Weichert Suites at Andover House

The front desk and maintenance staff have been amazing, but management is running Andover House into the ground. I have lived here less than a year and have never wanted to leave a complex more. The enormous lease termination fee was the first red flag. Sprinkler pipes burst in the building within the past year. Management didn't help relocate tenants or reimburse expenses caused by its failure to maintain the property. Water damage has been a recurring issue in reviews for years, so anyone who still chooses to live here should add it to their renters insurance. After the flooding, I asked for mold testing, but was told the water damage wouldn't cause mold and they wouldn't test the apartments. I've also had them try to put other fees on my account that seemed illegal. The building appears to lack a reserve fund and can't keep up with maintenance, so residents keep paying. The more current and former residents I talk to, the more troubling stories I hear. Management doesn't answer emails or provide help.

Our unit had cockroaches throughout the whole lease, and outside the apartment there were other disturbing problems. One recycling dumpster caught fire, and we once woke up to human feces on our patio. The complex's location is the one good thing, but there are plenty of other places to choose from. My biggest concern was the pipes. During my one year there, I called at least two or three times about leaking or spraying pipes in the parking garage. There was flooding and pipes bursting in the complex, and repairs were painfully slow. I don't think the elevators had been fixed by the time I moved out. One maintenance worker was incredibly rude and condescending to my boyfriend and me when we moved in and put in requests. The front desk staff were okay, nothing special, except for one woman who couldn't open the garage door for night security because she was new to the job. My boyfriend and I ended up opening it for her. The whole experience was bad enough that we avoided renting from UDR.

The only good parts of living at Andover House were the concierge, Ms. Dorothea, Mr. Harvey, and Mr. Lawrence, the building engineer. They were the bright spots in an otherwise frustrating three years. I debated renewing each time, but my frequent travel and busy schedule meant I stayed. The manager, Louise, took several days to meet with me after I repeatedly asked. She apologized and offered a $100 rent discount to "have dinner on them" after my troubles, but wouldn't let me break the lease. At nearly $4,500 a month, the service was far below what I expected. They treat residents badly, keep sending you to “go through the app”, and seem to avoid human contact. When they do respond, they're rude. I had four floods during my time there: one major one in my apartment, a smaller one, and two significant building floods. For months, only one elevator worked. During the major apartment flood, I had to plead with management to help save my belongings and quickly fix the problems coming from apartments above. I had to cancel a trip I'd planned for my mother to visit, then leave my unit while the floors were replaced. When I returned, the place was in complete disarray, like a tornado had gone through it. I can't recommend Andover House Apartments. Think twice before renting from Andover House or UDR. It's overpriced, badly managed, and the arrogance is unlike anything I've encountered.

My advice after a little over two years here is to look elsewhere. I've lived in other UDR and non-UDR-affiliated properties in DC and Arlington, and this building is overpriced, poorly managed by Latrice, and unsafe. It's not worth the money or hassle. When we renewed after the first year, my roommate and I spoke at length with UDR and the building management to make sure our concerns would be addressed. Another year passed with the same problems unresolved, so we moved. The front desk sometimes sent my mail and packages back because they said storage was full, even though we paid monthly for that service. A squatter lived in the underground garage and broke into cars. The complex didn't tell us; my roommate found the police report. The broken front door let anyone enter without a key for more than six months. We went without hot water for around two months. It took over five attempts to get someone to fix it. We were also overcharged for water and had to ask for a refund. There was a cockroach and bug infestation in our unit, and our two-bedroom, two-bath apartment had to be sprayed four times a year. For comparison, apartments that size usually need one treatment a year. They use DC tenant law to squeeze as much money as they can from residents without maintaining the property or providing what people pay for.