The Saratoga Apartments

Quality staff. Dog friendly. 24/7 doorman is a huge plus. We’ve always gotten our packages! A lot of nice folks and families live here and in the neighborhood. The renovations are especially nice and make you feel cozy at home. First time renting in DC and it’s been a blast so far.

I noticed a spot on my bathroom wall that I thought could be possible mold. I reported the issue and the asst. maintenance supervisor Eric came & painted over it. Then the d supervisor came and tested the bathroom and detected mildew in bathtub-shower area. I was told by Ms. Teresa (leasing agent) that the property owner was going to have unit inspected by professional mold inspector. I’m still waiting on the inspection date.

Raised rent 100% in 24 hours which is not a legal practice. Discourages tenants from engaging with one another. Blocks tenant association from doing its job. Retaliated against its membership and frequently engages in obstructionist behavior. Tenants association has worked hard over the years to improve conditions in the building offering management assistance and advice which has gone unnoticed and is frequently retaliated against.

I’ve lived here for over a year and a half, and there are many things I like about the apartments including the location and the courtyard. However, I felt compelled to leave a review because of the outstanding maintenance service in the Saratoga. Many apartment complexes have slow and substandard maintenance service. The maintenance team at the Saratoga has always impressed me. They are prompt, friendly, and go out of their way to make my apartment comfortable. Hands down this is the best maintenance service I have had anywhere.

I really love living here - my apartment feels amazingly spacious, although it is smaller in square footage than my last two apartments. It's so well arranged and the kitchen is great (although I could always use a little more cabinet space.) The onsite storage is very helpful and the in-unit washer and dryer make such a difference. My bedroom has 6 windows! And do much light that I've taken up painting again. The staff is very helpful and pleasant. The maintenance issues I've had (very few) were promptly taken care of (although I still need some paint touch ups.) The drycleaning locker and pick up service is so handy. I love the back park-like courtyard and look forward to spending more time there when the weather improves. This is a well-managed property and feels very much like home after just a couple of months.

All of the staff the work here are great! Our leasing agent, Allyson, was responsive and helpful! The front desk crew are heroes. They manage a deluge of packages daily. Mine were always ready for me when I got back from work. The maintenance staff are quick and kind. My experience was top notch! I cannot recommend this property and the staff that make it a great home more.

My husband and I have enjoyed the nearly two years we've lived at Saratoga. The maintenance staff and desk staff are super attentive and quick to respond to requests. The common areas are kept clean and well-lit. The gym has a few good features and for the most part neighbors are quiet. The management hosts nice get togethers throughout the year--not too many so you feel overwhelmed. The renovations over a year ago have really made it a nice place to live. The few things that annoy us are mostly manageable: people steal grocery carts from local stores and leave them in random areas of the building, the grills in the common area run out of propane quickly (always a good idea to check before you plan a cook-out) and they have weird rules about using the back gate, which would otherwise let families use the nice playground right behind the building.

We have loved our experience at The Saratoga thus far. From the beginning, the leasing staff were responsive and helpful and that has carried into our lease with the concierge staff as well. This is a great location to be in walking distance to metro, a grocery store and a few restaurant options along the way. The neighborhood is wonderful with the park and tennis courts close by so there are always families and action going on. We love our apartment with all of the updates and the courtyard even has little herbs that the residents can use. So happy with our decision to live here and couldn't recommend it more to people!

Saratoga management was dismissive, unresponsive and completely disinterested in doing their jobs. They never responded to any of my emails and basically pretended I wasn't there when I came to the office, or waved me away when I came for in-person inquiry. They significantly raised my rent and then charged me in excess of $800 "damages" when I moved out. Of course, they never responded to my email asking what the supposed damages were? They never responded to my email asking simple directions/building protocol for my move-out day. When I complained about the leak/mold issue in my apartment, the maintenance only sprayed paint over it which, of course, didn't resolve mold issue. The water and electricity bills were exorbitantly high no matter how much you tried to save...etc..etc..I lived in about 10 locations all around this city and this was by far the most negative and expensive experience I had with rudest management.

I'll let the pictures below do most of the speaking. Summary: major rodent issues, both in this building and the sister building next door (they are connected by a basement tunnel and share amenities) The rats/mice pictured here are of the sister building, The Chesapeake. I do also have a picture of rodents crawling under the free coffee machine and the cupboard where they keep the coffee supplies, but for some reason I can't upload it here. I will update that when I have a chance. They replaced the AWESOME Starbucks coffee machine with a crappy coffee machine, think five steps below seven eleven a couple of years ago. Frequently they are out of cups, and when they do have cups the lids don't match. The other day, I noticed that they were out of cups and there was half and half spilled across the counter near the coffee machine. I tried to get the attention of the women at the front desk, but she was so engrossed in a conversation on her cell phone that I couldn't catch her attention. That was before I saw the pic of the mouse/rat that lives near that cupboard. I couldn't imagine drinking or eating anything that had been around that area now. I moved from the Saratoga to the Chesapeake because I couldn't afford the water or heating bill (one time it was like $800 for the two). Also, it seems that they can just raise your rent whenever they would like. You can see from the lobby decor and courtyard that they were once going for the more upscale/luxury like market, but somehow they have downgraded all of the services to match a low quality, rent control, public housing vibe. *Also, you will notice that management left a nice comment on this review asking me to be in contact with them. I have been in near constant contact with management, the front desk, and maintenance. My guess is that guy works at corporate or a social media management company because I've never seen him around the building.

I love this apartment and my dog did too! Unfortunately we had to move out during all of the Covid-19 stress but they were more than flexible and completely understanding. I highly recommend living here if you are looking for an apartment in the area! Excellent location conveniently located near a metro on the red line (van ness) and super friendly and helpful staff! Also not to mention the apartment complex is gorgeous!

I lived within the Saratoga's essentially-new walls for roughly six months, when an unexpectedly quick job opportunity solidified plans to move back home to NYC. I chose it primarily for its location: close enough to "downtown" DC to be convenient -- four Metro stops to Farragut North, or a three-mile walk for the ambitious -- and far enough from the madding weekend crowd, and ensconced enough in suburbanity, to be a quiet refuge. I also liked the building itself; though originally erected (heh heh, he said "erected") in 1989, it has a turreted, somewhat retro look that stands out a bit from other buildings in the area. An additional advantage of the turrets are the bay windows that can be had if one can find an available apartment with the corresponding layout. All things considered, I was happy living there. The appliances were all brand-new, or so they appeared. The apartment was relatively bright and comfortable, and almost universally quiet. Its balcony overlooked the building courtyard, which like the neighborhood near it is landscaped, extremely colorful in the spring and summer, and cozy. The fitness center has a basic variety of machines and free weights, and is more than convenient. My particular apartment was an "E" floor plan, which in part meant a more or less triangular bedroom -- not a problem, but something to consider if one has large pieces of furniture. It was also adjacent to the trash chute, which was convenient, but at times noisy. The courtyard itself was a welcome amenity -- it featured several sections with tables, chairs, and charcoal gills, each of which was separate enough from the others and large enough for a small cookout. The landscaping was appealing, and created the feel of a miniature park. The building staff was always helpful and friendly, as is their maintenance team, which I found extremely responsive when necessary. Parking was generally easier than expected, given the urban (more suburban, given the Van Ness area) setting; parking both in front of the building and on Brandywine Street, where the side/loading entrance are located, was by and large not difficult to find, and $10 for a nightly garage permit was more than reasonable.

I loved living at the Saratoga. Susan, Tia, Tonya, and the rest of the staff were always very helpful and any issues got fixed very quickly. They took care of me like family.

I enjoyed my time living at the Saratoga apartments. The apartment itself was small, but had an updated kitchen and in-unit washer/dryer, which was a huge plus. The living room was interesting shape (as were the bedroom, closets, and the entry) with tons of light through 3 huge windows, and the best part was the small but cool shaded balcony (which I'd craved for years before moving here) - accessible from both the bedroom and living room! Management and staff were cheery & chatty, and always meant well, even if they were not the most prepared. We had a lot of paperwork issues due to our specific leasing agent's inexperience, and lost use of our bathtub for about 6 months; but management made up for every hassle with rent credits, which was an appreciated gesture. We stayed for 2 years, and only left after deciding to purchase a home instead of rent. The manager, Susan, was very flexible with ending our lease without hefty fees, which was kind and also appreciated! I definitely recommend this apartment building.

My girlfriend and I have lived at The Saratoga since October 2015. We were skeptical at first, but the building changed building manager a few months before we moved in, so we hoped for the best. Positive: - Very friendly and attentive staff - Spacious apartments - Courtyard with 2 gas bbq's and 1 charcoal bbq - Maintenance is quick to resolve issues - Packages are signed for and organized for pick up (you will receive an email when your package is inside the building). - Building manager is 100% focused on making residents feel at home (Susan). Sorts issues out very quickly. For example, our windows and doors were leaking, so our heat was running non-stop. She had a contractor come in and seal/fix the Windows. Additionally, she gave us a $100 credit towards our utilities. - Resident appreciation events all year long. Free bagels, fruits and pastries every 1st Saturday of the month. - Entire building is cleaned everyday (every common hallway and floor is vacuumed/cleaned). - Free Starbucks coffee everyday in the lobby. - Decent sized gym with plenty of equipment to satisfy a workout. - Dogs and Cats allowed. There are a lot of animals in the building. - 3-4 blocks from metro (redline). Negative: - Only two elevators for the entire building. - Floors are hardwood style, so they scratch very easily. They are essentially painted plastic. - Appliances and light fixtures are older and seem to always have issues ( maintenance will replace them though). - Rent is high for being so far out of the city. - Utilities are not included in rent - Common area amenities are not always working and take a long time to fix (ice machine and pool table in community room). - Lack of communication from building staff regarding events and issues. For example, they shut the water off to the building several times without proper notice. - Apartments are oddly shaped. - No freight elevator. - Shared amenities with sister building. Overall, we really like our building and most of the issues can be easily overlooked.

I lived here, actually, in three different apartments, with three different floor plans, between 2011 and 2014 (yes, it has been an interesting few years). OVERALL ======== Pros: * Attractive and unique building in a quiet, green area of DC, appealingly close to Rock Creek Park. * All apartments had in-unit washer/dryer units. * The courtyard was beautifully landscaped and large, and organized with 6 (?) separate areas with their own grills. * The fully-furnished guest apartment was not only much less expensive than a comparable hotel, but extremely convenient. * The location was ideal; I was roughly 3.5 miles from what I'd call the epi-central Central Business District (20th and L), near shopping, and near Rock Creek Park and Cleveland Park restaurants. * The park next to the building, though largely for kids, had new tennis courts, and as of the time I moved out for good (September 2014), brand-new basketba * I found the management to be helpful, competent, and friendly, consistently. * Emmanuel, the maintenance team leader, is a competent, friendly, and overall great guy. The few issues I had, he and his team handled quickly. On one occasion, when the A/C was out and I had guests arriving, they gave me access to the rentable guest apartment without hesitation. * In general, I found the building comfortable and attractive. I personally liked the more-or- less "retro" styling in a modern building. Cons: * The garage leaks alarmingly; at one point we had daily water and bits of ceiling (!) on our cars. * The entrance to the garage requires a particularly tight turn, and exits can be risky when people opt to cut through the alleyway at asshat-like speeds. A speed bump would go a long way. * Bike storage wasn't great -- there were what looked like 15 abandoned bikes in the same slots for years. * Some security problems, although none affected me personally -- different neighbors had told me about garage thefts, and even one apartment break-in. 2011: Rented "1E" floor plan apartment on the 3rd floor, overlooking the courtyard. Pros: * Large balcony (for a 1BR); could fit 2 adirondack-esque chairs comfortably. * Generally quiet, unless loud revelry was happening in said courtyard. * Enjoyable view; the twice-aforementioned courtyard is attractive and well-maintained. * Decent-sized kitchen. Cons: * Weird shape, overall. The bedroom had angles that made it somewhat difficult to comfortably have a basic set of furniture (queen bed, tall dresser, nightstand), and the main living/dining room seemed disproportionately long and narrow. Of course, this was all a matter of preference. * Apartment was adjacent to the trash chute. Not a massive problem, because noise was buffered by the closet, but audible nonetheless. 2013: Rented "1H" floor plan on 5th floor, overlooking Brandywine St. Pros: * The bay window was superb...lots of light, and made the space feel larger than it was. * Good size -- the bay-windowed area more or less created a hexagonal living room, making it easier to have a separate dining area. * LARGE (and narrow) kitchen with ample counter and storage space. Added a hanging pot rack and shelf, which proved useful. * Small balcony, but balcony nonetheless -- was a cozy place to have a post-work drink in a single man-cave chair. * Bathroom was accessible both from the bedroom and from the front hall; useful when I had guests staying in the room while I was on the couch. Cons: * Master closet was on the small side...but it was a 1BR, and I'm a big guy with big-guy clothes, so it's a matter of perspective. * This is potentially a "con" with any of the units -- if the A/C drain tub overflows, it will soak that carpet near it. This happened, but the maintenance crew was (as always) prompt and both fixed it and got the carpet dry quickly. 2014: Rented "2 Bedroom 2E 01," or rather, one similar to it. This time, I was moving in with my now-fiancee. Pros: * The apartment was, overall, a good size, and laid out well. * The kitchen had a pass-through (which I realize is more or less standard). * The main bathroom was large, and the master one was much smaller, but did the job. * The living/dining room was large enough for a good-sized dining area, and a sitting area with a massive couch (see above). Cons: * The kitchen was remarkably small for a 2BR apartment with 2 people, and had nearly no counter space. * The master closet was small and equipped with the stock wire shelves used throughout the building. We actually bought and installed a Home Depot closet system, which worked out well -- simply dis-assembled when we left, and patched the holes used to anchor the pieces.

If you can avoid it, I wouldn't move in here. The location is good and the exterior of the building is pretty/inside is being redone, plus most units have washer and dryer, which is a rare find in the district but that's about it. Units are old and often ill-equipped (poor lighting arrangements, old/unusable wiring) for modern living. For example, RCN advertises extensively in this neighborhood, but the cable wiring in some units is so old that they can't actually install their service, so you're stuck with Comcast. Worst of all though is the management. The experience started when I toured the facility; although I told my agent I was sold and ready to apply, they insisted I apply online to streamline my process. When I went online, the rate I'd discussed wasn't available, and I had to follow-up multiple times only to be told I had to apply for the regular rate and they'd apply the discount afterwards. Throughout the pre-move in process I was asked for the same information (employment records, move-in dates, etc.) at least 20 times each. When I did move in, I didn't sign a lease until I'd lived in the building for nearly a month, and was asked to post-date my lease as to cover up for the management's disorganization. When we moved in, there was a mess left over from construction, including concrete spatters all over the kitchen that cannot be removed. Sure enough, the lease was completely wrong, wrong unit, wrong price, wrong dates, everything. For the first three months, my bill was incorrect. The desk attendants never seem to have the key to the package closet, so you can't always get your packages. The building consistently closes off the amenities (gym, business center) for no reason and when they post materials on what's happening in the building (new paint, replacing carpet) they always seem to post the wrong date, like no one knows how to read a calendar. Summary: if you can handle incompetent management at the price you're paying, then this place has some nice pluses. If you expect a building run with some element of management fundamentals, you should probably look somewhere else.

parts of my lease experience here were great, others not so great. the move-in process was a bit disorganized - i wasn't offered a dedicated elevator as most residents were, nor did the desk have any sort of a cart or dolley at the time for me to use. communication between the leasing agent and the rest of the management office (billing, etc) wasn't seemless - i'd be promised one thing, then billed differently, and it would take multiple calls/emails to get it organized. Shortly after moving in, i had multiple issues with the hot water heater going out unexpectedly. after my third ice-cold shower (in late fall) within a week, i finally escalated to the point they replaced the unit altogether. no compensation offered and i didn't push the issue. everything else was pretty smooth - though had i known upon move-in that the entire year i'd be living there the building would be under renovations (the hallways, which filled my apartment with dust daily for over a month) were supposed to take a few weeks, started January 2015 and the hallway signs still weren't re-hung when i left January 2016. the frustrating aspect was when, 14 months into my 18 month lease, i got a job offer to move to California. breaking my lease turned out to be prohibitively expensive - i would be required to repay the full value of the move-in concessions offered (no pro-rating). so with 3 months remaining, it would have actually cost MORE to break the lease than just pay for the empty apartment for 3 months. the leasing office promised to attempt to rent it early, and release me from remaining payments, but that didn't happen. i'm not entirely convinced this was they even showed it - i was asked 3 times if i'd provided the same written notice to vacate, over a month after i'd actually left. when i requested from the building manager to end the lease march 31 instead of april 10, to avoid the pro-rated rent for the remaining 10 days, i was rudely told i'd been given ample concessions upon move-in and no concession or flexibility would be provided, despite the fact they'd been collecting rent on an empty unit for 3 months and had been a model resident (despite the week of frustration regarding no hot water, but you take frigid showers and see how friendly you'll be). Anthony in the leasing office was the only person that was ever more than polite and seemed to genuinely care. it's a good place, but be warned you won't get any understanding or flexibility from them. be prepared to pay, and deal with dust and mis-managed renovations. Oh - and don't lose your key. they lost my lock-out key and had to drill my door lock at 11pm one night when i left my key at my office.

Great small apartments a cat-friendly 2-building complex. Modern. Maintenance folks are always on top of the issues as they arise. Leasing office is, for the most part, friendly. However, never sign a two-year lease with The Saratoga. The leasing office folks will fool you into believing you'll save money. After the first year, you'll receive an automated lease renewal letter offering a lower rent, which you cannot get because "sorry, you're locked into a two-year lease. Changing it would break the lease." So proceed with caution and read the documents carefully before signing on the dotted line.

A very unhelpful staff. I had a faulty washer/dryer unit and they took four months to fix it. No compensation has been provided. The building is otherwise ok but I still have a sour taste in my mouth from the experience.