Channel Square Apartments

I’ve lived here for three years, I am about to move out because I am relocating for a new job. I couldn’t have been much happier here. I’m sure there are problems, but I’ve always found the staff to be helpful and my apartment is super nice. I’ve also never seen a roach or a mouse or anything like that, so that alone is awesome.

BEWARE! Channel Square houses our neighborhood «crew».
Been a little while. But, we neighbors were recently reminded, someone, still, houses that young SWDC Crew in Channel Square.
Channel Square management must really be addicted to DC Section 8 Funding.

I never lived here, but I live only few blocks away and rented a parking place while going out of the country. In order to rent a parking, the renter has to give 75 $ deposit prior to renting. My rental period has been only for two month and I paid the parking fee and the deposit upfront. So far, I have been waiting for my deposit for month and a half now. I called the management on several occasions in this regard but did not get a resolution only disrespectful attitude. So therefore I call it purely STEALING my money!

I have lived here continuously since September 2009. I love, love, love that it is inexpensive. For our four bedroom townhouse (run by Channel Square), the rent has gone up only $ 30 since we started living there. That’s $ 30 total, not $ 30 per person in the place.
I dislike that the management has started cracking down on things that used to be ok. For instance, we now can’t grill but could before with no questions asked. And, they rejected someone on our lease for no clear reason which was annoying.
We’ve had an on and off problem with roaches too, but I mostly blame our neighbors for that and not the apartment complex itself.
I’m so happy about the pricing that this gets high stars though. What do you expect when each person is spending $ 700 per month (and that includes our extraneous cable/​Internet bill)?

This is the worst place I’ve lived in, ever. Everything breaks all the time. The building is old, yes, but I’ve lived in other old buildings where the water wasn’t shut off for days on end, and the AC and heat was functioning properly. Since I’ve lived here (under a year), we’ve had the water shut off every month, for at least 1 day or more each time. We literally receive a «notice» the evening before they plan to shut off the water or AC or heat or whatever, and when we call to ask or complain, they summarily dismiss you.
The front office has zero customer service skills. Anytime I talk to them, I feel like I owe them favors for letting me live there. This feels like a gulag, not an American apartment building. They are not only rude, but have this attitude of «you’re bothering me, get out of my sight» no matter what question or inconvenience one may cause them.
The building itself is ghetto, there is no other way to describe it. At night, it gets pretty dicey. I’ve taken cabs home after 10 pm, just to avoid running into various groups of thugs loitering in the streets. It’s close to the Waterfront metro, and overall, it’s so-​so safe, but after the sun sets down, you’re on your own.
The rent at this place is incredibly expensive! A studio is $ 1,400. I don’t know who pays that kind of money for THIS location and building, but the only reason why I’m living here is that we’re in a rent-​controlled apartment where we pay way under market value. If you can get a good deal here (meaning, a couple hundred dollars in rent, no more), it’s a way to save money, but otherwise, run the other way.
Parking is a good deal at $ 75 per month outside and $ 95 in the garage. Considering the proximity to downtown, I think this is a good deal. And there are security guards always on the premises. At first I was worried that someone will break into my car (see thugs loitering all night, above), but I’ve since relaxed about it. No incidents with the car.
Also, maintenance and various inspectors seem to come into the apartment on a weekly basis. I forgot what privacy feels like. We constantly have other people in the apartment, checking things out, fixing things (which seem always broken anyway), it’s really annoying. The other day a maintenance person (sent by the building without giving me notice) rang the door bell and when I didn’t answer right away, he let himself in, and upon seeing me astonished to see him burst into my apartment, he said «I’d been standing outside forever!!!» with an accusatory voice that was clearly expecting an explanation from me, why it took me «so long» to get to the door. This is a typical interaction with the staff here. I’ve never seen this kind of entitlement anywhere.

Oh, and if you live here you should know about the noise from flights taking off at Reagan beginning at about 5AM every morning and every night at about 8PM. It’s really all day, but it’s really irritating when you’re TRYING TO SLEEP. This is something management did not disclose but it’s almost impossible that they weren’t aware.
Add that to the trash collectors dragging bins by your windows and street traffic from Ft. McNair and I hate to say it but this place has become a real nightmare.
Some if the noise is admittedly probably due to our unit’s specific location in the complex, which side of the unit I’m on, what floor, etc., but the bottom line is that it isn’t worth the extra couple hundred a month we’re saving. I’m not resigning my lease anyway.

I agree with the reviews stated by Tasha, but have not had some experiences she mentioned in the cons. I have not dealt with the smells from neighbors and have not been bothered by traffic at any time. The building is rent controlled, so while the rent may increase some, there are laws against extreme rent hikes that you may find in other buildings in D.C. The rent that I pay is substantially lower than any other building of this quality in DC. I do believe it is the cheapest 1 bedroom I have found. The staff is extremely helpful and they are making great strides to improve the building. I highly recommend living here.

I’ve lived here for a little over 7 months now, and I’m pretty pleased with my overall experience. Here’s the rundown:
Pros — spacious apartments (many being updated or already updated); street and private parking available; two-​blocks from a metro stop, Safeway, and CVS; conveniently located near the Waterfront, Nats stadium, 395, 295, and the DMV; affordable rent with utilities included; helpful staff; very friendly neighbors; access controlled and fairly well maintained building; bay windows; and security officers almost always on duty.
Cons — neighbors sometimes cooking weird foods with awkward smells that permeate their front doors and loiter in the hallways; construction noise because of the upgrades; rent prices steadily increasing; traffic sucks during rush hour and Nats games; and obnoxious kids frequenting the surrounding streets in the summer.
With this place, you get what you pay for. It’s by no means a 5-​star luxury high rise with all the amenities, but for anyone on a budget it definitely offers a pretty good bang for the buck.