Big picture: I strongly discourage anyone from living here. West End Residences has low-quality management for a high-priced neighborhood. However, I'll give a balanced review. The best part of living here was its location near Foggy Bottom, Georgetown & Dupont Circle. The worst part was that my unit gave me many problems (mold following a water leak, food dispenser not working multiple times).
My background: when I lived here, management changed from someone who was responsive to someone who was not. Unfortunately, with the unresponsive manager, I experienced water damage that leaked from my ceiling. The damage led to mold in my unit (I was reimbursed for the days I could not live in the unit only after sending a demand letter to the manager).
Pros
- Move-in was smooth (loading dock and elevator available), yet no one works there on weekends, so plan your move-in on a weekday if you choose to live here
- Coffee machine in lobby (when it works, which is most of the time)
- Lots of trees and flowers nearby. Georgetown's Rose Park & N Street Tennis Courts are walking distance
- Walking distance to Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, the George Washington University, the West End Library, Starbucks & restaurants
- Metro accessibility: walking distance to blue/orange/silver (Foggy Bottom) & red lines (Dupont Circle) + buses nearby
- Business center has a PrintWithMe printer( free black and white printing. Pay for color printing)
- Fitness center that has the essential cardio and weight equipment. Small sized gym, yet it has natural light (the gym can fit 8 people. Gym can become smelly sometimes)
- Responsive maintenance team
- Residents were helpful to each other by sharing updates/asking for assistance in a tenants-only WhatsApp group chat
Cons
- The property manager failed to communicate promptly with residents during a weekend water damage crisis. After my apartment (and several others) experienced significant water damage, the apartment manager took several days to communicate with tenants. I had to relocate for six days. This failure to communicate is the top reason that I would not recommend that anyone live at this Bernstein Management property.
- Old key knobs. My key hole once broke when trying to lock the door. They give you two keys, yet there's no receptionist, which means if you lose your key, you need to call an emergency number and pay for a replacement key
- Loud air conditioner and washer/dryer. Freezer occasionally makes a loud buzzing noise
- Kitchen fan is not super powerful. We accidentally triggered our room's fire alarm while cooking steak. The alarm stopped on its own within 10 minutes
- Resident is responsible for Wi-Fi, utilities and a trash fee
- A very disorganized package room was a consistent inconvenience
- No recycling trash chute on each floor (there's a small bin instead). You have to take big recycling bags and broken-down boxes to the trash room yourself
- The walls in the bathroom and den are thin, so I can hear my neighbors sometimes
- Occasional water outages for a few hours per outage (maybe a few times per year)
- No substantive social events (they held an omelet event once or twice per year).
Good to know
- You receive two sets of traditional keys + key fob for front entrance
- No 24-hour receptionist (yet there is an emergency number you can call)
- Business office accepted none of my amendments to my lease renewal. They were difficult to negotiate with when I requested a partial refund after I was displaced from my unit for six nights.
- Near Francis Dog Park, Community Pool & Francis-Stevens Junior High School
- Near a fire station, so you may hear sirens frequently
- The immediate area has lots of hotels and office buildings nearby. If you face 24th St NW, light from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) building may seep in at night. I bought curtains, which solved the light issue. You need to walk a couple of blocks east on N St NW for it to feel residential read more