Bellwether Apartments

We have lived here for 5 years and are very happy. Office staff is very friendly. Maintenance is quick to respond to any issues and willing to answer questions. Grounds are very well maintained.
Apartments are a good size for the rent.

I have been on the apt hunt for a month now, calling back the same list of apts every couple of days. so i decided to try asking if there was a waitlist I could be put on. Bellwether Apts was one apt I called and was informed that there was nothing available at the time and that I would be put on a waitlist for in case something came available. that was several days ago. today I decided to make the rounds on my list again, just for the sake of checking, and was informed that A) there had been... the right type of apt ready that day when I had last called and B) there is no waitlist at all. furthermore, the apt that was right for me and my fam, that had been empty for days … just went this morning. my family has been stuck in a hotel for over a month now! we could have been out and somewhere more comfortable, days ago!

these people don't seem to know what is what. or they just like lying to people. they are - at this point - an absolute last resort! Read More

I was 19 when I first looked at Bellwether, and I didn't know anything about apartments. Now I've been living here for almost a year, and I think they deserve praise. The staff helped me a lot with explaining the process of applying and renting an apartment, I'm so grateful I walked in when I did. Their office smells great and is always clean, the staff cares about helping residents, and the maintenance crew responds quickly with problems. It's not a super fancy apartment, but it still looks... nice, clean, and it's large for the rent amount. I also really like how the property is hidden with trees, but yet is still 2 minutes away from I5.
I'm just over all very happy with this property and I plan on staying. Read More

I was a first time renter and looked at many properties in Olympia but they were by far the nicest. The management is great, they really try to help you as much as they can and care about you. The apartment is a nice apartment for how cheap it is! There's so many amenities and they're always clean. The maintenance staff is speedy with repairs and do a good job.
There's just no complaints.

At first the apartments seemed like a typical building, but by July we had a major ant infestation. They were all over the master bathroom and in the living room. We told management and they had somebody come and spray them which meant carting out our dog, cat, and two toddlers for numerous hours. It killed them initially, but then they just came back. We told them again and they seemed exasperated by us complaining and said it was a common problem around this time of year. They sprayed two more... times with the same results. The bug guy said this was useless unless they got into the wall to get at the nest. The next year the ants came back like clockwork. I left for a few days and came back with half my sink black from all of the ants. We moved out, I feel bad for the people that moved into that unit.

Also, the unit had pretty bad mold, which I know is a common problem in Washington. However, the management just painted over existing mold rather than treating it, making it impossible to get rid of, even with keeping the place properly heated and buying a $200 dehumidfier. I got numerous sinus infections and pneumonia while living in this apartment over the course of 6 months. I haven't been that sick since moving out.

Finally, they will overcharge you for the carpet if there is the slightest thing wrong with it. There was a small nail polish stain in one room, which meant the whole carpet had to be replaced. They said it would be around $600, but were were given a bill a month later for over $1000, and that is after our deposit. That was the one price that isn't in the lease.

Overall, for the money you can get a nicer place with competent management. That's what it comes down to. Read More