Northpointe Highlands

I have lived at Northpointe Highland for thirteen years. I would be quite content to stick around for another thirteen.

The layout is perfect for my needs. Enough closets, big enough bedroom, and extra storage if needed. The buildings are located halfway between the Kenmore Library and the Bothell Regional Library. There are two grocery stores within walking distance, along with a large coffee shop, several gas stations, and the biggest bowling alley this side of the Mississippi.

There... is parking available, but it is also convenient for taking the bus. There are two bus stops within three blocks and a large park and ride (which I have yet to see full) is less than a mile away.

Maintenance is diligent about keeping things up. When I moved in there was a new dishwasher and fridge. Since I have been here they have replaced the clothes-washer, dryer, and water tank with newer, more energy-efficient models; all without being asked. I received a new oven upon request. They update smoke detectors and added carbon monoxide detectors. Handrails and doors are repainted every few years and the parking lot was repaved last summer.

The only real complaint I could lodge regards the walls. There really is no insulation. If hearing the upstairs neighbors’ toilet flush is going to set you off, then it will be an issue. You can hear your neighbors. However, I consider this part of city living. It is King County and we are surrounded by people. If you approach it all with a, “live and let live” attitude, it really is not the end of the world.

On the plus side, there are fun neighbors of the animal variety around. Within a mile I have seen badgers, deer, and herons. A little more walking will get you bald eagles and raccoons. It helps that the complex is located on the opposite side of the road of the Burke Gilman Trail. Exercise is made easy with that route just outside, and it ensures that we can actually see trees by day and stars at night. No skyscrapers or nighttime excitement here. Read More

The low cost of rent is not worth the hassle and the unethical money-grabbing tactics that property management will put you through during your move out process.

Do not expect things from the management staff at the apartment. The role of apartment manager seemingly is filled by younger employees with little to no experience managing a property. This role is completely a revolving door and in the 4 years I believe we had 5 different apartment managers, 2 of which we never even saw or met. We... were promised by two different managers that our drafty windows (single pane glass) would get replaced, they were never replaced. We were promised by apartment managers that they would steam clean our carpets in high traffic areas once a year, that never happened or was ever even offered to us.

Security, or lack there of. Your car will be prowled, I personally had a light bar stolen off the top of my truck while parked in the parking lot. Management does nothing about the car prowls other than put up signs about security cameras that do not exist. Your packages, they will be stolen as well. During my 4 years management went back and forth from packages being delivered to the office for pickup and delivering to your doorstop. Even when packages are delivered to the "secure" area in the office, anyone and everyone has access to the room where they have put another fake security camera sign. We had a homeless man living outside of one of our bedroom windows for over a week before management took care of the issue and called the police. When talking to the manager about the homeless man it was received with "Yeah I've had another report about that guy and that he's back" before I had to pressure him to actually take care of it.

After our 4 year stay we knew we would have charges for things like carpet and damage that we created during the time we stayed there. My roommate and I were perfectly fine with paying those charges. However, Northpointe also charged us for damage to concrete stairs that lead down to multiple apartments. They claim this damage was done during our move out. We did not even use this staircase during our move out and Northpointe management has zero evidence that we caused the damage. This $480 charge for damage we did not cause will end up with us in small claims court in principal alone. Read More