Kavela Apartments

I really enjoy living at Kavela. It is in a fantastic location, with bus stops, restaurants, salons, and shops nearby. The building is well lit and decorated, and the cleaning personnel are superb– the place is spotless. The studio layouts are in my opinion the best configuration ever, allowing for a spacious kitchen and living area. The rooms are well insulated– I don’t hear my neighbors. The ventilation is pretty terrible, but nothing a few fans and an open window can’t fix. The construction in the area starts at 7 or 8am and its pretty noisy all day, but if you get up early and are home in the evenings, it’s not so bad. All in all, I would recommend Kavela.

We love it here at Kavela. The building is friendlier than most REAL NEIGHBORHOODS I’ve lived in. It’s super pet friendly but always kept very clean by the kindly maintenance guy Yeoub (sorry if I spelled it wrong!). Ty the building manager is very friendly and helpful. He always keeps something going in the building to foster a sense of community.
There’s a great overflow laundry room that’s free to use in addition to the units in the apartments. Roosevelt is also the next big district. There’s tons to do here. We’re kiddy corner to Whole Foods and Bartell Drugs. Shefayoga and Broadcast coffee are in the SAME BUILDING and the new apartments next door will have a Portage Bay Café inside when they open this summer. The only real issue is some lacking ventilation in the one bedroom apartments as only one window really opens but we’ve managed alright so far. I can’t comment on parking because we take the bus but there are always car2go’s in the area and there IS paid monthly parking in the building with lots of vacancies
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Seriously, we’re so thankful to have found an awesome gem of an apartment and a community on our first time out in this new city.

I moved to Seattle from Pittsburgh a couple months ago for work, and finding an apartment ready for my arrival was the biggest thing I worried about. I made a big spreadsheet with cons, pros, pricing and location. I looked all over the city! During my search, I met Ty from management at Kavela and was so pleased with the building, design and little touches in the apt, the residents I saw around, and definitely the neighborhood — hello convenience of having everything you need right in your block!
Ty was super helpful with not only the process of signing the lease, but also the process of moving and getting settled in Seattle. He worked with me to make sure everything was smooth and comfortable. I haven’t had any need for maintenance fixes yet, but the maintenance guy was so nice and patient when I needed help with internet installation with Comcast.
The building is always clean, bright and safe-​feeling. My apartment is incredibly quiet regarding neighbors, never hear a peep from anyone next door or above. The rooftop deck is a hidden gem that I often forget about, but hopefully will enjoy more when the sun comes back around. I haven’t been bothered by the construction on either side. I’m gone during the day but when I am around the construction workers have been pleasant and no noise has interrupted my day.
There are several coffee shops and a Starbucks right on the block. Nice having Bartell’s and Whole Foods across the street for big grocery trips or the small urgent trips. I have a car but use the bus and walk to work (on UW campus) every day, super easy. Oh, and a short walk from Green Lake if you want to see lots of babies and dogs (and a beautiful lake backdrop).

I lived at Kavela for a year and a half before I recently moved into a townhouse down in Kent that was offered to me by an old landlord. The building is located in a great neighborhood and is within walking distance to Safeway and Whole Foods. There are many restaurants and bars in the area that are great as well. Greenlake is a short walk. The new management team, Mack Urban, are great. Ty runs the Kavela building. He is friendly, smart and reliable. He kept in touch with me anytime I had questions or needed anything. Any issues were resolved promptly. Upon move out, he didn’t charge me like many landlords would. He refunded my entire deposit and he did so quickly. Kavela is a secure building, not only will you be comfortable living there, you’ll also rest assure that a great team is managing the building as well. Check out the Atlantic Crossing across the street, this was one of my favorites while I was living at Kavela!

The apartments are beautiful, with large windows and lots of light — — even on those dark Seattle winter days. I never heard noise from the unit next door, and even within the apartment, sound didn’t travel. The proximity to GreenLake, great restaurants and great grocery stores (Whole Foods & PCC) make the location uniquely walkable and fun. I bike commuted to my job downtown for the year I lived at Kavela (there’s a bike room!); but the bus commute is also easy. Roosevelt High School is one of the best high schools in the city, and is right around the corner. The construction on the west side is a bit of a challenge (noise-​wise), but is fine if you work 9 – 5 outside the building. I do recommend paying for parking in the building, as neighborhood parking is tight; or sell your car (seriously), as you won’t need it here. The new management (spring 2014) is attentive, responsive and friendly.

I agree with what both of the first two reviewers said: great neighborhood to live in (minus the horrible amounts of construction going on), nice neighbors, but stifling hot because of NO airflow in studio and one bedrooms not on corners, and NO street parking :(
The BIGGEST problem though is that though we moved out last December at the end of our lease, and were refunded a portion of our deposit, SIX months later we have been called by a collection agency for a carpet cleaning bill that occurred after the deposit refund that was outstanding because of a supposed «clerical» error. We were never sent a second bill, and even if we had been sent one, we were NO LONGER under contract with them, so they have no legal right to charge us for a second carpet cleaning that happened after our deposit had been refunded. Complete bullshit.
BEWARE of getting entangled in any lease agreement with this building or any of the Mack Urban group apartments. Apparently it never ends and they can charge you whenever and for whatever they want, and if you don’t pay up they will try to ruin your credit.

Beautiful apartments with great light. I chose Kavela for the location and the huge windows. Roosevelt is really a fantastic neighborhood– you can walk to dozens of restaurants, Greenlake, Whole foods, parks, transit… I moved in when Kavela was first built and absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, the neighborhood is not quite what it was a year ago. There’s construction going on everywhere, including a 197 unit building twelve feet away from us. There’s construction noise from just before 7:00 until about 4:00 most days on the West side of the building, the construction at the future light rail station (and karaōke at the pub) on the East side goes on into the night. When the construction finally ends, I’ll be about ten feet away from my new neighbors. Parking is already limited, so if you expect guests, tell them to take the bus. I felt like I was getting a decent deal last year, but I think they’re a bit pricey now considering the changes to the neighborhood. That said, most places in the city will have some noise, and these really are nice apartments in a great area.

For the price it is not worth your time. There is construction everywhere, parking nowhere and noise at all hours. The rent will be going up and there are many vacancy, with more tenants fleeing. The building seems decent, but when looked at closely, the cheap building and finishing shows. Ventilation is nonexistent unless you run your bathroom fan.
But mostly, the local construction is the biggest flaw.
They are demolishing 6 or so buildings next-​door and putting up two new huge apartment complexes that will be under construction for the next 17 months. This will continue to exacerbate the already poor parking problem, the already noisy at all hours situation and just make it a miserable time. All the while the rent will be going up, probably leading to mass exodus.
The other issue is the apathetic management team. Im sure they mean well, but fall oh, so short. Trying to get things fixed, changed or even a message back is like pulling teeth, NOT fun.