We should've known when we experienced problems in the first 24 hours we were here that Rosslyn Heights was bad news. When we moved in, the apartment had a peculiar smell, one that we initially attributed to fresh paint. However, after a couple of days, we realized the smell was not paint but cat urine, and that the ever accumulating bug bites on my ankles were not due to mosquitoes on a warm DC night, but the fleas with which our brand new apartment was infested. A month or so later, the tiles on the shower wall fell off while the shower was in use. A couple months later, our hot water heater had to be replaced. A few months after that we had reason to believe there was a mold problem, and the entire time we've lived here we've dealt with severe flooding outside of our apartment door, and a perimeter gate that hasn't locked properly.

All of these problems were bad, but I've lived in apartments in the past that have had a lot of problems; as a renter in the DC area it is inevitable. What made the problems at Rosslyn Heights particularly difficult was how the management handled them. For example, when we first reported the cat urine smell and flea infestation, we were told that it was probably due to our cat (who we had not yet moved into the apartment because of these problems). Once we convinced management that it was a pre-existing condition, they did adequately address the problem by replacing our carpet and hiring an exterminator. However, when the flea problem returned a couple months later, we again had to deal with being accused of causing the problem before Rosslyn Heights management would exterminate again.

When the tiles fell off of the shower wall, rather than replacing the broken tiles with new ones, Rosslyn Heights maintenance glued the broken tiles back to the shower wall. We complained about a lack of hot water for 5 months before our hot water heater was finally replaced. We found out that the flooding that occurs outside of our apartment every time it rains could be causing mold in our home because a neighbor experienced a similar problem and warned us. When we asked Rosslyn Heights management if they would also test our apartment for mold, as we were subject to the same flooding as our neighbors, we were first accused of not reporting that water was entering our apartment (which it wasn't; nor was it visibly entering our neighbors' apartment). The list goes on...

Our lease with Rosslyn Heights recently expired. While we had no desire to go through the hassle and expense of moving, we have decided to move due to the following...When we received notice that our rent would increase by a set amount if we decided to renew our lease another year (we know this is typical) we compared that rent to the rent that Rosslyn Heights was advertising for our apartment online. We were very disturbed to learn that what they wanted to charge us was higher than what was being advertised online to the general public - to people who hadn't lived the past year with the problems we've had. We contacted Rosslyn Heights management to ask about the discrepancy, and to negotiate a lower increase in rent due to that and the number of problems we've had in the last year. It has now been over 3 weeks since we contacted management - who has STILL not returned our phone calls or emails. When Rosslyn Heights onsite management was not responsive, we sent a formal letter directly to Gates Hudson (the management company). It has been over a week since we sent that letter, to which we also have not received a response.

While Rosslyn Heights may seem initially appealing - good location, nice exterior, great amenities - think twice. The management makes all of those things obsolete. We are now moving to an older, smaller apartment that is further from the metro with less amenities, but with GREAT management.

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