The Earl — Local services in Arlington

I lived at the Earl for two years, and while I generally enjoyed the apartment itself, the management left a lot to be desired. There are two key incidents that really stand out and highlight how poor their practices are, especially when it comes to transparency and treating tenants fairly.

The first major issue came up when I had to relocate for work. My lease was set to end on September 7th, and I had originally planned to renew, but I found out in mid-July that I’d be moving to another city for work. I let management know immediately, only to be hit with their ridiculous 60-day notice policy. Seriously, how is anyone supposed to know two months in advance if they’re going to be transferred for work? Because of this policy, I was told I'd be charged a much higher month-to-month rate if I didn’t give enough notice. But here’s where it gets worse: there was zero communication about whether I’d still be charged the higher rate if I moved out before my lease was up. To avoid this random extra charge, I ended up moving out a week early, which cost me more money for rushed moving services. And despite moving out early, they STILL hit me with the higher month-to-month rent. The whole thing felt like a money grab, plain and simple. No communication, no transparency—just an excuse to charge tenants more.

The second issue, which happened earlier during my stay, was even more infuriating. In the two years I lived there, I never missed a rent payment. In one random month I got a confirmation email on the 2nd saying my payment went through A week later, I realized the money hadn’t actually been deducted from my account, so I reached out to management right away to be proactive. What did they do? Instead of helping me resolve the issue, they slapped me with a $300 late fee for being honest. Even after I showed them the confirmation email (from their own system, mind you), they had the audacity to tell me the email meant nothing. They insisted I contact my bank to figure it out. When I did, the bank confirmed it was an issue with the apartment’s payment portal, not my account. But when I took this information back to management, they demanded a written statement from my bank to waive the late fee. And here’s the kicker: my home branch is in Indiana, and they seriously expected me to fly across the country to get a written letter to waive a late fee that was entirely their fault. It was beyond absurd. After hours of frustrating calls with customer service, I still ended up paying the $300, all because I was honest and tried to resolve a problem that THEY caused.

The way this management operates is predatory. They’ll nickel and dime you for any excuse they can find, and they have no interest in working with tenants in good faith. It’s sad that after two years of being a model tenant, I had to leave with such a bad taste in my mouth. Future tenants should be aware of these shady practices. My advice: if you move here, keep your guard up, because management will look for any opportunity to take more money out of your pocket. What could have been a pleasant experience was completely ruined by their greed and lack of basic respect for...

The Earl has a parking problem. There aren't enough onsite spaces, and the offsite lot is a 3.5 block walk away. The waiting list has a dozen people on it, and there's a separate waiting list for the small number of EV spaces.

Worse, the leasing office misled me. Before I signed a lease, I specifically asked if getting an onsite space would be an issue--and was assured it wouldn't be. I didn't learn the truth until my move-in day, and, at this point, they wouldn’t even acknowledge that our prior conversation had occurred.

Most concerning, they're exploiting my mobility issues. After I shared that I have a disabled placard, the Earl offered an onsite space--but at an inflated rate of $300/month. This is more than what other residents pay ($250/month) and seems to be the rate for a visitor space. When I asked for clarification, the Earl vaguely claimed that it can't provide "financial analytics."

Also, if you're sensitive to noise, you may want to look elsewhere. Even on the 9th floor, far from the bars on Wilson Blvd, I can still hear the music, bass, and crowds from below (my unit faces 12th St). On top of that, I hear every step my upstairs neighbor takes--something | never experienced in my last apartment building.

On the plus side, the leasing office responds to messages quickly. I don't always love their answers, but at least they're prompt. Also, special shoutout to Shavon, who’s been consistently professional and genuinely seems to want to help.

UPDATE: even the Earl’s “clarifications” are misleading and/or untrue. I toured in January and moved in February—not "several months later.” Also, while vehicles can enter the offsite lot about "1-block away,” the pedestrian entrance is 3.5 blocks away.

Meanwhile, when the Earl says I didn't elect parking “throughout the application process,” what they mean is that I missed a line buried in an email with an unrelated subject--one of dozens of emails that the Earl sent in a short span. This was despite: (1) verbally stating I'd want onsite parking; (2) being told it wouldn't be an issue; and (3) receiving no indication this had changed.

Also worth flagging: after I raised concerns, my spot on the waiting list for $250/month parking mysteriously dropped from #6 to #11. When I pointed this out, the Earl didn’t even attempt to explain...

I moved into The Earl last July after relocating from Colorado and fell in love with this place the moment I walked in. I originally toured it virtually—something I've never done with an apartment before—but my unit was even better than I had anticipated. Mutual friends had told me The Earl is a great place to live, and they were absolutely right.

I'm not sure what the other people are talking about in their negative reviews because I've had the complete opposite experience. The leasing and maintenance staff are f*g awesome! The amenities here are top-notch, especially the gym and rooftop in building 2. I had a car here for 6 months and parked in the underground garage with zero issues—my reserved spot was never taken, and the street-facing door was always closed and secured.

I know a lot of people have mentioned noise from the nearby clubs, particularly on weekends. I was lucky enough to secure an interior unit, so I can't speak for those facing the clubs. But these units are insulated very well—I've never heard anything other than the occasional plane/helicopter or obnoxiously loud car, which is just like anywhere you'd live in a city.

What I like most about living here is that the staff puts in real effort to make it feel less like a fancy hotel and more like a community. Every month, they arrange awesome events and activities, which have been great for meeting new people after moving across the country with no friends. The 24/7 concierge and locked doors also add to the sense of security.

I was also worried coming from a 2-bedroom unit in Colorado (1100 sq ft) to a studio, but I have to say, the studio plans here are lovely. Mine happens to have a dividing wall separating the bedroom space from the living area, so it really feels like a junior 1-bed and is perfect for me (see the attached photos from my move-in for reference).

Overall, I highly recommend The Earl to anyone looking for a beautiful, low-key place to call home that's close enough to the action of Arlington and DC but far enough away to unplug...