Kevin F.
Google
Lived in Elysium in 2024 and moved out around the time of the switch over to new management. There were several aspects of my stay here that were shady and deceitful on the part of the building management that I've never encountered in any other rental complex since.
1) HVAC suddenly went out, and was not restored for 2 whole months. This was during the sweltering Spring-summer months. Condensation was literally forming on the ceilings. No explanation, apologies or concessions offered for this 2 month outage. Residents were outraged.
2) Move in was rocky. It took some back-and-forth for management to finally upload the official lease to sign. Management relied on lots of verbal promises, and telephone conversations. Seemed to avoid putting things in writing. When move-in time finally did come, the concierge helping us was very rude and aggressive. The elevator was not reserved and she was surprised that it needed to be for move in.
3) I moved in under a "Lease Transfer", taking over an apartment from a previous tenant. But I was deceived and surprise bills from the balance the "previous" tenant left on the apartment. Management was unyielding, brash, and claimed "tough luck" and basically told me "it's your fault now". Generally unfriendly, rude management.
4) The condition of the apartment when I took over was subpar. Very dirty. No effort made to clean the apartment before turning it over to me. The kitchen faucet was broken. Broken cabinet doors. Rust in the kitchen. Toilet was leaking. Microwave made loud static discharges and electrical current sounds. Maintenance tickets were entered for these. The "Maintenance" guy, which there is only 1 for the whole complex, is not a dedicated or trained maintenance worker but just an ancillary staff who also gives prospective residents tours. Each time he just comes in, dismisses or downplays the issue, never fixing anything.
5) Package locker suddenly went "offline" 2 months into my stay, never to come back online for the remainder of my stay. All of our packages were left out in the open for anyone to take, unsecured, sometimes even left on the busy 14th street sidewalk.
6) The lower level which includes a small gym area smells strongly of mildew/sewage.
7) Trash with rats piling out of the rear building exit, blocking the exit.
8) Water pressure fluctuated a lot and hot water was regularly unavailable to my apartment during certain times of the day. We are told the water and sewage utilities are metered collectively and basically run on the same pipes to everyone on the floor (a major con is the ratio utility billing system).
The Elysium taught me lessons. It has become my guide on red flags to look for in a property. I sincerely never encountered experiences like this in any other properties I've rented in the DMV.