NORA Apartments, seattle-wa

This is a long review. TLDR: Habitable, but I wouldn't live there again. The building--secure, very few tailgaters/issues with non-residents. In December, a homeless man climbed in the stairwell and started a fire, resulting in a cold evacuation at 11 pm. Washer and dryer--Good, but the door lock sensor broke and was told there was nothing they could do to fix it. They didn't want to replace the washing machine either. Hot plate--fine. Cooked unevenly. Died halfway through the year, but was replaced. The roof--rarely occupied. The fake wood builds up a lot of static and you can shock yourself when you touch the door. Location--unbeatable, 12th is quiet. There is an enormous heritage London plane tree outside. The parking--a nightmare. 2 hour max. I got two tickets this year: 9 and 12 minutes after expiration. I also saw broken car-window glass on the ground all the time. Bike room--sketchy, several bikes had parts missing off them. Neighbors--limited socializing. All resident events during business hours and held at leasing office. Maintenance team--super helpful, responsive, and friendly. I never had a bad interaction and I wish them all the best. The hallways--very clean, often smells strongly of cleaning products. Murphy bed--loved it. Living room during the day and bedroom at night. The walls--pretty well insulated. Could hear "house" parties in neighboring rooms. Nice high ceilings. The window--large. They have those annoying vertical slat blinds, which I call “all or nothing blinds” because it’s either pitch black or people can see in. The window is like 80 x 90 inches. I got custom privacy curtains for it. Radiator--makes no sense. It’s a baseboard one, but it’s on the ceiling, so it takes forever to heat the room up. Included furniture--single modular desk. No chairs included. Bathroom drawers--hilariously small. I could only fit a hairbrush, toothbrush and toothpaste in the top one. Package lockers--bad because Amazon doesn't use them and theft occurs. Simplebills--fees can exceed your utilities. Charged me $145 for "estimated use" 3x what I normally paid. Power and water--metered individually Garbage, gas--split evenly between residents. The issues: I asked for a room not on the first floor. I had an active restraining order, and was told that they would be able to accommodate this. Two days before move in, they transferred me from the 2nd floor to the 1st, right next to the entrance of the building, facing the street. I called them to ask for a different floor. The woman who answered was extremely demeaning, implied I was being too sensitive/entitled, told me they don’t accommodate “preferences” & I was only allowed to live on another floor if I chose a more expensive room. I asked what accommodations (disability, etc) they account for. She REFUSED to tell me, saying “I would just pick one." This interaction made me feel very uncomfortable. I lived there when Juniper was murdered in a similar building across campus. I can’t express how unsettled I was during the days that the murderer was at large. Renewal--horrible. Constant harassment to renew immediately after move-in, lying about floor plans filling. They emailed/texted constantly without opt-out. Someone showed up to my door. They called me at work after I requested no further communication. They stuck giant red stop signs to the door that said “YOU HAVE NOT RENEWED.” I received 2 text messages in one day. Ofc, they were raising the rent too. Apartment--dirty from the previous resident. Fridge shelves--missing or broken. Sink--stuff growing out of it. Adhesive from command hooks still on the walls. The floor was sticky with old cooking oil. "deposit"--I paid first and last month’s rent before I moved in. On Aug. 1st they charged anyways. When I asked to be refunded, they told me it would be sent with the check containing my deposit within 30 days of moving out, but IT GOT HERE ON OCT 8. That is 68 days without $1700, which I needed for OTHER EXPENSES. They did this to multiple residents.

Furnished, spacious bathroom with a large mirror, stable water temperature, good soundproofing, and enough space for me personally. There’s no stove, but that wasn’t really a problem for me since I don’t cook very often. Package has got stolen once, but good thing it only happened once. The only reason my review went from 5 stars to 3 stars is the CLOTHES MOTHS. I’m extremely afraid of any kind of bugs, so having moths in a place where I’m supposed to feel comfortable and relaxed was honestly very frustrating. I lived here for two years and actually considered moving out after my first year because of the moth problem. But I’m also extremely lazy when it comes to moving, so I ended up staying lol. My clothes are clean and I do laundry twice a week, but throughout the entire two years, I could never completely get rid of the moths, and I really can’t find where they came from. Sometimes I even had to cover myself completely under my duvet while sleeping because I was so scared of them. Other than the moth issue, I honestly had a good experience living here. If bugs don’t bother you, this could be a great choice. But if you’re terrified of bugs like I am, I’d suggest looking at other options, unless you already know a good way to deal with clothes moths.

We have not decided yet but the place we visited a studio model room (4106 12th Ave NE) was a very good and spacious(bethroom size, washer&drier all furnished even tv on the wall). The Rooftop common area has unblocked surrounded view. And I personally thank you to an agent Zane who represent more than well enough. Thanks again and we look forward to be a resident in there.

I didn't have the pleasure of a tour as I planned. I was under the impression that being a student at Seattle Central College, the rent amount under would be under $1,200 a month. The woman whom I spoke with was extremely kind and your property looks Amazing from the outside. Thank you for your time and consideration.

DO NOT LIVE HERE!!!! I was a student looking for a quiet snd private studio for myself and my cat. Let me start this review by first explaining you don’t get much for what you pay for. I had the biggest room layout offered but still felt cramped and uncomfortable. The “kitchen” is a sink, a microwave, and a hot plate (which stopped working a month after moving in). The storage is minimal, if you have pots and pans goodluck. The fridge is incredibly small – held maybe half of my weekly groceries. I had to rely heavily on frozen meals and ramen because this is what I had the room for. I will say the bathroom and bed were quite nice, however. Now for the real reason I suggest you do not live here. As a woman, already on edge about living by myself – this apartment is NOT for you. There were several instances (I count 4 distinct times) that management (strictly men) would walk in without 48 hours notice. All times I was barely clothed. This occurred mostly in the morning when I would wake up to a knock and before I could get changed or open the door they would walk in. This made me scared and violated in a space I was paying for privacy. One time this happened and the man came in just to let me know “I had submitted a work order form.” Management was constantly coming in, for random inspections, random construction and let me add the several times fire alarms would go off for testing early in the morning and they would enter your room to just look at the fire alarm. Not the place for pets, my cat was constantly hiding and scared of the random company. Do yourself a favor and please look for better options. While on the cheaper end for studio apartments in the area, this made me realize I would be willing to spend more somewhere else that is professional, safe, and private.