Velo and Ray Apartments

I am new to Seattle, and I could not be more happy with my experience at Velo and Ray! I appreciate the quick resolution of maintenance requests, and the location is fantastic! The rooftop fire pit has an incredible view of Lake Union and Downtown Seattle. Easy walk to Fremont restaurants and nightlife, as well as the Burke-Gilman Trail. Parking is reasonably priced for a reserved space underground, and I've had zero safety concerns since moving in. The application process was incredibly easy and smooth, even remotely from across the country. I've had horrendous experiences with management companies in the past, and I am so grateful for the Velo and Ray staff and community. I am excited to renew my lease!
Aug 27th, 2023

Great experience with the maintenance staff at Ray apartments! Within an hour or two of reporting an issue with a stove, Jimmy came in with a brand new stove and hauled away the old one. Thank you so much for such a prompt response!
Aug 18th, 2023

I lived here for 3 years, and I had a positive experience overall. I think it's a decent value for the location. I'll mainly comment on things that stood out to me that aren't obvious. - Maintenance is responsive and everyone's very friendly - Management is responsive but all remote and goes through a kind of support ticket system - We had our washer/dryer replaced with larger ones (though top-loading) and they also added wifi-connected thermostats. Both of these installations were smooth and a nice upgrade. - I rarely heard our neighbors, but you can hear footsteps from units above you - Never had an issue with hot water. The temperature varies but it was always hot enough. - Ventilation is poor. In my 1 bed, I had two roughly 1.5x3 foot crank windows that open about 6 inches. The room is regularly 10-15 degrees above outside, with windows open. I ran a portable AC when the temp was above ~65 outside. - Stone Way is not quiet. Right now, it's mostly closed off for construction, but it's a truck route and also used regularly by emergency response. - There was a package thief at one point. I usually pick up my packages the day they arrive, and I never had anything stolen. Most, but not all packages can be delivered to the Amazon locker or a mail locker. - Never witnessed a break in or anyone suspicious in the garage, though there was a bike thief in the past. - Fire alarm issues in the first year, but no alarms since then I enjoyed my time there overall. Update: move-out was straightforward, and I was only charged for basic cleaning despite some minor paint damage.
Dec 29th, 2023

The [Velo] building and units themselves are very nice. Area is great and walking distance to many amenities. The cleaning crew always did a great job keeping the lobby and main areas clean despite residents of the building not knowing how to use a garbage chute (how hard is it to use a garbage bag, tie it so garbage doesn't fall out, and push it all the way through the chute?). Maintenance requests are answered very quickly, often the same day. Why I'm giving them 1 star is because the move-in and move-out process is absolutely terrible. I was initially interested in a very specific unit, made an appointment to see the unit, and on the day of was told that unit wasn't available and my appointment was made in error. I had to take time off work to go to that appointment. I contacted them by email and let them know I was interested in that unit only and to let me know if the application fell through. A week later I don't hear anything and I see the same unit listed again on their website. This time I just applied and paid the deposit to secure the unit. Should have been a red flag at that point. Once I move in they forget to add me to their Amazon locker system and or notify me about said system. Received zero orientation on the building. When my lease was up I emailed to ask if they would consider lowering the monthly rent since the second bedroom was marked incorrectly and had no windows. They told me no, that it was already below market value. However, I was following the price listing when I moved out and they tried to list it for more initially but then the price dropped about $100 below what I was paying before the listing was removed. Lastly, the move-out process was terrible. They scheduled a pre-move out walk thru on the day I had movers! I tried to schedule a formal move-out but they ignored me and since they posted a 2-day notice on my door they came during my move-out day with the movers anyway. The maintenance person that did the pre-move-out inspection told me I would be charged for cleaning regardless of how clean I left it and then tried very hard to look for issues to charge me for. The bathroom wall had some light scuffing and he told me the whole wall would need to be repainted. When I asked why the whole wall and not just a touch up he very rudely pointed at the light scuff marks in a sarcastic way and proceeded to tell me that's how their paint was, that they can't touch up they have to paint the whole wall. Since I had movers there I didn't want to argue about it so let it go at the moment. Mind you, the wall paint is so cheap that just from hanging my clothes in the closet and my clothes barely touching the wall the paint rubbed off on a lot of my clothes. After moving out, I received a bill showing not only would I get zero back from my deposit but I was being charged extra. The itemized receipt not only contained information for my unit but for another unit as well. They seem to be pretty careless with confidential information. I was charged over $300 for paint and almost $200 for carpet cleaning. However, the itemized receipt also showed the carpet was replaced for regular wear and tear. I had to contact them to inquire about the charges and they refunded me for the carpet cleaning and said it was indeed charged in error. I then had to inquire about the paint and ask for proof that the paint was needed beyond wear and tear (in the lease agreement it states they do not charge out of the deposit for wear and tear). Luckily the person assigned to me also refunded me the paint charges after reviewing the pictures of the wall(s) "needing" to be repainted. In my opinion tenants should not have to go through all this work just to get the deposit that is rightfully theirs. If I didn't know any better I would say they take advantage and assume people will not go through all this work to get a deposit back and it's not fair considering the rent in this building and area is already incredibly high.
Dec 24th, 2023

Velo and Ray was easily the worst apartment Ive ever lived in. Here were my main gripes: Really bad ant problem. This was year-long. During the winter, hot water was non-existent. We brought this up with management, and they basically explained that they turn the hot water off during non peak hours to save money. Bad package theft problem. I brought this up with management, and they said that theyll look out for my package (the building is remotely managed). Speaking of remote management, this makes bringing issues up to management very difficult and slow. Expect a day+ response time for some issues. Were were promised a parking spot before we signed the lease. After we signed, we found out that there was actually no parking spot available for us, but one would open shortly. A spot never opened (and good luck finding street parking around the building). Thin walls, cheaply built apartment, and way too expensive for the experience. The only pro I can give the place is that the maintenance folks were very nice and helpful. Basically, you can find a much cheaper apartment in the area for the same experience. And if youre willing to pay more, you can find a much better place for the same price in Fremont.
Sep 26th, 2023