Cortland at National Landing — Local services in Arlington

Throughout the 20 months I’ve lived in this apartment, I have experienced countless occasions of inconvenience, including: constant water shutdown, water leaking from ceiling, routine loud construction drilling noises, smelly hallway from the odor emitted from the trashroom, and lack of communication from apartment management.

Constant water shutdown - since October 31, 2023, there has been building-wide water shutdown EVERY Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9:00AM-5:00PM (with the exception of Thanksgiving week and the week of 12/4/23). I want to make it clear that the water shutdown is still ongoing as I am typing this review. Even before this major water shutdown, the apartment still shut down water about every two weeks so this is not a one-time event that has only been happening recently. If you WFH and you forget to wake up early to store water in your tub, you are in luck because you will not be able to flush your toilet for the whole day! I do not know whether this major repair will permanently fix the water leaking issue, but the water shutdown is not the only problem with this apartment.

Water leaking (and being woken up at around 1:30AM) - a few months after I moved in, there was water leaking from my bathroom ceiling vent. It started slow, then it became a constant dripping (see video). The water smelled and was a bit yellow so I did not even want to guess where it came from. I called the concierge and they told me they had to wait till tomorrow to get the maintenance crew to come and fix it. I tried to be reasonable so I just put a bucket under the ceiling vent. A few weeks later, one of the maintenance guys knocked on my door in the evening and asked me if there’s leaking in my apartment; I told him they fixed it last time and there was no leaking. He left. I was woken up by constant knocking on my door at around 1:30AM. The same guy told me there’s water leaking downstairs and they needed to come inside my unit to fix it. I was reluctant to let him in (reasonably so) at such an hour but he insisted and told me the downstairs resident threatened to not pay rent if they didn’t fix the leaking immediately. I had to stay up to let this guy in to fix it even though I had to get up early for work the next day.

Lack of communication from the apartment management - trying to email the apartment management is basically useless. There had been one occasion that they did not even give advance notice before shutting down water. On August 10, 2023, I noticed that I was not able to flush my toilet. I was worried because I did not recall getting notice about a water shutdown. I called the concierge and she appeared to be not aware of any water shutdown and submitted a maintenance request for me. Later that day, the water was restored and I checked my web portal where the maintenance request was submitted. There was an update remark saying that the water was shut off for repair and maintenance and a prior notice was given. I thought I had dementia so I checked my email several times. I did not ever receive such notice. What annoyed me was that the apartment tried to gaslight me into believing that it was my fault that I'd missed the notice when I never received such notice. I am sure about this because I received notice about another water shutdown on August 4, 2023 (shows you how often they shut down water).

There are other issues with this apartment, which by this point I am just too tired to even type down. But you can see other reviews that mentioned those issues, including the constant repairs of the elevators.

Hey, at least we got some exercise out of climbing up...

Much of my experience has been influenced by the staff in the apartment building. When the management team changed this past summer, I feared things would be bad, but the concierge staff, with whom we are likely to have the most interaction, have kept Park at Pentagon Row a very pleasant experience.

am very grateful to everyone working the front desk. Katrina, perhaps because I have known her the longest, is exceptional. I am a blind tenant. She has helped me mark appliances in my unit. She has always been quick with a morning greeting, quick to answer my questions about the building and amenities, and genuinely seems to be interested in the residents as people and not just as tenants. She knows better than to leave her post before I ever decide to move out! :)

The building itself is ridiculously convenient to food, shopping, and transportation. I think the noise on South Hayes can get a little annoying, especially on weekend evenings, but the windows are thick enough to block the worst of it. I do not make use of amenities and so cannot speak to how good or bad they might be. The people, however, make this place compelling enough to renew my lease.

Update:

I just completed two years at the property. I happily renewed my lease. The new property management company has been great. I have not noticed any steps backward from the previous managers. This past spring a set of cabinets collapsed in my kitchen. They had not been properly mounted. It was only a matter of time before they fell. A team of contractors were quickly called in and made the problem right the very same day, and this time they mounted the cabinets to something more substantial than sheet rock. So far it has been indicative of a staff working hard to keep residents happy. Jason, the property manager, has worked to provide convenient gestures like arranging for food trucks to park outside our front doors to help during the pandemic. It’s gestures like these that make Park at Pentagon Row stand out from the rest.

Update:

I’ve now been at the property a little over five years. It’s treated me so well that I upgraded to a two-bedroom apartment. The larger space has certainly been nice, but a key component to my ongoing positive review continues to be the staff.

Katrina remains a huge selling point. There is not a concierge representative who is not wonderful, but again I focus on Katrina because she’s been there since I first set foot on the property to check out my first apartment. She is as pleasant, helpful, and outgoing as ever. The new management property is fortunate to have her on staff for continuity, but she is also a strong asset because of how courteous she is to anyone walking through the lobby and going above and beyond to say hello and ask how your day is going. There’s something comforting about someone watching your daughter grow. As cheesy as it may sound, it creates something of a sense of family when your own family is a thousand miles away.

If you’re on the fence, jump off. Take out a lease. You...

We have lived at Park for 11 months and have been very pleased with our decision. I'm reading some of the very negative reviews and shaking my head because we have nowhere nearly had the same distressing experiences.

MAINTENANCE We experienced a couple of minor maintenance issues in our apt which were handled promptly, courteously and efficiently.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! The location is exceedingly convenient to walk to all your needs, bike trails nearby and the metro is the same block. The Highlands Park across the street is just wonderful for walks, making one feel removed from the city, filled with tree covered paths. We've taken advantage of many fun and exciting events in Pentagon City and Crystal City, all within walking distance. For instance when the weather is nice, every Friday night is Wine in the Water Park with free live music, a great way to end a stressful work week. If you travel a lot for work, like I do, the DCA Airport is 2 short metro stops. Doesn't get much better than that!

AMENITIES We enjoy swimming and thoroughly appreciate the year round pool which is excellent for lap swim, always kept clean and a great place to relax. The 24/7 gym has a variety of workout equipment, excellent views and is always kept clean. If there is a maintenance issue with one of the workout machines it's always repaired in a day or two. On several occasions we have used the Penthouse floor Club House (reading room) when hosting social gatherings, again a great view, bathrooms close by and always a great time in the Club House!! The building hosts a convenient store for all your last minute items and the woman who runs the store (I believe) is a professional tailor who has done extensive sewing and repair for us. Superb work! We have access to a spacious (free of charge) secure storage for our bikes.

If I had to make one constructive criticism, it would be the utilities are not billed individually rather shared by all with a square footage/occupancy (per apt) calculation. We are very energy conscious and mindful of conserving water and utilities consistently and yet we are not billed accordingly. Yet for all the "Pros" we are afforded at Park, I'll live with the utility bill situation until hopefully in the near future this changes.

One of the greatest advantages of living at Park are the Staff. Nicole, Dante, Jennifer and all the Concierge staff are always smiling, friendly and attentive. Collectively they transform an ordinary apt bldg into a community, a sense of belonging and for this I am truly grateful! It's quite normal rendering and receiving ordinary greetings on the elevator and in the lobby.

We have no regrets about choosing Park at Pentagon Row. If you are looking for a convenient location and a comfortable living environment then Park...