Expo Apartments

The location is convenient and the rooftop looks beautiful in every season, but the staffing was awful. This might be a nice apartment if you’re rich and don’t care how you’re treated or where your money goes. They repeatedly confused my name with my partner’s, even though we have different genders and come from different cultures. I couldn’t access the apartment I was paying for until I lost patience after waiting a full month for an email response and called. That fixed it within 30 minutes. I saw and heard staff having fun and cheering in the courtyard while I worked from home. It seemed like helping residents wasn’t their main job. Charges were never transparent. They could charge whatever they wanted, and when we brought evidence to ask for a fee to be waived, they’d either make an excuse for why we had to pay or say they’d get back to us. We referred a friend while there was a referral bonus offer. They moved in and told the agent about our referral, who acknowledged it, but we never got the bonus, either as a payment or a rent deduction. We also discovered we’d been charged twice for insurance even though we submitted our unit’s coverage plan on move-in day. They said there was a new procedure and they’d emailed us about it. I’m usually on top of building emails, but I don’t remember or see THE EMAIL. After we moved out, they sent the refund we were owed, under $10, to my partner’s parents’ home instead of the address we gave them. That was in another state, on the other side of the country. A thoughtless mistake? I don’t think so.

After I paid the $335 balance Expo said I owed to make us even, they canceled the deposit check they’d issued to me. The $335 had come from my deposit after I moved out, and Expo contacted me saying that had been an “accident” and charged me for it. Before that, they’d billed over $1,000 in cleaning fees for dust on top of the refrigerator, which was the only evidence they provided to support the charge. I read the reviews before moving in and thought people were being dramatic about their grievances. They were understating things. Don’t live here or do business with Essex.

Kyle was disrespectful on the phone, repeatedly interrupting me and ignoring serious concerns about my safety even after I kept asking him to stop and listen. He continued calling me “ma’am” after I asked him several times not to, then denied that he was doing it. He hung up in the middle of the conversation. I was furious and called back to ask for an apology. When he replied, “What for?” I lost it. I’ve only lived here a month. No one showed me around the community, and the promised deep clean never happened. I asked for special cleaners because I’m severely allergic to bleach and other products, but they refused. My UV light showed the place clearly hadn’t been cleaned, and frankly I’ve been living in filth. I’d asked daily for a garage key since move-in. The garage door was unusable at first, so I understood why there wasn’t a key then, but I kept asking before they announced it would be repaired so I’d be ready. They sent me to the wrong leasing office, a mile away from Expo, to find a key that wasn’t there. Then I went back to Expo and got one. Before leaving I asked if that was all I needed and whether the key would work, and they said yes. A few hours later I was trapped outside the garage, holding up traffic while COA workers tried to park or leave. It wasn’t for long, but it was embarrassing and I can’t get it out of my head. I told Kyle I needed to get to a hospital appointment. I have a life-threatening disease, and I believed this counted as an emergency. With Bite of Seattle happening that weekend, there was no street parking near Expo. I asked if he expected me to come back and find somewhere else to park, then sleep in my car with my dog. He suggested there were several street parking spots where I could do that. Are you joking? This could have been avoided, but it escalated fast. Kyle still hasn’t apologized. Instead, they sent a supervisor. Wow. -_-.

On Aug 7, 2025, I saw a homeless person walk out through the parking garage door next to the office, stay outside for five minutes, then come back into the building through the garage. They opened the door easily without a key. Why isn’t it locked? I called the number posted on the office door and spoke with a woman named Debbi, who said she was with security and that the team leaves at 6 AM, so after that security isn’t their job. Why post that number if no one is available 24/7? All the other numbers I tried said they were outside business hours. I called 911, but police said it wasn’t an emergency. It’s very hard to reach an actual person from EXPO management after hours, and even during business hours it’s difficult. No wonder there are so many car break-ins and broken fixtures. Safety and security clearly aren’t priorities in this building. Nobody responds when you report a homeless person entering in a way that could put residents and property at risk.