1301 Thomas Circle Apartments

I have had a 3 bedroom corner unit in 1301 M St for two years, and, aside from a few complaints, have felt that by and large it is a great place to live. The apartments are spacious and laid out well; our living room has space for a couch, a loveseat, two armchairs, and a dining room and living room table and does not feel crowded. The beds are reasonably sized and have good window space. The amenities aren't the best in the city, but they are probably the best in this price range. The roof has a small pool, several grills, and good quality furniture. Valet dry cleaning is available and they do a good job. The maintenance people weren't always as responsive as they could have been, but generally we were able to get everything worked out.Read More

Within walking distance of the White House and most downtown office locations, this building is great for those who want to avoid herky jerky rush hour metro rides, or for those who have dogs or cats you'd like to check in on during the day. (There is a pet rent.) This building is very amenity-rich, with a 24 hr concierge, 24 hr fitness gym, rooftop swimming pool with grill stations, courtyard lounge with a fountain, "club house" rec room with a billiard table as well as a coffee machine, business center, conference room and more than ample garage parking. Coming from an all-inclusive rent previously, I had some sticker-shock in the beginning with the utility charges fluctuating monthly but I have found management to be very responsive, and I appreciate that there is a dedicated website for residents to submit service requests, pay rent, renew leases and post gently-used items up for sale. As for the rooms themselves, though the wall to wall carpet and limited storage space is not ideal, the in-room washer/dryer, oversize bathtub and granite countertops more than make up for it. It also does not hurt to live a block away from trendy 14th street corridor where it is hard to exhaust restaurant, nail salon and yoga studio options. You are also within walking distance of a Whole Foods, Trader Joes and a West Elm. There is also a 24hr CVS within view of the building for late night emergencies and morning hangover cures. All your bases are covered here. Come be my neighbor!Read More

Don't rent an apartment from UDR. We lived at 1301 Thomas Circle in DC. The management company knows they have power over tenants and abuses it. They will waive the security deposit but beware! They do this so they don't have to comply with security deposit laws. Nearly 2 months after we moved out we were charged $420 for "carpet damage". Otherwise known as wear and tear after 33 months of being used. We paid about $80,000 in rent over those years, but they threatened to put us to debt collection over $420. We disputed the charge but they threatened collection proceedings which effects your credit report. Since it was just an after the fact charge they claimed they didn't have to follow any of the laws in DC surrounding security deposits. They allow people into your apartment without authorization. A couple months before we moved out we came home to find out that they had given the MASTER key (the one used for ALL apartments) to a cleaning company that we had not hired and had not given permission to. They contract out front desk services and don't train the employees. In 2015 we had multiple false fire alarms in the middle of the night. False alarms happen but when the employees can't let the fire department into the alarm room to shut of the alarm there is a major problem.Read More

UDR, the management company is horrible to tenants. The UDR money machine wants your payment alone. After you move, you will be charged a ridiculous fee for ridiculous reasons! I had the same experience, despite warnings from friends that lived here. Lived here for a year. The apartment itself updated, and the common areas nice, but there are a lot of nice apartments in DC. The problem was the management, UDR. This was the reason we moved out. More than once, with multiple agents, my roommate and I experienced rude or negligent service from right after move in (they will wait to get your deal in the bag, and then about-turn). And then when you move out, they will charge you a RIDICULOUS fee for whatever reason they can find or cook up! Friends warned, other reviews warned, and I brought this issue to the leasing agents before signing the lease, but they "assured" us that the company had turned a new leaf. That was just to get my money. They will offer limited security deposits, only to take it back with a made-up charge, and then charge you extra as a penalty for leaving. Multi[le fire alarms, rude and untrained front desk and unprofessional leasing, especially managers. If you want a money-grab management company, UDR's the company for you!Read More

Whatever you do, do not rent from this place. The review about how they are a money seeking management company is completely true. I paid rent on time for the entire year, no problems ever and still received some absurd bill at the end about scratches on the wood floor. Best part, is when I confronted them about the damages and stated I had put these in my pre-inspection report, they claimed they "lost" my report. Ever since, last year when the entire management team left, this place has gone straight downhill. The apartments may look modern but don't be fooled it's worthless crap. Half the time, I was sending in Service emails to get things repaired. Don't make the same decision as I did, go rent from any other management company than UDR.Read More