The Chancery Apartments

The truth is that the area is fantastic but the building leaves much to be desired. The company that manages the building is one of the worst. The community manager is very aggressive with the tenants, he walks through the hallways as if he were the owner of the place. There is infection from cockroaches and mice, little communication and no help to the tenant. They say there is a roof terrace for the tenants but it has been closed for years and they do not allow the use of it. The big problem is the infection of cockroaches and mice, I see no solutions for this issue. The only thing the company is interested in is that the tenants move in all the time because that way they get commissions every time they rent an apartment. Unfortunately, it's the only cheap thing in the area. There's nothing good about this, pretty and cheap. Do not move to this place!!

If you’re interested, don’t bother! The only thing about this place was that they had a modern lobby, but everything else was very old. It had an okay charm to it, but no dishwasher or dryer. in any units, The management is also, unorganized made me wait at least 30 mins even with an appointment. & the application process is a little much. Don’t do it. It’s not worth it. Keep searching!

There are some positives to living in this building: the bus stops are nearby to take you downtown, grocery store, CVS and PNC are a less than 5 minute walk up the street, there are some restaurants in the area. I had a spacious 1 bedroom unit. However, there have been some draw backs that make me ready to move as soon as possible. There are tenants that smoke on my floor even though it is a non-smoking building. Our unit has been dealing with a cockroach problem along with other units, even though we deep clean the apartment unit regularly(every 1-2 weeks). Staff can be hit or miss in terms of service depending on the time of day and the day of the week. Apartment uses window ac units that don't adequately cover the apartment unit. Our bedroom was sweltering in summer but the rest of the apartment was cool. Radiators function but it is easy to overheat in the apartment. Overall, this apartment wasn't worth the price.

While this older building has some charm, it seriously lacks in modern amenities, among which are the building's air quality. The windows are quite old, and smoggy, pollen-filled air easily blows in through the gaps around the windows. Plus, despite what is listed on rental sites, this is NOT A SMOKE-FREE BUILDING. Cigarette smoking and other types of unsavory smoking are evident throughout the building. I moved out of there a few months ago, due to having chronic respiratory problems that my physician directly attributed to the poor air quality in the building. Upon moving to my new apt, which is modern with filtered air, and has a strict no-smoking policy, my respiratory problems have disappeared.

I have been here for 3 months renting a huge studio unit. The hard wood floors thru out are beautiful, I love the many windows especially off the kitchen and in the bathroom. The building is cleaned daily is bright and airey with thick walls so you don't hear the neighbors. The building is also smokefree, neighbors are friendly and the staff is professional and extremely helpful and friendly. The location is ideal with Giant, CVS, Starbucks and several trendy restaurants all in a short walking distance. Transportation is convenient with several bus lines downstairs. The Chancery is a great place to call home I see myself living here for quite a while.

It's an older building, but my wife and I love living here in our studio. Yes, the radiators do clang and bang during the night, but we sleep well (the main problem is that the air gets so dry with the heat on, but a small humidifier next to the bed helps.) Actually, she wakes me up more than the radiator noise. As for appliances, we got a brand new oven/stove when we moved in and a decent refrigerator. Parquet floors were nicely waxed and the walls were freshly painted. However, there are like 50 layers of paint which makes it impossible to close the closet door and difficult to open/close windows. The maintenance guys are super friendly and helpful though. The building manager is nice and professional, as are most of the front desk attendants. You can pay the rent (which includes utilities) online or just drop a check at the front desk. Parking is pretty easy on the street, and if you don't mind moving your care before 7 a.m. you'll never have a hard time finding a spot in front of the building on a weekday. Otherwise you might end up having to walk a block or two. In the back of the building you get AMAZING sunset views and can see a bit of the Arlington skyline. In the front, you can see the national cathedral, but you get a little more car noise from Wisc. Ave. Obviously the location is great for buses, shopping, etc. The only reason we are planning to move in a few years is so we can have kids and a dog.

The Chancery apartments are good for a first apartment. The one-bedroom is a fair size, with parquet wood floors, a walk-in closet in the living room, but the apartment lacks basic amenities such as microwave or a dishwasher. The kitchen is very small with very old appliances (including an oven with a handle that constantly breaks), but they work nonetheless. The air conditioning is an old in-window unit that is only in the living room, which leaves the bedroom sweltering in the summer. During the winter, the radiators and pipes in the building make a lot of noise and often wake you up at night. They have about 10 washers and about 12 dryers in the basement, though most often there are a few that are broken and you don't know it until you put your clothes in because there's no sign. It is also a very old building, so they often have to turn off the water to the building to work on the pipes or whatever issue it is at the moment. They normally give you about a day's notice and they have it back on by 6pm, usually. However, the old pipes also mean that you are not to handle even simple problems in your apartment, such as a clogged drain, and you have to wait for a grumpy maintenance person to assist you. The people at the Front Desk are very kind and mail and packages are very safe. Frankly, they charge far too much for what you get at the apartment, as you can get a newer building for about the same price with much, much better quality materials and amenities. However, the location is a great one, with many bus lines just outside the door, a couple miles from Georgetown and a brand new Giant grocery store, Wells Fargo, and other small stores and restaurants about 2 blocks away.

The apartment itself is a fair size for a one-bedroom. It has parquet wood floors, a walk-in closet in the living room, as well as a closet in the bedroom, next to the bathroom, and by the front door. The kitchen is very small (two people barely fit, and only if they are coordinating the cooking) and the appliances are very, very old. The apartment only has a small in-window air conditioning unit in the living room, which really doesn't do too much in DC summers. During the winter, the radiators constantly clang and bang and make noises throughout the day and night, off and on. (Just when you think you're going to sleep...BANG and you're awake again.) The building itself is very old and you are not supposed to take care of even very small things like a clogged drain, as it might damage the pipes. Instead, you have to call for a grumpy maintenance man to come fix it for you. They have about 10 washers and 10 dryers in the basement, though more often than not there is one person hogging about 4-5 of each machine and/or a couple of each machine that are out of service (though you don't know until you put your clothes in because they never put up a sign). The service elevator is the only one that goes all the way down into the basement and it is PAINFULLY slow. The staff keep the halls and common areas fairly clean, though it is clearly all very old and could definitely use a renovation (the red carpeting in the hallways always make me think of The Shining!). The staff at the Front Desk are mostly nice, but can be rude at times. The online portal to pay rent has never worked for me, which is very inconvenient. The landlord himself is almost always busy and never wants to talk to people when they ask--it took him weeks to confirm that he had switched the lease from my old roommate's name to my own. He can be quite rude and off-putting, but overall does not bother us.The location of this building, however, is excellent. It is blocks away from a brand new, large Giant grocery store, nice restaurants, and small shops. It is about a mile away from more nice restaurants and Whole Foods in either direction on Wisconsin Avenue, as well as about 2 miles from Georgetown and about 1.5 miles from Friendship Heights/Bethesda. It is situated right across from the National Cathedral and has many bus lines along Wisconsin Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue, so that getting to public transport is hardly ever a problem.The location is the sole reason I have stayed for 3 years.

I have lived here 2 years and continue to enjoy my WWII era apt with glimpses of the past which are evident throughout the building. The apartments are average size for DC, with closet space a bit on the small size for the modern-day wardrobe, but I only regard that as a First World problem. The parquet floors and patterned bathroom tiles add a built-in decorative flair. Depending on your credit, your security deposit can be as low as $0. All utilities are included, with window AC units included and radiator heat for the cold months. There is a large laundry room in the basement that makes laundry day fairly simple, and even a clothes line in a limited-access area you can use to air dry your clothes if you prefer. Nearby, there are storage cages that are available for an extra cost. There are three points of access to the bldg, all controlled by a key fob, and the bldg is handicap accessible as well. One of the favorite features of the building is the front-desk in the lobby, which is managed 24 hours/day and monitors all visitors coming and going from the bldg. The front-desk staff hand you your mail and sign for and keep all delivered packages in a secure area until you come for them. No car is needed to live here, as you are on several bus lines, which can also take you directly to the Friendship Heights Metro. A large grocery store (Giant) along with several restaurants, dry cleaners, drug store (CVS) and coffee shops (Starbucks) are all within two blocks. And of course, living in front of the National Cathedral never gets old, as each daily view of it is inspiring and relaxing.

I have lived here almost 4 years. The price is lower than surrounding competition, option of two metros via a 5 minute bus ride and they just completed the new Giant/CVS/Starbucks and restaurant project two blocks away. The maintenance is FABULOUS! The first week I moved in, I came home around 8:30pm to my AC frozen up (in the dead of August!) and they were there in 30 minutes to fix it. Staff is always friendly - it's nice to come home to a smiling concierge to hand you your mail/packages and every morning as I leave for work they are cleaning the windows, mopping the floors, clipping the bushes, etc. The place is very clean (vacuum hallways frequently) with garbage removal every morning and I have NEVER had a bug problem. The walls are thick so I never hear my neighbors (huge plus from paper thin in my last place). Many are long time residents, so it's not a here and gone kind of place with college kids even though it's close to AU. The only reason for 3 stars is, it's an old building with few amenities - but that's why the price is so reasonable.