Ballard On the Park Apartments

I have absolutely no complaints about On The Park. The staff was friendly and responsive, the apartment was clean and well-​kept, the rates were reasonable (for the area), and the facilities offered a number of features. And you can’t beat the location: a block from the main drag in Ballard, the dropoff for the 40 (from/​to downtown Seattle) is 30 ft from the door, and you can get to a 24-​hour grocery store without leaving the building.
I also found the office hours to be generous, giving plenty of time to pick up packages. I did have one incident of a perishable package not being refrigerated, but I’m entirely willing to give them the benefit of the doubt: it was at a busy time of year (Christmas) and I had missed the pickup without giving them any warning.
Would absolutely live there again.

I’ve been living at On The Park just under a year & love the community almost as much as I love my apartment. This is one of the very few places I have lived where the neighbors actually know each other, it really feels like a community… which is great for someone new to Seattle like myself! Great team downstairs, plus Ballard is an amazing little town, and I love that I can walk everywhere and feel safe. Really cant complain! I’ll be a resident here for a while!

I just moved out of this place in February 2016. For the most part, I was pretty satisfied with my apartment for the 1.5 years I lived there. A couple of rent increases in one year, totaling over $ 500 in increases for my one bedroom, signaled it was time to leave. Once I indicated that I was leaving, service went in the toilet. In January 2016 they lost a bunch of rent payment checks from several multiple customers and then tried to threaten to tack on penalties if we didn’t immediately come down and write new checks. Now that I’m out, they of course are keeping my deposit and are attempting to add on a handful of made-​up charges that they now want me to pay. One made up charge is simply labeled «57». Another is a $ 4.00 «Billing Fee». Really? This has left a sour taste in my mouth for this complex. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.
One last gripe: Just a week ago they sent an e-​mail with all of the additional move-​out (made-​up) charges. This is the first they contacted me since I moved, and they already are threatening to send the requested $ 320 to a collection agency if I don’t pay immediately. This after paying over $ 40,000 in rent over the year and a half I lived there.
Very unprofessional.

I have been living at OTP for almost 3 years. The office and maintenance staff are super responsive. Whenever I have had a concern they have addressed it. The office hours are very good. Because it is owned by a larger corporation there are aspects regarding pricing etc. that staff have no control over so it is not the same as living in a small apartment building where you might know the owner. But in a small building you also may not get the kind of service and amenities that you get with OTP. You pay for it but for me it is worth it. They change my light bulbs. The majority of my fellow residents are friendly and polite. The courtyard is beautiful. The movie theater functional pretty available unless it is short notice for a super bowl Sunday or something. I love living over QFC and when I did have an issue with a tenant once, the building manager stepped in and handled the entire situation. The apartments are attractive and pretty spacious. I am happy here. (And, if you have a sweet tooth, there is a terrific candy store in the building — Sweet Mickeys!)

On the Park staff is what makes this place special. They help as soon as asked for any maintenance issues. Lightbulbs are always provided, and the maintenance staff is extremely professional and friendly. I’ve never waited longer than 48 hours for a request before it was fixed. The office staff and management has gone above and beyond for me. They have a ton of apartment events if you are into socializing with other residents. There is a movie theatre, gym, and awesome community area with a state of the art kitchen that can be rented for parties. Also to add, they have a beautiful courtyard with very nice bbq’s and a hottub for summer time bbq’s! It is centered in the heart of Ballard, and walkable to just about anything you could need with QFC connected that makes grocery shopping as easy as possible.

I’ve lived here since about last August and I’m really enjoying my time so far. The maintenance team is really good and usually take care of any issues within a day of putting in the work order.
Also, I kinda prefer the carpeting compared to hardwood floors so it’s nice that they have that in a newer building when everything else is pretty much non-​carpet. It’s right next door to the park so I can take my dog out there as well.
QFC is a huge plus to have underneath the building too. All in all, really happy at On The Park!

It’s been 2+ years and I’m still waiting on the rest of my promised pet deposit back from OTP. Looks like most of these «positive» reviews from the community are from people that haven’t gone through the move-​out process. Good luck with that!

It’s a long review but please read. We thought we would be immune to the other bad reviews about the move out process but we weren’t and you won’t be either.
I have very mixed feelings about Ballard on the Park. I lived here a year and until move out was very impressed with the experience. I moved from across the country and was able to secure the apartment over email and phone prior to arriving. The staff was very helpful with coordinating and getting everything needed to get set up.
While living there we never had any major problems, the staff rotated very frequently but all were friendly.
Our frustration and major disappointment came during our move out. Until then I would have rated much higher. To start off, we were paying quite a bit for our apartment and knew that we would terminate our lease as we had found a much larger and cheaper apartment. But when our renewal notice came I was very surprised to see that had we wanted to stay, our rent was actually increasing. Doing all the research I did to find a new place, I knew that what they were increasing the rent to was absurd and I could move in to a new building with the same amenities for cheaper. The next blow was when I was looking online at apartments and found my apartment listed at almost $ 300 less than what they would have charged me! I understand rent prices change year to year and that the apartment I lived in might be cheaper this year but they were going to increase my rent but charge a new tenant so much less?! It’s insulting. We ran into quite a few tenants who were moving out after also facing ridiculous rent increases. Seriously they were having a lot of move outs.
The next disappointment was physically moving out. We cleaned our apartment very well after reading the other bad reviews about the ridiculous carpet charges. We walked through with an employee who stated that our place looked great and that we would only have to pay for a routine carpet cleaning and a light cleaning of our place. I asked why I was going to pay for those two services and was told that it was in the lease. So yes, if I had read all 50 pages of the lease I might have been aware of that specification. And while they might put it in the lease that the tenant is basically responsible for getting the unit ready for the next tenant it’s an extremely unethical practice. There is a reason they make the lease 50 pages. And fyi Madrona Ridge, who manages, is not apart of the BBB. I paid $ 150 for those services and the apartment was spotless after I cleaned. I have NEVER been responsible to standard cleaning after moving out and I have rented from plenty of other companies. This was the first apartment I have never gotten my entire security deposit back on. In fact, I actually received a bill in the mail for $ 200 that I owed them. It was sickening. Now I can understand how the employees can afford to dress so nicely.
Extremely unethical company, they will take every dollar they can and hide it in novel long leases. They trap you in the beginning and you think you’ve landed a great apartment. And then your lease renewal comes and the true lights shines. It’s like comcast or the other horrible cable companies. Lastly I knew a couple who had lived there for years and when their lease came up On the Park increased the rent 10% which they were fine with. But On the Park would only give them a 6 month lease when previously they had had 14 month leases. That way in 6 more months the rent could be increased again. How do you treat faithful tenants this way? They are going to start having empty apartments and a yearly rotating group of tenants.
The location is great but not worth the unethical practices.

On the Park has an AMAZING location. We had the pleasure of living there for a 15 month lease. As you can see in all the reviews, it is so close to everything that walking is a breeze. We even sold our car while living there because we used it so infrequently.
The staff was always kind and accommodating. They quickly learned our names as well our a dog’s name. We were truly treated like family.
There are only a few issues we had at the end of our lease that makes our rating a 3 star and not a 5 star. For one, it took them a long time to get us a copy of our lease renewal options. We asked them three different times for the leasing options. We discovered, finally, that we would have to commit long term (way longer than we wanted) or pay an exorbitant amount more in rent (which we already had expensive rent). This gave us such a short time to secure another housing option.
We just received our final statement. While it is not nearly as bad as other experiences, I was still slightly disappointed. We were charged the remaining utilities and a carpet cleaning. These charges I completely understand and agree with. However, we were also charged over $ 100 for a full cleaning of the apartment. I spent around 7 hours cleaning the unit after we had all of our stuff moved out. While I know I missed two spots, I would expect those to be charged for cleaning 2 spots, not the entire unit. I am unsure if the cleaning fee is standard. If so, I wish they would have told me that the unit was going to be cleaned regardless. I would have chosen to save that 7 hours of my own time and let them clean like they did.
Long story short: great location, great staff, great unit, less than great end of lease/​moving out experience.

I was staying here for 3 months on a short-​term lease. I had completed all the leasing related formalities over email. What I mean is I had never seen the apartment in person before signing the lease. But Apartment was really good. Kitchen appliances and furniture were new and in good condition.
The staff is very efficient and friendly. We had one emergency problem at home during weekends, still they fixed it immediately. Office is open on the weekends too and hence is very convenient to get in touch with them.
The location is convenient because of closeness to NW market street and QFC downstairs.
All in all, a nice experience.

I lived in On The Park in the summer of 2013 for four months. It’s definitely not the most economical apartment, but it is among the very few apartments accepting short-​term leases, with super nice conditions.
+ Accepting short-​term leasing
+ Ballard neighborhood, the park right at the door, and QFC downstairs!
+ Super good condition of the unit itself, and the amenities are awesome too
+ Very nice staffs, and responsive services. There are also a variety of community activities organized by On The Park
— A bit expensive, with non-​refundable deposits and cleaning fees. But a) given I only rent for four months, I’d blame the high rent to the short lease term; b) since I work for a preferred employer among their list, the deposit was cut into half.

We have lived at On The Park since the building opened (spring 2010) and have lived in two different units on separate floors with different floor plans. Overall we have been very satisfied with our living experience here. When speaking with Ballard neighbors about living here, I often get the comment that it’s on the expensive side and then the follow-​up question of what makes it worth the price tag. I’ll try to explain that here.
First off, we wouldn’t want to live in any other neighborhood. Ballard is just a great place to live, no matter your age. Walkability to the restaurants and bars was great before kids, and the walkability to parks, the library, stores (including the QFC downstairs) is great with kids. Access to bus lines is convenient without feeling like you’re on top of a major street (like I’m sure it will feel like on Market St). And did I mention the QFC downstairs? We’re absolutely spoiled with it, given the convenience factor (ran out of sugar?) as well as the cleanliness and variety of food (organic/​local/​etc).
The building itself has been kept in very good shape; the maintenance crew is always cleaning inside and outside of the building include paint touch-​ups and power washing the sidewalks. Facilities requests are always responded to in a speedy manner, and the office staff are always friendly. A nice part about the building is that is has a huge variety of unique floor plans to choose from, so it’s worth going back to see what new units have become available.
I have seen several other reviews complain about exorbitant move-​out fees for carpet replacement. I can say that we did not see that at all when we moved out of our first apartment, but then again we didn’t have a pet. We do have one now so I’ll make sure to update this review whenever the time comes to move out again (could be a while!)

My kids and I lived at on the park for 2 years. We were so happy and treated so well. The leasing staff absolutely go out of their way to greet you on your way in or out and consistently take care of your every need.
Our home was a 2 bedroom home we loved being part of the community and we were extremely sad to leave due to a job transfer.
If you are looking for a solid community where you will be taken care of by the leasing office, maintanence and other members of the community Look no further on the park is a place for people of all ages. We will miss you all. Thanks for taking amazing care of us.

This review is long overdue. My fiancé and I, along with our dog, lived here for 16 months and moved out in September 2011. We moved across the country from Chicago and found this place to be so awesome! Or so we thought…
The perks to living here is the location. The apartment complex is located in the perfect location. Ballard is really the place to be, everything is walking distance. The apartment complex itself is really nice, with new amenities. QFC is on the bottom floor and is open 24 hours… added bonus. When we first moved here, the staff was helpful. Then, throughout the months, new staff replaced old ones… and the newer faces were not so helpful. In fact, one woman in particular was not very nice. Not sure if she still works here though…
A few months before our lease ended, we started hearing loud thuds from the people upstairs, especially throughout the night. After a couple days of experiencing this, we complained to management. At first, they didn’t respond back to our complaints, but after awhile, we were told that they «approached the tenants living upstairs to inquire about it, they said it’s not them.» Ummm, ok. So that’s it?!
The icing on the cake came when our lease was about to end. My fiancé and I have already decided we were not going to renew our lease. We received a letter from them, pretty much stating that if we were to renew our lease, it would be an extra $ 200/​month. Pshhhhh… no way will we be paying an extra $ 200 on top of the $ 1600 we already pay for a 1 bedroom, 700 sq. ft. apartment. We found a house that we were able to rent in Greenwood. When that landlord of that house called On The Park for references, they told her that they won’t be able to give her references because we never signed a contract saying we were allowing them to do so. New landlord call my fiancé and I explaining the situation. We were so lucky in that our new landlord was so understanding and had a sense of humor about the whole thing. We laughed about it for hours. We’ve never heard about signing a contract just so our current landlords can give out references.
So when we first moved in, we paid a hefty pet deposit and expected most of it back. Our dog was so well trained and didn’t make any messes on the carpet. We cleaned the unit from top to bottom, so there wouldn’t be a reason for us not to get back most of our deposit. A month or so after we moved out, we received a check for about $ 100. They said most of our deposit money went to «deep cleaning of the carpet.» Ugh, whatever. I’m so over it. I definitely do not recommend anyone moving here if you have any pets. You’ll get screwed over. Also, you’re supposed to be paying these ridiculous rent prices for added security, with the garage and all… twice, the garage was broken into and someone’s car got stolen, several bikes were stolen… you get the picture. Unless you want to pay ridiculous fees to live here, I suggest looking elsewhere.

Proceed with Caution! This place does have the appearance of being a nice community to live in, however the management is terrible. More specifically the manager of the complex is unreasonable and non communicative. We recently moved out and had a dog (they claim to love animals) and upon inspection of move out they sign off everything was fine. Fast Forward 3 weeks… we get a bill for 3600 $ to replace the entire carpet. There is no really explanation other than pet urine damages. our dog is trained, and there are were no issues with pet urine. We asked for pictures, for documentation from the carpet company, we even asked if we could get our own estimate. No response… just said we had to pay the 3600 in 14 days. Ever since we’ve been going back and forth with the complex on this amount. Like I said, the manager (this is a new manager, not who managed when we first lived there) won’t communicate and instead turns the amount owed into a collection agency. No we have to take legal action. Reading the posts below, I see that this is actually common for On the Park… strong-​arming people for money that they won’t give you proof of owing. May be it’s a scam… I am not really sure. What I do know is that is’t a huge pain and inconvenience on me and my family. I wish I would have read more about them before signing a lease.
Please be careful when considering living here… especially if you have pets. On the Park seems like a great place but in reality it has poor management that appear to be running some sort of carpet scam. There are so many places to choose from in Ballard… OTP is probably the worst choice you can make!

Please read the posts below. The problem really does lie in the move out process. Sure, you can deal with noisy neighbors, cheap fixtures/​appliances, high rents for a good location (minus the crime, bums, drug deals in the park, oh and teens smoking pot and peeing in front of your unit) but when you move out, pay for a cleaning crew to take care of everything, and STILL receive a bill for over 3k that’s due in 14 days… that is where I have to draw the line.
We enjoyed the management for the most part, however the 3.5k notice that we cannot resolve has become a major issue. We do have a dog and paid a high pet deposit… and still they wanted 3.5k. I was able to talk to the prior manager and negotiate the price down, but when I asked the new manager for an invoice so I could look at it, no response. I then found out they sent it to a collections agency instead of mailing me an invoice, calling me, or anything… HORRIBLE experience. Now we have to explore our legal options to resolve the carpet debacle and fight to get our rental history cleaned up… as this mess with the carpet can now affect our ability to rent new places. This is after living there for two years as great tenants who never had any issues paying rent on time.
There are so many great places in Ballard… this is NOT one of them. Use good judgment especially if you have pets (you will get a hefty bill) and find a place that is customer focused and treats people fairly with respect.

I am just moving out after living here almost 2 years. It has been a great place to live, especially for someone new to Seattle and wanting the Ballard neighborhood experience. While I had some issues with noise of irresponsible residents and some issues smelling smoke (again, due to a few irresponsible residents), I take that to be apartment living par for the course. There is no way to control for the behavior of every resident. In all cases, the management was responsive and friendly to my issues.
The rent may be higher than some, but the community benefits (some really great people live here and the monthly events can be very fun) and responsive management make it worth the cost.
The only reason I am moving is because I found my ideal — in renting a small house. I could have waited longer, because living at On The Park has been pretty enjoyable. I definitely recommend you give it a look.

I love this place. My husband & I have lived here for almost two years & we plan on staying for another two at least.
My favorite perks are:
The people at the front office– friendly, helpful, they pick up all packages & have cookies!
Funny maintenance guys who have been on top of calls within 24 hours & even change lightbulbs. Plus, they’re nice even though my dog growls at them (she’s a work in progress)
Hot tub
Kitchen in the common area. I can’t stress enough how awesome the kitchen is. I’ve only had a problem reserving it during the holidays when I called two days before I wanted it. Other than that, it’s been great for parties small & large.
Our apartment is pretty much sound proof. There’s very little noise from the halls & we can only occasionally hear our neighbors above us. Noise from next door is so minimal that we weren’t sure if we had a neighbor for, oh, 3 months until we saw him leave his apartment.
The only downside is the size of apartment you get for what you pay. It’s a bit of a bummer, but there are so many conveniences (gym! grocery store! secure access! pet friendly!) that it easily beats every other place I’ve lived hands down.

My fiancé and I have been living here for 2 years now and we just renewed our lease. I really like living here. It’s a great set up and the design of the apartments suit our taste. Just like any apartment building there are times that your neighbors will make some noise and sometimes you are going to be the noisy one. It’s how it goes in an apartment building. 90% of the time I don’t hear a thing.
The amenities are what make living here awesome: hot tub, movie theater, parking, storage, gym, and party room. We have used the party room for everything from Christmas parties to engagement parties. The kitchen set up makes it easy to cook for a lot of people at once. If you plan things a week or two out you will have no trouble reserving the room. The movie theater is usually available when you want it. It’s only happened a few times that we didn’t get to use it.
Both the office and maintenance staff are professional and happy to help. I love that my packages are safe and secure. Their maintenance staff has always been quick to show up. And if they can’t fix the problem they hire a contractor.
The bottom line is if you are a professional looking for a pet-​friendly building that is clean and quiet look no further. Ballard rocks!

We lived here for one pretty miserable year with our new baby. Most of the management is nice except for one person, who ruins it for everyone else. Our biggest problem was terrible noise. We lived upstairs from QFC, which seemed convenient until a horrible, low-​pitched rumbling noise started. It was from the refrigerator units from QFC and the vibration made me totally unable to sleep for months. It was subtle, but unbelievably disturbing. They eventually tried to fix it but it was never resolved. Humming noises all thru the building and cheap design. Also, extremely loud fire alarms go off all night anytime someone in any of the 140 units lights a candle.