1. Did not inform me of bankruptcy proceedings when signing the lease. 2. Does not have email - shady dealings to avoid paper trail. 3. Rent check needs to mailed by snail mail! 4. Does not fix any communal spaces - missing bike racks, washer and dryer need to be replaced. 5. Does not want to install security cameras, even after several break-ins. My bike got stolen from inside the building. The one star is for the building manager who is very responsive and clearly works hard and deserves a better boss. read more

They are the worst let me say this when you move everything looks good but stuff start falling apart shit Is old they don't fix stuff they just patch over stuff that ain't fixing nothing if you moving into unit 101 I use to live there last year don't move in there you will regret it trust me I will know I have the proof id to show I live there and Steve he may seem cool but he a low down rotten son of a gun I lost my job I wasn't even out of a job that long we go to court he tells the judge I owe $20.000 now thank about that he raise my rent didn't tell me he did that mess's on purpose so folks before you move at 4040 Livingston rd se read your reviews first read more

Steve is an asshole who will let you live in squalor and then steal your deposit for the tiniest infraction. In our case, he decided we didn't fully clean the interior of the oven. He won't spend a penny more than is absolutely critical. What does that mean for you? Communal washers and dryers that can't get your clothes clean. Kitchen floors that are yellowed and peeling. Clogged bathroom drains with sewage that backs up out of them. Mice/roach infestations that last for a year and are responded to with only old fashioned traps and no holistic building-wide approach. We stayed here because our budget required it. I'll give the advice I wish I could give my past self: spend the extra money and live somewhere decent. He's a slumlord. read more

Make sure you put everything in writing. They do not have electronic communication of any kind, and I began to think it was on purpose. Keep track of everything. In the end, I left my lease a month early after finding a tenant to replace me and start a new lease with them. Tsintolas gave me a hard time about giving me my security deposit back because I left on "short notice". In the end they took 4 days off my security deposit for lost monies. I guess Tsintolas needed the $145 more than I did. Maintenance was always quickly taken care of. However, I really did not like that they did not call before doing routine pest inspections, maintenance, etc. There was one incident where they knocked over one of my vintage lamps and broke the glass interior. I really don't think they would have told me if it hadn't broke so badly. They took it home and glued it back together, but it no longer looks nice. So I guess I recommend if you have the time and patience to keep all communication in writing and if you don't mind people in your apartment unannounced. Also, there was only one electrical outlet in each room...I can't imagine that's safe. read more

My major complaint is about the maintenance services. My building is old and naturally needs special and consistent care Yet, each time I call to discuss a maintenance issue, I am met with accusatory remarks and questions about my role in causing the maintenance issue - as if the age of the building is not a consideration. Once I finally get Steve Tsintolas to agree to have someone come out to investigate the issue, it takes them ages to actually show up. They also show up unannounced. I have requested several times to get a warning or some kind of approximation of when I can expect them to show up. This request falls on death ears as they always knock on the door unannouced. The maintenance guys also track mud and dirt in the house, rearrange your things and, usually do a patch up job to fix your problem. Tsintolas aslo has recieved poor reviews on yellow pages.com. but, in order to boost his scores, it looks like he has posted close to a dozen " positive" reviews. I would pay attention to the earlier reviews and not the latest ones. If you read them all, you will see that there is definitely something fishy going on with those latest reviews. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! read more

on saturday october 22nd i turned in my application for an apartment with this dude steve tsintolas ,this dude have some serious issues and problems, i talked to him on the 26 of october and he kept talking about my car payments, so he refused to allow me to get this apartment on 4040 livingston rd, he also tried to get my sister to sub lease the apartment after he told her that he was the property manager, he is bias, i can pay my rent and to those who are reading this please do not rent from this steve tsintolas read more

I rented from from Steve from 2010-2011. He's easy to get a hold of, responsive to service requests (the two times I needed service, I called in the morning and the problem was fixed before I got home from work), and generally fair and straightforward. He was also flexible to the time frame on my lease, which was appreciated. I never had a payment problem, and received my security deposit in full +interest after moving out, having cleaned according to specifications to be roughly like it was when I moved in. Never had a problem with security, safety, or anything like that either in the building. The apartment itself had a bit of wear and tear, including some older plumbing and such -- but you get what you pay for. I knew what I was buying when I moved in, and the price was fair. As a whole I'd say the apartment was functional, clean, and reasonably priced. The only complaint I ever had about the apartment was that the mail-person who serviced the building was kind of an idiot. But that's not Steve's fault. read more

If I would give Tsintolas Realty a zero if that was an option. During the entire course of time I rented from Mr. Tsintolas, things were constantly in a state of disrepair. The paint on the living room ceiling was constantly peeling, several times water from the upstairs apartment flooded my ceiling (so strong one day it sounded as if it was raining inside), the tub constantly drained slowly, and the hot water in the shower only stayed warm for about a minute. The wood floors were scratched and old, the refrigerator was old, and so was the stove. He put a new stove in before I left, but it was smaller than the previous one and you could see the stains on the wall from the other stove being in place for years. It would take a professional to clean that. And there were mice, centipedes, and the big roaches that come from outside. Well when I moved out last year from Mr. Tsintolas' apartments, I left the place clean with normal wear and tear. When I met with Mr. Tsintolas in person to give him my letter citing my intent to vacate, he wished me well and dismissed my offer to do a walk through saying, "Don't worry about!" I guess I should have worried. He asked for a forwarding address and I wrote down my brother's information: address, cell number, and email address. After moving abroad and not hearing anything from Mr. Tsintolas in over two months, I contacted him about the deposit and he said he wasn't returning it. Because I was too far away to fight it, I let it drop. When I returned to the area, at the prodding of my brother, I inquired about the deposit again. Mr. Tsintolas said during two separate phone conversations that he would look into it, which I thought was odd, because surely he'd know and be able to readily access that information. During his last call to me he said that Olympia Investments would contact me. They never did; but, a lawyer did, writing me to inform me that Tsintolas Realty had retained them with the intent to sue me for over $4,000. The letter doesn't say what I'm being sued for and how they arrived at that figure. I know that this is entirely in retaliation because I've asked for the security deposit, especially given that he's never initiated contact with me about damages or cost after I left in the 14+ months I've been gone. Please, take the reviews (here and on the other sites) about this company seriously and don't dismiss it as someone's random experience. Yes, Tsintolas is so seemingly nice in the beginning that it would be so easy to think I'm just a disgruntled former renter. But, I rarely write reviews (only have one other here). That I'm doing so now indicates how strongly I feel about not wanting anyone else to join the ranks of me and others. read more

We rented from Tsintolas and had an okay experience. They handled most of the repairs we requested, but sometimes it took a couple of times calling and they sometimes fixed things in a slapdash way, or it took them several times to figure out what the issue really was (despite us telling them the whole time exactly what the issue was...). And they often came in unannounced, despite us asking for notice or at least a call. Sometimes we came home and could tell they'd been there (we didn't lock the deadbolt ever, but they did), but no one ever let us know. For example, there was a leak in the apartment below us, which was caused by a leak in the plumbing under our toilet. They insisted it was caused by the plastic whale cover we put on our bathtub spigot so our toddler wouldn't bump her head and confiscated it. After a few visits (sometimes announced, sometimes not), they determine it was plumbing under the toilet. They tore out the tile, replace the pipe, and then instead of putting in new tile, just poured very rough concrete in the patch where they'd ripped out the tile. Apparently, they planned to install new tile, but that wasn't communicated to us until we asked about it a week or so later. They also never returned the whale, despite us asking for it back. And a few weeks later, the plumbing started leaking again. The most frustrating part, though, is that Tsintolas deals only in person or by phone-- they claim not to have email addresses. I suspect this is so there's no paper trail that someone could use against them later. It didn't cause us any real problems to deal with them by phone, but it was a nuisance. On the plus side, I never had any problems getting a response from Steve (the building manager) and he and he colleague always called back when we called with issues. They were always pleasant to speak with. And they returned our full deposit quite promptly and with a tiny bit of interest when we moved out. read more

I rented an apartment from Tsintolas Realty a couple years ago. They were always pretty responsive to my requests and concerns. The building was regularly maintained and I received my security deposit a few weeks after moving out. All in all, no complaints. read more

Steve Tsintolas managed my rental for 2 years in SE DC, and I had zero problems. Steve was responsive to service requests, available whenever we needed him, and property was well maintained. We received our full security deposit back upon moving out--did a basic cleanup of the apartment, spackled most of the nail holes and touched up some of the hardwood floor scratches to make it look like when we moved in, and that's it. One afternoon of cleanup = full deposit refund. There clearly is a concerted campaign on the internet by a single disgruntled person or a group of like-minded people to attack Tsintolas, for who knows what reason. Their complaints are unspecific, repetitive and vitriolic. Clearly their grievance is personal and not professional. I assume these attacks have gone unanswered for so long because Steve does not use the web very often. But if you're thinking of renting a place from Steve, just be a normal decent tenant, don't leave the place wrecked when you leave (broom-clean, and all that), and you have nothing to worry about. Seriously. read more

My wife and I lived in the 3520 Connecticut Avenue location for almost three years. We had a great experience. The apartments are way more spacious than anything else you will get renting in Cleveland Park and the location is unbeatable. The metro is right out the front door, you live above one of the best Thai places in DC, and the Walgreen's is basically next door. The building is older so from time to time issues will arise, but Steve and his staff were always accessible and very quick to respond to anything going on in the apartment. Since there is almost always someone in the office getting packages was never an issue and since the building is enclosed everything is pretty safe. Laundry is downstairs and in the building, so that makes things easy. Really it was just a great place to live. read more

Steve was quick to help and have things fixed. I found him to be very reasonable and fair. I would recommend that the company start using email. read more

Living here would be the worst decision you can ever make. Slum lords of the 21st century. Its true you get what you pay for - maintenance entering your apt with no notice, rude landlord and when you try to move out the over charge and inflate fees to keep your security deposit and charge you more money. Never ever rent from this company. Bad business! read more

This is the worst company to rent from. They are liars and cheaters. Tsintolas Realty Company is the perfect example of a "wolf in sheep clothing". When signing the lease they are wonderful people, but when you need an apartment repair, they insult you and find every reason blame you for causing some damage. They try to ruin you if you ever leave the apartments by making false claims of damage and inflating the cost for minor repairs. Be prepared to see a $6,000.bill if you ever move out of their apartments. Consider this a warning...the rent in reasonable but that's just the way of reeling you in for the kill. PLEASE DO NOT RENT FROM THIS COMPANY!!!!! read more

I came across the Kennedy St. NW apt on Craigslist. Steve Tsintolas returned my call/emails via the craigslist email. I was shown the apartment by an older woman, who was the greatest. She let me go in an look first by myself and then she came in. She was very pleasant. I liked the apartment. It was suited for me as the location was a 12 min drive by car to my job or a 25 min ride on the bus directly to the metro station near my job. I lived on the top floor, i had no issues with neighbors making a noises, I couldn't hear anything from them. I had one issue with my kitchen faucet, maintenance came and fixed it and left a work order if i wasn't there to let me know that they were there. They came in another time to change batteries in fire detector and left a work order to let me know they were there. The building was always clean inside and outside of the building. It was a convenient location for me as I do everything in DC. Steve Tsintolas was always pleasant to me whenever I saw him or very responsive. The only reason I moved is because I was relocating. The only thing that could be helpful if there was an online portal to pay the rent versus, mailing or taking it in person. I realize everyone has had a different experience, but, I actually have no complaints. It served its purpose for me not to have a long commute to work and to hang out in the city. TB read more

worst place I ever lived - would recommend you live ANYWHERE else. 0 stars I lived in the Flower House in Takoma Park. Like other reviewers have noted, the building is old and needs a lot of maintenance and the management is bad. biggest issues are plumbing and management but there are certainly others too. plumbing: * I didn't have cold water in the bathroom for a year. Despite my calling Steve Tsintolas, it didn't happen until the county inspection demanded it. * They also cut open the wall in the bedroom to get to some pipes and left it open for over a year. * The water shut off in the bathroom doesnt actually shut the water off, which was a problem when the old blue toilet cracked one day and water was spilling out everywhere. * Maintenance is constantly coming (unannounced) to patch up the bubbles in the bathroom ceiling. And there are constantly bubbles in the bathroom ceiling * Clearly there is a moisture problem and leak issues which unsurprisingly led to water pouring through the ceiling in my bathroom due to issues in the apt above me. They eventually, after multiple calls, boarded it up, but did not repair the ceiling for weeks. I had to keep calling for them to close the ceiling!! Ants all over the bathroom for weeks. nasty . I would not be surprised if those bathrooms have mold. management: like another reviewer, whenever I called about an issue Tsintolas would accuse me of doing something. When I moved out, I didn't get my security deposit back. Unaware of the 45 days rule, I called Mr. Tstinolas after over a month asking about it and he was just as hostile and rude as he normally is, then he and his wife (who is a lawyer) tried to sue me for almost $5,000 for "damage" and all kinds of ridiculousness. I had to take off from work to go twice to court. I didn't get it back. It just wasn't worth fighting them continuously over some bs. As another review said, WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN. They will try to sue you and they will lie and misreport damage to do it. If you don't have time for that (who does!), rent elsewhere. It is not worth the hassle. There are many apartment with modern amenities for the same price range. Tsintolas was always a jerk to me and the apt is dingy (cream and brown paint. they didn't clean the blinds before I moved in so they were dirty. They didn't repaint before I moved in so there were white patches all over the walls) other issues: Knob and tube fuse box. Electrical needs a serious upgrade. I went through sooooo many light bulbs. No amenities (no dishwasher, no central AC, heating only via floor panels and most of the apt doesnt have the floor panels, my door buzzer never worked). it is SOOO HOT in the summer (like sweating in the apt) and cold in the winter. Crappy drafty windows that let in air and noise. I could hear every conversation happening outside the building even with the windows closed. I could also hear my neighbors' phones vibrating and every single time my upstairs neighbors would move. Maintenance comes unannounced and there were many times it was clear someone had been in my apt with no notice of what they did. read more

Recently I moved from the Flower House in Takoma Park Maryland, a property managed by Steve/Tsintolas/Olympia where I was living for 4 years. It took the management about 35 days to write me a letter saying that I owed an enormous amount of money on top of my deposit for damages that are not true. My sister and I left the place in very good condition, my sister loves to clean and spent a week cleaning before we moved. Calls to Steve to discuss the letter were not returned and his assistant continued to tell me that Steve is not available!! I initially recommended my friend to sign up for the Flower House but I just advised him otherwise after this outrageous claim from Steve/Tsintolas/Olympia. Steve is arrogant, untrustworthy and will treat you as if you were living in the apartment for free. The rent and location might be very attractive but DO NOT RENT from Steve/Tsintolas/Olympia. read more

I lived at a Tsintolas Realty in Washington, DC for about three years. Real estate is all about location and that particular property is located in Cleveland Park which also serves as the business office for Tsintolas Realty. The location is just about 20 steps from the metro, in addition to supermarkets (including organic), great restaurants, bars, wine stores, a public library, post office, cinema, café, Capital Bikeshare, gas station, and even a Petco. The building itself is historic (early 1920s, I would guess) and charming - reminiscent of a B&B from the interior. There are eight apartments consisting of either one or two bedrooms with one bath, and all have beautiful hardwood floors and plenty of character. Considering that Cleveland Park is surrounded by the million dollar homes of Washington's elite, the apartments are very competitively priced. My experience with Mr Tsintolas has always been positive and professional; it's obvious that he and his team take pride in the property. The furnace was always adjusted when the weather turned cold and the flat was always kept at a comfortable temperature. In the rare occasions when I experienced random problems that would impact any building (leaks, water pressure, etc), Steve or his someone from his staff would make every effort to fix the problem immediately - even on the weekends. Equally important, I never saw any rodents or insects during my time. When I decided to move out, I gave Steve about six weeks notice. The day before I was scheduled to leave, I did a final walk-through with Mr Tstintolas and returned the keys. Note that the place had normal wear and tear, but I spent the previous weekend scrubbing and shining every corner to make the place as nice as when I moved in. Less than a week later, Tsintolas Realty sent my full security deposit to my new address. I can't speak, of course, for the individual who posted an earlier unfavorable comment. But for my experience, Tsintolas Realty is a top notch boutique property management establishment and potential renters should have no qualms about engaging with this company. read more

watch out for this company when you are looking to rent. they seem so nice when you are signing their papers and then they charge you for every little thing that needs to be fixed in your apartment, and then when you move out they charge you BS fees for cleaning and other fees that are completely false. READ THE FILTERED COMMENTS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE HERE ON YELP. I bet it is tsintolas flagging them so people dont see them. read more

Do NOT Rent From This Company. We rented an apartment at 8212 Flower Avenue in Takoma Park owned by this company. Not only are they not returning our security deposit, they are demanding bogus cleaning and repair fees using false claims and DOCTORED PHOTOS. Luckily we have witnesses to how immaculate we left the apartment and clear photos of our own, but this is a headache we don't need. If they own the last apartment in the D.C. metro area, don't rent it - you're better off in a cardboard box until something else comes along. They also ignore complaints about noise from neighbors. They just want to collect their checks and not hear from anyone. STAY AWAY FROM TSINTOLAS REALTY-OWNED APARTMENTS. You'll be SO glad you did. If you look them up on merchantcircle.com you'll see that several former tenants have had the same problem. Google "complaint tsintolas" as well, you will see that this company has been embroiled with legal complaints from tenants going all the way back to 1970. read more