Aventine Fort Totten Apartments

I had previously left a very positive review but now that I've met the staff it has taken a pretty steep nose dive. I wasn't in love with Aventine Fort Totten but it worked for me-I gave it 4 stars out of 5. I take it back. the management has ruined it for this property.

I moved in two years ago and my roommate and I placed a $2,000 deposit down upon move in. When the end of our lease comes, they report they have no record of such deposit. They shrug their shoulders and say "You must not have put any money down?" No, we put quite a bit of money down. They refuse to give us our deposit back until we retrieve our own records from our banks for a check from 2 years ago. Their excuse: They were under different management at the time--so, "not my fault". Unfortunately it's your fault, you are the new representation of Aventine Fort Totten, the same Aventine Fort Totten that the check was made out to 2 years ago. When they transferred files into your hands why didn't you secure the receipt of my deposit. You're just as accountable as the guy I handed it to 2 years ago.

Before I met the staff, I wanted to transfer to a new unit as this place is FAR from perfect but it's livable. I had complained about the noise of the construction, primarily concerning a lack of desire to listen to a hammer against my bedroom wall for another 4 weeks, their response was comedic "Anywhere you move in DC is going to be noisy, there's construction everywhere!" All i wanted was for you to empathize, take accountability and offer a solution. Nope, a generalization about DC and nothing more!

So we tour a new unit, like it, and decide to sign a lease. Not to my surprise, the lease has major errors:
--The rental amount for the unit was wrong, i pointed it out and again, no accountability, their response, "Well the unit's prices change daily so....." Maybe they do but renting an apartment isn't like I'm booking a flight! I toured this apartment that was listed at this price--I like the apartment and agreed to the price. But less than a week later it has gone up $80/month--I don't know about that.
--The date the lease was to be put in action was WRONG,
--We were verbally informed the transfer fee was $100 more than what it actually was.

The worst of it was a week later, in the middle of going from branch to branch trying to get a record of my deposit check from two years ago, I get an e-mail from the assistant property manager asking for our security deposit money WHICH WE HAD ALREADY PAID! Did you conveniently misplace that record too? Should i bring you a copy of that receipt?

I have voiced this to everyone in the leasing office, including the property manager, I have left voicemails for their superiors---it's a disaster. No one has gotten back to me and the situation, now almost a month old is still unresolved. My roommate has obtained a copy of her check but I have had no luck. Does this mean that I just lost $1000? NO ONE has shown any bit of remorse or followed up with me, or attempted to help me in anyway--except when asking for more money.

Simply put, I no longer have the patience or energy to correct their consistent mistakes. It has really been a nightmare, wanted to share this with any potential renters and the staff downstairs. You took a completely satisfied "ready to renew my lease" CUSTOMER and created a very disgruntled TENANT.

While the units are decent, it quickly becomes apparent that they were constructed by cutting corners in attempts to save money. The bathroom lights can't be turned on without the loud exhaust fan turning on as well. The carpeting wears quickly and the management then charges a standard deduction for failure to clean the carpet upon move out even if there are no stains.



There is a general lack of competence in the leasing office. Rarely do the staff answer the phone and I sent emails regarding issues that were never responded to--which is ironic given that so often when I would walk in the office, the staff were busy on their personal phones. Last spring we received a notice that the office would distribute pool passes and parking passes in the coming weeks but after moving out 4 months later, there was still no sign of those passes. Carpeting in the hallway was often dirty from people taking their trash down the hall and this was only cleaned once during my stay in the complex.



Make sure you demand an explanation for any money withheld from your security deposit. It is illegal for them to not provide this (according to DC law). Make sure you know your rights as a DC tenant as this company/management appears willing to evade the law when possible (http://ota.dc.gov/page/information-tenants). It may be necessary to contact the corporate Greystar office in Houston, Texas if you want anything responded to in a timely manner.

DON'T LIVE HERE!!!!

I never write reviews, but I feel I should write one to save anyone from living in this place since I am sadly stuck in a lease for a year. The apartments are beautiful and new, and they have a small gym that does the trick, pool, game room, etc. The metro is also directly across the street which is extremely convenient. Even though all that sounds nice, I am counting down the days until I can move out. The management staff is so rude, and they never answer the phone. My bill has had an "account balance" every month when I pay my full balance on the first every time. When I call to talk about this and figure out where this "account balance" came from, they tell me some new charge they've decided to come up with. This month I'm paying about $100 more than my lease says because of these new surprise charges. If you don't pay, they send you a summons to court immediately. If I wasn't worried about having a bad rental history, I would do this on purpose just to get out of my lease. In addition, the neighborhood is not great. I am not necessarily scared to walk from the metro to my apartment, but there is no way I will be walking anywhere other than straight to my building. At night and on weekends, there is a crowd that hangs around the 7/11 and on the steps of the complex that makes me nervous. If you have a service request, good luck getting it actually taken care of. Sometimes they show up the next day, but they don't actually fix anything. Or you could have my other experience where they just "lost" my two over-the-phone and one email for the same requests. I had to physically go to the office and complain to get them to come fix the problems, and they came to fix them but yet they are still broken. If these things do not bother you, then this is a great place to live as long as you make really good money. I've also looked on their website, and it seems they've already increased prices since I moved here in June. Again, I just wanted to write this to save anyone from the misery and disappointment I have with this place and suggest you look elsewhere.

I've been here for almost a year and the leasing staff has changed at least 3-4 times during this time and while the current ones are nice, they are still clueless. Also, now that the apartments have a new name "Aventine Fort Totten" ,with the new name came a rent increase of at least 7% (my renewal rate is $300 more per month), and their stupid new rules. One is the parking. Some people drive - not everyone rides the metro. It used to be that parking was free to residents and visitors. Now residents get one parking pass (ok) but the visitors, this is were it gets stupid. IF you plan to have a visitor, you must inform the office before they close so you may get a temporary pass -the pass is good for overnight and then is not valid. So for each visit you have to get a new pass from the office.. You must also place your visitor's car tag number on the temp pass. Seriously. How many of you know for sure when your BF or GF or anybody is coming to visit at all times. Sometimes it's a spontaneous thing. You may have had no plans but decided to have someone come over at the last minute but "oops! too bad. The office is closed and I can't get you a parking tag. Please let me know in advance when you will come see me." All restrictions of freedom and privacy. Also, you need a new pass for each person!!! If your friend comes over today, you need a new pass for mom to come over tomorrow, and yet a third one for the babysitter, etc . They say it's due to limited space which is a lie because there is one parking lot that ALWAYS has vacancies. That lot has never even been half filled since I have been here. Dumbasses-just give each resident one parking tag for visitors or tell visitors to just use the vacant lot. Seriously, how hard is that. Some of us work and cannot get to the office before it closes to which they say "oh, call us and we'll try to place a visitor parking pass under your door".. Seriously -WTF do you need to go through all that for.

I have some mixed feelings about AFT. The location is a mixed bag. The proximity to the Metro station is great and makes my commute extremely easy. However, if you are driving, it can difficult to make it into DC center or out to the highways.



The other downside of the Metro station is the strange people that walk through the area at night, some of whom are dangerous (there have been a few minor property crimes and one mugging. I also witnessed a man beating his daughter, but quick intervention by neighbors resolved that quickly). Thankfully, there is a police station in close proximity, which is supplemented by the transit police at the Metro station. There are also a couple of officers who live in the complex and seem to keep a sharp eye on things.



The immediate neighborhood is not great. It's primarily residential and commercial, with no shopping or activities. The closet grocery store is terrible.



The management of the complex can, at times, be very disorganized. They are nevertheless extremely helpful and responsive to complaints. I've had a couple of minor difficulties due to their errors that they have resolved quickly and painlessly.



Despite all these negatives, I still think AFT is a great place to live. The buildings themselves are very nice. The gym is great and the pool is wonderful during the hot months. The residents are all very friendly, accommodating, and polite. The parking is easily accessible. The rent and incidentals are very reasonable given the quality of the accommodations. Basically, if you are like me and use the Metro to get to all of your social and work activities, it's just as convenient as living closer to the city center, but much cheaper for the quality. You trade a somewhat crappy surrounding area for a nice apartment. And while the surrounding area can be a little sketchy, the frequent police patrols and a little street smarts are more than enough to deal with that.

Very nice apartments with amenities inside of the main building and right across the street from the metro which is extremely convenient on the red yellow and green line. The people in here are also very friendly. Was very happy to be living here in the beginning...



Only two stars because the leasing office can be very rude. They make residents and guests feel uncomfortable. They never own up to the any mistakes and and don't really know what they are doing when it comes to paperwork and dealing with the residents. Just try to stay out of the leasing office if you can.

This apartment community, now known as Fort Totten Station Apartments, is perhaps the worst community I've lived in. While the apartments seem nice at first look, they buildings are very cheaply constructed, the management and staff are terrible, and the location is not very safe. Once you've signed your lease it is down hill from there. In fact, the leasing agent, I worked with was fired not long after for the amount of complaints recieved regarding his leasing practices.



PRO: the close metro location is extremely convenient...



CONS: the leasing agents fail to mention that noisey commuter and freight trains rumble through at all times of the night and day.



The people that "hang around" outside the property or follow you home from the metro, don't appear to be too safe. One early morning, I encountered a man lying in his own blood and bodily fluids in the main foyer. I dialed 911, but of course there was never any public mention of this as far as resident safety.



This community also has a leasing agreement with a mental health community, so a large portion of their tenants are comprised of these patients; which of course frequent the lounge areas. This is something that should be disclosed prior to renting.



While this community is considered "luxury" most of their appliances very low end and not durable and use lots of enegry, which will be noticed in your inflated utility bills.



The rental office is extremely unorganized and incompetent. The employment staff changes almost monthly, so of course they are not as knowledgeable as they should be about the community. The manager, Kristie, is extremely rude, unprofessional and just as incompetent; and blames the office staff for the terrible way she manages the property. The nicest people in the community are the maintenance team, which you should get to know.



I would suggest, prospective renters search elsewhere. Its definitely not worth the headaches you will endure.