Avalon The Albemarle

Beware the bait-​and-​switch! I toured this property and was shown layouts and kitchens that appeared exactly like the ones they picture on the website. I was happy! Everything seemed good. Although, my leasing agent did struggle with their pet policy (there was a discrepancy between the online policy and the one she had in her shared drive and she couldn’t tell me which one was accurate). Despite the pet policy confusion, I submitted an application and paid the $ 75 application fee and I was approved… and then the bad news came. None of the apartments actually available had the updated kitchens. They couldn’t tell me what percentage of apartments actually have the nicer kitchens… and the older ones are very dated! To add insult to injury they pretended that they didn’t mislead me about the kitchen set-​up and they tried to bully me into signing a lease within 24-​hours by threatening to charge me a holding fee if I didn’t sign a lease… for an apartment that wasn’t even available for another 6-​weeks AND after they claimed to have a 21-​day «holding policy» while I was touring. Just super shady to me! If you go for a tour be sure to ask for photos of the older kitchen BEFORE you submit an application. You need to know what you’re getting. Luckily, I was not in a housing emergency so I can avoid future problems by not even moving in! Watch yourselves out there!

02÷12÷16
Some people make more than a career out of their work… they make a difference!
I have lived now at the Avalon for almost a year and I can only say that the dedicated and professional management and supportive staff provide outstanding service. Collectively they make the building more than just a place to live, they make it a home. It’s a big difference!
From the beginning of the «apartment search «, to the completion of the «move in process», the office staff guides you with effortless precision and ease. While it is a cooperative effort and all are involved– a special mention to Jacki Tackett who is always available to address any concerns with professional, courteous and prompt follow up.
During the 2016 «Snowzilla «storm, the Avalon team of «maintenance guardians» worked tirelessly to keep us safe and comfortable. Thank you– Adrian, Rafael, Will and Terri.
The front desk concierge staff, especially Donna and Ron, goes above and beyond to make residents feel, comfortable, welcomed and safe. I was amazed that they weathered the entire winter storm with us! Most importantly, they are always willing to lend a helping hand and strive to make a notable difference in our Avalon community.
Overall, I am impressed that the entire Avalon team makes a point to know all the residents and accommodate the needs of the community– this cooperative level of service and dedication truly deserves to be acknowledged.

One of the best things about living here is Ronald, who works at the front desk. He has given me some of the best customer service I’ve ever gotten. He always goes above and beyond, he is very friendly with all the tenants, and even knows many tenants’ names and apartment numbers by heart. He truly deserves to be acknowledged for all his hard work!

Been living here since October and I have found some positives and negatives.
Positives:
I have an older kitchen that they are very good at maintaining. They probably should have upgraded a few of the appliances previously– but I kind of like the charm of the simpler more retro appliances.
I have never seen a roach, rat or any vermin in the apartment, even when the people I had lived with before rarely cleaned. They had recently replaced the lining of the tub because previous tenants had noted it was moldy, and they did a great job.
Front desk is great, they take breaks at somewhat non-​assigned times which can be frustrating because you don’t know when they’ll come back. Luckily no one dips out of their shift on things like this and they’re friendly and want to help. Shoutout to Ron who 100% has gone above and beyond for me and my housemates to ensure that we feel safe and know what is happening in the building.
Laundry room is nice and has a lot of washers/​dryers. There are times when it is crowded, but I’ve managed to usually avoid that. Laundry cards can also be re-​loaded with credit cards, which is nice because I’m not usually carrying cash.
Maintenance is very on-​the-​ball for smaller fixes. They’ll come in same-​day. For things such as paint jobs and contractors, they’re really slow. I’m currently still waiting for them to tell me when they can get a contractor in from a request in October when I first moved in. Slow on some things, better on others.
They just finished replacing the carpeting on all floors at the end of 2015, looks nice, works. Cool.
Gym is small, two treadmills, one elliptical, one recumbent bike, some mats, an adjustable step, some weights, mirrors and a bench for doing the free weights. It can be busy, usually not. Kept in pretty good shape, just an ugly color and low-​lighting, but don’t let that scare you.
Elevators are slow, and I’ve never personally seen them out of order. You can reserve the freight elevator very easily.
I don’t use the bike room because I need my bike safe and sound, but I’ve seen it and it looks like a fair place.
All doors are secured on all sides of the building, which is nice with some of the escalating crimes in the area. Gym is locked for fob use, so is laundry.
Utilities are included except for cable/​internet– yay!
They take care of a lot of stuff– shoveling and salting when it snows, check on neighbors who are being super loud or obnoxious so you don’t have to, do recycling in each garbage chute room.
Negatives:
It takes maintenance a ton of time to get outside work contracted. They don’t update you and it’s frustrating, again, shoutout to Ron for being a great advocate in getting communications going.
Communications can be shoddy. Leasing office doesn’t always reach out, and if they do it’s often barely satisfactory answers. Best to go down to the office and get detailed explanations because it seems like they get mixed up for their policies and procedures too. The person who I made my go-​to has left for the corporate office, so I’m not sure if this has continued, I digress.
Hallways can smell funky, that’s usually passing except when a random AU or UDC student pukes in the lobby (happened around Christmas) and funks up the smell for a good while.
Takeaway:
Residents largely keep to themselves, except when they violate community rules and go to talk to each other about things that are bothering them (always go through the front desk!).
Dogs everywhere, but I largely don’t hear them either by great training or thick walls.
I believe the internet options are RCN or Verizon, take what you will from that.
Some 3-​bedrooms are really converted 2-​bedrooms with the dining room/​living room cut off. Most of the living spaces are so huge that you still have a large living/​dining room and the walls are constructed pretty well for the conversion. Only noticeable thing is that there was a patched door in the kitchen to block it off and there is no closet in that bedroom.
You’ll be living in an old building with old quirks. A large burden is put on the resident to ‘see something, say something’ to keep it up or it will come down to you paying for it.
You get a lot of updates about things that aren’t necessarily concerning to the residents, more the workers and staff for the building. Notices of parties and snow plowing are nice, but they will also tell you to put things in the large dumpster for recycling and not tell you where the recycling dumpster is…
I’ve heard that the floors are loud on lower floor ceilings, however that’s what you’ll get in most any building. I live on the top floor, can see the Washington Monument from my living room– can’t really complain.
*Renter’s insurance is required and proof needed otherwise they will give an approximate 4-​day period in which you can buy it with unknown repercussions afterwards.

Alison G is right… See pictures as evidence of what has become an all too common state of affairs.
This community is in a state of decline. What was once a 5 Stars community is now a college dorm and transient residence. Residents allow their pets to urinate and defecate in hallways and common grounds. Contractors periodically access units and remove personal fixtures. Trash rooms are not sanitary and garbage odors permeate living levels. Fire alarms are damaged and take months to replace. Lobbies are littered with safety mats due to no compliant flooring materials which result in slip hazards. Bags of used clothing are periodically piled in the lobby for homeless and charitable causes. Concrete falls from building overhangs. Balconies are littered with resident junk. Cigarette smoke travels from the grounds of the property and are pulled in by building ventilation.
Regular staff tries their very best to accommodate tenant requests, but appear to be helpless in a community and management culture that treats this property as if it’s Section 8 housing.
What was once a Best Address is nothing more than a tenement.

Roaches, noise, poor repairs. Other than that is fine, other than constant nickel and diming.

I am surprised by Allison G’s review– it has been a fabulous experience to live in this building and I thought the amount of notice we got about the doors during the repainting was almost repetitive– it helps to read the elevator signs, the emails, and the notes. The front desk staff is amazing– and so gentle with those who need extra time or care. The billing system is a little odd, but easy enough to use. Everything is always so clean, it’s just wonderful. And the apartments have generous light and storage.