Connecticut Heights Apartments

The building itself is nice, and coming from a larger city it was nice to get more for your money. (2 pools, fitness center, carpets)
Not worth it though.
We should have known when signing but we liked the place so much we were blind to the service. I was irritated by the jokes the guy was making towards me for wanting to ensure I saw the apartment we were actually renting and wanting specific details about it. He only could give general info and would not give any more (for example we were renting a 1 bedroom and he only sent us a floor plan for a studio — not helpful). It turns out that he could show us the apartment and eventually did. But could not give us measurements or a floor plan the apartment we got ended up being the opposite of what he told us. Sent emails only to my roommate and never to me, always with some incorrect information. Lied about why he needed more specific information about me and not my roommate (because he messed up my SSN when entering it for a background check). Not helpful at all.
The uselessness of the office staff continued until our very last day there. When leaving they made the process very unclear and did not confirm anything with us on how to end our lease. We eventually figured it out but not with help from them.
The maintenance crew is even worse. Illegally entered our apartment twice. Not to mention if you have an appointment they do not show up — even after you call and they say they’ll be right there! Once they flooded our apartment when we did not even know they would be there. After being upset that we came home to our stuff soaked, we were met with no sympathy from the office staff. They basically said too bad.
The smell of weed often billows out of the lobby — not sure which employee it comes from but it shows in the way they handle everything there.
The front desk staff is nice but that it not redeemable for the terrible experience the rest of the staff creates for you while you live there.
When you call to complain at corporate it circles you back to the same staff in your building which is not helpful.
So glad to be out of there — it was so frustrating dealing with them.

I didn’t expect that finding an apartment would be similar to negotiating a car sale or infomercial, with the salesperson trying to confuse you and pull the old switcharoo. I don’t live here but I’m reviewing my experience with the «shopping process» for this building and Equity Apartments in general.
I was moving to DC on short notice and flew down for one week to find an apartment. I figured looking at large complexes would make the search easier. I came across Equity’s website and with their many apartment buildings, so I looked at the buildings I was interested in and noted the price and availability before asking to book a tour or appointment. The site would say «Available ¹⁰⁄₁ from $xx». From there, I’d make an appointment request and I got a personal response from someone in the lease office saying «Hi, let us know what you’re looking for so I can help you when you come in.» I thought, oh that’s very nice of them. So I responded and said I am looking for a one bedroom for this price. No response after that.
Connecticut Heights was the first building I visited. By the way I had to wait 20 minutes even though I had an appointment time. I also don’t like that they took my driver’s license to take the tour, and I can’t remember if they made a photocopy but they kept my license until I left the building. I took the tour, it was fine though I only saw one unit. Then I sat down with the agent to go over the available units and pricing, and surprise! there are no units available within my budget. Even with the units that were available, they could not show them. If I’m sitting here now, why would I want to sign a lease on something I can’t see?
I looked at two more Equity buildings and had pretty much the exact same experience — I arrived only to find zero apartments within my budget, but they offered another unit for a little bit more, however I can’t see the exact unit either. Remember, I was only in town for one week so only 1 or 2 days had passed from the time I told them my criteria to the time I walked in. If you don’t have anything that meets what I want, just tell me instead of wasting my goddamn time. I canceled the rest of my Equity viewings I had scheduled and moved on to other management companies for help.

The facilities seem nice, as do the neighbors and staff. I’m not a resident, but just checking out the apartment was a great experience. I would say that the unrenovated apartments in the main tower needs a change. I live in one of the common buildings which are bug free! A must for living in the DC-​area. A nice-​sized gym and the front desk staff are amazing. All-​in-​all, 8 enjoy living here.

I’ve lived in most kinds of places.
My husband and I have lived here for ~9 months. We moved here, sight unseen, because we needed a place to live after a job relocation to DC.
First, let me talk about the good things about this apartment:
1. There are beautiful wood floors and high ceilings, although most apartments have carpet. The apartment is in pretty great condition.
2. The heat, more or less, works. There is an AC that you can control. The appliances are mostly old, but the service here is amazing if something breaks.
3. There is a gym. They’ve replaced some stolen/​missing equipment and put in a water cooler.
4. There is laundry on every floor.
5. Location is a huge plus for us — we like the almost suburb-​y feel of this neighborhood with lots of green space and kids.
6. Pet-​friendly. This was a huge plus for us, considering that most of DC rental communities seem to hate dogs.
7. There’s a pool (if you’re into that).
Now, the bad things:
1. Roaches. These things are all over the place in the summer. The bike rack in the garage was positioned near a sewage leak where roaches spawned and dominated. There’s some roach poison in the basement, so at least they’re dead (some of the time) when you find them.
2. The stench of said sewage leak was unbearable in a hot and enclosed community space until someone in management finally took the initiative to get it fixed (months?). Or maybe it just dried. Who knows?
3a. Break-​ins and theft. This is my second-​favorite. Every few weeks, we get emails about how there has been either a robbery or burglary in the main building, along with a reminder to «lock your doors.» These emails mostly dedicate their time to saying that people who don’t have their doors locked are getting robbed. How about hiring more security? How about some cameras?
3b. Along these same lines, my bike was stolen out of the garage. This actually was my fault — the bike was unlocked. However, with building security walking around, there should be a disincentive for someone to walk into a private garage and take a bike.
4. The laundry machines were recently replaced. Awesome! Except the price went up to 2.20 for a wash. And now you also pay more for «hot» loads. (Fill in your own joke there).
5. Lastly, this place claims to be rent-​controlled. And while this is TRUE, here is WHAT I CAN GATHER about the pricing scheme:
They have two prices:
1. the «rent-​controlled» price of the apartment, which they have been raising as much as possible every year (and is much higher than what someone will pay for this complex), and
2. the «market rate» rent. The market rate is determined by what apartments in the neighborhood with similar amenities charge.
You sign a lease for the rent-​controlled price, and receive a «credit» which is the difference between the rent-​controlled price and the market rate, so only pay the «market rate» for your monthly rent.
Now, the higher rate (the one that you’re not actually paying) is constrained by rent-​control laws. It can only raise a set percent of your rental rate every year. The «market rate,» which is lower than the «rent-​controlled» price is not affected by the rent control laws. Because you’re getting a «credit» which is (likely) unregulated.
Example:
Market rent: $ 1580 + $ 65 pet rent (which seems excessive, but whatever).
Rent-​controlled price: $ 2,221 per month.
Credit: $ 641
Max legal increase on rent controlled price: 3.4%
New «rent-​controlled» rent: $ 2,297
When it comes time to renew, I’m being offered a $ 130 increase in rent, which is an 8% increase on what I’m paying now.
Note that these are my observations and opinions. The accuracy of the content will need to be verified by anyone who is looking at living in this apartment complex.

We are now in our second year here and really love it! We moved out of our previous first-​floor unit that was in Building 1 (one of the vintage buildings) and are now in the modern high-​rise, no longer on the first floor. In the old unit we saw the occasional roach, mainly in summer, but here in this place (probably due to being higher up and also in a newer building) we haven’t seen a single one! Not even in summer months! Love having a little balcony, more light in the new unit, utilities that are included, central air, friendly concierge staff and awesome service technicians! We’ve always been a fan of the neighborhood and still are. We’re glad we decided to stick with Connecticut Heights, but move to a different unit that works better for us.

I lived here for a little over two years, and while the building isn’t without its problems, it was a generally nice place to live. The Archstone manager went out of her way to help me minimize the amount of neighbors’ cigarette smoke wafting through my apartment, and the new Equity manager Jason was equally helpful in extending our lease by a few months and taking care of other minor issues. Dominique was awesome, as were John and Mentor at the front desk.
Aside from the cigarette smoke, other things that went wrong were a water leak spewing down the wall of the living room, hot water being out on a somewhat regular basis, the AC not working on 90 degree days, and reports of break-​ins in other apartments. I can say that I never felt unsafe in my apartment, but apparently there were some incidents.
I had a really disrespectful neighbor who would blast subwoofer-​heavy music at 12am and at 7am on Sundays, but once he moved out, noise wasn’t as much of an issue. It’s city apartment living, so I guess it’s to be expected on some level.
Living in the high rise on one of the upper floors, rent was somewhat controlled, but still high for being a ~10 minute walk up Connecticut from the Van Ness metro. It is cheaper to live on lower levels in the smaller buildings (but you have to pay for your electricity and whatnot). I think one benefit of living high up was that I saw maybe three bugs the entire time I lived there.
Overall, not great, not bad.

I have been a resident of Archstone for approximately 5 years now and there are some recurring problems I noticed from personal experience and stories other neighbors shared.
— The main building looks nicer but is more expensive. Apartments have centralized heating and air conditioning, the concierge is downstairs in the lobby, and the general appeal of the building exceeds anyone’s standards. Unfortunately, the older buildings fail in comparison. This is not to say living in the older buildings is a bad idea, as they are cheaper and the layout of apartments is better. However, they repainted the hallways for the first time last fall since I’ve been here and I doubt that they even bothered stripping the original paint job. After a few months, the doors look almost the same as before, with the old paint stripping off and leaving holes in the walls.
— There are several issues with break-​ins and theft on and around the property. At least two bikes have been stolen from the closed garages, a few reported break-​ins (some occurring with the residents still at home), and cars have been broken into on the surrounding streets, yet no e-​mails were sent to warn residents of leaving valuables in their cars and the e-​mails that were sent regarding break-​ins were ambiguous and did not offer any reassurance of increased protection. There is a security guard that patrols the area at nights, and while the guard is adamant about doing a good job, it’s not hard to pass as a resident and enter the buildings.
— Packages have been misplaced, handled poorly, and sometimes given to the wrong residents. A neighbor complained of losing two packages totaling over five hundred dollars and receiving nothing but a talk down from management, relinquishing them of the responsibility. I have personally been handed the wrong packages at times and if I had not checked before leaving, I would have opened someone else’s mail (oops). It’s unsettling to know these problems occur when you are waiting for something of value, but I learned to insure all mail coming into this building complex.
— Repairs are taken care of immediately. It might take a few calls to get a work order in, but the turnaround time is usually within 24 hours and they are doing a good job at it. Plus there are certain problems that can’t be foreshadowed when moving in, like a microwave that stops working or a sink that leaks below the cabinet, but they repair it, no questions asked. One thing to be aware of is that air conditioners are often overlooked and cleaning occurs once a year, so before the heat sets in, it’s a good idea to request a clean-​up.
— A few neighbors believe the lobby is their yard sale area, and this works for furniture that can be recycled or of use to other neighbors, but I have seen everything from clothing, to used tupperware. There should be a designated area for things like this, so as to not take away from the appeal of the entrance. There are also situations where a resident goes beyond their neighborly duty to leave passive-​aggressive notes on other apartments to draw attention to something they are displeased with, such as leaving boxes inside the trash room or a stroller outside of their apartment door.
Overall, my experience with Archstone has been generally positive. I have not had any major problems and those that bothered me, I made sure to put in writing so that they were taken care of. However, others considered some of these problems enough of a reason to not renew their lease, so each to their own. I think that for a pet-​friendly community, the buildings are nice and some problems can be overlooked when valuing the price of rent and size of apartments.

I lived here for over two years. If Archstone were still the owners, it would probably have a better rating.
I would say that this is a good starter place to live. It’s got the gym and pool and is located in a nice, safe area. And most, if not all, utilities are taken care of, though I think Equity changed this recently to get more money.
Ever since Equity took over Archstone, you could tell it became less about the perks for residents and more about making money for Equity. They took away the free coffee and tea (for some, this is minor, but for others it’s a huge perk. I missed the days when I could walk down in the morning and grab coffee on my way to work and then find warm cookies at the front desk upon returning – something about that made it nice to come home to Archstone) and made it pet friendly in order to get residents to pay a monthly pet rent. Maybe it’s just coincidence, but after Equity took over, there has also been a spike in break-​ins (never had ONE report of this with Archstone), they don’t offer month-​to-​month leases anymore, and getting hot water has become an issue. Don’t expect any follow up on the break-​ins that occur, they keep the notices vague and always state that there was no sign of forced entry. Then how did it happen?!
Also, there appears to be more and more reports of residents smelling pot in the buildings.
There are pros though. Maintenance gets the job done in 24 hours. Staff is pretty friendly for the most part. The main high rise is clean and attractive and there’s ²⁴⁄₇ concierge. And the apartments are very nice. It’s a straight forward walk to and from the metro.
The building is not soundproof. You will be able to hear noises from your neighbor’s apartment, as well as the quietest of noises within your own apartment. It does muffle the sound of outside traffic pretty well though. Plumbing is loud. The washers and dryers break frequently and will sometimes suck the money from your laundry card unexpectedly. The gym equipment also malfunctions, but Equity doesn’t seem interested in spending the money on repairs and updates.
I walked through the commons buildings once. The apartments are fine, but the interior hallways need renovation. The doors don’t look that secure either. The high rise doors are very secure. And the commons buildings aren’t connected to the high rise, so that’s inconvenient if you need to go to the gym or pick up a package.
Again, this is a good starter place. Hopefully Equity will use the new money they’re acquiring and bring the focus back onto the residents.

The apartments are spacious and generally clean, but there were way too many break-​ins and the leasing/​management office didn’t seem to do much about it.
The apartments are also pretty far from the van ness metro. It’s walkable on a nice day when you have 15 minutes, but for the most part it’s too far to be advertised as walkable distance.
The parking situation can also be a pain. They didn’t tell us that one whole side of our street was off limits during the day because of a school drop-​off zone.

In the past three months there have been THREE apartment break-​ins and management is not doing much about; other than making every person use their fob for entry– which every person suppose to do anyways!
I also had my car broken into when parked behind the building. I called the police and notified the management office, and as usual, the management office did not do anything at all… not even a warning email/​notice to the rest of the residents who also park on the surrounding streets around the building.
Is not usual to see these type of burglary around this part of town, however, it looks like Connecticut Heights is just an easy target simply because the proper basic security measures aren’t being implemented.
I agree with the previous comment, ever since the property got sold, the property management got really bad. We are seeing multiple break-​ins, more issues with the buildings, less attentive personnel, etc.
It’s too bad, because I do think the building was nice when Archstone was managing it.

If i could give this place no stars i would. The leasing office is completely incompetent. Maureen «senior community manager» is an absolutely horrible person she made an agreement with me and is now trying to say that I am the liar. We have contacted the regional office and corporate and she has weaseled her way out of everything. These people are very untrustworthy. After we had this feud our cable/​internet (that we pay for) magically got disconnected in the main box which you have to have a key to access. I asked the comcast representative what went wrong when he came to fix the problem and he said someone intentionally disconnected us.

Archstone Connecticut Heights has been a mixed experience. I live in commons one (not the main building, one of the older mid-​rises) and there have been both positives and negatives.
Positives:
+The apartments are spacious and generally in good condition when you move in.
+The service requests are speedy and they will fix/​look at just about everything.
+There is free coffee in the high-​rise every morning.
+The ²⁴⁄₇ concierge in the high rise is nice. You can put in a service request or pick up a package at all hours.
+The prices aren’t too bad, especially in the mid-​rise, although you get less amenities.
+It’s pretty easy to hail a cab on Connecticut Ave. No calling ahead and paying that fee.
+Good neighborhood.
Negatives:
–The parking situation sucks. There are very limited spots in commons 1 — 4, and the ones available are impossible to get in and out of. Unless you park on the street, you have to pay $ 165 for the garage each month.
–The Van Ness metro is pretty far. The ten minute walk is ok, but in the winter, I wouldn’t do it. There’s a metro bus stop less than a block away though.
–Laundry is expensive! $ 1.95 per wash, $ 1.75 per dry. Ouch.
–There are bugs. I found a GIANT cockroach in my apartment. My roommate and I call it the «Amazon Creature» because I’ve never seen anything like it before in my life. We’ve had cockroaches in past apartments, but never a species like this one. I’ve also found a couple of small centipedes roaming around.
–Cable issues. A lot of residents have had problems with the only two cable providers available, Comcast and RCN. This means for some people, the cable and internet go out unexpectedly.

I’ve been here for over two years now. If I put in a service request it does get done in within 24 hours like they say in the lease. Plus they manage to keep the carpeted lobby and floors clean. There are washing machines on every floor as opposed to one laundry center so it makes it easier to do laundry. The only two things I take issue with is that even though they say in the lease, that solicitation by vendors is prohibited, I still find a few menus per week under my door. Plus this may be a seasonal thing and I realize they do it so as not to bother their tenants but there is no trick or treating in the building for the kids. They provide plenty of candy in the lobby on Halloween for the kids but it’s not the same as that experience scaring your neighbors with your frightening costumes.