Overlook at Lakemont

Now I understand completely that when it comes to apartments they are not supposed to be perfect… But this one is far from perfect.
When I first moved in in July, my roommate and I were promised that if they had mold or any problems like that, it would be taken seriously and would be dealt with promptly. Well that’s a big fat giant lie. Not only did we have a pipe leak in our ceiling but it was there for a month and then it came back because it was not properly fixed. The kicker is that the complex didn’t even know there were pipes in the ceiling. They kept blaming the roof and that there must be a leak. While we had this leak, the complex denied the fact that there was mold growing and their solution was to paint over where the leak was. Their reasoning for why it took so long was because they are short staffed. How hard is it to send a single person to open up the ceiling to figure out why the leak isn’t going away.
On top of that, we were told parking would clear up after summer when everyone goes back to school. Yet another lie. If I didn’t want to walk a decent distance from my apartment, I needed to pay for parking, which I caved to.
We were also not told that there were no ceiling lights in the bedrooms, the ventilation in the bathroom is bad, the Windows so thin that the cold air goes through, the walls in the bathroom are peeling, and you need to bleach every week because of mold growth.
The cherry on the cake, is that our indoor pets, never set foot outside, now have fleas. So if you have pets and are choosing to move in this complex, bomb the apartment prior to moving in. Don’t make your pets suffer because the apartment management is inept.
Please don’t rent here if you can avoid it.
Edit: The only decent thing the complex did, was let myself and my roommate leave early without penalty because of our awful experience. That does not take away from the mold problem or their sloth way of dealing with problems.

I enjoyed our apartment, I had quiet neighbors and kept to myself mostly. Every single work order I submitted was dealt with in a timely manner by friendly capable workers.
My only problems were parking, pet rent, the office banker’s hours and only receiving 60% of our deposit back. But I expected these problems, since a corporate owner is not very consumer minded.
The staff did everything that the could do to make things work.
If the parking was addressed.
If the pet rent was eliminated.
And if the corporate owners allowed more office hours earlier and later.
And if I had gotten my full deposit back.
This would have been a five star review
We are talking about an apartment not luxury penthouses

This apartment is not worth your time.
We lived here for two years. We had no problems the first year (2014). The second year (2015) we had very loud neighbors. The walls are so thin we could hear them moaning when they had sex. We could hear their bed knocking on the wall. We tried asking them to be quiet or please do it before 11pm. They never quieted down even after the office intervened. Like another reviewer said, there should be a disciplinary policy when you receive multiple noise complaints. We could hear people talking and using the bathroom.
Maintenance is super slow. After one week, We had a roof leak and they did a crappy job fixing it. We lived with a misshapen ceiling for 2 years. Our heater broke in the living room but it was not considered an emergency since the bedroom heater was still working. They took 5 days to fix it. I would put in a request on Sunday and it would always take them until Friday to fix the problem. Once they were too lazy to fix the broken oven door. I had to submit a second request to get it done.
One of the office workers used the leasing center as her own personal daycare. Whenever I came to pick up a package, her kids were always running around. I’m surprised that was allowed. Their retention is so bad I don’t even think she works there anymore.
The hot tub is always broken or vandalized. Someone stole the gym tv remote controllers and it took weeks for them to be replaced. The elliptical was broken for months.
Also, parking is full after 7pm — even on the weekends. I worked until 6pm so every day I had to hike up the hill. Going to be out late on weekends? Have fun walking a mile to your apartment. This apartment is in the middle of the suburbs, why do they charge for parking? They should get rid of the covered spots and just charge for the garages. They’d rather have the covered spots sit empty.
I have rented from 5 apartment complexes before and have always received my full deposit back. When we moved out, we meticulously cleaned our apartment. Yet they still charged $ 110 for carpet cleaning + 35 basic cleaning fee. Their words were so they could get rid of germs/​skin cells. Most complexes do it complementary after leasing for 1 year plus. This is pretty shady considering I used to see the maintenance workers completely replace the carpet in neighboring apartments after they were vacant. Good luck getting any of your deposit back.
Also, They only give you three weeks to pay your move out bill then they send you to collections. What a way to treat someone who paid you rent for two years!

Bad bad bad!!! Parking horrible! The apartment not worth the amount we pay (expensive!) and they don’t have police about noise. Me and my husband always receive the answer «we can just do a friendly reminder call». Now, looks like they put a patrol to collect the calls during the night, but still, no more than that, they don ‘t make a harder warning like: hey, if y don’t stop, y are going to be invited to move out. In TX they had this police and it worked pretty good. Now, is not the end yet, but we move and we found many things to be fixed in the apartment, besides it was super dirty. Do your self a favor, find some place else. Tks we are going to move.

Kenny helped us find our dream apartment! We have lived here for over 6 months now and have loved it ever since. It is rare to find someone that truly loves their job more than him. It shows when we first toured here at Overlook that he really sought out what we wanted and helped us find it. When we were looking there was nothing available in our price range. He was the only, and I mean only agent, that kept in contact with us to make sure we didn’t feel forgotten. A few weeks later he called us for our weekly update and found the perfect spot. Overlook has had some bad management in the past but has not let us down once. The staff cares about our needs and we know that is there is an issue they will take care of us. It is quiet, safe, and very pet friendly. All the neighbors that I have met are very nice and we will be sad when we get our home to leave this place.

I recently underwent major back surgery and thought I could manage a few bags of groceries up to my 2^nd floor apartment. Before I could even grab one bag, a helpful Overlook maintenance staffer named Mike saw that I needed help and quickly offered to take all four bags up to my apartment. This was not in his job description. Mike just saw a person in need and stepped in. I’ve lived at Overlook 4 years but this episode told me all I need to know. They really do go the extra mile.

THE WORST PLACE TO LIVE. Seriously, find somewhere else. The apts are made with cheap materials, from bowed wood for shelving in the kitchen, cheap faucet handles that break, a three foot tall water heater that goes cold in about 20 minutes, a freezer that is cheap and makes food freezer burned within a couple of weeks-​even unopened food. Windows are not insulated or double-​paned, doors have cracks to the outside big enough that this is how the management slips papers into your apt, drips of paint on the carpets, raw, cut wood that scrapes you in the bathroom above the toilets, and painted and chipping bathtubs (they call it resurfacing).
They have allowed some sketchy people to live here, and the ATF and police have been here because of this. Eight cars were broken into a couple of months ago, and management has refused to place cameras, or even signs pretending there are cameras, to protect the vehicles.
To pay for the new fob system to get into the pool and gym, the management decided to close the gym during the night hours. So, those of us who signed a lease stating that the gym was open 24 hours, were forced to sign a lease addendum stating that the new hours of the gym were acceptable – otherwise they would not give you the new fob to get into either area. Completely reprehensible actions, and they shouldn’t have been allowed to strong-​arm people.
The complex is extremely noisy. The turnover rate is high, and the moving in/​out and the noise made by cleaning the apts is loud. The workers blast their fiesta music while refurbishing the apts, with windows and doors wide open. Leaf blowers will slowly and noisily ruin your afternoon ambiance, window washers scrape your windows, chainsaws cutting down trees and used to trim hedges, workers slam ladders against your outside walls. The walls are so thin I can hear every time my upstairs neighbor pees.
The management sent out notices this winter that if your pipes froze, you would be held responsible. They also sent out notices explaining that it is your own responsibility to make sure cement areas are ice free, and where to find the tool sheds to scrape and shovel the parking lot and foot paths. Management also sent out notices warning tenants to not overflow dumpsters. There are three (3) dumpsters for hundreds of units, and they are ALWAYS overflowing. I will try to include a picture of this.
The bathrooms have poor ventilation and serratia and mold are constantly growing and needing to be wiped down with bleach. This could be of health concern, especially to those with asthma, COPD, etc.
The management is consistently entering apts. They will enter to set off ear-​piercing fire alarms and leave them on for up to 20 minutes. If you have babies, pets, or sleep during the day, you will hate this. They have inspections, where they tell you to expect them to enter at anytime during the week, and you need to find a place for your pets during all of the days mentioned (since they won’t say which day they will enter your apt). The management sent out notices saying that if you tried to close or lock a door during the inspections, that they would force it open. During the inspections, they go through the drawers, cupboards, closets, and every room, completely invading your privacy.
My roommate and I pay $ 1800 per month to live in this nightmare. We CANNOT WAIT to get out of here when our lease is over in two months. When you first sign up, they will tell you whatever you want to hear to get the deal done. They are friendly and agreeable. This will change after your lease is signed.
P. S. We are careful with electricity, and due to the constant cold air coming in around doors and windows, our bill during the winter is averaging $ 180 for two people.
.and to be fair. the good parts are the full-​size washer and dryer, colored walls, the wood-​burning fireplace, and there is ample closet space.

I haven’t even signed a lease here and I’ve had a bad experience.
My husband and I applied for an apartment at the Overlook at Lakemont, paying a non-​refundable application fee and putting down a $ 200 refundable hold on the apartment we were interested in. When we got approved for another place and this application was taking too long to process, we decided to withdraw our application. We were told by Brittany that we would get an instant refund of the $ 200. That weekend (several days later), we called to ask why the $ 200 hadn’t been refunded to our account. We were told by someone else that the accountant was in the office that day and we would have our money refunded that same day. The next weekend we still hadn’t received the money, so we called to inquire. We were told yet again that the accountant was in the office that day and we would be refunded immediately. We asked if we were being told the truth because it was Sunday, and it seemed odd that an accountant would be in the office on a Sunday. We were told that she’s there every Sunday, and if we hadn’t received our Monday in the next day or two, to call back.
Yesterday we still hadn’t received our refund, so my husband called and spoke to someone else in the office, presumably the accountant. She told him that she had been out sick for several days and hadn’t been able to get to any of the refunds, but that she would get to it right now. He was surprised to hear that and told her that this was the first he’d heard about her or anyone being out of the office and unable to process refunds, in fact he’d been told the opposite. At this, she became annoyed and rushed him off the phone.
I’ve filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and warn anyone from putting down an (allegedly refundable) deposit to hold an apartment with the Overlook at Lakemont. If you change your mind, you’ll be given the runaround for weeks on end.

This review is just of the leasing office since we currently do not rent here yet. My husband and I dragged our two little kids to look at different apartments throughout Bellevue and this one was on the top of our list. The grounds were beautiful and there were 3 people in the leasing office, unlike the other communities that just had one person present and having to wait to tour, etc.
Kenny made our visit a great experience, especially with our kids! He took the time to explain everything and was very friendly and knowledgeable. He was by far the best leasing agent we’ve met since moving to this area. Out of the 3 different apartment communities we looked at that day, he was the only one that followed up with us. I would highly recommend seeing Kenny if you’re looking at this community!

Avoid moving into this place at all costs… They take advantage of people and management does not care. To everyone who lives there now, beware… They told me they were renovating our apartment after we moved out. I requested a final walkthrough as we had a pretty large deposit moving in and my husband owns a cleaning company so we spent some time cleaning our apartment on the move out so we could get majority of our deposit back. I had a confirmed walkthrough time and when we showed up for it they were already tearing up the carpets saying someone had already done the walkthrough! What?! I went to the front office to find out what was going on and the office convienently closed at 2:30 in the afternoon. When we recieved our move out statement they are claiming the carpets were damaged by our emotional support dog, which is not true. They also decided that they needed to take our entire deposit if $ 1300 but they also claimed we owed $ 222 with no proof of any kind of damages done, btw we lived there only 10 months! They obviously are trying to get us to pay for part of their renovations. Plus when we lived there we could hear our neighbors peeing when we were the bathroom, pretty gross… and doors slamming all the time. If you are considering this place and have other choices, move to the other places and if you live there now do not let them take advantage of you when you move out there is some shady stuff going on at the Overlook at Lakemont!

I don’t think this place is as bad as other said. With 2 months so far, until now, it has been a really nice place to live. Right, you maybe can hear a random noise or a kid playing out, is it that bad? It’s a family neighborhood. Some reviewers maybe have higher expectations and sure there’re better places, but this one is quiet, nice and clean enough. It’s expensive, but during summer, with a high demand around, it’s a better deal considering amenities they offer. Kenny and their colleagues are incredibly kind and friendly people. I love it so far, let’s during next months

I’m actually really surprised to see so many negative reviews. My roommates and I moved in a couple months ago and it’s been great so far. The people in the office are ALWAYS friendly, and they really try and get to know all of their tenants. I’ve never had problems with them getting back to me, whether it’s an email or phone call.
The only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is because of the flooring, because you truly can hear EVERYTHING from the people above you which is difficult when they are noisy in the first place. We also have had a problem with our shower ever since we moved in. Maintenance has always been quick to respond to the shower issue but it’s just been going on for so long and it would just be nice to have it working 100%.
I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone though.

I just decided to lease here and I’m mainly writing my review on the help I have received so far. My move in isn’t for a week or so, so I will update this review later.
The property is clean and well-​maintained. I worked with Kenny Mitchell in the Leasing Office and he was remarkably helpful. He allowed me to tour several of the floor plans and when my roommate visited, he took her on tours as well, despite his hectic day. Not only that, when I called, Kenny was prompt to respond and he made sure I felt taken care of. While we toured the property, Kenny warmly greeted the tenants on the property and they greeted him as a friend. The place seems friendly all around!

Now that we’ve moved out completely (finally!), I can honestly say that this is one of the worst places I’ve ever dealt with; Darcy is the only exception. Without reiterating what I’ve already posted, none of which changed in our remaining time there, the complex is honestly not worth the high rental rates, small space and poor insulation.
Some things I missed in my previous review:
We had a 2×1 at 862 sq. ft. and it definitely felt tight. The dryer is inconveniently located under the water heater, so be prepared to reach underneath to get to the knobs. Also, beware of the apartments being marketed as «with a view» which basically means if you stand on your balcony and look to your far right, you can see the mountains, but your direct view is simply treetops and the rest of the complex.
The trails that you pay a small HOA amount to keep clean are disgusting. For the last six months, and possibly still today, there was a used diaper just sitting on the trail along with foil pieces, water bottles, cigarette butts and all sorts of other grossness. I’m not sure who is paid to clean it, but clearly you’re paying for a service that isn’t getting done.
For the reviews that mention those «nice» or «friendly» people in the office, you are referring to the sales agents who are paid to be attentive until you’ve decided to sign a lease. They are pretty much useless through the remainder of your stay and have zero influence on getting anything of value accomplished. Our agent sadly had no real idea of what our apartment was like and misinformed us of their accommodations for a 28 foot trailer. We had quite a time dealing with the apartment manager who was rude from day one and did very little to try and accommodate our move-​in issues. If you’re coming in from out of state with a large trailer or pod-​like storage, they don’t have room for it and they expect that it will be gone before the end of the day even if it means completely inconveniencing the moving truck company’s schedule. And good luck receiving notifications when packages have been delivered to the office. I can count only one time that we actually received a note in our box out of around five times we had something delivered. Even after calling and asking directly if we had received anything and being told we didn’t, we were JUST NOW notified after we moved out that there was in fact a package waiting and had been for over three months, possibly longer. Just bad customer service all the way around, again with the exception of Darcy who was always pleasant and prompt with requests.
If you’re still considering this place even after this review, good luck! Maybe you’ll be lucky and end up in a building that one of these positive reviewers lives in. But if you end up in our old apartment, get ready for banging, stomping and pounding from below at all hours and the most disgusting smells you’ve ever encountered that permeate the entire space. FYI, I also lived in what is considered the back of the complex at the top of the hill and recently there’s one guy who yells out obscenities and his disdain for his neighbors noise level. No joke. When I called the office about this, they stated that there was nothing they could do. Big surprise. Happy apartment hunting!

I have lived at The Overlook at Lakemont for about 3 years now. The office staff changed over the years but I just wanted to say that the current staff is excellent. Very kind and willing to help with needs. The pools are kept clean every morning which is really nice. Also there have been some security upgrades recently which helps keep shady people out. Also, they are upgrading the gym which I’m definitly looking forward to! Keep up the good work guys :)

I am shocked by some of these reviews. We absolutely love living here. It’s such a beautiful area and the apartments and staff are very nice. We went from a house to living here and we were not sure how much we would like being in an apartment but now we love it and don’t want to leave. It’s very quiet, I rarely ever hear my neighbors. We do have a family with two little kids l, (I think they are 1 and 3 year olds) that live above us so yes we do hear them walking/​running and playing but not ever to the point were I would consider it a disturbance. I have never been woken up at night by them or anyone else and I sleep with the windows open, especially in the summer. We have two kids and they have never been woken up by any noise either. The amenities are very nice and very well up kept. The pools have great bbq’s that we use quite often and a gym, basketball court and year round hot tub. I would highly recommend it to anyone whether you are a family or single. Our two kids have made lots of friends and the bus stop for school is right at the entrance which is great. It’s in a great community with beautiful trails, awesome schools and only 15 minutes from downtown.

I was thoroughly impressed with this apartment community. When I first arrived to take a tour, I immediately felt like this was home. I worked with Kenny Mitchell who really went above and beyond to answer my questions and make me feel welcome. The area that the apartments are located in is absolutely gorgeous with big, giant, old growth trees — talk about taking a fresh breath of air! There are also hiking, walking, running trails right nearby and two big swimming pools. Though we didn’t end up renting here due to needing to be a bit closer to work, I’d highly recommend you check it out and I’d highly recommend you ask for Kenny for an attentive (and fun!) tour of the community.

Wow, I’m so surprised when I see so many negative reviews. I have lived here for over 2 years and the neighbors I talk to are continually happy and impressed with this community. Perhaps when people are satisfied, they’re less likely to leave a review, or concerned it will make the rent go up?
Anyhow, the secret is (apparently) that this is a great place to live for many who don’t write reviews.
My experience is that It is quiet, the maintenance crew respond quickly and are very skilled and very sweet to my cats (so I trust them to come in when I’m not home), the office staff are beyond friendly and helpful and there every day of the week! The pools are just a lot of fun in the summertime, brimming with children and sun bathers, and people barbequing. I have renewed my lease twice and the rent went up about $ 100 the first time and $ 50 the second time, for which I was grateful, given the increase in rents in the greater Seattle area.
I am very rarely woken at night by noise, and for those times I have earplugs next to my bed, which I consider an essential item for apartment living. I have used them twice. The Bellevue police patrol this neighborhood regularly and I feel very safe here.
I live in the apartments furthest back and up the hill, and I think those tend to be quieter because they are away from Lakemont Ave and the swimming pool areas. There are tall trees everywhere and I wake to the sound of birds. There is a trail behind my building that links to roads and other trails that go all the way up Cougar Mt. I have seen owls and coyote nearby and I have grown to really love this mountain.
I do like that most of the parking is un-​numbered so that guests can visit without a lot of hassle. It is true that it is hard to find parking late in the evening, though I have never had to park out of the complex. The good thing is that there is parking on the street outside the complex, if worse comes to worst. I now pay for a garage, which is $ 95/​mo and I store about 15 boxes in there as well. (They don’t come with storage shelves, but someone previously built a large shelf in mine, and there are also rafters.)
One more thing that is great: you can choose between upgraded apartments and just the regular. I chose the regular, and so I don’t have modern appliances. I still have a DW/​W/​D and everything works great. I would pay the extra money if I had it, but I love having the choice and it still feels very modern with the granite in the kitchen and the top of the cabinetry in the dining room.
I also have 2 mostly indoor cats who I take out for walks at times. There are a lot of animal friendly neighbors, so we take care of each others’ pets when going out of town.
I feel fortunate, and also grateful to all the staff who work so hard to make this an enjoyable, safe, clean and affordable place to live.

This apartment complex sucks. Plain and simple. For the amount you are paying, the apartments aren’t in great condition, nor is the landscape. Not to mention the parking is horrible. Everyone has to fend for their own spot unless you pay 50 $ a month for a covered spot. It is ridiculous, since I would assume each unit should get a standard covered parking spot with their apartment. I know $ 50 is not much, but I’m a college student with a job and can only pay so much money per month.
Also, the women in the office are ridiculous. They are very lazy and slow with everything they do. When we renewed our lease, we had to go in three different times because they had messed up on the lease agreement and the rental price. They also didn’t tell us we needed to sign this until we had half a day to go in and sign it if we didn’t want to lose our apartment.
The mailboxes are gross and half of them don’t even have the unit numbers on them. And on top of that, a couple months ago there was a family that moved into the complex and the cops kept showing up on multiple accounts because they were breaking into the mail boxes.
Oh and another thing, none of these apartments get adequate sunlight really so, I mean if you enjoy living in a cave all day then this would be the place for you.

Like other’s this is a tough property to review. The location is great, but this is where the positive aspects of this property end.
The walls are thin, and unless you are on a top floor, you hear EVERY footstep from the property above. You also have the ability to hear your neighbor’s dog, cat, snoring, having S%&, etc… Rates were hiked over 20% at renewal due to «market» conditions.
The «security» after-​hours staff is a joke. Party’s at the pool can go well past the scheduled hours. You call security and wait…, but don’t worry, the same tenants will be in the pool the following night, causing the same ruckus. Asking the apartment staff what can be done, they say call security. Parking is also not the responsibility of the staff, numbered spots are reserved, but the staff will not enforce or tow someone in your spot. The staff changes monthly.
Tenants can have dogs… it is not advised to walk in or on the grass.
The cosmetic improvements have been minimal, but you need not worry, the cost of the improvements will be added to your rent.
Finally, if you disagree with the move out settlement, they will send it off to collections and not return your call.
I could continue this, but will close with, there are better choices ANYWHERE!
AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID