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August 2024 by Benjamin Schmidt
Prepare to sweat your life away at 1500 Mass Apartments! No A/C during hot summers? Check ✅
I've been a resident for 2 years and can't wait to escape this inferno once my lease is up. You might wonder why? Here's a taste of the "luxuries" you'll enjoy:
1. Summer Sauna Living: Expect 80-90 degree units all summer long. Both summers here, the A/C conveniently breaks right when it's needed, and somehow, a mysterious missing part takes weeks to find. Creative cooling methods become your new hobby because building management doesn't care. My maintenance request for my 85-90 degree unit was greeted with a note saying, "No issue found." Apparently, 90-degree living is A-OK at 1500 Mass. Management suggests not using stoves or letting in sunlight to stay cool (seriously, see the attached image). What a luxurious way to live for $1900 a month!
2. Package Roulette: If the toaster oven lifestyle doesn’t drive you crazy, the package room will. When your package arrives, it’s up to the disorganized staff to place it in the package room and notify you. Good luck with that! Packages are often misplaced, and codes are forgotten. When you ask for help, expect a snarky "Well then your package isn’t here." Of course, after paying $1900 for a glorified sauna, it's also my fault that my package can't be handled with care. In multiple instances, I have found my package sitting in plain site after having staff profess it never landed in the building.
3. Watch the Building Crumble: Elevators, laundry rooms, package rooms, even the doors—everything is falling apart. Building management prefers to put band-aids on bullet wounds rather than fix the real issues. It's heartwarming to see our rent money go towards new units instead of maintaining the existing ones.
So, if you enjoy living in a sweatbox, losing your packages, and watching your environment decay, 1500 Mass Apartments is the place for you!
The Benefits Of Living Here: The location. And that's cause the building management hasn't broke that yet. Also, we have a convenient store in the basement that is run by the most kind people.
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August 2024 by Sarah Porter
Many residents in the building have unbearably warm units to the point of being out of compliance with DC regulation, and management has refused to offer concessions while we go without a fully functioning AC. All because they didn't take care of the mandatory chiller checks or keep a working backup in case of failure. This permanent chiller has been broken all summer and they do not plan to replace it for many weeks still.
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August 2024 by Tahreem A.
This was a great deal a few years ago when I moved in, but there have been many major issues with laundry machines, AC, boilers, fire alarm testing, pests, etc. The AC system is outdated and residents spent many weeks without any AC (some with 0 compensation for breaking DC housing code) and then many more weeks with a loud temporary chiller that is not working effectively. Response from management was initially delayed and now they just deny that the system isn't working properly. The prices are way too high for the quality at this building. I do not recommend moving into this building at all.
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August 2024 by Anna
Do you know what it’s like to live in a building that’s always 80+ degrees with fire alarms going off for 2 hours damn near every day for “tests”? It’s not pleasant.
Also, notice how all the 5 star reviews are from people who were just touring or have lived here for only a month or two?
If you hold any stock at all in resident reviews, do yourself a favor and find somewhere else to live. Literally the only good thing about this apartment is that it’s rent controlled so I can find somewhere else to live that doesn’t endanger and psychologically damage my pets without signing a new lease.
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August 2024 by James G
It's too hot to live comfortably. The rent is cheaper than other places but you will not be able to get a good night's rest in the summer months. Avoid Equity properties because they consistently put their shareholders ahead of their tenants.
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August 2024 by Dori
Amazing staff Alisha, Jerry and Mr. Williams definitely welcome you with open arms when you arrive for move in. A staff that cares, smiles every time you see them, and a front desk concierge staff that is so helpful and kind. I couldn't ask for better living. The business room is even peaceful and everything you need to conduct business tasks.
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July 2024 by Tina Bardot
Came to visit, do not live there, but they were super friendly and helpful for my self-guided tour. Jerryca gave me a map and laid out all the apartment options, and I felt like it was a good way to go about at my own pace while also getting to see everything
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July 2024 by Jake Villarreal
I was going to wait until after I moved out to give a review, but with the fire alarm going off at 4am for the umpteenth time, the apartments pushing 90 degrees because the AC doesn't work, and the elevators and washing machines constantly breaking, I'll just take my chances. Do not move here. Move anywhere else.
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July 2024 by Analise McGreal
I lived at 1500 Mass for 3 years and overall would recommend! The building itself is not as updated as some luxury apartments in DC but the rent is much more affordable and the studio unit was plenty big enough for me. The amenities are also nice including the rooftop, gym, common area/lounge (with WiFi) and package room. I thought the concierge (especially Kim) was great and always very helpful! Maintenance (Jose) was quick and responsive to requests and always friendly. I had zero pest issues in the apartment and received preventative pest control every 6 months from the building (included in rent). There are a few annoyances which come with an older building (ie central AC and heat) so that you can’t control the temperature, however contrary to other reviews I found management to be quite responsive to resident concerns about the temperature and they kept us updated. This summer, the AC broke and they had a temporary chiller installed within 5 days to restore AC to the building. Of course, it is frustrating to be without AC for the few days it took to install, but I really don’t see how it could have been addressed faster. We are also allowed to have window AC units which easily fixes the temperature problem if you are not satisfied with the set temperature. It was a little annoying to have to pay for painting, normal wear and tear at move out, but overall the fee of $130 didn’t seem excessive so wasn’t worth fighting when the rent was low throughout my time there. Overall, would recommend for a single person looking to live in a fun area with decent amenities without breaking the bank!
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July 2024 by Nina Gunston
********AS HONEST AS IT GETS! AVOID THIS PLACE!!!!!********
This building uses the fact that it is located in a great location and that its rent controlled to trick you into thinking it’s worth staying here. The entire equity management is the most incompetent management ever. Look for yourself equity management was sued by the district not to long ago! Direct quote from article “According to the suit, Equity would advertise a monthly rent price with a hidden discount that would not be disclosed upon signing. Then, when it came time to renew the lease, the company would inform tenants that their rent was going up concurrent with the price set in the lease, rather than based off the “discounted” rate that was advertised to tenants upon signing.”
Problems include
- AC Unit does not function. Management refuses to address during a heat wave! They get away with it because the legal limit is 78 degrees. Sometimes they turn it down at night which is when you need it the most.
- Multiple robberies of delivery and packages including today 6/26/2024
- Key Fobs not working from different sides of the building
- Elevators constantly out of service
- Laundry rooms are extremely hot and machines are out of service all the time.
Don’t think the newly renovated units will be better off. You will still face issues.
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June 2024 by Sanjana Muthukrishnan
Management has been terrible of late. AC breaks down in the middle of them summer for weeks on end. Laundry room, loading dock, elevators, all malfunction often. Can't wait to move out
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May 2024 by Marco
I urge readers to take this review seriously. I had the most awful time here for the reasons explained below.
They Exploited Legal Loopholes to Cheat Me: I feel I was deceived, cheated, lied to, and tricked by their actions. Thirty days before my lease renewal, they notified me of a significant reduction in the "concession" on my rent, resulting in a substantial increase in my rent beyond what is legally permissible. Essentially, they raised my official rent to the maximum extent allowed by law while reducing my concession. I was not aware of this practice, I was naïve, I was trusting, and I fell victim to their business practices. I decided to relocate to a better apartment, following the rent hike, as the new apartment became comparatively cheaper, but they repeated the same tactic after a year, forcing me to move out.
Noise Wars: The lack of soundproofing has led to unbearable noise disturbances, especially when dealing with neighbors. Initially, while residing on one of the middle floors, my upstairs neighbor made excessive noise except from midnight to 5 am. Upon reporting this to management, they claimed that the noise was originating from the apartment two floors above, which is utterly impossible as I could hear loud banging noises and objects falling onto my ceiling. After moving to a different apartment, I encountered a neighbor who played loud music after midnight, typically between 1 and 4 am. Despite notifying security, the neighbor resorted to playing music sporadically for 2-3 minutes to avoid detection by building security. Management showed little concern and failed to address the issue, allowing it to persist for a year. Additionally, another tenant, one floor down and adjacent, likely frustrated by noise disturbances, intentionally set their alarm clock at maximum volume to disrupt the peace while they were away on vacation for 10 days.
Centralized Heating/AC & Old Appliances: In winter, it can get excessively hot, but opening the window to traffic noise is not an ideal solution. Conversely, during summer, it can be too cold, prompting me to cover air vents with cardboard. On one occasion, the air conditioning malfunctioned during summer, forcing me to sleep next to an open fridge for a week until it was repaired. Additionally, the appliances, such as the cooking stove, are very old, and they force you to pay for ordinary wear and tear upon moving out.
Response to management: As indicated in my review, I have already vacated 1500 Mass. During my tenancy, I repeatedly raised concerns about noise disturbances, but regrettably, you never addressed these seriously, nor did you show any genuine interest in providing assistance. There were ample opportunities for you to address and investigate my concerns. You chose not to.
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May 2024 by Taki-sensei
DON'T LIVE HERE. IT'S CURRENTLY NIGHTTIME AND 90°F WITH 60% HUMIDITY IN MY APT. Residents are all complaining and it is dangerously hot here.
(Edited for grammar)
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May 2024 by Nick Weiler
Poor building management. A/C is always turned on late, to the point that apartment temperatures remain in the 80s for weeks, with no response from the building staff. Elevators and electronic fobs are constantly malfunctioning.
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May 2024 by Roseann O'Keefe
Alisha Bowling and leasing team was very responsive and professional throughout the process. Looking forward to moving in!
