The Clarendon

Current Resident 273536

Resident • 2007 - 2009

Great Place

I've been here for 2 years and have loved it. Yes, the management is sometimes a pain and it's kinda pricey, but I think it's worth the money. Most other apartments in Clarendon are even more expensive, and you get what you pay for here. The location can't be beat, 1 block from the Metro and CVS, and in the middle of Clarendon. Maintenance fixes everything while you are at work, and there's a decent sized garage under the building.

Current Resident 121539

Resident • 2008 - 2009

Rude Staff, Poor Communication With Tenants, Unexpected Rent Increases- Not Worth The Time OR Money

The staff at the Clarendon is unbelievably rude and not helpful whatsoever. They are even rude to guests of the building. Rent increases are frequently applied without warning. Apartment maintenance is slow to respond and poor at best. For anyone looking at the Clarendon, walk away before you get there. It's simply not worth it.

ajurgens

Resident • 2005 - 2008

Great Building!

My wife and I lived in a two bedroom in the high-rise section for three years and we could not have been happier! The management is competent, and obviously cares about their tenants, and the maintenance staff is incredibly responsive and professional. I'm not sure what the problem is with all the malcontents who have posted about these apartments. The apartments are spacious, the appliances are great, and the cost is competitive. I would live here again, and I have recommended it to my friends.

Current Resident 689197

Resident • 2008

Caveat Emptor

I would strongly encourage anyone who is considering renting or buying in this building to think again. I have lived in this building since late 2007 and speak first-hand. The management has no clue what customer service is all about and a very 'us against them' mentality towards renters. For example, it is $800 for a renter to use the loading dock on a Saturday or Sunday. Any reasonable person will tell you that this is beyond unreasonable. Recently renters were threatened to be locked out of the building if their owners did not place a copy of their lease on file with the front desk. If your owner was unresponsive, tough luck. Management did not follow thru on this threat but you have to question the competancy of mgmt if they would even post such an item in the elevators and lobby. Additionally, tenants were told that they would be fined $10 a day for each day that they did not "register" their dog with the front desk. This is all in addition to the total unprofessionalism of the staff. Every condo building has issues but this building pales in comparison to others that I have lived in. THe owners think that they are protecting their interests by establishing one set of rules for themselves and another for the renters but they will get theirs when they realize that no one will buy from them given how they have chosen to manage this building. Stay away.

Current Resident 775739

Resident • 2006 - 2008

no problems, only much love

I've lived here since sept 05 and never had any problems, just much love with the stylish apt, quiet/private/hotel-type neighbors, fun friendly neighborhood and crazy-easy-short 1.5 blocks-to-the-metro commute. I love love love 1021. It's sleek and easy, yet located within a little tiny pocket of sweet-street cozy suburbia new urbanism still super-close & interconnected to the city. The building is all pluses, no minuses. Having washer/dryer right there, pool, privacy, concierge to accept deliveries, send out drycleaning and loan a key, outside call-up-box for low-key safety, pretty fixtures and floors and touches everywhere, all types of food and music and post office and parade and parking and dog park right in the neighborhood... for me, it's perfection.

Current Resident 213627

Resident • 2006 - 2007

Not worth the money

The other reviews are pretty accurate - excellent location, but problems with building management, water heaters, and expense make this place undesirable overall. Maintenance/Quality: My water heater turns on and off all night long, which is fairly annoying. Maintenance is very nice, but can't do anything about it. Problems with plumbing have never been completely addressed. Despite problems with turnover with the reception desk, there are a few great desk people. However, the property management team are young, inexperienced, and frankly, pretty rude. Not impressive at all. They even refused to replace the carpet before I moved in, even with a large stain in clear view. They washed the carpet twice, and told me that was what I had to live with. I had no alternative but to move in, so I was stuck. I was also just notified my rent will be increased  if I renew for a second year. Not interested. I'll miss the location, but I wouldn't even renew for what I pay currently.

Current Resident 195042

Resident • 2007

Hey I'll tell you up front that I'm bitter that I rented a condo for six months across the street from a construction site that started its jackhammers at 6:10 every morning but Sunday...But when there isn't construction sounding, if your apartment is on the same side as a main entrance, you will hear (through your closed windows) people beeping their key fob to get in. You can hear people inside their apartment from the hallway so clearly that you could listen to their conversation, music, or television easily. You can hear people fighting and listening to not very loud music in their apartment from inside your own. You can hear the pretty loud elevator beep every time it goes by your floor. You can hear the extremely loud elevator buzz if someone keeps the doors open too long on your level. This isn't because of the walls but because all the doors are at least an inch above the floor and made from crap. Paying for proximity to the metro and grocery store is good; proximity to the bars is not good. You will hear people going home at night every night and Saturday nights you might have to wear earplugs to get to sleep. Some other tenants are bitter about other things and have posted pictures of the security guard asleep or written the management are "nazis" on the elevator message board. The garage was replaced when it stopped working and recently it will sometimes "try" to open but won't. I heard repair men complaining about the developer and how badly the building was planned. I rented apt 623 "furnished" and strongly advise you do not. Within one month the dishwasher broke, the next month the washing machine broke, and in May the air conditioner broke. The landlord refused to fix any of it and the building sent someone to look at it who said he only knew how to install appliances then spilled water all over the kitchen floor and left. I would never live there again.

Current Resident 138087

Resident • 2005 - 2007

Clarendon't!

First one needs to be made of money. As mentioned in previous posts, the rent increase and related fees like parking and internet are a ridiculous amount of increase each year. <br><br>Second the garage doors are perpetually broken so when they DO work they only give the illusion of security. Also, don't be fooled by a front desk attendant and security system. They let anybody in those doors. Also, beware of their right to show your apartment with 15 minutes notice while you are still living in it! Other properties at least give a 24 hour notice while others won't show an occupied property. Oh- and they expect you to keep your 400 square foot box organized and clean while they are already trying to re-rent the unit and your trying to move! <br><br>Parking is a nightmare for a second vehicle- so 2 cars in a one bedroom apartment- beware!<br><br>The elevators are frequently out which is a problem if you are limited to just the one if you live on the fourth floor or below. When they are working they are unusually slow.<br><br>Don't plan on getting any restful sleep on the weekends at night. The constant barrage of drunk college kids screaming 'til dawn is reminiscent of dorm life.<br><br>For the price the appliances are crap. Don't plan on holding any type of conversation when the dishwasher and / or the washer and dryer are running in a one bedroom. <br><br>Also as mentioned, forget the pool/ outdoor area- there's no sun! The moron who designed these buildings didn't consider the fact that all of the surrounding apartment buildings block the sun except for at high noon!<br><br>Check on your packages - they have a tendency to get lost. <br><br>And finally, don't attempt a nap in the afternoon as the manager appears to have a Napolean complex and is compensating for something with that ridiculously noisy motorcycle he just can't wait to rev every afternoon. <br><br>

Current Resident 351956

Resident • 2006 - 2007

The Frat House

Used to be nice, (but way too expensive, even for Clarendoon)...now it's just Party Central.<br><br>People partying on their balconies until 5 AM, stereo blasting, yelling and screaming..or renting the "TV room" and turning it into a nightclub (with no bouncer to control things). You wind up getting harassed by peoiple who don't even live in the building...ask the management for a tour on a Friday or Saturday night to see what it's really like. Last night the drunks pulled the fire alarm and we had to evacuate the building.<br><br>No one has anything nice to say about this place, other than its location...but you get that anywhere in Courthouse or Clarendon.

bkgeppert

Resident • 2005 - 2006

Nope!

I was one of the first people to ever live in this building and moved out within 5 months... I recently visted a friend there and NOTHING has changed. I still hear the same stall-tactics from the management and I still see the same flippers trying to post postive comments on this board in an attemt to save their investment property! At this price you can do WAAAY better if you are a renter!

Current Resident 222999

Resident • 2006 - 2007

Great Place to Live!

I've been living at The Clarendon for 1 year and couldn't be any happier. Sure, The Clarendon has a few issues but the good points far outweigh the bad ones.<br><br>Perhaps the best thing The Clarendon has going for it is the location. It is truly sitting in the most convenient location in all of Clarendon, literally just a few steps from the metro station. And trust me, during the winter or when it s raining it s nice to be in your apartment in less than a minute. The building itself is new and very modern, well lit, clean, safe, and attractive. It has a European feel to it. However, it s as if the pool and courtyard were an afterthought. The genius that designed it didn t think about the sun apparently. The 4 floors of the lowrise surrounding it actually block most of the sun out. In mid summer only about 5 hours of sun hit the entire pool area per day, it basically renders the pool useless. And there are NEVER enough chairs. <br><br>I guess I m fortunate to have quiet neighbors because I have never heard anything from the other apartments around mine. Maybe it's because I'm on the top floor of the low-rise but it has been completely quiet since the day I moved in, I can t even hear the plumbing from the other apartments.<br><br>There does seem to be a revolving door of office staff, the only consistent faces are Brian and Amanda and they are very nice, always going out of their way for the residents. The previous office staff were rude and never smiled. The front desk staff is nice enough but some of the people that sit out there at night are a bit odd and speak limited English. I ve never had a problem with receiving packages, they have never lost anything. The few maintenance requests I submitted were taken care of the day I told them. I ve never had anyone enter my apartment without telling me first. The maintenance people always leave a note on the outside of my door if they ve entered my apartment. <br><br>Rents are high but hey, it s Clarendon, if you want an apartment that s less than go rent something older or out in the suburbs not within steps from the metro. You re paying for convenience here folks. I have heard from some people in the building that to stay a second year their rent was raised $100-$200 dollars a month. Ouch, that s quite a rent hike. If rents are going up that much The Clarendon should be ashamed for such a rent hike for a current resident to stay. All I can say is that when my lease came up for renewal the rent was the same. <br><br>Parking is ONLY $40/month, try renting a spot in DC for less than $200. However, the parking garage is perhaps the worst thing about this place. People drive way too fast and the spaces are ridiculously tight. My first reserved spot was in between 2 SUVs and I could only open my doors about 10 inches. I complained so much that I guess they got tired of hearing it and moved me to a much better location. I ve had a couple of close calls walking in the garage, you better get out of the way or you ll get run over by a BMW. And speaking of the residents most of them are nice enough but a lot are just stuck-up snobs. <br><br>Overall The Clarendon is a great place to live and even though it s pricey, it s no higher than any of the other new highrise apartment buildings around here. For the convenience and the size of the units you get what you re paying for. I m staying here another year and would highly recommend it to anyone.<br>

Current Resident 431556

Resident • 2006 - 2007

Beware water heater.

We have been living here for one year.<br>-Great location<br>-Reception staff helpful<br>-Nice Apartments<br>HOWEVER.... When viewing an apartment take special note of the location of the "utility cupboard", which contains the water heater. It turns on for periods of 5 minutes, and like another review mentioned, sounds like a freight train.<br>We have had to move out of the main bedroom into the second bedroom because the noise is so loud it woke us up every night at about 11, every morning at 6, and a few times during the night. Very annoying. So basically the main bedroom is uninhabitable.<br>Maintenance is very responsive and have had them up six times within 24 hours, however we don't think that they comprehend that the heater needs to be replaced. Unless this is the noise the heater makes naturally, and the location of the utility cupboard is just poor design with no soundproofing.<br><br>The garage doors are constantly out of order. There is NO carpark security.<br><br>Our apartment is VERY quiet in terms of neighbour and outside noise, pity about the water heater.<br><br>Other than the water heater and the garage doors, have no other complaints.<br><br>

Current Resident 889889

Resident • 2005 - 2007

I've lived here for two years. Last year my rent increase was 17%. This year it's 12%. Nice to place to live if you're made of money.

Current Resident 236744

Resident • 2006 - 2007

What a waste!

This place is way overpriced for all the loud construction and the deposits that they keep are outrageous!Plus the parking spots are all so small that your car constantly gets dinged by people trying to get in and out of their cars

Current Resident 827323

Resident • 2006

Don't do it!

Like the previous poster I feel the need to give my opinion on my former apartment building. From the day I moved in the management treated me as if I had never lived in an apartment building or on my own from Mom and Dad. They took their sweet time responding to service requests. Quite literally they scoffed at some of my issues, like nails coming up through the carpet and a refrigerator that didn't work. Of course once someone came to check on my apartment they would fix the problems but it could take months. The management is down right hostile to tenants. <br><br>The building is poorly constructed. They have had many floods, in the apartments and in the common areas. Leaks in the plumbing are nothing short of common. <br><br>They say you can't hear through the walls...well they are wrong. You can definitely hear your neighbor take showers and blow dry their hair! The gates to the garage are always malfunctioning, leaving the garage open to the public and thus negating much of the security they offer. <br><br>Did I mention how hostile the management is? I am not sure why but they really are nasty. The front desk staff are generally nice but they don't have much to work with. <br><br>An example, I was waiting on a package this past spring. I kept asking if it had arrived (it had been sent through the USPS). No I was continually told, while the company from which I had bought the product assured me it had been shipped. One day I arrived at my mailbox to find the key they use to alert you that a package is at the front desk. To my dismay the package was marked as having been received 10 days prior to the notice being placed

faireview

Resident • 2006

Convenient, but...

After living here a year, I feel obligated to give my $.02.<br>The location is tough to beat. Less than two minutes to the metro, dozens of restaurants, nice neighborhood.<br>The front desk people have always been great. Gabriel and Anne are both friendly, helpful, and professional.<br>The maintenance personnel are courteous, responsive, and competent.<br>The management is helpful, friendly, but sometimes incompetent. Exception is Paulina who is outstanding.<br>My complaints lie with upper management decisions and the building infrastructure. Our lease went up 10%. The elevators are frequently out of order. The garage leaks lime onto cars. Extra parking is expensive($200). Guest parking was free when we moved in, but was raised to $6/day. Storage units are much more expensive than local storage facilities. Our apartment was shown to potential renters without any prior notification - this has happened to other tenents as well.<br>All in all, the building is shiny, modern, safe, and adequate. However, for the high cost, you can get better in this area. Glad to be moving out.

Current Resident 736274

Resident • 2005 - 2006

Some things they neglect to mention...

Where to begin...<br><br>Construction 101...<br>First, be very aware, that if you happen to be drawn into living on the 2nd or 3rd floor of the highrise side, you have no way to get to your floor when the elevator is locked out for service. The only way to get to these two floors is by taking the elevator on the low-side, going up four floors, crossing over, then walking down the fire escape. They neglect to mention this when you move-in or on the tour. After your first trip to the grocery store coming back on a Saturday and the elevator is locked off, you'll realize that you may not be getting the most out of your $2500 in rent.<br><br>If you discontinue your lease, during the 60 days before you vacate your apartment, management "reserves" the right to show your apartment with no more than 15 mins notification. Charles E. Smith Properties requires 24 hours...you may want to consider living else where if constant potential renter traffic through your apartment bothers you, espically if you have childern.<br><br>Entry...<br>Entry into your apartment is hit or miss, I've come back several times to my place where management has come in and has not left any note that they entered into the apartment. Which then leds to maintenance request(s), go to the desk and put a service call in for a leaky toliet, and you'll be surprised when the desk person pulls out the stack of Post-It notes. Needless to say, don't be surpised if your service request is lost.<br><br>The management staff itself is slightly clueless at best. Def. think twice before having them recieve a package, they have a tendency to "lose" packages. Their policy is to sign for multiple packages that are delievered via UPS, FedEx, etc. but they don't verify that the package is actually delievered, leaving you without a package. <br><br>Call Backs...<br>Good luck on getting call backs. They tend to forget more often than not. I find it much easier to call the 888 number on their website for service, at least that way you can assure that the call is being monitored for quality assurance.<br><br>Rent...<br>Be prepared for your renewal. It is unfortunate that Arlington County does not have some form of rent control, I was shocked by my almost 300 dollar increase.<br>

Current Resident 672722

Resident • 2006

not worth the money

I moved in January and the staff was helpful with the move, and maintenance is so-so. The old lady at the front desk is quirky, but helpful, but the other front desk folks simply don't speak English. A simple request can take hours to resolve. The 100 steps to the Metro is very convenient, and there is a lot to do nearby.<br><br>However, one realizes that the apartments are extremely small and extremely expensive, particularly as compared to other places in Arlington. Do your homework, and leave this place to out-of-staters who don't know any better.<br><br>

Current Resident 460244

Resident • 2005 - 2006

Finally gave in to write a review...

Well where to begin...<br><br>I looked at this building soon after it opened with a couple prospective friends... a few months later found someone on craigs list to live in and live in the townhouse style apartments. Location is great, love it, since we are young and like to go out.<br><br>I do notice that the price at the front desk for these type of apt's are hundreds more than we are paying, so I know we aren't going to stay once our 14-month lease runs up. (we got 2 months free)<br><br>I front desk is ok. The old lady seems kinda ------, there is high turnover in the leasing office, but Brian seems to the best person to talk to.<br><br>Maintainence is fairly quick even though a couple requests never got filled.<br><br>The pool is not so great. Because of the genius who designed it, the pool is in the middle of the building, so the sun goes underneath the line of the 4th floor apartments around 4-5pm in the afternoon, so there's no point of even trying to go out there after work.<br><br>The parties we have are pretty cool I think, free food and beer and wine, even though it all runs out pretty quick.<br><br>The parking sucks. I ended up scraping the side of my car on those worthless 'toolbooth' style things on the first floor because this lady came out of nowhere on the other side, which you couldn't see and have over 1k damage. Don't bother trying to get a 2nd spot because they cost $200. Also have people parking in your spot sometimes.<br><br>We've had problems with our neighbors, although we arent sure which they are. We got a call one time from the front desk saying someone is complaining our noise is too loud at 8pm on a Friday night. Guess what i was doing. Playing a tennis video game... and they said their furniture was shaking? whatever.<br><br>Also got called once around 11pm that our music was too loud, when the music we were playing was barely audible.<br><br>The best one was someone put a ransom-style note on our apartment door. Basically saying to turn our music down, and then put a picture of tom cruise on the sheet of paper. I have no idea....<br><br>Having the dog park is nice since its so close by, but when you have owners that don't care how loud their dogs are when they bark, you *CANT* sleep at all... its terrible.<br><br>I also have to have my bathroom door shut at night because when the heater comes on it sounds like a freight train is coming through my bedroom and either doesnt let me sleep or wakes me up. This is also a problem as cold air easily comes through all the windows in our apt.

Current Resident 577238

Resident • 2005 - 2006

We hate moving, but probably will when lease is up.

We recently married and moved into the Clarendon to be close to the metro and to have a bit of "city life". Well, those two things hold true! Everything else, though... not so much.<br><br>We have a lovely, spacious 1 br apt in the high-rise--we love it. However, there are issues with living here:<br><br>~Parking is pricey if you have more than one car ($200), bearable if you don't (one car, $45). Spaces are assigned and we have never had an issue with that, however, people do not always use the mirrors installed so you can see people around corners, so we have had a few 'close calls' since moving-in in May (to which no one apologizes). They installed a barrier on the first level so that you must go through a "gate" after using the garage door opener to gain access in the first place (though that gate has not yet been activated--who knows?!)<br><br>~Building DEFINITELY shows signs of "still-working-out-the-kinks". We've had several items replaced since moving in, such as cabinet doors, and light bulbs. The maintenance staff has always knocked before entering (though I don't think anyone can hear you when you yell "come in" from within the apt), and has been very courteous while here.<br><br>~Staff is okay. The concierge desk folks are always nice, and take down my maintenance requests (which are completed within days, not months), dry cleaning, and have had only one instance where a package of mine was misplaced (called Fed-Ex, and they confirmed it had been delivered, and signed for by the concierge--they found it after a bit more looking). I do have a hard time keeping up with the management staff, though... Seems like there's always a new face (they're nice enough), but no one seems to know what's going on. I have yet to find out what numbers you need to press in order to let guests in when they dial your apt from the door.<br><br>~Not a particularly "fun" place--since being here, we've had two pool parties, one breakfast, a Christmas party and one "happy hour" where I think all of Clarendon showed up, so all the food and drinks were gone shortly after the party started. Visiting friends in other buildings around here that have monthly events (monthly breakfasts, and monthly parties) leaves me a bit jealous, but what're ya gonna do when the management turnsover several times a year?<br><br>~They recently took away free 12 hour guest parking, which really sucks, because you can't find a parking spot around here that isn't 4 or more blocks away on a friday/saturday night... It now costs $6 for that. :-P Maybe I'm just cheap.<br><br>~People here are snobby... Well, not all of them, there are some very nice people, but many not-so-nice people as well. Being in the high rise, we are constantly having to stop several times in the elevator (for no reason--no one's there when we stop) because folks who live on floors 2-4 will sometimes hit the buttons for both sides of the elevators instead of just the side that goes to the 4th floor, and take whichever comes first. This is VERY annoying, especially when there are times you'll stop 3 or 4 times only to see people walking on the elevator across the hall instead of entering your's. GRRRR!!! SO ANNOYING! If they're in that much of a hurry, they should take the stairs! No waiting!<br><br>Overall, we haven't had a bad experience, but knowing our rent will probably increase a few hundred dollars when it comes time to renew doesn't make us feel better about staying here. One good thing is the sound control--we NEVER hear our neighbors. Unless you're standing outside our front door, we won't hear you. The only reason we'll re-sign our lease is if my husband keeps his job on the metro line--if we have to buy a second car, we'll be moving somewhere more affordable (and bigger!)

Current Resident 830353

Resident • 2005 - 2006

Poor Office Staff

Nice location and OK apartments, but the management is HORRIBLE. No one knows what they are doing, there is high turnover, and there is no customer service at all.<br><br>In the year that I have lived here, they have lost two packages and my roommate's bicycle was stolen. When I asked about one of the packages, I was accused by the doorperson of lying about it.<br><br>Meanwhile, basic maintenance is suffering, and the fit and finish are very poor for such an expensive apt.<br><br>I would recommend looking elsewhere, unless the location is the only thing that matters.

toomuchlikeadorm

Resident • 2004 - 2006

Save yourself trouble & money

If you're looking for a dorm, this building will do. If you're looking for a home, find another place. The apartments are nice, but nothing special. Definitely not energy efficient (on cold mornings, the hot water runs out in 10 minutes; gas bills are unusually high). The building is not well designed (stairs only on one side of the building, no loading dock/freight elevator for moving) and many features seem afterthoughts (the fitness center, the low-rise "lobby"). Management is not responsive, definitely not proactive and often not even polite (I was laughed at by the person in the office when I asked if the hot water problem could be fixed). It is a shiny, pretty new building, but that means there are kinks still being worked out. The security locks on the doors in the garage didn't work for a year. There are cracks in the garage ceiling, and every time we have a heavy rain or melting snow, the lime from the concrete gets in the water, seeps through the cracks and drips all over parked cars. It is safe and convenient; the neighborhood is fantastic. But with all the other buildings in the area, why spend your money on one that doesn't care about its tenants? I know after my lease is up, I'm moving.

Current Resident 699376

Resident • 2004 - 2005

Not bad

I lived there for a year (a little over a year since they make you sign a longer lease to get the free rent). It was okay. The apartments were REALLY nice. everything was new, never been lived in, so that was nice. The front desk staff was great, especially Anne and Gabriel. The manager was really cool, she helped me out a couple of times, they kept moving my parking space, she was really nice and helpful. She left right before we moved out and the new guy looks like he is about 12 and isn't very friendly. BUT overall it was great and we recommend it.

Current Resident 786393

Resident • 2005

Great Place

Nice apartment...steps to the metro! Loved it, cool parties, office people were cool, nice neighbors...definitely recommend it!

Current Resident 382306

Resident • 2004 - 2005

Great location - terrible management

If location is the only thing that matters, this is the place for you. But from extremely poor management, awkward common spaces, a claustrophobic fitness center (with one working TV viewable from very few angles) to a constantly unstaffed front desk, this place has it all. But due to the low occupancy and constant turnover, you should get a decent deal.