I was scrolling through Archstone Smith's website (it's only fair, folks from the company regularly scroll through this site - no doubt looking for tips on how to be less evil? Ok, so probably not that).
Every property I was looking through in the DC area had a $500 community area fee listed. It didn't matter if the place had a pool or not, a useable roof or not, a common room that is more than a lobby or not. They all had $500 community area fees.
Just when I think these folks can't find any more places to grab money from renters.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
Funny Stuff
Just ran across this from an Archstone press release:
"Through its two brands, Archstone and Charles E. Smith, Archstone-Smith strives to provide great apartments and great service to its customers – backed by unconditional service guarantees."
Gee, that's two big whoppers in one sentence. Great service and "unconditional service guarantees."
Maybe by unconditional they mean that there are no conditions under which they would provide guaranteed service?
"Through its two brands, Archstone and Charles E. Smith, Archstone-Smith strives to provide great apartments and great service to its customers – backed by unconditional service guarantees."
Gee, that's two big whoppers in one sentence. Great service and "unconditional service guarantees."
Maybe by unconditional they mean that there are no conditions under which they would provide guaranteed service?
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Another Non-Glowing Consulate Recommendation
For the Consulate building in DC. Again - it's the Archstone Smith greed that ruins what could otherwise be a good apartment living situation. So typical of this group.
My problems with the Consulate. The apartments (1 bedroom anyway) aren't exactly the largest in the world and you pay alot. We currently pay $1600 a month and just received a notice that our rent was being raised to $1885. For about 700 sq ft, not worth it. Also, the no utilities thing is really a downer. When I moved in I was painted this picture that utilities would be minimal. On top of our $1600/month we pay around $30 for trash and water and our electric as ranged from $150-$200/month. NOT the $60/month that was estimated. EVERYTHING in the apartment is electric including stove and heat/AC. The patio glass doors are nice but provide little insulation. Although you can usually find street parking, you are sharing the street with the Consulate, the Massive Van Ness Complex across the street, UDC, and Howard Law School. I've had to wait 30 min for a parking spot since I refuse to pay the $165 for a parking spot.
We've been living in the Consulate about a year and a half. Overall it's been a great experience and we haven't had any problems. I do agree with previous poster that the constant construction has really been annoying (Especially since we were on the pool side and woken up by jack hammers every morning). The new elevators are almost done, and they're also re-doing the weight room and basement facilities. It's a block from the metro and grocery store, very convenient location and it's a super safe neighborhood. The management and front staff are always super nice.
If you have expendable cash or have a cushy job making 6 figures this is great place to live. But for the average person living on minimal salary it can make for a financial crunch. If it wasn't for the cost I would definitely stay here but I know there are much cheaper option in D.C.
My problems with the Consulate. The apartments (1 bedroom anyway) aren't exactly the largest in the world and you pay alot. We currently pay $1600 a month and just received a notice that our rent was being raised to $1885. For about 700 sq ft, not worth it. Also, the no utilities thing is really a downer. When I moved in I was painted this picture that utilities would be minimal. On top of our $1600/month we pay around $30 for trash and water and our electric as ranged from $150-$200/month. NOT the $60/month that was estimated. EVERYTHING in the apartment is electric including stove and heat/AC. The patio glass doors are nice but provide little insulation. Although you can usually find street parking, you are sharing the street with the Consulate, the Massive Van Ness Complex across the street, UDC, and Howard Law School. I've had to wait 30 min for a parking spot since I refuse to pay the $165 for a parking spot.
We've been living in the Consulate about a year and a half. Overall it's been a great experience and we haven't had any problems. I do agree with previous poster that the constant construction has really been annoying (Especially since we were on the pool side and woken up by jack hammers every morning). The new elevators are almost done, and they're also re-doing the weight room and basement facilities. It's a block from the metro and grocery store, very convenient location and it's a super safe neighborhood. The management and front staff are always super nice.
If you have expendable cash or have a cushy job making 6 figures this is great place to live. But for the average person living on minimal salary it can make for a financial crunch. If it wasn't for the cost I would definitely stay here but I know there are much cheaper option in D.C.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Anti-Recommendations - Water Park Towers
Water Park Towers - Arlington, VA
Even the positive reviews can't bare Archstone Smith's money grabbing ways
1. This is really a luxury apartment. The rooms are very well sound-proofed, so you seldom hear your neighbors. The service is great; most problems get taken care of within 24 hours, no matter how much work is involved. The gym is OK and there are professionally catered tenant parties twice a year. There is even a voting precinct based here, so on election day you can actually vote in one of the lounges on the first floor.
But the prices are ludicrous. Most of the tenants are older because very few people under 30 can afford to live here. The rent goes up between 8 and 20 percent each year, depending on the unit and on a range of factors that they don't care to explain to you, so you never know what to expect until the increase hits you.
If you have tons of money, live here. If not, find someplace else.
2. I have lived here for over 2 years and the rents have become ridiculous. Another major downside is the train noise. The racket is loud enough that it can drown out conversation, wakes you up at night, and the vibration has shaken a picture off my wall. They have started to charge residents for parking as well.
Even the positive reviews can't bare Archstone Smith's money grabbing ways
1. This is really a luxury apartment. The rooms are very well sound-proofed, so you seldom hear your neighbors. The service is great; most problems get taken care of within 24 hours, no matter how much work is involved. The gym is OK and there are professionally catered tenant parties twice a year. There is even a voting precinct based here, so on election day you can actually vote in one of the lounges on the first floor.
But the prices are ludicrous. Most of the tenants are older because very few people under 30 can afford to live here. The rent goes up between 8 and 20 percent each year, depending on the unit and on a range of factors that they don't care to explain to you, so you never know what to expect until the increase hits you.
If you have tons of money, live here. If not, find someplace else.
2. I have lived here for over 2 years and the rents have become ridiculous. Another major downside is the train noise. The racket is loud enough that it can drown out conversation, wakes you up at night, and the vibration has shaken a picture off my wall. They have started to charge residents for parking as well.
Anti-Recommendations - Lofts 590
Lofts 590 - Arlington, VA
There's so much construction around here it's a nightmare. Right now they are fixing the apartments right next to us and it is so loud!!! They are also doing construction across the street so you hear constant drilling. There is no peace and quiet here. If it's not the construction, it's the very loud people above us or college kids partying in the hallway which echos very loudly into your apartment. Way overpriced too.
2. I lived in Lofts 590 for one year. I have never dealt with such incompetence with th management office in my life. The noise here is absolutely out of control. The idiots below me continued to come up daily to tell me how they could hear my microwave door slamming, walking, showering. For the "luxury prices" you pay...it's a total rip off. The manager always sides with her staff. She will never admit to a mistake. She is, quite possibly, the worst manager ever. DO NOT MOVE HERE EVEN IF THEY SHOW YOU THE KITCHENS...IT IS ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!!!! And the pet policy..it changes every 15 minutes.
There's so much construction around here it's a nightmare. Right now they are fixing the apartments right next to us and it is so loud!!! They are also doing construction across the street so you hear constant drilling. There is no peace and quiet here. If it's not the construction, it's the very loud people above us or college kids partying in the hallway which echos very loudly into your apartment. Way overpriced too.
2. I lived in Lofts 590 for one year. I have never dealt with such incompetence with th management office in my life. The noise here is absolutely out of control. The idiots below me continued to come up daily to tell me how they could hear my microwave door slamming, walking, showering. For the "luxury prices" you pay...it's a total rip off. The manager always sides with her staff. She will never admit to a mistake. She is, quite possibly, the worst manager ever. DO NOT MOVE HERE EVEN IF THEY SHOW YOU THE KITCHENS...IT IS ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!!!! And the pet policy..it changes every 15 minutes.
Anti-Recommendations - Crystal House
Crystal House - Arlington, VA
1. I've lived in my apartment since Labor Day 2006. My roommate has been here for just about a year. … They're about to raise our rent from 1550 to 1925. We live in a 2br, 1.5 bath 1st floor "renovated" apartment. When we've gone to fight the 25% rent increase, we were told that we were getting a "deal" because the apartment is "renovated," meaning it recently had new kitchen cabinets (there is still only ONE drawer) and countertops and new vanities in the bathroom. The wiring is still old (the circuitry doesn't make any sense and we blow fuses often because we don't realize that two outlets on different sides of the apartment are in the same circuit). The tub needs to be replaced - our soap holder fell off the wall one night....just fell off...it didn't even have anything on it. The toilets are literally falling apart. The carpet is pulling up in certain places. We've had problems with the plumbing and the electricity.
The way they figure out utility costs is absolutely ridiculous. Instead of charging each apartment separately, they take the cost for the whole building and then divide it among the residents based on square footage of your apartment. So basically, if someone on the 9th floor leaves his/her water running all day, or leaves every light on everyone has to pay for it. The climate control....well you can't really control it. It's always either too hot or too cold and there's really no in between. The HVAC system is very outdated. Our corridor almost always smells like smoke, cigarette and otherwise. Every smell infiltrates the corridor and often permeates our apartment.
The management and leasing offices are basically worthless. Even though they're halfway competent, every request and conversation seems to be a great inconvenience to them. Maintenance requests take forever to complete, despite the 24 hour guarantee. A few requests we've had to make multiple times. Last week, our kitchen sink backed up and I put in a request... I got sick of waiting after two days and wound up fixing it myself and canceling the request. They don't communicate very well about changes in the apartment. Usually you'll get a memo slid under the door (don't bother putting down a rug or mat inside or the memo will go right under it). Even the memos are inconsistent. The week before Christmas, they shut off the electricity for the entire building for about 6 hours for a "routine county inspection." I had been doing my laundry in the common building laundry room and had just put my clothes in the dryer when the power went off. I wasn't the only one, either. The receptionist swore up and down they had sent out a notice...but most of the residents received nothing. Not to mention, I was trying to put together a Christmas Party and had to scramble to get everything together in time when the power came back on.
We haven't decided yet if we're going to stay or go. It's very convenient to the metro, the Underground and the restaurants and bars on 23rd street and Crystal Drive, but it's too expensive for what it is.
2. Parking used to be great. Now, it's a nightmare. The guest parking lot was sold off, so there is no parking for your friends. In recent months, there are construction trailors taking up at least 20 parking spots in the lot, if not more. Parking late at night is tedious, at best, and you'll have a healthy walk to the front door.
The leasing staff is chic. Unfortunately, once you sign the lease, you're ignored and treated with extreme disrespect. I have never been treated so badly, let alone ignored so much. I ask very little of an apartment complex. I am very understanding, and overlook many of the problems. But, this place is the worst managed, least secure, and worthless place that I have ever lived.
Maintenance is ridiculous. They don't fix problems. Chances are, if you removed the paint from your walls and kitchen cabinets, you'd see the rotting wood that is in mine. In the other areas of the apartment, the ceiling is leaking and molding. For a year.
Don't live here. Stay away. It's not worth it. Unless you plan on living in the swimming pool, there are far better options out there.
1. I've lived in my apartment since Labor Day 2006. My roommate has been here for just about a year. … They're about to raise our rent from 1550 to 1925. We live in a 2br, 1.5 bath 1st floor "renovated" apartment. When we've gone to fight the 25% rent increase, we were told that we were getting a "deal" because the apartment is "renovated," meaning it recently had new kitchen cabinets (there is still only ONE drawer) and countertops and new vanities in the bathroom. The wiring is still old (the circuitry doesn't make any sense and we blow fuses often because we don't realize that two outlets on different sides of the apartment are in the same circuit). The tub needs to be replaced - our soap holder fell off the wall one night....just fell off...it didn't even have anything on it. The toilets are literally falling apart. The carpet is pulling up in certain places. We've had problems with the plumbing and the electricity.
The way they figure out utility costs is absolutely ridiculous. Instead of charging each apartment separately, they take the cost for the whole building and then divide it among the residents based on square footage of your apartment. So basically, if someone on the 9th floor leaves his/her water running all day, or leaves every light on everyone has to pay for it. The climate control....well you can't really control it. It's always either too hot or too cold and there's really no in between. The HVAC system is very outdated. Our corridor almost always smells like smoke, cigarette and otherwise. Every smell infiltrates the corridor and often permeates our apartment.
The management and leasing offices are basically worthless. Even though they're halfway competent, every request and conversation seems to be a great inconvenience to them. Maintenance requests take forever to complete, despite the 24 hour guarantee. A few requests we've had to make multiple times. Last week, our kitchen sink backed up and I put in a request... I got sick of waiting after two days and wound up fixing it myself and canceling the request. They don't communicate very well about changes in the apartment. Usually you'll get a memo slid under the door (don't bother putting down a rug or mat inside or the memo will go right under it). Even the memos are inconsistent. The week before Christmas, they shut off the electricity for the entire building for about 6 hours for a "routine county inspection." I had been doing my laundry in the common building laundry room and had just put my clothes in the dryer when the power went off. I wasn't the only one, either. The receptionist swore up and down they had sent out a notice...but most of the residents received nothing. Not to mention, I was trying to put together a Christmas Party and had to scramble to get everything together in time when the power came back on.
We haven't decided yet if we're going to stay or go. It's very convenient to the metro, the Underground and the restaurants and bars on 23rd street and Crystal Drive, but it's too expensive for what it is.
2. Parking used to be great. Now, it's a nightmare. The guest parking lot was sold off, so there is no parking for your friends. In recent months, there are construction trailors taking up at least 20 parking spots in the lot, if not more. Parking late at night is tedious, at best, and you'll have a healthy walk to the front door.
The leasing staff is chic. Unfortunately, once you sign the lease, you're ignored and treated with extreme disrespect. I have never been treated so badly, let alone ignored so much. I ask very little of an apartment complex. I am very understanding, and overlook many of the problems. But, this place is the worst managed, least secure, and worthless place that I have ever lived.
Maintenance is ridiculous. They don't fix problems. Chances are, if you removed the paint from your walls and kitchen cabinets, you'd see the rotting wood that is in mine. In the other areas of the apartment, the ceiling is leaking and molding. For a year.
Don't live here. Stay away. It's not worth it. Unless you plan on living in the swimming pool, there are far better options out there.
3. I moved into this place 10 months ago and I found the glass of the window was broken in the first day. There was a leaking problem in the ceiling of my bedroom, too. I asked the management office to fix these problems and they were really useless and rude. I had to send an e-mail to their headquarters in order to ask for help and it took me more than one month to get these things done. Since then, I have gotten lots of troubles in my apartment. When I went to the management office, the peoples are really rude and they never keep their promise. There was once when they made a mistake about my rent payment. I had to go to the bank to get the statement to prove it and the management people were so rude to me. They also lost my rent payment check one time and they blamed me for this. In addition, the living environment is really unbearable. There are a lot of noise problems just as other reviewers wrote down.
Anti-Recommendations - Bennington
Bennington - Arlington, VA
1. For almost the entire winter, we did not have hot water for showers. More often than not, it was ice cold and you couldn't even shower. The hallways always smell like a dumpster, and the building doesn't look much better. The weight room is terrible. There is nothing good about this apartment other than its location (10 minute walk) to the metro. I can't say strongly enough, STAY AWAY FROM THE BENNINGTON!!!! It is worth the extra $200 you will pay for something far nicer. Also stay away from Crytal Houses, Crystal Towers they are just as bad if not worse. In fact, stay completely away from any Charles E Smith building. There are many other better options in the area. Rent at the bennington, and you will have 100% disatisfaction, 100% guaranteed.
[response to that post] You forgot to mention that the water was so cold in the winter the pipes burst and for several days many apartments had little or no water! Why is the water so cold? Because they try to save money on the utilities while overcharging us for hot water we NEVER USE!
2. I lived in the Bennington from August 2003 to May 2007. At first, it was a nice place to live, but around 2005, things changed for the worst. They started charging extra for utilities and parking (those were both included when we first moved in), they stopped cleaning up as thoroughly, and don't get me started on TWO winters in a row with *major* issues with hot water. Taking a cold shower in the morning in January is not my idea of "luxury living," which the Bennington claims to offer. Don't believe them!
1. For almost the entire winter, we did not have hot water for showers. More often than not, it was ice cold and you couldn't even shower. The hallways always smell like a dumpster, and the building doesn't look much better. The weight room is terrible. There is nothing good about this apartment other than its location (10 minute walk) to the metro. I can't say strongly enough, STAY AWAY FROM THE BENNINGTON!!!! It is worth the extra $200 you will pay for something far nicer. Also stay away from Crytal Houses, Crystal Towers they are just as bad if not worse. In fact, stay completely away from any Charles E Smith building. There are many other better options in the area. Rent at the bennington, and you will have 100% disatisfaction, 100% guaranteed.
[response to that post] You forgot to mention that the water was so cold in the winter the pipes burst and for several days many apartments had little or no water! Why is the water so cold? Because they try to save money on the utilities while overcharging us for hot water we NEVER USE!
2. I lived in the Bennington from August 2003 to May 2007. At first, it was a nice place to live, but around 2005, things changed for the worst. They started charging extra for utilities and parking (those were both included when we first moved in), they stopped cleaning up as thoroughly, and don't get me started on TWO winters in a row with *major* issues with hot water. Taking a cold shower in the morning in January is not my idea of "luxury living," which the Bennington claims to offer. Don't believe them!
Anti-Recommendations - Crystal Towers
Crystal Towers - Arlington, VA
1. Dont Move Here Even If Your Life Depends On It!!!!
The management does not care about you, does not return your phone calls, and allows your apartment to flood. Our apartment flooded and our clothing was ruined and the management did nothing. Dont Move Here Even If Your Life Depends On It!!!!
In fact don't move to any apartment owned by Charles E.Smith or Archstone, they are all the same. I have a friend in Houston, TX who had the same problems when she lived in an Archstone apartment.
2. Dont dont dont rent here. Managment wont let you out of your lease and the noise during the day is awful. Everything is dirty. We tested our carpet and it hadnt been replaced in six years- GROSS! Dont do it
3. this apartment looks nice... but it a mess. There is always construction and the parking is terrible. I have been towed with the proper sticker from the lot 2 times now! (100$ a time and 3 scratches on my car)... the front desk staff is hit or miss w/ their people skills and my balcony was taken off for an asbestos problem... scary.. i do NOT recommend.
1. Dont Move Here Even If Your Life Depends On It!!!!
The management does not care about you, does not return your phone calls, and allows your apartment to flood. Our apartment flooded and our clothing was ruined and the management did nothing. Dont Move Here Even If Your Life Depends On It!!!!
In fact don't move to any apartment owned by Charles E.Smith or Archstone, they are all the same. I have a friend in Houston, TX who had the same problems when she lived in an Archstone apartment.
2. Dont dont dont rent here. Managment wont let you out of your lease and the noise during the day is awful. Everything is dirty. We tested our carpet and it hadnt been replaced in six years- GROSS! Dont do it
3. this apartment looks nice... but it a mess. There is always construction and the parking is terrible. I have been towed with the proper sticker from the lot 2 times now! (100$ a time and 3 scratches on my car)... the front desk staff is hit or miss w/ their people skills and my balcony was taken off for an asbestos problem... scary.. i do NOT recommend.
Anti-Recommendations - Park Connecticut
Park Connecticut
1. All I can say is that when management does a terrible job ensuring that its tenants are happy, all falls apart. The maintenance here is HORRID and the management very rude. The apartments are supposedly high-end, but you would never know that from the quality of service or apartment building itself. No one really takes the time to make sure that a problem is solved and the manager of the building does not seem to really care. I am really surprised that this is the quality we receive here. Other buildings of Charles E Smith have been very good in quality service and everyone has been helpful. Here, it seems like a favor is being rendered every time a problem is reported, instead of thanking the tenant for their support. This building is not deserving of the rent prices, and a major attitude adjustment needs to occur, if this building wants to retain its tenants. The only thing going for this building is its close proximity to the metro and drugstore.
2. My Fiance and I went to the Park Connecticut this Saturday looking to rent a 2 bedroom unit. The woman at the desk just said "there are none available"... no offer to put us on a list, no offer to call us if something opened up, just get out of her building. SO RUDE... for the price they advertise I was expecting much better service. Even if a unit does open up now, I would rather live in the streets than in their building.
3. Looked at an apartment when building was brand new. And I couldn't have had less of a positive opinion of the place. The agent was nice, and the apartment showy, but . . . To get to the apartment she was showing me we went down (good view of the park) to what I was told was the parking level when I asked why there were only doors on one side. I asked if car fumes would be an issue and she said no, but the idea of living on the same floor as the garage didn't really hit me that well.
And while the apartment was nice, the price was just outrageous. I settled in up the street a few blocks, into an older building. But the apartment is large, the management great and I'm happy as a clam here. So glad I didn't waste that extra money each month just because the place was new.
4. I moved in thinking that the nice views of the park and closeness to the metro were all I needed. The parking garage is on the other side of the hallway. Do you like smelling car fumes and exhaust night & day? This place is for you! Or you could get a place in the front with windows facing another apartment and a balcony small enough to put one plant on. If this place was half the price, MAYBE it would be worth it. But they actually wanted to increase my rent by a huge amount to get me to stay? A bad deal all the way around. For that much money I'll find a place I can breath in at night.
1. All I can say is that when management does a terrible job ensuring that its tenants are happy, all falls apart. The maintenance here is HORRID and the management very rude. The apartments are supposedly high-end, but you would never know that from the quality of service or apartment building itself. No one really takes the time to make sure that a problem is solved and the manager of the building does not seem to really care. I am really surprised that this is the quality we receive here. Other buildings of Charles E Smith have been very good in quality service and everyone has been helpful. Here, it seems like a favor is being rendered every time a problem is reported, instead of thanking the tenant for their support. This building is not deserving of the rent prices, and a major attitude adjustment needs to occur, if this building wants to retain its tenants. The only thing going for this building is its close proximity to the metro and drugstore.
2. My Fiance and I went to the Park Connecticut this Saturday looking to rent a 2 bedroom unit. The woman at the desk just said "there are none available"... no offer to put us on a list, no offer to call us if something opened up, just get out of her building. SO RUDE... for the price they advertise I was expecting much better service. Even if a unit does open up now, I would rather live in the streets than in their building.
3. Looked at an apartment when building was brand new. And I couldn't have had less of a positive opinion of the place. The agent was nice, and the apartment showy, but . . . To get to the apartment she was showing me we went down (good view of the park) to what I was told was the parking level when I asked why there were only doors on one side. I asked if car fumes would be an issue and she said no, but the idea of living on the same floor as the garage didn't really hit me that well.
And while the apartment was nice, the price was just outrageous. I settled in up the street a few blocks, into an older building. But the apartment is large, the management great and I'm happy as a clam here. So glad I didn't waste that extra money each month just because the place was new.
4. I moved in thinking that the nice views of the park and closeness to the metro were all I needed. The parking garage is on the other side of the hallway. Do you like smelling car fumes and exhaust night & day? This place is for you! Or you could get a place in the front with windows facing another apartment and a balcony small enough to put one plant on. If this place was half the price, MAYBE it would be worth it. But they actually wanted to increase my rent by a huge amount to get me to stay? A bad deal all the way around. For that much money I'll find a place I can breath in at night.
Anti-Recommendations - Albemarle
Albemarle - DC
1. After more than 3 years here I've see the decadence of this place. It use to be a place where you could have a good size apartment for a reasonable price, and some decent customer service. Today, only the first remains true. Pretty much everything you can read in most of the reviews in this website is true. Let me just a couple of examples of my own: I've been waiting 2 weeks to get a loose cable fixed, and I waited for a month to get my second bathroom fixed. I'm sure you can get a better deal than this out there. I'm going to start looking pretty soon.
2. The location is great and the size of the apartments are very large by Washington DC. standards. Those are the two positve comments, but everything else would fall under the negative category! The management has consistantly taken the band-aid approach and never truely fixes or rectifies any problems. It is completely pathetic to see such a nice property so completely mis-managed to the extent that the property has basically become a leaking, bug infested piece of crap !!! This is the absolute truth !
1. After more than 3 years here I've see the decadence of this place. It use to be a place where you could have a good size apartment for a reasonable price, and some decent customer service. Today, only the first remains true. Pretty much everything you can read in most of the reviews in this website is true. Let me just a couple of examples of my own: I've been waiting 2 weeks to get a loose cable fixed, and I waited for a month to get my second bathroom fixed. I'm sure you can get a better deal than this out there. I'm going to start looking pretty soon.
2. The location is great and the size of the apartments are very large by Washington DC. standards. Those are the two positve comments, but everything else would fall under the negative category! The management has consistantly taken the band-aid approach and never truely fixes or rectifies any problems. It is completely pathetic to see such a nice property so completely mis-managed to the extent that the property has basically become a leaking, bug infested piece of crap !!! This is the absolute truth !
Anti-Recommendations - Cleveland House
Cleveland House - DC
1. This place is way too overpriced. They'll suck people in with low-rent deals and then zap them with huge increases (I heard some people got up to $1,000 a month increases) when their lease is up for renewal. That's horrible, and a cheap trick ("bait and switch" almost) to bring people in with better rates and then sock it to 'em the next year or later. Don't know what my increase will be yet, but I'm frightened about it.
Worse yet is that there's supposed to be a bunch of construction next to the property starting pretty soon. The hotel next door to the back and/or side of the property is starting a multi-year construction project, so it's gonna be even way noisier than usual around here. It's been bad enough with all the college kids that live here having party after party after party (Animal House ring a bell?), in addition to all the noise from other construction here in the building itself. (Garage construction last year was just AWFUL!) Management doesn't take much interest in helping those of us who want to call this "HOME," and rather seem to cater to cramming even more college students in here. Luxury this is NOT! Pricewise, you'd think it would, but it definitely ain't luxurious living in what feels most of the time like a high-priced college dormitory.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention that a one bedroom is up to $1800 or $1900 a month now and parking is $160 a month. The garages are filthy, too, and we've had lots of flooding occur down there every time it rains...yukky, yukky STINKY (sewage-smelling) water you have to wade through to get to your car! Eeeewwww!
2. I started out liking this building. The staff is nice; there's a doorman at all times; the location is great, it's mostly quiet and a bit out of the way. BUT, here's the problem --- once they have you, they jack up your rent dramatically every year when it's time to renew. And, if you want to renew for less than a full year, they jack it up even more. It's outrageous!
Despite some good things about the place, I would never have come here if I knew they would exploit me this way. I would NOT recommend the place, avoid this building! I was dumb enough to refer a friend here in my initial year, before I got hit with my first massive rent increase. My friend moved out after a year and was mad at me.
Oh, and yes, there was a problem with rats in the walls for a while; they spent months fixing the parking garage and somehow didn't figure out how to drain it, so it floods every time it rains now; when Archstone came in they repainted the halls in hideous colors; and, they put ridiculous oversized fire alarms in each unit.
3. The place is falling apart - quite literally. There was a humongous hole on the side of the building for months on end. The hole was dug supposedly for the owners to do something about all the plumbing problems in the building. Well, it apparently didn't solve much if anything. Then, just a few weeks ago, all hell broke loose. Apartments have had massive floods and the lobby did too. The overhang over the driveway on the north side of the building caved through too. ... This place used to be nice a very long time ago from what I hear, but it's been all downhill since the company ArchstoneSmith bought the property.
This place is way overpriced for the neighborhood. I'm glad I've lived here long enough not to be paying top dollar like all the new suckers who now call this place home. Go buy a huge house for the ripoff rent prices they charge here, or just find another building - and not an Archstone building either.
Oh and by the way there's no "doorman" here anymore either. The guy who used to be the doorman still is here in bodily form but he ain't doing doors anymore. Besides, who needs a doorman when the company allows contractors and tenants to leave doors open to the outside on places like the loading bay on the 1st floor? Anyone or any thing could walk right in. Some security system...ha!
1. This place is way too overpriced. They'll suck people in with low-rent deals and then zap them with huge increases (I heard some people got up to $1,000 a month increases) when their lease is up for renewal. That's horrible, and a cheap trick ("bait and switch" almost) to bring people in with better rates and then sock it to 'em the next year or later. Don't know what my increase will be yet, but I'm frightened about it.
Worse yet is that there's supposed to be a bunch of construction next to the property starting pretty soon. The hotel next door to the back and/or side of the property is starting a multi-year construction project, so it's gonna be even way noisier than usual around here. It's been bad enough with all the college kids that live here having party after party after party (Animal House ring a bell?), in addition to all the noise from other construction here in the building itself. (Garage construction last year was just AWFUL!) Management doesn't take much interest in helping those of us who want to call this "HOME," and rather seem to cater to cramming even more college students in here. Luxury this is NOT! Pricewise, you'd think it would, but it definitely ain't luxurious living in what feels most of the time like a high-priced college dormitory.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention that a one bedroom is up to $1800 or $1900 a month now and parking is $160 a month. The garages are filthy, too, and we've had lots of flooding occur down there every time it rains...yukky, yukky STINKY (sewage-smelling) water you have to wade through to get to your car! Eeeewwww!
2. I started out liking this building. The staff is nice; there's a doorman at all times; the location is great, it's mostly quiet and a bit out of the way. BUT, here's the problem --- once they have you, they jack up your rent dramatically every year when it's time to renew. And, if you want to renew for less than a full year, they jack it up even more. It's outrageous!
Despite some good things about the place, I would never have come here if I knew they would exploit me this way. I would NOT recommend the place, avoid this building! I was dumb enough to refer a friend here in my initial year, before I got hit with my first massive rent increase. My friend moved out after a year and was mad at me.
Oh, and yes, there was a problem with rats in the walls for a while; they spent months fixing the parking garage and somehow didn't figure out how to drain it, so it floods every time it rains now; when Archstone came in they repainted the halls in hideous colors; and, they put ridiculous oversized fire alarms in each unit.
3. The place is falling apart - quite literally. There was a humongous hole on the side of the building for months on end. The hole was dug supposedly for the owners to do something about all the plumbing problems in the building. Well, it apparently didn't solve much if anything. Then, just a few weeks ago, all hell broke loose. Apartments have had massive floods and the lobby did too. The overhang over the driveway on the north side of the building caved through too. ... This place used to be nice a very long time ago from what I hear, but it's been all downhill since the company ArchstoneSmith bought the property.
This place is way overpriced for the neighborhood. I'm glad I've lived here long enough not to be paying top dollar like all the new suckers who now call this place home. Go buy a huge house for the ripoff rent prices they charge here, or just find another building - and not an Archstone building either.
Oh and by the way there's no "doorman" here anymore either. The guy who used to be the doorman still is here in bodily form but he ain't doing doors anymore. Besides, who needs a doorman when the company allows contractors and tenants to leave doors open to the outside on places like the loading bay on the 1st floor? Anyone or any thing could walk right in. Some security system...ha!
Anti-Recommendations - Van Ness South
Van Ness South - DC
1. Do yourself a favor and don't rent at Van Ness South or at any Archstone properties. During the 3 years I've lived here, it's been nothing but problems despite the fact that management has changed 3 times! Thankfully, I haven't had any mice or roaches in my apartment, However, most management office employees are not accommodating and can be incompetent and rude; maintenance services are less than mediocre, and the Tenants Association is pretty much a joke and pointless. You will not get any good customer service here or even with HQ managers if you have a problem.
If for some reason you still feel like you want to live here despite all the warnings, don't rent an apartment facing the alley. Otherwise, you'll be dealing with deliveries at 3-4 am to nearby restaurants several times a week, very loud A/C equipment in the summer, and construction equipment associated with the parking renovation (which by the way has been nothing but a nightmare for those with a car). Like others, I've had enough and will be leaving soon.
2. I totally agree. Do not move here! The management is terrible. I've lived here for a year and have had nothing but problems with them. They are arrogant and rude and totally not helpful whatsover.
3. I moved into Van Ness South (VNS) in the fall of 2005. It was and still is a pricy building, but offered many amenities for that price. Now on a near monthly basis services and amenities are being reduced or completely cut.
4. I have lived there for 4 years and have a whole litany of unresolved issues, lame promises and poor customer service. The only thing they seem to know how to do is cash your rent check. Lease renewal is a terrible experience-basically they tell you "take it our leave it" no negotiation for all the things left promised but undone. They do not understand the meaning of customer service and reasonability.
We have roaches which are being treated but recurring, a toilet that flushes constantly, a dishwasher that doesn't hold the soap, a handle on the back door that came off and smoke from a chain smoking neighbor that they tell ME to buy a ion air freshener! Enough-we're moving out and I would not recommend this property to anyone even though it is convenient to everything and have large apartments and utilities included. Sad, it could be awesome but I am tired of being held hostage for the high rent and no services.
1. Do yourself a favor and don't rent at Van Ness South or at any Archstone properties. During the 3 years I've lived here, it's been nothing but problems despite the fact that management has changed 3 times! Thankfully, I haven't had any mice or roaches in my apartment, However, most management office employees are not accommodating and can be incompetent and rude; maintenance services are less than mediocre, and the Tenants Association is pretty much a joke and pointless. You will not get any good customer service here or even with HQ managers if you have a problem.
If for some reason you still feel like you want to live here despite all the warnings, don't rent an apartment facing the alley. Otherwise, you'll be dealing with deliveries at 3-4 am to nearby restaurants several times a week, very loud A/C equipment in the summer, and construction equipment associated with the parking renovation (which by the way has been nothing but a nightmare for those with a car). Like others, I've had enough and will be leaving soon.
2. I totally agree. Do not move here! The management is terrible. I've lived here for a year and have had nothing but problems with them. They are arrogant and rude and totally not helpful whatsover.
3. I moved into Van Ness South (VNS) in the fall of 2005. It was and still is a pricy building, but offered many amenities for that price. Now on a near monthly basis services and amenities are being reduced or completely cut.
Two weeks ago building management decided to cut our evening security guard from every night
The parking situation is a nightmare. The parking garage is undergoing major renovations so currently residents have free-for-all parking. If you can find a space great, if not, street parking may be available in the surrounding 4 or 5 blocks. Can you believe everyone pays $160 a month for THAT? The biggest concern is how long this is going to last. Archstone keeps telling residents 19 weeks and it will be over. They started a month late because the DC government shut them down for not having building permits. So that s an extra 4 weeks to tack on to the 19 weeks. They also started renovations of the VNS management office last September. It was supposed to be complete in December, they still haven t finished and it s nearly June! Gives you an idea of what we’re in for with this garage project.
Yes, some of the apartments at VNS are larger then others. Yes, we re only 2 blocks from the metro. Yes, we re right next to a supermarket. But does that make up for the negatives? I used to think so, but the more and more that goes on here and the more and more I think it is time to leave4. I have lived there for 4 years and have a whole litany of unresolved issues, lame promises and poor customer service. The only thing they seem to know how to do is cash your rent check. Lease renewal is a terrible experience-basically they tell you "take it our leave it" no negotiation for all the things left promised but undone. They do not understand the meaning of customer service and reasonability.
We have roaches which are being treated but recurring, a toilet that flushes constantly, a dishwasher that doesn't hold the soap, a handle on the back door that came off and smoke from a chain smoking neighbor that they tell ME to buy a ion air freshener! Enough-we're moving out and I would not recommend this property to anyone even though it is convenient to everything and have large apartments and utilities included. Sad, it could be awesome but I am tired of being held hostage for the high rent and no services.
Anti-Recommendations - Alban Towers
Alban Towers - DC
Alban Towers is an apartment building I've always thought of living in - it's not near the metro, but it's this great funky looking old building. So I was disappointed to learn that it's an A-S property. That takes it off my list of prospective buildings.
1. Overpriced pit that's nothing more than an obnoxious party dorm for lowly AU students. Avoid.
2. Do not rent here. This is a very badly managed apartment building. It is not the local staff, but right up the rank to the corporate offices. This is sold as a luxury living experience but: After a year of complaints we have ratty rooftop furniture ripped with stuffing coming out and filthy . . . There is a padded, service elevator that goes to the luxury rooftop, but they have it locked so one has to take their guest to the luxury rooftop via the ratty and dangerously sloped stairwell stairs that have no air and are hot as blazes. But for some reason you can take the elevator down--just not up.
The luxury swimming pool is often very dirty and management clearly does not do a daily walk-through to check on it---they recently made a corporate improvement in this gym area--huge corporate posters with the archstone name plastered everywhere--like we want to exercise with advertising--we asked that they be taken down, but so far this improvement remains. The elevators are broken all the time and a small lift we use to get groceries in and out is broken going on half a year--we are told to use the back door, but did they think of putting a bench there? Did they think of putting a cart there? NO! But they did come up with a recent improvement--they want us to leave our divers lisc. or govt. ID so we can use the cart since they have not fixed the lift so we have an easy way to get our items in.
The other amenity, the business center is always broken in some way. It is not always operational and is not large enough to support such a large building. The wonderful TV room closes at11pm , because despite the fact that it is not near an apartment so that sound is not an issue, we are children who can't finish watching a movie that ends at midnight or a basketball final on the West Coast.
This place is the pits, and it could be so nice, we feel that the Archstone people are just raping the place to show revenue and taking a year-plus to replace (or just a promise to replace) torn and dirty patio cushions, to fix things, no effort to renew high use carpet patches. … They are nothing more then the classic slum lord. This property is managed like ghetto property. This is a great building that deserves better---but do not move here unless you want to constantly fight to get even the basics of what was promised AND WHAT YOU HAVE PAID FOR--it is terrible.
Alban Towers is an apartment building I've always thought of living in - it's not near the metro, but it's this great funky looking old building. So I was disappointed to learn that it's an A-S property. That takes it off my list of prospective buildings.
1. Overpriced pit that's nothing more than an obnoxious party dorm for lowly AU students. Avoid.
2. Do not rent here. This is a very badly managed apartment building. It is not the local staff, but right up the rank to the corporate offices. This is sold as a luxury living experience but: After a year of complaints we have ratty rooftop furniture ripped with stuffing coming out and filthy . . . There is a padded, service elevator that goes to the luxury rooftop, but they have it locked so one has to take their guest to the luxury rooftop via the ratty and dangerously sloped stairwell stairs that have no air and are hot as blazes. But for some reason you can take the elevator down--just not up.
The luxury swimming pool is often very dirty and management clearly does not do a daily walk-through to check on it---they recently made a corporate improvement in this gym area--huge corporate posters with the archstone name plastered everywhere--like we want to exercise with advertising--we asked that they be taken down, but so far this improvement remains. The elevators are broken all the time and a small lift we use to get groceries in and out is broken going on half a year--we are told to use the back door, but did they think of putting a bench there? Did they think of putting a cart there? NO! But they did come up with a recent improvement--they want us to leave our divers lisc. or govt. ID so we can use the cart since they have not fixed the lift so we have an easy way to get our items in.
The other amenity, the business center is always broken in some way. It is not always operational and is not large enough to support such a large building. The wonderful TV room closes at
This place is the pits, and it could be so nice, we feel that the Archstone people are just raping the place to show revenue and taking a year-plus to replace (or just a promise to replace) torn and dirty patio cushions, to fix things, no effort to renew high use carpet patches. … They are nothing more then the classic slum lord. This property is managed like ghetto property. This is a great building that deserves better---but do not move here unless you want to constantly fight to get even the basics of what was promised AND WHAT YOU HAVE PAID FOR--it is terrible.
Anti-Recommendations - Tunlaw Gardens, DC
Tunlaw Gardens, DC - 2007 reviews
1. My rent went from 1260 to 1900! For a one bedroom with a non-updated kitchen. Charles E Smith/Archstone is the worst rental company in the marketplace. Just say no!
4. The apartments themselves are fine. Nothing special. My apartment has its quirks. closet doors don't shut, bedroom doors don't shut, foggy mirrors. I can deal with this stuff. The real problem I have is that Charles E. Smith are thieves. There is no rhyme or reason to the way they mark-up rent every year. My rent has gone up every year since 2003. Specifically it has gone up 70, 200, 100. This is BS. I have heard similar issues with other tenants. It is aggravating. I want to stay but I always feel forced out. Charles E. Smith has no appreciation for good clients. In the future I will look for a smaller independent management company. A company that will not turn its back on good clients. I hate Charles E. Smith.
1. My rent went from 1260 to 1900! For a one bedroom with a non-updated kitchen. Charles E Smith/Archstone is the worst rental company in the marketplace. Just say no!
2. Well, we moved here from a great place in Adams Morgan (The Washington House) b/c we loved the neighborhood and the building manager who showed us around. It was also a decent price for a two bedroom at $1625. Then, when our lease came around for renewal they raised it 25% YES, thats what I wrote, 25%! It was a more than $400 a month increase. Our neighbors across the hall were raised $500! Basically, our entire building is moving out. … The new building manager is pretty nice and for the most part knows what he is doing, but really have no power when it comes to dealing with residents. He has to run everything by the corporate office and they don't care about residents at all. When I complained about our rent being raised too much, they said they'd lower it $100, but thats still outrageous, so we are moving. The place is ok, but definitely not worth $2125! I'd expect that if I was living in a place with 24 hour door man and an elevator. And, good concierge service. The office closes at 6, so if you get home after then, forget about getting your packages. And, sometimes, they forget to notify you that you have a package, so we would just have to call a couple of times a week to see if something was there. … Our place has several issues that were never resolved. When we moved in the kitchen cabinets were hanging off the wall and it took them a while to fix it. Most of the radiators won't turn off, so just expect to be hot during the winter. We have had to turn the AC on occasionally, just to cool off.
4. The apartments themselves are fine. Nothing special. My apartment has its quirks. closet doors don't shut, bedroom doors don't shut, foggy mirrors. I can deal with this stuff. The real problem I have is that Charles E. Smith are thieves. There is no rhyme or reason to the way they mark-up rent every year. My rent has gone up every year since 2003. Specifically it has gone up 70, 200, 100. This is BS. I have heard similar issues with other tenants. It is aggravating. I want to stay but I always feel forced out. Charles E. Smith has no appreciation for good clients. In the future I will look for a smaller independent management company. A company that will not turn its back on good clients. I hate Charles E. Smith.
Anti-Recommendations - The Consulate
The Consulate - DC - Posts from 2007
1. I've been living at The Consulate for almost 3 years now, and though I was initially happy here, I've experienced enough problems that I'm really looking forward to moving. The pros of living here have been the convenient location . . . However, the cons have slowly added up to the point that this place is no longer worth the now overpriced rent.
The cons that have driven me away include . . . the neglectful, nonresponsive, and disinterested Management of the building. When my air conditioning failed to work properly in the height of the horrendous DC summer heat, I had to battle it out with them through repeated emails and service requests and unhelpful "repairs" before they finally replaced my HVAC unit with one that actually works. . . . . My electric bill for my small 1-bedroom apartment was almost $250 one month! And yet the building maintenance and management team tried to tell me that it was working fine. Only through persistent complaints did I finally manage to get a functioning air conditioner.
In the past year, Management has replaced all the washers & dryers with new ones that are more expensive per load yet have fewer cycle options; they installed a laundry charge card machine that failed to work for months (and yet they never informed residents that it wasn't working, nor updated residents when it finally was working); they wasted who knows how much money on an unappealing renovation of the previously lovely lobby . . . they began construction and renovation of the pool and tennis court only after the pool failed to drain after last summer and sat stagnant like a cess pool for a couple of months (again, residents received no communication at the time regarding why we were staring out our windows at said cess pool) . . . they have been in the process of replacing the old, nonresponsive elevators for many months now and so far not even one replacement elevator has been installed . . . And despite all of the frustrations over the past year, they dared to inform residents that the next rent increase would be at least $200/month for a 1-year lease (higher for shorter term leases)!! That's approximately a 14% increase in just one year -- completely unreasonable under the best of circumstances, let alone after experiencing such deficient service and living conditions.
The general theme of most of the cons is the neglectful attitude of the Management, which manifests itself in different adverse ways on a daily basis. Of course, maybe I should thank the Management Team for motivating me to finally get out of here and buy my own place!
2. I've lived here for 3 years so I guess it can't be that bad! The location is great--the metro is steps from the doorway along with a CVS and newly renovated Giant. The things we really loved when we moved into this building were the following: 1)Pool; 2)Exercise facility; 3)Doorman; 4)Friendly staff. Since moving in, the quality of all of this has plummeted. The pool opened an entire MONTH late this year! We pay a premium to live here and not having that amenity for an entire month was outrageous. The TVs in the exercise facility were broken for months--we had to shove pencils into the holes to try to change the channel and turn them on and off--a bit ridiculous when you're paying over 2 grand in rent per month. I have never seen any of the current door people ask anyone who is not a resident to sign in. There was a break-in recently. Big surprise! The people at the desk--one woman in particular--are unfriendly and act bothered when you ask questions. Besides that, the place has been being renovated for about 2 years now! The elevators are slower than any I've ever seen. The lobby when we moved in was rather stately, with a big chandelier and bright walls etc. With the new "renovated" look, it feels like a dungeon (gray brick walls). It is sad because it's a really great location and the first year was so great. Hopefully they can pull it back together. If you move in, just be prepared to pay extremely high rent for substandard service.3. You will regret moving to the Consulate. I have lived there for four years and am moving out in about a month. I was happy with the place up until our last year here. When we signed our last lease, management gave us no warning at all that they had plans to do construction on the pool within the next several months literally right outside of our apartment. The jackhammering for the pool construction went on for about 6 months. It was so loud in our one bedroom apartment, my fiance and I had to yell to hear each other across the room. Watching TV was not even an option -- our TV wouldn't go up loud enough to hear it over the noise. The vibrations from the jackhammering broke several items in our apartment. It was absolutely hell. . . . The apartment management treated me very rudely when I asked for a rent abatement for putting up with their construction noise. We received no rent abatement, and in fact every year I have lived here with the exception of the first year, they have increased our rent significantly. For what the Consulate charges, there are much better finds in the city. . . . Almost everyone I know that lives here right now is planning on moving out as soon as their lease is up.
1. I've been living at The Consulate for almost 3 years now, and though I was initially happy here, I've experienced enough problems that I'm really looking forward to moving. The pros of living here have been the convenient location . . . However, the cons have slowly added up to the point that this place is no longer worth the now overpriced rent.
The cons that have driven me away include . . . the neglectful, nonresponsive, and disinterested Management of the building. When my air conditioning failed to work properly in the height of the horrendous DC summer heat, I had to battle it out with them through repeated emails and service requests and unhelpful "repairs" before they finally replaced my HVAC unit with one that actually works. . . . . My electric bill for my small 1-bedroom apartment was almost $250 one month! And yet the building maintenance and management team tried to tell me that it was working fine. Only through persistent complaints did I finally manage to get a functioning air conditioner.
In the past year, Management has replaced all the washers & dryers with new ones that are more expensive per load yet have fewer cycle options; they installed a laundry charge card machine that failed to work for months (and yet they never informed residents that it wasn't working, nor updated residents when it finally was working); they wasted who knows how much money on an unappealing renovation of the previously lovely lobby . . . they began construction and renovation of the pool and tennis court only after the pool failed to drain after last summer and sat stagnant like a cess pool for a couple of months (again, residents received no communication at the time regarding why we were staring out our windows at said cess pool) . . . they have been in the process of replacing the old, nonresponsive elevators for many months now and so far not even one replacement elevator has been installed . . . And despite all of the frustrations over the past year, they dared to inform residents that the next rent increase would be at least $200/month for a 1-year lease (higher for shorter term leases)!! That's approximately a 14% increase in just one year -- completely unreasonable under the best of circumstances, let alone after experiencing such deficient service and living conditions.
The general theme of most of the cons is the neglectful attitude of the Management, which manifests itself in different adverse ways on a daily basis. Of course, maybe I should thank the Management Team for motivating me to finally get out of here and buy my own place!
2. I've lived here for 3 years so I guess it can't be that bad! The location is great--the metro is steps from the doorway along with a CVS and newly renovated Giant. The things we really loved when we moved into this building were the following: 1)Pool; 2)Exercise facility; 3)Doorman; 4)Friendly staff. Since moving in, the quality of all of this has plummeted. The pool opened an entire MONTH late this year! We pay a premium to live here and not having that amenity for an entire month was outrageous. The TVs in the exercise facility were broken for months--we had to shove pencils into the holes to try to change the channel and turn them on and off--a bit ridiculous when you're paying over 2 grand in rent per month. I have never seen any of the current door people ask anyone who is not a resident to sign in. There was a break-in recently. Big surprise! The people at the desk--one woman in particular--are unfriendly and act bothered when you ask questions. Besides that, the place has been being renovated for about 2 years now! The elevators are slower than any I've ever seen. The lobby when we moved in was rather stately, with a big chandelier and bright walls etc. With the new "renovated" look, it feels like a dungeon (gray brick walls). It is sad because it's a really great location and the first year was so great. Hopefully they can pull it back together. If you move in, just be prepared to pay extremely high rent for substandard service.3. You will regret moving to the Consulate. I have lived there for four years and am moving out in about a month. I was happy with the place up until our last year here. When we signed our last lease, management gave us no warning at all that they had plans to do construction on the pool within the next several months literally right outside of our apartment. The jackhammering for the pool construction went on for about 6 months. It was so loud in our one bedroom apartment, my fiance and I had to yell to hear each other across the room. Watching TV was not even an option -- our TV wouldn't go up loud enough to hear it over the noise. The vibrations from the jackhammering broke several items in our apartment. It was absolutely hell. . . . The apartment management treated me very rudely when I asked for a rent abatement for putting up with their construction noise. We received no rent abatement, and in fact every year I have lived here with the exception of the first year, they have increased our rent significantly. For what the Consulate charges, there are much better finds in the city. . . . Almost everyone I know that lives here right now is planning on moving out as soon as their lease is up.
Also, like other people have written, the electricity bill is outrageous. When you're figuring out rent, add at least another $150 each month to equate for the added cost of electricity that you would not pay elsewhere. So, if you take my situation -- we pay $1450 for rent for a one-bedroom, $150 for parking, and an extra $150 for the added cost of electricity, we are paying about $1750 to live in this crap hole.
If you want to know the good things, the maintenance is pretty good, the desk people in the lobby are nice, the neighborhood is safe and close to the metro. But if you're looking for those things, I'd look at one of the other apartments down the street.
If you don't mind noise and outrageous electricity bills, the Consulate isn't a bad place to live. But I do mind these things and can't wait to move. I also have heard that people are moving out because rents are being raised significantly.
5. [Poster liked it except for...] I lived at The Consulate for 15 months and never really had major problems except the following;
--When my A/C was working correctly, my electric bill was almost as much as parking.
-- When my A/c was not working correctly I had the honor of a lower electric bill and a small pool in my living room where the drain pan deposited the condensation.
-- The last three months I lived there I was paying more in rent than my parents pay in a year for their house payment (rent went up almost 30% from when I moved in till when I left).
-- Parking price is ridiculous. You will soon notice that the garage is almost completely empty because the fee is too high. Why they don't lower the price and fill up all the spots, is a mystery to me.
6. I lived in the Consulate for several years. Loved the big apartments, the "sunken" living room and long balcony with entrance from living room & bedroom. Also the big bedroom window. I liked it enough that I would not have left except management increased my rent by over $300/month. When I asked about rent control they assured me that since they were a newer building, they were exempt.
7. I moved into the Consulate because the management seemed friendly and I was under the impression from the advertisement and management's representation that part of the bills were paid by the Consulate. I asked several times what was paid and the answer was always the Consulate paid the gas bill - when I asked what in the apartment was gas, I was told 1) the heat 2) the water heater 3) nothing (the only thing that is gas at the Consulate is the back-up generator according to my third conversation with management).
I was told by management before I moved in that the electric bill would average about $130 for the apartment but I have never had a bill even close to that. My average was $212 and once had a $300 electric bill. Since I'm only home for about 2 hours in the evening before I go to sleep and 1 hour in the morning before I leave, this was unbelievable. The apartments are not well insulated (evidenced by the constant breeze you could see and feel near the sliding glass doors that are in every room), which causes the apartment to be an "energy-suck".
More Anit-Recommendations
2501 Porter - DC
It is a beautiful building but at the end of our lease they were going to increase our rent $500 per month to renew. Prepare to move at the end of your lease term because Charles E. Smith properties is an unethical company with no regard for customer service. (fyi, Charles E. Smith and Archstone are joined at the hip or the same company, I can't figure it out)
And someone who liked the building left a good review - but noted they had to move out because of a large rent increase. "If it weren't so expensive here, I would renew my lease."
It is a beautiful building but at the end of our lease they were going to increase our rent $500 per month to renew. Prepare to move at the end of your lease term because Charles E. Smith properties is an unethical company with no regard for customer service. (fyi, Charles E. Smith and Archstone are joined at the hip or the same company, I can't figure it out)
And someone who liked the building left a good review - but noted they had to move out because of a large rent increase. "If it weren't so expensive here, I would renew my lease."
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Archstone Smith tesimonials
Just picked up a couple of these this morning on a google blog search.
Don't Move to the Meadows at Russett - (Laurel, MD)
And a couple of posts from a blog "Archstone Smith-Horrible Management" - I am a tenant at Archstone Smith's new aquisition, 180 Montague Street. I have heard many complaints about this management from people who live in this building, as well as other buildings that Archstone Smith manages. They have hiked up the rents (up to 30% in my building), and have not provided any new or improved services that would justify this. In fact, the service in this building has gone down.
No regard for Current Tenants My building has recently changed management to Archstone-Smith --I have to say it has been a disappointment in many regards: 1. Management has raised rents between 17 and 20 %, with no visible improvements in the quality of the service. 2. The halls and common areas (especially the rest rooms) are, to say the least, in unsanitary conditions (which was NEVER the case w/the prior management).
Don't Move to the Meadows at Russett - (Laurel, MD)
And a couple of posts from a blog "Archstone Smith-Horrible Management" - I am a tenant at Archstone Smith's new aquisition, 180 Montague Street. I have heard many complaints about this management from people who live in this building, as well as other buildings that Archstone Smith manages. They have hiked up the rents (up to 30% in my building), and have not provided any new or improved services that would justify this. In fact, the service in this building has gone down.
No regard for Current Tenants My building has recently changed management to Archstone-Smith --I have to say it has been a disappointment in many regards: 1. Management has raised rents between 17 and 20 %, with no visible improvements in the quality of the service. 2. The halls and common areas (especially the rest rooms) are, to say the least, in unsanitary conditions (which was NEVER the case w/the prior management).
I Hate Archstone Smith
I had the misfortune to rend from this management company once, and won't make that mistake again. From the $300/month rent increase after the first year's lease expired, to the fees for just about anything they can think of, the company made living in a nice looking building a horrible experience.
The Washington Post has a Saturday Apartment living guide that spotlights a different property each week. The reporter interviews tenants and writes up the property. The stories end up being love fests, every tenant is happy with something about the building.
This week they picked an Archstone Smith building at Pentagon City. And those happy we love the place tenants? See for yourself here. The article starts out with the great view (the place is across the Potomac from DC and the focus is on the view of Arlington, Virginia? - I don't know the place, but does that mean there's no view of DC? One of the best "must view" views in the area?
The tenants start talking about those Archstone Smith touches.
The Washington Post has a Saturday Apartment living guide that spotlights a different property each week. The reporter interviews tenants and writes up the property. The stories end up being love fests, every tenant is happy with something about the building.
This week they picked an Archstone Smith building at Pentagon City. And those happy we love the place tenants? See for yourself here. The article starts out with the great view (the place is across the Potomac from DC and the focus is on the view of Arlington, Virginia? - I don't know the place, but does that mean there's no view of DC? One of the best "must view" views in the area?
The tenants start talking about those Archstone Smith touches.
- "The expenses will kill you," said Nathaniel Kulyk, 25, a research associate at a government information technology consultancy. He moved from Northwest Washington to Parc Vista in January 2006 because the building was close to just about every type of transportation and offered underground parking. When his 10-month lease expired, the rent for his one-bedroom surged $130 per month.
The rates for water, gas and electricity use, which vary month to month, are based not on personal use, but rather on the square footage and the number of people in the unit. Residents noted that they have to pay even for periods when they are on vacation. Josh Baker, 26, who moved to Parc Vista three years ago, said that this is not "the most equitable way" of handling utilities. The consultant and his wife chose Parc Vista partly because utilities were included in rent at the time.
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