Tenants join together to have your voice heard!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skylineresidentsassociation/

Tell your neighbors!

Did you get their memo today' That was a direct result of the creation of this group. They took down all my signs inviting people to join. They know they've been remiss, and are afraid of an organized group of tenants.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 07/09/2008
I can't imagine why anyone in their right mind would even consider moving into Skyline Towers, which by the way should be renamed Bottom-Pits Towers. It is the worst of the worst of any apartment building that anyone has ever been to. Don't let the walk they do on your tour of the building fool you. The leasing office (incompetent personnel & manager) walks you through the lobby to your apartment (DEMAND TO SEE THE BASEMENT OF SOUTH TOWER DURING THE VISIT) and in the process greet everyone they see in the elevator. But, wait till you finish signing the lease, they completely ignore ALL your concerns and couldn't care less. They won't even greet you when you are standing there in their office talking to them. Anyway,here are just some of the issues tenants confront in this building: SKYLINE TOWERS 1. RATS, RATS, RATS and more RATS and then the mice ALL OVER THE BUILDING. 2. BUILDING SECURITY are a bunch of lazy good for nothing men who couldn't be bothered. 3. BREAK-INS in the parking garage with over 25 cars being hit one night. 4. Foul smelling hallways and basement walkways to the parking garage - reason being rat urine in the ceilings 5. Live and dead flies all over the basement walkway - who by the way have probably been sipping on rat urine and now fly to sit on your shoulder and head???? 6. Rats running overhead while you work out in the gym 7. COMPLETELY INCOMPETENT / INCAPABLE/ UNINTELLIGENT/ UNCARING PERSONNEL & MANAGER IN THE LEASING/MANAGEMENT OFFICES - they probably can't even count the money they are collecting from the tenants each month, which is why their conscience allows all these conditions to exist while they continue collecting. Can't imagine that any caring or competent person would allow this in a building they supposedly "MANAGE" - if they can't manage the building then who needs a manager???
From: Anonymous	Date: 07/09/2008
I'm also a tenant and I can't bear to live in this condition any longer. I am looking into "Virginia tenants rights" to see how I can get out of this lease without penalties. The rat issue has become ridiculous for someone who pays more than $1,100 for a studio. I am a woman who expected good security, cleanliness and a caring management when moving in. The security is awful, as they are sleeping half the time or on the phone. The cleanliness is unbearable with the huge RAT infestation and stench you have to smell to make it to your car. I literally had to buy a surgical mask to wear, just to walk back and forth from the garage. Please, does anyone know if there is a TENANT ASSOCIATION that I can join? Something needs to be done.
From: Anonymous	Date: 07/09/2008
I love the place but is very hard to live with so many problems... Solved the mice problem in my unit...But I feel they are not doing anything to end this problem ...They just keep cleaning dead mouse...
From: Anonymous	Date: 07/09/2008
1. Totally agree with above. 2. Just followed up the rat and mice problem with a Supervisor, Pat Petrow (female) at the Fx County Department of Health ??? Environment Services (703-246-2300). She has been to Skyline and seen some of the problems. Pat says the point person from the Health Dept is Paul Shannon (703-246-8416); he goes to Skyline one to two times per week. The Health Dept gives Equity 10 days to complete task X and then they re-visit the status; and then they may give Equity 10 more days. Pat said it will probably take months to eliminate the rats. Pat said that Equity has hired two pest control companies, one local and one from NYC (rat specialty). Equity has told the Health Dept that it is trying to eliminate the rats by removing the ceiling in the loading dock are, and cleaning up the area above the ceiling. The stench will continue and there is nothing that the Health Dept can do as long as Equity continues to show progress every ten days. One of the 10 day tasks is to fill the gap across the bottom of the garage door; this is apparently a problem because the garage door is old and Equity says it is having a hard time finding something to attach to the existing garage door so that there is no gap. Couldn???t a person just weld some lightweight metal to the bottom of the door or screw something in place?? So, Equity gets more time because it says it is having a hard time figuring out how to do it [on the cheap]. Another task that the Health Department told Equity to do is to better secure the garbage and get more dumpsters. Another task that the Health Dept told Equity to do is to replace the fence (?) by South Building garbage. Pat said the rats find it more comfortable to live in the Skyline Building than to live in the ground and that the garbage collection area and dumpster(s) are the sources of food for the rats, not anything in the walls or ceilings of the Building itself. Pat said that the mice problem is dealt with on an individual unit by unit basis; Equity has to plug any holes that may exist in the unit and the tenants have to do a thorough cleaning because the mice are living on the tenant???s food. I was in the elevator last weekend and one woman said she was breaking her lease because of the mice (and Equity ok???d it ??? must be really bad). 3. Beware also of the Bait and Switch tactics Equity uses re: Lease. We received three written letters about signing a new lease (month to month or annual). Two of the letters stated the same prices for rent and car space; the third letter stated a different amount plus heat/cool and electricity. When we went to sign the lease Equity said it had made a mistake (don't they say they are professionals on Equity's web site?) and that they were going to charge us for additional utilities and more rent and car space. Although we contacted a lawyer, we decided not to throw good energy after bad. Expect to report to Fairfax Cty Tenant Complaint Unit. 4. To the people who write satisfied comments in this column, I think that they do represent management in one way or another and/or are totally ignorant about their surroundings. I have lived here a long time and have seen just about everything - a man jumped through the plate glass window on the 26th floor of the South Building and landed head down in the breezeway roof with his torso sticking out. I was home from work that day and saw it happen, then took my binoculars and watched the police remove the wallet from the man's pants pocket. Ask any of the old timers - this is a true story. I've seen fires. I've seen people carry on a drug trade business on their basement unit back patio.
From: Anonymous	Date: 07/09/2008
We lived there and moved out with over 50 (in March and April) other tenants. Some even broke their leases to get out. People thinking of moving to Skyline Towers really need to read the reviews. Former tenants are trying to warn you. You're absolutely right. Skyline Towers is a slum!!!
From: Anonymous	Date: 07/09/2008
Who in their right mind (and terrorists and their sympathizers are not of that ilk) would wish to subject themselves to such horrid living conditions? I mean , if I gave you say an apartment with 16OO square feet, for say 15OO a month without utilities included, but it had rates, mice, constant vandalism problems, gangs, terrorist sympathizers, Car parking hassles, would you really care so much about having a very "large apartment?" I'll take the clean, safe, no problems parking, smaller room with washing machines that actually work well, and utilities included at same price, any day!
From: mariam0673	Date: 07/16/2008
If you haven't already, please consider joining the Yahoo group mentioned in this posting. It would be a great way for everyone to get on the same page. I was disappointed last year when management created a Yahoo group, but only to post their announcements - tenants weren't able to post messages.
From: Anonymous	Date: 07/17/2008
The person who was, in the past, trying to start a Tenants board or association, has probably moved out or suddenly found their lease was challenged as an undesirable (trouble-maker) from the Equity Residential Management company. Or as had happened in the past...Tenants that have had many complaints and did a lot of yelling, did not step up to the plate and get active and participate for change. An association is a not a one-time thing. You need to actively participate and continue on. again if and when, this is over, all the Tenants need to stay active. Many Tenants met before on issues at Skyline, but, it all boiled down to 4 people being active out of perhaps 400 people. The 400 gave empty promises of help. None of them would contribute a dime toward a Lawyer or printing costs, these people would only complain. The Tenants wanted others to fight the battle for them. As a result, I came to the conclusion that, I would no longer freely contribute my time and money for other residents concerns. I have nothing to gain. GET ACTIVE or MOVE ON!!!

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