Union

On 11/5 I had the pleasure to be paired up with Matt M to take me on a tour of The Union Apt. Building just a few steps from the Portland Convention Center and the MAX station, unbelievably convenient! That said, his demeanor was very respectful of my needs and the reasons why I was visiting with him and couldn’t have been a perfect mix. As always there’s a lot to cover and being new coming back into the rental process has changed 100% from what it was 20 years ago. Matt M. couldn’t have been more patient and glad he’s representing The Union Apartments. His demeanor matches the sophisticated beautiful building that he represents. With all the respect, great job Matt M.

After living at The Union for a little over two years, I’ve downgraded my review to 2 stars—and honestly, that feels generous. If you’re looking for constant headaches and zero accountability, this is the place. The downsides easily drown out any positives. Pros: -Central location -Plenty of public transit -Amenities used to be decent -Maintenance generally fixed things in a reasonable time -Rent was lower than other buildings when I first moved in Cons (there's a lot): -Fire alarms constantly going off in the middle of the night. Nothing like standing outside half asleep at 2 AM in the freezing cold...multiple times. -The entire property outside smells like dog pee. There’s nowhere for pets to go, so everyone just lets their dogs use the sidewalks. -Front office is nearly impossible to reach. Emails ignored, phones never answered. They’ll bend over backward to sign new tenants, but returning messages from current residents? Apparently not a priority. -When I moved out on Sept. 23, their Wi-Fi was down so I was told I'd receive digital documents later. Almost two months passed with complete silence. No documents, no info on my deposit, nothing. Only after I notified them of potential legal action did someone finally respond. -Staff turnover is constant. Every time you go in, it’s someone new who has no clue what’s going on. Which is no fault of their own. Everyone is genuinely very nice, but they're set up for failure from the start. -Rent jumped over $100 after the first year. -Security is not what they advertise. My luggage was stolen from the supposedly “secured” mailroom. Management only cared once I got the police involved—luggage never returned. -No real system for disposing of large items. They’ll tell you to “ask the front desk,” which gets you a shrug and instructions to hire an expensive junk service. Completely unhelpful. -New management is awful. They clearly don’t care about upkeep—broken exterior doors, missing gym equipment, etc. The gym was always dusty, never had paper towels or cleaner for tenants to wipe down the machines. I’ve since moved out of state to a cheaper and genuinely better complex. I loved The Union when I toured it, but everything went downhill fast. Hopefully they get their act together someday, but based on my experience, I won’t be holding my breath.