Melrose On the Hill

I moved into Melrose on the Hill (now Violet) in August 2013 and moved out in February 2015. In late 2014 the property was purchased by Diamond Parking and the rooms themselves are now managed by Azose Property management with the parking being managed by Diamond. The new property management doesn’t seem to be any better than the last. Overall this building has a great location, good price, but is horribly managed.
The building itself is not bad for such and old building but things are constantly breaking and management choses to focus on the wrong things. The elevator will break for weeks at a time and usually has curse words etched into the paint. Both exterior entrances fail to lock. The front door won’t always latch under its own weight and the side chain-​link fence door is missing its door knob and can usually still be used just by giving it a hard shove. I know management is aware of the missing knob because I have seen the landlord use the door. There is a water pipe on the third floor that often breaks and leaks water all the way down to the parking garage on the ground floor. Often this means that parts of the wall must be torn out and sometimes a musty smell permeates the hallways.
The rooms seem to be fairly recently remodeled and in pretty good shape. The appliances are modern with the exception of the heating system that isn’t linked to the thermostat and each heater must be individually set by guessing at the temperatures until you are comfortable. The washer /​dryer single load machine is a good idea in concept and will wash and dry your clothes while you’re at work. But everything comes out slightly damp and almost to wrinkly to be worn. The large windows do a very good job of canceling out the noise from I-​5 but during the summer afternoons my apartment became a greenhouse. It would become so hot and noisy from the interstate and ambulances going by from the nearby hospital that it was almost unbearable to stay inside. Which isn’t terrible considering all the great bars nearby with AC.
My car was broken into while locked in the garage so it’s not very secure. There are also no guest parking stalls. The stall next to me always had trash in it never left in over a year. There used to be one free parking stall right in front of the building that nobody seemed to know about and parking enforcement would always pass over that I would have guests use. When Diamond Parking took over, they increased monthly rates by 33% and they painted the curb near this stall. When I asked the parking manager if that was legal or if they had just painted the curb so it would force people to purchase parking from their nearby lots I could not get a straight answer. He said he would get back to me but I never heard from him again.
Again, it’s an OK building in a great location that management continues to mess up. The Stratford Company (previous owners) seemed knowledgable but apathetic. Azose /​Diamond Parking seem to care but just can’t get it together. I almost never had to interact with management under the Stratford company but when Azose took over I was always guessing how much my rent was going to be, one month I didn’t receive a bill, another month I received two, and had multiple billing systems at one time didn’t work.
Lastly, it’s a small thing but I think it says a lot. I lived in the building for over a year and a half. From what I could tell I was one of the longest tenured residents there. Every interaction I had with management I would bring up that my phone number wasn’t programmed into the call box at the front door so couldn’t buzz anybody into the building. Despite their promises nobody was able to correct this in a year and a half.

I have lived at Melrose on the Hill (Violette Apartments – apparently they changed the name after being sold) for about a year. THANK GOD my lease runs out in January. This has been the WORST living experience I have ever had. First, I don’t even know if the Stratford Company even is legit. We have gone through I don’t know how many property managers. When I moved in, the manager was Anthony. He was basically useless. The best part is that when I moved in there was a HOLE in my floor that they put linoleum over. I mean, A FRIGGIN HOLE!!! It only took them 3 weeks to fix it. The walls are thin, washer and dryer is a joke (it’s a combo so it doesn’t dry – your clothes are saturated after «drying»), dishwasher doesn’t have enough water pressure to clean the dishes (I would run twice), elevator is always broken (got stuck up there once), parking is EXPENSIVE and we have break-​ins all the time… THE BEST PART??? They sold our building to «Diamond Parking». Yeah, I would stay away.

I have been living here for a couple months now. Overall it is ok, it is a great location, recently renovated apartments. The things I am not to happy about are the all in one washer/​dryer do not dry your clothes at all so you need to use the laundry rooms downstairs that costs 1.50 per wash/​dry. Also the maintenance staff does not seem like they are very experienced, I have had them «fix» a few smalls holes in the wall from the previous tenant and they have done very poor jobs, I wish they would take more pride in their work and fix it properly. The management is not on site and they are very un responsive along witht the Stratford Company who owns it, I have sent many emails and called many times with no response which is very frustrating. I am fine with living here but I will not be renewing my lease when it is over.

My first apartment in Seattle was Melrose and I am still traumatized. The management company is 100% unprofessional and fine you for everything possible. (example: their fixtures would break and I would be fined)
The walls are so thin you can hear neighbors having sex, screaming, and general movements. And they actually installed kitchen cabinets that have no functions whatsoever. Please don’t move here. Live in your car instead.

I didn’t realize that this stuff could happen in real life.
My money was literally stolen from me here.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS PLACE SEEMS TO NOW BE CALLED «VIOLET» BUT HAS THE SAME MANAGEMENT.
The management (Kimberly Guadalupe) is the worst, most crooked I’ve ever seen. This building is managed by The Stratford Company (
). They are big corporate a-​holes who don’t care about running an honest business, apparently.
When I moved in, the previous manager, Tucker, was amazing. It was said that tenants were taking advantage of his kindess, but I think he was just being a decent human being. They got rid of him because I guess he wasn’t stealing enough money from people. When Kim Guadalupe took over, people freaked out. Some resident posted this news story all over the buildling:
. At first I just thought it was some insane person who posted the story, but I got to realize that Kim is working as a petty thief for The Stratford Company.
The first time they stole my money was when my online rent payment was, unbeknownst to me, not processed. I got a notice on my door that said if I didn’t pay my rent I would be evicted in 3 days. I looked at my bank records from that month and it said I had paid. When I finally realized it was because my payment from 2 months prior hadn’t gone through, I tried to reason with them. I asked them to waive my fee because I had no idea anything had gone wrong, and because I was a loyal, respectful tenant. They refused to negotiate or even speak with me. I was forced to pay over $ 300 in late fees because they didn’t tell me that something had gone wrong with my payment in their portal. I tried to contact ANYONE else at the Stratford Company, but no one would respond. I even called the president. Nothing. When I would send emails to someone else at the company, they would just forward it to Kim Guadalupe. There are no phone numbers, either. They all just lead back to Kim. This should be illegal!
The second time they stole my money was with the moveout fees. They charged me $ 235.00 for painting and hole repair. The apartment was about 650 sq feet, and the only holes to repair were pretty minor. They wouldn’t send me the receipts, either by mail, email, or fax. Kim said I had to drive to their corporate office in North Seattle somewhere during their business hours (between 10 am and 3 pm on weekdays or something), but I cannot do this, because I work… like most people. Not only was my deposit not returned, but I had to pay about another $ 150 on top of it. In WA state, it is illegal to charge someone for painting to prep for the next tenant, unless is necessary due to damages that exceed «general wear and tear».
I have lived in lots of different apartments all around the Seattle area. This was by far the worst living experience ever. The units also have terrible dry rot and the washer/​dryer machines do not dry the clothes. EVER. They are hooked up to the wrong voltage so even if they are «repaired», it is impossible for the dryer to actually function. They ruined a few items of my clothing, too, because instead of drying the clothes, they blast them with scalding hot water. WHAT A JOKE!
I could go on and on about things but I’ll just stop here. If you HAVE to live on the hill, please choose another place, even if it’s a few hundred dollars more per month.
These people are crooked and ridiculous.

This place is the WORST ever. It is noisy, the washer dryers do not work and their are huge rats in the trash area and storage areas. I opened a maintenance request to get the washer dryer repaired and I was blamed for breaking it. After 3 months they finally sent a technician who said it had been stripped for parts. The heat did not work and after no response from the maintenance requests, I had to call the city to get the maintenance office to take action. I would advise you to not rent any apartment from STRATFORD MANAGEMENT as they are managed (mismanaged) by the same woman Kim G who is rude, unethical and lied to me on several occasions. I moved out after four months as I was paying 1500 for a one bedroom apartment that was basically uninhabitable. I cannot urge you strongly enough to look for another apartment as the location is great but this apartment complex and management company are a nightmare.

Agree with what other people have said. Location is awesome, depending on where you like to frequent. The building is fairly old, so walls and windows are thin. (NBD if you’re a light sleeper.) My number one issue with the property was the management team. I believe they got a new management team within the last couple years. The regional manager, Kimberly, is the main reason why I moved out. Both the maintenance team, and the on-​site staff member, Rebecca, were great. No problems with them.
I highly advise you not to live here. Despite the location being great, living here is not worth the risk of having to deal with such a awful regional manager. She is rude and does not have the mindset of «customer first.»

Cars are getting broken into all the time. The garage is not very secured and they charge you for every little thing.
The management isn’t very nice and for the cost of this building you can get way nicer.
My kitchen also flooded due to a building main pipe backup and although maintenance did come in and stopped the flood in a matter of hours, they never offered to give me assistance to clean up my flooded kitchen.
Outright these guys are cheap.
One case is where I was locked out of the parking garage (which by the way, I pay $ 200/​mo for) due to a maintenance issue, but the operations manager (Kim Guadalupe) simply said «Its company policy to not reimburse tenants due to regular maintenence». I simply wanted a $ 6.50 credit on my bill for having to park my car at my friends building across the city for a night and they completely denied that.
Here’s the email thread with Kim:
— — – Original message — — –
From: Kim Guadalupe

Date: 07/​19/​2013 7:20 PM (GMT-08:00)
To: Steven XXX XXXX
Cc: Rebecca Hubbs

Subject: RE: Garage key pad doesnt work
Unfortunately I don’t. I am the highest point of contact as the Operations Manager.
Kimberly Guadalupe
Operations Manager
The Stratford Company
P: 206−829−9405
F: 206−629−9503
On Jul 19, 2013 7:09 PM, «Steven XXX»
wrote:
I understand Kim.
Do you have a manager’s contact so I can escalate the issue?
Sent from Samsung Mobile
— — – Original message — — –
From: Kim Guadalupe

Date: 07/​19/​2013 6:34 PM (GMT-08:00)
To: Steven XXX XXX
Cc: Rebecca Hubbs

Subject: RE: Garage key pad doesnt work
Again per company policy we don’t reimburse for regular maintenance issues.
Please make your rent payments in full to avoid late fees.
Kimberly Guadalupe
Operations Manager
The Stratford Company
P: 206−829−9405
F: 206−629−9503
On Jul 19, 2013 5:52 PM, «Steven XXX» XXX wrote:
I’ll just reduce the online payment for the next month by $ 6.45.
Rebecca do you need a deposit or something for the remote?
Sent from Samsung Mobile
— — – Original message — — –
From: Steven XXX XXX.
Date: 07/​19/​2013 5:46 PM (GMT-08:00)
To: Kim Guadalupe

Cc: Rebecca Hubbs

Subject: RE: Garage key pad doesnt work
Thats fine just go ahead and reduce next months parking by the lost day.
Sent from Samsung Mobile
— — – Original message — — –
From: Kim Guadalupe

Date: 07/​19/​2013 5:43 PM (GMT-08:00)
To: Steven XXX XXX
Cc: Rebecca Hubbs

Subject: RE: Garage key pad doesnt work
Per company policy we don’t reimburse for regular maintenance issues.
Kimberly Guadalupe
Operations Manager
The Stratford Company
P: 206−829−9405
F: 206−629−9503
On Jul 19, 2013 5:40 PM, «Steven XXX» XXX wrote:
So how do you intend on reimbursing me for the fact that the keypad wouldn’t work and I could not park my car, in the spot that I pay $ 200/​mo for?
Do you think I’m making this up for ~$ 6? The keypad wouldn’t work.
Steve
From: Kim Guadalupe [mailto:kim@thestratfordcompany.com]
Sent: Friday, July 19, 2013 4:55 PM
To: Steven XXX
Cc: Rebecca Hubbs
Subject: RE: Garage key pad doesnt work
We won’t be able to credit you back as we don’t rent by the day we rent by the month.
I’m still sitting her and tried it again and works no problem.
Also Rebecca can give you a key to the garage door as well.
Kimberly Guadalupe
Operations Manager
The Stratford Company
P: 206−829−9405
F: 206−629−9503
On Jul 19, 2013 4:48 PM, «Steven XXX» XXX wrote:
It was not working last night. I’ve been using that key pad for 6 months. Someone else couldn’t’ get in either and had to call someone with an opener to let them in.
I had to park my car really far away and pay for it. Please credit my account for the days parking. ($ ²⁰⁰⁄₁ mo)
I’ll give her a call.
Thanks,
Steve
From: Kim Guadalupe [mailto:kim@thestratfordcompany.com]
Sent: Friday, July 19, 2013 4:43 PM
To: Steven XXX
Cc: Rebecca Hubbs
Subject: RE: Garage key pad doesnt work
I’m at the property right now and just used the key pad to open the garage door.
Please call the Melrose number to ask Rebecca for a garage remote.
Kimberly Guadalupe
Operations Manager
The Stratford Company
P: 206−829−9405
F: 206−629−9503
On Jul 18, 2013 10:01 PM, «Steven XXX» XXX wrote:
I submitted a maintenance request.
I cant get into my space tonight. Please credit my account for todays parking for the month.
Also please provide me with an opener please.

First off, location is great. It’s right near The Pine Box and Bauhaus, although there is a building going up right behind the apartment that has taken over the small parking lot next to the building – which means outhouses, dust, and noise. You can walk to Downtown, drive to the Arboretum or Volunteer Park, or walk up to Broadway in a matter of minutes!
Next, the apartment itself is hit and miss. I am in one of the new renovated apartments, and it’s got a nice textured floor in the kitchen and entry way, lenoleum in the bathroom, and carpet throughout the rest. The carpet is alright – not amazing – but there are some areas under the carpet that it feels like the contractor just laid down some plywood and didn’t bother to flatten it down – so it «pops» whenever you walk over it. There was also an exposed opening for what looks to be a smoke detector in the bedroom, with no attempts to cover it up.
For some reason, electronics are a huge pain here. For example – there’s a range with a cabinet over it – but a good 4 foot space in between. Considering counter space is at a premium, why there’s no microwave over the stove is beyond me. So most of the usable space in the kitchen is wiped out.
The included washer/​dryer is a HUGE fail; it’s one of the combined versions, which means that it’s just okay at washing, and awful at drying. I talked with the repair guy about it – it turns out they didn’t wire the bathrooms with a 220V outlet (120V only), so the dryer literally just heats up the metal barrel and circulates the clothes. It doesn’t blow hot air over the clothes, which is what regular dryers do. So it takes 5 hours to dry clothes – and by the time they do dry (which isn’t always the case), they are terribly winkled. They’ve recently added coin operated washers and dryers downstairs, but it still fails like I’ve been screwed.
The heating is also horrible. They had what looked to be baseboard heaters, but they replaced them with these tiny little fan/​coil based systems in two places in the entire apartment. They’re noisy, they get dusty, and they’re horrible for heating an entire apartment – if they had one in the bathroom, it wouldn’t even be useful for keeping warm while toweling off.
I also have a parking space, which is on the indoor lot – fortunately, my car has not been broken into yet (knock on wood), but the two cars next to mine both had their windows smashed in. To be fair, both had visible electronics, so I understand why they were picked – but considering it’s $ 200 a month for a space, I’d expect at least some level of security. Furthermore, the elevator is constantly messing up – if someone goes to the 4^th floor, it skips all other floors; sometimes when I go to my floor, it goes up, wobbles a bit, stops, and then shoots back down to the first floor; other times, it just plain doesn’t work and seems to constantly be under maintenance.
Finally, and the nail in the coffin, is this: management is awful at communicating things. When property managers switched, I came home to a «PAY OR VACATE IN 3 DAYS» notice on my door, along with an arbitrary sum. On a Friday. With no prior notice. Calling and emailing the property manager yielded no response – I had to txt Tucker (the previous property manager, who is awesome) and he was kind enough to go into their system on a Friday night and tell me what the cost was due to. Ironically enough, it was a screw-​up on their part (and everybody in the building had the same notice with varying amounts). There is not a SINGLE itemized receipt or explanation.
Overally, I enjoyed living here for it’s proximity to everything, but I’m not planning on renewing my lease. The price is great for the area as well, but if you want a «nice» place to live, you may need to look elsewhere.

When I first moved in, it was OK. but the management consistently makes decisions that make this place worse instead of better. They do their best to charge you more for less every month.
People get their cars broken into all the time, they switched off the radiators and put in crappy electric wall heaters (obviously without any discount in our ‘utility fee’), and doors, elevators and other things in the common areas are commonly broken.
Also, the plumbing is rusting, so the water pressure is low, and the water is a little bit yellow.
Great location, though. Cant be beat. And the coutertops are nice.

Great apartment! New appliances, new countertops and great building manager. Many awesome restaurants, coffee shops, market and super close to downtown.
I miss it!