Colesville Towers

Current Resident 407617

Resident • 2005 - 2007

Well, I like it here

Couple of notes:<br><br>1) new management has come in since most of these comments were posted, and I've found them to be very responsive.<br><br>2) the building's not a young 'un. In my experience that pretty much means that there's going to be some sort of vermin infestation. Sounds harsh, but there you have it. We had some roaches when we first moved in, had them spray a couple of times and put a half dozen roach motels in the kitchen, and nothing, for two years.<br><br>3) you're getting a darn good deal. It's a building with enormous apartments with all utilities included and a doorperson always available.<br><br>Obviously most people posting here are going to be unhappy, that's the nature of these sort of sites. I didn't even know about this place until someone looking at an apartment asked me my opinion and mentioned that it had a crappy rating here.<br><br>So here's my bit to say, "Well, I like it."

Unhappytenant-2006

Resident • 2004 - 2006

Don't do it-Find somewhere else!!

It never matters what kind of service is available until you need it, but when something does happen, for $1700 /month (the rent went up 4.8% this year), you expect a prompt effective response. The management is below par and has changed at least twice during my tenancy. I had a problem on a Saturday at 4:45PM and despite the posted hours until 5 PM, the manager had left the building. When I asked the front desk attendant to call her, he did, but she refused to speak to me. Because she left early, the professional thing to do would have been to allow me a few minutes to speak with her. The attendant was very sullen and rude-pray you don’t need anything when he is on duty! <br><br>There is also an ongoing problem with mice and roaches, so much so, that despite micro-cleaning and putting down my own insecticide and rodenticide that I still occasionally see both roaches and mice. There is nothing like a mouse squeaking at 2 AM in a sticky trap to wake you up. When I require something to be done in the apartment, I always set monitors to check what was done. The last time I asked for something to be done about the mice, the work order indicated that it had been taken care of by the building maintenance crew, but I could tell nothing had been done. When I complained to the manager, I was told that it had been completed. Three mouse sightings later and additional complaints, a real exterminator was brought in.<br><br>The hallway rugs are filthy and smell where there are spills by the trash room. The parking is expensive and generally the service is poor (although there are three people who have worked here for years and who not only do their jobs but perform them well). <br><br>If you are looking for a lot of space and nothing else this is the place to be. The apartments are large with lots of closet space. The location in downtown Silver Spring could not be better. You have to have a high tolerence for incompetance though. <br>There are too many other apartment houses in the area that perform at the same or higher levels to be stuck here. <br>

Stillsearchingforthe1

Resident • 2005

Should have listened

Imagine waking up at midnight to get a little snack. You get out of bed, you walk to the kitchen you turn on the light and one of your roomates hands you the bread. But wait, you dont have any roomates. Well, not technically but you do have Roachelle and her 20 kids, Roachshawn and her 30 kids, and Roachita who is expecting. Dang, you say to yourself, I'll have to take care of this in the morning. So you wake up, go down to the front desk, and say "Hey I need someone to come up and take care of the damn roaches. What are ya going to do about it?" The reply, "Well we'll send our maintenance up there and they'll spray. Within a few days you'll probably see more roaches come out cuz the spray'll get them out of hiding. But then they'll go away, but let us know if they come back. Your response, "Well what happens if they come back?" The answer, " We'll send the maintenance up and they'll spray AGAIN, and then if you have problems after that we'll have to call management because you might not be cleaning your place good." side note- I guess that means that every tenant in the building is just a freakin mess because every tenant has roaches. And if they havent seen any it's probably because they already ate them in their food. But I digress. So a week goes by and like promised more roahes come out. All shapes colors and sizes. Its like the rainbow coillition for roaches. You step on them, you squish them, you spray them--they laugh because they have already built an immunity to Raid. 4 days go by and there is silence. You believe you have won the battle .. . . but then on the fourth night you get a little hungry and go to kitchen and what do you know, Roachita done had her babies, and they are all over the counter. If they weren't on your counter looking food you might think they were cute, but they're on your counter. They are not smart enough to run when the light comes on so-Squish. The next morning is the first of many, the roaches are coming out during the day, and it's in a pattern. Babies will come out anytime anywhere, toddlers come out closer to dusk, adults, (more mature, been around a while, know the ends and outs)still come out at night. You stop cooking, scared to digest your new tenants. You start to eat out all the time, and when you come home, there they are, happy to see you wagging their antennas. . .the Damn Roaches of Collesville Towers.

Current Resident 140706

Resident • 2004 - 2005

Pros outweigh cons

I got a really good deal for a top floor apt facing north with extraordinary views. Been here for over a year now. For a 2-bed, 2-bath located at 4 blocks from Metro, you can't beat the price. Sure, the building is old, but maintenance crew is always responsive. There were mice issues a few months ago, which have been dealt with. Parking is too pricey and there's a long waiting list, it's a hassle to do laundry, and yes, the odors from some of the neighbors can be bothersome, but these are problems you will find almost anywhere you rent for this price in this area. The 2-bed is very spacious and well-illuminated, and the location is perfect: you're a block away from all downtown amenities. Groceries can be a hassle if you don't own a car or shop at Whole Foods. The area has improved a great deal from past years from what I hear. They're just opening a Washington Sports Club a couple of blocks from here in the coming weeks. The area is only getting better. Great for young professionals/students who work in Montgomery Co. or DC, who don't want to spend outrageous amounts to live in Dupont/Columbia Heights/Capitol Hill or Bethesda. Overall, this building is not perfect but you won't find anything safer or better located for the same rent.

Current Resident 426156

Resident • 2005

Very good value for the money

I have lived here for three months on the 7th floor from out of town (Pennsylvania). I made an appt. to see apt. - the leasing staff was very nice and helpful.<br><br>This is not a brand new building, but is very clean and well maintained. I have never, never had a problem with washer/dryer availability. Desk people have been very friendly to me.<br><br>I did a lot of research prior to looking at this property. I have a two bedroom and it is huge and an excellent value for the money, especially if you are looking for something within walking distance of the metro.<br><br>My apartment faces the rear of the building and I would recommend this (vs. facing Colesville Road). Also, parking is an indoor garage and it is not included in the rent. I walk to work and don't have a car, so it's not a problem for me, but consider the added garage fee when considering this place.

Current Resident 215232

Resident • 2003 - 2005

to each their own

I have lived in Colesville Towers for over two years. For the most part, my experience on the 7th floor has been pleasant. I have not had any problems with noise from neighbors or from the street. Any maintenance request has been taken care of in a resonable time period. While it is true that management has turned over frequently in the past, it has not affected my tenure in anyway. There has been a few issues with roaches but nothing close to an infestation and it has been taken care of by management. I find the 10 to 15 minute walk to the metro to be refeshing as I do not own a car. The location to restaurants and other cultural amenities is nice. The rent if under a 1 year lease is reasonable (rent increase were never higher than 4% a year). However if you are on a month to month lease then you are pretty much screwed. Overall, I am surprised by some of the recent reviews but then again everyone's experience is shaped by their own experiences.

Deborah88888

Resident • 2005

Very bad service

I came by in March of 2005 to see an apartment. Once I got there, at 4:00 on a Saturday, I found out from a silly acting woman at the front desk that the leasing agent had left for the day--an hour before the office was supposed to close. Basically, she decided she was done for the day and was not at all concerned about prospective tenants who might come by. The girl at the front desk kept trying to lie for the leasing agent, because I threatened to call the management company. Very immature, very shoddy service. Also, the lobby of the building is gorgeous, but the rest of the building is old and beat down. They won't be getting my money.

Current Resident 53228

Resident • 2004

Horrible

At first this seems like a good place to live but the price is definetly not worth the grievances you'll have to deal with. First of all there are roaches and maintenance never seems to take care of the problem. Unruly neighbors are also not dealt with and the service from management is far beyond rude. They created umerous obstacles when it came to giving the 2 month notice required to move out to stating that I had to give the property manager a note in her hand stating my intentions to move out, dropping it off in the drop box was not enough! The staff is very unprofessional and difficult to deal with. The parking is expensive and the building is dirty. Plus, in order to do laundry you have to purchase a $10 laundry card and the machine will only take $10 bills. Of course the front desk does not have change (you'd think they would be prepared as it would surely happen often that someone did not have a $10 bill) but no, no such luck. I regret ever moving to such a horrible place and advise anyone considering it to stay away, there are plenty of better places to live for the same price or cheaper.

jrabbit

Resident • 2004

Service is absolutely horrible!!

I went to inquire about 1 and 2 bedroom apartments, to find that when I entered into the building the man behind the counter told me that the leasing consultant was too busy to assist me, and that I would have to come back later, and that there isn't any information to be given out about your apartments. I am moving into the area, and I was very disappointed to see that there wasn't any person in the establishment to assist me in finding a new home.

Current Resident 693103

Resident • 1998 - 2000

Run away fast!

I lived here from 1998 - 2000 and it was one of the worst apartment buildings I have ever encountered.First off the building itself may look nice at first but once you are there for about a month you become painfully aware that it needs renovation. Doing laundry? Better plan your day around it because drying is a hassle. My apartment was a studio and it was pretty big considering, but the roach problem was rediculous and the walls are so thin I could hear the woman next door to me on the phone. Another problem was during a heat wave the managment refused to put the air on, which caused alot of problems for the older tennents and tennents with babies and not until it was threatened to call the news channels about it did they turn it on. They also rip you off with rent increases. The amount they increased my rent was not worth the quality of the apartment. <br>The area is okay but it does get a bit sketchy at night when you are walking home from the metro late at night. My advice is to stay away from this place, there are better apartment buildings in that area for the same price give or take. It is just not worth it.

Current Resident 477938

Resident • 2003 - 2004

Pretty Good

Overall this is a good apartment. When things break in my apartment, they are fixed in a timely manner. Unfortunately the ac seems to not work every now and then. And once in a blue moon, they have to turn the water off. But forgetting about those little complaints, it's a good bang for the buck. Just be careful if you renew your lease because they like raising the rates a lot. <br> <br>A diverse group of renters: plenty of elderly people who have lived in the building for decades to recent immigrants to college students. <br> <br>Plenty of new restaurants and shops in walking distance including a new movie theater. While the metro is in walking distance, it's a good 10 minute walk. I would suggest not picking a room on Colesville Road or you'll hear the cars and busses.

Current Resident 485219

Resident • 1998 - 2004

Stay Away

Colesville Towers: A Bad Experience. <br><br> <br><br>1. It has been a nightmare living in Colesville Towers in a one-bedroom apartment for nearly 6 years. I first rented here because I had no other choice and urgent need coming from Florida. I rented with a verbal promise to move me into an efficiency at the end of my first year. It never came true, management denying availability. Of course the verbal promise was just verbal and unenforceable. They would end up with lower income from me anyways. <br><br> <br><br>2. Management has been changing nearly every 2nd month during 2003. There are always cars blocking access to the garage --even at 2:30 am-- and the concierge could not care less, neither management, not to mention local police --those are the worst--. This is the only building I have heard where non-paying people, --outsiders--, have more rights than those who pay the actually high rent. Drivers blocking the driveway get often in a fighting mood when asked to move their cars. <br><br> <br><br>3. The building garages are in calamitous condition, and the repair program is a boomerang that will hurt the owners and eventually the tenants in their pocket. They fix cosmetic things only that will require eventually to fix the structural items and the cosmetics again. Similar reasoning for the condition of the fa?ade. However mine has only a minor leak. <br><br> <br><br>4. It used to be plagued by roaches, but they controlled that problem late in 2003. <br><br> <br><br>5. Rent increases are close to 11% yearly. Month-to-month leases require a premium of 20% over the regular 1-year lease monthly rental. What a rip-off. This 20% premium is totally unacceptable to me --and likely illegal--, and what topped my patience. Income increases in my truly professional job requiring state licensing, etc, has been 10% in 6 years. <br><br> <br><br>6. Even if you pay rent on time, they one time misplaced the checks and forgot about it. They found it easier to sue multiple tenants for that matter that was dismissed in court of course --after wasting ? day or salary at my job, and all the aggravation of preparing flaw-less evidence for going to court--. They did not even give an apology to the multiple tenants. <br><br> <br><br>7. Ventilation inside the apartments does not work well and a black dust comes from the air chase in the bathroom and kitchen. <br><br> <br><br>8. Using the laundry room is a nightmare and a rip-off. The laundry room is in the basement only so you have to bring your stuff through many hallways and floors and garage sometimes. I went laundering after 11 pm but before 8 am. The machines sometimes will swallow your money and not work. They implemented a card that eventually you will find it has hidden charges. <br><br> <br><br>9. The load elevator is not dependable. Three elevators near the lobby are a little bit slow. Children play with them holding them open and inoperable and management does not do --perhaps cannot do-- anything about it. <br><br> <br><br>10. There is a sort of Tenants Association, but It is completely useless since they are a bunch of retired people that do not even know their rights, have an anti free enterprise mentality proper of corrupt government mentality and put all the effort and faith in the "County". I think the government is part of the global problem, not the solution --at this time--. The government keeps rental and other costs high by not allowing free enterprise in transportation and by excessively regulating zoning. But I guess this is beyond the scope of this review. <br><br> <br><br>11. The swimming pool is nice but useless. They require a pass as if you were entering a KGB compound. The architect who designed the building placed it in a bad location for sun. It is dark and cold most of the season time <br><br> <br><br>12. If interested in cultural diversity and willing to put up with unpleasant odors and social behavior, Colesville Towers is a place for you: Some tenants produce cooking odors that encourage nausea when you walk some hallways. Apparently they all come from one single country whose embassy rents several units here. Such tenants although I believe are diplomats appearing as came from a tribe near the ocean where they cook (burn) a lot of fish on a daily basis. <br><br> <br><br>13. Frequent fire alarms occurred during 1998-1999. So frequent that people did not evacuate anymore. <br><br> <br><br>14. I am moving out March 31st, 2004 and might be moving to a worse place, but not with the month-to-month leasing problem this one has. The new one looks nicer and it is $250/month less than this. I have 28 more months to GO. Otherwise I would purchase something. <br><br>

Current Resident 366615

Resident • 1998 - 2000

Be cautious

We lived at Colesville Towers from 1998 to 2000 and during that time things got progressively worse. Not only did the rent increase, the tenants that was chosen to live there were far from curtious. Management seemed to only care about renting the apartments versus getting quality individuals to rent. We had neighbours who played music wee hours into the night and who refused to put their trash in the trash room; they constantly left it on the hallway. This of course incouraged roaches. It also seemed that language was a huge barrier with the tenants. If you are interested in cultural diversity and willing to put up with rude and obnoxious behavior, Colesville Towers is the place for you. I think that management need to be more selective. Another problem that I found was the building rented office space to different social workers, psychologist and the like and though they had a separate entrance, many of their clients used the residents entrace.

Current Resident 225753

Resident • 1998 - 2003

Not Recommended

I´ve lived here since 1998, and the place has been going downhill over the past three years while the rents have skyrocketed. I plan to move out when my lease expires in May for the following reasons: <br> <br>1) Management will not hire someone to clean the windows (last cleaned in 1999). <br>2) The carpets in the hallway are dirty and worn out and the paint is flaking off. <br>3) The appliances are constantly breaking down. The convector in my AC/heater unit blew apart in the summer, flooding the hardwood floor, and again in the fall, and management refused to replace it, so the thing is held together with duct tape! The faucet constantly falls apart and the refigerator hums, buzzes, and shudders at frequent intervals. <br>4) Roaches. <br>5) All-too frequent fires requiring evacuation. SS Fire Department hasn´t been to happy about that.... <br>6) The driveway exit onto Colesville Rd. is really dangerous. I´m surprised that there haven´t been more accidents. <br> <br>Basically, you don´t get your money´s worth. They´ve made a lot of promises to fix the place up, and have come through only with better laundry facilities. There are a lot of vacancies in the building, for good reason.

Current Resident 132042

Resident • 2002 - 2003

We really liked it here

We have lived here for 8 months and really like it. It is a bit expensive and the building is old, but the management is extrememly nice and helpful. The maintanence team is very friendly, timely, and competent. We have beautiful view and are convienently located to stores, food, and the metro. If you work in the SS or DC area, this is an ideal location.

stiphy

Resident • 2000 - 2002

Good and Bad

This was my first apartment home and I´d give it mixed reviews. The positive things are its proximity to Metro, it has a pretty nice pool, and the basement laundry room has been recently upgraded and allows you to do massive amounts of laundry all at once. Also the apartment I had was huge. The negatives are that the building is older and feels it, there are some pest problems (roaches) that the building will quickly spray for but never seem to truly go away, and my rent/parking was increased by a tremendous amount after my first year. <br> <br>First the area. If you are familiar with Silver Spring it is a very "diverse" community. The people who live in this building comes from EVERYWHERE. You will here like 30 different languages spoken in the elevators...many of which you´ve never heard in your life. English is the second language for many here, but that doesn´t mean that communication is difficult. Most of the neighbors are very friendly and I´ve enjoyed the friendly banter that goes on in the building quite a bit. The people in the building range from 80 year old retired white folks to young couples from Africa or the Carribean to Latin Americans, to American students who attend University of Maryland. Diversity can be defined by the population of this building. <br> <br>Second I´d like to talk location. Colesville Towers is about as far away from the Metro as you can get to still be considered close to Metro. Its about a 15 minute walk to the Silver Spring Metro stop. On the way by you walk past City Place which has a ton of potential to be a great urban shopping mall (its 6 stories) but the stores in my opion are awful. There is Burlington Coat Factory, Marshalls and Ross which are all discount "plow through every rack" kind of stores. The mall has a food court with standard food court fare, a Ruby Tuesdays, and an 8 screen movie theater that, unfortunately, is not the best place to see movies at. The crowd that this mall attracts tends to be less than affluent, which is a shame as it could be a really nice place. The location of this building is actually getting better with all of the development going on in downtown Silver Spring. There is currently a brand new Baja Fresh and Whole Foods Market thats about 5 blocks from this apartment building. Downtown Silver Spring is on the rise and living here puts you right in the middle of the improvements. Also this building is the next door neighbor to the Silver Spring Library, and since it is the last high rise in downtown Silver Spring on the Colesville road side, it is that much quicker to "get out" to the beltway. <br> <br>The apartments themselves are spacious. My one bedroom is over 850 square feet and is huge for one person and big enough for 2. The air conditioning and heating work very well, the lighting fixtures are nice in my opinion, and the floors are nice parquet style. The kitchen in my unit is HUGE and has ample closet space. The bathroom is also very large and is very nice. Digital Cable and DSL/Cable Internet is available which is a plus. My unit faces Colesville Road which is VERY noisy. If you go for an open house on a weekend beware, as the Metro Bus traffic is far worse during the day and will keep you a wake until you get used to it. In fact the Metro Buses and traffic on Colesville road have another nasty side effect...if you like to have your window open soot and black stuff will quickly build up on the window sills. If possible I´d reccomend getting an apartment thats not facing the busy Colesville Road. You hear VERY little noise from neighbors, but then again this may be because the drone of Colesville road blocks them out. <br> <br>The staff is also very nice and helpful. When things break they are quickly fixed. The concierge is a great thing to have and are all VERY friendly. The property manager is very courteous and works on site so you have access to her daily. <br> <br>One minor gripe is that after my first year the rent jumped from $855 (with my parking space) to $985. Thats a 14% increase. To be fair part of this was because I had a new renters discount that went away and another part was because I went month to month. Also heating oil prices increased dramatically in 2000-2001. Still it was a bit shocking and makes this building not as good of a value as when I originally moved in. <br> <br>Parking is $85 a car and when I first moved in there was a waiting list. There are plenty of county garages nearby which is where I parked the car until I got a spot in the building. For weekend visitors parking is not a problem as the county garages are free, but for a weekday visitor the county garages are a pain because they are all meters now. They offer all day meter parking but you need lots of quarters. <br> <br>Overall I grew to really enjoy Silver Spring and everything it had to offer in my time there. It is close to everything (Bethesda is 10 minutes away, Rockville 15, Wheaton 5, DC is 12 blocks to the border and 20 minutes on Metro to K st.), and is really going to come alive once all of the redevelopment is complete. If you are looking for a place that is "up and coming" but still safe than this is a good place to live! If you want the most luxurious community look elsewhere, and be prepared to pay more than what you would here anyway.