TL;DR: The Leeward Apartments is a near-flawless apartment complex that boasts class-leading amenities, friendly and attentive management and sleek, modern apartments. However, the lack of security and repeated theft in both the garage and secure bike storage pose a real concern for those with a passion for two wheels.
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When rating apartment buildings that I've lived at, I typically break down my review into five categories and assign each of them a star. These categories include the apartment itself, the amenities, the staff, the security, and the price.
1. Apartment
The actual unit where I resided in Leeward Apartments was near perfect, offering a sleek and minimalistic finish, modern amenities, in-unit washer and dryer, and even a mini-split AC unit (a rarity for even newer Seattle apartments). The soundproofing was also sublime, meaning little to no neighbor noise. Finally, while there were some quirks (dishwasher tripping the circuit breaker despite repeated maintenance), I genuinely think that this is the nicest apartment that I've lived in during my time in Seattle.
1/1 stars
2. Amenities
The amenities at the Leeward Apartments are second-to-none within the area. Offering a truly full-sized gym with rows of stationary bikes, ellipticals, and treadmills, multiple spacious lounges, a rooftop deck with pet zone, and even a game room, this building is extremely will outfitted. Frankly, when looking at other apartment complexes nearby, Leeward easily wins out.
1/1 stars
3. Staff
While living at the Leeward Apartment, the building underwent a change in management with Greystar making way for Shea around halfway through my stay. While Greystar was... well Greystar (iykyk), Shea was a breath of fresh air. Sal, Naomi, and Nicole (just to name a few) were a genuine pleasure to work with and were quite responsive. The building put on several seasonal events and the team kept the building looking clean, and in pristine condition. Shoutout to the maintenance team for also being quick to fix any issues.
1/1 stars
4. Security
Unfortunately, security at the Leeward Apartments is where major issues arise. In short, in the two and a half year stay at Leeward Apartments, I've had my motorcycle stolen TWICE, my e-bike stolen once, and around 4-5 packages go missing. It appears that an organized ring of motorcycle thieves operate in this part of Seattle, as my motorcycle was stolen around the same time of the year in 2024 and 2025. Furthermore, in the early part of 2025, my e-bike was also stolen. Neither the bike or the motorcycle have been recovered. Furthermore, the building was constructed without strategic placement of surveillance cameras, and the on-site security has been useless at best.
With all this being said, I would like to highlight the management's handling of the situation. Shea was quick to offer their apologies and were even able to cover the deductible on my insurance, both of which were appreciated. They also spoke about improving security in the garage in several meaningful ways, which I hope will help those who come after me.
0/1 stars
Price:
I would rate the cost of rent at Leeward Apartments as "fair" and to be honest, the rent increase was not the main reason for ending my stay. My open-style one bedroom apartment cost around $2,000, which is reasonable considering the atrocious pricing of downtown apartments in Seattle.
1/1
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Conclusion:
Overall, my two and a half year stay at the Leeward Apartments was exemplary beyond the obvious theft issues. I strongly recommend this apartment to those working in SLU or the other nearby neighborhoods, as it has good access to Ballard and Fremont via the Freemont Bridge. The staff are wonderful and the units themselves are great. However, if you are a purveyor of the two-wheeled variety, be cautious of potential theft. As such, I would rate Leeward Apartments at a solid 4/5 score.