Rayette Lofts

This has been the absolute worst living experience I’ve ever had in my life. The amenities we pay for are constantly down. Our AC has been out for 4+ days with 80-90° temps and air quality alerts. It’s currently 82° in my place at 10pm and has been this hot for several days. Our garage door has been stuck open for over a week with zero updates from management and we are in a very high trespassing/theft area. Management can’t even be bothered to communicate with tenants on status. They treat tenants who complain as if they are a bother. There are constant issues, one after the next and tenants are consistently gaslighted on issues. Anyone who leaves a good review either doesn’t live here or hasn’t lived here long enough. It’s fundamentally wrong how this building is being operated and the lack of oversight/concern by the absentee owners.

I cannot wait until I move out of Rayette. I could write a book about how bad this place is. Over the past year the building has gone to hell. Homeless people frequently break into the building and hang out, sometimes for days. Management rarely alerts residents when this happens. Management never holds anyone accountable. Someone threw a massive party recently and nothing was done. If something breaks, which is often the case with the cheap construction in the units, the maintenance man throws random screws in places until it’s “fixed.” And however they charge for heat is messed up. And good luck getting hold of the manager. She is either not in her office or out on smoke breaks with the maintenance guy. I feel like I’m being swindled and can’t do anything about it. Worst management in the city.

For starters, you pay close to $200 a month for a spot that anyone can use basically. The garages are a free for all. The homeless people get into the building all the time. Steal packages, get into cars, chill in the common areas. Nobody does anything about it.

Management has gone way down. Price of rent is not worth the hassle. TVs broken, fireplace was broken for like a year, gym is nowhere as nice as the pictures, they never wash the windows which is a huge selling point for this building. Always issues with heat/furnace. Fish flies everywhere. Building break ins. On the surface everything is seemingly ok, but once you sign a lease, they couldn’t care less about tenants. They can’t get their accounting straight either. They will also gauge you on a renewal. At my last end of lease, they said it would be $500 more a month, essentially forcing you into another lease or a move (financial evictions). And they totally gaslight you when you press them on anything. They’ve ruined this building, which is a shame because it would be great otherwise.

Topline: Used to be nice, not worth the rent now. Rented here for five years. Since Cushman Wakefield took over, went way downhill. Rent is way up, with utilities now being charged and no real ability to moderate them (not based on your usage, but building usage for the most part). Services provided to tenants went way down, everything is a battle. Additionally the neighborhood is stagnating. Restaurant closures, safety issues. Call the SPPD to get reports on crime in the area, especially response calls to 280 5th Street East directly next door. Looked at similar apartments: square footage elsewhere is a bit lower but your energy usage is specific to you. Apartment amenities here have not been substantially improved in five years, likely longer. Used to have free renter events with food and adult refreshments provided one a month/quarter. Might have one once or twice a year now.

I have been a tenant of Rayette for 1.5 years now. About 7 months ago Rayette was purchased by Cushman & Wakefield. Since then every single amenity has been scaled waaaay down. It is safe to say I have some opinions, here they are: •Our live-in resident manager, who was well known left and has been replaced by a rotating cast of characters whom never even introduce themselves to the residents. •The coffee bar is no longer stocked with teas or cups. •The nice planters in the front of the building are no longer maintained. Every other nice building in lowertown has the same gorgeous arrangement that is changed out seasonally- but not @ Rayette any more. It’s literally the first thing that you see when you enter the building - and it’s just a mess of crappy artificial flowers that haven’t been changed since the spring. •Cushman & Wakefield put an end to the yoga & spin classes that were hosted in our gym. •Gym equipment and furniture around the building keeps going missing and is not being replaced or tracked down. •Cushman & Wakefield stopped paying the cable bill for the gym/lounge. •The building as a whole looks shabbier and shabbier each day- you can tell that cushman & Wakefield is just squeezing the profits out of Rayette. •We used to have really wonderful & regular resident events for like Halloween and 4th of July. These events were thoughtfully put together by the resident manager & catered. Since the day Cushman and Wakefield took over we haven’t had a single real building event and the whole “feeling of community” that we had is completely gone, which was a huge selling point for us when we had initially signed our lease. •Crackheads somehow keep getting into the building and we will find them loitering in our stairwells, hallways and parking garage. Or even better- they come knocking on your front door! •the fireplace in the lounge broke 5-6 months ago and it was just sitting propped up against the wall for the longest time ( it’s an LED screen fire place ), now it is gone- but nothing is replacing it or filling the empty space on the wall where it was •When I brought up all of my concerns to the last resident manager that Cushman and Wakefield installed here, he gaslit me like crazy and my each of my concerns were brushed off. Cushman & Wakefield is the worst landlord I have ever had, by far. If you are considering moving here- just don’t, it will only get worse here as they continue to put ZERO money or effort in to managing this property.

I've visited Rayette Lofts many times and am so excited for my current least to end so I can call this place home. The historic architecture, cool history and fantastic management team (not to mention the incredible community room) make this just the best place in the cities!

My boyfriend and I moved into the Rayette Lofts at the beginning of May of 2015. From the beginning, we felt like we were in a community and that the staff cared about us. We were given a welcome gift and a welcome package so that all of our questions that may come up in the few days of moving in and settling were answered. The building has two doors which you must use your own personal key fob to get into, making it feel very safe. This was huge for me as our last place did not even have a lock on the front door. Moving in was very slick as you are able to rent an elevator for an slot of time that you request and they also have dollies available to make all the boxes a breeze. We rent a one bedroom one bathroom loft and it is perfect for us. We have hardly put any decorations on the walls because the uniqueness of the loft is already so beautiful. We have a laundry room, bathroom, our kitchen and living room are one big room that we have made into our own, and then we have our bedroom with a walk in closet. The open concept is great for entertaining. The light that comes through the windows every morning makes every morning beautiful. The kitchen appliances are all new and stainless steel. I love cooking again because of this kitchen!! Outside of our own personal loft, there are many other places to venture to in he building. We have a lounge that is perfect for entertaining a large group of guests with a full sized kitchen, a large dinner table, pool table, family room, and sitting area. It's very modern and I love being in this lounge. On the same floor is our gym. It's not huge, has 3 treadmills, a bike, an elliptical, and a few strength machines, weights, and a studio where they have yoga and spin classes once a week. The last amenity I will mention and my favorite is the rooftop. There is a grill and a beautiful island perfect for drinks and dinner with friends. There are about 6 lounge chairs, for the perfect tanning spot. The view from the roof is incredible. We also have a community herb garden that is beautiful and very convenient. We have lived in 3 other places in the Twin Cities and this is by far and away our favorite spot. We won't leave for a while. We love you Rayette!