Halstead At the Metro

We’ve been at Halstead (H1)about a year now and have nothing but good things to say about the office staff. They’ve been friendly, helpful, PROFESSIONAL and have been nothing but satisfied in dealings with them. They’ve gone out of their way to make sure we got our mail and deliveries. Any time I’ve gone into the office I’m met with smiles and friendly talk. The personal aspect of living in urban surroundings can be easily lost so it’s good to see it’s still alive and well around here.

I’ve been a unit owner in building 1 since construction in 2006. I’ve both lived in and rented out my condo to others. I just read the attacks on the management office staff and they are surprising. I can’t comment on other people’s experiences, but my interactions with Frank Chauvin and Hadija in the office have been great. They’ve been attentive, helpful and I’ve seen no evidence of the disrespect that others have written about here. There have been times where I needed help outside the scope of the management office duties and they were still willing to help me. They’ve always been pleasant and in my many years of ownership, I would say customer service levels from the management office are at an all time high.
Let’s remember that management offices usually don’t have that much power in condos (versus apartment buildings where they have complete control). In condos, they enforce rules of the condo association, but aren’t allowed to go beyond that. Also, Legum & Norman may not be great, but they are the largest and most dominant management company in the region. It’s like saying you don’t like your mobile phone company. You might have 1 – 2 other options, but when it comes down to it, you have to choose the company with the most resources and experience.
Again other folks have had poor experiences with management office. But mine have all been great and when I’ve had problems (water heater issue, plumbing) I’ve called on them for support and they’ve been there for me. Every story has two sides and there are probably a lot of people like me who are happy with them.
As for the building, now that construction is nearly done at the Dunn Loring Metro, living at the Halstead is fantastic. Walking distance to Mosaic District, soon a 24-​hour Harris Teeter across the street along with Starbucks and restaurants. Super convenient place. Just find a good condo unit owner. Some of them are absentee owners who live all over the world.

Great community. However if you like peace and quiet and not yappy dogs a couple condos away from you, then move on.
There’s a dog left unattended all day and evenings barking away in locked bathroom. Contacted Mgmt about it, was informed, you have to talk to the neighbors and get a petition.
All of this because a neighbor can’t be aware and considerate of their neighbors. Mgmt should be taking care of this and not leaving all the work to the paying occupants of the buildings.

The metrorail (Dunn Loring Stop) is right here at the property. There is a bran new Harris Teeter going in here in addition to numerous shops and restaurants. The bran mosaic center is a short walk away. Very Convenient place to live with lots to do and easy to get anywhere from here being right by the beltway/​66. The fitness center was just repainted/​updated. The parking garages are right at the building so very little walking and many residents advertise their spots for lease/​rent to otehr residents. I have been here for over a year now! Chris

Frank Chauvin at the management office is a horrible manager, irresponsible and disrespectful to tenants. He’s the guy in the corner office when you enter the management office in the front to get your packages, for example.
In August this year, someone hit and run my car in the parking garage while I was inside the building for 4 hours. I asked Frank Chauvin to look at the security camera footages to find the person who committed the crime. He finally said he’d consider it. A few weeks later, I asked him again if he’s had a chance to look at the footages. He said he can’t show it to me and that he’d need to ask the condo Board for permission to show me the tape to identify the car that hit and run my car in the parking garage while it was parked. Then he said the Board met in September and he’d ask them. Meanwhile I filed a police report and had insurance handle the damage because the damage couldn’t be left on my car for too long without causing more damage. Then in October, I asked Frank Chauvin what the Board decided; he said the Board said no — they would not release the security footage to help me identify the hit-​and-​run criminal. So I asked him to show me the Board meeting minutes and he said email me, I’d consider it. Then he walked away from me.
What can I say? I suspected all along, Frank Chauvin, the onsite property manager or whatever is, never reviewed the security camera footage. He lied to me that he’d consider looking at the footage to find the driver, and I’m pretty sure he lied about asking the Board to let me see the tapes (so I can review it myself since Frank Chauvin is irresponsible and does not do his job), and lied about the Board denying my request to see the security footage in the garage.
BE WARE WHERE YOU PARK YOUR CAR IN THE GARAGE.
IF SOMEONE HIT AND RUN YOUR CAR WHILE IT’S PARKED, DON’T EXPECT THE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT TO REVIEW THE SECURITY TAPE TO IDENTIFY THE CRIMINAL. FRANK CHAUVIN WILL NOT HELP YOU. HE IS IRRESPONSIBLE AND DISRESPECTFUL TO TENANTS.
This place may be a good, convenient location, but Frank Chauvin, the onsite property manager, lies to tenants and will not help you if something does happen to your personal property onsite.

Halstead at the Metro is comprised of two buildings, referred to as H1 and H2. I live in the older of the two, H1, and have never seen H2. The units themselves are condos, so reviewing them here would be unfair since some owners take better care of their units, upgrade them, etc. The building itself is nice, but not everything that I imagined it would be when I moved in.
Fitness center: Spacious and well-​equipped for an apartment/​condo building, but dark (it is in the basement) and dirty. In need of an upgrade. Basketball court is a nice touch, but not utilized by many residents
Pool: Very nice, no complaints
Office: Staff are extremely nice, especially the head concierge, Alex, but they are slow on the uptake with packages. Sometimes I don’t even get emails for them and have to go track them down.
Location: Excellent location, located steps from the metro and the mosaic district.
Parking: Yikes. This is where one of the stars is docked from. There is a huge parking garage with assigned spaces, but it ruins my life each and every day. Half the spots are vacant (privately owned) while half the residents are looking for parking spaces to rent. The top levels are uncovered, leaving your car exposed to the elements, and there is no elevator to the roof for the those times when you have a ton of groceries. The spots do not correspond with your unit. So, someone on the first floor might have a spot on the roof, while someone on the top floor has a spot in the basement. The turns are dangerous and once you reach level G4, the roof leaks like crazy. They desperately need to renovate the garage. Guest parking is great.
Quality: The walls are thin. If you have loud neighbors, you’re going to hear them. Most people are really nice and will quiet down if you ask nicely.
Activities: They hold activities like pool nights and happy hours (I have never attended).
Fees: $ 200 move fee (in or out), and no moves on Sundays. $ 100 lease fee and $ 350 moving deposit. Checks only.
I like this building and think it’s fine to live in short-​term, but don’t recommend purchasing in H1 (H2 might be a different story, but I can’t speak to that side of things).

Yan must be talking about Halstead Square, Halstead at the Metro does NOT have a SALES associate. Secondly M.L. is incorrect. I have lived here since the building was built and also have talked to about 15 other owners with ZERO issues even CLOSE to what they are stating. There are NO rats (lay off the drugs) and the place is maintained properly. Management has its ups and downs with residents however its an enjoyable place to live.

Overpriced, and over-​hyped. The sales associates were «nice» enough (= not as pushy as cars salesmen), but there were pressure tactics like «rent now, or the price will go up tomorrow,» «free gift cards,» etc. However, what they don’t tell you is that the adjacent buildings are still very much so under construction. The Halstead itself shows signs of shoddy construction. The sales associate said the building was was built in a few months, and it really shows — crooked corners and crown moulding even in the sales room. The materials are also what my friend called «cheap.»