

I've lived in 2 different joule apartments over the past 3 years. The grounds are nice the space and layouts are really good and the staff is very friendly and helpful. Yes the place is expensive, yes rent goes up generally every year. This is standard for the location, which is really what you are paying for. The neighborhood is not super quiet (it's Broadway on Capitol hill what are you expecting?)but the convenience factor of walking out of the building to a ton of options for bars, restaurants, and shopping can't really be beat. Overall I think the people who wrote poor reviews had somewhat unrealistic expectations of the place, if you live in a large building in sort of a party neighborhood odds are you will have to deal with some noise, and no contrary to one reviewers note replacing carpet after every tenant is not and never will be standard procedure (your rent would be significantly higher if that were the case). As I said modern units in this neighborhood are always going to be a bit pricey but the many different layouts and fantastic community amenities (gym, roof deck, event space) make joule one of the better options. read more

I had a lofted studio which had a nice amount of space in the loft, but the first floor was a tight fit. The closet space is also a bit of an issue, I would have purchased an armoire if I were going to here longer. I had two entrances, one to the hallway and one to the courtyard which was super convenient, the only problem bring the quantity of dog feces in the courtyard. I asked between 10-20 times for the feces to be removed and without fail they would remove it once and let it accumulate all over again. My only windows were to the courtyard so for the entire year - dog poop. Overall it's pricey, a reasonably nice space, nice views from the roof, and a fairly nice gym. I'm moving after 1 year. read more

After living here for a full year, I wanted to update my previous review from 2 starts to 1 star. Ultimately, I moved out because of the management and rent pricing. The management here is all about making money - they don't care about their tenants on any level, really, much more than getting a check from us. The rent increased 12% if I wanted to renew my lease - I don't think so. I found an apartment a block away and am saving over $400 on my monthly rent. I would really think first before living here. If you don't mind poor management, paper thin walls, noisy tenants, pet waste in the hallways, and expensive rent, then you'll love the Joule. It's a shame really, the place could be quite nice, but ultimately their flaws ruin the positive points. My #1 advice is to read your lease thoroughly and know what you are and are not responsible for... they'll try to take advantage of you for sure. Good luck. read more

I lived in Joule for a year and a half. My apartment was 1 bedroom at the second floor facing Broadway. I had to leave since I wanted an apartment with a working space. Good: Great service and maintenance. Good location. New apartments. Amazing roof and good gym. Bad: Noise and light from Broadway. Too many gates and halls: most of my visitors could not find my apartment. Very difficult to find parking in the street. read more

I agree with the majority -- this place is RIDICULOUSLY OVERPRICED -- especially considering the fact that the units in general are so tiny. $1600-$2500 for a ONE BEDROOM? You can get a three-bedroom house for a monthly payment like that (yes, you can, if you look just outside the city limits). Also, the corporate lackeys that built the Joule destroyed an entire block of what used to be a great selection of stores, including a smaller, more comfortable, less corporate version of QFC, the grocery store that has since been bought out by Kroger. In doing so, they (along with their friends at The Brix across the street) they destroyed the north Broadway neighborhood and the livelyhoods of many who worked on those two blocks. All for greed, not for people. read more