The Aspen is a very pleasant and clean environment with very good management. For this review I'd especially like to commend the swift response of staff Kevin and Ricky of the maintenance department to a plumbing issue. They are consistently reliable, friendly, considerate, and professional. Thank you gentlemen! read more

The leasing office is unprofessional and disrespectful to the point of being outright disdainful. They pick a few privileged renters, and when those individuals have complaints, without any proof or any investigation, they take it out on the remainder of the renters. It's like watching the Stanford Prison Experiment on steroids. Moreover, like everybody they make mistakes; however, if you go to them with a single mistake and an abundance of undeniable proof, they will still insist that they have no accountability. The only decent part is maintenance, which does their job efficiently and respectfully. read more

After four years in this apartment, I can confidently say that this was not a positive experience. First, let me give special credit to the maintenance team who does their best in a very difficult situation. Unfortunately, the persistent issues this building has will take away your peace of mind. Rats and insects will be a routine problem in this apartment. I knew pest control on a first-name basis after so many visits. The heating did not work in my apartment for the first two years in this building. You will smell marijuana in the hallways. The elevators in a building with 17 floors will break down all the time. Last-minute notices where the trash room is made unavailable. Far too many instances where the building does not have hot water. The AC system will break down for weeks every summer. A fire broke out a few years ago that eliminated the ability to use the laundry rooms for all residents for months. A recent pipe burst eliminated any access to water. A current pipe project in the building will restrict water access for tenants for eight hours at least once or twice a week. Management will not credit or discount your rent in any of these situations. If you are considering a career in the military or the foreign service, be sure to add a military or diplomatic clause into the lease. The Civil Service Relief Act and the Foreign Service Families Act will give you the right to cancel a lease once you have military or diplomatic orders. In my own experience, the leasing office will complicate your efforts in exercising the benefits of this law. No follow-up comment is needed, no need for a request to meet, nor an apology is needed; management should leverage that time to do a better job. read more

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I have never seen more prompt and friendly employees ever. I haven't been here a full month yet and I really believe management needs to hire more staff. The employees work so hard for the residents. read more

The Aspen Apartments is a gem. It is a great value for this area, and very convenient to the DC metro area while still having the neighborhood feel of Warwick Village. Very safe. Close to Del Ray. WONDERFUL amenities including a renovated business center, theater, and really cute pool. Our favorite aspect is the community feel it has, with a super friendly receptionist, leasing office staff present and available, and generous events. We appreciate all you do, Aspen! read more

The Aspen is one of the worst apartment complexes I have ever lived in. The staff are wonderful and responsive, but the structure itself has daily issues. Ask any resident how many times we have had the water shut off (either with advance warning or not), lacked hot water (again, with advanced notice or not), had the heat out, elevators broken (if we're lucky, we have at least two of the three), and false fire alarms. One year, the laundry machines were out of service for several weeks. For all of these issues, we have not had any compensation. When asked about receiving rent credit, we were summarily dismissed. If you want to take a hot shower or give your children a bath, stay in your apartment during the day without needing bottles of water - just in case the water is shut off - or think of trying to climb down 10 flights of stairs or more - please search for another property. read more

I have only had negative experiences with the front desk staff. One woman in particular is always very rude, aggressive and disrespectful. She acts as though everything is an inconvenience to her as she does not make eye contact and stares at her phone 24/7. Truly disappointed that management would hire a person with such a nasty attitude. Pros: location and parking. read more

Earl Feaganes is always my go-to for questions & issues. His dedication to customer service is notable & he's also a great resource!

I ended up in the DC area a week and half ago with two weeks to find suitable (and affordable) housing. My search began a hopeless disappointment of reviewing listing after listing just to show up to poorly renovated space in a questionable are of Alexandria with high as "you know what" rent, so when I came across the listing for The Aspen, I was doubtful to say the least, yet I read a few of these reviews and figured overall this looked like maybe it could work. I clicked the link requesting additional information and within a few hours Alexsandra reached out via text (which I indicated as my prefer method). Her 1st message introduced who she was and asked what size unit I was interested in and when I needed to be moved. Her 2nd message cut straight to the chase with how many units were available to meet my needs, the price of the unit, the fees associated, and a short video tour of the space. The unit appeared nice in the video so she offered me three available appointments to tour the property in person and I was able to preview my unit that very afternoon. The neighborhood surrounding the property was much better than I expected and was loaded with a largely diverse community of joggers, dog walkers, stroller pushers and "mature aged" folks just enjoying the area, so that was a HUGE plus in my book. I arrived at the property which has ample resident parking, and drove around the building to ensure the grounds were maintained and junk cars or trash didn't flood the property and I was satisfied with the appearance of the building (it's an older building so it wasn't much to look at but it was maintained to my rather high standards.) I walked in with my 9-month-old golden retriever puppy a bit early for my appointment but was greeted by Tyler at the front desk who offered me refreshments and gave "Hank" some pets and was further welcomed by a few current residents (more boxes getting check mentally). Alexsandra was perfectly on time for our showing and she took me up to the available unit. I noticed as soon as we stepped off the elevator that the place just seemed clean... the halls were vacuumed; the walls were not marred and overall, it just seemed well cared for. Entering the unit, I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of light, and layout of the rather small studio space. The kitchen was nicely renovated and looked exactly as it did in the photos and video and the unit had rather new carpet. We toured the laundry area, the movie room, sauna, workout room, pool and business centers as well and I was equally as impressed with this area. Of course, this isn't the 5 star properties that rent for thousands a month more but I certainly didn't feel like I was going to have to give up any "luxuries" for financial regard. So, I did what I came here for and put in my application on Friday afternoon. On Monday I reached out to check my application status and although she was off, Alexsandra responded to my message and assured me that her colleague Earl was taking care of me behind the scenes. Earl was a huge help in collecting all the necessary information in order to process my lease and I'm happy to report that the application, lease process and paper work was seamless although lengthy. As of yesterday, I now have my first apartment in Alexandria VA at The Aspen. Fingers crossed that my time as a resident go as nicely as my experience thus far has been. read more

I moved back to the Aspen Apartments after staying here a few years ago because my first experience was a good one BUT as the saying goes "lighting doesn't strike the same location twice" I have been reminded of this fact for the past several months with the noise issues such as my neighbor moving items in his apartment late at night or extremely early in the morning and to top it off there is also a smoking issue from cigarettes around my apartment as well. I am writing a review instead of sending the front office another email. It's after 1am when I drafted this review and as I type I can currently smell cigarette smoke in my apartment and hear the neighbors television which is very loud as they play video games and yell. This is a constant since the person moved in. No matter how many times they have spoken with the neighbor next to me who seems to never sleep he is either knocking things against the walls, slamming drawers/cabinets, having mini frat parties at which he leaves his door open or they go from apartment to apartment which makes the noise is even louder or the base of his television is always being heard. Unfortunately I wouldn't be able to recommend anyone to this apartment after my 2nd time living here because if I am having these issues I wouldn't want to put someone else in this same situation. read more

Laundry services do not work. The building has a problem with unexplained fire alarms that ring out in the middle of the night between 12am and 3am. These ongoing issues overwhelm any positives that this site may offer. read more

I've lived here for 8 or 9 months now. Its hands down the best apartment complex I've ever lived in. The employees are always easy to find to answer questions. The other tenants are friendly. I never hear neighbors. They added a hot chocolate machine to the lobby! There are frequent food trucks and community events. There's plenty of poop bag stations which are super convenient since I added a dog to the family. Even when I've gotten home late from work around midnight, I've been able to find parking. Other residents have offered to help me train my dog. The pool is never crowded (usually under 5 other people). They allowed my ferrets on the lease(which is so hard to find!) And they didn't even charge pet rent for them. They are up front about any issues and give accurate projected dates to when they would be fixed. There are a bunch of laundry rooms so if the one close to you is occupied, you could just go to another one but I haven't had that happen yet myself. Elevators never have a wait time. I could see myself living here for many years. My only complaint is now I'm afraid to ever move because I'll never find a place this great again! read more

I lived here for one year. I moved out in August 2016. I agree that the management and leasing office is completely incompetent like the other reviews said. The manager at the time, Kristina, was rude, defensive, and snarky. She caused many more problems than she solved. She was the worst leasing manager I have ever seen. The apartments are large and quiet though. The pools was a nice addition. read more

I've been an Aspen resident for eight years, and I really enjoy living here - great views, reasonable rents especially for this area, timely shuttle service, comfortable and spacious apartments (I'm in a 2 bedroom, one bath unit) and, generally, very friendly and considerate neighbors (of course, there are always a few soreheads and social misfits...but not many and easily ignored or won over). However, the best feature of the Aspen Apartments are the staff, from the leasing office (kudos to Matt) to the maintenance staff - always responsive, attentive and professional. My highest praise, however, is for the concierge staff. Nady and her team, especially Tina, are not just professional and considerate, but also very caring in how they serve and support the residents. They try to get to know all the residents and to greet them with a smile, a reminder on package delivery or an update on the building. For those who have made negative comments about the staff, I suggest that is much more a reflection on the commenter than on the staff here at the Aspen. read more

The Aspen apartments are easily the most affordable units you can find in the crystal city / Del Ray area at their initial price, not to mention that the parking is completely free AND all utilities are free, no complaint here about pricing, that's for sure. The views, however, are the true selling point of this building. If you get a proper unit high up enough and facing north, you can see all of DC, MD, and VA from your balcony and it's truly stunning. The only complaint I have is the fact that the building is quite aged and kitchen appliances/counters/etc are in desperate need of updating if they're to compete with modern buildings in this area. read more

A diamond in the rough! Great price for a very nice unit. Only downside is with Central A/C and heat, they can only run one or the other, and VA ordinance says they have to supply heat from October 1 through May 1, so you will have to endure 6-8 weeks of no A/C every year. Typically, temps reach into the 80s and 90s starting in April or earlier, so having no A/C is BRUTAL, especially if you have a west-facing unit and get the afternoon sun beating down on your apartment. I installed blackout curtains to help block some of it, but it's still miserably hot. Also wish there were in - unit washer/dryer, especially because the ones on each floor are both expensive ($3.50 per load) and unreliable, often malfunctioning despite being only a couple of years old. Upgrades are desperately needed for appliances and convection units (which leak frequently, although they're starting to install newer ones as the older ones fail, but they're not being proactive about it at all) and plumbing (which also leaks frequently). Otherwise I haven't found any place in the area to match it for price and amenities. read more

I love my home. If anyone want to live a peaceful life then aspen is the destination. The staff is very friendly. However, the maintenance is a but slow. They have beautiful balcony, big bedroom and lashed Hall. Everything is perfect. I love to live here with my husband and baby. Thanks read more

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The Aspen is a wonderful place to live. This building is packed with accommodations, the location is great and rent is affordable for the area. The Aspen is situated in the middle of a quite and safe residential community, there's tons of parking on the property as well as street parking. Most of my utilities (water, electric, trash) are bundled and it's pretty much unlimited. The property is meticulously kept and the maintenance crew is awesome! I love living here and I plan to renew. The building is older than most in the area, but the perks and price is definitely worth it! read more

Agh I felt like the leasing office staff is little too new to the job. I came in for Nancy which I've been in contact via email, and she just passed us to the other guy that was working without asking us any questions etc. I thought that was unprofessional. Room sizes are okay, but they seem to have no opening for our needs. The guy that was working with did follow up with an email and a phone call after our visit. read more

I have lived at the Aspen for the past two years and unfortunately I have to move! Austin and Matt in the leasing office have been great during my move-out. The amenities at this apartment are awesome including a movie room, sauna and a great pool. My favorite part and what I will miss the most is my view! I have a perfect view of the planes flying in and out of DCA and the Potomac River. The residents are friendly and respectful. The staff truly cares about the resident experience and the making things even better. I will truly miss the Aspen. I would definitely recommend that anyone move here, rather you're single or have a family. read more

As a current resident within the building, I would like to inform you about an ongoing issue within the building. The owners have been knowledgeable about asbestos and aware since an initial report was completed and have not taken the proper precautions when renovating units. The owners have been hiding the fact that asbestos is throughout the building in unacceptable levels. Typically, asbestos is not dangerous if left alone and not within high levels. However, the levels that have been contained within the building are within an unacceptable range. An OSHA investigation has been ongoing for roughly three weeks, and they have confirmed the levels of asbestos within the building. The OSHA investigation should be completed within 20 days, and the most recent test results will be made available. The renovations have brought the asbestos airborne and exposing residents to the airborne chemical. The recent knowledge has been discovered within the last three weeks. I do not want to cause panic, as the renovations have been halted by OSHA and the exposures have been cut down to minimal. The building is however denying everything within the report, saying there is nothing of concern. The building has also taken away the freedom of posting on ActiveBuilding, so I decided to hand deliver a letter to inform everyone. I would also like anyone that has had a renovation, while they lived in their unit, to contact me. I will disseminate information as I receive it, and this is everything that I am aware of. read more

I can't think of a safer and more caring place to live than The Aspen. I am a single mother my only biological son went to visit friends in VA and fell in love with the state. He decided to stay. My heart was filled with worry since this would be his 1st time out on his own. He asked for me to help him look for a place and of course I would have to cosign for the apt. until he found a job and got settled. I began working with Aleksandra Carteau who was absolutely A God sent! She walked us through the whole process while trying to keep me calm about the distance since I live in CT. I had sooo many questions and concerns, anytime of the day this woman answered everyone. She has an unspeakable amount of patience and professionalism. The Aspen and Aleksandra was a God sent to my son and I. He loves it there!! If you are looking for a place especially if it is your first place. Hopefully, The Aspen will be a blessing to you as well. Also if you get to work with Aleksandra consider yourself double blessed! read more

This place is God awful. After living here 3 years I can say I am so happy to be leaving. So many issues since the new manager took over last year. They don't air condition the hallways during the hot summer to save money, so you walk out your apartment and it's like walking into a sauna. It seems the air in the apartments is broken more than it works as well. Can't even count on one hand the amount of times the AC broke this summer. Half the time the hallways smell like cigarettes or weed as well. I had to complain bc cigarette smoke was coming in through the air conditioning and making my babies room smell like a cigar shop. Then there's the bugs in the apartments. I had a neighbor have to be moved because of all the bugs in her apartment and then they even tried to charge her for it! Another tenant had bed bugs after she moved in. One tenant had $2500 worth of damage done to his car because rodents in the parking lot chewed through his wiring harness. Of course management did nothing. Almost every one in the building has some sort of gripe about the manager. Like One of my neighbors who got stuck in the elevator for 30 minutes didn't get a call from the manager to apologize or offer some sort of explanation! The tenant complained about it on our community web boards and the manager just left some snarky remark not even offering an apology. The place needs all new management. It's god aweful! Don't fall for the lower prices, it's not worth it! Stay away! read more

I delayed writing a review for the Aspen because I wondered if I was looking at my new apartment (in June 2014) through rose colored glasses. After almost a year of living here, I can truthfully say that was not the case. Now as I near moving out, it's bittersweet as I review my awesome experience at the Aspen. I have a 650 sq ft studio on the north side of the building that gives an exceptional view of the Washington Monument, the Capitol building, and beautiful DC horizon. The walkthrough closet is huge, and the space itself is quite lovely for one person. All utilities (as of April 2015) are included for a flat fee, with the exception of cable (of course). The building itself is in a safe, quiet neighborhood, a mile north of adorable Del Ray, its restaurants, and charm. Staff has always been fantastic and attentive. Maintenance is quick to respond to any concerns, and the front desk staff is always great. Duncan deserves some additional praise, as he is exceptional, polite, and always willing to go out of his way for tenants and their guests. There has been some turnover lately, in both management, the leasing office, and at the front desk, but I have not complaints in my limited experience with these new faces. The gym is great. Four treadmills, two ellipticals, two stationary bikes, a rowing machine, and eight or so other weight machines, as well as some free weights. There are some busier times during the week/winter (6p or so), but I've never turned away due to a lack of equipment. I've never had an issue with the laundry room, and only once over the past year have carried my clothes to the (same floor -- three machines per floor) to find all the machines in use. I only have a few, minor complaints about the Aspen. I share these with you not to knock the building/apartment, but to provide some awareness into the space itself: - The entire apartment, with the exception for the kitchen and bath, are carpeted. But for the price point, I think this is to be expected. - The kitchen lacks counter space and drawers. To be exact, there is one cabinet's width of available counter space, and no drawers. There is a HUGE pantry that has helped, and I added pegboard to the back of the pantry door to hang larger kitchen utensils. Thankfully, I had a six-person dining room table that I could use for food prep, and a small china cabinet with a drawer for smaller utensils. - I imagine the heat/A-C transition could be rough for some. I didn't have that experience because we had such a mild spring, but there were a few weeks where the hallways were quite warm. My apartment, however, stayed a mild temperature. - Pets: Only cats are allowed in the Aspen. I'm only moving because my girlfriend is moving down, we'd need additional space, and we wish to eventually get a dog. I'll upload some photos of my apartment later, but I wanted to post some love about this amazing apartment, and encourage future tenants, or viewers who are on the fence about viewing the Aspen to check it out. This is the best housing experience I have had in the DC area. read more

Big rooms, nice finishing, great managment and costumer service. Still my favorite place in the whole dmv area.

I'm on the 11th floor and overlooking DC and this apartment is amazing! The price is good, parking can sometime be a pain, but the front office people are super nice and friendly! Kim, Sarah and K are always nice to me and they just hired a new lady named Jackie, she's really nice too! The pool is kept clean, the gym is not that great- always out of the disinfectant wipes to wipe down the equipment. The library is a little dark and on the same level as the gym, so you are either working out or reading in what feels like a hole in the ground. But everything else is great! We don't have a bug problem, no mice, they fumigate the trash room about every 3 or 4 weeks. The only problem we have had is with the AC unit in out apartment- I think it leaks more water than it should and there is a lot of condensation under the carpet from it (only near the AC units). Otherwise, everything else is nice about this place! read more

This place is an absolute nightmare. During the process of viewing the apartments/applying we were told several things that were flat out lies (such as how many parking spaces we'd get and what the lease termination rules are). After applying we were told we'd sign our lease on move-in day. We showed up with all our stuff and stopped in the leasing office to sign before moving in. The lease terms were completely different from what we were told. We ended up not moving in that day and had to turn around with all our stuff. We were then assured by the leasing office that amendments would be added and the lease would be updated to match the information we were given. Again we showed up on move-in day and the lease hadn't been changed whatsoever. Because we simply had to find a place to move in and we were yet again there with all our belongings, we moved in despite the discrepancies. It continued to be a horrible experience from there. I ended up in over 3 hours of phone calls w/management in my first couple weeks and no issues were resolved. Apartment was in bad shape with many things falling apart when we got there. About a week in someone hit my new car in the parking lot and damaged it badly. First of all, no one left a note (talk about bad neighbors). Secondly, there was a security camera pointing directly at my car so I asked if the police could access the footage. Turns out the security cameras on the property are all for show and don't actually work. And someone from the leasing office had the nerve to suggest it was likely one of THEIR maintenance trucks that hit my car but did not offer any compensation. We constantly ended up in battles with the leasing office while we were there because of different lies they told us. In December there was no heat and hot water at one point and it was not resolved the same day. During a large snowstorm the lot was not plowed for several days and we were all trapped, despite everything around us being plowed. They didn't even have it plowed by the time the federal government was re-opened and people had to miss work. Total nightmare, shoddy fixtures, and complete LIARS in the leasing office. DO NOT MOVE IN HERE. read more

We have loved living at The Aspen! We moved out here after graduating college in DC, because it was a great deal-- well-priced for a good amount of space. The community is wonderful, and the area is nice. Our unit was on the side that has a (distant, but beautiful) view of the Capitol and Washington Monument! (And in the wintertime when the trees lose their leaves, much of the Potomac as well). Our kitchen was recently renovated, which was a huge plus. Maintenance was always super responsive-- never once had an issue with requests not being resolved. Really the only thing is that the carpet is a bit old and could definitely be updated-- but they seem to do a great job renovating as people come and go (as evidenced by our lovely kitchen at least). The commuter shuttle in the morning and evening sealed the deal for us and has been invaluable. But, if you work and have friends in the city and stay out for dinner, etc. the distance to the metro can get a little obnoxious. It really depends what kind of life you live. Definitely 5/5. Great place, well-priced, lovely area (close to the wonderful Del Ray), and great community with responsive maintenance. read more

Total transparency: I have never lived here. This is why. I made an appointment to tour the Aspen on a Saturday at 2:30 with Roxanne, who spoke with me on the phone and made the appointment at the same time. She was lovely, and offered much information about the facility. She said there would be studio availabilities in September, but she would be happy to give me a tour. I showed up on the appointed day/time, went in to the leasing office, and was met by two women at their respective desks who looked like I had just interrupted their day. Roxanne was a no-show. The women (whose names were never offered, nor did I get them) told me there were no availabilities, and only offered to show me the facilities when I mentioned Roxanne was going to. I didn't wind up even seeing the place. I filled out an information card and left. It was really awkward. So I got stood up, and wasted my time/gas to come out and see the place, only to be met with bare bones customer service. I now have no interest in living here. read more

Love it here. Very clean, well kept property. Management is nice. The only thing i dont like is that the studios do not have balconys :( Im thinking on upgrading to a one bedroom. read more

Made an account just to leave a review: I moved into the apartments in mid-March when I moved to the area from the central US. I was able to go through the whole process of picking an apartment and the initial paperwork via email because I was not in the area. So I took a bit of a risk renting an apartment without actually seeing the building. But from day 1 I have been very happy here. The moving in process was a breeze, the staff was very kind and helpful, and the apartment (studio) I rented is perfect for me. I cannot understate how kind the staff has been since I moved in. Both those at the front desk and those doing work around building are always very pleasant, greet me with a smile, and seem to genuinely enjoy working here. That makes a difference. There were two minor issues on which I filed work orders. Both were fixed in less than 24 hours. The walls are either well insulated or my neighbors are unusually quiet because I rarely hear any noise from either side of me or above me. I'm on an upper floor facing DC so I've got a great view of the Capitol area. I love having full windows along one wall - they're great to look out. I noticed another reviewer comment on the washer/dryers on each floor. The ones on my floor have always been available and are very nice (haven't lost a sock yet!). Parking is in a gated lot. I haven't had an issue finding a good parking spot. There are some assigned parking but even the unassigned spots are very convenient. Though writing this reminds me that when I moved in they mentioned there would be additional assigned parking spots created by now and I'd like to see about getting one. To sum up: I would highly recommend the Aspen apartments to anyone looking for a nice place to live! read more

My experience here was probably one of the most enjoyable out of my previously rented apartments ... Even though I had to move, everyone in the office is extremely helpful and genuinely wants to make sure your home is perfect. Concierge at the front desk lobby are also very friendly and helpful . So bittersweet my home has moved but I will always recommend this place to others, you can't beat the beautiful view of the Potomac and connivence of being so close to crystal city metro. Which they have a shuttle bus to the metro every morning and evening! read more

The AC and water break frequently. It's 85 degrees in my apartment right now and has been for a week. Last fall it was the same story, during the summer the AC only cools the apartments to about 80 degrees, which is absurd. I've called multiple times and they just say it's being worked on. I don't know why the apartment complex is so warm but I never even turned on my heat during the winter. Yesterday, I actually slept at a friend's house because it was too hot to stand (and nothing has been done yet to remedy the issue). Utilities are included so they want to save on the AC bill. The air is only allowed to get down to 75 degrees, so if you are above the ground floor, it heats up as it distributes throughout the building (as was explained by the maintenance guy after multiple visits and complaints about the heat). It's not a bad place to live if you're cold blooded but I as I am sitting here sweating and unable to sleep, I feel I must warn others. read more

STAY AWAY! I've lived here for over 2 years as the for an apartment in the northern VA area it has good value. Prices for rent are overpriced in the area and the Aspen fills a void with its price point and free parking. However, after living here for a while, I now realize that the savings ARE NOT WORTH IT. Utilities Do Not Work - prepare to be HOT HOT HOT during the summer The utilities often breakdown to a point where living in the building in the summer is unbearable. During one particular hot spell the air was off for nearly 2 weeks. Working from home became impossible and I often found myself dreading to return to my apartment. When questioning the apartment manager, her response was "the state of Virginia does not require apartments to provide air conditioning..." REALLY NICE. Futhermore, even when the air does work it is not strong enough to really cool the apartment building. As for the winter, the apartments are drafty and the heat always needs to be on full blast. MOLD The vents are filled with mold despite the denials of the management. They simply paint over the black specks and pretend its not there. Cars are Towed I've also witnessed several residents cars towed for multiple reasons. The apartments has a deal with A-1 towing (look these guys up), the worst towing outfit in the area. These guys are sharks and obviously the Aspen gets kickbacks. Dishwasher/Stove/Sink/Lighting All are terrible, often break because they are CHEAP. Lack of Caring for Residents It's funny because on the surface the Aspen management acts like they care. They organize some events every so often for residents, but most communities do this anyway. But the reality is that when it comes to actually taking care of their building with utilities, parking, and collecting rent they are sharks. STAY AWAY FROM APARTMENT. THE DEAL IS SIMPLY NOT WORTH IT. I am happy to being moving soon and gladly paying an extra $300-400 monthly for a much better, contemporary community. read more

Month six of no building manager, the noise issue persists, all of the issues I wrote about earlier still exist, residents are threatened to be evicted if they voice their concerns, front desk staff are rude if you voice your concerns, and management still does not reply to emails. read more

The actual apartments are OK. Not a lot of noise and fairly clean. Don't expect ANY customer service from the front desk. Any holiday you can think of these people take off work and close the office. They chat amongst each other and will ignore you instead of assiting you. The guy Kier will stare at women, flirt with them, and even try to touch women. Multiple complaints to management and he is still employed. The AC sucks cause their super cheap and won't turn it on until your sweating in your apartment. If you're a woman, I would never live here. Expect to handwash dishes because the dishwasher is awful. read more

Pros: *Price and size of apartments for the area. *Amenities such as pool, library, movie room, gym, sauna, etc. *Safe Area and Quiet Cons: *No longer 100% free parking with a minimum of 20 newly reserved parking spaces by the fountain costing $50/mo. It's like turning a public highway into a toll road. ---Never mind there are only 5 available handicap parking spaces for a 16 floor high rise. *Library is dark and not lit well (they don't replace lights or fans when broken). It is also basically like trying to read in a dungeon as there is no easy access to the outside and again, with the lighting being so dim, one must move to another location to not degrade the eyes. *Movie room is right next to the library and can create noise interruptions. *Gym's equipment is old and not very reliable (you need to get a gym membership to really gain improvements). *Sauna for men is not open 24 hours (i.e., 24 hour gym advertisement should include the sauna), but the women's is. *Balconies are non-private *Cannot hang clothes on balcony due to policy (efforts to save energy and to not fade my clothes, which essentially leads to not having to replace clothes more often). *Apartments are carpeted (real or fake wood floors allow for easier cleanup regarding to spills and doesn't mute or restrict alarm sounds when waking up). *No overhead lighting except for in the kitchen and dining areas (lighting is too dark in those particular areas). *Blinds are large and are pointless in the first place. Blinds are a cheap remedy for curtains but they make the place look like a cheap cesspool and highly inconvenient. *The bathrooms are small and you are almost always guaranteed to have water on the floor after a shower despite the shower curtains being fully closed. *Shower curtains are required despite shower sliding doors which make life more convenient. *All of the apartment fridges could be at least 5 inches taller as they are a bit on the small end. *The washers are water saving, so one may have to spend $1.75 twice in order to get the stink out of the clothing; the washers are completely digital and do not have an option of an extra rinse. *Cannot control ventilation and there is only one in every apartment primarily in the bathroom area. The ventilation strength is very weak and could take an hour or more to get a bad toilet smell out. *There is no ventilation in the kitchen. The horrible so-called ventilation is attached to the microwave, but doesn't actually eradicate smoke or oil smells. Essentially, it only minimally filters any oil vapors or smoke and then blows it across the apartment as there is no outside link. *The garbage disposal is cheap as you cannot put roughly between 70 and 90 percent of food down it--otherwise it will break and need replacement. *The dishwasher is pointless. *The microwave in itself (why the hell is it a basic necessity in apartments these days?) is pointless and essentially destroys all nutrients within food (unhealthy). *Property has no grills and the new management is against the congregation of people (i.e., never mind getting to know your neighbor, but if you see something, say something -- the beginning of Orwellian times). *Pool is not covered and the rules stated, there is no freedom (i.e., no drinking, smoking, food, etc.), and is only opened three months out of the year. *Apartment management and owners are more concerned with beautification rather than practicality (i.e., having a fountain rather than a patio with or without a grill; having shrubs and flowers rather than apple trees and tomato plants). Great thing is: I have already left and I will not be renting from them again. Some of the information provided is the fact that I still have friends that live in the complex and I have witnessed how parking is now being charged and a few other notions of the place. I advise that if anyone is simply looking for a cheap place to live but deal with a fascistic management team, then this is the place for you. P.S. The apartment complex must comply with the racist Affirmative Action clause. I am not racist but it bothers me that I have European and Asian dissent friends that need jobs, but all of the staff (except for manager Michelle) is either black or Hispanic (most are from their respective countries such as Kenya, Mexico, and countries in South America); never once had I seen an Asian or White working there aside from Michelle. Reverse discriminating against whites? read more

The Aspen has been my home for the last 5 years. The maintenance guys are by far the most helpful group that I could have ever asked for. I will miss Nick and Leon. They were always there to assist me and to make sure that my family and I were happy. Its kind of sad to be leaving . We have gotten to know all of the familiar faces and it feels like an extended family. Ms. Jackie and Duncan at the front desk were so efficient whenever I call, I will always remember this group of people. I do hope that they get a team like the one that was there when I arrived (Kim, Keir, Sarah). They were the reason that we moved in. The positive energy in from the front office did seem to radiate all over the building. I promised my daughter that we will come back and visit. Please take care everyone. read more

This place is a fantastic place for the price and proximity to transportation and city life. Lots of space. Rent includes all utilities. The only con is the appliances are old (would be five stars with this added), but they have started renovating. The staff goes to great lengths to communicate and solve problems quickly. The inconveniences such as location to metro is made up for by the shuttle they have in the mornings and evenings to the Crystal City Metro. The bus stop is also only a 2-3 minute walk away. All apartments have a balcony which is a huge plus. The balcony area wall is all windows with the exception of the glass door to the balcony; which is another great attraction. Laundry machines on every floor is another great benefit. Also, there is 24/7 coverage at the entrance lobby which I found very attentive by the management to do. The neighborhood is very quite and mostly houses (very friendly people all over the area). Overall, you won't be disappointed living here. read more