The Blairs

I feel fortunate that I did not sign a 2 year lease.. I've never had to deal with such disrespectful and incompetent management in any other apartment complex I've lived in. The Blairs really breaks records for how bad it is. It's like the employees don't care about their reputation or know that they will never be held accountable by upper management.

I had very simple issues with some features of my apartment such as roaches and the dustiest/nastiest/moldiest air vent immediately upon move in... and it was never dealt with. I was told to contact the building manager and I did, many times, through multiple emails, but did not receive any reply or attempt to remedy the situation. Like they couldn't even give a basic reply saying they"ll take care of it. The building manager just ignored it, and set an example amongst her employees as they seemed to have the same level of integrity. Some neighbors also had major flooding in their units and said it was a nightmare to deal with (claiming they were harassed and insulted by the staff as they had to deal with their homes being soaked by rusty water).

The constant smell of weed, dog poo, and garbage is the hallmark of the Blairs. They also left the front door unlocked most nights so anybody who steps foot on the property could come right into the building and up to your door.

The horrible communication issues and disregard from management just solidify this place as a liability for anyone looking for a secure apartment that you can confidently call home.

If management did their job and general preventative maintenance was done properly, this place might be a decent place to live. The location in Silver Spring is good, but please don't let that fool you into thinking this place is worth it. Check out reviews on other sites like Reddit and you'll see firsthand accounts of the horrible situations people got stuck in by trusting the Blairs. Find somewhere else in Silver Spring to live.

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I have lived in this apartment for 6 months and I can honestly say that if I knew all the things I know now, there is no way in hell I would've chosen to live here. The only reason I am giving this apartment 2 stars is because the location is impeccable (3 minute walk from the metro and Giant) and the staff members- aside from management- are wonderful people. First off, the AC/Heating is controlled by the building management. AC is turned on for the summer and turned off for the winter. The... downside with this is if you turn on your oven or your stove, the temperature starts to climb. I left the living room window open overnight when it was 45 outside. I woke up and it was 66 inside the apartment so I closed the window. An hour later is was 76 (heat has never been turned on). Second, if you have a car, be aware the parking is incredibly expensive ($120 per month). If you plan on having guests over who drive cars, good luck getting a guest parking spot. Each building only has a few, oh and they cost $5 per day. The amount of times I have attempted to get a pass and been told there are none and then questioned where my guest, who was already there, was supposed to park their car, only to be told "well you can try parking at Giant and hope you don't get towed." Great, and can I send you the bill from the towing company if that happens? Lastly, each building has package lockers for deliveries, which in theory is great, except they are limited in size and quantity so more times than not you'll have to wait a few hours after a package has been marked delivered for the front desk of your building to process it and send you an email to come pick said package up. Occasionally, you won't even get an email and 5 hours after your package has been delivered you'll have no idea what happened to it. There are other little issues, but for me, had I known about those three, I probably would've picked another building. Don't waste your time or money here. Read More

Pros: The apartment shares a parking lot with a Giant, CVS, and a handful of other key shops. Is also less than a 5 minute walk to the Silver Spring Metro.

Cons: Building-level fire alarms force evacuations once per week. Construction projects last for months on end. Frequent electric and water shutdowns without sufficient accommodations/backup plans. And nobody from the concierge to the local business offices to the corporate office seems to have any idea how to address or remedy any of the... problems that seem to have existed for years. The answer is always either a shoulder shrug or “we’ll get to it tomorrow” and staying true to DC politics, tomorrow never comes. Read More

There are pros and cons. Pros--near the metro, Giant grocery store, CVS, nail salon and other shops, right next to downtown Silver Spring where the theatre is and nice restaurants and general shopping; dog and cat-friendly, great grassy field area for dogs, sense of community, and depending on your neighbors, it's generally quiet. There are parcel lockers for package pick up which is great, a concierge desk with generally nice and helpful staff. Cons--the apartments are old. Some have been... renovated or partially renovated, but overall the condition of the building is not at the level of the rents that are being charged. The windows are terrible--they are single pane and let in bugs huge amounts of cold during the winter. These are supposed to be being replaced soon though. The bathrooms are small and cramped and some don't have proper ventilation; the carpets in the hallways are old, dirty and very unsightly. And the elevators. Can't forget about those. Typically, only two of four operate at a time; they come pretty quickly though. No washer and dryer in the apartments either. And there always seems to be construction of some kind going on. Right now, the garages are being remodeled and the workers start very early in the morning, seemingly oblivious to the people that live in the building. Drilling/jackhammering has been going on for two months now. Sorry for those that work at home. But this starts from the top and obviously management has allowed this. Lots of issues with the Blairs but there are positives too. I think though with the price points for rent, it could and should be a far more modern building with greater consideration for its residents. Read More

Pros: Great location, maintenance staff is VERY FAST to respond to requests. I never hear people in neighboring apartments (but you do hear people talking in the hallway), no pest problems.

Cons: The building controls whether warm/cool/ambient air blows through the A/C unit. In the summer it's cool air, in the winter it's warm air, and in the spring and fall it's often ambient air. This is BY FAR the biggest drawback to The Blairs. My apartment faced the afternoon sun and the temperature would... get up to 80+ degrees inside the apartment because the building hadn't switched on the cool air during the spring. Management suggests closing the blinds and curtains to keep your apartment cool. That seems a bit archaic for 2022. There are no in-unit washer/dryers, but they're available on every floor. Given the Blairs charge rents comparable to other newer buildings in the area with central heating and air that is user controlled, AND have in-unit washer/dryer, they aren't the best value. Read More