How is a 30% rent increase in one year anything but highway robbery' This place is TWICE as expensive as the other rundown 1960s buildings in the area, and amazingly, like that other guy said, the new Charles Smith ownership has now increased rents to equal the brand new Charles Smith buildings across the street. I watched my rent go up $800 in just a couple of years, for absolutely no increased services or quality of living. Seriously, ignore the "it's a bargain" reviews the River House management has been dropping on this site. There has been an exodus from this rundown building since the last rent increase in August-September. I saw almost an entire floor empty out, and the management hasn't been able to fill half the units going vacant due to their new Charles Smith pricing schedule.

Now, I drop in to this website, and I find out new people are paying $300 a month less than me, and I'm a long(er) term tenant. You bet I'm pissed.

Want to know what you get for your check to Charles Smith'

1. The apartments are old, so they're big, but for the same price, YOU CAN RENT A FREAKING HOUSE OR CONDO TWICE THE SIZE.

2. The other guy was right, the electrical here is absurd. Turn on the tv and computer in different rooms and you will pop two circuit breakers.

3. Your car will probably get broken in to in the surface parking they have here. Maybe even by their own security guard.

4. The laundry room is usually two people deep for dryers 10 minutes away from your apartment. Same number of each, but management lets half of them sit broken on any given day, and they are timed differently. Washers take 30 minutes, dryers take an hour. Like I said, ten minutes from your apartment. Do the math on your prospective laundry experience.

5. Mice. Yup, mice.

6. Unresponsive management. Did I mention that THEY HATE YOU. Not, "they don't really care," no. They actually, proactively loathe you. And yes, that other guy is right, half of the employees seem to be from the hood. They had a break in problem a little while back that turned out to be an employee. Go figure.

7. The 1960s AC units leak rusty water into the carpet usually once a year. Cleaning the carpet is then your responsibility. And if the rust doesn't come out, and you ask them to replace it, the response is that they will "get right on it."

8. Parking is tight, if you show up after 6:00, don't expect a space. They have doubled the price of garage spaces over the past two years, and the garage looks like it was built by a lunatic. Think "DMV parking test."

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 11/29/2007
For some reason I can't write a review so I'm going to respond to this one. I am the same person who wrote a review on 09/23/2006. And, I still work in the property management industry. I have to tell you I haven't been very happy since the last time I made a posting. Yes, I still live here, but I am only staying for a few more months as we are preparing to buy a house. My month-to-month status gives me a bit of flexibility. Much of what the previous reviewer wrote is true. Being in the business, I heard some buzz that Charles E. Smith was buying the River House. I asked the on-site team about it, but they dismissed it (which is normally the case). I wasn't too surprised when a few months later we (the residents) received a letter stating the community had been bought out by Vornado (which is now Vornado/Charles E. Smith). Basically, it's Charles E. Smith commercial division, which in essence is a very close cousin to Charles E. Smith residential (Archstone-Smith). It???s same big company, but a different division. In the last four years, my rent has increased about $500 dollars. This past year, I had a rent increase of $143 a month, which equates to almost $2000 over a year. And, it will continue to increase because they know they can at the moment. It may be a move to drive people out so that the value of the community goes up (if people are willing to pay the premium). Hence, the value of the property will also improve. At some point they just might convert it to some sort of commercial project (retail or office space). Keep in mind who purchased to community, Vornado/Smith (commercial division) not Archstone Smith (residential division). I don???t know for sure, but that???s my hunch working in this business. When I first moved in to the River House, I honestly thought it was a good deal. Being in the business, I'm always thinking of value. With the increasing rents, I don't value the location as much as I used to. It still is one of the least expensive apartment communities in Pentagon City, but it's also one of the oldest. Don???t think in terms of price (bottom-line alone). I think it???s the biggest mistake people make when searching for a quality place to live. Here are some items to think about before moving here. 1) This is not a luxury building, it???s actually a pretty old building (for a little more you can live in a luxury building) 2) There is no washer or dryer/dryer in your apartment. (If you think about it, you end up spending more toward rent because of it) And, you have to go to a laundry room to complete your laundry. 3) It is rumored that parking is going to go up significantly 4) Although not often, you vehicle is at risk of being burglarized on the surface level lots (there are even signs in the elevators pointing this out). Trust me, the previous writer is correct when expressing that the courtesy patrol is useless. They???re mainly there to give the perception that they are helpful. Much of the time they are talking on the cell phones or watching DVD???s in their patrol cars. 5) There are rodents in the building. Try not to live near a trash chute or on the lower floors. I found out that a rat had chewed up my power steering hose for my car (which is in the garage) and it cost me a lot of money to repair. 6) The above brings me to my next gripe. They don???t clean the garage or main areas as frequently as they should. This attracts rodents and insects. As a matter of fact, it was almost a full week before garbage and debris were cleaned up in the garage level a few months ago. Now that the leaves are falling down, there is a pile of leaves in the garage. It???s been about three weeks and the garage is filthy. 7) They are continually shutting the water off to make repairs (remember this is an old building) 8) For what you pay for, the commitment to service has been lacking. 9) I have to request that they paint certain parts of my apartment every year because the pain continues to flake (again old building). 10) I have requested that my toilet be fixed due to a slow leak several times. Someone has definitely come in, but the problem still persists. Not only is it a waste of water, but also it will drive cost up in the long run. 11) Don???t believe the 62% approval rating. I think that someone in management has been posting positive ratings weekly. Keep in mind the platform. When I wrote a response in September the approval rating was close to 33% (where it should be for this type of format). But, there is a lot more competition out there now. More new communities offering very attractive move-in incentives. So, now they have to be a bit more competitive. A higher rating would appear to make this place seem that much more attractive. I will write more in the near future. I am not finished. Just out of time for now.
From: Anonymous	Date: 11/29/2007
We have just received notice that the parking fee to the unassigned surface lot parking (where cars are frequently broken into) is going up 150%. You heard that right! There is no justification for such an outrageous increase. One of the reasons they listed was increased cost of courtesy patrols... what a joke! All those guys do is sit in their cars watching DVDs on their portable DVD players and talk on their cell phones - when they're not parked in front of the building talking to the front desk staff. Needless to say, these people are useless! They are doing nothing to prevent crimes in the lots, it's such a waste of RESIDENTS' money. Stay away!

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