Villaggio on Yarrow Bay

I recently vacated my apartment at Villaggio on Yarrow Bay. It has been an amazing experience. I have loved the location, providing me the opportunity to walk to downtown Kirkland for exercise, or use the onsite facilities. I’ve lived in the 3-​bedroom apartment for over a year. The staff was always responsive to any issue I brought to their attention, whether the request was online or in-​person.
It was also extremely convenient for the office to accept packages on the residents’ behalf, as I traveled extensively. I was never concerned of a lost package. I could even request for delivery in my hope should I wish to do so.
The facilities are great! Spacious exercise room, theater, swimming pool and hot tub, with shower, along with a large conference room I reserved for a meeting with my team!
I moved due to relocating to another state. However, I must say, it sincerely saddened me that I was moving away from «home». Thanks Villaggio for making my stay such a wonderful experience!

DO NOT MOVE HERE! Unless… you like overpaying for space, getting poor service from staff, and enjoying yearly RENT INCREASES OF 25−30%+.
Original post on 4÷1÷14
My reply to the 4÷8÷14 comments from management:
Sam,
I appreciate your response. I need to start by pointing out that I did speak directly to you and others in your office staff about all of my concerns and frustrations while I was still a resident there, including ones that I did not post in this review (for example when the electronic key card security to my building malfunctioned and several residents were unable to get into the building, or that many times when I needed to pick up a package from the office no one was available to help residents, when my washing machine leaked and caused damage to some personal items as well as another inconvenience, etc). So, forgive me if your offer to discuss things further just seems to come across as an attempt to show that Villaggio has better customer service to those reading this review than it actually has vs an attempt to make things right. If you had wanted to improve my experience, you would have done so when I brought it up. I gave you a number of opportunities to do so. There is a general feeling among the residents that I’ve spoken with that we feel like we are just a dollar figure on your spreadsheet, as opposed to valued customers. That is precisely why I felt compelled to write this review.
I should also note that I tend to only write a review on Unilocal if I had exceptionally good service or exceptionally bad service experiences. In regards to bad service experiences, I always try to give the company an opportunity to work with me, show that they care about me as a customer, and provide good customer in response to a negative situation that may have occurred. I think that in these situations, a company can show its true nature to its customers. If the company has a good service focus, they can turn a bad situation into a good one and my review would be a positive one. In the case of Villaggio, it was one bad experience followed by the next. It seems that the theme of these Unilocal reviews follows a similar pattern over the years: poor rent management, overcharging, and poor customer service focus. As a manager, I suggest you take note of this theme and make improvements so future residents don’t suffer the same frustration that I had.
I think it is also important to point out that my move-​out bill had several errors on it. I am glad that you acknowledge that it was your fault. What is important to point out is that I reached out to you to address these issues several times. I was told that you were working on it and finding out what was wrong, but never got a response. It took me going back to you and finally having to deal with a third party (a waste of my valued time) to address the issue. Had it been done the first time, as I was told it would, some of these problems may not have escalated to this point.
It also seems that large rent increases are not a new occurrence at Villaggio in the last two years. Once I moved into the Villaggio I had many friends, who now live in other parts of Kirkland, Bellevue, and Seattle, tell me they had also lived at Villaggio in the past 5 – 7 years. They all told me the same story about large rent increases, poor service, and a general feeling like the owners really just care about our money and not about our value as customers. So, again, your comments feel like lip service. I wish that I had read the Unilocal reviews before moving in and now I am hoping to save others the headaches that I experienced dealing with living at the Villaggio.
Regards,
Bruce A.
Disappointed Tenant

I really enjoyed living at Villaggio. I lived in a large 1 bd room that had a view of the lake which spoiled me when it was time to move to a place that wasn’t as nice.
Pros:
+ well-​appointed units with upscale materials inside and out and open floorplans. Even if the bldg itself isn’t new, my unit felt new and I never had reason to call maintenance.
+ Kirkland on a sunny day is gorgeous and being right on the lake is a big plus. There’s a basketball court, volleyball court, and a tennis court right on the lake, and a swimming pool as well. And other amenities that I never really used, but were nice to have I suppose
Neutral:
+/​-​I had an assigned spot, but the spots are quite cramped and the layout is one of those garages where it’s squeeze as many cars into every nook and cranny as possible
+/​-​Rent is higher that most places particularly if you’re comparing to units in downtown Kirkland, but on the flipside, the tenants tend to be not sketch, and fairly respectful/​polite. You’ll definitely see your fair share of Mercedes AMGs, BMW Ms, and Porsches in the parking lot. Felt like a very safe, secluded area.
+/​-​If you have all your windows closed, it’s pretty quiet (I only heard muffled noises from my neighbors if I was in the closet). However, because Kirkland can get fairly warm in the summer, you’ll likely have your windows open since there’s no A/​C which means you’ll hear all the ambient noise from outside… but that’s pretty much true for any place in Kirkland
+/​-​The location is super convenient in that it’s right at the corner of 520 and 405 so getting to Seattle (West) /​Redmond (East) or Bellevue (South) is easyyy and a drive to downtown Kirkland (North) is a straight 2 mi drive along a beautiful lake (or bike ride or even walk). The negative points are that you could just live in downtown Kirkland (the only Seattle area city with a downtown waterfront on the lake). There’s lots of shops and places to eat in downtown Kirkland but around Yarrow Bay where Villaggio is located, there’s not much other than a gas station and a drive-​in burger joint.
Cons:
— In the morning, getting out of the parking lot on to the main Lake Washington road can be a bit of a waiting game as it’s a single lane road and there’s a constant stream of cars.
I personally never dealt much with mgmt other than the typical move-​in/​move-​out, which to me is a good thing because I rather not have to deal with mgmt at all. I can tell they get quite busy, and probably have a lot of turnover. But for me living at Villaggio was a pleasant experience where I felt very comfortable living.

I have been living at Villaggio for almost 3 months now, and wanted to say that I have been very happy so far. Our apartment is great, the main living spaces are very nice and feel very roomy. We live in a 2 bedroom apartment (Florence floor plan), the second bedroom is a little small we spend most of our time in the living room and do not feel like we are holed up in a small apartment at all. The crown molding throughout the entire apartment gives it more of a house feeling as do the arches, lighting, and marble floors in entry and bathrooms. The kitchens have plenty of storage including a pantry, stainless steel appliances including a side-​by-​side fridge, and granite countertops.
In response to a few negative comments about management I want to share our own experiences to date. When we moved in our freezer quit working correctly, management was very responsive when we input a ticket online to get it fixed. The grounds are great, my daughter loves practicing volleyball, I enjoy using the fitness center, and we both enjoy the spa and having moorage at the complex (yes, we rented a slip). I can’t wait to hang out at the pool this summer.
My favorite person in the office is the leasing agent Mitch, he is very responsive, always says hello and remembers my name, and has been a real pleasure to work with. The other people in the office all seem nice, but Mitch always remembers your name and your story (e.g. we wanted a first level apartment so my daughter could play XBox’s Kinect without us worrying about anyone below us being bothered). She really liked that he had bothered to listen to what was important to her as well and remembered it later.
I wish there was a coffee shop a little closer by for us to walk to in the morning. The walk into downtown Kirkland is perfect on a nice sunny day but we get a lot of rainy days in the northwest.
My only con is the parking garage — it is very tight and if the person beside you parks badly it can totally impact your ability to get into your spot.

In case you don’t want to read my blabbing below, here is the summary:
Actual Apartment… good but small
Backyard being Lake Washington… good
Rent…too much for what you get (or lack there of)
Location…ehh, «walkability» to DT Kirkland isn’t the best
Community…boring
Management…atrocious
PROs:
Apartments look good and are made with relatively modern materials.
The backyard is Lake Washington
CONs:
Apartments are small for the price. For instance the Naples are not 2 bedrooms, but rather 1 bedroom and a walk-​in closet.
The neighborhood is basically a retirement community. If you are one who likes to entertain guests (dinner party, etc), make sure you and your guests don’t talk too loud and that your guests leave before 8PM on a Saturday, or else you will have the cops come knocking on your door.
Oh man, and the office management is an utter joke. Their management’s hiring process has got to be just taking a pulse and checking to see if they are uppity enough. They talk to your as if they are the greatest management team alive, yet they don’t do ANYTHING. There was one time when we were late on our rent, instead of just walking a few feet to our mailbox, the office management actually mailed us the late notice fee letter. We could tell by the USPS postage stamp.
Another instance of they type of incompetence they posses is that they do not know their office’s routine process and procedures without looking in a book. For instance, we had been telling them for over a month that we were going to move out the next month, and to let us know what paperwork we’d need to do. You would think, with the amount you pay for rent, that it would include a management office that actually gave a damn… but you’d be wrong. They never followed up with us, so when the time came for us to do the paperwork, they said it was too late and that we would have to stay for one more month. All we wanted to do was NOT live there, but they were determined to making us pay for one more month. After explaining what had happened to their corporate offices, a day later I received a snooty voice mail from the office manager saying, «Well I guess you got my boss’s boss to think we should let you end your lease.» The next day, I went to go sign the paperwork for us to close our lease, but of course it was met with attitude, however at that point I was on cloud 9, knowing that I’d never have to deal with those people again.
I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture.
The only reason they even received 2 stars is because the apartments were relatively nice, and I appreciate their corporate offices for actually doing something about their inadequate office management.
But yeah, recommend to friends? Absolutely not.
Recommend to people who want a golden coffin? Yes.
If I am ever driving down Lake Washington Blvd and pass the wretched Villaggio, I always find myself involuntarily yelling out my car window «Your management sucks!»…a bit immature but hey, they bring out the worst in me.
Luckily I haven’t had many reasons to be in that area.

PROs: Apartments are nice, appointed well, and the location is really convenient. As long as you don’t need anything from management office, you’re probably set.
CONs: management office is the most incompetent collection of individuals i have ever encountered in my entire life.

I Live here and call this place home, Rent is not cheap I think is just right for all I get here… Just to have access to lake Washington sunset is priceless, staff always help me if I need it, on top of that location is super, easy access to 520 direct to Seattle, access to 405 and I can walk (1.5 miles) to Downtown Bellevue and Downtown Kirkland…

love love love my apartment :)

I was very very impressed with this complex when visiting a close friend of mine up in the Seattle area. The floor plans were amazingly laid out and the fixtures and marble trim was top notch. I felt that the rent was amazing for the features and complex… but then I am totally jaded by California real estate prices.
Security seemed top notch as everything was gated and the buildings needed scan cards.