Review History for Mehmet_C693

The Elms at Arcola


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Mehmet_C693

Resident 2018 - 2019

8/3/2019

There is absolutely NOTHING good about this place. We were in a rush moving into the area so we had to find something fast, and overlooked all the signs that were obvious even BEFORE we moved in. - They will not let you see the actual apartment you are renting. They show you a model apartment and tell you it is identical. And the moment you sign the lease and get the keys, you find out, it is totally different than what you thought you were getting, but at that point it's too late to do anything. Very small entrance and hallway where you need to fight with 3 doors opening into each other and locking everything down. So, you need to have a smart combination strategy to not get stuck inside or outside when you are coming in or going out of the apartment. There is no lighting in the loft area, and wherever there is lighting, bulbs go out once a month. So, you might want to get a Costco membership for cheap bulb supplies before you move in. Very limited closet space, awkward laundry space. And the list goes on. - AFTER you sign the lease, but BEFORE you get the keys, they make you sit through 45 minutes to 1-hour orientation. This is done in a great strategic way that you have already signed the lease so you can't get out of it anymore, but you have to sit down and agree to every single thing because you basically have to move in. During that orientation, you find out about crazy rules (which I will get to in a little bit) and fees, and penalties, and what they call "consequences". That is the moment you absolutely realize you came to live through a prison. But again, it's too late to do anything. - The day we moved in, there were 2 HUGE meaty lively spiders and a bunch of dead roaches. We had a loft style apartment. The ceilings had spider webs. It was obvious they did not bother to even clean them. And there were arrows sticking out from the ceiling windows. Probably from the previous tenant was having fun playing some bow and arrow game and just could not get them down since it is a bit hard to reach. Those arrows, regardless of how many times we told them, stayed there during our entire 1-year stay, and spiders were growing webs over them and making them a real home since nobody cared to come and take them down. For the 2 meaty spiders right outside the apartment door, we called them 5-6 times, and every single time they said they sent someone out and it was taken care of. We would come home in the evening and the same exact 2 spiders would be there welcoming us again. Finally, I had to go get a spray and do the job myself. - Trash… this is where it gets SO BAD. They talk about a valet service that picks up trash Monday through Thursday. NO FRIDAY, no weekend which is when people get the most trash out (no?). But you have to actually PAY $40 for that service on top of your rent. So, you are forced to get the service. When it comes to putting out the trash, they give you a small black plastic trash can. You can barely fit in a full trash bag in it. You are not allowed to put the trash on the ground. If you have a second bag, then that bag goes on top of the trash bin. If you have a 3rd bag then you have to show all your architectural skills to build a trash tower and make sure it does not fall because if it does, they will fine you $50 for every ITEM on the floor. You have to put the recycle in a separate blue plastic bag and add on top of the tower you are building. Totally against the idea of recycle. But if you do not do that, they also fine you a $50 penalty PER ITEM. Let's say you made a little bit of a mistake. The entire trash gets left outside your door. They won't pick it up. Then you are stuck with trash sitting outside your apartment for the entire night. Guess what happens in the morning? You go out, you take them yourself, put them in the car, drive to the dumpster which is about half a mile away, and dump them yourself. Not to mention THAT place is ALWAYS overflowed and the entire community gets affected by the smell and how you can't even dispose of your trash. But they won't give you $50 refunds when that happens. You will also get weekly emails about trash regulations, penalty reminders, fees, threats, both individually and community wide. So, expect to see about 100+ emails over a 1 year stay JUST about trash. The community is always spread with trash but instead of putting their efforts to get that cleaned, they keep sending the emails. You can see the attached pictures. - If you have kids, and looking for a playground. Forget about it. The miniature playground doesn't have a single area for infants/ early toddlers. If your kid is 7+, he/she can play with the park equipment if he/she finds time from other kids but not even that opportunity for younger kids. We had to drive to the surrounding public parks and playgrounds every day. - On the way out…. If you extend your lease for even 1 day (which happens all the time) they will charge you $400 month to month fee. Then they will have a hard time prorating it properly and because they are math illiterate, they will send you the wrong final bill amount. When you tell them it doesn't make sense, they take a week to figure it out, and then also charge you late fee for not paying on time. Even though you never got to correct bill. - All the office people are given certain scripts to read from and no matter what the issue is, they will read off of that script and tell you stuff that makes NO SENSE. They are very well trained to make your life miserable and also give you all the trouble you need. We were even threatened by a court date and eviction if we did not make a payment immediately. Make a payment for a bill that was couple hundred dollars off. Who does that??? They will ask you to do a professional carpet cleaning and has to be between $95-$150. If you find a Groupon coupon for the service to be $90 for a 50% off deal at $180 - they won't accept it. So, any professional cleaning won't cut it. If they do it for you, then they charge you $150 and not the $95. - Parking - you tell them you need a parking pass for your loaner because your car is in the shop for 3-4 days, they will tell you to use the 3 guest spots. 3 guest spots for about 50 apartments. Then you explain them how your car is in the shop, and that you have a baby and you don't want to fight for guest parking every time you come home nor walk that way, and they still tell you they don't issue a pass for a couple of days. IT IS MY CAR! Then they tell you how they would tow you. They think of themselves as being an apartment complex in the heart of DC from a parking perspective. This list can go on forever. I have been renting for 20 years in NYC, DC, many parts of VA, but I have never ever been this tortured, frustrated, and overwhelmed ever in my life before. Please do yourselves a favor. DO NOT FALL INTO THIS TRAP. Elms have fairly the cleaner apartments in the area and hence they use that to enforce all this madness because people don't get a lot of options, but please just go find something else and live in peace. This place, their rules, and the way they communicate them to you are all evil. Stay away. Save yourself.
Manager

8/6/2019

The Elms at Arcola
Hello, Thank you for sharing your review. We wish you the best in your new home and would like to address the circumstances you have shared during your residency with us. It is unfortunate that you did not have the exceptional experience we aim to deliver. We appreciate the feedback, good or bad, so that we can continually find ways to improve. Kind Regards, The Elms at Arcola Team

Review 199 out of 372

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