The Blairs

Current Resident 40390

Verified Resident • 2012 - 2013

Great so far. Rather expensive. We love Cheryl who works at the concierge desk in Blair House. I appreciate the fitness center and we love the proximity to Rock Creek Park's trails. While we don't usually take advantage for them, I appreciate the efforts to foster community through exercise classes, book clubs and the like. The compost effort has also been excellent, and I appreciate how easy that entire process was made.

Current Resident 40316

Verified Resident • 2013

It's an awesome and safe community. Very impressive. Very convenient. Good amenities. Awesome gym. Awesome lounge. Free WiFi in the building and computers to use in the common lounge. Very clean surrounding.

Current Resident 40290

Verified Resident • 2012 - 2014

Overall positive. The upgraded apartment are nice, there are no pests on the upper floors, and usually everything runs well. Unfortunately, no more pool because they are rebuilding the community! Boo! But it is pet friendly which is a plus (for those with pets).

Current Resident 40242

Verified Resident • 2012 - 2013

The community is very clean and welcoming. I'm moving because new construction will start. I already can't stand the noise of constantly working in the laundry room or neighboring apartments. I can't imagine how it will be when buildings are being torn down.

Current Resident 40085

Verified Resident • 2009 - 2013

Blair community is a great place to live. The location is very convenient to metro, buses, commuting routes, food, and groceries. There have been many improvements in my time at the Blairs including upgrades the common areas and laundry rooms. I also like the composting and recycling programs.

Current Resident 40029

Verified Resident • 2013

The Blairs really try to take care of their residents. They respond quickly to requests for service in the units. They follow to make sure the work was completed properly. The staff are always friendly and helpful.

Current Resident 40006

Verified Resident • 2011 - 2014

good friendly staff and concierges however i need fumigation now for bedbugs. they are horrible to get rid of. i hope your community will take care of it soon. i need 69 new digits? ummmm I wish you had a pool again so bring one back its summer time!!!

Current Resident 39912

Verified Resident • 2012 - 2013

We have had an overall good experience living at the Blair apartments. We were impressed with the new additions and exercise area. We were not pleased by the jump in prices to rent, as well as the continual problems with online rent payments and poor communication from the billing department regarding this issue. Overall, it has been pleasant experience living at the Blair's and we wish we could continue to rent but unfortunately, because of rent increase, we will be unable to.

Current Resident 39904

Verified Resident • 2013 - 2014

So far so good. This is my second year at the Blairs and it has bee satisfactory and convenient for me and my family. I have already recommended a friend. Except for the fact that the rent is increased every year and now we are even being charged for utilities, I would have continued to recommend it to more people.

Current Resident 496108

Resident • 2009 - 2013

I have lived in the Blair House apartments for the past 4 years. Some of the things I've noticed over the years: Pros: - large, spacious apartments with ample closet space - some of the kitchens are renovated with nice, full-size appliances - awesome front desk concierge who accepts packages, helps with maintenance requests, and are super friendly to chat with (especially Carlene <3) - maintenance requests are attended to promptly - community feeling in the lobby - especially in the morning with free coffee - close to metro, Giant, CVS, restaurants. S2, S4, S9 buses right outside on Eastern Ave. - the entire building has been recently renovated. I have lived there since 2009 so I saw what it looked like before - it is super modern and clean now. - I didn't have any issues with the laundry facilities. You may have hunt for two washing machines at a time though. Nice that there are laundry facilities on each floor. - Recycling and composting - this is important to me and I like that composting is offered - Free yoga, running club, book club, etc. Though I didn't take enough advantage of these facilities, it was nice that they were available. Cons: - windows are a little older so cold air may come in in the winter - may start charging utilities In short, I will miss the Blairs very much! I would highly recommend this apartment building, especially if you are newly moving to the area. Take advantage of all the Blairs has to offer, because I realized after moving how good I had it!

marylandtenant

Resident • 2009 - 2012

Murder In Blair East. A rowdy party turned into a murder/stabbing but the Blairs was able to keep its name out of the newspaper please check out who knows what else they covered up. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/man-found-slain-in-silver-spring-suspect-arrested/2013/10/14/d9b7894c-34cf-11e3-80c6-7e6dd8d22d8f_story.html

Current Resident 160161

Resident • 2012 - 2013

RUN, do not walk, away from The Blairs, where I lived from 2012 until 2013 (though I had intended to stay a minimum of five years). First, Tower Management is the WORST: the greediest, the most secretive, the most underhanded (the employee who showed me my apartment volunteered that the management is "very cheap"; I should have listened). They concealed from me (and from many other people I know) the fact that the whole "community" was about to be turned into a massive 20-year construction site, and that four buildings right outside my apartment (and visible from my dining room table) were about to be imploded and turned into a highrise. They refused to replace the cheap plastic blinds in my apartment (which were installed such that there were huge gaps between them), telling me the blinds were "eco" and therefore could not be altered. (Eco?! Cheap plastic?) (Their annoying "eco" advertising is a load of garbage; I got annoyed every time I had to walk past those huge, omnipresent "Greener-Larger" signs--especially since my Blairs apartment was much SMALLER than ones I'd had in DC, with almost no closets and higher rent.) They also didn't mention that the pool was about to permanently close--perhaps I told them the pool was one of the main reasons I chose The Blairs. (The other was the proximity to the Metro--I don't have a car--and while I can't blame Tower Management for the fact that the Metro is useless on weekends, it did prove to be a major problem.) I did read, prior to moving in, someone else's review which told how clothing and shoes had been stolen from his/her apartment by building engineers; I was skeptical and thus paid no attention (come to think of it I saw more than one review of this sort). Well, guess what? It happened to me, too, when I asked that the engineers enter my apartment to fix the cheap, poorly-installed accordion-style doors on my bedroom closet. I didn't believe it at first, but there it was: an expensive, just-bought sweater, still in its wrapping, gone from the closet (whereas it had been there that morning when I went to work). There can be no other explanation. But here's the worst part: as my one-year date approached I received notice that my rent was about to increase--anywhere from 4% to 30%, depending on whether I wanted to sign on for another year (4%) or any number of months including month-to-month (30%). Even an 11-month lease would have raised my rent 9%--to way over what I now pay in Adams Morgan, where I have a much bigger apartment in a nicer building with a roofdeck and wood floors rather than ugly carpet--and I wasn't about to consider staying beyond six months, when the outside construction noise would begin in earnest. So I moved back into the city, which not only has rent-control laws but is also much more interesting and more convenient. The laundry room construction was a big, noisy problem as well, though I suppose I can't blame them for that: the laundry rooms look better now, and even I wouldn't demand that they empty the building before making this improvement. They also put decent-looking framed photos on the walls, and they do have once-monthly free bagels in the lobby--though they start it much too late for me and for many other tenants (I suggested that the service begin at 7, since many people commute into the city; they said it couldn't be done). Oh, yes, and I would be remiss not to mention that the fire alarms go haywire about once every month--because they're broken, not because there's a fire--usually in the middle of the night. The whole building has to empty, including sleeping babies and old people and everyone else, and we stand blearly-eyed around the crowded lobby, freezing or boiling depending on the season, for about an hour, until they let us walk back upstairs and go back to bed. An elderly man in my building died in the summer of 2012, when it was over 100 degrees out and the elevators and AC were out for a week. They were out again in July 2013 (when it was again, you guessed it!, 100 degrees out), but this time it lasted for only a weekend. The Capital Concierge employees at my building's front desk are very nice; I'll admit that. I suspect that they, too, however, are victims of parsimony. I could go on and on, but let me state my case in one sentence: avoid The Blairs. (P.S. Their pet "policy" is the biggest ripoff I've ever seen. In DC, there is no such thing as "pet deposits" or "pet rents.")

Current Resident 96797

Resident • 2013

THE POOL IS GONE :( The pool is gone for good and no one bothered to tell me that was going to happen earlier this year when I moved in. Hmmmm...wonder why? I moved here from Florida and a pool is really important to me. It may not be important to some people, but it was one of my favorite amenities I did not mind paying a slightly higher rent for. And it was a beautiful, large pool with great lifeguarding staff and always plenty of lawn chairs. Very pissed off that no one told me when I went to lease that the pool would be closing with absolutely no 'reopen date' in site. So when will it re-open? "oh, nope, not re-opening, just closing." Awesome...thanks a lot. Other things to note: gates are always broken (doors wide open-- extremely easy access to the apartment units) and my bicycle was stolen from the garage-- really don't feel safe here at all. Business office staff extremely rude. Concierge staff is great. Maintenance staff is great although I wish they would learn how to fix the gate doors properly so the don't break again 1 day later. Grounds staff is great. Leasing office people are hit or miss. Good price-- I feel like I get a decent amount for my money. FANTASTIC location. I don't have a car. Don't feel like I need one here, either. Right next to metro and grocery store. Bottom line- business office sucks and you will unfortunately have to deal with them on occasion, trust me....no more pool, huge moral-lacking company and the Blairs have been here since the 50s so they really don't care about one measly renter that complains. They'll still get paid.

Kellsterstar28

Resident • 2012 - 2013

My husband and I moved there for a year from our home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We had a great experience there. Loved the area and events monthly especially the game night where we met some new friends. We loved the Blair's and would strongly recommend it.

Current Resident 273375

Resident • 2010 - 2013

Don't be fooled. They'll say anything to get you in. So many lies. Leasing was all sales, but they turn their back on you once you sign that lease. Property management is pretty lackadaisical. No real policy or protocol given & no enforcement. Every resident is left to fend for themselves. They take their sweet time with everything that breaks down despite repeated requests. Erratic attention given. The groundskeeping staff are nice though. Churn & burn with the residents = high turnover. The proof is in the ratings. Pest control is a joke & so is their "green" marketing tactics. Rent increases each year with service decreases. Parking is expensive, but that's everywhere here, so no knock there. The noise is unbearable: people (densely populated building & area), HVAC system, and exhaust are 24/7. Apparently, tear down/reconstruction of neighboring buildings is beginning in 2014. It's not all bad though. Big benefits are location: grocery, gas station, pharmacy, bank, Metro & MARC nearby. But the negatives outweigh the convenience. Ready to move on next month. Do yourself a favor & find another place - there's so many options in the area.

Current Resident 54071

Resident • 2013

Blair House charged me close to $2K in rent per month for a 2 bed/a bath apartment. It does include all utilities. You need to decide if you want to pay this much after reading the pros and cons. I have lived in Silver Spring for a few years, and I know most apartment complexes in the area. pros: proximity to metro and the bus depot. Promximity to Giant and 24 hour CVS. relatively quiet. If you are lucky to get an apartment with a balcony facing the 16th st, the view can be quite nice. Maintenance was usually quick. Lots of community programs if you don't know anyone in the area. Cons: - Washer/dryer were outside and people are ridiculously inconsiderate. They leave their clothes in the units for hours denying you access. I literally had to check floors up or below to find a free unit. - Towards the end of my lease, I was unfortunate to be directly below an *extremely boisterous* family who threw parties in the middle of nights on weekdays and played music loudly. Even after my repeated complaints, this was not resolved. The management will not help you if there is noise problem...period. - Silver Spring over the years has been run down and has turned into a ------. During my stay here, I was once approached right in front of the building by a teen (probably on drugs) and he demanded my cell phone in a threatening manner. He called someone in the building and went away after returning me my number. I was shaken up and I took it to management. I even had the number of the person whom he called. The management did nothing with this info after telling me for weeks they were looking into it. These days, I see atrocious driving, litter, screaming and yelling people, honking cars and unsafe conditions for pedestrians whenever I visit Silver Spring. It is a clear indication of the once vibrant downtown going to hell slowly. If you are smart, stay away. All the conveniences come at a cost.

IwantaniceApt

Resident • 2013

I love my apartment! It is very clean and I think the property is very well-kept. 4 months and no issues with anything. There are a lot of pets in this building but for the amount it is never a noisy environment. Minor concern: Not enough parking spaces for visitors

Current Resident 315206

Resident • 2012 - 2013

We have lived here since December 2012 and I would like to contribute my 2 cents. We have a 2 bedroom/1 bath in Blairs East. I'll try to keep it constructive: The good: - LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. You can't be closer to a grocery store (well, maybe if you lived right on top of it). The metro is a super short walk away, and so are some restaurants, a drycleaner, a barber, nail salon, and a 24-hour CVS. Downtown Silver Spring is also a 10 minute walk away (I don't think I need to list all of what's nearby). - Our floor plan is huge! I can play soccer in the living room, and the master bedroom can accommodate a California king bed easily. - The apartments are generally sound proof. We might hear people through the front door if they're in the hallway but the walls and floors between apartments are thick. - A large maintenance staff who are always working on something. If you have a service request they respond fairly quickly too. - The lack of on site visitor parking (listed below) is a negative, but at least there is a public garage across the street that is free after 7pm weekdays and free on weekends and public holidays. Just be careful crossing the street! - The concierge signs packages for you and email you when you have a package so you don't have to keep checking. - They hired a lifestyle coordinator recently and they organize a lot of resident activities every week, including free fitness classes. - The club house, "whisper lounge" (just an outdoor area with chairs), the grills, and the fitness center are also nice to have. The bad: - There are only about 30 visitor's parking spaces for the buildings. The concierge desk hands out the visitor's pass like candy but doesn't check to see if there's a space available. So you have a useless visitor's parking pass. And don't even try to park in Giant because you will be towed. - In the summer management refuses to turn on the A/C until the last minute possible so there was a week when the inside of our apartment was 86 degrees. We weren't here when it started to get cold so we'll see if it's the same problem with the heating. - In two months there were 4 false fire alarms when we had to evacuate the building. - 2013 is the last summer they will have the pool open. After this year they will do a lot of construction for the new master planned redevelopment of the whole area. You can do a search on Google for "silver spring blairs developments". - The rent is pricey and you still have to pay for laundry since there is no W/D in units. - I agree with most reviews that the business office is pretty much useless and unhelpful. I never get an answer straight from them. - Dog owners who refuse to pick up after the dogs even though the bags and trash receptacle are provided right there. This is not a problem unique to the Blairs though. The picky: - Apartments are "eco friendly" but everything looks cheap, from the carpet to the metal frame windows that are not energy efficient. - When we first moved in the walls were supposed to be repainted and carpet shampooed but you couldn't tell from how scuffy and dirty they looked. - Our kitchen cabinet/countertop design leaves much to be desired. The pantry space is so deep and narrow you can't really keep much. The countertop space is greatly reduced because of the layout (there is a huge corner of empty space that is not being used for anything). All in all I would still recommend the Blairs East for the location and generally nice amenities.

Current Resident 942578

Resident • 2013

I am a new resident at Blair Plaza. I was asked if I had a pet, but I was NOT told that there were NO size restrictions for dogs. I have encountered very large dogs, german shephards, alaskan wolf dogs, pit bull (looking)dogs and more. The saddest part is the dog owners get offended if you are not a lover of their dog!! Imagine that...NOT one of them have been empathetic of my discomfort with dogs, instead they have been nasty in their tone towards me when I tell them I am not dog friendly and I don't want to ride the elevator with them....one actually called me closed minded and said "F--- you" when I didn't get on the elevator. So beware if you come to Blair Plaza...make sure you like dogs or your neighbors will NOT like you!

Current Resident 854662

Resident • 2011 - 2013

My husband and I lived at Blair Plaza for two years, and it was a great experience. The staff is very pleasant and responsive, the amenities are very good for the cost, and the proximity to the metro and Giant is great. The apartments are fairly spacious for the price you pay, and the resident population is very diverse and friendly. The area is okay -- some green space and generally safe. The Tower Companies has been renovating the inside of the Blairs over the past year with new carpet, wall art, etc., which has updated the building nicely. The only real issue we had living at Blair Plaza was that the fire alarm went off constantly over the two years we were there. This wouldn't be such a problem if it wasn't deafening. Some parents who live in the building have bought their children noise-protecting earmuffs, which I would recommend if you have a small child. The Blairs raises rent every month by the maximum percentage allowable under county law. This is to be expected, but ultimately we decided to move because we realized we could get a fairly nice apartment inside the city for the same amount we were paying there. With metro's constant issues, the commute from SS to DC can get old.

Pablo.B

Resident • 2011 - 2013

I rent an apartment in this community during 2 years and it was the worst renting experience I've ever had. First, rest assured that the "green" things is pure advertising. For instance, the windows are not even double-glazing and do not close correctly (on a windy day, you feel inside as if you were outside). Or there is no safe place to park your bike, even if their ads are all about not using your car. And so on... Secondly, despite the renovation (new carpets, new paint on walls), the buildings were made in the 50's and come with the usual problem of old constructions. The most disturbing is clearly the cockroaches that you can find everywhere (I heard about rats but I'd never seen any so it may be only rumours). But a lot of other problems due to the age of the buildings are really painful, like the fact that elevator are always out of order, or that the acoustic insulation is bad. There are a lot of other things that I could point out (like only new customers can have a parking place - and just one!) but the worst of all is clearly the way they increase rent price. After erasing at the end of the first year the student discount we had, they increased our rent at the end of the second year in a shameful way: compare to the first lease, the increase was of more than 30%! And that new amount would have correspond to a moment when they plan to close the pool and to launch massive work construction (from 2013 to 2020)! Hope this review can help you to make your choice (my advice: stay away from The Blairs!)

Current Resident 515584

Resident • 2013

All Blairs residents with No AC during Spring turnover, 2nd week of April 2013 a full week of 80-90 degree temps, internal apartments at 84-88 during morning and mid day and 81 during night time and no AC or rent concessions provided, after 2013 no pool is available due to the Blairs planning and demolition/construction for their complex. More construction to come. Great location, bedroom sizes good, amenities good, rent high, older building but some apartments with newer "eco pad" finishes. Disappointed with the Blairs unchanged HVAC policy during high temp weeks during Spring turnover. I hope residents continue to speak up on the issue with Blairs GM and up, utilize all media/social media, The Blairs Facebook page and public forums for positive change.

Current Resident 454390

Resident • 2012 - 2013

I totally disagree with the review from 4/1/2013! These are the worst apartments that I have stayed in throughout my 19 years of military career. The leasing office staff is wonderful, however the Business office staff is HORRIBLE! In my opinion, for these apartments to be so expensive the business office is not accommodating to its' tenants! As of today it is 84 degrees in my unit and called the business office and inquiry about the cooling system and I was inform they will not change the temperature until another two to three weeks. So in the meantime I am supposed to burn up in my unit? I truly HATE these apartments! I have had so many issues with the business office and trying to seek some assistance for various issues and I have had no resolutions or assistance from the business office. I "HIGHLY" encouraged prospective tenants not to move here are you will be sorry!

Current Resident 370225

Resident • 2012 - 2013

I don't know about the other reviews but I love living at the Blairs. I will admit, parking is difficult and it is noisy like everyone else has commented but other than that I love the place! I have never seen a roach or a mouse (hell, even a spider!) since I've moved in. That's probably because I live on the top floor. People who have lived in high rises all their life know to never live on bottom floors. Common sense to me if you want to avoid rodents. The staff here are helpful and friendly and compared to other locations in Maryland, there is much to do in Downtown Spring Silver. I would recommend it highly to anyone who isn't sensitive to noise.

dcrent80

Resident • 2012 - 2013

Buyer Beware. Please read the other reviews before renting here, because what they have to say (about the negatives) is almost 100% true. I'm writing this to make sure you don't fall for their BS when you go on a tour, and can ask the leasing office tough questions based on what it's actually like to live here--and hopefully get their honest answers. After living here for 1 year I am disgusted with this place. First I will list the positives, because I will begrudgingly admit there are a few pros: -There is a pool open memorial-labor day (although it will be closed after 2013 for their "improvement project"--see cons below) -Concierge desk and staff are friendly and helpful -Generally, maintenance staff get the job done -Nice stuff for residents, like bagels first Friday of the month Cons: -SILVER SPRING: They advertise this place as a "fun community" and silver spring as a cool/happening place. It's not at all. Very boring. To get to DC if you don't have a car, you rely on the redline, which shuts down or single-tracks every weekend and late at night (this is a problem w/ Silver Spring in general, but not advertised to me by the leasing staff when I signed, of course) -CONSTANT NOISE (Renovations): By far the worst aspect of living here!! This building is from the '50s. They're doing constant renovations of apartments every time someone moves out. This means that you hear drilling, hammering, and sawing all year round. Because the management is so "courteous" to its residents, this only occurs between 9-5 on weekdays. If you happen to be a student and aren't always out of your apartment at those times, better find a friend to crash with. Here's one example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtT0k6Lr8Io -CONSTANT NOISE (Construction Projects): They are currently doing a "master-renovation" plan which is why they're closing the pool down after 2013. They've already started with some things though. For example, this year they spent the entire fall with a construction crew taking a rotary saw, drilling into the asphalt in the parking lot, and using a jackhammer to drill through it. This caused ear-splitting noise, and made me contemplate buying Bose Quiet Comfort headphones, b/c earplugs weren't enough. The reason they did this? To replace the asphalt in front of the building with a Harringbone brick design. Here's what it was like (although I don't think the video truly captures the volume accurately): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEiwstXT7Sc -CONSTANT NOISE: A car alarm goes off at regular intervals in the parking lot. I've called the management and security multiple times, and the MGPD, but nothing is ever done about it. It will cycle through about 5 times before stopping, and then randomly starting throughout the day. -GERMAN COCKROACHES: I had cockroaches in my apartment all throughout the fall, and it took weeks to resolve, despite constantly hounding the business office. -RENT INCREASES: Like subprime lenders before the housing crisis, they give you a great "teaser rate" on your rental (e.g. 1250/month for a studio). They don't tell you it's a teaser though, and the next year when the time comes to decide whether to renew your lease the jack the price up (for me 12% increase). They do the construction projects that cause your ears to bleed, and also added paintings in the hall, and nice plaques next to your door number. In other words, minor aesthetic improvements that have no impact on your quality of life--while making your life miserable with constant noise to achieve this. And guess what? You get to pay 12% more in rent the next year. I think anyone having to put up with this should be getting half off. They're doing these "improvements" on the back of current residents in order to fund their ongoing improvements. It is insulting and pathetic for them to beg for more money with the level of service they have provided. Do you plan on getting a 12% raise next year? Do you want to treat them to an extra cut of your salary in exchange for the "outstanding" living environment provided? -SHOPPING CENTER: Yes, it's convenient to have a Giant, but it's overpriced, and the stores in the shopping center aren't that great. BOTTOM LINE: I'm actually happy they raised my rent because now it forces me to get out of here. Look for a place in the District, you can find way better deals (I didn't realize this when I rented here).