You don't say! II

I'd really like to know what your experience at the Jefferson or the Axiom apartments has been for you so far. Some of the negative comments that I normally receive abated for a short while then, for whatever reason, they have picked up again. I am once again hearing about the rental office's neglect and their ill manners, and of course the noise in the building is of major concern. On the other hand people seem to be pleased with maintenance and most of the concierge staff.

Noise is by far the number one complaint that I get from the readers of this blog and from those neighbors whom I have spoken to. Some of those neighbors are ex-neighbors now because they have chosen to bail out of the Jeff and Axe rather than put up with what they perceive as sub-standard living. One such example that I have cited is that I notice people leave their doors as if their leaving a saloon in the wild west. Slam! Then they chat loudly down the hall if they happen to be with someone. That's fine during the day, but after 10pm ... or even midnight, you might want to be a little more considerate of your neighbors. We all have different schedules and different preferences as to what we consider "late."

Another common complaint is the amount of dog waste around the front of the building. Since the snow melted there have been a number of droppings that have "revealed" themselves. Dog owners--just because there is snow on the ground it doesn't mean you shouldn't clean up after your pet. There seems to be an ongoing battle between dog owners and those that have to put up with their irresponsible owners. And dog owners, don't even try to put it upon "people who hate dogs." That doesn't seem to be the case. It's the owner that is the focus of the anger not the dog. That said, there are some very responsible dog owners in the buildings who regularly clean up after their pet. You all know who you are.

On the plus side I know most of you have noticed that we now have a new sidewalk on the way to the metro. It's a big improvement and it makes it seem like there will be an actual neighborhood here one day. In the spring there will be a brand new patch of green grass along side of it... only history tells us it will just as soon be brown.

Remember folks the quality of life here at Navy Yards depends on all of us to do our best and to consider one another. Please do your part.

I guess it was bound to happen.

It seems to be the trend at the Jefferson and the odds are against you.
The vacant apartment unit next door is no longer vacant. New tenants moved in a week or so ago and my evenings have been noisy ever since. The woman in this unit can be heard from down the hall. She speaks on the phone very loudly! Like the classic Spinal Tap line "This one goes to eleven."

I'm not sure what she was watching last night on their home theater but I'm pretty sure it was a heart-warming saga about a truckload of bricks being delivered. My evening from about 8:00PM to midnight was punctuated every three minutes or so by a thundering thud somewhat akin to a Steinway being dropped from the roof.

In all fairness I'm sure they have no idea how their electronics sound in my apartment because the walls here betray even the slightest sounds, however the way this building is marketed it seems that no one over 28 is considered for a unit which encourages clueless and inconsiderate behavior.

I really would like to stay at the Jeff, but it has so many annoying features. The first and foremost annoyance are the knuckleheads that the leasing office rents to. They should screen prospective tenants for the slightest sign of intellect. A minimum IQ equivalent to a bag of pork rinds would be good.

Here are some suggestions on how to deal with noisy neighbors from ehow.com. Think I'm going to try this soon!

Step1: Be direct. If the neighbors are too loud, just knock on their door and politely tell them that the noise is bothering you and why. Most people will understand and curb the noise. It helps if you've already built a rapport with the neighbors, but if not, now's the time to be friendly but firm. Next time you see them in the neighborhood, smile and say hi.

Step 2: Keep a log. If the noise continues or worsens despite the direct approach, keep written documentation detailing the time and date of each occurrence and how you handled it.

Step 3: Write a note to your neighbors and leave it on the door asking them one last time to keep the noise down and informing them that you'll be contacting the landlord and possibly the police if it continues. This way they won't feel like you're going behind their back or telling on them.

Step 4: Report them to your apartment manager and make a verbal complaint. If nothing changes, mail a formal written complaint. Be sure to continue keeping detailed documentation and copies of all letters. Also, record video of the incidents if you can.

Step 5: Call the police if the loud neighbors keep up the disruptive behavior. File a report. Keep filing them if you have to. They may be fined for disruptive noise.

Step 6: Pull out the big guns. If not even the police can deter your noisy neighbors, take them to court. The detailed documentation you've been keeping all this time will help prove your case.

Step 7: Move if you have to. Check your lease for "quiet enjoyment" clauses and check tenant rights associations to find out if you can get out of your lease. Get to a place with some peace and quiet, and be sure to talk to your new landlord to find out up front how strictly they handle noise complaints so that you don't end up in the same situation again.

Critters

Has anybody seen any critters in the building?
I saw a roach crawling down the hallway the other day. Take care when you bring things into the building. You may be bringing something unintended.

The poll results are in!

Here are the results of our massive poll concerning tenants annoyances

Having to take recycling to the loading dock 1 (7%)

Listening to your neighbors music/TV 8 (61%)

Stinky cooking in the hallway 0 (0%)

dodging dog poop on the way to the Metro 4 (30%)

OK Folks. Turn down your stereos and TV's. Your neighbors are cringing.

Sheesh!

Don't be so anti social. Smile and say hi to your neighbors when you see them in the hall or on the elevator!
And no, you are not invisible if you are wearing headphones.

Happy Holidays to Melina

This morning I was greated by a little note slipped under my door by one of our fellow tenants in the building. It was a note suggesting a holiday gift to the woman who does the housekeeping work here, Melina and her young daughter. I think that it would be a wonderful idea to show our appreciation for her hard work. As far as I can tell she's a cleaning crew of one for the entire twelve floors and she does so with a lovely and cheerful smile. I can not think of anyone in the building who earns our gratitude more.

The person who wrote the letter noted that they didn't trust leaving the front desk to collect the cash and they are probably correct to assume so. Now the spirit of the letter was a good one and I am sure they are good and honest people, but frankly, couldn't the same be said of the folks writing the letter. He suggested slipping the donation under his door. Ummmmmm ok.

I have a better idea. Why not present Melina with your gift of cash or gift card directly? Imagine how appreciated she would feel to see a great outpouring of affection from the tenants in the building. Let her know that we appreciate her. She really does do a great job.
A card or envelope with cash or a gift card to Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, Best Buy, Safeway, or wherever, would come in handy and be much appreciated at this time of year. I for one want her to know that she is being thought of by the people she cleans up after every day. I'm sure her little daughter will appreciate it as well. I urge you to open your heart for a job well done.
That also goes for the rest of the staff too. The helpful lady at the desk during the afternoons, and Tyrone in the evening do a wonderful job. If you have a favorite leasing agent drop a holiday card by and say thanks.

Giving that gift ahead of the holiday may make the difference between a happy Christmas morning and a happier one!
Thanks goes out to the thoughtful folks who suggested this idea. Also thank them for a very informative dining guide too!
Happy holidays to you all!

Do you need a copy of your lease?

The leasing office was kind enough to post the comment below yesterday evening so I want to make sure everyone reading this blog gets to see it so I'm posting it with its own header. I'm sure they will be happy to help you in a timely manner.

I think this forum is an excellent opportunity for the rental office to stay in touch with the tenants of the buildings, foster positive relationships, and keep tenants informed. I applaud them for taking a step in that direction.

"If you would like a copy of your lease, please let us know, we will now be emailing pdf copies. People are finding this easier to keep in their personal files."
Someone from the Leasing Office.

You don't say!

Sometimes I get email from readers that is not intended for posting on the blog.  Recently I received such an e-mail from a reader who was expressing their frustration with the rental office. The reader has offered to let me post some of their concerns as long as I can maintain their anonymity, which I am happy to do.

Their frustrations were born out of an inability to get appropriate service from the rental office concerning their lease and the renting of a storage unit. Now, without going into sufficient enough detail as to expose the reader let's just say that their requests went unanswered. Several times!

It is simply unfathomable to me that the rental office does not understand that their first order of business is to see that the current tenants of the building receive the kind of service that their monthly rent deserves.

You would think that paying well in excess of $2,000 a month for rent would entitle the tenant to a simple return phone call or a follow up on a promises to preform some service. The really maddening thing about this is that I hear the same complaints being made over and over again and the rental office either doesn't care, or is incapable of handling their duties. Neither option is very encouraging, and neither is acceptable.

Some cooler heads in the building have suggested that we wait for them to iron out the bugs, but it seems that those bugs are not being ironed out. These are simple issues like "can you send me a copy of my lease" "I would like to rent a storage unit" "My neighbor plays loud music all night." "May I get a spare key." These are day to day issues that a rental office should be able to handle with ease.  If theses "bugs" aren't ironed out within, say a month, then we need NEW PEOPLE "ironing" in the rental office, people who know what SERVICE means. 

No dears! You are not fashion models. You work for us. For the betterment of our rental experience! Service goes beyond the moment of the signing of the lease. I wonder what the parent companies response to seeing this blog would be? It's a tough job market out there. Pick it up a notch or you will be gone!

Post a local restaurant or business review here.

Ok. I'm going to try this. I hope people take advantage of this "review area" cuz I think it's  a great idea and you should too. Post your review in the comment area below. 

As soon as i figure out a better way to do this, maybe I will create a separate area just for reviews. 

Tell a Neighbor.

Tell your neighbors about this blog. 

Contrary to an occasional post by what appears to be the rental office, this blog is for you. It's for you to air your thoughts, grievances, pleasure, elation, or just to spread news about the area.  

It's tough to find interesting tidbits to post on a daily basis, but with your help we can post your thoughts in a common forum where tenants can speak with each other about the good, the bad and the ugly in our buildings and in our neighborhood. 

And I like good news too. I would also like to hear about new businesses opening up in the area, or perhaps your favorite stores, bars or restaurants. Hey, post a short review of a place if you'd like. I'm sure those new to the building or the area would love to hear your recommendations. I will post a header for reviews where you can post in the comment area. If there is an interest I'll leave it on the site permanently for people to access.

This blog is a pretty new forum, and the traffic isn't as heavy as I would like, but it is a potentially valuable asset for all of us, so let's use it and be in touch with one another. Remember, you always have the option of posting anonymously and unless you post something obscene, hateful, ignorant, or spurious, (stupid isn't good either, but doesn't necessarily preclude the comment) your comments will always be posted. Also, if you are a member of the rental office your spam won't get posted like it is on the apartmentratings.com site. Bogus posts by the rental office have the ratings boosted up to a whopping 58%.  A pitiful number considering their efforts to counteract the negative comments.

Can anyone in the Axiom clear a couple of things up?

I noticed a couple weeks ago that it appeared as if a plate glass window was being replaced at the front of the building. Any info?

Also last week there were several fire trucks out in front of the building. Any news on that one?

Also, I got an e-alert from the Metropolitan Police web site saying that there was a theft of a vehicle in the neighborhood. Any word on this?

Our blog welcomes aboard the Axiom

As you can see, the header for this blog has changed. Thanks to a suggestion from a resident of the Axiom I've included them in this blog too. Let's see if the 909 around the corner has any interest as well.

Woo hoo!