The Blairs

Current Resident 368186

Resident • 2007 - 2008

Prestigious Living, Worth the money

I think I lived here. It's either called Blair House or Blair Towns. I had a duplex where pets were allowed. The Unit setup is the best I've ever seen. It's spacious as hell and very modern designed tailored towards younger generations. Check out the Blair website. Blair culture is unique in regards on how they view there community (us). Everything was perfect except for 2 things: 1. It's no Bethesda, but could be soon as soon as the trash dies out or moves to PG County. Most of the trash live in the surrounding high-rise apartment buildings, but that's typical in most cities. The inhabitants of the Blair towns are cool. Dtown Silver Spring also needs to build more bars and lounges to attract young professionals. Of course, the Blairs have no control over this... (Man, I wish I could have invested in Downtown Silver Spring a long time ago) 2. That damn circle intersection where Georgia, colesville and east-west meet. The city developer who created that thing was on crack. We call it the circle of death... Probably the most expensive place to live in Silver Spring, but hell it's the nicest. And if you got the money, you better be living the high life. If you don't, go to PG County. Another person posted something about a red flag and people not finishing there leases: Many of the people living there work at Walter Reed. Blairs have a special arrangement with US Army. When the Nurses duty is up, they go back home. Why would they want to stay until there lease is up? Another person posted something about noise... Yea we threw a lot of parties, and you called the cops on us, but we still kept partyin...

lacho

Resident • 2004 - 2007

cozy apt and great view

I really love how easy it is to walk to the shopping center and the subway. My apartment overlooks Rock Creek Park and the view is beautiful in the morning when the sun comes up. I love the look of the building and although I do pay a good amount for rent I can understand why it's worth it. I guess it just made me sad to see the bad reviews of my home because I love it here.

jrajason

Resident • 2006 - 2007

Rodent Problem, Creepy Security, Faulty Electrical System, HVAC can make you sick...

I have live in Blair House for 2 years, and it's been an adventure. All the comments about bad management might be true but I have not had many problems with management directly other than the HVAC issue below. MICE>>> First and foremost, the mice issues, when you pay as much as you pay to live here you should not have to deal with mice. I have neighbors that have been here for about a decade and they say that there was not a rodent issue until a couple of years ago (5 approx.) when there was construction done to the brick facade. During this construction the workers left gaping holes in the front of the building letting in mice for months. I was also told, and can now verify, that most of the workers (not the contracting companies) have a high potential for being day laborers, and this cheap practice on the Blair s part might have something to do with the poor construction habits being permitted leading to many issues. So needless to say we had a horrible mouse problem for a year, until Management sent an exterminator to come and seal up our apartment. Funny thing is when I asked the management employee there during this sealing process, "Where are the mice going to go." she said "into another apartment next to you that we haven't sealed". I did ask what they were doing to rid the building of the mice I was told they have an exterminator come and spray the grass and trash shoots, but it wouldn't stop the mice in the building walls from reproducing, and to exterminate a building this large would require removal of all residents which would be too costly to the Blair s. p.s. there is a minor roach problem too, but you have to expect that in a building this large and the new maintenance manager is very responsive and helpful. CREEPY SECURITY>>> The security here is a joke they spend too much time on their laptops and cell phones in their SUV's (Which is extra funny because all this hype about the Blair s being environmentally friendly and they have the security driving around in SUV's which would be understandable if 90 percent of the complex was not blacktop). My fianc e has commented to me about some of them staring at her especially at night, and she says we need security to protect us from the current security. Also, most of them do not speak very good English, it s a mottled Haitian French which I can't understand and I fluently speak French. The front desk people, not considered security, are really friendly and responsive. FAULTY ELECTRICAL SYSTEM>>> If you work on a desk top invest in a UPS backup if you live here. There are lots of brownouts, and if you happen to have a carpenter living above you like I do enough wall banging and BAM power outage for a few seconds. We have been through 57, yes 57, of the energy saving light bulbs in 2 years, the one's that are suppose to last for years only last for a month. HVAC CAN MAKE YOU SICK>>> This is the kicker when the building switches from AC to Heat the entire system needs to be switched over. Last spring the Blair s chose not to clean the dormant AC system before flipping the switch and cause many people to get sick from the dust and other things in the system. I have a toddler and she had all sorts of issues for month's because of what the Blair's did, or should I say did not do . I have a government recommended contracting company coming to my apartment in when the switch is made back to heat and to air conditioning, this my last year here, to test the air quality, and I will follow up on this SERIOUS ISSUE. This alone is something to consider because many people complained and nothing was done and the Blair's refuse to acknowledge that there was an issue. If there is a problem this year the Blair's will be severely fined I can promise you that. UPDATE: They Cleaned the HVAC system before switching over. The Report came back clear, in regards to the HVAC Air quality. but around the same time that happened rent went up $200.

perfythegreat

Resident • 2006 - 2007

Buyer Beware!!! Don't rent here!

I am a current tenant (since November) and highly recommend you look elsewhere for a place to live. I moved here from Los Angeles and this apartment is more expensive than the nice two bedroom I had above Beverly Hills. The neighborhood is very close to some major crime. Cars stolen and shady people. The security seem nice, but they are scared of my miniature dachshund. It is not a very secure property. The air conditioners didn't come on until after we got to sweat for a month. Unbelievably hot! Parking is available if you want to walk a long way. 400$ amenities fee for an o/k gym and pool. Don't count on the amenity of trashcans. I have a pet and there is no place to put his waste. I even requested they put in trashcans and was looked at like I was crazy. Can't be a "green" property with no place for litter. Maintenance staff has been nice and helpful, but we have had 3 mice in our apartment in the past few months. Something is not getting fixed to keep these mice out. The laundry was broken for over a month on our floor and I was treated badly when I called about getting it fixed. The water was brown and I was told to call the water company. Your utilities are included, so I didn't know what water company to call. They told me to look it up in the phone book, so I did and the water company told me to call the apartment complex. I called back and they told me it wasn't their problem. Clearly the worst part is the staff. Except for a few nice front desk people, the staff treat you like crap. I call with a mouse in my apartment and I am treated so rudely. I call with neighbors keeping me up at all hours with music, smoking and screaming fights, and the problem isn't resolved for 7 months! I went in and spoke with the manager who has been here for a month, and she said her staff is great, they are just very defensive. Translation...rude, rude and VERY rude. Yeah, that is how I would describe a good staff. It's like saying my husband is great, he just beats me occasionally. While the manager was nice, I don't feel like anything will change. When you defend bad behavior of your staff, I doubt you care first about your tenants. I wouldn't encourage you to find out. I have tried to be as nice as possible, but now I just want out of this nightmare. I am tired of being robbed of my money and beaten up by the staff. Please heed my advice and look elsewhere. I can't imagine any improvements until people just stop renting. I have lived in many apartments all over the USA, and I haven't had to deal with this much crap before. Even in Los Angeles, the managers would get stuff done and try to make your place comfortable. If you have any more questions, feel free to email me. I have never paid rent late, never been evicted and am a landlords dream quiet tenant. I even worked as an assistant manager of a complex and would smile as I plunged toilets. Please avoid this toilet of an apartment complex.

GoneinSept

Resident • 2006 - 2007

Renter Beware

We moved into Blairs in August (4 roommates sharing a 3 bdrm). The leasing agent knew that we had problems "proving income" because 3 of us are students with loans instead of jobs. When I expressed concern about some miscommunications & misinformations to our leasing agent, she had the audacity to tell us that we were lucky to be moving in and that she was helping us (clearly, I had no business complaining). Our apartment came with a roach infestation- the walls were crawling our first week. All the building will do for this is come spray once a week, if you manage to get your name on the (rather long) list AND if the exterminator remembers to come. Nearly one year later, the roaches are mostly gone, due to our obsessively clean habits and investment in several hundreds of dollars worth of roach spray & home defense spray. Our apartment was not finished when we moved in (unpainted walls, etc.) and was never completed as promised. We were told again and again about our "brand new" fridge, which we had to clean the mold off of. Sometimes, maintenance requests will be answered promptly and other times, not at all. The maintenance man is very friendly & helpful when you can get him, but clearly overworked. Our next door neighbors moved out because of a mouse infestation so bad the Blairs put them up in a hotel for several days-- when there was no more food there, the mice came to our apartment. It took weeks for us to get the building to do anything more than hand us glue traps. The front desk people are mostly friendly & helpful- you will soon recognize who is good and who is useless. Noise problems mostly come from the apartments above and below, not beside. Make sure to read your lease carefully too- we moved in on the 4th of August, but are locked in until September 1. This was never mentioned by the leasing agent and we ended up effectively signing a 13 month lease instead of 12. Overall, the building is safe & convenient--but know what you are getting into. Some apartments have just a few roaches, others are infested and your own cleaning habits have little to do with whether or not you get them. Don't believe the leasing agent- make sure you do a thorough inspection and get in writing any promised future repairs. If you have bugs, be prepared to deal with them on your own. Addition: After waiting until one week before Blairs was legally required to return our deposit (without potentially having to pay extra fees), I called Blairs about it, to "verify" that they had our correct address (they had been given it more than 3 times). That afternoon, we were mailed a letter telling us that instead of returning our deposit, we owed them $7 for carpet repairs. The carpet in that whole apartment is barely worth $300, let alone patches for the two small spots we left. Also, the Tower Companies are not registered with the Better Business Bureau, or were not at the time this happened. The only recourse against them appears to be small claims court. We contested the charges, but they were upheld by the people that charged us. No surprise.

Current Resident 187449

Resident • 2007

Blairs has it ALL

I used these ratings when I first started looking at the Blairs. I was really impressed with what I saw and the only thing that disturbed me was the poor ratings this building got. Well I decided to move into Blair Plaza and everything has been great so far. I have been here a month. This is not a long time but I have had no problems and have been very happy here. Everyday I reminded of what a convenient and comfortable place this is. First, you can't beat the convenience. The shopping center is so close. The metro is so close. The beltway is easily accessible. The Blairs is also close to 16th st and georgia ave which both are helpful when trying to drive into downtown. Second, the Blairs is comfortable. People are friendly here. The staff is extremely pleasant. I'm from NY and I'm not used to people speaking, maybe that is why. It's very quiet here too. But not a scary quiet. The blairs is located in downtown silver spring but its out of the way of the hustle and bustle of colesville and georgia aves. Third, the amenities at the Blairs are excellent additions.The pool is great for those hot days. It's good to see that everytime I go there, there are people there. THere are lots of kids, but who cares. I was really impressed how there is "adult swim" times when the kids must take 15 min time out. Also, the gym in the building is great. I am an outdoors person. Rock creek park is so close too. Fourth, this place is safe. I have come in and out at all hours of the day and night. Security patrols the parking lot constantly. Sometimes I have to park a little far (over in the Giant parking lot) but it's not so bad. Lastly, the management is pretty good. I had a few minor problems with my apartment when I moved in. As soon as I notified management, they took care of the problems. They actually went above and beyond what I requested. I think that's all about the Blairs, specifically Blair Plaza. It's a good move.

Current Resident 445439

Resident • 2006 - 2007

Mostly what I expected

I relied heavily on www.apartmentratings.com when locating an apartment that I feel obliged as a civic duty to share my experiences having lived at Blair East for six months. This in itself should tell you that there was nothing in my experiences either strongly positive or strongly negative that would compel me to otherwise write a review -- I got mostly what I expected.<br><br>Some pluses: Three minute walk from the Silver Spring Metro and bus terminal, shopping center and restaurants are two minutes away, and is a five minute walk from Downtown Silver Spring, which is a lively and multi-cultural neighborhood. The apartment itself is also diverse in terms of ethnicity and age. In the elevator, you are equally likely to hear West African French as an Eastern European language, and you see people of all races: White, Black, Tawny and everything in between. You have old retired couples, mothers with infants and young professionals. It is a good mix of different backgrounds that makes it friendly and welcoming. And the walls are thick enough that you are rarely disturbed by your neighbors.<br><br>Some minuses: Relatively expensive; while management has all the right ideas (e.g. online maintenance requests, online rent payment, etc.) in practice the system tends to be sluggish and bureaucratic; while most of the staff are helpful and very friendly (especially at the front desk), one or two are hopelessly inefficient and rude (especially in the management office). The free parking-lot near the building is always full, and you mostly end up parking at the Giant's supermarket. Occassionally noise from the parking lot or outside (e.g. car alarms, MARC train) travel into the apartment. Once in the six months we saw a roach in our apartment, and at our request, the management brought in an exterminator the following day. <br><br>So overall, I would recommend Blair East. [If Management is reading this review: you should really weed out the handful of inefficient and rude staff, since most of the staff are so friendly and nice, these few tarnish the reputation and good work of the rest].

Current Resident 324012

Resident • 2007

4 Month Resident

I've been a resident for about 4 months. These apartments are a 2 minute walk to the grocery store and a 10 minute walk to the nearest metro (Red Line). There are several Restaurants, a nail salon, a cleaners and a barber shop w/in a 7 minute walking distance. There is free parking, security staff and a front desk attendant.<br><br>The leasing staff was extremely nice. The Business Office staff have been accomodating.<br><br>It's a bit expesnsive but for the conveniences I'm making the sacrifice

duckyglow

Resident • 2006

pretty good, close to metro and grocery store

the monopoly that is -the blair housing community is pretty good. The hallways remind me of some cheap spanish motel, but the rooms are really good. the walls are nice and thick - but when in the hallways (which is normal for many complexes) - you can hear almost anything and smell the diverse foods people eat. <br><br>the staff is great! since you need your little key to get in (and it was my first time in a city), i kept forgetting it - but they know you well and will help you out. <br><br>sometimes the door would stick - but other than that, when we had a problem, maintanance would come within a day - even when one of my roommates .. didnt know how to change a lightbulb.. haha<br><br>EXTREMELY close to metro and the Giant (grocery store) - a blessing I missed when i moved to virginia..

Current Resident 107086

Resident • 2005 - 2007

Don't

This place is convenient to everything, however, the management/staff are not helpful - indeed often rude. The rent is overpriced. But it truly could not be more convenient to all the amenities of Silver Spring.

Current Resident 755953

Resident • 2006

no name

I recently moved into an apartment at Blair Plaza. The problems started from the moment I signed the lease. I had scheduled the freight elevator for move in and even confirmed it twice. On move in day, they did not have a reservation for me and I had to wait 2 hours to get an elevator!! <br><br>My apartment had several things wrong with it. For starters, it was filthy, enough said!! The leasing office is full of a bunch of idiots as well as the maintnance staff. <br><br>If you get in after 8pm, forget parking by the building. You will be stuck parking in the Giant parking lot, sometimes as far away as the CVS. <br><br>Put simply this place is crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!

cobr19811981

Resident • 2003 - 2006

Unknown

I'm finding these reviews very helpful, so I hope to help someone else looking the Promenade. I very much enjoyed my year of living here. I lived in a studio on a low floor, so one of the least expensive apartments. GREAT location. Always quiet, I never heard my neighbors. The pool was one of the best parts, I miss having that luxury. The managements wasn't always friendly, but efficient and always responded to my requests in a very timely manner.

ninee_g

Resident • 2006

Needs Some Renovating BIG TIME

<br>I feel The Blairs misrepresents itself with their fabulous website and colorful literature. When I went to the website I was excited, because I thought I was moving into an updated modern apartment community. When I got to Blair East I was shocked to see how outdated everything was. I understand its an old community but damn, that should not prevent basic upkeep. The common areas such as the lobby, elevators, basement,etc look dingy and unkept as well as extremly tacky. WE pay to much money for that. The actual units are not bad, the floorplans are a decent size, but the bathrooms are UGLY. I mean multi-colered and everything. There is poor ventalation, which makes the whole place smell musty and you could smell a combibation of your diverse neighbors food. Indian and Polish food mixed together not a nice smell. But what takes the cake is the leasing professionals. They SUCK. They are not bad people, just don't know what they are doing, and we end upsuffering. Poor management I guess. Make sure to ask questions, because nine times out of ten they are not telling you a lot of somethings. And don't let them convince you that findind parking will not be a problem, it is a big one.<br><br>Ninee

Current Resident 444651

Resident • 2004 - 2005

Downhill

Had my apartment broken into by a former maintenance staffer. Management did nothing. You decide.

adam_jap

Resident • 2006

Not too Bad

I am only about 1 month into the apt but. The only bad things are the noise. I live on the 9th floor and I can hear every car that goes by. I don't mind it though. The windows are very poor insulators for sound and energy. I can feel a draft in my bedroom. Parking is not fun. I have to park in front of Giant every night. The crowd I mostly see in the lobby is a senior citizen. Could be worse though. Overall I would recommend it to somebody.

Current Resident 950015

Resident • 2006

Terrible management

The leasing agent totally sold us on Blair House... boy, was she a liar. You wake up in the morning praying there is hot water (it goes out at least several times a month), you sleep in your sweat because the AC doesn't work when it should, the front desk sends back your packages because they neglect to inform you of them in the first place, the building does not allow pets but the guy who works for the Blairs has 3 of them blatantly chilling in the window... I could go on and on. We've contacted the general manager several times and all he says is, "we're working to resolve these issues." The unit itself is very nice and spacious, but the management couldn't care less about us who pay top dollar for a luxury apartment and get a lot less.

Current Resident 883241

Resident • 2004 - 2006

great location!!!

I love the shopping center that is here right next to the building, I have lived here for 3 years now and never had any problems but now have to move because of job relocation but from what I am seeing in my current apartment search I am sure going to miss living at The Blairs!!!!

dresia333

Resident • 2006

My Observation of Staff

I went apartment hunting two weeks ago and came upon the BlairHouse in Silver Spring. I heard great feedback about the BlairHouse. Once I arrived, the unprofessional behavior of the staff made me feel very cold and unwelcomed. I would have considered renting there, but deceided not too. The staff's attitude changed my mind and turned me away It's not worth paying for unprofessional behavior who is suppose to represent a beautiful building such as the BlairHouse. My comment, they need to invest in taking a/some courses in self respect and how to deal with the public, professionally.

Angel869

Resident • 2004 - 2006

Horrible Management

The Blairs used to be a lovely community that would treat tenants fairly. However, things have been gradually declining over the past 8 or 9 months and now it is as if they view tenants as the enemy. I moved out in July due to a HUGE rent increase that was not in line with other properties in the area and was told that I would not be able to get my deposit back for at least 4 to 6 weeks. After they completed an inspection they called me stating that not only would I not receive my deposit but that I would have to pay $300 for cleaning charges. When I asked why I was receiving those charges, I did not receive any answer from four different people. I had to finally threaten litigation before they dropped the $300 cleaning charge. <br><br>Before I moved in the spring, I had a constant problem with my mailbox failing to lock after the mailman delivered the mail. The Blairs claimed was not their responsibility—that the USPS was responsible. After a week of calling around I had someone from the postal service call the building manager and inform him that it was in fact the responsibility of the property manager. Then they claimed that I would have to pay for the repair to the mailbox. After threatening another lawsuit, they begrudgingly fixed the problem. When I discovered at someone stole my mail on at least two occasions, I inquired about what the Blairs would do to fix the problem they started and was told by the front desk attendant “We can’t do anything, who do you think we are?” Save yourself the aggravation and do not even consider any “Blair” apartments. <br>

Current Resident 109760

Resident • 2003 - 2006

You can do better

I have lived here for 4 years and the first three were awesome. Peace, quiet, large floor plans and courteous staff. I can not believe how awful the place has become in just one year. The management went from helpful and affable to inflexible and apathetic. The staff went from superb to horrible and rude, and the number of problems that have occurred are unforgivable for the rent they charge:<br>1) roaches<br>2) construction delays of several months<br>3) vandalism<br>4) maintenance delays<br><br>On top of this they believe that they can raise rents 7-10% and not have people move out. Well I guess that backfired for them since dozens of people have been moving out over the last month. My neighbor from the unit next door and I will follow in early October. I pay $1690/moth for a two bedroom and if I were to stay the rent would be $1800 /month. For that price I you easily get a condo in the area with better personnel and better amenities. Good riddance!

Current Resident 20883

Resident • 2006

Good location; Average staff; Suspect management

As far as location goes, the Blairs complex is great. Most of the city is within a 15-minute drive.<br><br>Additionally, the apartments are huge, which is a nice feature.<br><br>Half of the staff is clueless. I'm not sure how the other half rates. Most of my maintenance requests and inquiries with the management office have to be made more than 2 times.<br><br>The rent increase policies are meaningless because they increase rents by whatever they want. I've lived there for 3 years, and each lease renewal has a different "policy" for increasing rents. This year: 10%.<br><br>This complex is too large to be managed by truly incompetent people, but I think the managers are mildly incompetent. Good managers would be in-tuned with the needs of the residents and the goings-on in each building. This management staff is clueless and spineless. Most requests end up being relayed to the corporate office, lest the property manager actually make a decision.<br><br>My new complaint is the presence of roaches and ants. During my first 3 years, I saw bugs once, and it was taken care of quickly. During the past 3 months, my apartment has been full of bugs. They hired a new exterminating company, but I'm pretty sure they do nothing. I always thought exterminators got rid of things. They've been to my apartment 3 times in the past 3 months, and I have seen no improvement. Despite a clean kitchen with very little food, we have bugs every day.

Current Resident 981606

Resident • 2005 - 2006

Good with room for improvement

I am just moving out of this building in a few weeks, like many people in the lobby and elevator have said, the rent increase is too high. When I moved in they told me that the rent won't increase more than 10% a year, and boy were they right...it increased 9.9%.<br><br>At least they gave me warning, so I was able to find a place at a lower price. I was satisfied with what I got here:<br>-Location, location, location<br>-Large apartment<br>-Free utilities<br>-Cool front desk people<br>-Maintenance is cool<br>-No noise from people next to you<br>-Close to Metro<br>-Good upkeep of lobby and other places<br>-Parties and food<br>-Free parking, but you don’t have spot for yourself<br>-No roaches in my apartment<br><br>There is still room for improvement here:<br><br>-This building was built so long ago that it really is based on luck what apartment you get. I was shown a nice 1 bedroom with a new kitchen, but got a 1 bedroom with an older kitchen. The good thing was that they told me when I looking around that they do have different kitchens and bathrooms, so I wasn't that surprised...I don't know why they don't just renovate all apartments.<br><br>-The old security company was a joke, the new one looks promising and I kinda wish I would stay around to see what they can do (which already is a lot more than the old ones that didn't speak english)<br><br>-Now I never had a problem dealing with people in the office before when I moved in, which is in another building by the way so you have to walk across the parking lot. I swear I didn't have to deal with anyone except for the guy that was in the office desk because the office was so small. The office was set up differently and this kid knew just about everything and I actually thought he was the manager for a while! Then they changed the office around...<br><br>-The management office is kind of a pain at times now. It really depends on the person you have to deal with, because there are different managers for different issues. It makes sense in theory...Before I would just call up or speak with the guy at the desk in the office. Now I have to speak with so many people to get a single thing taken care of. Every time I call, I am transfered to so many different people just to have a single question answered. Do they not know how to KISS, keep it simple stupid. Just because the person that handles something is off doesn't mean that they can't look into the problem. Now lets talk about the people in the office<br><br>-The head manager is cool, he can relate with you but good luck talking with him without a scheduled meeting<br>-The assistant manager woman is alright, I have never had any problems with her<br>-The receptionist really can't answer your questions. She will send you to the person that handles the problem you are having. She also looks like she needs some sleep<br>-Maintenance lady is alright, much better than the lady they had back there before.<br><br>-The one person I have a problem with is the so-called "Services" manager, who is never there by the way. She really ticked me off when I went to talk to her about by bathroom ceiling. She acted as if I made the water leak into my apartment, and told me she didn’t know if they could take care of it right away. <br><br>Other than those issues, I think this place is cool. I wish they would not raise the rents so much or I would stay. I read the other comments by people and some things I agree with spot on. I hope the managers read this and make some changes. <br>

Current Resident 624114

Resident • 2005 - 2006

Good, construction permitting

This place definitely has its ups and downs, and my gripes are a bit circumstancial. For one, I can say that I have never seen any kind of roach or other pest whatsoever. My place is huge and was cheap, but is being jacked up this year at twice the rate recommended by the county exec. The employees I dealt with were all phenomenal, but the corporate-ness of the Tower Companies means that management itself is faceless and uncaring. <br><br>Cons: you will be innundated by flyers about trivial things, while an elephant in the lobby is ignored. I.e. two months after I moved in construction began on the building whereby they lowered crews of people down the building and sawed bricks out to replace them. This drilling often produced a deafening sound that forced me to leave for the day (I'm a law student and spent afts. at home now and again). This went on for 9 months without aknowledgment from the mgmt. No mention was made when I moved in or prior. I wrote a letter of concern and received a gruff reply, then a flyer about it went out.<br><br>That's my biggest gripe, again, that construction's probably done for the next # of years. Otherwise SS is getting to be pretty cool, the location is great, parking included in rent is incredible, and the amenities are better than where I'm going next. Just be aware that things outside your control and w/o notice might toe the line of making your apartment unlivable sometimes, and nothing will be done to soften your blow.

Current Resident 539742

Resident • 2005 - 2006

Great Place to Live, but Noise can be a Problem

I love Blair Plaza! Rent is pricey, but if you can afford it, try to live here. Very convenient to the Metro and downtown Silver Spring, with the Giant right across the parking lot. The lobby and hallways are beautiful, and the apartments are spacious. Kitchens have new appliances and lots of counter space. <br><br>It's sometimes hard to find official Blair parking spaces, but we often park in the Giant parking lot for days and they've never ticketed or towed us. <br><br>The downside is that if your apartment faces the parking lot, be prepared to be awaken in the morning by the loud Amtrak train. And car alarms go off at crazy times throughout the evening. Also, the Giant makes periodic "annoucements" on the outdoor loudspeaker, which can happen at midnight on a weeknight! <br><br>But while outside noise can be a problem, we live on the 16th floor and have never had a problem with people walking around above us. If you hear any noise indoors, it's usually people walking around or talking in the hallways, but never from inside their own apartment.<br><br>I, for one, have NEVER had a problem with neither mice nor roaches. However, again, I live on the 16th floor and have two cats, which probably help to reduce this problem.<br><br>Overall, great place to live! I'd renew my lease in a heartbeat if it wasn't too expensive for my budget. (I can afford to live here now because I have roommates, but I'm now looking for a place of my own.) But it's definitely worth it.<br><br><br>

Current Resident 153379

Resident • 2005 - 2006

It's just okaaaaay...

I've lived here for about 7 to 8 months now. At first, I was pretty happy with the place until I had to deal with maintenance and ants. During the winter, there isn't a problem at all with bugs. I haven't even seen one. But during the warmer months, i see ants crawling alongside my windowsill and walls. It's not a huge infestation, but enough to gross me out. An exterminator was called in, but all he did was spray something in the wall cracks. I could've done that on my own with my can of Raid. <br><br>Maintenance here is a joke. They only respond immediately if it's an absolute emergency. Otherwise, it's unpredictable. We had to live without adequate heat during the winter even though maintenance came to "fix" it numerous times. Eventually they just replaced it, but by that time it was already summer. <br><br>The plus about this place is that the apartments are huge. My friends always comment on how big the place is. There are also free utilities, which is a major plus. The bathrooms have marble sinks, which is a nice touch. <br><br>The units are pretty outdated, the closets have rickety doors that screech when you open and close them. The bathroom and kitchen cabinets are old and not very spacious, but the appliances are nice and new. <br><br>Laundry facilities are annoying to deal with. There always seems to be a machine broken, which means I have to go up or down a floor to do my laundry. People in the leasing or business center office are sometimes rude and slow. <br><br>Would I recommend someone to live here? I guess so. Its really spacious and affordable. The free utilities and great access to metro make me want to continue to live here. <br>