I rarely write reviews, but my experience with Tera Apartments deserves to be shared to warn others. The management here is truly terrible, especially when it comes to the move-out process. My main issue is with Brandi, who works off-site and handles move-outs. She charged me for absolutely everything imaginable -- even though I left my apartment clean and in the same condition as when I moved in. I was hit with a $180 "cleaning fee" and additional charges for "damages," which were really just normal wear and tear. I had only a few small nail holes, which I carefully patched before leaving, but they still billed me for painting and repairs. To make matters worse, they deducted everything from my security deposit and even charged me extra for an insurance policy that I had already canceled and fully paid for. Their entire billing system is confusing, disorganized, and feels intentionally misleading. It honestly seems like they're trying to squeeze every last dollar out of residents on the way out. The property itself is also disappointing. * The hallways constantly smell like trash, and the garbage compactor is loud. * You can hear everything from your neighbors -- not because they're loud, but because the walls are so thin and poorly built. * The gym and common areas are dirty, often missing wipes or cleaning supplies. It's ironic, because they'll still charge you a cleaning fee when you move out. * Internet service is unreliable -- there's a required provider, and it's overpriced for how often it goes down (sometimes for an entire weekend). * Construction was ongoing for months outside my window. When I moved in, I was told it was "almost done." It wasn't. As for management communication -- it's practically nonexistent. Sometimes they respond, but most of the time, they don't have real answers or just pass you along. To make things worse, Brandi couldn't even locate my move-in condition file, yet still claimed I left the unit dirty. It's unprofessional and feels like a scam. In short: avoid Tera Apartments if you can. The property is poorly maintained, the management is unresponsive, and the move-out process is a complete nightmare designed to charge you for anything they can. read more

Good mgmt and nice apartments and amenities. The reason for the "meh" rating is because of the required internet service provider, Gigstreem. Can't count on them to provide consistent WiFi. Makes work-from-home super difficult. Hoping Tera Apartments renegotiates their contract with Gigstreem and allows tenants to opt out if service quality doesn't match pricing! read more

Tera is a horrible place to live. First of all the rent itself is expensive at $1800 + for a studio and they kept raising the rent every year by at least $100 every year for no reason. We were looking into moving into a two bed, two bath from a studio and they wanted $3400!! Absolutely outrageous. We asked to negotiate on pricing and they never got back to us. The studio was very basic and the shower wasn't even updated and falling apart. A few other things: - There has been construction going on directly outside the window since we moved 1.5 years ago. How long does it take? We would wake up most mornings to construction and go to bed with construction noises. - They wanted to charge $300+ after we moved out for what? Nothing. We spent hours deep cleaning the apartment and even moved appliances to clean behind them. Yet they decided to spend $180 on a cleaning service and charge us? No, that's not normal and our rent and security deposit should have covered it. They want to charge us for normal wear and tear? No, very unacceptable. There were no damages beyond what is considered "normal wear/tear" What happened to the $250 security deposit we gave? We refuse to pay it. - Parking is limited to none. There is no guest parking as residents can park in the back if they do not want to pay the minimum $120 parking fee for the garage. Guest have no where to park and have to walk aways to get to the building. - Besides the rent being outrageously expensive, they charge separate for garbage, water, electric, internet making a studio at least $2,100 + - Packages are always left outside the building or lobby making it unsafe and easily stolen. - A lot of the stuff such as the garbage shoot and elevator are broken and can take a while to be fixed. The garbage shoot is often left open making the hallways smell bad. Do not move here! read more

It's a good location, and the neighbors are generally friendly, but honestly, that's about it. That's all you are paying for. They just increased rent by $700+ over the last 2 years, and they haven't really done anything to compensate for that. They may say its for new renovations/remodels, but my apartment had them all done when we moved in 2 years ago. So, nothing really changed here. My apartment just flooded, also flooding every other apartment below mine, for something I asked to be fixed 3 weeks ago on multiple occasions when I sensed something was wrong. Imagine coming home to meet MULTIPLE of your neighbors for the first time because toilet water has been running from their ceilings for nearly an hour. I guess they hired a new maintenance guy recently, because he came up and did nothing every time I called him. I have multiple recordings of the incident to show. Now, the usual maintenance guy is here trying to fix a flood alone. It seems like a missed learning opportunity. I wish that was the only occurrence of something going wrong that shouldn't be going wrong here. I've gotten stuck in the elevator 4 different times over my stay here, and so have my neighbors. Again, it took the same maintenance guy to get us out each time. Everyone else either never showed, or came nearly an hour after we called. I'm pretty sure that the trash chutes either don't get cleaned, or haven't been cleaned in a very long time, as there has been a somewhat large ball of mold stuck to the inside of the one of our floor since we moved in almost 2 years ago. If you even open the door to the trash room, the entire hallway tends to fill with its stench. I reported this, but the last I checked, it was still there. I even reported a car break-in last year in the garage, and no one got back to me on it until nearly 2 hours later. There is actually less being done here now than when I initially moved in. The staff seems to have changed every 2-3 months over my stay, and I feel like it is rare to see any of them twice. I've gone down to their office maybe 20-30 times over my time here, and usually, they are not around. Overall, there are a lot of problems here that need to be fixed. At this point, the usual maintenance guy has become something of a superhero for this building, because nothing is really fixed until he arrives. So, if you are handy, or don't care about any of the above, it is a good location to be in, but otherwise, I'd try to find somewhere else. read more

Our apartment suffered massive water damage inside the walls from outside rain, management proceeded to fumble a months-long repair process before finally pushing us out of the apartment without attempting even the bare minimum in reparations the ridiculous hardship that ensued. Be aware that if you lease an apartment here and it too receives substantial damage, you are at risk of having your lease prematurely end with zero accommodation on the part of Tera apartments. We we're only 7 months into our 12-month lease before we were told we would need to move. The more detailed experience: In early January we discovered a disgusting brown liquid across our bedroom carpet. The repair crew opened up the adjacent walls and found it was soaked, moldy, smelled strongly of mildew, and had to remove all the insulation. They "sealed" it with garbage bags taped together (which, at no point in this process did they ever replace with proper tarps/wraps) and put a gigantic dehumidifier within. For the next two months, we had to: - Open/close the "tarp", crawl inside, turn on/off the dehumidifier every morning/night. - Leave our balcony door ajar 6" for the ventilation tube all day in the middle of winter. - Live with zero access to our balcony, which we paid extra for, and was important to our puppy. - Listen to the turbo-jet sounding dehumidifier all day while working from home. - Crowd and rearrange all our furniture into the unencumbered remainder of our bedroom. I point these inconveniences mostly to demonstrate that we put up with a considerably annoying circumstance with little complaint for over 60 days. After that we finally reached out to see what the plan was. We were told that someone would be in tomorrow to fix the wall. This was nonsensical to us, given that the leak had never been found in the first place. Sure enough, the contractors ended up making the hole even larger and still could not source the leak. More contractors were in over the next week running "tests", the results of which were never communicated to us without me explicitly asking. Again, we put up with this despite having been irresponsibly lied to by management that the leak was going to get fixed quickly. Then, a number of weeks later (still dealing with our encumbered bedroom), we were told by management again that the hole would be fixed in the next few days. Fast forward a week, and we are sitting in the management office being told, instead, that we will need to leave the apartment because all the walls of our bedroom were water damaged. They offered to let us terminate our lease early w/o fees, which really wasn't an offer considering they no longer had ground to force us to pay those fees in the first place. We DREADED having to move out of the complex so quickly after having moved everything in. We had spent considerable time and money designing and decorating for this apartment, and it was going to take considerably more time and money to move everything across town to a new complex. We inquired about moving to another unit in the complex, assuming that we would be receiving SOME kind of rent discount for all of this. We were informed that no such discount would be given. Their only offer was a one-time stipend that would have amounted to less than $90/mo over a 12-month lease. The only comparable unit, a smaller apartment in the same location with one less bathroom, was somehow now $800 more than our current rent. Their argument against any sort of rent discount was that it was simply impossible. They could not sell the units any cheaper. We decided to bite the bullet and move elsewhere. The comparable apartment at Tera never ended up selling at such a ridiculous price and was cut more than $500 only weeks after we had asked about receiving a discount on it. We were absolutely livid that we had been lied to that a discount was not possible. They very clearly had the capability to price the unit more reasonably, which they eventually did anyways. Instead, they wanted to try to pinch every penny out of a new, unsuspecting customer. read more

I've lived at Tera for about 4 months and have been pleased overall and would rate it 4.5 stars. To sum it up.. It's a nice community, the apartments have been recently renovated, and it's in a great location in downtown Kirkland. I saw several reviews with comments about noise problems, but I have to say it's actually really quiet (at least for apartments facing 6th Ave). My apartment is also right next to the stairwell and while I sometimes hear people going up/down, it's never to the point where it has been annoying. The leasing office/maintenance staff have been great- they're always quick to address any concerns and they're just very nice in general. A couple of things make me reserve the 1/2 star. The doors are all key entry and fobs would be much more convenient. This goes the same for being able to buzz someone into the building. I'm also coming from a building with 24/7 package access, so it can be a bit inconvenient if I can't make it home before the leasing office closes. One thing that helps with this is the centrally located Amazon locker. There's also a FedEx location that has more convenient hours and you could probably have packages shipped directly there. Their pet rent is also a bit higher than what's typical in Seattle and Kirkland ($30/month per pet) with a higher deposit. While no apartment is perfect this one has worked out great for my needs! read more

We have been staying with Tera from 2008 summer to 2012 fall. The property had changed owners once every year for the first 3 years. The first 2 were more laid back about raising rent (simply no raise) and even offered 1 month free upon lease renewal. Until Windsor (the current landlord) took over in 2010, things completely changed. I can tell they did better job to keep the building looking nice and even set up a nice rooftop BBQ + beach chairs, however, our rent kept going up 5-7% every year while the apartment itself is getting old same as the appliances. Parking rate is recently increased to match the other 2 competitors in DT Kirkland (Kirkland 101 and 128 on State). It is modest increase honestly but the value of renting at Tera is deteriorating! The other 2 properties are much nicer and newer. I encourage potential renters to check out all 3 places before making final decision. There are two selling points of Tera I know many new renters were impressed but being overated. First, the rooftop BBQ. This is nice and only amenity Tera has. But there is no water supply completely on the rooftop area. This means you can't really grill food there unless you are very used to camping style cooking. Besides, the rooftop is always packed during summer and the hours is only good till 10pm. For our 4 + yrs stay, we used the rooftop less than 5 times! Second, Tera is closed to EVERYTHING. YES, there are lot of businesses around DT, but we are only regulars on a few: Movie theater and 24 hours fitness are too old and dirty. Rikik has terrible Japanese food, Hoffman's bakery is nice but you don't need the sugary cookies all the time. Lucia has nice ambiance but very average Italian food All other restaurants are mostly bar foods with Bellevue price range. A few galleries and home decor shops there both are very expensive. After we took away these, we are down to only QFC, Starbucks and Jade Garden (healthy quick pho for lunch) Besides, one thing renters never mention but had been brothering us was NOISE around Tera during summer. There are quite many visitors to DT thinking they were in Las Vegas and so free to scream and yell at 11pm and after. Also Harley Davidson drivers loved coming in pack driving crazy with loud exhaust down to Central Way. The noise was so unbearable and getting worse and worse every year since they can't do so in Lake Washing Blvd. My recommendation is stay in Tera for a year or so to enjoy the DT living only and DON:T pick any unit facing CENTRAL WAY to have less noise. read more

We lived in this apartment for four years. The property managers have changed almost every year; however, the quality of the management and services remained reliable and consistent no matter who is managing the apartment complex. The maintenance people are extremely professional, responsive and helpful. I have become so reliant on them that I would ask them to change light bulbs when my partner was traveling. And they would respond with friendly smiles and no complaints. Have I mentioned the location? It's probably the best you can find in this area. I would recommend Tera to anyone--singles, couples, or families with young children. I was so happy with Tera that I cried when we left. read more

I made an appointment this past Saturday to visit Tera apartment on my current hunt for a new home. I had the pleasure of speaking with Lauren prior to my visit and meeting her on the day of. Cannot speak more of the exemplary customer service. She was friendly, knowledgeable, and absolutely amazing in her follow ups. I don't usually do this, but Lauren has gone above and beyond what I expected as a potential renter - I felt compelled to share this with her manager. I may not end up renting at Tera due to availability, but I'm blown by the level of service, the well kept grounds, and the great staff thus far. read more

My husband and I have been living at Tera for just over 4 months now and we love it. The location is great. Across the street there is a gym, cinema, grocery store, and several restaurants. Just a few blocks from the apartment are even more restaurants near Lake Washington. There are also many little retail shops you can browse through if you feel like going for a walk on the weekend. The Kirkland Transit center is also just a few blocks away with buses going all over the Eastside and into Seattle. The staff is wonderful. The women in the office greet me by name when I pop in to pick up a package (They also offer a service where they will leave your packages in your apartment if your work hours make it hard to get to the office). I have also put in a few work orders for both small things (replacing light bulbs) and large fixes (dishwasher not draining, toilet problems). I usually put in my requests after business hours, but I usually get a maintenance guy in my apartment the next day. The two men that usually come to help are very nice, friendly, and will explain exactly what they did and answer any of your questions. Also Tera does a great job of cleaning up inbetween renters. My husband and I actually got to see our apartment during the clean up phase. Our apartment was repainted and our bathroom had the caulking redone. This was just the tail end of the clean up too (a week before our move-in date when we signed our lease). I do encourage you to see the apartment first. The floor plans on the website are just a taste of the different layouts they offer. When you go for a tour tell them exactly what you want and they will try their best to give it to you. Tera doesn't offer as many amenities as other apartment communities, but with it's location I think it would just be redundant. My husband and I didn't use our last apartment complex's pool, office area, community room, or workout area so we didn't really mind. There is a gorgeous roof top terrace with a wonderful view of Lake Washington, downtown Kirkland, and the Seattle skyline. The price for these apartments is on the high side (but that is to be expected with downtown Kirkland) and you do have to pay for parking in the garage. There is plenty of street parking available and when we signed the lease we were told this and weren't pressured into taking a spot. (Which I appreciated.) Overall, Tera is a great place to live. It is very pet friendly. The staff is very friendly, nice, and accommodating. Our neighbors are also friendly and considerate. Above all it is in an awesome location. read more

I'm writing this right now from my Tera Apartments living room. :) I'm here for 5 days visiting Kirkland Google, and so they put me up here. Some thoughts... GOOD: - Very spacious! Even if another person was using the other bedroom in this two bedroom two bath place, it'd be comfortable (kitchen and living room is shared). - Tastefully decorated. Plants, artwork on the walls, fresh paint, nice carpets, etc. - Well appointed kitchen. Microwave, full stovetop, etc. - Free parking. - Right across the street from my work! :) - Also just a couple blocks from a grocery store (albeit a kinda crappy one). BAD: - Pretty lousy soundproofing. Can hear all the traffic below. - Not even a single info sheet on important local places and phone numbers? (e.g., where to go grocery shopping, list of local restaurants, nearest emergency room, etc.) - My key doesn't work in the doors to the building from the garage. - Some staples would have been nice... specifically a handful of snacks for when I arrived (e.g., a couple small bags of nuts), maybe even a bottle of milk in the fridge to welcome the new occupant. Oh yeah, and a simple pen + pad of paper maybe? Or perhaps I just expected this to have even the bare minimum basics I'd find in a cheap-ass hotel room. read more

I have nothing but good things to say about Tera. My wife and I lived there for 8 months. The property itself is well managed, maintenance and the leasing staff are quick to respond, friendly and professional. The grounds are well kept. The complex as a whole is generally quiet. Roof top deck in the B building is top notch, great view, clean, bbq's etc The location is solid and in walking distance to QFC, sushi, theaters, Purple Cafe etc and if you're up for an extra 4 or 5 min walk you'll be in downtown Kirkland. We never had an issue with parking, residences or any of the other negatives people reference when reviewing apartments in general. Most importantly, when you move out they are still kind and sincere and they don't nickle and dime you for everything they can think of in effort to keep your security deposit like a lot of other properties are known for. All in all, if you're looking for a place in Kirkland then Tera has to be on your list. read more

Living at Tera is the best! You're centrally located to everything in downtown Kirkland as well as all the stores on 85th. The amenities are top-notch and the office consistently has creative resident events. The leasing staff goes out of their way to make your experience a great one, and I couldn't be happier to live here! read more

I've lived in Tera for about 2 months now with my boyfriend. I had been looking for apartments in Kirkland for about 6months and Tera was by far the best of all the other places I looked. Pros: - Location, location, location. This was the #1 factor to my bf and I which Tera fits the bill to a T. My gym is right across the street so it beckons me to come everyday lol. Waterfront 6 blocks away, bars 5 blocks away, Wednesday Farmers Market, my bank 4 blocks away. Restaurants are in abundance. Kirkland is awesome no wonder it won Best City by 425 magazine! - Clean. The hallways are clean, the apartment when we moved in was clean. People have dogs and pick up their poop probably because they have doggie bags and garage bin posts in front of the door entry ways. - The staff I think are wonderful. Being a new resident I still have some questions. When we did the final walk through, Nicole placed a work order to install a ceiling fan, a rounded shower curtain rod and new shower head, as well as had our deck railing repainted because it was peeling. - Maintenance. I don't know what everyone else is talking about. When we moved in our washing machine was off its track and therefore the basket wasn't spinning. They fixed it the next day. Also our toilet valve was a little screwy, also fixed that asap. I do the requests through the online res. portal so I don't know maybe that is why they get the response faster. - Noise: I knew going in that NE 85th was going to be LOUD. That's why i wanted the C building because it is off set from the road. I sleep with a fan on at night and the door open and I don't hear s**t. The only time I hear my neighbors is in the morning when I am in my bathroom and people are waking up for work, but guess what so am I so I don't care. Sometimes on the weekends you hear people upstairs partying or playing guitar but I'm glad its not a stuck up "retirement home" like some communities because I know I will definitely have friends over sometime and we will be just as loud and obnoxious. - They don't require first and last months rent and a deposit up front. Just first months and a deposit so you can save some money upfront. Cons: - Price. You definitely pay for the location plan and simple. - Parking: $50 for 1 car, $125 for 2. I opted to not pay and park on the street. My bf has a spot. I ALWAYS can find street parking so if you're debating it, DON'T DO IT. Especially since the weather is nice, in the winter I will probably get one so I don't have to deal with the cold but for now. It's fine. - Amenities. Yeah Tera doesn't have a gym, community room, pool or anything like that but honestly ask yourself how much do I reallly use this stuff? My gym is across the street. I hate pools. I never use the common areas. I will say it does have a roof top balcony on top of B building and we watched the 4th of July fireworks...it was SICK!! We could see Kirkland, Bellevue and Lake Unions shows from our place and everyone else far and in between. - My ONLY complaint about our apartment is that it is STUFFY. I feel bad for the previous tenants who didn't have the ceiling fan. We dubbed our apartment "the inferno" because even on a cold rain spring day, it was still like 70 degrees in our place. So I guess the instillation is good. Hopefully save money on the heating bill. For people who felt pressure to buy and signed without seeing something...you're idiots. All the finishings are the same so see the model, its fine. Look at the printed floor plan, if it looks like it would fit your lifestyle then put a HOLD DEPOSIT on it and GO AND LOOK AT IT before you just sign the papers. So far I am pleased with Tera. They put in a lot of little extras in our place that at other places they would nickel and dime you. For example, Chelsea in Juanita Village wanted $50 for an ice maker, which came with my apt. as well as $100 for a ceiling fan which Nicole generously offered to put in. DO YOUR RESEARCH PEOPLE! Go to review sites see what people are saying and take it with a grain of salt. A useful resource for me was www.apartmentratings.com read more

I've lived at Tera for almost a year now and I will not be renewing my lease. They're not bad apartments, in fact they're pretty nice, but it's very over priced. It's a good location and I can walk to work, but there are nicer places for a lot less money. I've found a beautiful brand new 1 bedroom apartment for less than my Tera studio. The new apartments also have a clubhouse, pool, hot tub, fitness center & pool table. Tera has nothing. I was also not pressured into signing a lease like I was at Tera. The soundproofing is terrible. My washing machine didn't drain when I first moved in. Maintenance "fixed" the problem 5 days later, but he forgot to hook up the drainage hose when he was done and it flooded the washer/dryer area. I had problems with the dishwasher the very first time I used it as well. And now the valve in the toilet tank isn't sealing so I have to shut off the water valve to the toilet when it's not in use. I did fall for the showroom trick where they won't show you the actual room you'll be renting and I was pressured into putting a deposit down nonetheless because "it was the only studio left". That was my fault though. I've liked living here. It's just not worth the price. Find something else. read more

Have lived at Tera for two years and just signed up for a third. Easy decision! If you work in Kirkland, Bellevue, Redmond or anywhere nearby, you've got to consider downtown Kirkland and living at Tera. The downtown area is fantastic! Restaurants, bars, cute shops and waterfront all within walking distance. It's safe. People are always out and about. The spirit of this community is special! The residents of Tera are friendly and respectful. In two years, I haven't had one issue with a fellow resident. Can I hear a neighbor every now and then? Yes. Is it obnoxious? No. I haven't heard one late-night party in my building in two years. Amazing! The staff is wonderful! Professional and friendly. Sincerely want the best for everyone living here. More than happy to stop what they're working on when someone comes in for a chat... and people actually do go to the leasing office just to say hi (incl me). I park on the street to save a little money. Have never had an issue finding a spot. The fitness is a year old give or take. Well taken care of thanks to respectful residents. There is often at least one treadmill, one elliptical and one bike available. Have only had to wait for a treadmill once in all the times I've gone. I've never seen more than two people using the weights at any given time. Only negative about the gym is that you can't get to it from inside. So when it's in the 30s outside, it stinks to go outside while still sweating from a run. As I stated earlier, I have now renewed twice. The rent increase each time have been very fair. I was told before my first renewal it would be 3-6% and it was closer to the low end. Same this last time. They could justify larger increases, but they don't seem to go for the jugular. I share part of a wall with a garbage room/chute, so let me say that you can hear trash being thrown out. If there's glass (i.e. Bottles) in the garbage, it can be loud. It bangs against the sides of the chute on its way down. It can be loud, but truth be told, it doesn't happen often. And in my building at least, no one using the chutes late which I appreciate. Something to consider, though, when looking for an apt. Hope I've made it clear how much I enjoy living at Tera. Five stars is a no-brainer! read more

While I lived there,most things were well kept up and run, however the walls and ceilings are paper thin, so you hear your neighbors, the street, the people above and below you. There aren't any amenities except for a roof deck that is usually in use and a mission to get too. The layout of the apartment was good, but the closets are quite shallow in most units. They have been renovating units and these seem a bit nicer but that's trim and appliance work. The neighborhood is nice, close to park and close up downtown, great for dogs. You don't really need a parking space, there is always spots on the street. Why not at least two stars? The fees, hidden fees moving in, moving out, charges for cleaning the apartment (which was immaculate) and none of my friends who stayed after I left made it out with anything less than a 700 clean up, misc, insert whatever you want to call it... Charges. read more

I love the Tera Apartments. The apartments are beauitufl and clean, the atmosphere is quiet and the staff is outrageously friendly. This is my favorite place I ever rented, did I mention the location? It's in the heart of downtown Kirkland within walking distance of a gym, plenty or restaurants and a grocery store. Life is Tera is a cut above! read more

I lived at Tera for a year, and if I didn't have to move for work, I would easily stay there longer. The staff is helpful and friendly, maintenance requests are always addressed in a timely manner, the mail lockers are super convenient (they have amazon lockers on property as well). The best part for me was the location. It's right across the street from a QFC, and about 10 minute walk to the downtown Kirkland area with a bunch of little restaurants and shops, and a waterfront park. There is a big construction project going on right across the street that's supposed to add even more shops, restaurants, and a movie theatre. Construction only takes place during working hours so it's never been a bother. Tera is also one of the more affordable apartment options compared to the rest of the downtown area. Definitely recommend! read more

I have lived here for the past year and it has been absolutely wonderful. I moved across the country and had a week to pick where I was going to live. I went with Tera because the staff was so friendly and I liked the apartments. I couldn't have made a better decision. The staff is beyond amazing. So helpful, friendly, and kind. The grounds are always well kept, and if there is ever an issue, they are quick to address it and solve it. I have always felt very safe and welcome, which was super important to me. The other residents are also very friendly and the location is great as well. Overall, if you are looking for an apartment in Kirkland, look here! read more

Love living at TERA Apartments. Freeway access is near-by and I can walk to great restaurants and shopping of all types... My landlord helped me to find a one bedroom floorplan, that's perfect for me! Love our gym too! The staff is really helpful and prompt to assist with any needs-I'm glad to have made my home here at TERA. P. H. read more

Downsized and Happy in Kirkland Since I have been very happy (since Nov.1) with my choice to live at Tera, I wanted to help others find their new home. I spent all summer reviewing properties on the Eastside before I chose Tera. I had not been a "renter" for 32 years so I wanted to pick my new home carefully. I compared many complexes in Kirkland, Woodinville, Redmond and Bellevue and even looked at a few Air BNB rentals. Besides the obvious great location, here is my short list of reasons I recommend Tera. If you have read some of the Yelp reviews of other modern new apts, you will like what you read below. - No smoking allowed on the property! Unique! - Quiet hours 8PM-8AM that residents try to respect. I work nights often and have only been woke up once while sleeping during the day (I am on the ground floor) and I think that was maintenance upstairs. Yes I do hear my upstairs neighbors from time to time but hey-its an apt. -Friendly, professional and well staffed office that is rarely vacant long with convenient hours and open 7 days a week. You can hang out there at the upstairs big table, relax by the fire or drop by for a cup. -Office accepts, logs and holds packages and and you can elect to be notified of package arrival by text. I like that since the Amazon locker on site is always FULL. -Yes it is noisy across the street due to the construction. Pick an interior or back of property apartment. My unit is on the ground floor with a pleasant view of a large common patio and the rooftop deck is above. -Nice small gym with dry sauna. -Safe, decent sized garage spaces with assigned parking that is not shared with retail! I really like that. -Easy rental process and maintenance requests are a breeze with friendly on site staff. -Transit center, grocery, restaurants, waterfront all within walking distance. Yes this is an older complex but that is the charm. The tasteful half remodels utilize quartz counters and new appliances. Review your unit and take pictures like you would anywhere else before you rent. It would be nice to have a low flow toilet but that would be my only suggestion to Windsor to save on my water bill. You can make your unit yours by having accent walls painted (choice of about 10 colors) by maintenance at a modest price. Stop by and check Tera out! read more

I can't say enough good things about renting at Tera. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, they are not putting on a show for the public, they are truly just terrific and professional people! My apartment though on the small side (which I enjoy) is really nice, I've had a couple small work orders and they have ALWAYS responded quickly and fixed the problem. (Fast, courteous, attentive). I've looked around Eastside I've read reviews and even visited friends in other apartment homes. Most responses have the same theme. Great when you're shopping for an apartment but once you sign your lease the attitude and friendliness ends and you're just another tenant. It isn't that way at Tera, in fact I've just renewed my lease and felt as special that day as I did the first time I stepped through their doors. I'll agree with the other reviews that they are pricey but as they say, location, location, location. Even the tenants are awesome! Highly recommended! read more

The cost of living here is a bit high and at a glance, it doesn't seem fair... but what they lack in amenities (no apartment gym, no free parking, etc), they make up for in service. The staff here is great and I love how responsive they are to complaints or requests. They also go out of their way to create community elements to the complex. :) The building is clean and secure (and pet friendly!). Besides... I've never used the extra amenities in other apartments anyways. :P Quality definitely gets high points here. The units themselves are in great condition and are well insulated against the cold. However, that does mean that in the summer they get warm easily, especially western-facing units. You get a great view of Kirkland and Lake Washington, but the setting sun can turn the apartment unit in to a sauna (especially since sunset comes much later this far north in the summer). The included ceiling fan does well to circulate air... but pulling air in from the window will require a fan or an A/C unit. Also... construction noises and street noises in the day time... and that really loud garbage truck on Friday mornings. But city noises are to be expected when living walking distance to Kirkland Downtown. Honestly, the only reason I don't give this place 5 stars is because of the total costs. Rent + all utilities + parking... kind of a pricey monthly expense! read more

I'm going to focus on one aspect only, which makes everything else fade away: NOISE. My apartment is on the corner of building B, taking in all the noise from both Central Way and 6th Street. So granted, it's one of the worst in Tera. I also have to admit that, when choosing the apartment, the staff was upfront about the fact that this is a noisy apartment. However, I never thought it could be this bad. I have not been sleeping well for almost a year, since I moved in. I'm looking forward to any night spent in a hotel, and pay extra for a quiet room. The cars/motorcycles/buses never stop (nope, not even at 2 am on Mondays). The main culprit are the windows, which provide almost no isolation (and don't even close properly). This also means that winters are extremely cold and summers are very hot. And both are equally noisy. Don't get fooled by any of the other apparent advantages like I did, you will regret it. The view (which was nice when I moved in, now it's just a desolating construction site) will not be of any use when you draw down the blinds hoping that they would keep the wind away (yes, windows do let the wind go through). If you work nearby and choose Tera because you can walk to work, you have better alternatives now. I've been reading reviews about the staff being professional. It is, but they won't empathise with you if your request is not on their typical todo list. If you complain about the windows, they will kindly send you an Amazon link for a noise machine. Overall, Tera is a decent place to live, if you choose your apartment wisely. All the pros that I've seen on Yelp seem fair. But they just don't matter anymore when you're so sleep deprived that you end up sleeping on the bathroom floor (the only room with no windows). read more

Warning - Do not make a deposit without seeing the actual apartment. My experience - I was shown a model 1bedroom apt and told that my studio was not ready for viewing because they were putting carpet in. They said the model was similar just one floor up and a little smaller and to put a deposit down before someone takes it. I put my deposit down and when the studio was available it was nothing like the model. They would not give me my deposit back. BTW - parking is not free, they were charging $50 a month. read more

I've been living in Tera for about a month now, and will probably stay one more month. Basically my company's putting me up here through Aboda Corp Housing. I'm assuming that beside the regular appliances that come with apartments, all the other furnishings belong to Aboda. Since this is a review about Tera, I'll just comment on the location, quality of apartment, and service. Location: it's located near the waterfront area of the Kirkland. Very accessible to everything by walking - grocery, postal office, library, banks etc. Unfortunately it is right in front of NE 85th which can be high traffic at times. In the unit that I got, you can hear the streets only in the living room. The bedrooms face a courtyard passage way that has a gate for foot traffic. The gates slam pretty hard and can jolt the building. Quality & service: the apartment is still fairly new, but somethings are beginning to show its age. The microwave control panel almost fell off, the refrigerator door shelves snapped off. The maintenance crew response time was about 4 - 5 days. The soundproofing of the unit is not that great. I'm on the 2F and can hear the person upstairs and where he/she is. And unfortunately the person upstairs likes techno music at 11:30pm. Other people also play their music quite loudly in other buildings (I'm in C, they're in B). read more

We have been at Tera for a few years now and you cannot find a better place in downtown Kirkland. Amanda and her staff are fantastic. We have always had speedy response to questions or concerns. They have been great here. Wonderful accommodations so come and take a look and rent! Seriously! read more

It's the staff that make this apartment very homely and friendly. I have dealt with both Nicole and Lauren, Nicole being my main contact. Both were extremely friendly and was what sold the apartment. The apartment was top notch when I was shown around and moved in. The elevator has impressed all the moving people. It's hospital grade in length so the movers can get the furniture in and out easily. read more

If security is important for you this is not the place. We have had 2 mailbox break-ins, multiple emails about car break-ins to what is supposedly secure parking and emails about missing packages. They talk about security being of importance but it really doesn't show. There is no loading dock for move in so garage doors and doors into the apartment building are left open all day during move in/out for hours at a time as trucks don't fit into the garage. No key fob access means anyone can use the lifts into the building once they are in. Building is on the older side and walls are pretty thin. We can hear footsteps from the apartment above, toilets flushing, draws opening and closing and music from neighbours. For the price we pay we expect much more. read more

In October of 2015 we sold our house because we wanted a simpler life. I haven't lived in an apartment since the mid-70's so I did not know what to expect. The location in central Kirkland is outstanding with many nearby services and amenities and freeway access. The new Kirkland Urban development is across the street and Downtown Bellevue is 15 minutes away on surface streets. The management and maintenance of this property is OUTSTANDING. Any maintenance issues (very few and minor) are taken care of immediately and property management is very responsive. I can highly recommend this property to anyone looking for an apartment. read more

I moved into Tera back in July and from the second I met the Tera apartment staff, I knew it was going to be a good fit. Amanda and her team have been so helpful and really make me feel at home. They are beyond accommodating and make living there so easy. Tera does a great job of keeping up on maintenance and the new gym is incredible. I would recommend Tera to anyone looking for a great apartment in Kirkland. read more

We lived in Tera for a year. LOCATION: is FANTASTIC! Kirkland downtown is a great place to live. Great restaurants and bars, coffee and beach. In summer the waterfront is the place to be and a short walk either north or south brings you to even more areas of dining and shopping in Houghton and Juanita. We LOVED the location and miss it now we've moved. Having a QFC, Starbucks, Cinema, Gym and dining just across the road were a complete bonus. It's a pity you can't walk up 85th to Safeway though because of the 405 exit ramps. Also convenient to Redmond and Bellevue due to proximity to 405. Good for the big tech company employees. APARTMENTS: Well presented although tend to be dark which is a problem in winter. We had to have lights on during the day all year round in the kitchen and back bedrooms. The layouts are nice and being new inside makes them worthwhile. Spacious too. We were very happy with the actual apartment. I agree that sound proofing is pathetic. We knew every movement of the family above us and boy when you've got someone walking around every night at 2am and 4am (feeding a baby maybe...?) it really drives you nuts. Also if you like to sleep in that's too bad because the landscapers arrive every morning at 8am to use leaf blowers. MANAGEMENT: Used to be fantastic. The team of Aditi, Melissa and Cyrilla were awesome. All requests were dealt with immediately and with grace and friendliness. NOT THE CASE ANYMORE. Aditi and Cyrilla were promoted (Don't listen to the blonde who tells you they "were moved on"). Melissa still does well but the new staff are rude, defensive and treat you like you are taking THEM for a ride before you even open your mouth. Their treatment of paying tenets is really awful and a big reason in the decision to leave. Not only did they try to make you feel wrong footed every time you went in the office but they never knew who we were or which apartment we were in. PRICE: Too high considering the current market. If you are going there for the location then go for it but you pay a lot for an apartment with no facilities outside your front door. No gym, no pool, not sure if there is a business office, and no clubhouse for resident use. (unless you sit in the office area). There is a roof top BBQ but no tables or chairs too eat at. Overall: If all you want is an apartment in an amazing location then this is the place to go. Just make sure you don't want anything beyond your front door! read more

This is my third apartment with Tera! I love the staff, their timely responses to concerns or issues. Their friendly demeanor post signing a lease. The grounds, garages, hallways, elevators and walk-ways are impeccable and also outside grounds are tasteful. I love that the staff doesn't seem to rotate, Amanda and Nicole have been in the office since I signed my first lease in 2011 and are still there today. Lauren was a wonderful addition shortly after I became a tenant and she too is one of the most friendly and intelligent. All of the staff from maintenance to office say hello to me by name, watch out for me personally. I truly feel at home here, and could not ask for more. read more

I lived in Tera for a year from May 2014-July 2015, and generally loved the experience: the staff is top-notch, responsive, competent and friendly. The location is superb, within easy walking of downtown Kirkland and the water, and right across the street from Park Place, with its multiplex cinema, Purple Wine Bar/Restaurant, and the original Pancake House. The apartments are well-appointed and comfortable. Temperature in the apartment can be an issue--we ended up getting a portable air conditioner, due to the high temps that our apartment reached due to the sun exposure and being on an upper floor. Nasty hot! But, absent this, Tera was a great place to live! read more

Cant say enough great things about this place. First off Amanda and her staff are always so friendly and helpful. The apartments complex is beautiful and the neighborhood is amazing. When I tell people what I pay to live at Tera they never believe I get such great of a deal for such a nice place/ location. They just made a new gym that is awesome as well! Thank you Tera crew! read more

My husband and I have lived at Tera for nearly a year, and highly recommend it. The buildings are very well maintained, clean, relatively quiet, and are beautifully landscaped as well. Ditto the other reviews praising the staff in the leasing office - they are indeed super friendly, responsive, and professional, as are the maintenance staff. The other tenants are generally pleasant and respectful. We appreciated that Tera is very pet friendly, and will offer flexible options on the term of the lease. Finally, the location is super - close to I 405 and also very walkable to all the amenities of downtown Kirkland and the lakefront. as well as the transit center. Martha F. read more

I just renewed my lease with Tera Apts for another year. A bit noisy during weekdays due to nearby construction, but that's temporary. Great staff. It's a high-quality living environment. LOVE the rooftop patio area with lounges for sunning, cozy seating for conversations, and high tables/chairs to take advantage of the view in all directions. I also love being walking distance to downtown Kirkland and the lakefront. Bet C. read more

The units are SMALL, NOISY and EXPENSIVE.You are nickelled and dimed. For example, the monthly parking is $75 per space in addition to all other expense. The staff sells well but is unhelpful and rigid. I lost trust in them with their inconsistent conduct. Their friendly smiles did not match their behavior. Beware ... once you sign the contract, the treatment changes. Oh. the sponsored events on the roof top are quite lame. I will be happy when my lease ends. read more

I don't recommend this place. I have lived here for 12 months, and was bought in to the friendly leasing office, but that was only until I signed. They have staff of three, but only the most junior staff seemed to be working when I contacted, and was never sure what the other veteran staff were doing. Obviously the junior staff position was a revolving door. Cons: -Walls are thin and you can hear everything. -Avoid rooms facing Central Way, because it is very noisy in the summer, but you have to open the window, because no A/C. Units on that side had new residents every few months. Don't waste time and money to move in. -The white paint on the walls are so easily marked like they did this on purpose so they can upcharge you when you move out to take your deposit. -the actual parking spots for residents are terrible.. most of them are compact so expect dings on your doors -Leasing office only friendly when you sign, after that good luck your on your own. They are only interested in your money. -Naturally, they raised the rent at renewal and I was hit with upwards of $1500 when I moved out. -They sell you that it is in a convenient location, but it is actually a 6-7 blocks to the main downtown Kirkland area and a 10-15 min walk. With the construction of the Kirkland Place across the street, there are even less shops nearby. Pros: -The junior staff member was always nice, but they don't last very long. -There are potty areas for pets that was convenient for quick breaks (There is a pet charge). -The new fitness center is nice. -The maintenance staff are prompt and very good. With new apartments in downtown area springing up at more convenient location and condos for rent, I don't see the value of moving here at the rent they charge. read more