Living here is walking distance to plenty of restaurants and the metro. The staff is very professional and polite.

This has become an expensive heartbreak. I have been living in Crystal Place Apartments for several years since being stationed in the DC area. It is an amazing location with great views. Also it has some really great team members like Laura, Darren, Herman, Amin, and Selvin. So where does the "expensive heartbreak" come in? In the past year, my electricity bill has increased tremendously and my apartment is less than 700 sq feet. Residents have seen electricity bills rise to over $390/month due to the use of a non-regulated energy provider, however Equity Residential refuses to offer any assistance with this matter. I am active duty and this has pushed me over my Basic Housing Allowance and I am no longer able to afford these rising electricity bills. This is heartbreaking because Crystal Place was once an amazing place to live. Photo Attachments: 1. Screenshot of actual electricity charges for 1079 square foot apartment in Crystal Place 2. Screenshot of my actual electricity charges for 1 bed/1 bath apartment in Crystal Place read more

Crystal Place Apartments - Apartments Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Herman (one of our front desk workers) is amazing and one of the few things I still like about this building. Exploitative utility costs. I was charged 283$ in electricity for Feb despite working long hours. I do not use heating / AC the majority of the year and am still charged 100s of dollars. My unit fluctuates from 61 - 79 degrees throughout the year in my desperate attempts to save money. Equity uses a competitive service provider for electricity which means that company (calpine energy) is allowed to charge whatever they want. Our utility bills are now triple what people living in nearby buildings pay, only due to corporate greed. Equity refuses to enact the clause in our lease that says they will help with utility bills when prices become egregious. Stay far, far, far away. I'm slowly getting priced out of this building and counting down the months until my lease is up. This is the worst money decision I've made in my entire life. The staff that work the front desk receiving packages are fantastic, and everyone that's ever performed maintenance on my unit have been super sweet. But the management simply copy pastes the same "our billing practices have not changed [...] we recognize your frustration [...] " message to every concerned resident leaving a review. So they recognize the frustration but won't do anything? Awesome. We're getting mandatory installation of these weird "smart home" features for App-controlled door locks and thermostats but management still refuses to help with utility costs or just turn off a stinking light at night time to use less electricity. Reports show our energy usage hasn't increased from year to year as a community either. Calpine's just getting increasingly greedy and Equity rolls with it. read more

The energy bills are $400+ per month for a two bedroom apartment. This began late last summer and hasn't gone back down. They raise your rent every time now instead of dropping it to be in line with the actual market and to compensate for their poorly bartered electricity agreement with Dominion Energy and Calpine. The management will reply to Yelp and Google (literally just go read dozens upon dozens of reviews over the past one year on a google) and say the electricity billing has remained constant in the community. The apartments are tired and worn out. Numerous service requests are required for sinks and showers and toilets being clogged etc. The gym is dated and basically unusable except a treadmill. The elevators are constantly breaking down. One at a time now is out for four months to "modernize the car." That leaves one other elevator used for moving (mostly out) leaving everyone with one elevator (think waiting 4-5 mins each time you need the elevator). My brand new car is scratched and dinged from small garage spots. The management has heard the same concerns over and over and nothing is actually done to do anything about it... Chose not to renew my lease here. Careful with that "$2450 a month" 2 bedroom apartment. Add $125 for parking and $450 for utilities and you just agreed to over 3 grand a month. Oh when you move in, be prepared for Laura the leasing person to tell you utilities are about $100-150 a month. Equity could have EASILY made this right by dropping everyone's rent $100 at renewal and maybe offered free parking. $225 loss for them and they could have avoided dozens of now vacant apartments. Shame on Equity for thinking of a short term strategy instead of playing the long game here. Suggestions if you want to actually have this building survive: -Retile pool area. It's old and gross. -Update gym -Make "lounge area" more private so people can sit and work without having everyone stare at them when they're at the elevator. -Bathrooms in lobby are gross -Parking spots unbelievably small in garage. -Utility bills $400-500 per month -Offer current people a $100 rent credit each month to compensate for the electric issue. (You'd get people to stop calling the local news stations, their lawyers, the Virginia Attorney General) -Offer free parking to current residents to offset the cost (it's only $125 but would go a long way) -Install cameras and better locks at loading dock, side door, garage. There have now been thefts from common areas, people just walking in and out at random. Prioritize the financial incentives above and you can buy yourself a few years to get this under control. Too late for me. Already left. read more

I moved to Crystal Place from cross-country at the beginning of the summer and couldn't have had a better experience. Laura facilitated remote tours, was responsive in communication, and helpful with logistical questions- really choosing Crystal Place was a no-brainer! The staff onsite are amazing- maintenance and concierge are at all times professional and polite. The office team responds quickly to questions and concerns. The residents are friendly and the atmosphere quiet and calm, with great energy in the common areas. I couldn't be happier with the neighborhood and location, the views and the outdoor amenities are well-kept. The gym is adequate, the public areas are always clean and inviting. The negative experience here is mainly down to the management of the electrical service provider billing and costs. Research indicates that prices by this private vendor are not in line with other utility firms and as the company is private, regulations meant to control price hikes for municipal vendors do not protect the consumer in the buildings with this provider. Residents have requested a revisiting of the contract and review of costs to no avail. Individual charges have quadrupled in recent months with no cap or end in sight, billing does not reflect true usage nor timeframes shown on statements. The estimates I received early in the moving process in no way resemble actual billing in the past few months. I very much look forward to updating this review to five stars upon resolution of this issue, which is significantly impacting the quality of life of many residents. read more

Laura has been amazing to work with at Crystal Place. She is friendly, helpful and very responsive. She took time to do a virtual tour with us and has answered all of our questions promptly. The Crystal Place leasing office has been so helpful and very nice. Looking forward to renting with Crystal Place! read more

If only you knew...the people who run this building are unethical at BEST. Unless you would enjoy being forced info paying hundreds more in "additional rent" month over month on top of the yearly rent gouging, save yourself, DO NOT SIGN TO LIVE HERE! read more

Would you like an electricity bill of $390/month? Equity Residential uses a non-regulated energy provider, so our billing rate can fluctuate widely. The past four months our bill has been over $200. The residents at Crystal Place have met together and written a letter asking our apartment complex to get out of this bad deal with the energy provider, but they refuse. They refuse to help their residents pay their electricity bills. They refuse to even meet with us to discuss options. The leasing manager is nothing but defensive and patronizing. The residents are not an angry mob, we are just regular people who can't afford our utility bills. I do say though- the apartments have amazing views and are in an amazing location. I love being close to the metro and biking trails. I have the most incredible view of the DC skyline and the Potomac River. If Crystal Place does resolve this issue by helping residents with the utility costs or by getting out of their contract with Calpine Energy, I will gladly change this review to 5 stars. But right now it's five $$$$$ read more

Equity Residential's (ER) attorney wrote me a "warning letter" explaining that I was not free to express my opinion on review sites b/c doing so constituted a violation of my lease agreement. So if you're wondering why there's a lack of reviews on this community, perhaps ER's aggressive anti-free speech legal positioning has something to do w/ it. I would question where all the good reviews are if this truly were a pleasant place to live. An incidental finding of an enlarged lymph node that was not before I was a resident at Crystal Place has made it impossible to remain silent as I believe others' health is at risk. I'm not an expert so I can't say that the exposure to the mold in my apartment caused this issue, but I hope to have more to report after my appointment w/ a specialist next week. I will edit this review w/ that information & biopsy results as appropriate. If you're still considering living here: I have moved 10 times in the past 15 years for my job so I get to see a lot of apartments & management companies. I have never so much as received a nasty email/letter/call from a landlord before so what I am experiencing at Crystal Place w/ ER is shocking. What I discovered too late is that another management company sold the building shortly before I moved in so the condition of the building I toured was not to be continued over the next few years. At first, this place looks pretty good. You don't notice the degrading maintenance, the differing amenities by sex, the multiple & unplanned (for us) office closures, the "secure" building vulnerable in multiple places, "reserved secure" parking w/ garage doors open for hours a day during the work week & while awaiting parts every time they break like during a two-month "holiday shipping delay," aging elevators seemingly broken as often as not & sometimes even trapping residents before they're taken out of service. You don't realize that no one's going to come when you call the 24 hour maintenance number, leaving you to think there isn't any emergency maintenance. You don't hear about the lies we're told like during the weeks we went w/ lukewarm showers while they worked on "resequencing" a boiler after a power failure, even though we lost hot water days before the power failure when a boiler failed & they didn't replace it immediately. You don't see all the strangers let in our building when the lounge is used as a polling station, right in front of our elevators w/out any additional security to ensure these visitors don't end up on your floor. You have yet to receive the emails from management threatening to tow your car or dispose of all your belongings if you don't come down to the office b/c they can't figure out how to keep good records of who pays for storage or parking. You cannot yet imagine how miserable it is to live in a place where the management has no respect for your privacy, demanding entry to your apartment nearly every month of your lease for multiple days, routinely changing those dates or the services promised at the last minute, w/ no regard for your plans, vacation, or schedule & consistently threatening you w/ violating your lease & eviction should you resist. You could never guess that choosing the wrong apartment complex could expose you to pathogenic mold spores, doing irreversible damage to your lungs, sinuses & immune system. I didn't look up at the air vents or wonder what those dark dots were or what all that carpet-like fuzz was on the vent blades. I didn't think that when I told Management there was mold in the vents that they'd just paint over it. I didn't foresee that when I tested it myself (b/c they failed to do so even after telling me they would) & presenting them w/ third-party lab results showing significant mold growth in my vents, that they would simply wipe down the vents & vacuum out the ducts. I didn't anticipate them putting my health at risk & lying to me over & over, promising to properly remediate the mold only to hire cheap air vent cleaners that stick vacuums in my ducts that spread the spores over my apartment & belongings. I wouldn't have guessed that when I asked about the materials used they would ignore me, only to discover that they hired an unlicensed tech to spray a in my vents that is not even EPA approved. I would never think that despite writing me a formal reply promising to provide lodging while I was displaced from my apartment that they would later ignore these promises as well as the Virginia landlord tenant act requiring that they provide accommodations, leaving me w/ over $1k in hotel bills.I didn't think a company grossing over $3 BILLION annually would skimp on a process that can be so detrimental to a tenant's health & cause irreversible long term effects. I never thought I would miss my plywood shack from when I was deployed in Afghanistan but at least there you knew people were trying to kill you. Here, they do it w/ a smile & a key stroke, all while charging $3000/month read more

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I think the entire staff, Laura, Herman, Darren, Stan, Lucia, Selvin and the rest of the team really go out of their way to make Crystal Place feel like home. love the views of the Potomac and DC skyline. read more

I really want to recommend that you live here, however, our utility bills are insanely high here. Equity (the owner of the building) has contracted with Calpine. Calpine is an unregulated third part power provider that can raise and lower their rates as they see fit. You will have no idea how much will be charged month to month. For my 700 square foot apartment, I pay almost $ 300 for my electric. Other than that, its is a very nice place to live and is very clean. Until Equity changes the contracts, negotiates a lower price, or provides another remedy, I cannot recommend that you live here. read more

Crystal Place Apartments - You can see the trend of the electrical bill increasing. - Apartments Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Update to my original review. My roommate, dog, and I have had nothing but positive experiences since moving in just over two months ago. The facility is beautiful, the room layouts are spacious, the common areas are always immaculate, concierge (Herman is an absolute angel) is FABULOUS. Utilities are a bit on the high side because most are shared/split across the floors but that is legitimately my only complaint. I've called maintenance once to replace a belt on my fridge that caused it to leak and it was fixed in 24 hours. The maintenance crew is very friendly and welcoming. I don't understand how anyone could post a negative review of this complex/it's rockstar staff. I've never had an issue with the elevators. There's plenty of space for parking. You just walk down the hall to the trash shoot. The pool is beautiful in the summer. read more

I can't recommend that you live in this apartment building or with any Equity affiliated building. The electricity costs are the highest I have ever paid as a renter. For a 2bd/bath apartment, my roommate and I paid $200 each for electricity and utilities this month. No other apartments in the area are paying this high of a price. The staff here (especially the concierge) are lovely and the apartment itself is in a great location, but it's not worth the price and headache. A lot of residents have been struggling to keep up with their payments. read more

I rated Crystal Place apartments five stars back in June, and back then I meant it. Since then, they have increased my rent $420/month and my utilities have doubled. I am active duty military on orders in the area and I can no longer afford to live here. The tenants have reached out for help from the owners to no avail. This complex has great potential but it needs to take a serious look at how they treat their tenants, especially their tenants who have been here for awhile and have been loyal. I have already recommended to several of my military friends moving into the area not to live here. read more

Moved from out of state, site unseen... The management office went out of the way to walk me through the property and show me my apartment with a measuring tape to make sure all my belongings would fit! Been here three weeks and so far all is good! Concierge and staff are all kind and helpful! read more

I have been living here for around 7 months and I have to say that there are good things like cleanliness, no bugs at all, friendly and helpful staff. I loved the pool in summer, the front desk is amazing and they receive my packages anytime without any charge. It is convenient that it is so close to the metro station. The bad ones: The elevators are old and sometimes fail, all in my apartment is not renewed, the toilet is older than me and it takes more than 15 minutes to fill up with water after a flush, which is uncomfortable when you have guests. The gym is not that big and doesn't have a lot of equipment which is ok for me but not for my fit husband. The thing that really worries me of all is that Equity residential uses a non-regulated energy provider so they are allowed to charge us basically whatever they want and apparently no one can help us. After several complaints, they raised an investigation to detect energy anomalies but they say there is nothing else they can do about it. It's been around 5 months of rising energy bills, for a 1 bedroom-1bathroom apartment w/2 people, my most recent utility bill totaled $298 which $233 was for electricity. read more

My wife, roommate and myself recently ended our lease at Crystal Place after living there for 3 years and I have to say that so far it's been one of the best living experiences I've had in this area. The building, being built back in the 80's, and having been built along the train tracks and next to the airport, is probably one of the most well built apartment buildings you'll find in Arlington and maybe the greater NoVA/DC area. Despite the noisy surrounding, if you're inside, you barely hear a thing thanks to the concrete construction, and heavy duty double-glass windows. Further, you'll also rarely if ever hear your neighbors. I think in 3 years time, the only time I really heard noise from other apartments was when the one above us was being renovated. Speaking of which, most of the apartments in the building (if not all at this point) have undergone renovations to make them a bit more modern, so while you'll still notice some 80's-esque features in your apartment, you'll have nice things like granite counters and stainless appliances. The bathroom's have electric air-blow heaters as well, which is quite nice in the winter :-D. While I didn't frequently utilize the amenities, the pool was quite nice and seemed to rarely be very busy, even on hot summer days. If you're lucky enough to get one of the apartments that faces East towards the city/DCA/Potomac, you're in for a real treat. Doing photography as a sort of semi-pro hobby, the views from our balcony made for some great photos. We saw some stunning sunrises over the river and my favorite, thunderstorms with the Washington Monument as the backdrop. Don't be put off by the airport/railroad tracks. It's fun to watch and like I said before, you likely won't notice it when inside. Finally, the staff. You can't find a nicer group of people...seriously. My interactions with the leasing staff were usually few and far between but when I did talk with them they were always very responsive and caring. Further, the concierge staff here is incredible. Herman, the head concierge, is one of the nicest people you'll meet. He's always willing to go above and beyond to make sure you're comfortable. Harry and Darren are the other regular concierge staff that I normally interacted with and they were both equally great...always willing to help or answer a question if you had one. I really can't say enough good things about this place. If you're looking for a place to live in Arlington and don't need to be right in the middle of the action along the Orange Line, Crystal City is a great area which is continually growing, and Crystal Place is probably one of the best choices for apartment living there. read more

Crystal Place Apartments - Watching thunderstorms roll across D.C. from my balcony at Crystal Place was one of my favorites parts about living in this building. - Apartments Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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I loved living here last year, but now I'm counting down the months until I can leave and escape from the outrageously high electricity bills that have tripled over the course of just a few months. There has been no meaningful action on the part of management despite residents' pleas to address the skyrocketing prices, which have all come from the unregulated electricity provider Equity Residential has chosen to contract with. We do not have individual meters, and we are not provided with transparent information about usage and pricing. Over the past three months, my ~1000 sq ft. 2 bed/2 bath apartment has been costing about $300 per month in electricity alone. When residents expressed concerns about the rising prices (as we have been doing for months now), management essentially blamed it on hot weather and people forgetting to turn off the AC, when in reality the electricity provider has unregulated rates that are 2-3 times HIGHER than Dominion Energy. By their own admission there has not been a significant increase in the usage of electricity--- just the price their provider charges. I wish I could give a higher rating, because this is otherwise a convenient and comfortable place to live, and the front desk staff here are all truly wonderful, kind, and welcoming. Herman especially goes above and beyond to make everyone feel at home. However, the ordeal we have had to put up with just to get basic information about our bills is ridiculous. Equity Residential tries to make itself out as being "energy conscious," but this is just an image they exploit for their own bottom line. read more

Great apartment, friendly tenants, extremely professional and kind staff. I highly recommend Crystal Place!

Great apartment, and super friendly tenants and staff. Staff is extremely responsive regarding questions and any maintenance issues, which are few and far between because the apartments are in really good condition. My wife and I spent a very long time doing research and looking for the best apartment for us in the surrounding DC area, and we are extremely happy we decided on Crystal Place. read more

I moved in recently. The leasing manager and front desk staff have been very helpful with the move. I look forward to being here and in the neighborhood with all it offer. I look forward to using the building amenities including the gym and pool read more

For the price I got a spacious apartment, but unfortunately it came with shortcomings. If you are looking to maybe save some cash go here, but what you are gonna get is out of date appliances that may or may not work. My washer had broken and it took a week an half for it to get replace, the washer than rarely worked. It would maybe get the clothes wet. It made me wonder if the technician actually installed it properly. I always had a problem with the ac in the apartment. It would not work and I would have to submit a request three times for it to be fixed. I would have sinus problems there and it would be at that apartment. I do not have any allergies at all, but for something like that to happen makes me wonder what is going on in the air filters. There was a leak in the hallway on my floor which had cause the carpet floor to be wet. It would be at least every other month one of the elevators would need to fix. The garage needed to be fixed for several months allowing anyone inside the garage. If you had a car there you would need to wash it at least once a week, because dust or dirt would get on it. You would be better off with just parking your vehicle outside and maybe hope it would rain so that the dust would wash away. The "gym" reminded me of a motel/hotel gym. Now onto the good parts, the concierges were on point they were always helpful. The pool was amazing there it was definitely a lot bigger than I had expected. Location is great too, they have great things nearby that are within walking distance. read more

If you're looking for a smaller apartment community, in a quiet area with many restaurants within walking distance, close to the metro - 3 stops from the District, great staff, responsive, most friendly and helpful concierge staff - this is it!!!!!!!!!!!! Here are a couple of awesome views from the apt. deck! read more

Crystal Place Apartments - breathtaking views from the apt deck! - Apartments Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Wonderful place to live! I lived here 2 years and had a great experience.​ ​The leasing office is super helpful.​ Maintenance team is awesome and concierge staff is absolutely wonderful. ​ Out of all the apartments that I've lived in within the area, this one is has been the best in terms in terms of quality, amenities, location, and neighborhood. read more

Crystal Place apartments was an amazing experience. The staff is amazing and one of the front desk staff even delivered my packages to my door since he lives on the same floor. The gym is kind of small for what we pay but it is fine. I wasn't told that my apartment would be unrenovated but is said at the very bottom of the listing in the tiniest text size known to man (I initially rented in 2020 and didn't go in person but instead toured via Facetime due to fears of Covid) and there are no pictures on the website of what unrenovated apartments look like and they are carpeted although 10% of Crystal Place apartments are unrenovated. The unrenovated apartment cabinets are like something from the 1970s and the dishwasher, oven, and washer/dryer were also ancient. They did replace the dishwasher and oven while I was living there so that was nice. When I moved in, it looked a little messy. The cabinets were not repainted on the inside and had many spots that needed to be repaired. There was a huge hole in the back of one. The paint on the wall dried like it was running down the wall. They also got some paint on the towel rack that they didn't fix. There was also a stain on the sink. The balcony had these unidentifiable black stains on it too. One of the closets didn't open so sometimes it was awkward trying to get things in and out of it. The washer and dryer was strange because it was so small that if you loaded it a certain way it would start to jump and bang on the door and sometimes you couldn't open it to get your clothes out. Because of the miscommunication, they waved the $500 move in fee. I was also told that my utilities would be $60-$80 per month but it is communal so it was always $140-$150 per month instead. In the end, they wanted to increase my rent about $300. However, I would have negotiated the rent to stay but no one from the rent staff contacted me to work things out even though they said they would so I am renting elsewhere with a roommate and am even happier where I am with all of the amenities, newer appliances, marble kitchen counters, island, hardwood floors, individual utility costs, and overall cheaper monthly expenses. read more

The people here are the best! I love all the staff here. They're always cheerful and helpful. Great holiday parties too. read more

Super friendly and helpful staff, amazing location, beautiful and well kept apartments, plenty of amenities...what else could you ever need? I love it here! read more

The apartment, residents and staff are all very nice and we are very happy with our decision to move in. Crystal city has come a long way over the years and is still growing. Thanks Crystal Place! read more

Great location and great staff. Guys at Crystal Place are doing outstanding work to make living there comfortable and enjoyable. read more

The leasing manager Laura is amazing and very helpful. She is the best manager. And her crew are very friendly and helpful. When you move to crystal place you will feel you are in a family. And the apartments are clean and amazing definitely recommend it. I had amazing experience to move in. Thanks a lot again. read more

Had a great tour of the building with leasing agent, Jean. Really nice building within walking distance to the Crystal City Metro. Met so many nice residents and a cute puppy in the elevator. The concierge staff were so welcoming. Would definitely recomend based on tour. read more

I toured the only 1bdrm available in my budget and unfortunately, I went to bank to transfer funds, and view a few other apts in same area and by the time I returned later that day they had already taken another deposit on the apartment and it was no longer available. :(. Since I'm in a time crunch to move for work, I rented elsewhere with an apt available. read more

My review is based on the tour I took last Sunday. I have never in my life experienced such a rude leasing agent. She was very short with me in answering questions and seemed as though she didn't want to be bothered. Maybe she was having a bad day. Either way It left a bad taste in mouth and I will be continuing my search. first impression is everything. read more

We lived here a little over two years and generally enjoyed our experience: the concierge staff is super friendly, the pool is quite large and very relaxing for summer weekends, and the gym is small but had everything I needed, e.g., lots of cardio machines (you can also go next door to a sister building which has more lifting equipment). The views are unmatched, and the convenience of the location is hard to beat. The corporate culture is a bit penny pinching--personified by the mentality of the building manager. For example, a lot of residents petitioned to extend the pool opening for a few weeks given the unseasonably hot September weather but the manager refused--this small gesture would have been a chance to garner significant goodwill for not a lot of money. Meanwhile the garage door would remain broken and open for weeks on end, compromising security, continuously getting temporary fixes rather than replaced. Its also the first building I've heard of that makes renters pay for the repainting and fixing up of their apartments upon move-out...normally this is part of the landlord's responsibility based on all the exorbitant rent collected each month! read more

I plan to move in next month. The location is great, the unit is spacious and new. The staff in front desk is friendly. I'm looking forward to moving in! read more