The Commons at Federal Way Apartments

They inform you of everything late, management has changed multiple times, no one ever returns your calls no matter how many messages you leave, and they didn’t tell me about my lease ending til two weeks prior to it being done. Then they say they need a 20 day notice to vacate, otherwise you’ll be charged for another months rent. The staff is not at all helpful and constantly talked over me.

This is by far the worst apartment complex I have ever rented in! It is now under new management — Greystar, which is a nightmare. All the comments about park like setting — I think not any longer, they used to come 2 – 3 times a week do yard work, clean the porches of the buildings, trim trees etc. we have seen them come twice, and one of those times was to pressure wash the roofs, which left piles of junk all over the decks/​patios which are still every where. Crows bring in trash from the bordering complex which is piling up in the green spaces and along the black berry patches that line the complex. With in a few weeks of Greystar taking over I went to the leasing office to inquire about mold issues that the previous management said were being addressed (because the website was suddenly taken down and you couldn’t follow up on maintenance requests). Greystar told me that mold was listed in the lease my responsibility — really after only living here for 2.5 months and it is under and around fixtures and under the paint it doesn’t scrub off!?! I understand it is the PNW and mold is every where, but they should have painted with a mold resistant paint, not whatever cheap stuff was on sale. The counters that are «renovated» are spray painted with something like Krylon textured paint and not finished so you look at them too hard and the paint chips off. The heat doesn’t work very well as it is in the ceiling and we have had to buy space heaters, the water heater never gets above body temperature and we have complained that there is no real hot water in our apartment for months the heater is from the 90’s and most water heaters need to be replaced after 15ish years, this one is most certainly cheap and needs to have the heater or heating element replaced but they say it is because of the wiring in the building, I buy that as the reason that the clothes dryer doesn’t work and is low wattage, but the water heater too? There is no heat in the bathroom, only a fan that never turns off so showers are awful and I now take them at work or the gym. In a few months it went from pretty and well kept but slightly older to awful. It is going to turn into Panther Lake/​campus view apartments that border it which are well — terrifying and built at the same time — same exact layouts etc. Before you rent here drive around the adjacent apartment complexes or ask for a tour of them for a feeling of the quality and what the interior is like under that fresh paint. The commons exemplifies the saying of «you can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig.» The office is always closed because they don’t have enough people to staff the office — they sent us a nice letter apologizing, but nothing about adjusting the rent for the inconvenience. Can’t wait until my lease is up in October and I can get out of here! Definitely not what was advertised!!! Not really renovated just painted, looks pretty but after living here a few months not at all.

Meant to check in at The Commons Cinemark Movie Theatre… this was an accidental check in, but I’ve heard no good things about these apartments from friends of mine who were military and how they were treated here. Not a place I would want to go.

I am a Military member. I put an $ 100 hold on an apartment November 11,2015. I was notified via email that I was approved for the property on November 14, 2015. The commons property has a policy to notify management within 72 hours if you are unable to lease apartment. Unfortunately, I was informed of an earlier move in date. When I called and inquired the date had been pushed back. I emailed on November 16 which is still within the 72 hour time frame. Manager Brandy informed me that it is within company policy she can not refund me. Even though it is within company policy 72 hours. I asked for the corporate office contact information and she then gave it to me and hung up on me. Very unprofessional. I would not recommend this place. Not military friendly or professional. I will be contacting corporate office about refund policy.

FINAL REVIEW
Pros: Good insulation, nice porches, pretty park like area.
Cons: MANAGEMENT
Me and my family have been living in this complex for 5+ years now. We went ahead and stayed one more year. My mistake! The complex has gotten even LOUDER, the management staff is terrible, rude, and not at all helpful.
The main reason we are leaving is due to the Manager (Brandy) mishandling a resent issue. I had a medical emergency due to a cleaning agent used in a downstairs apartment during turn over. I requested the apartment be allowed to air out so the chemicals used would gas out of the apartment instead of up into mine The request was refused by maintenance. I ended up having to call for fire get me out of my apartment and had to stay in a hotel for a week until my apartment and the one downstairs aired out. If that wasn’t frustrating enough the next morning the Manager brought her maintenance team into my home to search my premises when she thought there was no one here. My husband did not have an issue and stayed in the apartment only to be woken up by his horrible woman and her little crew, bad mouthing my disability and tying to go through our stuff. When I tried to go to the office to speak with her about the issue she was accusatory, tried to intimidate and bully me, laughed at my disabilities (multiple chemical sensitivity and PTSD) and called me a lair. Going as far as to say she had never heard of it and so it doesn’t exist. NOT ADA FRIENDLY!
The new tenants that have been moving in are inconsiderate, loud, and allow their children to play hide and go scream all over the place. I get woken up regularly by loud music and horns honking people yelling and screaming at all hours of the day and night. For the last month my current neighbors have been having domestic disputes in the stairway. I regularly call PD on them. Nothing has been done by the management. Just this week it was so bad there was a trail of torn clothes and broken cell phone parts leading from their apartment to the parking area. The pool is EXTREMELY loud and regularly full of unattended children and pool furniture inside the pool.
This complex is very old and bare bones. Our refrigerator has never been replaced and is broken. My dryer is broken, still. It takes 4 hours to dry 5 bath towels, according to the management and maintenance that is normal due to substandard electrical. My bath tub and sinks regularly plug up (2 — 4 times a month) again according to maintenance and he management this is normal along with the mosquitoes that come out of the drains… the toilet, tub, and sink were never sealed and so leak, create lots of mold, and rust is constant. There is NO HEATING IN THE BATHROOMS! They took out the heat to put in automatic fans that come one when they detect moisture. Such fun on a cold morning… The lights on the property are extremely poor.
The crime rate has continued to go up in this complex. I had my tire slashed, items stolen from my porch including 2 door mats in, pots, and an aquarium I had set outside for less than 20 minuets, all in one year. I contacted the management and never heard anything back reports were filed.
This complex use to be extraordinary. I would have never thought it could have gotten this bad in such a short amount of time. Congratulations on ruining a good thing guys…
Do your self a favor and run away from this place.

Great experience while visiting this complex. Family and I came to ask for information about 2 bedroom availability. Community is clean, quite and Amanda who greeted us at the office was amazing while giving us a tour. She was friendly and answered all our questions and was flexible with what our options were as far as getting us a perfect home that would fit our needs. Unfortunately appliances seem a bit outdated, but we left our information and hopefully we’ll get a call/​email when they have a remodeled town home available. Soooo excited!!! :)

We haven’t moves in yet but we have had a great experience so far! The grounds are wonderfully set up and taken care of. The apartments are remodeled and modern… They even have a garbage service that comes and picks up your trash from the front door and the cost is included in the utilities! The service we received was outstanding and the office is beautifully set up… They actually have drinks and snacks for you while you wait (besides the reg coffee and tea). I will update more after a few months!