The Blairs

Current Resident 189924

Resident • 2010 - 2011

Was Fine but Now Getting Too Expensive

I've lived in Blair House for a little over a year. It has its pros and cons, as any apartment building does. The staff who work at the front desk are courteous, friendly, and helpful. With the exception of one guy but I haven't seen him in awhile. My apartment is decent, and maintenance is always very quick to respond to any complaint. However, I have had the pleasure of living underneath someone who apparently holds gymnastic meets between 11pm and 4am in their apartment. But of course, that isn't the fault of The Blairs. But I do think the walls are a bit thin. Blair House is quite a bit older than the other buildings in The Blairs' complex and its decor isn't quite as nice. I live on the 7th floor and the hallway smells. Like a mixture of cat piss and trash. I have no idea if any of the other floors are the same way. So basically, the apartment is fine, the landscaping, setting, and convenience is nice but management is terrible. I mean, this is the most mismanaged building I've ever lived in. It's a fairly large complex and it's almost like they can't handle the size. You call the business office with a question, you'll get a different answer than you would by calling the leasing office. Due to a mix up with their system, they never cashed my security deposit. I had to beg them, BEG THEM, to take my money. I moved into the apartment in April 2010 and the deposit war went on until December 2011. And, of course, I never spoke to the same person twice. Paying rent is annoying. They tout themselves as this modern haven for the young professional and you can't even pay your rent online. Not that I really feel like having to walk over to the Business Office once a month to hand in a check is that big of an inconvenience, but its the principle. And they lose checks. Twice I've gotten a letter from them saying I never paid my rent - after the check I gave them had been deposited. Both times I had to show them the receipt they gave me and my bank statement with a copy of the cleared check. The place is expensive, yes, I paid $1250/month for a studio. However, it was a pretty good deal at the time since parking and utilities are free. Not so much anymore. I had planned on moving into a bigger apartment in Blair Towers but they have now decided to begin charging for parking ($50-$150/month, depending on where your spot is) and limiting every apartment to one parking spot per apartment. Meaning roommates and families with multiple cars are SOL and either need to find street parking (good luck with that) or move. Not only that, but I was also told that utilities were free, only to be handed a lease that said I was to be responsible for electricity. I asked the leasing agent what that was all about. They're going to be putting meters into every apartment and charging for electricity. Bottom line. The Blairs used to be good but it's now an expensive joke. There are plenty of other places in the area I would choose over this one.

Prospective Resident 181782

Prospect • Visited 2011

Beware

Full disclosure; I have never lived at the Blairs. I have many friends who have lived there and they generally have been satisfied with it. That said, I write this review to comment on the leasing staff/practices. I was looking for an apartment in DC. I plan on getting a dog very soon and am therefore focusing on pet-friendly housing. DC doesn't have many options and what they have is very expensive. So I turned to downtown Silver Spring and started calling buildings. The Blairs advertises itself as pet friendly. The website of the blairs says that apartments start at $1450. I was hoping to spend closer to $1300, but I figured that because utilities are included and there are amenities (pool, gym, dog parks), I could probably wing. I called the number on the Silver Spring Blairs website and spoke to someone. I made it very clear that I wanted a dog-friendly apartment. The person I spoke to said they had one available for $1450. She made an appointment for me to see it. I called to confirm the appointment and they seemed to know who I was (based on my phone number) so I was clearly "in" their system. It takes me an hour to get there. I arrive. They give me a leasing agent named Ricardo (or Roberto). He sits down and asks what I want. I say, dog-friendly, one bedroom. He says the least expensive they have is $1615. I respond that I called and was told that there was one available for $1450. He, very belligerently, responds that he never said that. I say, "yeah, well the person I spoke to yesterday told me that." He asks what number I called. I respond, "the number on your website." He asks if it was an 800 number and I respond affirmatively. He then says "you spoke to level 1." Excuse me, I say. He, very rudely, replies that level 1 is the central office and they don't have the same information, do I want an apartment or not. I respond that I have no intention of paying over $1600 for an apartment and that I would not have wasted my morning driving down there if I had been given accurate information over the phone. He says "I wasn't the one who gave you that information." I reply, "excuse me but when you have a number on your website and that person gives out information, then that person is your agent and you are responsible for honoring what they say." I had also been told on the phone, the day before, that they had a 1 month free special going on. I asked this guy about that (thinking that I could still possibly make it work). He again, very rudely, replies that there is no special. When I press him on why I was told there are, he responds that specials can change overnight. BTW - on the website they also advertise a special. Finally, after arguing with that jerk for a few minutes, a much nicer woman comes over and tries to help. She explains that the person I'd spoken to had given me the price of an apartment in a non-dog-friendly building. THe dog-friendly building's have apartments starting in the high $1500's. I tell this woman that I was abundantly clear on the phone that I wanted dog-friendly, so there was still no excuse for the mistake. The rude guy says "we manage thousands of apartments, we can't keep track of it all." In my head I'm thinking that I knew which buildings are dog friendly (it's on their website), it's pretty sad that they're own representative doesn't know (I mean there are only 5 buildings in the complex) - I also consider how they respond to maintenance requests with their "thousands of apartments" they can't keep track of. The nicer woman finds an apartment that someone canceled on which is slightly cheaper $1590. They offer me a government discount of 5%, bringing the price down to $1510. The nicer woman also says that special IS still going on, half a month free rent. I am still annoyed but figured that I had come all the way down there, so I may as well take a look. Unfortunately, they kept me with the extremely rude Ricardo. He clearly didn't want to show me around and was very perfunctory and unfriendly in the process. He made it very clear that it was no skin off his back if I rented an apartment or not. We took a quick look at two apartments, which were standard well-maintained apartments (nothing extremely special, but nothing bad). We took a quick look at the dog parks, which disappointed me. I was expecting something equivalent to a park. They were, in fact, really tiny, maybe 20x30, surrounded by a fence. My dog would have no fun running around there, you could barely walk around. So, I left with no intention of renting an apartment. I know that other people have rented with them and gotten good specials, so maybe it's just the time of year (high season, June). But they did not impress me at all. From the incompetent phone representative, to the fact they the office doesn't answer their own phones and handle their own inquiries, to the extraordinarily rude Ricardo, it was a bad experience.

silverspring2398

Resident • 2009 - 2011

Love It Here

I have been living in Blair House for 2 years and I have had no problems. All the employees are courteous and maintenance is very diligent. I have had no problems with pest infestations. The HVAC isn't the best only because it isn't quite as cold in the summer as I would like. I live in a 2 bedroom, 2 bath and there is tons of space. Two walk in closets, two linen closets, a coat closet, and a regular bedroom closet. Great view from my balcony. I would definitely recommend Blair House and actually have recommended it to friends.

Current Resident 176071

Resident • 2010 - 2011

meh. give it a year.

Well, there are many positives and negatives of living at the Blairs, currently. The building is not pet-friendly. Although some people here DO have pets (like a previous review-er says, the rules aren't well-enforced) technically pets are not allowed on the premises. when i moved in, i had a total nightmare on my hands. the apartment was newly renovated, but the contractors they had hired did a quick, shoddy job of the simplest things - for example, all our doors were hung too high and at an angle, so they wouldn't close. we had light switches that didn't work, we were locked out of our balcony because it was under construction - but were offered no discount, mind you - our water was being shut off at random without warning, our air conditioning was turned off at random, it was just a MESS. I kept complaining to the staff in the business office about things that I needed corrected in my apartment, but they wouldn't do anything for me. When I asked for management, I was told no management was on site. HOWEVER, once I wrote a long, scathing letter to the corporate office of the Tower Companies, all of a sudden management was coming out of the woodwork - OH, and they work right down the hall from the rude desk staff who told me they didn't exist! Despite my age (I'm 23), Alan and Jared had a formal sit-down with me and addressed my concerns one-by-one, and did their best to explain away the issues I've had thus far. However, they did take me seriously for the most part and seemed like kind people. To make a long story short: Negatives: 1. Parking is shared with the Giant next door and is a hot mess. If you want a reserved spot, be prepared to pay. 2. Construction is a constant issue. The place will honestly be gorgeous once they are finished, but currently there is constant ear-splitting, floor-vibrating drilling going on, your life is constantly being interrupted as certain entrances are closed, laundry rooms are closed, parking is repainted and moved around, elevators are shut down, etc. 3. Some of the staff are RUDE. Since I've talked to the management this has gotten better, however. 4. EXPENSIVE. For the amount of inconvenience you are expected to deal with, $2700 plus parking for a 3-bed is out of the question. 5. Non-pet friendly Positives: 1. Once construction is complete, the building will be worth the cost. A new grilling area, club room, computer room and laundry rooms, plus spacious, beautiful apartments with balconies. 2. Utilities incuded 3. Maintenance staff (mostly Mexican-American individuals) are very kind, responsive and do their jobs well. This is hard to find, in my experience. 4. Being attached to the Giant is GREAT when you need to go grocery shopping. And you're also attached to a Suntrust, CVS and a couple of restaurants. 5. Across the street from the Metro The bottom line: Give it a year before signing a lease here, so they can finish their construction. After that point, remember Alan and Jared and you should be fine.

bob1010101

Resident • 2009 - 2011

Inform propective tenants

If you see a prospective tenant talk to them and inform them on the issues. I have spoken to two people elaving the leasing office and talked them out of moving in. If every tenant informed 2 prospective tenants that will force the Blairs to act properly. Also does anyone know the owners names. Perhaps we cna give out the owners Phone number and address for all the tenants to contact when they have issues.

Ex-Blair

Resident • 2008 - 2010

Not a bad place to live, until recently. And beware of your security deposit check.

I lived here for the last 2 years, and enjoyed the location and accessibility of downtown Silver Spring as well as my neighbors. However, parking has become MUCH more difficult as they have restricted the spaces that can be used in the shared lot with Giant, as well as constant construction projects taking away parking and making noise early in the AM. The reason I decided to leave, though, was their ridiculous rent increase that they tried to institute at the end of our lease. On the day of our 60 day notice, they drafted a letter (it was dated at the top) saying our rent would increase a few hundred dollars from the $1979 of the 2 years prior if we signed a new lease, and that a the month to month rate would be an increase of over $500 from the $1979 rate. We received it a few days later. I complained to the management office that if the rate was going to increase, we needed plenty of notice before our 60 day deadline. Otherwise we're forced to pay the exorbitant month to month rate for at least one month if we decide to go. I was ignored until I finally managed to contact Alan, who seems to be at the top of the management hierarchy. He let us terminate our lease inside the 60 day window with no penalty, which I truly appreciated. The last straw has been recently, when I called to inquire about my security deposit refund. I was informed that the company had sent my half of the refund to my old roommate, and hadn't bothered to inform me of this. When I asked more, I was told that they can only write one check for the sum total of the refund, it's sent to one of the roommates randomly if there are more than one person on the lease, and we have to deal with it on our level. However, both signatures have to be on the check for either person to deposit it. My roommate and I now live over an hour away from each other, but this didn't seem to matter to them. The manager I spoke to today was completely unwilling to try to help us, and was generally unpleasant to speak to. Her suggestion was to have my ex-roommate sign the check, mail it to me, have me sign it, then either deposit or mail it back to my old roommate, and have that person mail the money to the other. There is ZERO logic in that process. It all stems from this seeming growing trend from the Tower Companies of screwing you over to make a little more money. It's a shame.

Current Resident 920604

Resident • 2010

apts can,t keep the electricity on during slightest storms

apt ,is not worth the money, it is offensive to white people, they want people that are not authorized to be in usa, they cater to complaints of neurotic africans,disturb white people who lie constantly they do not like to hire white workers

Current Resident 298434

Resident • 2009 - 2010

If you want to throw your money away, live here, if customer service, value for your money is below standards, move here!!!

The management here is HORRIBLE!!! Rude, unprofessional, no follow-up, does not hold themselves accoutable for anything, will lose your packages, schedule you for maintenance but will then do a no call, no show. I had air conditioning issues in my unit, it remained unresolved for longer than a month until I sent a letter to their corporate office. During this experience, I would goto the rental office after numerous times being told I would recieve a return call. I would be told the Manager would call me by certain time, I recieved no call, would then personally goto the office and was told HE WAS GONE FOR THE DAY! This happened on several times. I had packages "lost" from UPS only to be called several days later and asked "why have I yet to come and pick-up my items?" Maintenance will come to your apartment, do the repairs and not clean up behind themselves (i.e. paint chips all over, tiles they removed, debris). Management will send you a notice advising you they will need to access your apartment and because I own a dog would make arrangements (which cost me time/money) and then do a no call no show. Their washing machines ruined my garments. This issue also took an unreasonable time to resolve. Was even told by their staff "maybe I don't know how to do laundry correctly." Again, it is not until one sends a letter to the corporate office do they respond. I was extremely happy when my lease was up, the amount of rent they charge for what they do and do not provide, like a basic: customer service, is unconscionable!!

emmabgoode

Resident • 2010

dog owners, rent here, others be warned

Every rental situation has its negatives. There are many positives to the Blairs (Blair East, Blair Plaza, Blair House, Blair Towers, and Blair Towns) that you can learn about in other posts, but you should know the negatives too. I didn't, so I'd like to share some of them with you: 1. The Blairs is one of the few apartment rentals I've seen that is truly dog friendly. That may sound like a positive. But if you're not a dog owner, you are hounded (pun intended) with problems. The dog parks are not restricted, so you get to hear the constant barking of resident and non-resident dogs alike at all hours. They even let the dogs swim in the pool at times! 2. The Blairs is big on rules, but not big on enforcing them. This affects every aspect of life at the Blairs. -Parking: there would be enough parking for all the residents, but the Blairs doesn't enforce their parking rules, so non-residents park in your spot. If you're the type of person that gets irked when non-handicapped people park in handicapped spots, then you'll get upset on a regular basis at the Blairs, because handicapped parking goes entirely unenforced. -Amenities: the pool is a great amenity to have, but you have to share it with non-paying non-residents because the Blairs staff rarely checks for credentials, and the word gets out quickly. -Business Center: it's nice to have a place to go to use a computer or print, but the business center has become a hot spot for non-residents once they learned how to get past the Blairs staff. Now you might find yourself sitting next to a homeless gentleman in your own residence! The Blairs is a popular place to live because it's a relatively good value as compared to other options in Downtown Silver Spring. But in many areas, you get what you pay for.

jeffwood420

Prospect • Visited 2009 - 2010

Jeff Wood

This place sucks a$$...

Current Resident 289384

Resident • 2006 - 2010

Going downhill fast

When I first moved in it was great but has spiraled down hill quickly in the past year. The mgmt. allows too many tenants in an apt. For example the two bedroom next to mine has 7 students living in it. The noise level has increased dramatically from so many overcrowded units. Other resources such as laundry and parking are strained because of too many users. Power has been off multiple times this summer for multiple days.

Nednil

Resident • 2005 - 2010

Great Value in Downtown Silver Spring

I have lived in Blair East for 5 years and am very satisfied with the apartment, building, and the management staff. The building is very quiet and kept up well. Our service requests have always been quickly dealt with (new dish washer was installed within business day after we reported ours as being broken). I have never seen a rodent or a bug that didn t wander in from the balcony. Interior noise has never been an issue, but East/West Hwy. traffic and the Metro/CSX/MARC railroad line located across the street can get loud with the windows open. Our apartment does not have some of the luxuries of the new high-rise apartments across the street, but they make you pay an arm and a leg for it. The management has shown a real commitment to making the building even better (not that I had many complaints to begin with). They are renovating parts of the building, which causes construction noise during the day and the occasional water/AC shut off, but it has only been for very limited periods of time during the (working 9-5, I have not experienced much inconvenience). However, given the extent of renovations, I have been impressed with how they have minimized the impact on residents. Pros: Location (1 block to metro, 2 blocks to downtown Silver Spring, right next to Giant) Apartment Size Value Good, quiet neighbors Friendly, attentive staff Utilities included Management s commitment to improvement Cons: Free lot parking can be a pain in the butt (often hard to find a space) On going construction Elevator availability (construction staff takes 2 of 4 elevators out of service M-F 9-5) Lack of washier/drier in unit (though the communal units on each floor are usually available)

Current Resident 881116

Resident • 2007 - 2010

Not bad

I m quite content here, and plan to continue to rent here for some time. I enjoy coming home to my apartment and would recommend it to a friend. The apartments are well maintained, neighbors are friendly, staff is good (I would say that the staff has improved over the last few years, and while I was a little unhappy with the general manager when I started renting here [granted I had some unique requests], but I have not had any issues with the current one that I believe has been here about 1 1/2 years.) First the good: Its quiet, spacious, clean, has good appliances, there is always hot water, staff is friendly, etc My rent has actually gone down each time I ve signed a new year s lease with all the promotions going on. The price seems great especially when you factor in that all utilities are included. The location is perfect It is sooo convenient to be next door to Giant and CVS and a 4 minute walk to the metro. Maintenance is very responsive - over the last few years I ve need to call maintenance maybe 8 times they prioritize well, and have fixed issues relating to the bathroom and stove\oven on the same day. Other issues that are not as critical (window shades \ closets \ doors) sometimes took them a few days. They have always done a good job. A/C works well. Nice having a gym in the building I need to start using it more often. Pool is nice during the summer I also need to make better use of it this year :-). Great having a door man to accept packages when not home. The bad: Nothing major comes to mind but here we go: Parking can be a problem sometimes. By problem I mean that there is a huge parking lot and you will always find a spot, but sometimes that spot will be a 1-2 minute walk from the building not so great if you are caring heavy stuff. Maintenance about 2 times a month I get notified that there will be a fire alarm or water outage during the day. Generally I see a notice a few days before, and they are scheduled between 10-3pm. I am almost never in the apartment when these happen but I could imagine that it would be quiet annoying the frequency of these. Smoking The building is smoke free , but there are some current residents that smoke close to the back door, and there are some apartments that have a smell when you walk by them. Once again I m not bothered by this, but if you are very sensitive you might be. Dogs and Cats The building is dog\cat friendly and you will see many pets going in and out of the building with their owners. The staff is very good about keeping the place clean behind these pets, but if you are scared of dogs or cats beware. Rodents I haven t had any problems I the last year or two, but did have a mouse (or was it several) during my first year. The staff provided me with mouse traps right away, and a pest control company paid me a visit a few days later.

Current Resident 878543

Resident • 2005 - 2009

I got Robbed at Gunpoint in the parking lot

That's right, I got robbed at gunpoint in the parking lot at 7am on a Sunday. Now let me start off by saying that I understand that things happen in an urban area but it's what happened after that makes me HATE this place. There is a security company that drives around the parking lot but when I was robbed they were hanging out at the front desk. When I got down there, hyperventilating saying that I had been robbed they just looked at me dumbfounded. The only reason the cops came is because someone heard me screaming in the parking lot and called. The cameras around the building are worthless. We asked the security guys to pull up video from the computer to show the cops and they said they didn't know how to. "Well who does?" "Head of Security" "Well where is he?" "He comes in on Monday" "Call him, this is an emergency" "He lives far away". No one bothered to tell management. The manager only found out about the incident when I contacted them to get my locks changed considering the thieves had my keys and all the info in my wallet. They also refused to inform residents of the incident. I let my neighbors know by word of mouth because I was afraid of being sued for posting information. This was the worst thing that happened while I was here but there was also the time when security hit my car in the parking lot and it took me months to get them to pay for the damages. My floor bubbled up from a water leak and they repaired the floor but they didn't repair the carpet for almost a year so I lived in my apartment with a big hole cut in the floor. They took 2 months to replace my broken microwave. And last but not least when I finally moved out I had been paying month to month which is about $100 more /month so I didn't have to worry about breaking a lease cause I KNEW I wanted to move and yet I had to give a 2 month notice. My notice ran 7 days into the next month and I asked to leave at the end of the month and they said NO. Since the 7 days ran into the month of the rent increase they made me pay the rent at the almost $1500 rate for those 7 days. OUTRAGEOUS!! I lived in a tiny studio apt with no dishwasher. BTW I'm not a bad renter just complaining. The place I moved to after that was wonderful and the staff was wonderful as well. I even sent them a gift basket now that I've moved because they were such a contrast to having lived at the Blairs.

Current Resident 586742

Resident • 2010

security deposit

My main issue resided not so much when I lived there but when I moved out. They held unto my security deposit for over 50 days and then they didn't put the right name on the check. When I tried to get the issued resolved they wasn't anyone at the office that was able to help me resolve my problem. Only after I consulted my lawyer was I able to get results. I'm still waiting for the corrected check.....currently day #58 and counting

silverspringmd

Resident • 2008 - 2010

Rudest people ever

I've lived here for two years and everything is decent for the price you pay, but I can't understand how the management can be so rude to their residents. They change policies without telling us and then they are rude when we ask why. They aren't even civil and I just can't deal with them anymore. If you come home from work late, you won't get a parking spot. If you need a visitor pass, they make you jump through a billion hoops. Work crews block driving lanes making it dangerous to drive. Darrell is the only good thing about this place, the maintenance guy. He is nice and helpful. Everyone in the administration office is rude, just so rude I can't express it.

niremetal

Resident • 2008 - 2009

Great place

I seriously think that the people who hate on this place either must have had back luck with neighbors or just are overly sensitive people in general. There is no such thing as the perfect apartment, and Blair East is no different. For the price, the city, and the neighborhood, I thought it was a good deal. The pros were great, and none of the Cons bothered me too much. So here is a true, balanced review of Blair East. Pros - Unbeatable location. This is by far the biggest plus. The Red Line is 5 minutes away; grocery/drug store/dry cleaners/restaurants next door. Downtown Silver Spring is a 5 minute walk away. - Never had security issues (although I did hear about cars getting broken into) - Reasonable price by DC standards for a luxury apt (I paid $965 for one half of a 2BR 1 garage parking spot) - Clean and no major maintenance issues. - Both garage and lot parking available. - Above good amenities make it a solid - though not outstanding - luxury complex. Cons - The downside to any place with good location is that it's also convenient for riff-raff. A friend of mine who also rented in the building had his car broken into, and I heard of the same thing happening for a couple other people. There is a small security staff that works for the developer, but you tend to not see them much - The one minor maintenance issue we did have was not sufficiently dealt with. Specifically, our sink's garbage disposal broke. The maintenance people came within 24 hours, but it broke again a few weeks later. - "Clean" does not mean "shiny and new." Appliances were old, though in working order. Neutral - I found the staff neither helpful or unhelpful. I certainly didn't come away with the rude/unhelpful/etc impression that others did. They're normal people. I was nice and polite with them, they were nice and polite with me. I saw another tenant come in yelling at them and they were not as polite with that person. That's to be expected. I suspect that the people who found the staff rude or unhelpful were in the latter category.

dcrenter323

Resident • 2009 - 2010

Don't rent here!

We moved here for the location and reasonable rent. After 9 months of maintenance hell, including REGULARLY having the water turned off and so much construction noise that its impossible to spend more than 10 minutes in the apartment, we are paying the fee to break our lease to get out of here as fast as we possibly can. On top of that, the parking situation is terrible (don't let them fool you!) and we can hear the neighbors constantly. Worst building I've ever lived in.

Current Resident 27845

Resident • 2010

blair plaza, east, towers, homes... all under the BLAIRS.

GO TO SILVER SPRING TOWERS. DO NOT COME HERE. TOO EXPENSIVE FOR BAD PLACE. actually, you might as well go across the street to verdian, lenox, benniton, and mica. I've heard better stuff and they're the same price for a lot nicer apartments and service. I'm military, so i know lotta pple in all of them. blairs ranks the lowest of the 5. decent location, ok management, no infestations except for the occasional ones that randomly come through the windows (i've had beetles, flies, house centipedes about once a month) but no mice no roaches. they give you a day notice before they do things like enter ur apartment... usually. i had the maintance guy walk in on me while i was still sleeping, no door bell no knocking. I had workers fix my bathroom and urinate in my other toilet. I've had the workers remodel our bathroom for free but left a hole in one of the bedrooms (to fix the shower) and not reglaze our bathtub even though they said they would in a few days. you can hear people from above and below (walking, talking, TVs)... not on the sides. they do monthly fire alarm checks. utilities are included...but i would pay more for a better place. actually, if you want something cheap, check out the other side of downtown silver spring... going up 29 to 495. there are tons of apartments in kid friendly neighborhoods and close to parks, close to metro too. around blairs are luxury apartments. I highly highly recommend silver spring towers. cheaper, better management, <5min walk to down town silver spring. closer to walter reed. garage parking. free for pets.

Current Resident 619889

Resident • 2009 - 2012

Current Resident

Rent is now ridiculously high. $1500 for something they leased to me four years ago at $1192...and they have made NO improvement to the unit. Maintenance is responsive. Parking is still a disaster and now you are charged $100 a month for the privilege. Virtually no Verizon cellphone service on the Southwest side of Blair Plaza. Calls inside your apartment are dropped repeatedly. Unless they drop their unrealistic rent increase (from $1317 to $1500) I'm gone. Tower Company has to be insane given the federal wage freeze of the last two years.

strangegray

Resident • 2008 - 2010

it's decent! I like it.

Have lived here since march of 08. Aside from construction and random issues with water (they are fixing the valves, I think), I love it here. Right by the grocery store and in a safe area. No mice, no roaches, no anything that... crawls (bleh). If I didn't need more space (and wood flooring), I'd stay for many years to come.

NoWaterBlairs

Resident • 2010

No Water Blairs

Again!!!! Wake up this morning and NO running water! They turn off the water so often they do not bother giving NOTICES ANYMORE! Lazy Management! Every time they turn off the water, I can not, take a shower, workout, use the bathroom cook, clean, do dishes, wash clothes. All this cause me any many other residents to get sick. Blairs do not care! Water turn off again 10am-3pm http://nowaterblairs.blogspot.com/2010/01/blairs-east-sliver-spring-md.html

es24

Resident • 2009

Sick and tired of roaches!

I would love our apartment if it weren't for our not-so-little roach problem. My roommates and I moved in over the summer, and we started seeing roaches less than a month after. It has been nearly four months, and nothing has gotten better. An exterminator has come multiple times, but always done the same treatment. We won't see any roaches for maybe a week, and then they are back with a vengeance. We are very clean and keep the kitchen and living spaces in good order, so we are definitely not the source of the problem. We spoke to the manager who was sympathetic, but ultimately didn't do anything besides ask the same exterminator to come again. It's very disappointing, especially since I used to live in Blair Towers and my roommate used to live in Blair East, and neither of us had any problems with roaches or other bugs. But like I said, I would be giving this a great review if it weren't for the roaches. We got a great deal on the rent, the apartment is big and spacious, I love the fitness room, the front desk staff is courteous and professional and maintenance always responds promptly to requests. Our neighbors can be noisy on occasion, but that's to be expected in apartments, and it's usually not late at night when it would disturb us. The location can't be better and I love the Silver Spring area. But...those darn roaches. I would not recommend this building because of the issues we have had. Update in May, 2010: Alleluia, the roaches have been gone for a good few months. Here's hoping they don't come back.

Current Resident 921091

Resident • 2007 - 2009

Works for Me!

No major problems. I love my apartment and my view. When I had water damage to my ceiling due to the new roof that was put on last year, they fixed it immediately. The workers were very kind and helpful.

Current Resident 420441

Resident • 2007 - 2009

Not Recommended

Huge apartments, great view, right across from the metro, and nice pool. However, you also have to deal with terrible service from the management company. They are rude and unhelpful and do not make you feel like they value your business. Also, good luck getting anything fixed in a timely and effective manner. Some serious problems have included mold and mice. Another example is when locks were changed and we received 1 new key for 3 people. Don't count on being able to work out in their "rennovated" gym either. There are 6 cardio machines which are always full (that's if they even have any keys left to get into the gym.) Not sufficient for a building of that size. They advertise plenty of "free" parking but there are never enough spaces between all the apartment building tenants and the grocery store traffic. Finding a space can be a nightmare. Overall, the close location to the metro and downtown Silver Spring is the best part, but it's still out too far from the city to justify ridiculously increasing rent prices. Many problems could possibly be overlooked if the management company invested in some customer service training for their staff.