Annaliese

A very bad experience… We went and we were told a certain price and in 15 minutes we were told it’s sold out whereas their own site and showed it available for a higher price. The website quoted the price we were told until morning so the website was update pretty recently…
Strongly suggest not to tell them what you like or if you particularly like a floorplan until you are ready to book…

I have lived here for almost four years and can’t wait for my lease to end. Everything started out great and over the years it has steadily declined. They have been owned by multiple managements and with each change more issues come up. They no longer let you have a second fob key to access the building so if your single and have pets it’s extremely difficult to take vacations bc nobody can get into the building to take care of your pets. They also give you less than 24 hours notice on a weekend to turn in paperwork or temp keys. I was told at 1:00 on a Saturday I had till 5 to turn in a inactivated key or I would be charged $ 50. They are completely unprofessional and have really downgraded this apartment. It’s sad bc the location is amazing and the apartments are nice, but not worth the hassle and price you pay. I will definitely be looking for a new complex not owned by Essex property.

I lived in the Annaliese for a year. While my experience living there was fine, moving out of the community was extremely disorganized and unpleasant. I have moved out of many apartments in my life, and the Annaliese process was definitely the worst.
When I finally arranged my move out inspection, the move out inspector informed me the apartment was in great shape from a cleanliness perspective. However, I was still charged $ 200 in carpet and painting fees. When I expressed confusion around this, the only consolation I received from the leasing specialist was that I should be happy because $ 200 is nothing in comparison to the thousands of dollars they could charge if the apartment was in worse shape.
Further, on my last day in the apartment, I asked the leasing specialist if I could leave my vacuum, broom, and cleaning supplies in the downstairs area of the Annaliese so I could pick them up the following day when I had access to my car. After being assured this was fine and nothing would happen to my belongings, I came back later to discover they had been stolen. When asked if I could be reimbursed for my belongings (vacuums are expensive!), I received no response from the leasing specialist. However, it was clear she received my message as I was still receiving email blasts from her to the Annaliese community, informing us of the usual annoyances of living in the building — elevator keys are broken again, packages are getting lost because no one is in the office when the delivery men come, etc.
Other terrible aspects of living here I want potential renters to be aware of.
1.) The Shell station is very noisy at night, and I would often wake up in the middle of the night due to loud music.
2.) There was a break in to the apartment when I was living there, with very little communication at the time to residents about what was going on. We later found out the thieves accessed the leasing office with all of the residents’ leasing information (social security numbers, etc.) Although the apartment was prompt about changing locks, when my boyfriend picked up his new key from the leasing specialist after a week of traveling for work, she was very rude and uncooperative with him, asking him aggressively because she did not recognize him although he was a resident for several months, «And who are you? Can you step back please?»
3.) Elevator is often not working, and elevator key cards are often re-​set by the Hyatt Place, which is frustrating to replace time and time again. You cannot use the elevator without it.
4.) There are no trash chutes and all residents must take their trash downstairs. I received many nasty emails to «break down by boxes» when taking them to the trash room, when I never threw away any boxes in the first place.
Also, here are some issues that are talked about on a daily basis on the community portal, just to shed light on the issues going on in this place.
— «All, The front door is not locking properly. It has been unsecured at least 3x that I have noticed this weekend. I have submitted two maintenance requests.»
— «Hi all — there was shattered glass in the parking garage today between spot 9 & 10 — it looked like someone’s window was broken into. Can anyone share what happened and if Republic is making it’s usual rounds in the garage? Will there be any follow up? ‘m curious as well, especially since the garage gate appears to be in the open position ²⁴⁄₇ the past few days.»
— «Anybody knows what happened during the break in incident today? If the office was broken into, I’m concerned about the amount of personal information available. I’ve emailed the office and asked for more information about the potential for identity theft. It’s really alarming that someone got in and probably stole the duplicate keys of the units and important information in the office.»
When I first moved to Annaliese, management was friendly and helpful. Since that time, it has changed dramatically (2014-​onward). I’ve moved out and am much happier!

I lived in the Annaliese for 1 year and over the course of the year the entire experience of living in the building steadily declined, ending with a horrible experience during the move-​out process. I wish I had better things to say because my experience started so positively, but I was left with a horrible taste in my mouth in the 2^nd half of my year there.
First I’ll tell you about the good:
My apartment was relatively nice and very spacious considering other units in the area.
The maintenance team is very responsive and helpful when you have issues (replacing lightbulbs, issues with appliances, etc.)
Sadly, that’s where the good things end.
At the start of the year, I found the front-​desk staff very helpful and friendly. Over the next few months, the high turnover of staff became apparent when there was someone new behind the desk every month. Over the course of the year the hours of the office were drastically reduced to the point where the office is almost always closed when residents with normal workdays are home, and the original friendly and helpful staff were replaced with rude people who will never respond to emails or even answer the phone (ehem… Julia Burrows)
The area around the building is pretty sketchy (I witnessed multiple drug deals happen right outside — and we’re not talking pot), and the busy intersection and gas station the backside of the building overlooks are incredibly noisy at night.
During the year there was a break in in the leasing office during which the thieves had access to all kinds of personal information, as well as master keys to every unit in the building. The locks were replaced promptly, with promises to increase security around the building, however a few weeks later, the hours during which someone is sitting in the front office were REDUCED. Essex certainly did not live up to their promise on that one.
Additionally there were at least 3 instances during my one year there where cars were broken into in the «secured» parking garage with no communication from management. Residents were left to hear about the incidents from other residents spreading the word through the online message board for the building. The parking garage is shared with the Hyatt place and the office building on the other side, so there are TONS of cars in and out, with the door standing open for several hours at times. The garage is not nearly as secure as is needed considering the area.
When I finally decided I’d had it with Essex and decided to move out, I was charged over $ 200 ON TOP of my $ 250 security deposit for carpet cleaning (carpets were SPOTLESS), and painting (which consisted of about 5 small smudges from picture frames hanging — I promise you the whole unit was not repainted.) I’ve lived in 4 apartments in the last 4 years and have never been charged for anything, let alone things as frivolous as what Essex charged me for.
If you’re moving into the Annaliese, your security deposit is as good as gone, and plan on spending a few hundred more on move-​out. And that’s if your place is in immaculate condition.
WRAP UP:
I now live about a half mile away by Whole Foods, pay cheaper rent for a WAY nicer place with parking included, and live in a much safer area. I couldn’t be happier about moving, and while my experience living at the Annaliese wasn’t ALL bad, I can’t in good faith recommend it when there are so many better options in the immediately surrounding area.

We were on a tight schedule apartment hunting and this place wasn’t on our list. We visited the fountain court apartments and Sam, the leasing agent, asked if we wanted to check out the Annaliese. She insisted that we do and suggested that it’d be something we were interested in. She was right! As soon as we stepped into the Annaliese, we knew this was the place! We viewed a one bedroom. The unit was spacious and we fell in love with the view! We have a view of the space needle and apparently the fire works will be amazing.
The rent is higher than what we were aiming for but the place was much too irresistable due to the location, views, layout and amenities (w /​d, new appliances, being recently renovated, tile bathtub walls, etc.). The staff are extremely helpful, welcoming and have an endless supply of dog treats.
Since I’ve been here a little over a week, I am glad we chose this place. The patio has an amazing view of the space needle, sounds and skylines. It also seems to be near everything (99 walk score), freeway accessible, next to the Hyatt so you always get that indirect security provision to keep you safe. And it’s dog friendly!
There’s enclosed parking that shares security with Hyatt. Make sure you park in the spots with the green signs or else they stick this obnoxious green sticker on your car that’s impossible to remove when dry. If you do get one, just wet it with water and it should scrape off easily. Yes I said scrape. It will get messy!
All in all, so far so good! Ill update if anything changes!

The Annaliese at the intersection of Belltown, Queen Anne, and South Lake Union. It’s a great launching point for exploring downtown Seattle.
The kitchens here are amazing and so are the bathrooms, mainly because they are well ventilated to outside your home — a key detail 95% of apartments seem to neglect. The bathroom fans can run on a timer, which is great when you want to suck out the humidity for an hour after you shower and leave for work.
Another major selling point is the sound insulation. These were designed to be condos so the construction is pretty solid for a new downtown apartment. As long as your windows are closed, you won’t be bothered by anything other than the occasional siren.
The staff has been very attentive and helpful so far: signing for packages, planning residential mixers, sending repairmen, etc.

Highly recommend visiting the Annaliese. Recently relocated to Seattle from Chicago and toured Annaliese w/​manager Brandy who was extremely knowledgeable and resourceful — has tremendous real estate experience in Seattle metro, having worked for multiple properties.
The Annaliese is a boutique condo-​to-​lease community — units are gorgeous, floor-​to-​ceiling windows/​vertical blinds, well-​constructed master bedrooms, beautiful brand new kitchens. Tremendous eye to detail.