West Half

From my very first tour with David to working with Ty throughout the application and move-in process, my experience has been nothing short of amazing. Both were incredibly helpful, professional, and patient, and they made securing my unit feel seamless. The team has also been extremely responsive to my emails, which I truly appreciate. The building feels safe and well-maintained so far. I’ve only been here for a little under a month, but everything has been great thus far, looking forward to seeing how things continue.... Will keep you posted.

Think twice before moving into West Half — here’s why. My daughter and I had one of the most frustrating rental experiences we’ve ever encountered, and I feel obligated to warn anyone considering this building. When her lease was ending, West Half advertised promotions and offered her a larger apartment within the building. But when she attempted to move forward, management suddenly refused to honor their own publicly posted offers. Instead, they claimed her credit “was not good enough” — despite the fact that she had already lived there responsibly for the entire lease term without a single issue (and her credit is good) They then tried to pressure me, the co-signer, to apply as the main leaseholder, which would have forced us to pay additional tenant fees and new application fees. It felt manipulative, and completely contradictory to what was advertised. It didn’t stop there. We gave proper 60-day notice, moved out on time, cleaned the apartment thoroughly, and returned the keys after leaving the unit in immaculate condition. Instead of receiving the promised $500 deposit refund, West Half: • Failed to return the deposit within the legal window • Did not provide the documentation required under D.C. law • Locked my daughter out of the apartment while her belongings were still inside • Issued surprise “cleaning” charges totaling more than $436, with no evidence to justify them • Became even less cooperative after we inquired about the interest legally owed on the deposit The experience was extremely unprofessional, lacked transparency, and left us feeling misled and taken advantage of. We are now prepared to take legal action. Fortunately, we moved to Urby, where the staff treated us with honesty, respect, and genuine professionalism. The difference in customer service was night and day. At Urby, we felt valued — not manipulated. If you value ethical practices, transparent communication, and respect as a tenant, please think twice before choosing West Half. There are much better-managed buildings in D.C. especially in the Navy Yard area, that won’t put you through this.

Best rooftop view of Nationals Park in DC. Incredible views of the city from an indoor/outdoor rooftop with pool. Large gym with every option you can think of. Large apartments and approachable/easy to work with staff. West Half far surpasses any luxury building in the Wharf and gives top tier apartment buildings in Navy Yard a run for their money. You’re half a block to navy yard metro. 100 feet from the entrance of nationals park, and within minutes walk of the major bars and restaurants in navy yard. Spend the extra couple hundred of dollars per month on rent and go with West Half. Make sure you ask for Ty or Tanisha in the leasing office and if Erica’s at the front desk, you’ll never have an issue. Something wrong with your apartment? Ask for Johnny B, he’ll take care of it.

*1/5 Stars* I'm giving West Half 1205 one stars, and it's a generous rating considering the major complaints I have. As a resident and former employee, I've seen the inner workings of the building, and it's a mixed bag. The amenities are top-notch, and the view of Nationals Stadium is unparalleled - it feels like the entire building has box seats! However, the pool is ridiculously small and doesn't make sense for a building of this caliber. The pool furniture is also original to the build and desperately needs to be replaced. My major complaints lie with the service and management. The building is constantly behind on service tickets, often taking weeks or even months to address issues. The trash shoots are filthy, and while the trash shoots themselves work, Property Manager Tanisha Rowe has failed to communicate improvements, leading people to leave trash on the floor. I've also had personal issues with Tanisha, who claims she never throws anyone under the bus but did exactly that to me at the first opportunity. Despite these issues, I do think the building is on an upswing TY, Titi, Tariq, JP are dedicated hard workers. Patrice is also a very competent property manager. The pest issue is finally under control, and I've seen some efforts to address the service issues. However, West Half 1205 needs a dedicated service manager and team to truly shine. As the crown jewel of JBG Smith's Navy Yard properties, it's disappointing to see it constantly supporting other buildings, like 1221 across the street.

As West Half and 1205 Collection are managed by the same company, attached to each other, and share amenities, I'm posting this warning to both of their buildings. It's been two years, and there are still significant concerns that need to be detailed for potential tenants. (Note: all references to here and unit are for the 1205 Collection but these buildings are essentially one and the same). The first year I lived here, everything was great; however, the second it came time to renew my lease, everything went to hell. The lease renewal offer was a $700 increase for a one bedroom with a balcony. When I questioned the management about this, I was informed that there are market reasons for this, except that's a hard pill to swallow when the building accidentally posts my unit on their website for the exact price I was previously paying. I had yet to inform them I would not be renewing my lease, but they decided to tip their hand and post it prematurely. The significant rent increases during this time period are part of a lawsuit by the Attorney General for DC against JBG Smith and other property management companies. When I moved out, I was hit with a $100 cleaning fee and told that it was required since I did not turn in a cleaning receipt. I told them that this is nowhere in the lease and was never communicated at any point. They admitted this was error, would be taken care of, but then refused to remove the charge, threatening collections if not paid, and withheld my security deposit. After three months of repeatedly emailing the Property Manager with no response, a complaint was filed with the DC Housing Authority, and only then was the illegally added fee removed and my deposit returned (with interest). This should have been the end of it, but lo and behold during the proceedings for the deposit return, it was discovered by the court that 1205 Collections does not have a Certificate of Occupancy. Not only is it illegal to increase rent without one, but it's illegal to even rent without it when you have as many tenants as this building has. This was two years ago, and the build STILL HAS NOT ACQUIRED A CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY! This can be checked via OpenDC's data maps. How this building has not been shutdown is beyond my comprehension, especially when it's so centrally located yet does not have the required permits. The Bullpen has it. 1221 Vans has it. Christ, even newer apartments still under construction within the area have it. But somehow, the management here has failed to acquire it. Additionally, the building does not have a business license. Residents in the building do, which is hilarious, but the management does not. If you read through all this and still think this is the place to be, God speed. For everyone else, like my previous review said...run as far away from this place as you humanly can. Edit: There should be no reason I need to contact you to receive a copy of your COO or Business License. You stating thay you can provide it is meaningless when the city's own resources have no record of it.

The Leasing Agent Ty is the absolute bomb y’all. He was very knowledgeable about the entire property. Ty was very polite, very professional and customer service is out of this world. Ask for Ty if you’re thinking about leasing. Not enough stars to give him his flowers!!! Ty you are simply amazing

I needed help from the maintenance team and Kwasi and Tariq were so great! They helped with my requests promptly and are always so kind. Thanks for making it so easy to live here!

So far have taken my application money and have not heard back. It has been over a week. Tyler was incredibly helpful and he has been the only aspect of a pleasant experience so far. Update - Aug. Provided necessary documentation for notice to vacate. No response from anyone in the leasing office, instead putting a month-to-month leasing contract for two months post end of lease, for a 15% rent increase, even though they know the unit is vacated. Extremely unprofessional and pure money grabbers in the leasing department.

I've been a West Half resident for over two years. I love the physical building and my apartment, but this will be the last JBG Smith Building I live in. The reception staff is mostly great and I greatly appreciate a number of the staff up front -- they are kind, helpful, and so welcoming. The leasing and management staff however are terrible. They are difficult to get a hold of, disorganized, dishonest, and disrespectful. They are constantly masking violent crimes that occur on and around the property and refuse to actually take action unless residents organize. To provide some context, my car was one of nearly 40 vehicles vandalized in our residential garage this summer. Not only was I made to feel like the break in was my fault, but the building refused to address the lack of security in the "secure garage" that resident pay $300/month to park in. It took a group of 60 residents to form a union and collectively make demands before they even appropriately responded to the issues. Even now, they are trying to restrict our right to share information with fellow community members. I know that these things will happen, as car break ins and violent crimes are an issue city-wide issue, but my problem is with the way JBG Smith "handles" the recurring issues and treats residents who are impacted. So, if you're thinking about a JBG property, I'd say look elsewhere. Crime is up everywhere, but find yourself a property manager that is going to be transparent regarding violent crimes on your property and take appropriate steps to insure your safety.

Avoid at all costs. Going on two weeks of trying to obtain a key after being signed onto a lease. Avoid this management group. Not kind and not helpful.

First of all, do not expect to speak to an actual human being to set up a tour. I had a tour set up yesterday by "Leo" at 3 pm. I took off work for this tour. I waited for 40 minutes in the lobby, and no one came to give me a tour. This was very unprofessional. I have heard in the past that the leasing office is absolutely horrible in this complex, and I should have listened. I am no longer interested in touring or living at this establishment.

West Half has been my home for the last two years and I love living there. The area is modern, safe, and growing up. The amenities are good, I use them a lot to have people over, the swimming pool and the fitness center. It is a great spot to enjoy the baseball season and watch the concerts. The staff is amicable. Felicia, in particular, is always willing to help and find solutions. The maintenance staff is always responsive.

Overall, a decent place. I want to give a huge shoutout to Felicia! Seriously, she is waaaay overqualified for her position. How she remembers everyones name I will never understand. She handles all issues with ease. Overall top notch. The rest of the concierge are nice as well. I do wish that management didn't plant a "babysitter" on the pool room/deck in the summer months. I don't appreciate the monitoring in my place of residence. There is a camera on the roof, why not have someone keep tabs that way? We pay a lot of money to live in West Half and relax at home. It is hard to do with someone sitting there watching you. I seriously hate that JBG Smith treats its residents like children. If not for Felicia and the concierge team, I'd give this place 2.5 stars.

UPDATE: in response to their feedback, the building took ZERO actions from February to September until the residents in the building ended up having to meet together to get any responses or actions from the building itself. Again, the Management responded with "this is the new norm" and "if I were you I would break your lease and leave" as their reaction for 8 months. The residents put up fliers in the building to gather a group of over 60 residents effected, while the building actively took down the fliers off people's personal doors and the public elevator to try and stop people from meeting together. The residents then proceeded to gather videos and pictures of the locks in the building not working properly to access the garage, and the building just responded that everything is working properly (but now to cover themselves on this review, they say they upgraded them). The security team that they hired was one person who was "active" when our car was stolen, and he told us "there are a lot of white cars coming in and out, so we can't tell if they are being stolen". Also, since the improvements they have mentioned implementing (which they didn't announce to the people effected because they lack transparency), a car had all 4 of its tires stolen while the security was in place. I am not sure how people can lift a car and take off 4 tires while we have any of the actions they have claimed to implement. ORIGINAL: I have lived in West Half/1205 Collection for 4 years now and the consistent problems with management has left me leaving a negative review. I do need to start with the reasons I have lived here: the apartments themselves are very nice and big, the people at the front desk are very helpful, the amenities are great, and the location is perfect. Unfortunately, the management has made every other aspect living here extremely difficult. Firstly, the positive reviews left below are clearly written by the building themselves to cover up bad ratings. Second, once you live in the building, management (Patrice and Tyler currently) refuse to answer any emails, whether it is about resigning a lease, looking to move into a new apartment within the building, or any issues you may have. The most important reason I am leaving this review is because of the recent car break-ins and stolen cars from the garage (which the police have confirmed started in February 2023). While this has been happening all over DC, we pay $300/mo for private parking, and over 50 people in the building have had their car either broken into or stolen from February to September, and the building absolutely refused to do anything until September (where they have taken limited action). The building actively didn't alert the residents when these events took place, refused to answer emails, and whenever they did answer phone calls refused to answer questions directly. The managers in the building responded to this by saying "this is the new norm". Because of this, we contacted corporate and spoke to Gary Kulash, the Senior Regional Manager of JBG, who responded with "If I were in your shoes and unhappy about how the building is handling the situation, I would just not park in the garage and break the lease", instead of trying to fix the problem. They also refuse to answer any questions about the break ins, after the residents provided evidence of multiple doors malfunctioning and ways to get behind the private gates, and suggested to talk to MPD. The police detectives said the building has every right to share the information we are asking for but also the right to not share, so they are choosing to not be transparent with their residents. Really a shame that such a nice apartment is being managed by managers who actively hide transparency and don't want to help their residents.

West Half is a great place to consider for living. The amenities are great and the location is perfect if you are looking for a city feel without all the traffic. The staff is also very friendly. Felicia, in particular, is great. She is very personable and takes personal interest in the residents.

Do not live here. Intolerable noise level at all hours almost every day of the week from the Bullpen, Half Street drummers, etc. The rent is far too high for the inconveniences you experience almost daily and the noise levels that truly create an unlivable environment. Would recommend looking elsewhere.

This place started off as a nice place to live, but as time went on the luxury aspect of the building went downhill. Luxury is expected as that aligns with the amount paid for rent. The walls, floors and exterior doors in the apartments are thin, allowing you to hear conversations your neighbors are having. Within my two year lease the floor to ceiling windows were cleaned once. The management team address concerns in a round about way. For example, concerns about being charge utility adjustments ranging over $100 per month, due to a mistake on their part. Overall, the concierge team made the experience a little better; but I would not recommend choosing this apartment building if you want to live in a luxury building.

Our heating system has been broken for a month during winter and management has been doing nothing about it. They have failed to fix it, failed to respond to requests for information and failed to assist us in any way. Our unit has no heating, as it was turned off in the unit. This building is terrible and management is appalling. Don't move here.