500 Harbour Island

My original review for this building was a glowing 5 stars. That review, however, was posted soon after I had moved in. Unfortunately, the true reality is quite bleak. Amongst other issues, most notably now is the fact that two out of the three elevators have been broken and shut down now for over two months ! I have come to learn from other Tenants that this is a habitual problem which ownership has never properly addressed. This is much more than a mere inconvenience - in my opinion it is… a horrid safety issue and causes me concern for what other structural issues might be lurking in the building. In addition, I have experienced other ongoing frustrations with air conditioning and keyless entry systems and have been told of many other problems that my co-tenants are suffering with.
We patiently waited for Management to remedy the situation for weeks and were merely offered unreasonable excuses with zero effective action. Therefore, the Tenants were left with no choice but to organize into an Association where we have come together to address these wrongs in various public arenas.
This building is marketed as the best of luxury that is supposed to justify the very high rents charged. Sadly, the luxury price does not at all meet what is actually provided. Read More

This building was built very poorly and it reflects in the overall experience living here:
1. NOISE: The walls are paper thin. Expect to hear your neighbors phone calls, alarm clocks, babies crying, and being intimate. If your wall shares a wall with a units kitchen be prepped to hear every single cabinet and drawer open and close. You can hear every step from your upstairs neighbors, even from their pets. God forbid youre below someone with kids or even worse, the gym. Even with double paned… windows, noise from outside is very loud. If you face the city/8th floor park ve prepared to hear lots of dogs barking, kids screaming, ship horns blaring, every single day. If you face the port, be prepared to get ship horns and noise from all of the oil rigs plus the trains!
2. Poor construction: Everything from the paint to the tiles is the cheapest quality material. Nothing is sealed so be prepared for your countertops and floors to look dirty constantly. Lightfixtures, outlets, switches, everything is cheap cheap cheap.
3. Technology: the iApartments door locks rarely work, leaving you locked out of most common areas and unable to use your phone for your front door. It also lags so even if you try to use your code, it doesn't work or resets multiple times leaving you stranded outside of your own apartment. The maintenance/management dont service iApartments equipment and contacting iApartments is absolutely useless. Did I mention that we pay $40 a month for the privilege of being locked out of our apartments? Yes that is the mandatory iApartment fee.
4. Fees on top of fees: The amount of mandatory fees is wild. iApartment fee is $40, the mandatory cable and internet package (which is horrible and goes out constantly) is $100, trash is $25, parking is $150, the list is endless. Be prepared to spend $300/month of more on extra fees on top of your rent.
5. Elevators: The elevators rarely work leaving you to walk up a dirty fire escape stairs when you try to come home or wait 30 minutes to squeeze into an elevator with 20 other people. I wanted to get to know my neighbors but not like this. People have been stuck in the elevators and had to have the fire department come rescue them.
The only redeeming quality is the management, concierge, and maintenance staff. They are all top notch people who were given the unfortunate task of handling all the problems in this building. Read More

Consistent problems with building services, like broken elevators and lost packages. Consistent number of thefts of bikes and car items in the a garage, with no action or even acknowledgement from management. Terrible communication from staff, limited and often unavailable amenities, and random price increases with no ties to increased value. One of the worst places I have ever lived honestly. There’s always one or two disgruntled former tenants of any building, but this isn’t that. I just… genuinely wish someone told me the real story before moving in. Read More

Poorly managed and with the constant leaks in the apartment it was smelling of mold and mildew.