MAA Massachusetts Avenue

We have lived here for about a year and, while there are genuine bright spots, the overall experience has been a disappointment, especially given the price.

Let's start with the positives, because there are some: the rooftop and pool are a genuine amenity (though the pool had green water for a full weekend in September), and the gathering spaces both inside and on the rooftop are well designed. The concierges are friendly and competent, and the package room is well managed. We also really like... our apartment's layout, the large windows, and having central air. On top of that, the neighbors have been genuinely nice, which makes a real difference. The building is mostly clean, though the recycling container in the trash room on our floor is undersized and frequently overflows.

MAA markets this as a luxury building, and at these prices it should be, but it isn't. The appliances are a giveaway: the dishwasher appears to be the cheapest Whirlpool model available and does a poor job cleaning, and the top-load washer/dryer feels like a 20-year-old unit that's rough on delicate fabrics and leaves clothes coated in lint. Window insulation is also poor for both noise and energy efficiency.

Maintenance issues have been a constant throughout the year: the garage door breaks roughly once a month (usually stuck open, which is mainly a security concern); all three elevators have had recurring problems, including several weeks where the noise was audible from our apartment, which is quite far from them; hot water was unexpectedly cut off twice (early January and early April); and gym equipment goes unrepaired for extended periods. It genuinely feels like the building is understaffed for its size, and some of the external contractors are doing a poor job in preventive maintenance (garage, elevators, boiler). And now it’s full day water shutdowns, without explanation on why they’re doing that.

The rent renewal process was jarring. They opened with a 13% increase, with no prior indication that was coming. We negotiated it down to 7%, which is still well above current DC market norms and hard to justify given everything above. And we were not alone: multiple neighbors reported similar increases, so this appears to be standard practice here, not an isolated case.

One more thing worth knowing: it appears MAA may be looking to sell the building. And if you ever need a decision made, the on-site leasing team is very friendly but has no real authority. Everything goes through Read More

They listed an available unit at a certain price, and then overnight (and after I expressed interest in that unit and already scheduled a tour) they raised the price of that unit nearly $1000. When I called for clarification, they maintained that this had always been the price of the unit, despite my having screenshots to prove otherwise. Would not trust this management company if this is how they engage with potential tenants.

*overpriced- trust me- not worth the money.
*front desk staff are great- leasing office is terrible and there is very high turnover.
*poor management .. don't expect them to do anything to accommodate you. Even during covid-19 when you have personally been affected.
*be prepared for people to hit your car in the garage and the leasing office to do nothing.
*be prepared to live in a building that is not cleaned regularly but, you are paying a high amenity fee. The floor you live on will not... be cleaned.
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I am unhappy that Post Mass management is claiming that I owe them rent that they are not contractually entitled to receive. In lieu of settling the matter with me, they referred the DISPUTED amount to a collections company. I will pursue legal action against them if my credit is harmed due to their actions and I will also be reaching out to the Office of the Tenant Advocate on this matter. Overall, I would stay away from this apartment building (I personally wouldn’t choose to live there again)... , unless you plan to stay for one year only because they will definitely raise the rent and unless you are willing to deal with many headaches at the end of your lease because management is not resident - friendly at all. Read More

MAAC recently acquired the Post and while the Post’s Management under its prior owner was not great, it has deteriorated significantly under MAAC. I always lived at the Post for convenience and because I liked the location as opposed to good management but it has gotten worse.

The common room has been under construction for over 6 months, during which time residents have to breathe paint fumes, common bathroom has been closed, at times the gym has been closed, residents have no place to study... or congregate, which is problematic given that many residents are graduate students, other than a make shift living room of an apartment, which you have to go through the construction to get to. When there is construction, most companies will provide an accurate window of how long it will last, will give notice before someone renews his/her lease, and to the extent there are delays will give notice to residents in the form of email and will typically give out incentives like free metro passes, reductions in rent, to make residents feel better. Existing residents were told the construction would be done by September then October, and now it is almost November. No one has provided any apology, any discount, or even an explanation for the delay. The common room thus far looks similar but worse to what it was before.

The new common room won’t have a pool table, something many residents liked, because the staff determined no one used it and an outside consultant advised to get rid of it. Mind you, not a single member of the staff lives in the building nor spends any amount of time either surveying the residents or talking to residents about what they can do better.

Normal Upscale Large Corporate Residence –Has lots of building events to make residents happier and to encourage retention. Most of my friends in such buildings have anything from pool parties to wine tasting, etc…
Here-We had one Nationals game event, with limited availability for the year.

Normal Upscale Large Corporate Residence-handyman and the property manager live in the building and are responsive to maintenance requests and have a better handle on what is going on with the building.
Here: No staff member lives in the building. Read More