AVA Van Ness Apartamentos

sorry...not our problem", which is a lousy excuse…They have been here for 6 months. Tenant and management communication is basically nonexistent. The only way to get an answer anywhere is to storm down to the office and demand their attention. Donovan, the maintenance manager, is extremely rude. It took me several times to convince him that I was right about certain things in my apartment that he did not believe me about. During a meeting with concerned tenants, he scoffed at us as well. There were a dozen break-ins in 2018 alone. In order to understand why security stinks, we wanted answers. The manager gave me some crap reason "to give us privacy" for not having cameras at floor entry points, but they don't mind putting cameras everywhere else. When the 2020 pandemic hit, they cut about 75% of the amenities and STILL charged the full amount. It was about $500 a month for a really crappy printer and maybe a tennis court (if you were into that...I wasn't). In addition to taking away access to the pool, they controlled the grilling area, cut off common areas, and stopped delivering to our doors. The fire alarm was pulled every day for two weeks in Winter 2022 by a person who lives here and is mentally unstable. Absolutely nothing was done about it and she is still here. I'm sure it's well known that there were mass shooting attempts right on the fifth floor in this building in 2022. Management told me "we're new, not our problem. This can happen anywhere." without even the slightest bit of empathy. This clearly showed that they don't care about anyone here. I was locked downstairs when that event happened WHILE the shooter was active in my building. It was terrifying. We had a neighbor AVA facebook group which was fine but now they now control and approve posts on our Facebook group, so tenants cannot voice their concerns. It is now up to them to decide what comments are approved or not, further limiting us.

resolved. Since October of 2021 until our move out, we took out items in kitchen and bathroom, have ORKIN spray the affected areas, find them again well after the spray took effect, and repeat. We couldn't really utilize our kitchen. -Safety issues. From break-ins to the active shooter in April 2022 to expired fire extinguishers on every floor. We, the tenants, asked for change and clarity after every incident like routine security and more cameras and better communication, but AVA never did anything about it. After the active shooter in April, they offered to look into counseling services for its tenants in an email to us, and provided us coffee and donuts the next day after the shooting. Then, that was it. Nothing. No update, nothing offered to tenants after a traumatic experience. -Lack of communication from the building. There were a number of safety concerns and incidents that occurred but we never heard back from the complex unless the tenants bugged AVA. During 2021/2022, there was a dumpster fire that occurred in the building. The only reason tenants found out the cause of fire was because we had to ask the firefighters ourselves and pick up the missing information. Moreover, the high turnover in management often caused miscommunication to its tenants. For example, when my husband and I moved out, my husband turned in the move out notification form and was told that was it. Then, three days until our moveout, I noticed AVA's emails kept referencing a "move out" packet. When I talked to the office, it turned out that upon turning in that notification, we were supposed to receive a packet with information, including two inspections upon moving out. We were only able to get one in before moving out. This is just the gist of our experiences in AVA, and we wanted to make everyone aware of them. I understand no place is perfect, but, at the very least, we deserved a safe and healthy environment to live in.

months. Despite desperate pleas for better safety measures and more communication from the building, tenants are being silenced through their Facebook platform and met with endless excuses and corporate boilerplate emails that read "for safety measures don't let strangers into the building". These incidents are not handled with the seriousness and care they should be. Tenants are being ignored by both Avalon Bay Corporate and the building management. Please do not spend your money here - it's not worth the fear and headaches you'll inevitably endure during your time here.

her clothing off like no other residents lived on the 8th floor. One day we saw Nita in the street, angrily yelling at a car and flashing passersby’s with her pants at her ankles. Nita was constantly attracting the police due to her inappropriate and illegal behavior. They were constantly on Connecticut Ave with her or in our hallway trying to track her down. At one point, Avalon did try to evict her, serving up a novel sized list of lease violations. Yet, this did nothing and we had to continue watching her chum it up with front desk staff (that she frequently verbally abused on her benders). Management was not only derelict about Nita and her consistent ability to make our home feel unsafe, but also ignored building and safety issues. While living in the building, a slew of break-ins occurred. Management blamed the residents for this, saying we let people in that we didn't know. Management only responded to the issues of the main building door not completely closing (allowing people to come in) when enough complaints/stories of the break-ins flooded the buildings facebook page. Overall, our experience could have been worse, however, with it being a renters market in DC, you can easily do better. Do yourself a favor and avoid this building, it's just not worth the headaches that come with it. Pros: Van Ness is a great neighborhood Everyone gets a patio Cons: Safety of the building Community respect for cleanliness and noise Not worth the money-sold on the hope you get an updated unit (appliances are ancient and a fire/safety hazard) Laundry constantly broken Elevators constantly broken or reserved Huge move out fees for cleaning/carpet replacement

the young professional vibe I wanted. The one-bedrooms are very nicely sized (765 square feet). I could not be happier with the location. There is a Bank of America across the street, some restaurants, and a Giant about a block over. It is approximately a 9 minute drive to the bars in Adams Morgan. It is also one Metro stop away from shops and restaurants (some with bottomless mimosa brunches!), and is only two stops from the zoo! I love my apartment!

door, there's always someone their to greet me and the soft smooth music in the back round creates the perfect atmosphere. In short, peace together with all the amenities that they have here at AVA Van Ness, I feel like I'm on vacation every time I come home.

facility, laundry on every floor, assigned garage parking, and only a 2 block walk to CVS, Giant, Zips, AND the metro, this building is quite possibly the perfect place for a young professional who needs city life on a budget.

short, peace with all the amenities that they have here at AVA Van Ness, I feel like I'm on vacation every time I come home.

with a funky, modern feel. The building offers a free business center (who needs a printer these days), laundry on every floor (seriously, it's always open--does anyone do their laundry here?), and the best perk: a pool with a large outdoor patio that is great for entertaining and grilling out. The staff are friendly and there are frequent resident gatherings to take advantage of if that's your thing. Each unit has their own balcony, and large windows mean well lit apartments. Four stars rather than five for an older, smaller kitchen.