I read a sign that said "the right place to call home starts with the right support." That…read moresentiment is nowhere near the experience of the Ft Totten Square staff! And instead of doing their jobs, they hide their 'concern' for the new tenant's move-in experience behind an email from a 3rd-party company asking for feedback that's not anonymous and will be "shared with the community management office in order to resolve any immediate concerns and improve service delivery." The leasing staff (Oge & Ingrid) in the rental process seemed scatterbrained and unorganized. Thankfully, I don't deal with them on a daily basis. Tamika, property manager, either doesn't know her job or just does a piss poor 'I really don't care' job. She quotes the most absurd thoughts and says "it's policy." (It could be policy but it's still absurd!).
My apt is a nice size, and the bathroom has an insane amount of space (which should have been designed to maximize space elsewhere in the unit). Animals are permitted to live in the building ~ you'll pay rent for them, they've gotta be added to your lease, and clean-up bags are provided. It's truly sad that management needs to send emails to ALL tenants that SOME tenants are allowing their pets to 'defecate in public areas' which causes an unsanitary and unpleasant environment, in case the nasty-ass lazy tenants didn't already know that.
It's not discussed but it's in your lease: Tenant pays an upfront $500 amenity fee (gym, courtyard grill, pool, etc.) whether you use the amenities or not. I've been told by several people that "it's not safe in the gym." Tenant pays all utilities. You're not informed, but their accounting system may be vastly different from what you are used to. There are no separate line-item amounts; any money you add to your resident portal is used to pay all monthly expenses.
This apartment was built on top of Walmart on Riggs Road in NE. The best attractions in living here are (1)the Concierge staff collects packages (Amazon, UPS, FedEx, food deliveries) and (2)that usually everything is quiet by 11 pm no matter how much noise is made during the day. And there is quite a bit of noise during the day from some neighbors: music (or what some consider music), people in close quarters loudly talking to and laughing/cursing at each other, and loud television. Oh, and lest I forget. If you just love off-key nightly singalongs, this is the place for you! I don't understand the need for some people who feel that others want to hear their music, conversation, or selection of shows. And don't you dare think of making a complaint! That's met with false empathy with the staff leaving you thinking that there's a favorable outcome. This is supposed to be a smoke-free building, yet there's a STRONG weed smell in some corridors. I must keep my windows closed because my neighbor (and/or their visitors) smoke. No, I don't complain about it because I don't want a pot head coming after me! They would know who complained. Tamika does not correct the situation with the neighbor; she wants both neighbors to meet to "discuss the issue."
Most annoying about living here are (1)the insane amount of times the fire alarm goes off and how jarringly LOUD it is and (2)the slow response from the leasing office to inform the tenants if it's a testing of
the alarms. If you park your vehicle in their lot, you'll pay a fee; however, you might have to pay more to repair your vehicle after the many break-ins that regularly occur in a locked lot.
I was told that there's security roaming the building. I've never seen anyone who looks like security, so I can't confirm it's true. However, there was an incident in a stairwell that began hours before I was made aware of it: a male & female were arguing LOUDLY! He was yelling, she was screaming, and the BABY was crying!!! I was told that he had been "beating on her since 2 am" (it was around 11 am when I heard them). Her screams sounded terrifying; it triggered a reaction from my past no one should have to relive. When I arrived in the lobby, no security was present, the concierge was just then calling the police, and leasing staff (Tamika & Ingrid) had slowly come out of their office ~ not looking very concerned, primping their hair & adjusting their clothing; by the way, their office is located near the stairwell where the noise was. I don't know what the outcome was but for a supposedly secure building, this incident and the lack of security / prompt action left me feeling very uncomfortable and less than secure. Overall, not the worst living experience, but most certainly could be a LOT better!
Honest review from an actual current tenant who tries to be fair and nonjudgmental of all people no matter who they are. If things don't change, I won't be a tenant much longer. I pay too much ~ in a 'secure building' ~ to put up with behavior and incidents that are not seriously or promptly addressed.