Gelmarc Towers does have some positive points, such as a good location and reasonable rent for this area of Washington. However, the extremely poor management results in numerous problems for tenants. You will have to decide for yourself if cheap rent outweighs the issues.

There is a serious infestation in the building, with roaches seen regularly by a significant number of tenants and mice reported by a number of people also. I am fortunate enough not to have seen mice, but despite a clean apartment roaches have appeared regularly. I've seen them not just in my apartment, but in the hallway and trash rooms. Renters have met several times to discuss the pest problems with the management. The DC Office of the Tenant is inspecting the building this week due to this pest problem that is not going away.

The office manager is part-time only. When the previous manager left several months ago, we were without a manager for some time, at least several weeks. The new part-time employee is very nice and an improvement over the previous manager, but how can anyone manage an apartment building of this size (9 floors and about 20 units per floor) and take care of tenants and the maintenance problems of an old building on a part-time basis' There are major problems with the heating and cooling system of the building. The AC broke down several times during the summer. Due to these problems, the pipes in the ceiling of the laundry room leak and there have been constant leaks and a large puddle by the side entrance. The maintenance man responds quickly when we have a problem and does the best he can, but his good work can't compensate for the management's lack of investment in keeping up the building.

For another example, consider how the management expects tenants to pay rent and to contact Gelman Properties. Tenants are required to send rent checks to a bank in Baltimore or sign up for automatic withdrawal. Considering they have twice made mistakes in billing my account, I refuse to give them my bank account number for automatic withdrawal. As a result, tenants who use the mail risk late fees if the post office takes more than the usual amount of time to deliver letters. Why don't they accept checks at the building office, like most properties' Also, consider that the management company does not have a website or give out their email address to tenants. Why doesn't the office manager have an email address either' If they only allow communication through phone calls, why don't they post these numbers somewhere in the lobby where tenants can find them easily'

There are other things I could mention, like being "first on the list" for a new air conditioner for months, or the previous office manager losing the office copies of the keys to my apartment, or promises of repairs that have gone unfulfilled, but this is enough to show that you get what you pay for here. If low rent is important to you, go ahead and rent, just know what you are getting into in regards to the management and be prepared document everything in your interactions with them.

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