Takoma Central

The leaders on staff at this building — Sharita and Caroline — were unprofessional and condescending for the duration of our rental. We are not the type of people that frequently finds ourselves in conflict in such scenarios, but the treatment we (and numerous neighbors shared similar stories) received was atrocious.
Further, when we wrote to Bozzuto’s corporate office seeking assistance, corporate simply forwarded our note to Sharita, rather than contacting us to find a way forward. Ultimately, our concerns were never addressed and we left the building very frustrated by Takoma Central leadership and Bozzuto.
Among the issues we ran into while we lived in the building:
–Overcharged our rent by direct withdrawal without our permission. Were rude and dismissive when asked to remedy the situation.
–Yelling at us and/​or refusing to speak to us or making us wait in or outside the lobby.
–Yelling disrespectfully at Spanish-​speaking staff.
–Holding us accountable to policies in a «resident handbook» that was never provided to us (which they later acknowledged, without apology).
–Charging utility (water) fees without meters to determine per-​unit usage.
–Telling us and our guests not to use the common space amenities — printer paper and coffee — which we used rarely.
–Threatened a $ 250 charge to clean the apartment after we moved out, even though we had sent a professional cleaning service for 4.5 hours to clean. Ultimately, we had to send the cleaning service back to take care of minor dust and drips that should have been ignored or included in normal wear and tear.
We would advise that potential renters stay away, at least until there has been turnover in building management. We hear good things about other Bozzuto buildings, but this experience has soured us on them for good.

Sharita and Caroline hit the trifecta of rental management in that they are lazy, mean and rude. Caroline’s favorite phrase is «I’m too busy». Sharita’s is «Do you have that in writing?», which, of course, after a few encounters with these two, you do. But that doesn’t stop them from making up policies and fees, changing fees, withdrawing money from your account without authorization or notification, being rude to delivery people, your friends, and family, and disrespecting at every turn their dedicated and hardworking janitorial and maintenance staff. Takoma Central is an attractive new building and I made many new friends there. But like me, everyone I know is leaving or has already left (and not gotten their security deposit back). Bozzotto would be smart to do a few exit interviews to find out why folks are getting out of there as fast as they possibly can.

Pros: The neighbors. Everyone is incredibly friendly and in our time here we have developed some great friendships.
Cons: Noise: We can hear every footstep from our upstairs neighbors. We thought it was just our bad luck that we had a heavy walker until we had dinner at a neighbors house, when we heard what a true stomper sounds like. The building is constructed on the cheap and you can hear your upstairs neighbors showering, flushing the toilet, running the sink, using their washer/​dryer…
The design of some of the apartments leaves a lot to be desired. Some apartments don’t have any drawers in the kitchen. Others you cannot open the door to the washer/​dryer all the way because it hits the island in the kitchen.
The extraction fans in the kitchen and bathroom are just for show. They do not extract, so you can get quite some dampness in the closets.
Management have been incredibly rude to some residents and their visitors. I saw one person from management have the cleaner translate a message to a resident’s latino guests telling them that they should not use the communal coffee machine without the resident present. The visitors were embarrassed and it was altogether unpleasant. My frequent visitor, who is not latino, has never had a problem using the coffee machine and has asked management to refill the coffee when it runs out without incident.
Management have been inconsistent. They decided to add charges for water and sewage months after we moved in and back-​charged for it. For people moving into the second building at Takoma Central, they signed leases prior to being granted a certificate of occupancy yet did not tell the tenants about this in advance. As a result, people were left in limbo, in temporary accommodation for months in some cases.

Since there hasn’t been any updated reviews I thought I wud share my experience. I have been here for a month… And I love it… Move in was easy… They have a freight elevator And you reserve the time to use it… Along with a loading area… The elevator doors stay open until you close them so it is very easy to unpack your things and load up the elevator… If you move during the summer/​spring months there are a lot of mosquitos in the loading area… Not fun! Other than that my apt. Was ready for me when I arrived.
They have a package concierge system which I love… It is basically a locked box system and when you get a package u receive an alert on your phone… there’s is a giant machine that you log into in order to receive ur packages. you don’t hAve to rush home or wait for the office to open because u can retrieve ur packages at any time…
It is very quiet here which I like… Being on the top floor helps as well… The building and apts are new… I am the first to live in my apt… The building was built in December. 2014 I believe… I also like that you must have a key to access anything even the elevator… I like the added security…
I also love that their is a bar/​restaurant (busboys and poets) right below the apt for my lazy days when I need food and a drink…
They have underground parking or a covered garage for an additional fee, the fitness room is very nice, along with the tv room and outdoor area with bbq pits… Maintenance responds quickly to requests. Usually the next day… They also have a computer station with Mac computers and a coffee and tea station available 24÷7…
Cons: fee to pay rent online… Online account access takes 30 – 45 days… Most of the time there is only one person working in the office. Especially on weekends… They only have 4 visitor parking spots which u need to inform them ahead of time If you want to use one and it is 15 $ a day for a guest to park there!!! (Gotta luv dc). No pool :(but a rec center close by…
I would recommend this place… Check it out! If u like quiet but still want to live in DC… This apt is in NW DC (TAkoma) which is very close to a silver spring and takoma park Maryland…

I could not possibly identify more strongly with Mark’s situation/​opinion (Mark is the initial reviewer for this property). The leasing staff at Takoma Central is definitely eroding Bozzuto’s hard-​earned reputation.
I filled out my application on a Thursday and was scheduled to move into Takoma Central on a Sunday. I explained: 1. I was beginning a new job Monday, 2. Someone else was taking over my lease at the Crosswinds Annapolis (another Bozzuto managed community) on Monday and so I would need to move my furniture, and 3. I had scheduled movers for the Sunday. Josh, a leasing associate at the property, said on Thursday that he completely understood my situation and said I should definitely be able to move in on Sunday. I trusted him because I had just had an excellent experience at another Bozzuto managed community.
But Takoma Central ended up NOT being ready for me to move in on Sunday. When I tried pleading with them given I had nowhere to sleep, nowhere to put my furniture, was unable to begin my job on time, and had movers who wanted to charge me a fee for canceling, the leasing staff refused to help me whatsoever. They didn’t even say sorry. I was furious. So I called up three other apartment communities, all of which, after I explained my situation, made themselves available for me to move in on the same day.
After finding another place to stay, I let Takoma Central know I no longer wanted to live there. Magically, I received a call immediately afterwards saying that they were ready for me to move in! (Jerks.)
In addition to all the problems Takoma Central caused for me that I have already explained above, the property hasn’t returned my application fee and $ 300 security deposit. In sum, Josh and Caroline do a terrible job managing this property. Stay away.

After a three-​month process of delays/​misinformation regarding tours, leases, and two last-​minute pushbacks of move-​in dates (on Friday late afternoon before the Monday move-​ins), I gave up and elected to not move in to a half-​finished building with such a poor track record of management. Hard to believe that this is a Bozzuto-​managed property, one of which I had positive experience in the past.
I literally cannot believe the amount of my time and energy wasted (not to mention aggravation) on this. Nice location and some potential nice units but not worth dealing with the inevitable headaches for me.