DC Luxe

I’ve been in a DC Luxe apartment in Dupont for 4 months now and can’t recommend them enough. The apartment is beautiful — very modern, 2 bedrooms, lots of natural light, a pool, and a private deck with outdoor seating and dining area (in Dupont!). The appliances are all high quality and the kitchen is fully stocked, well beyond what you’d expect from a cookie-​cutter corporate apartment.
The landlords have been very attentive and helpful, and are very familiar with and accommodating of the Federal Government per diem sliding scale. When per diem rates changed (new fiscal year!) midway through the lease they graciously accepted a new lease agreement, no questions asked. When the coffee maker wouldn’t start, a new one appeared the following morning (and not some dinky one, this thing could probably do my taxes if I programmed it right). The washer broke and within a few days a completely new washer and dryer unit were sitting where the old one used to be.
The location is also superb. I’m 5 minutes from the Dupont Metro and walking distance to nearly anywhere I need to go. The Dupont Circulator bus makes transit to Rosslyn easy too, for anyone in long-​term training in Northern VA.
Many Foreign Service colleagues and other local DC friends have commented «How did you FIND this place!» whenever they come over. Yup, it’s pretty great. Very happy with DC Luxe and will definitely rent from them again next time I’m in DC for long-​term training.

I was so pleased the experience I had with DCLuxe that I am eager to write about it! Since I’ve been working with the State Department since 2001, I’ve had to deal with short-​term housing arrangements many times when I’m sent back to DC on assignment. DCLuxe has been the easiest company to deal with — especially with the tricky (often off-​putting to other owners) sliding scale per diem structure. Dealing with a company that not only understands this payment structure but is also very flexible about it (understanding that unexpected changes can come up) made my stay all the more enjoyable and completely stress-​free.
The owners are the best landlords I’ve ever had in my life!
In addition, the apartments are beautiful, well maintained and perfectly located. I stayed in 2 apartments: carriage house on 19^th St. and a very spacious 1-​bedroom on P St. I was very happy with both — excellent locations, short walking distance to the metro (like 5 minutes), walking distance to many restaurants, supermarkets, and fun DC neighborhoods like Georgetown and Adams Morgan. I was a tenant for about 9 months and never needed a car. I can’t wait to plan my next stay!
Lila, State Department

DC Luxe was referred to me by a few colleagues who had used them for government TDY travel previously. From the photos, the apartments look to be lovely and the friends who have used them indicate that they are easy to work with. I, however, had an absolutely awful experience with them.
I contacted the company in late August to discuss temporary housing for a period of about seven months. I got a response listing several available apartments along with quotes for the prices (after I had gone to the trouble of calculating out the government per diem rates for the period). I selected a specific unit on the first floor of a four-​story Dupont rowhouse with a modern kitchen and bathroom and separate dining area, and agreed to pay more than the per diem amount I would receive for housing for the stay based on proximity of the metro and availability of on-​site parking (albeit at an additional fee). Two months later, I contacted the managers with a question regarding a piece of furniture that I’d recently inherited. They indicated that the apartment was too small to accomodate it (fine) and that it would likely be quite expensive as the piece would need to be moved up 20 – 30 steps inside the building (huh?).
When I responded that my impression was that the apartment I had rented was on the first floor, it became clear that they had reserved the wrong apartment and had another tenant in the one we had discussed and for which I had a written reservation agreement and cashed deposit check. They asked if I had any interest in the other apartment — a second floor walk-​up with an outdated kitchen and bathroom and no dedicated dining area. I indicated that I didn’t, and pointed out that it hadn’t even been an offered option when we were originally discussing the reservation. They stated that they would «see if [they] could move some things around.» With only a few short weeks to secure alternative housing, I waited several hours before contacting the managers to request an update on the situation. No response. I waited a few more hours and then wrote to express my disappointment with their unresponsiveness and request a prompt answer as to whether I would need to begin looking for another arrangement.
I finally got a response a few hours after that while they had convinced the resident tenant to move, I should look for another housing provider because I was asking for responses too quickly and their «small operation» couldn’t guarantee responses to things like maintenance issues with the kind of speed I was demanding. When I assured them that that probably wasn’t necessary, they indicated that they like to build «partnerships» with their «guests» and do extra things for them at no charge (like providing extra kitchen glasses and blankets) in exchange for «flexibility» when they are «in a bind.» My insistence on clarity regarding their ability to fulfill their legal obligation was, apparently, not conducive to such a «partnership.» They did, however, thank me for bringing their own screw-​up to their attention. I suppose it’s dumb luck that I happened to inherit a piano before I showed up with all of my belongings to discover that someone else was living in the apartment to which I had a legal right of occupancy. They recommended that I use a different housing company with whom I would have a «strictly business» relationship as opposed to a «partnership.»
In other words, if you want best buddies who will drive you to the airport but might not be able to fix anything in your apartment in a timely fashion or even give you the apartment you were expecting, use DC Luxe. If want to be able to trust and rely on the company from which you’re renting, look elsewhere.