Joseph Arnold Lofts Apartments

Updated review on a previous 2 stars: So, I would have been just as surprised to find myself writing such a positive review after leaving it a scathing one last May… but maybe the complaining actually had an effect. They got a new manager — Amy, who did a pretty splendid job. I’ve been cautiously watching over the past months, but in all fairness, so far so good. There is good communication between the staff and the residents. Broken elevators are quickly attended to, public places are cleaned regularly, the personal at the door switches the door open when they recognize the residents and there is a sign out system for parcels taken out from store rooms.
(In fact they became so organized they found a very old missing parcel of mine).
I’m writing the new review to A: answer all the folks that emailed me before moving in and B: to make sure they keep up the good work… and the manager! Last year I couldn’t wait to get out but now the standards have been so good here that I’m renewing again.

I have had an excellent experience here at The Joe. Everything was top notch for the beautiful building and the super friendly staff. You can see the Sky Needle and the Fairies all from the roof. I really was impressed by the whole package.

I don’t typically write bad reviews because I find it to be bad karma, in this case I think it’s important that others aren’t confused by the glossy exterior of Joseph Arnold Lofts and can learn from our experience. We lived here for a year, and though the physical space and location is beautiful, the building is very poorly run. I imagine this is what happens when the owners of a building are a massive corporation based in Texas.
The downstairs staff wear (too) many hats– doorman, leasing office, mail-​retrievers etc. Their office hours end between 6 pm and 9 pm (depending if they are able to find someone until 9 pm) so it’s always a mad rush to get mail or ask any questions after work before the building is left empty. There is only one super for the entire building, and he does not live in-​house.
The elevators are constantly broken (prepare to hike the stairs) and the dog run on the roof is constantly dirty.
Oddly enough, despite the concrete ceilings, we heard our neighbor arguing on a weekly basis, and somehow could hear their bathroom antics as well.
The building is dog-​friendly, and yet the one week we had a dog stay with us we got a noise complaint about the barking dog, and then received an eviction notice in form of a note on our door. The notice was regarding noise complaints, though neither our neighbors nor the management company ever complained directly to us prior to receiving the notice. It was all very passive aggressive and poorly handled.
Proceed with caution when it comes to the below average joe.

I“m a new resident in JA Lofts, and was concerned before moving in about the list of negative reviews. The building manager took me through each of the issues identified, and explained how they’d been addressed and resolved. I loved the apartment I looked at and the location, so took a risk and signed the lease. My experience has been extremely positive: the unit was delivered in pristine condition, the public areas of the building are kept clean and inviting, the elevators and air conditioning work, and the staff are courteous, professional, and responsive. I’ve had one minor repair issue with an appliance; it was fixed promptly and correctly. I agree with a prior reviewer that all buildings have particular characteristics, including the high end condo building I just moved from. JA Lofts offers interesting, open space design, a well equipped workout room, inviting common areas, a terrific location, and highly professional staff. I think it’s a great place to live, and I’m very happy with my decision to come.

Have lived in the Joe for one year. It was awesome until it was sold (sometime around ⁰⁶⁄₂₀₁₄) and the management company was replaced; and getting worse and worse. I had to say the location is great and that’s why I am renting it, but the living experience could be way better:
1. Many tenants including myself constantly got issues with air condition system (yes, their lofts are so hot without AC). I have submitted a dozen of official service requests during the past year, but none of the requests helped to root cause /​fix the issue. Last summer, the room temp stayed around 82 – 86 for months, because the AC is controlled by a center computer that the management team does not understand. For example, when I am writing this post (April, 2015), the room temperature is 88. Again, I have submitted two service requests, but was told that it will not be looked at until tomorrow. Since my windows face to a busy street, opening the windows for cooling brought lots noise into the room.
2. And the heating system is not great, or even close to good neither. Last winter, tenants have been given indoor mobile heating devices because the heating system was down for almost a week, and people got cold.
3. Not sure why you need to let the hot water run for a few mins before it gets warm. It only happens after 11PM or so, but, still. Was NOT like that.
4. Elevator — get ready to use stairs since there’s a fair chance that the elevator will not be functional.
5. The list keeps going, but it’s too hot to type more. Leaving home for a ice cream!
You would wish you could relax at home after a long day of work. At least that’s I would expect from my home.

I have to say I agree with the other residents. I am hugely disappointed here. There is nothing Luxury about this place. Despite my rent increasing by 10%, the service has more than reduced by a half.
More than a year ago this building had a great community because the staff showed they really cared. Now residents only greet each other with hopeless satire about the «high standard» signs in the front entrance as they wait sometimes 10−20mins to get up to their own floor in an over trafficked as the lift is frequently out of service. The other alternative is walking up the stairs that smell like a hamster cage (at best). There’s been animal faeces left drying on public stairs for at least 5 days. The central heating gets random switch off inspections. Passcode systems are installed on lifts without any communication to the residents. There is no clear record of where mail deliveries are being misplaced, or if they are in fact delivered, despite the fact that on mail records they are signed by the building staff. Front desk staff is often left empty, a lot of the staff don’t greet and there is no apology for bad service. If you complain it’s like we’re begging them a huge favour.
Because now the lifts are accumulating so many residents, I’m seeing a lot of them and I’m confident that I’m speaking for a high proportion by saying that we are really let down here. I remember a year and half ago telling Mr Schuster himself as he took his family to look at the building that he did a really good job and we were lucky to be apart of this place. Back then, we felt looked after and the service reflected the ethos of the sustainable building. But this is simply not true anymore. Within a year this place is becoming a bottle of passive aggressive slum.

I’m among the first 15 people to move into this building and am surprised to see so many awful reviews. This is why people shouldn’t trust Unilocal.It’s a soap box for complaints and in no way reflects this building and it’s staff. There is legitimacy to the complaints here, but they’re so dramatized it’s hard to take them seriously. It’s so bad that I signed up for Unilocal just to review my building. Regardless of drama over the change in ownership, this is still among the greatest places to call home in Seattle. Riverstone/​Greystar did make a mistake by bringing in their own staff; there was a time when management was poor, but thankfully things now are great and this is among the best times to live at the JA. The current staff is friendly and reliable. Issues are resolved quickly and people are happy to work with you. Maintenance started out good, but now has his job down and is like clockwork: from garbage to repairs, things are done quickly and professionally. I’ve lived in downtown Seattle for 10 years and every building has it’s issues, but I can safely say the JA has been the best living experience I’ve had.

The JA lofts are in a good location and have amazing views, but an awful design. The owners of the building seem like they are just in it for the money. There is always something wrong which traces to how the JA was built. The first week we lived here one of our windows broke and I know of others breaking due to poor building design. The elevators have been down several times in a couple months and no working A/​C on a few floors. It seems like everyone smokes in this smoke free establishment as well. Most of the residents are awful too. Very few people clean up after their dogs. I can’t get through one day without hearing of others stepping in dogs aftermath. The newest staffing team however is doing a good job and are very courteous. They have been doing preventative measures on the obvious problems to ensure our happiness. However, it doesn’t excuse the poor design of the JA lofts, high turnover rate of the staff, or the ridiculous attitude of the residents. I’m not normally one to post online, but people should be properly informed of these problems. Btw the apartments seem appealing but start falling apart only months after you move in.

Great location and interesting building design.
But we residents get constant staff turnover, and numerous glitches in providing basic services — heat, hot water, concierge service. We get quarterly «inspection» of the units — checking HVAC filters, as well as other issues. So why can’t the building be properly managed? Perhaps it is lack of technical know-​how in running the building, a defect in building design — or a combination of the two. Just how many times can you say — with a straight face — «Sorry, thank you for your patience»?

We have lived at The Joe for one year. We love the view and the proximity to downtown, but when the building was sold from the Schuster Group, to the new management company, Riverstone (it has now merged with Greystar), it ceased being a luxury residence. At most, it is now a 3-​star building for the following reasons: the elevators are consistently broken, cleanliness is at an all-​time low, the windows (with a view), which are a large part of each apartment, and one of its main selling points, have not been cleaned since last February, before it was sold (and there is no cleaning scheduled until later in 2015, the management suggested the rain may help clean the windows until then), and the 11^th floor has not had heat or air conditioning since before Thanksgiving. Pets are allowed here, but the pet section of the roof, and the stairways, where there is dog excrement, are disgusting. The Joseph Arnold Lofts are being marketed as luxury residences, but they are anything but this under the current management. When we moved in, it was awesome, since the building sold, it has gone steadily downhill. We hope there will be positive changes in the future. We believe the leasing team is doing the best they can, but the management company is not giving them the resources and support they need.

The Joseph Arnold lofts are a peaceful oasis in the middle of Seattle’s construction riddled, noisy and sometimes unsavory downtown location. I was amazed by the service I received by their desk person, Katie! She took an hour to show me all available options that fit my criteria and genuinly seemed to care about finding me a new home. There is a sweet background story about the building being dedicated to the owners dad and everything in the building is a nod to him. I’m a sucker for those things ;) The rooftop? WOW, amazing views of the sound and mountians. The kitchens were gorgeous with everything wood paneled and elegant. The bathtubs were actually big enough to take a bath in! (I am 6 feet tall, not an easy find) I put a deposit down on one of the lofts a few weeks ago, but then cancelled due to finding a condo for purchase (my original goal). If I ever should need a place to rent again, I will certainly go back to Joseph Arnold.

I moved into this building the day it opened on November 1, 2013, and it’s had some ups and downs. Mostly ups, until last week…
Pros: Super modern. Glass and cement construction. Great views. Your friends are going to be impressed when they walk in the building.
And now the cons:
Every new building is going to have some issues, especially ones with the features and technology that we have. But this building went up in a year, and that’s evident by the cracks already showing up in my walls.
The cements floors make the apartments silent from floor-​to-​floor, but the walls horizontally between the apartments are paper thin. I hear everything. I hear my neighbors peeing in the bathroom. I hear their music, and I hear them talking. Also, there’s something wrong with the construction because the walls are not sealed between apartments. If my neighbors make a cup of coffee, I smell it in my apartment. If they make bacon, my clothes in the closet smell.
There were elevator incidents when the building first opened. People got stuck and had to be rescued by the fire department, other people were in accidents where the elevator dropped several floors. Those seem to have been worked out, but I’m not confident. The elevator repair people were just here again and elevators were shut off and stationary on floors for unknown reasons.
The air conditioning system is one that they normally install in office buildings. This is the first residential building they’re in, and it’s a mistake. With cement ceilings and no drop ceilings, you will hear the refrigerant whistling in the tubes all night. The units themselves vibrate and have started making other noises. The new management company (more on that below) put our units under «central control» this week, and I think it’s a way for them to start billing us for even more. One of the side effects is that we don’t have as much control over our systems as we used to. These things were designed for offices, not homes, and it just doesn’t work.
Riverstone Residential took over the building this week and it’s been a disaster. The old management company was so professional and friendly, and went out of their way to make this building a community. Now, if you can find someone at the desk, you’ll be greeted with, «hey man, what’s up.» They turned off the online rent paying system two days before rent was due and at the same time told us not to be late with the rent. The building hallways used to be vacuumed a few times a week and the elevators and lobby every day, but now it’s sporadic. The elevators themselves are disgusting. This was a green building, but the new company uses crazy smelling chemicals, and yet it’s not actually clean. There’s no concierge any more and the office closes at random times, so getting packages is hard. If you go downstairs to talk to the new management about issues, you’ll get to hear how this has been difficult for them, as if they’re not being paid to provide the services in our leases, or something.
Again, all new buildings have issues, but Thrive Communities, who used to manage this building, went above and beyond to try to fix them. They made a community here and maintained a level of professionalism that just kept the whole building operating at a really high standard. That is gone. We are left now with the same luxury rents, but nothing luxurious about it. Riverstone has a terrible reputation in Seattle, and they’re earning it yet again here at the Joe.