I lived in the same apartment in Seventh and James for nearly eight years. We were finally able to save the money to get out of there. Why: 1. Due to constant noise, greasy tire dust from I5 and homeless camps across the street, it is a very unhealthy environment. Living there is a health risk for multiple reasons. The building is located in an area exempt from noise complaints. That tells you a lot. 2. The management over almost 8 years was almost consistently incompetent, rude, uncaring and neglectful. The current manager is the worst I have ever had in my very long history of renting. Equity is all about greed and trapping you in a lease that is unrealistic for this over-priced unhealthy and poorly managed property. DO NOT SIGN THAT LEASE - RUN INSTEAD read more

Now that I am all moved out I feel comfortable giving an honest and raw review. 7th and James is not what it is made out to be and advertised as. First of all the rood top is a dump. The seat cushions are moldy and covered in burn marks, they threw out the table a year ago and have not replaced it, and the fake grass smells of pee and mildew. The apartments are sub-par, you have cheap low-cost cupboards and they don't swap out the worn-out carpet before moving you in so whatever tears and rips are there are staying put through your stay. The management is just bleh, they don't seem to ACTUALLY care about their tenants. We asked for replacement drip pans since the ones we had were previously used and filthy. They told us it would be a $15 charge, so we said no thanks we will get our own, so then they threatened to charge us even if we did replace them on our own! They force you to use Fetch package delivery, basically $15 a month for a 3rd party to deliver your packages. The downside to that is even when you use the service, they still don't deliver your items. We waited a whole month for an item to be rescheduled 9 times and finally drove to get it ourselves. We asked to opt-out and get a PO box, and were told no... so when we asked Fetch a few questions we learned that not only does their service stink, but that 7th and James upcharges you $5. They scum bag you where they can. Claiming that trash services were going to go up to "Better the community" when the whole building looks like trash... literally trash in the elevators from other tenants, dong pee and poop in the elevators. We even caught a very intoxicated woman peeing in the elevator once... IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PANDEMIC! So I don't know how that will improve the community when it is already so crappy. Homeless break-in CONSTANTLY, the cars are always being broken into but when you ask for footage they tell you they can not because it doesn't record. While this is a convenient location, keep in mind you are between 2 hospitals and 2 blocks from the city jail... so sirens and convicts at all times, plus being that close to the highway, there will be black soot all over your windows and screen and patio. Go here at your own risk.... the only good thing about this place is Kevin the Maintenance man, he is a real charm and was the only Employee that I felt deserved a mention and highlight. read more

I've moved out for several reasons. It really feels like Equity Apartments doesn't care about this place. At one point in time, this was a prime location. Quick access to I5, and off of I5. Bypass a lot of that downtown traffic. Now you also get quick access to homeless camps, and used needles. New changes made feel very anti-resident. You now need to subscribe to a service for $15 a month to receive packages. And the package hub was removed. The current residents are just slobs. Can't go a week without some puddle in the elevators. Garbage area is constantly a mess. I don't blame the staff for this. They do what they can to clean it up. Also had my bike stolen, inside of the garage, inside a locked room. The battery on the key code died, and no one ever bothered to replace the battery on the thing. The door doesn't even have a spring to close, so you had to some how grab the keypad to close the door. Terrible system. Management feels very closed off. I understand pandemic. Every other place I visited when searching from a new home has a system in place that you can actually walk up to and just talk to your manager. Now you need to setup an appointment to talk to them. They will also refuse to sign your move out notice (legally binding form) tell you to slide it under the door and they will give you a copy of it. Never got my copy, at least they followed through and actually submitted it. Also, some how returning my keys even a day early is breaking the lease... what... They've lost their contract with Zipcar because they took so long to fix the lock on the public door. To my knowledge, they (corporate)never tried to get it back. Like any place, management is the key. Most of the service staff is pretty cool. First name bases with a few of them, and enjoyed our random chats. read more

Whatever you do, don't rent from this absolute dump. They will con you they will lie to you and even when you show them proof and quote their own emails in an attempt to get them to uphold their end of the conversation. They still want to argue. Little background. We moved out on June 7th after several ongoing issues with management, and let's be real, the management here sucks too... They don't give two F***s about their tenants. Bad attitudes and condicending emails, just as overall negative experiences. Upon move out we got a prorated rent for the month of June. The email specifically said "this is a one time payment for the final months rent" so we paid it... Now they want to come to us and say we still owe money. Now we accepted that we would be charged for painting and cleaning but we also expected that it would be taken out of the refundable $500 WRONG! They want to claim that on top of cleaning and painting fees we somehow still owe more than the deposit amount for utilities we already paid for.! Instead of handling this they just punt the problem from one rep to another to another because the management sucks and the organization is just a mess a pure disaster. Rent at your own risk, don't expect your concerns to ever be addressed. Literally rent anywhere but with Equity. You will regret it you will live in a apartment for cheap but it comes at a cost. read more

I would not recommend this building to anyone. When I moved in the management was nice and on top of things but they forgot to mention to me that the building was scheduled to be renovated beginning less than 10 days after I moved in. The renovations would increase rents +$75 per month and the only major changes were crappy stainless steel appliances. Yes, the neighborhood is close to everything but in order to get to everything just blocks away you have to contend with highway noise, the food bank next door and the discarded food everywhere it leaves behind and cat calls from the low security prison across the street. The apartment is nice and quiet when the windows and doors are closed but it runs so hot in the apartment that you'll need you windows open and its so loud its practically impossible to make a phone call without someone commenting on the noise. One of the selling points was the hot tub on the roof - that broke and with the renovations they decided they didn't want to bother/pay for its repairs so there just won't be one anymore. A lot of the apartment have balconies. Mine was great for getting a little fresh air in the morning and watching transients defecate outside your home. In addition to the noise the highway creates, it creates an unhealthy air quality as well. There was also a car stolen from the "secure" parking garage. They use the term secure very loosely as a good portion of the time the doors are propped open - often by the leasing agents. So, no, I wouldn't recommend it. read more

It's all about location location location when you live in the city. 7th and James location ROCKS! Easy freeway access from I-5 - very nice layouts - good amenities with tanning, weights, sauna etc! And some very friendly staff! Though freeway facing units are loud - but the view is loud too :) as in Sweet ... where DOES that shadow on the Columbia tower come from ? LOL .. You'll like living here! read more

Have lived here for 8 months and love it. Excellent location near downtown, pioneer square, first hill and cap hill. I walk everywhere, including to work in pioneer square and it makes life much easier. Nice rooftop for hosting guests on sunny days. Recently renovated hallways were an upgrade. Anytime we've had any problems the maintenance and staff have been timely and on top of it. Mild-mannered neighbors are a plus. Would recommend to friends. read more

I lived here for a year and always had really pleasant experiences with staff. All of the leasing agents were super nice and helpful. The maintenance guy was the greatest--always went out of his way to say hello with a smile and chat a bit. He also fixed anything/everything super fast and was really positive and polite the entire time. When I moved out, Sylvie (the current leasing manager) went out of her way to make sure I saved as much money as possible and had an easy transition. I really appreciated that. The only reason I moved was because of rent increase. Which is unavoidable in First Hill, Downtown, and Cap Hill--definitely not limited to this building. But if the price works for you, highly recommended! read more

THEY WILL ROB YOU WITH FEES! Example: Rent is due on the 2nd, if late, you are charged 10% of the "balance due" PLUS $5 PER DAY until paid!! Staff is VERY nice, however Equity Realty should be considered criminals for the way that they gouge their tenants. We moved to a 5 bedroom house and are paying $400 LESS than our 1 bedroom apartment here... CONSTANT CRIME NEARBY! Hope you don't want to venture outside often... KEEP LOOKING -- you can and will do better!! read more

This is a great place to live! I love the super convenient location - close to Downtown, with easy access to freeways, walking distance to everything the city has to offer. Management is fantastic! There are always some improvements done, very responsive, friendly, and helpful. I like the occasional resident patrias they throw, a great way to meet your neighbors. We've been living here for years now and don't plan to move out any time soon! read more

I highly recommend that if you are considering living here, please just start looking somewhere else. I am a current resident here at the complex and within the last week. I have had TWO bikes stolen from their "secured bike storage" inside their "secured garage". When I told them that the first one was stolen they told me that they couldn't do anything and the footage from the garage was "too long to look at". So nothing was done. Luckily my renters insurance coverage some of the bike. However just discovering that my new bike was stolen again with no sign of forced entry. I have given up on Seventh and James to keep their tenants and their possessions safe. My wife and I just signed a new lease but I'm going to go to the police and an attorney about getting out of it. read more

My bf and I love living here. Great place to live because it's close to pretty much everything -- the stadiums, the Light Rail, downtown, Pike Place, Capitol Hill... you name it! It also has a great rooftop patio for throwing bbqs in the summer. The gym is a bit small but you can tell they tried to make due with what they have. We live in a "Jefferson" layout and it's definitely cozy for one or two habitants. Though it's kind of tight for two, there's plenty of room in the balcony for storage space. Parking is available in the garage and it's on the pricy side, but then you have to remember you're living in a city. If you're willing to pay for location while not splurging too much on a nice complex, this place is for you. read more

My partner and I lived here for a year. (Dec 2010-Dec 2011) We absolutely loved it. The only reason why we moved is because our financial situation changed a bit and we wanted to move closer to work. I keep saying that if I could lift the building off and take it with me I would. The management was absolutely top notch. They made sure to go far and beyond for us and they were attentive to our every annoying question. We moved here from Texas and Kopley (the manager) helped out us with the process and everything under the sun with our move, it really left a great feeling. The essentials: washer & dryer in unit, great management, great environment, not loud, clean, good neighbors, easy bill pay (online), great location (Easy acces to/from I-5), overall a great place to live. I wouldn't doubt in recommending this place to anyone. read more

We lived and seventh and James for 1 year. It was an ok place to live. The management kind of switched out a lot, but they were always super nice and willing to help. The rooftop has a SPECTACULAR view of downtown and our two bedroom was nice and roomy for us and the animals. All maintenance inquiries were responded to and fixed quickly. We did have a car incident in the garage, where a couple of cars were vandalized. It was an inconvenience, but the management (Sam) helped us the best she could. Now its Sam, Tim, and Christian that manage the place. Overall, they do a great job and are wonderful. We are moving because of walkability. Were moving so that we can be more walkable to amenities features, etc. Also, its close to hospitals and the free-way so lots of noise. We want to be where we don't have to walk up a mass hill to get to everything. Overall, good experience and recommend living here if your new to Seattle as a transient apartment. read more

Seventh & James Apartments is a great location with great staff. Rick and Sam are very responsive and super friendly. Not to be forgotten is the maintenance guy who is also very friendly. The building is a little older (1991) and is well taken care of and when anything gets damaged it's repaired quickly. For the price, few apartments in Seattle with this proximity to downtown come with fireplaces and balconies. Though close to the freeway and near Harborview Medical (think: Ambulance sirens), with windows closed you can't hear it much if at all (full disclosure, I lived on the courtyard (west) side of the building so didn't hear much). Every so often they hold resident events on the rooftop and it's a nice opportunity to meet your neighbors. With all the good above, there's some things to consider when living here - though most are not within the control of the staff. The good pricing tends to attract people of all types which is not inherently a bad thing, but younger people tend to be more loud than professional types who have jobs that require you to actually sleep at night. Loud talking in the hallways, people out late in the courtyard or talking loudly on their balconies is a frequent occurrence. There's no AC, so your windows are likely to be open. I've heard yelling in the hallway to have opened my door to two SPD officers with two drunk residents having an argument. Not the only time I'd been woken up by drunk kids out in the hallway. The property is non-smoking yet some of the aforementioned residents smoke either indoors or outside (not permitted) and it gets right into your apartment. They also do it on the rooftop and are dismissive if reminded politely about the policy. Rooftop parties can occur on the nice summer weekends and the drunken noise is enough to make you leave the apartment building to achieve quiet. Honestly, at times, it reminded me of a college dorm. Though the location is great - minutes walk to downtown/water and up to Capitol Hill - it's also next to the freeway and the problem isn't the traffic noise. Lots of vagrants live under the bridge, coming in the evening and disappearing during the day. There is also the Northwest Harvest food back on Cherry behind the building that draws people on Mon, Wed, and Fri. Across Cherry there is an older building that's to be demolished and replaced with a low-income housing. As of right now it's vacant and there are vagrants camping out on the property. Note that they seem to leave you alone, however I've seen street parked cars with broken out windows and they tend to leave a LOT of trash all around. There's been some bikes stolen from the garage over the last year (so I've been told). Overall if occasional - yet disruptive noise - and younger college-kid-behavior-residents doesn't bother you, and you want a good decent building in a great location for a good pricepoint, look no further. read more

I see your response saying you tried to contact me. 1) I received One call. On a weekday at 11am, when I didn't pick up because, surprise I was at work. I called back, got voicemail and never heard back. 2) trying to contact me and actually contacting an upset resident are two VERY different things. If you truly cared about customer satisfaction you would have kept trying until you reached someone. Instead of trying to put this back on me you should take responsibility for your horrible service to your residents. read more

Living here has been great. Great location, nice neighbors, great property management. I just recently recommended this place to a close friend who is moving here to Seattle. Recommend to anyone reading this. read more

Solid place to live. Great management and maintenance. People don't bother you. Not loud. Clean.

I lived here for a little less than a year and only moved due to work obligations. I really enjoyed my time living here. The location is great with several things within walking distance - 10 min to cap hill and the stadiums/15 min to Pike Place. It is affordable and well kept, but most importantly the staff was always very helpful and quick to respond to any issues or requests. I would still live here if it wasn't for my change in work. Rachelle and Anastasia are great people to run the management of the building. read more

I've been a resident here for the past 6 years. It's a pretty chill place to live. The apartments have really good insulation so the noise from the freeway is hardly noticeable unless you open a window and even then it's not bad. I really do like being close to downtown public transportation. read more

*Update now moved out* Removed a star due to being charged twice for utilities and an 'early termination fee' for handing back the keys a day early, even though I paid rent until the last day of the lease. I lived here for 9 months and moved out in July. For comparison, I've lived on Capitol Hill off and on for 5 years, so I'm used to the neighborhood and noise level: The good... The tenants I've had the good fortune to engage in conversation are friendly (also see The Bad below). Location: takes me 10 mins to walk to work in the morning, 15mins home due to the incline. Close to some cool bars, local shops and only 10mins walk from Broadway QFC. The interactions I've had with the staff are positive. Despite the neighborhood being full of 'vagrants' as people have mentioned, I've personally had no issues and in fact, have sat out front on many occasions, chatting to them for hours. Never had or seen an incident of a car being broken into while here (but then again I treat the 'vagrants' with respect, so might be better looked after). The 'gym' (treadmill, elliptical, bike and weight machine) are usually never in use before 4pm and after 6pm and I've yet to see the sauna used when I'm there. I've never felt unsafe in the neighborhood, even when staggering home at 3-4am on a weekend. The rats outside are really friendly (no, that's not sarcasm, I genuinely like them) The Bad: Garage parking is run by an external parking company and I was quoted $160 a month but there's a couple of parking garages 2 blocks away which offer parking for almost 1/2 this cost. The cleaners do their best but the building is a little 'tired', despite not being that old. Utilities are based on size and occupancy and in a studio, mine have averaged around $65 a month (not including electric) - fine if you take a bath every day and flush the toilet more than most but if you're eco-friendly, you'll get no discount here (in comparison, my 3 bed house averaged $50 a month). I was never allowed to see the apartment prior to move-in, due to 'insurance requirements' (that's a first) - I just found out the pictures I was sent are the same ones being posted on craigslist for the generic studio, so I suggest you demand a viewing, prior to move-in. There's a strange smell of 'toilet freshener', which permeates the apartment. The ugly: I ran out of hands on which to count the amount of times I've seen urine (dog or otherwise) in the elevators. Absolutely no excuse for this. Some of the tenants are not used to socializing in the real world - yelling in the hallway at 3am, plain rudeness when being greeted (would a smile hurt when someone says good morning, instead of responding 'retard'?) and a couple of times, I've seen exploded cat litter bags and garbage bags, left for the cleaners to eradicate in the morning. If you live on the south side (or god forbid, the freeway facing side), you'll only get sound protection from your windows and doors being closed. Not a problem in the winter but the apartment is a furnace in the summer, so you get to choose between heat or noise. After my lease expires, rent will increase 20%, depending on how long I want to sign for (even though the same studios on the same floor will be rented for less, for new tenants). After paying less than 1300 a month and being told 'there's a 30% chance I could get 1300 if I sign for 12 months', I think i'll pass and move on. (Incidentally, the month-to-month is being quoted cheaper than a 9 month commitment) You can pay rent via credit card and over the phone but with an extortionate fee - and here I am naively thinking it was illegal and/or immoral to charge CC fees these days I recommend coming here if you're ok with the occasional midnight screaming, 2am emergency vehicle sirens, urine in the elevators and you don't want to socialize with your fellow tenants. I've been in worse places but enough better places to know this is pretty mediocre and not worth the rent. read more

I am a travel nurse who lived here for 3 months for an assignment. Upon walk-through with maintenance on Seventh and James we had a couple of discrepancies re: how the apartment was left. For instance, there were 2 black spots on the carpet upon move-in and the guy insisted they weren't there in the first place. Instead of acknowledging and listening to what I had to say, he just cut me off abruptly and insisted that that can't be. I'm not sure if there was a language barrier but his tone and approach seem very delinquent. The same maintenance guy also came in unannounced to do a walk-through a couple of weeks before move-out date when I was sleeping during the day since I have been working nights. My boyfriend told him I was sleeping and he still wanted to come in to check the bedroom! I haven't encountered any other problems otherwise aside from the maintenance personnel's lack of etiquette and professionalism. read more

I do not live here but I was at one point interested. I just have to give credit to the amazing management and staff. I called to ask about a unit and I spoke to Jamie. He was so nice and super helpful. He answered a my questions and set me up with an appointment. I was then contacted by Sam, community manager and she was super nice also. She responded so quickly and we exchanged at least 10 emails. We had an appointment scheduled but we decided to go take a look at the area. Sam had said she is all booked up but I provided a number for her to call in case she had some extra time. She ended up calling me and said her appointment ended early. I have never seen or heard of someone who is so efficient and hard working. I have though, heard of managers who leave early, call out all the time and/or don't answer the phone or respond to emails. Not Sam! She is amazing and deserves all the credit. I have never spoken with such nice people and I have contacted many. None of the other management staff were nice to me. Many thanks to Sam and Jamie! read more

Seventh and James is one of THE best locations in Seattle. Walk downhill 5 blocks and you are in Pioneer Square, uphill and you are in Capitol Hill, to the left is the International District, to the right the Downtown Business/Shopping district. 10 minutes walk to Pike Place Market, 15 minutes to Safeco and Qwest fields and I-5 north and south access are right in front of the building. There are a lot of ambulances and fire engines going by as it's on "Pill Hill" but that also means a lot of medical centers nearby. This is downtown living, so if you are expecting suburbia, you will be disappointed. There is a food bank on the back side of the building and a few campers under the overpass across the street, but my wife and I have been here over six months and have not been disturbed or noticed a large number of "street people" congregating around the property itself. Management and maintenance are attentive and responsive. Great property. Liked: Disliked: read more

Lived here for a year and a half. At first, I was pleased...until they changed management. I would NOT recommend ANY Equity Apartments! They are money hungry, over-priced and unwilling to work with you! My lease was up the same time that I was due to delivery my child. I went to them NUMBEROUS times to try to work something out, since I would not be able to move right after deliverying my baby. In order to upgrade to a larger unit, they wanted $500, plus cost of "cleaning and painting" the apartment, which should be part of a turn over after a year and a half. I even looked into getting a different apartment at a different location with the SAME company. After telling me ONE price, the other property played stupid and quoted me a MUCH higher price, THEN tried to charge me for an apartment that I never even moved into because I could not afford to pay all their fees to move and decided to stay in my tiny studio. After many other attempts to work with them, I finally had to "break" my lease THREE weeks before my lease was up (and I gave birth) and move to a larger apartment. They assured me it would not be a problem to re-rent the apartment. Well after doing my walk through, they later tried to charge me for some aweful soap dish that THEY put in the shower. They said they could not rent the apartment until they got "contractors" in to fix the damage that THEY caused in removing the soap dish! They "rented" the apartment ONE day before my lease was up! Their book keeping for the water/sewage/trash is also WAY off! They tried double charging me for a couple months. But because I kept a close record and check log of these charges, they were unable to do so. BEWARE of Seventh and James. Koply, the manager, doesn't know his head from a whole in the ground! They also say that they have security on the premises, but MANY cars repeatedly got broken into. They have cameras in the parking garage, but do not know how to work them! I have rented apartments for years, and have NEVER experienced such unprofessionalism. Yes, it's a convienent location, but you can do a LOT better!!!! Oh, yes, and then they rent sky rocked to $300-$500 more, not including utilities and parking! read more