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Frequently Asked Questions Are you strict about your 3 night minimum? Yes. Our consecutive 3 night minimum rental is a requirement of the Elektra Association. We do not violate that requirement under any circumstances. I have a small dog that doesn’t cause any trouble. Can I bring him? No. We have a strict no pets, no smoking policy for all of our units. Being close to renowned medical facilities we often rent to people undergoing medical treatments which make them sensitive to the pet dander and smoke odors which get embedded in furniture and carpets and could impact health and quality of the living environment. Is there somewhere in the building that I can smoke? No. Not unless you have a friend in the building who will let you smoke in their apartment. Our condos plus the common areas including stairwells, decks, hallways and lobby, are smoke free. There is no smoking allowed within 25 feet of the building. Btw – it is not okay to smoke in the condos and just blow smoke out the window. This counts as “smoking in the unit” for which we impose a hefty charge. Do you accept children? Absolutely. We love children and even have a few of our own. Downtown Seattle has many attractions for children and you will be close enough to go back for afternoon naps between adventures. Is parking included in the price? No. We do have parking available at daily or monthly rates either in the Elektra or Meridian parking garages. Parking is based on availability but most of our tenants choose to not keep a car in the city so we usually have spaces available. There is a Hertz car rental agency a block away in case you need to rent a car for a day trip out of town. Guests can park at metered parking on the street in front of the building. I drive a Suburban. Can I park it at the Elektra or Meridian? Probably not. Our spaces best accommodate small to mid sized cars. Anything wider than a min-van is going to be difficult to get in and out and will likely make things difficult for the person parking next to you. There are other nearby parking options for larger vehicles and we would be glad to point you in their direction if you need to keep a large van or truck with you. What is the damage waiver fee? We know that accidents happen and that things can be unintentially broken. Rather than managing check-in and check-out sheets for each stay and pursuing tenants over accidental damages, we instituted the damage waiver fee. This non-refundable fee covers accidental property damage by the tenant up to $600. It does not cover lost or non-returned keys, fobs or parking remotes, intentional damage or theft. It also does not cover damages to property belonging to other residents in the building or to the Elektra common areas. Damages that may exceed the $600 limit will be charged to the tenant credit card on file. Is the neighborhood safe? Yes. The Pike/Pine neighborhood is a safe, vibrant, pedestrian friendly neighborhood. Of course anytime you plan to visit a metropolitan city you want to practice reasonable personal safety habits. Seattle is no different. Don’t let strangers follow you into the building, lock your car even in the parking garage, use the webcam when buzzing visitors into the building, etc. Is this a quiet building? Will I be bothered by freeway noise? While no multiple family building is going to be perfectly quiet, the Elektra’s cement construction makes our building unusually quiet compared to other condo buildings. You are more likely to be hear noises inside the apartment when the steam heat radiators come on than you are to be bothered by neighbor noise. When the Convention Center and Freeway Park were built they were designed to create a seamless transition between the Pike/Pine neighborhood and downtown and to prevent freeway noise from coming into the urban core. You may hear some distant freeway noise from some upper units when the windows are open but even that is rare. Because we are located on a quiet side street away from traffic and nightclubs we also have very little night time street noise. Do you have air conditioning? Portable air conditioners are placed in the apartments during the summer months. How is this different from renting a hotel room? Glad you asked. It’s like apples and oranges. You are renting a private home rather than a cookie cutter hotel room. You get more for your money – more space, more amenities and more privacy. But you don’t get hotel services. No one will carry your luggage, make your bed or bring you breakfast. But with your own kitchen, which you will not get in a hotel room, you can make your own breakfast, dinner or late night snack. What could be better than that? You also do not tip or pay lodging taxes which can really drive up the cost of your stay. Do you provide maid service? No. This is one of those “hotel services" we don't provide. There are cleaning supplies in the room, an extra set of linens and a laundry room on the second floor. Cleaning services during your stay can be scheduled through us for an added charge. Can I store my luggage? No. We don’t have the facilities or staff for holding luggage prior to check-in or after check-out. What services does the concierge provide? Unlike a hotel, our concierge cannot help you with theater tickets, dinner reservations or booking taxis. They are able to help with mailing and dry cleaning services. The Elektra staff does not work for Seattle Suites and are not available to help with rental or parking issues. For questions or concerns that should arise during your stay please contact Doug at 206-850-1861. Do I need to cross I-5 to get to downtown? No. The freeway runs under the Convention Center so there are no obstacles between you and all that downtown has to offer. What if I need to cancel or leave early? For cancellations made more than 30 days prior to arrival a full refund minus a 6% cancellation fee is made. When cancelling with less than 30 days’ notice we will try to rerent the room and can refund any number of days out of the original reservation that can be covered. Any non-refunded amounts can be credited towards a future stay by the same tenant within 12 months of the original reservation. There is no refund for early departure. What if I lose my keys? If you are locked out of the building due to lost keys call Doug at 206-850-1861 and he can help you get back in. There is a $75 replacement fee per item for lost or unreturned keys, fobs, remotes or parking hangers. Your credit card will be charged for replacement. If these items are returned (received at our office at 8845 SE 37th St, Mercer Island, WA. 98040) within 48 hours we can refund those fees. After that these access items have been cancelled and replaced and we cannot provide a refund. My father-in-law put the deposit on his card. Can you transfer that to my credit card and then split the balance due between me and my three cousins? Yes, but you will incur multiple card transaction fees. We pay the bank for each transaction so when tenants want to move balances around and split them between cards it costs us additional fees which we pass on to you. There is a 3% fee for each transaction we would not ordinarily incur in the normal course of business. Can I come and see the place before I book? We would be glad to make an appointment to show you around if we have rooms available to show. Contact Doug at 206-850-1861 to make an appointment. Will you hold a room for me while I think about it? No. We cannot hold a room without a confirmed reservation and deposit. Can I reserve a specific apartment? No. For one or two bedrooms and studios we cannot guarantee which specific unit will be available on your date of arrival. We are happy to note special requests (i.e. king bed, city view, etc.) and can even note your favorite room if you are a returning guest. In most cases we are able to accommodate special requests but not always. We may need to juggle room assignments to allow us to accommodate both owners and current tenants. The one bedroom penthouse apartment is an exception since we only have one of those. Do you do month to month rentals? All of our rentals are done on a lease agreement meaning that the contract is for specific dates. We can do a lease for several months and leases may be extended based on availability. But we do not do open ended month to month rentals. What if I want to extend my stay? We are always happy to do that based on availability. Monthly rentals can be prorated for partial months so if you need to stay a few days beyond the end of your month’s stay you can do so at the prorated monthly rate. |
