The Parkwest Apartments in DC — Local services in Washington

I lived in a newly renovated unit, meaning all fixtures were brand new. The floor plan was bizarre, but the large kitchen seemed amazing from our virtual tour, and the price was right. It soon became clear that DARO had invested in these upgrades without actually addressing the many problems within the building itself. Management demonstrated a pattern of taking the least invested approach to every problem, so that issues persisted. Here are some examples:

First, the window gaps. None of our windows were even close to sealed shut. Our balcony doors didn't have any sort of screening. There was essentially no barrier between our unit and the outside world. This led to successive infestations of asian lady beetles and later stinkbugs. And then, of course, mice. I tried to seal the gaps myself, but it was no use. I took this as a sign of the sort of shoddy workmanship that went into the upgrades in this building.

(And another example: the neighbor above us had a constantly leaking balcony that management refused to address despite repeated requests. Not only did this mean an incessant dripping sound onto our own balcony, but a steady erosion of the brick that made me question the integrity of the building.)

Second, the heating. The master bedroom's radiator knob was broken, meaning the heat could not be controlled. With a SE-facing apartment, this meant the room (and rest of the small apartment) was boiling from October-May. Management refused to replace the knob, and instead tried insulating the radiator. It was a lazy attempt to address the issue.

Third, the smoke alarms. The unit had four smoke alarms, three of which were in the living area. If the oven was on in the galley kitchen, regardless of whether food was cooking or smoking, the smoke alarms would go off. We complained (and so did our neighbors), and the solution from maintenance was to COVER THE SMOKE ALARMS in the unit.

Finally, the PESTS. We were in a 7th floor unit. We were clean and kept our grains in plastic bins in the kitchen, never left out fruit, kept counters dry, etc. A month or two after moving in, I started finding roaches. Usually just one or two a week, which I promptly killed, but they were frequent enough to suggest a building-wide infestation. In fact, pest control confirmed this to me, telling me that these were German roaches coming in from another unit. We also had a rat make its way out of the radiator cover and behind the oven. And several mice, as mentioned, that likely came in from the balcony.

I once shared an elevator with a second-floor resident who couldn't help but tell me about his constant conversations with management about the roaches in his unit - he said he'd had to buy an air fryer because he couldn't use his oven anymore due to the pest outbreak. I can't imagine what living on a lower floor must have been like, if the pest issue was so bad in our 7th floor apartment.

Pest control was middling at best. They laid traps and never once came back to check them, unless I could smell a dead mouse. It took multiple maintenance requests to have anyone address the roach problem, and requests for follow up and regular treatment were ignored.

If I left on vacation for a week, I knew I could return to a unit full of roaches, mice, and stinkbugs.

And you know how in horror movies, a haunted house makes everyone angry and violent? Sometimes I felt that was happening at the Parkwest. The building was in such poor shape, and DARO expressed such little concern over its residents, that it felt as though everyone living there were miserable. Another reviewer mentioned the murder of a resident that occurred on premises in November 2020. Security was not increased thereafter, and the tenant association sent out a vile and inappropriate email containing only the graphic detail of where the decedent was bodily shot. No one seemed to truly care for the residents.

I will say that the staff itself was pleasant and friendly. But you couldn't pay me to live in a DARO...

I recently moved out of this apartment building after a deeply frustrating experience.

Firstly, despite a clearly stated no-smoking policy, residents regularly smoked cigarettes and marijuana throughout the building, including in common areas. I reported this multiple times, but management took no meaningful action to address it. The stairwell next to my apartment was consistently filled with thick smoke, ashes, spit and urine which would stay for multiple hours at a time.

Maintenance was another major issue. They were difficult to get in touch with and rarely completed tasks in a timely manner—if at all. Several requests were either delayed or completely ignored. They are only in the building very limited hours and impossible to get ahold of if you are employed full time. The small laundry room allotted for the whole building is dirty and not well maintained, and there is a significant roach and rat problem down in the basement.

The front desk staff was unprofessional and unreliable. I personally witnessed staff sleeping during their shifts, and on more than one occasion, they were outright rude during basic conversations. They would often have loud conversations on speaker phone with friends and ignore residents who needed help. Even more concerning, they frequently allowed non-residents into the building without verifying their identity or purpose, creating a significant safety issue.

For the poor quality of life this building offers, the rent is unjustifiably high—and was set to increase again just as I was leaving. Overall, this place fails to live up to even the most basic expectations of comfort, safety, and professionalism. I would strongly advise others to...

DO NOT LIVE HERE. This is hands down the worst place I have ever lived. Management was incredibly friendly when showing us the apartment, but unresponsive and unhelpful with the MANY issues we experienced once we moved in. We had to move out just 4 months after moving in.

There is a massive roach infestation and there are mice in the basement and in apartments as well. Management allowed unscheduled construction in our unit, so one day we came home to a massive hole in the bedroom ceiling and an inch of dust covering all our belongings. We were not informed this would be happening, and were left to find other accommodation AND clean up the mess left by the construction.

As other residents have noted, this building is NOT safe. I was verbally assaulted by a resident and management did not so much as respond to my email detailing the incident. Many residents are currently being harassed and threatened by other residents, which management is aware of. There is NO attempt to provide security, and there have been a number of incidents leading to multiple people moving out. People who have lived here for 5+ years are now moving out because of how horrible it is to live here. In our experience, Delicia is the only member of the staff that genuinely cares about the residents and was the only bright spot during the hellish months we lived here.

I know from neighbors that the building has only gotten worse with the...