Bell Overlake

I am a current resident had a very disappointing and stressful experience with the leasing team when signing renewal lease. I was misguided by two different leasing agents, which directly led to a surprise rent increase and unnecessary fees. On July 3rd, one agent advised me to submit a move-out notice and reapply to get a better market rate($300 less than the renewal offer)—even though I was already a resident. I followed their instructions in good faith, paid a $45 application fee, and went through the hassle of reapplying. When I returned to the office a few days later, a second agent completely contradicted the first, telling me that I couldn’t reapply and would have to either accept my original renewal rate or move to a smaller unit. I agreed to stay at renewal rate. After repeatedly following up both in person and email asking to send renewal lease. The leasing office deliberately send me the renewal lease just 3 days before my lease expired, I received the lease document—with a rent increase of about $50/month, which I was never informed of. This change was not disclosed or agreed to, which may violate Washington tenant law (RCW 59.18.140) requiring proper notice and consent for rent increases. This caused me a $650 loss. With just 3 days left on the lease, there is no possibly to look for a new lease with a new building with such a short notice. This experience cost me time, money, and trust—and I still haven’t been offered a fair resolution. If you’re considering living here, be extremely careful. Lease terms may change without notice, and communication between leasing staff is highly inconsistent. This kind of treatment is unacceptable, especially from a company like Bell Partners.