The Good:
-Great location a block from the Pentagon City metro station and right next door to the mall (Fashion Centre) and Pentagon Row; across the street from Best Buy and Borders; lots of shopping and restaurants within a 5 minute walk
-The neighborhood is safe (as a female I am comfortable walking alone at night)
-For the most part, the front desk staff are friendly and helpful if you treat them with the same respect you want from them
-No noise from the neighbors; the walls are pretty thick
-Washers and dryers in every apartment
-The Penthouse level is very nice- there is a nice gym and indoor pool

The Bad:
-The apartments look nice, but the appliances are pretty shoddy. Clothing racks in the closets are plastic and poorly installed (the racks in both closets have come loose despite a minimal amount of weight placed on them).
-There is a lot of street noise; the building is across from a fire station, and sirens can be heard almost nightly
-Very limited kitchen storage with no pantries for food; probably not ideal for anyone who likes to cook on a regular basis
- Minimal closet space; the "walk in" closets are irregularly shaped and not very deep
-Parking is horrible; although spots are fairly easy to find, the garage is full of poles that take up corners of spots forcing people to park poorly. Most cars in the garage seem to get dented pretty quickly. Both of our cars have been the victims of "accidents" and have scrapes and sizeable dents after only a few months of living here. Additionally, there is no free parking- parking ranges from $75-$100 per car. Not even one space is included in rent.
-The business center computers are frequently broken for days on end, and the printer rarely has paper or ink.

The Ugly
-The air conditioning system for the building has all but failed. We have had many nights where the air conditioning was out entirely, and trying to sleep in a 90 degree apartment during a DC summer is impossible.
-Our average wait for hot water in the morning is 5-10 minutes. Hot water is never immediate at any time during the day.
-Some of the electrical outlets in the apartment don't work. When we tried to get this problem fixed we were told it couldn't be done.
-There are many plumbing issues in the building; aside from hot water, many of our neighbors have leaking ceilings and mold problems. The hallways smell from the ceilings leaking and soaking the carpets.
-Utility bills are outrageous. Despite the air conditioning being out our bills have done nothing but go up since we got here. No utilities are covered with rent; residents even pay for trash removal. Furthermore, utilities are split according to an algorithim that charges each unit a share of the building's total bill according to number of residents and square footage. For a 650 square foot apartment our last bill was $140, despite the fact our air conditioning was out, water was worked on, and we weren't home for a portion of the month. This bill was much greater than apartments I have lived in that were twice the size.
-Despite the huge structural problems this building faces, they are renovating the lobby. The lobby was just fine before they started tearing it up and changing it around; our leaking ceilings and air conditioning problems should be resolved before they make the building more "aesthetically pleasing."
-Finally, management has really fallen apart. Never once have they taken responsibility for any of the problems we have encountered. The tone of the written correspondance we receive suggests they aren't interested in solving problems for anyone; they are simply here to make money. Our 20% rent increase also demonstrated that point. Needless to say, we did not renew our lease.

This place just isn't worth the hassle. If you have the money to afford renting here, you have the money to afford one of the nicer, newer buildings further away from the city (or even next door). If you absolutely must rent in this area, stay away from the Parc Vista. The location isn't worth the problems you will encounter. Truth be told, Charles E. Smith is notorious for poor management and low-quality buildings, but having lived in past Smith buildings I have found this to be my worst rental experience to date. I don't feel respected as a resident in this building. Renting anywhere is going to be expensive, so in the end it isn't a money issue- rent from a company that will at least respond to your needs even if not always meeting them. Don't move here.

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