Upton Place

UPDATE - POSTED ON 5/14/2025 After many emails and messages, the management company finally agreed to refund the holding fee. I had to inform them that I retained an attorney, I posted this review, and highlighted the inconsistencies in their own emails. My final advice: when dealing with this management company, make sure to get all conditions clearly stated in writing and review everything carefully before moving forward. ORIGINAL - POSTED ON 5/13/2025 I normally don't leave negative reviews, but I feel compelled to share my experience with Upton Place so that future applicants are FULLY AWARE of what they might encounter. My leasing process started off positively -- Joe was incredibly professional, responsive, and kind throughout. I truly was excited about the possibility of joining the community. Unfortunately, I had to cancel my application shortly after receiving the approval. That's when everything changed, as the management decided to retain the holding deposit!! There was a clear lack of transparency in the communication regarding this policy. At no point during the application process I was informed that the holding fee would become non-refundable 72 hours after the application. The approval only came nine days later, and that was the first time we were in a position to make a final decision -- or even exercise our right to refuse. Even then, I responded promptly the next day to cancel. The management has been unwilling to acknowledge these inconsistencies or take responsibility for the unclear application process. As of today, the situation remains unresolved, and I have been left with a deep sense of frustration and disappointment. Additionally, the other people I interacted with from the company - and even Joe now - have been extremely cold and wasn't open to talk. What began as a smooth and hopeful experience turned into a NIGHTMARE due to poor communication, lack of transparency, and unclear policies. I urge future applicants to proceed with caution and request all terms in writing before moving forward with the application.

Illegally denied applications

While I can't actually leave a review for living at upton place, I can tell you what it's like to live right next to it. For over 4 weeks now there has been a dog that has moved in across from City Ridge that has incessantly barked at all hours (ALL NIGHT) with no stopping. The owner leaves the door or window open and it echos into the alleyway right into our apartment. I actually can't believe no one has done anything at this point to get this to end. I've tried calling the office and NO ONE answers the phone. I joked when I first moved to DC that no one works there because I tried to tour and could not find a single human to communicate with me. I am surprised by all the high reviews because living next to this building has been hell on earth. We've even communicated with our own management who has been very sweet trying to help us find someone we can talk to but that's gone no where. Do better as an apartment complex who shares close quarters with other buildings and at the very least answer the phone.

Left my purse in the gaming room, and someone took it, emptied my things -- including AirPods -- and didn't give it to reception. How does this happen in a closed, 'secure' condo with cameras? When I asked the concierge to check the cameras, she said everything is blurry. If that's true, why are the cameras even there?

Left my purse in the gaming room, and someone took it, emptied my things -- including AirPods -- and didn't give it to reception. How does this happen in a closed, 'secure' condo with cameras? When I asked the concierge to check the cameras, she said everything is blurry. If that's true, why are the cameras even there?

TL;DR You'll get nickel and dimed to death ## The good: The front office staff (Karim) and leasing agent (Jen) are fantastic. They're both exceptionally helpful with anything you need. The view: yeah, this is nice esp if you get a spot on wisconsin where you can see the sunrise ## The bad ### "extra fees" You pay a pretty high rent but every month you're hit with a seemingly endless stream of variable "common area fees" for gas, sewer, trash electricity. This isn't even for your apartment but an itemized fee automatically added on top of that for heating the hallway, for someone else grilling wagyu burgers outside, for disposing trash and what not. Like for a 1br, i once got charged an extra ***$277*** on top of the base rent for the things normal apartments give for granted. I'm convinced they got a group of MBA interns to do nothing but play some sort of drinking game where they figure out creative ways to nickel+dime you to death with "fees"...there's a fee for everything ### build quality. "the sky is falling": so, this is a picture of the garage where we parked. Note the crack in the ceiling and the sloppy spray-on cement. Blocks of this stuff just falls down and fortunately, that car wasn't hit. I just don't get what kind of a structural issue would lead to getting a new building already showing cracks this severe and the sloppy staple and glue used to "fix" it.. ### Paper walls: You can hear everything going on in the hallway and walls are paper thin...like the person upstairs practicing the theme song to "My Neighbor Totoro" followed by "Lion King" at 1230am. (yes that actually did happened, twice... and yes, we filed a noise complaint) ### Appliances: The dishwasher and cabinets are meh, they look nice but are kinda cheap (cabinets are very lightweight/flimsy, dishwasher is pretty basic) ### Plumbing: when we moved in, the cold water wasn't even turned on to the shower ### Internet: Took like 4 hours for a verizon tech to get internet setup since its new connection and the builders forgot to run the cable to our end of the building. ### Plumbing again: water pressure if you like it, you wont' find it here. One of the first things we asked for was to increase the pressure but nothing much maintenance call can do ### Parking: its allegedly market rate to the tune of: $225/month. Probably not including damage incurred if bits of the ceiling fall on it --- Finally, we moved out after several months once we realized all this and luckily found a place to buy. ### Moving out Moving out was another experience all together...its in the lease to give about 60day notice *AND* 3months fees though it maybe possible to reduce that at signing. Even if you move out completely and thoroughly clean it 30 days post notice, to my knowledge, no material effort was made to help re-rent it to offset so this company will just sit and make you pay the full 60days of rent ***AND*** the termination fee. If you had parking comped to you at the lease, Upton will go back and charge you back for that. What that means is if you close the lease early, they'll go back and reverse and charge any parking or other credits. That even applies to any "waiver" for the move-in fee ($400). While its written into the concession doc, there should be some flexibility here. Btw, we gave 2 calendar months of notice to vacate which turned out to be maybe just shy of the 60 days ...but.. you guessed it, another $225 "fee" for insufficient notice. Talk about squeezing you for everything till the end...but then again, the development is owned by Blackstone. caveat emptor ## Recommendation: if you're ok with stuff like this and you're not the one footing the bill, go for it. i'm happy elsewhere, you maybe too

Illegally denied applications

It's $40 for a lost ticket in their parking garage for visitors with a gym membership in the exact building. Don't rent or park here. The building owners of the Upton place building and apartments are out of touch. They're owned by Aimco a real estate investment company and you should absolutely look up their reviews regarding renting before moving in. This review was posted because of $40 parking. So I encourage other people who have to deal with stuff like this to post as well. Just hold them accountable for their decisions.

TL;DR You'll get nickel and dimed to death ## The good: The front office staff (Karim) and leasing agent (Jen) are fantastic. They're both exceptionally helpful with anything you need. The view: yeah, this is nice esp if you get a spot on wisconsin where you can see the sunrise ## The bad ### "extra fees" You pay a pretty high rent but every month you're hit with a seemingly endless stream of variable "common area fees" for gas, sewer, trash electricity. This isn't even for your apartment but an itemized fee automatically added on top of that for heating the hallway, for someone else grilling wagyu burgers outside, for disposing trash and what not. Like for a 1br, i once got charged an extra ***$277*** on top of the base rent for the things normal apartments give for granted. I'm convinced they got a group of MBA interns to do nothing but play some sort of drinking game where they figure out creative ways to nickel+dime you to death with "fees"...there's a fee for everything ### build quality. "the sky is falling": so, this is a picture of the garage where we parked. Note the crack in the ceiling and the sloppy spray-on cement. Blocks of this stuff just falls down and fortunately, that car wasn't hit. I just don't get what kind of a structural issue would lead to getting a new building already showing cracks this severe and the sloppy staple and glue used to "fix" it.. ### Paper walls: You can hear everything going on in the hallway and walls are paper thin...like the person upstairs practicing the theme song to "My Neighbor Totoro" followed by "Lion King" at 1230am. (yes that actually did happened, twice... and yes, we filed a noise complaint) ### Appliances: The dishwasher and cabinets are meh, they look nice but are kinda cheap (cabinets are very lightweight/flimsy, dishwasher is pretty basic) ### Plumbing: when we moved in, the cold water wasn't even turned on to the shower ### Internet: Took like 4 hours for a verizon tech to get internet setup since its new connection and the builders forgot to run the cable to our end of the building. ### Plumbing again: water pressure if you like it, you wont' find it here. One of the first things we asked for was to increase the pressure but nothing much maintenance call can do ### Parking: its allegedly market rate to the tune of: $225/month. Probably not including damage incurred if bits of the ceiling fall on it --- Finally, we moved out after several months once we realized all this and luckily found a place to buy. ### Moving out Moving out was another experience all together...its in the lease to give about 60day notice *AND* 3months fees though it maybe possible to reduce that at signing. Even if you move out completely and thoroughly clean it 30 days post notice, to my knowledge, no material effort was made to help re-rent it to offset so this company will just sit and make you pay the full 60days of rent ***AND*** the termination fee. If you had parking comped to you at the lease, Upton will go back and charge you back for that. What that means is if you close the lease early, they'll go back and reverse and charge any parking or other credits. That even applies to any "waiver" for the move-in fee ($400). While its written into the concession doc, there should be some flexibility here. Btw, we gave 2 calendar months of notice to vacate which turned out to be maybe just shy of the 60 days ...but.. you guessed it, another $225 "fee" for insufficient notice. Talk about squeezing you for everything till the end...but then again, the development is owned by Blackstone. caveat emptor ## Recommendation: if you're ok with stuff like this and you're not the one footing the bill, go for it. i'm happy elsewhere, you maybe too

UPDATE - POSTED ON 5/14/2025 After many emails and messages, the management company finally agreed to refund the holding fee. I had to inform them that I retained an attorney, I posted this review, and highlighted the inconsistencies in their own emails. My final advice: when dealing with this management company, make sure to get all conditions clearly stated in writing and review everything carefully before moving forward. ORIGINAL - POSTED ON 5/13/2025 I normally don't leave negative reviews, but I feel compelled to share my experience with Upton Place so that future applicants are FULLY AWARE of what they might encounter. My leasing process started off positively -- Joe was incredibly professional, responsive, and kind throughout. I truly was excited about the possibility of joining the community. Unfortunately, I had to cancel my application shortly after receiving the approval. That's when everything changed, as the management decided to retain the holding deposit!! There was a clear lack of transparency in the communication regarding this policy. At no point during the application process I was informed that the holding fee would become non-refundable 72 hours after the application. The approval only came nine days later, and that was the first time we were in a position to make a final decision -- or even exercise our right to refuse. Even then, I responded promptly the next day to cancel. The management has been unwilling to acknowledge these inconsistencies or take responsibility for the unclear application process. As of today, the situation remains unresolved, and I have been left with a deep sense of frustration and disappointment. Additionally, the other people I interacted with from the company - and even Joe now - have been extremely cold and wasn't open to talk. What began as a smooth and hopeful experience turned into a NIGHTMARE due to poor communication, lack of transparency, and unclear policies. I urge future applicants to proceed with caution and request all terms in writing before moving forward with the application.

The dryer is not working again, it was replaced after two weeks and the replacement dryer is not working either.

The Parc is using Luxer One package delivery system and there is no concierge on site. You are supposed to pay annual fee for the Luxer One. We moved-in two months ago, my packages from FedEx and USPS keep floating around the lobby and not being placed properly in the package boxes. Property and Luxer One are playing finger pointing and not trying to improve, provide concierge assistance. Terrible package delivery arrangement.

While I can't actually leave a review for living at upton place, I can tell you what it's like to live right next to it. For over 4 weeks now there has been a dog that has moved in across from City Ridge that has incessantly barked at all hours (ALL NIGHT) with no stopping. The owner leaves the door or window open and it echos into the alleyway right into our apartment. I actually can't believe no one has done anything at this point to get this to end. I've tried calling the office and NO ONE answers the phone. I joked when I first moved to DC that no one works there because I tried to tour and could not find a single human to communicate with me. I am surprised by all the high reviews because living next to this building has been hell on earth. We've even communicated with our own management who has been very sweet trying to help us find someone we can talk to but that's gone no where. Do better as an apartment complex who shares close quarters with other buildings and at the very least answer the phone.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but if I had known about all of the hidden fees here I would have never moved in. Every month my "community utilities" goes up and up. I live by myself in a 1-bedroom and Pepco charged me just $48 for the month of April. Upton place charged me a little over $160 for the month of April. It wasn't like this when the building was practically empty, but now that more people are moving in, the amount of money they are asking for from an occupant of a 1-bedroom apartment is ridiculous. The so called "cap" they keep talking about is non-existent. Every month I contact them and every month I end up paying all of it in fear of accumulating a late fee (a nicely worded threat of a late fee is emailed)...even if they tell you each month that they will get back to you regarding why the HVAC is so high. Well, upon further investigation RESELECTRIC charged me twice $60, and $45.20 both in April...electricity alone. WHY? I tried to get an answer and crickets. I'm sure someone will answer my questions now smh. I just know my lease is up in June and I'm already packing. If you want to live in a place where you pay your FAIR SHARE of community utilities, this is not the place for you. I'm curious as to how much the families of 4 or more pays, $400-$500? Doubt it. PS Your front desk and maintenance crew are wonderful! I hope you are paying them fairly. *****Update 04/15/2025 - Response to the Owner:***** Over the past three months, I've asked if anyone could look into why my utility charges have been consistently over the stated $120 cap. When I moved in, I budgeted accordingly based on that cap, which I understood to be a reasonable maximum for my one-bedroom apartment. However, my portion of the community utilities has exceeded $120 each month recently. I still haven't received a response specifically addressing the utility cap, despite continuing to pay the charges each month to avoid any late fees. I only resorted to leaving a review after multiple unanswered attempts to get clarification--and after deciding not to renew my lease. It's a bit surprising that I received a response on Google, yet I've still not received a direct phone call or follow-up from anyone on the team. Again, a follow up with an answer, not just someone telling me the cap is $120. That, I know.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but if I had known about all of the hidden fees here I would have never moved in. Every month my "community utilities" goes up and up. I live by myself in a 1-bedroom and Pepco charged me just $48 for the month of April. Upton place charged me a little over $160 for the month of April. It wasn't like this when the building was practically empty, but now that more people are moving in, the amount of money they are asking for from an occupant of a 1-bedroom apartment is ridiculous. The so called "cap" they keep talking about is non-existent. Every month I contact them and every month I end up paying all of it in fear of accumulating a late fee (a nicely worded threat of a late fee is emailed)...even if they tell you each month that they will get back to you regarding why the HVAC is so high. Well, upon further investigation RESELECTRIC charged me twice $60, and $45.20 both in April...electricity alone. WHY? I tried to get an answer and crickets. I'm sure someone will answer my questions now smh. I just know my lease is up in June and I'm already packing. If you want to live in a place where you pay your FAIR SHARE of community utilities, this is not the place for you. I'm curious as to how much the families of 4 or more pays, $400-$500? Doubt it. PS Your front desk and maintenance crew are wonderful! I hope you are paying them fairly. *****Update 04/15/2025 - Response to the Owner:***** Over the past three months, I've asked if anyone could look into why my utility charges have been consistently over the stated $120 cap. When I moved in, I budgeted accordingly based on that cap, which I understood to be a reasonable maximum for my one-bedroom apartment. However, my portion of the community utilities has exceeded $120 each month recently. I still haven't received a response specifically addressing the utility cap, despite continuing to pay the charges each month to avoid any late fees. I only resorted to leaving a review after multiple unanswered attempts to get clarification--and after deciding not to renew my lease. It's a bit surprising that I received a response on Google, yet I've still not received a direct phone call or follow-up from anyone on the team. Again, a follow up with an answer, not just someone telling me the cap is $120. That, I know.

Uptown place is beautiful place to live, most of the staff are amazing people who would go beyond to help you. The only reason I give it a 3 star is because of the noise we have been dealing with. It's been going on for more than 6 months. Every time we call, they tend to make excuses for the unit above us saying it's the pipes or the elevators.This place is too new to have such noise.