I ran across a site the other day while Googling the Jefferson at Capitol Yards and what I saw wasn't pretty. The site is
apartmentratings.com and, as you may have guessed from the name, it allows tenants of an apartment building to rate their experiences with their respective building.
Some common complaints at the Jefferson were that the apartment was too noisy, full of partiers, and the management and staff were rude and unresponsive. My personal experience? All true!
Another common thread was that the management staff was posting comments favorable to the building and the staff in order to combat the litany of negative posts. Apartmentratings.com uses a percentage formula based on a posters feedback about the building. Today J@CY stands at a pitiful 60%. It appears that many of the positive posts ARE probably from the staff and if one were to weed those posts out the percentage may actually be somewhere around 20%. Ouch!
How can a management company run a business like this? It seems counterintuitive to me but perhaps it can be explained this way.
The management company JPI, has several buildings in the area and it appears that a number of units in each of the buildings remain unleased due to the downturn in the economy. DC's waterfront, like everywhere across the country, is emblematic of the nations persistent economic woes. The skeletons of high rises dot the area, while once busy cranes hover overhead idle. Plots of land that once had investors salivating now lie dormant, overgrown with weeds just waiting for an uptick in the economy so that construction can once again begin.
So what has been the effect on the J@CY? It appears that in order to fill the units management has bent the rules, sometimes more than a bit, to the detriment of the tenants. For example the J@CY has become an extremely dog friendly building so much so that the lease requiring that dogs be under 20 pounds is left unenforced. The building is loaded with dogs large and small. The "green" grounds outside are brown from urine burning the grass, the smell of feces is pervasive all about the building, and the sound of dogs barking as one walks down the hallway is not uncommon.
Another effect that seems to draw constant outcry is the "frat" house environment that seems to be growing worse by the day. The J@CY rents to a large number of 20-somethings who do a good deal of partying in the building and in the common areas. The common area "amenities," which the J@CY will begin charging tenants for after an introductory waiver period, are monopolized by packs of partiers who take over areas like a Panzer brigade. The clubroom (more about it later), the roof, the pool area, and the grills are squatted upon by these folks who think everyone should live like they're just out of college. I really don't think they mean any harm but I guess at that age you're thinking mostly about your own good time rather than the enjoyment of a diverse group of tenants. To be fair I'm sure this doesn't apply to all tenants in the 20-something demographic but lots of the noise from this building can be attributed to them. Come by on the weekends and listen to their drunken screaming off the rooftop deck.
Another really annoying feature of this building is that tenants can rent out the clubroom. That may seem like a cool thing but the net result is that one tenant can rent out a room that is enjoyed by dozens of people who don't even live in the building while the residents can't even set foot in the room. As a result you'll see strange folks roaming the halls of the building on a regular basis, which could potentially create a dangerous situation. The police have been called to the building more than once.
On the subject of amenities there seems to be a lot of complaints about their condition. Rooftop grills are nasty and falling apart (largely because of the aforementioned party crowd), propane tanks are always empty, the pool had an algae problem for a period of time which they seem to have fixed, and the computers and printers in the business room are often down or lacking supplies. These are but a few of the annoyances.
Lastly, one of the hot topics on the apartment rating site, as well as from talking with other tenants, is the management and its staff. I have to say that I have had some pleasant dealings with some of the staff but there are others who, frankly, are pretty unpleasant to say the least. They are mostly unresponsive to tenant requests and issues. More than one person has told me that they haven't even received their lease yet after many months in the building. Come to think of it they took their time getting mine to me as well! There must be some law against that.
Just so as to not be all negative I have to say that most of the concierge people and the maintenance staff are excellent. They are pleasant, say hello, and provide you with the level of service you would expect in a "luxury" building.
Well that's all for now. Please feel free to leave your comments, let your feelings be heard, or make announcements. But do try to be fair, limit the profanity, and refrain from personal attacks. I want this blog to be useful to the tenants and prospective tenants.
The Jefferson at Capitol Yards is quickly getting a reputation as being something of a frat house, a dorm, a party apartment. This owes largely to the management's aggressive pursuit of tenants without much regard as to who those tenants are. Sure, you can't discriminate, but bending the rules to fill the building has resulted in a preponderance of "young" tenants, reportedly several to a one bedroom apartment, who are still living out their college years. Woo hoo!
