FRONTDESK Lofts at 629 Euclid Downtown Cleveland

The management is unprofessional and passive-aggressive, and calls about problems can end in a disconnection or voicemail with no return call. I’ve included pictures to support what I’m describing. Please take this seriously and save your time and money by looking elsewhere. The apartment’s appearance in the photos and in person is misleading. The flooring seems improperly installed, with strange things coming up through it and holes appearing where there’s no furniture nearby. The white counters and sink stain easily. The small fridge has broken several times, costing us hundreds of dollars in spoiled food. Its temperature is so inconsistent that we had to buy a mini fridge and keep most of our food there. The shared washers and dryers break constantly. At $1.25 per wash or dry, repeated cycles get expensive when they still don’t work properly after being “fixed.” The windows are painted shut and rusted around the edges, which I consider a serious fire hazard and plan to report before moving out. They also have large cracks at the bottom that we couldn’t have caused. When it rains, water drips down the ledge above outlets, another fire hazard. Our AC broke three times in summer, and with windows we couldn’t open, the apartment reached around 85 degrees for several days at a time. The partner parking garage is an old office building converted into a garage. My SUV couldn’t make the turns to reach the fourth floor, and the ramps are nearly as steep as a roller coaster. They say the building is secure, but after hours the sliding doors can easily be pried open when “locked.” Valet workers from the hotel and Marble Room do this when they don’t have keys or remember their codes. I’ve been harassed and catcalled several times just outside those doors, and it’s frightening to know people could see how easily the back entrance opens.

I’ve been here nearly three years and have been happy enough to stay, so I disagree with the negative reviews. Around $1,000 a month for downtown Cleveland is hard to beat. The maintenance team responds, common areas are cleaned almost daily, and there’s a fitness center and shared space for the price. Parking is bad, though that’s true across downtown. You can park where you want, but the cheapest option, the theatrical garage, is pretty bad. Parking isn’t included at most downtown places, so that’s just how the area is. There’s no security staff. It’s a better part of downtown, but Cleveland has sketchy people around at night. The floor entrance doors are locked, though some people expect a downtown apartment to have security too. 24/7 security would mean paying much more than $1,000 a month. For me, the good points outweigh the bad, and I’d recommend these apartments to someone looking for an affordable place downtown.

The renovated unit and convenient location were appealing, with lots of good restaurants and shops nearby. But there wasn’t a window in the unit, so it really only suits people who never cook at home. It also isn’t dog-friendly. The walls are paper-thin, and noise in the hallway carries right in. People keep pulling the fire alarm, so the siren may go off all weekend. Package delivery was another major problem: my packages were repeatedly left at the hotel reception, in the hallway, or outside the package room. Some residents steal them, and it happened to me three times. No surveillance video was recorded. The property managers were the worst part. They didn’t want to help when I needed it, and once my AC was broken for almost a full week in summer.

The maintenance guys are the one bright spot. They’re incredibly sweet and willing to help with anything. Everything else has been a nightmare, and I’d tell people to find somewhere else. I’ve lived here a year, and management has been rude since move-in. There’s a lot of management turnover, so you never speak to the same person. Now I’m trying to end my lease, and the process has been rude and condescending. Don’t trust what they tell you. The AC and fridge have broken countless times. We had to buy a mini fridge because of that and because the regular one is so tiny. The floors are uneven, whatever the pictures suggest. Laundry on our floor breaks constantly; I wish we’d chosen a unit with its own washer and dryer. The dryer either shrinks clothes or still can’t dry them after three cycles, at $1.25 a load. There’s no parking, which matters more than I expected. The partner garage they tried to set us up with is an old office building with ramps that are nearly vertical. The only spot available was on the fourth floor, and my car physically couldn’t drive up there.