77 Central By Aboda

The fitness center has just been redone and feels great, and the facilities in general are genuinely nice. The harder part is the rent: even if you start with a good rate, it goes up every year, often by 7% or more. I’ve also found the office slow to answer questions, and it sounds like other tenants have too. Seems the delay is with getting a response from corporate.

It’s a comfortable place to live, with several restaurants and a grocery store within walking distance. The location is quieter than Seattle, but I can still get downtown in minutes by bus or car. Staff have been friendly and genuinely helpful when I’ve had issues with things like key fobs, the AC, or mail. They may be short staffed because of Covid, so I try to give them some grace. They do seem to want to sort things out promptly.

Great building, but the leadership is poor. The maintenance staff has been helpful, though Liza Darling, the new manager, seems unfamiliar with mold remediation, FireLife and Safety Issues, and smoke control. Her interpersonal skills also seem weak. With so many water events that have been masked and poorly handled, the building should get the city mandated environmental inspection. Don’t.

Things have gone further downhill since the new manager Lisza Darling arrived in July. She’s very unprofessional. When there are emergency leaks, she takes her time calling vendors, then waits until a week later to call a professional because they’re “too expensive” over the weekend. Meanwhile, mold from the leak keeps building up.