The Ella Scotts Addition

klinn15

Resident • 2021

Do. Not. Live. Here. The leasing office continually has excuses for every complaint the residents have instead of having empathy and admitting this has not been an enjoyable place to live. When I originally signed my leased, I was told construction was ahead of schedule and should be completed by the end of July or early August at the latest. It’s now the end of October and I’m currently listening to a jackhammer right outside my window while the construction workers drill up a brand new sidewalk for reasons that haven’t been communicated. I would have never ever signed my lease if I had known this is what it would be like to live here. I work from home and my work is constantly interrupted by construction or maintenance or various other things which is how I pay my rent to live here. They rushed to get apartments completed first so they could begin collecting rent and there is plaint spatters everywhere and my bathroom is covered in random globs of plaster. Amenities still aren’t completed. Parking is a complete mess. I’ve continually taken my concerns to the leasing office for a rent discount until construction is completed which has been ignored, although I’ve been told numberous times that “we’re willing to do anything to make our residents happy”. I moved here because the Ella is owned by steelhead and I have many friends that live at other steelhead properties that are happy where they live so I didn’t think I would have such a negative experience. If it wasn’t such an inconvenience to me to pay to break my lease and move again then I 100% would.

Current Resident 964259

Verified Resident • 2021

The building itself is very nice and the community is great. The parking situation seems to be an ongoing issue, but I am fine with reserved parking as it's nothing new to me. I've heard we have to share the parking lot with the commercial units downstairs and the hotel, but how is that even going to work when you have to have a pass? I'm not sure the situation was well thought out. Packages being stolen by another resident is an ongoing crisis and I don't feel comfortable having my packages delivered to me. Part of why I moved here is for the marketed "luxury" experience, but I got the same thievery at my last apartment for a lower price. The amenities here are nice so if they resolve the parking and package thieves I'd be more inclined to recommend this building to my friends.

Current Resident 721773

Resident • 2021

Horrible place to live. The city needs to get involved and the inspector needs to be fired. The elevators are always out, fire alarms going off. They never disclosed that tenants would have to pay for parking. They show favoritism to certain residents. Sadly residents packages always go missing the culprit is definitely one or two of the females at the leasing office 100%. They always avoid and make excuses and suggest people file claims with the carriers. It’s not a tenant it’s the staff!!! I know they go in that package room fairly often!!! The pool is always out of service. Most of the tenants are younger it reminds me of a college campus. They never disclosed that a hotel would share parking with the apartment complex. The property is near downtown so the traffic sounds especially from trucks and loan cars is horrible. I have seen construction crews staying on the property after hours. Safety is definitely a major concern! Do Not Move to THE ELLA you will regret it!

Current Resident 695361

Resident • 2021

I probably wouldn’t have written a review if the Ella’s management company did not start censoring the posts on our community wall. After sending out multiple resident satisfaction surveys, the staff is still not listening to its residents. In an attempt to get even more money from us, they painted over 100 reserved parking spots in our lot. I’ve seen maybe 1/3 of the reserved spots filled because none of us want to pay $75/month for a spot that was promised to us for free. It’s very predatory for the Ella to try to force a demand for the paid parking spots. I saw people circling the lot for an hour last night trying to find a spot, and others had to park blocks away late at night just to avoid getting towed. Additionally, packages in the mail room are stolen every day. Someone living at the apartment or getting access to the mail room has taken several of my packages and many of my friends’ to the point where I don’t get things delivered directly to me anymore. The apartment needs to invest in security for the package room. Read the Google reviews for more inconveniences with construction, broken elevators, etc. Why would residents renew our leases at a complex that makes us feel unheard and taken advantage of? I will not be renewing my lease here. It would take a lot for the Ella to redeem itself for all the frustrations and inconveniences it has caused me since moving in, but I do hope that they turn it around. Please start listening to your residents and you will have a community of people that are happy to continue their leases with you.

Current Resident 689688

Resident • 2021

Apartments nice but can tell cheaply done. You want quite time… good luck. I can hear the dogs walk above me. Want to make sure you have a parking spot.. add $75 a month for parking or may the odds be ever in your favor. Money hungry and don’t really care about the residence. Also cars get broken into all the time and they always happen to be in a “blind spot” when they look at the security camera.

Current Resident 361832

Resident • 2021

This place sucks. From the beginning, they did not even have the unit fully ready or the amenities ready and they charged us full rent anyway and majorly inconvenienced is. There is still a ton of construction happening and the outside is constantly a wreck. Trash is always everywhere and they constantly inconvenience us with having to move cars to paint spots. Currently they are numbering parking because now you have to pay for what appeared to be first come first serve covered parking which is not in the lease. We are also going to have to share the parking lot with the new hotel which makes it an incredibly unsafe place for residents. This complex has an overwhelming young population and I’m worried about the safety of residents. They should gate the resident parking. They don’t make anything right. This place is a scam.

Current Resident 947667

Verified Resident • 2021

Most of the staff at the leasing office are nice and willing to help. The experience has honestly been a roller coaster so far. I did not have a great start, as my apartment was not cleaned prior to my moving in (construction dust all over the floors) even though it was communicated to me that it would be the next unit to be cleaned the morning of my move-in. This resulted in a 4-day delay of me being able to unpack my things because I was waiting for someone to come by my unit to clean it. There has been a lot of noise in the early mornings (construction, trash pick up) -- much earlier than what the city noise ordinances designates. The construction and inspections that have needed to take place have made parking a hassle some days. This is my first time moving into a new construction but it surprises me that they would even advertise the units as being available when so much construction and whatnot, that cause some level of inconvenience, still needed to be done. I love and enjoy the space within my unit, but beyond my walls, I'm not as amazed by the experience as I was hoping to be.

Current Resident 946461

Verified Resident • 2021

Great so far. Close to so many good places to eat and shop. Short commute to work. My apartment is spacious and nicely done. Move in was easy with staff help at every step. Can't wait for all the activities.

Current Resident 945040

Verified Resident • 2021

The staff has been great and easy to work with! Apartment building and living quarters are beautiful, well designed, and very clean. They make the setup process very easy from garbage pickup to ready to go internet.

Current Resident 941976

Verified Resident • 2021

This apartment building will probably be nice when it is actually finished, but they have a huge problem with over promising and under delivering. Washer and dryer and blinds are still not installed almost a week after moving in, and amenities are unfinished and the dates we are told they will be finished keep getting pushed back. Some of the staff are not receptive or empathetic about these problems. Again, this building will probably be nicer when its more finished but for now there are a lot of frustrations.

Current Resident 941191

Verified Resident • 2021

So far people and the staff are friendly. Unfortunately my apartment isn't exactly move in ready bc there are things that have been left unfinished. Overall the community seems nice as well as the apt

Current Resident 786317

Resident • 2021

I've been living at The Ella for several months and think it's important to share my experience and perspective to help others make informed decisions. If you don't feel like reading this whole thing, my short reccomendation is to AVOID this complex. Pros: Location (Scotts Addition is great, close to lots to do), maintenance staff is friendly and prompt, and many neighbors who I've met are kind. Pool is nice when it's quiet and peaceful and not jam packed with loud parties. Cons: The building is a disaster. They moved people in WAY too early. Apart from the pool there are no other amenities open/available, yet we continue to hear vague opening dates that are consistently pushed further and further back, Construction equipment takes up a good chunk of parking at times, be ready to consistently have to move your car, and there is always trash floating around the parking from the dumpster. Apartments are already falling apart and were cheaply made. Constant construction noise between building construction and construction of hotel that's being built right next to the complex (yea, some noise is gonna be obvious when you decide to live in a new unit/one that is still being built, but the jarring construction noise starts and ends early). In addition to construction noise, you have very regular "fire alarm testings," making working (or ever relaxing) from home challenging. On top of those 2 noise sources, don't forget about the pool. The cops have had to come multiple weekends due to insanely disorderly conduct. There was talk of a security patrol in a previous email sent to the residents, but I don't think that's implemented... The buildings seem to lack basic security, as packages are opened and gone through, cars are constantly hit in the lot, and dogs defecate in the hall, stairwells, and elevators regularly. It has been a headache to live here. Do yourself a favor, do your research, and consider the plethora of other options in the area.

Current Resident 781419

Resident • 2021

Honest opinion, you don't want to live here. We are paying 'luxury' apartment prices but yet everyday something is going on. Elevators broken, whole first floor flooding from the rain( and this is a brand new building no reason should be flooding), fire alarm tests multiple times a week, moving in with NO blinds on any windows and NO washer dryers yet in the unit, giant dumpster in the middle of the parking lot constantly overflowing into the lot, not to mention all the trash from the construction workers all over the lot. we have a package room that has zero order to it and not locked when we were told you would need a key fob to even access the package room which is a lie, resulting in missing and opened packages OH AND theres no camera in there so basically if this happens to you you're SOL. We didnt have hot water when we first moved in either. Amenities we are paying for barely exist(only the pool is open)that keep getting pushed back so if youre looking at the pictures on the website of our community room etc...none of that exists. it's crazy. I cant tell you the amount of times we have been woken up either super early or not been able to sleep bc there is something going on. The longer we live here the more we wish we didnt! long story short if youre looking for a peaceful new home, this place is not for you. I feel like they really were just focused on getting people moved in rather than making sure everything was ready for move in.

Current Resident 939977

Verified Resident • 2021

I'm very new so I don't really have that much to say but the unit is gorgeous and the community is very nice. There is still lots of work to be done in the unit and I am unsure how long it will take. But all in all, if you could wait a couple months for things to be fixed you have the perfect unit.

Current Resident 935523

Verified Resident • 2021

Just moved into the Ella and so far so good! The agents are quick to answer any email or phone calls and the neighbors are friendly. Coming from an apartment in Shockoe Bottom, this place feels like luxury!

Current Resident 504031

Resident • 2021

This complex is still a work in progress. Most of the amenities that are advertised don’t exist...”yet”. It’s been two months and we still don’t even have mailboxes. The units themselves are pretty, but it’s only surface level. Lots of things break here. The insulation is terrible and you can hear everything going on around you (even under you). Neighbors are nice and so is management, however everyone’s stressed from the noise levels, lack of order, and the always broken elevators

Current Resident 934033

Verified Resident • 2021

Thus far it has been terrible. I did not get a unit on the top floor that I contracted for. I arrived to find out that I had no washer, dryer, or blinds. I still do not have them. I spent the first night with no hot water and still do not have hot water in my kitchen sink. The property is still very much in a state of being completed. The only impression one can be left with is that ownership/management prioritized getting people into units and paying rent over making sure that the units (and elevators) were completed and ready for living.

Current Resident 933906

Verified Resident • 2021

The apartment was a little disorganized upon moving in. My welcome email had the wrong move in date so I came a day early however they worked with me. The complex I believe was not ready for the number of move in's they were allowing at the time. It stressed the workers out and the building itself was not ready. Only one elevator was working the day numerous people were scheduled to move.

Current Resident 930647

Verified Resident • 2021

Elevator breaks down and fire alarms each week. Paying for amenities that don't exist yet. Once we got a $114 charge bc we were short on our rent, when management misplaced the check. Randomly getting told we will have to pay for premier parking- when we have been parking wherever since day one. Staff is very nice, just seem to have some hiccups.

Current Resident 925811

Verified Resident • 2021

Move in process was easy and staff are quick to respond. The space is big and gorgeous. I love that I can't hear my neighbors or the happenings outside. The windows are huge and let in so much natural light. Can't wait for the pool and gym!

Current Resident 900392

Verified Resident • 2021

So far the leasing staff have been extraordinarily helpful with all questions and concerns my roommate and I have posed. They went out of their way to help us. Upon arrival, the apartment was clean and well presented. The whole process was quite smooth and has been a great experience! I'm looking forward to living here.

Current Resident 892250

Verified Resident • 2021

Living at The Ella has been great thus far. The windows are big and the kitchen cabinets are spacious, Storage is very limited in the master closet as the full sized washer and dryer take up much needed closet space and there is no where to store laundry supplies as the shelves are very weak for heavy items. It's quiet and in a central location.