77 H

I’m surprised to read some of the negative reviews of the 77 H property.
I have lived in NW DC on and off for 16 years. I have watched this neighborhood transform into a vibrant community for residents. For a more direct comparison, prior to resigning my 77 H lease for 2 years now, I lived in the Meridian Mount Vernon for 2 years. 77 H is far superior to my experiences with Meridian and Paradigm Management. Like day and night!
My family and friends have also noticed the dramatic difference for the accommodations, price, community and management in this building. For example, the building has a much less pretentious vibe, people actually use the common areas respectfully and public areas are cleaned more often. I don’t feel like I’m living in a «post Greek life» anymore like the Meridian had!
The concierge in this building are professional and supportive. They treat us nicely and don’t over control our lives. Finally, the location could not be more convenient. 395 is right there, Union Station, Chinatown and the Capitol are steps away.

As a resident of 77H I write this negative review anticipating that there will likely be consequences: suddenly maintenance will ignore my requests, etc. But, it seems to me irresponsible to not offer a realistic review for prospective renters.
First the good: new building, nice gym and nice common areas; indoor, secure parking (additional cost per spot, $ 200), Fob activated security, there is a «pool» but it is 3.5′ deep and about the size of a small living room, w/​a wading pool about six inches deep and 2 gas grills. After the building filled up, well, it is close quarters out there and a bit of mess: think dozens of people all using two grills. Walmart is below, so you don’t have to go outside to go the store, which is really nice, though you will likely need to go elsewhere to get any decent produce, etc. There is concierge on duty 24 hrs a day, but the service does not rise to doorman quality or anything like that.
Now the bad:
The building is new, yes, but it is stick-​built, not poured cement. I saw a satellite google-​pic showing clearly this odd situation. The building is basically a huge shell with lumber construction going all the way to the (essentially) 7^th floor (ground floor, plus one, then the official 1^st floor begins). So, the build quality is not great, with a future clouded with a host of potentially really big problems. Settling, yes; but bugs and the like will eventually permeate the entire building. A few years from now things will be complicated. The building itself shakes when heavy trucks pass by on H St., illustrating this construction-​quality point. Noise suppression is also non existent. Pray for good neighbors. Though at first glance the units look good, close examination shows cheap flooring, the cheapest appliances possible and nothing really custom or upgraded w/​mostly contractor grade stuff with a short life cycle.
Bizzuto, the management company, is well known in DC and does not have a great reputation and they have proved true to that rep. Pay close attention to incentives that may have attracted you to the property. Enough said there. The management staff is surely following Bizzuto directives and so, e.g., the air conditioning in the building itself (the hallways) was not turned on (in the summer of 2014). It’s hot, and of course, the residents bear the burden, enduring the heat and running their own AC more (esp on the upper floors). Penny wise, pound foolish stuff like that abound in the decision making process of management. The building has, I believe, some 300 units and just two maintenance people on staff. Needless to say, they are overwhelmed. Be prepared to wait for your requests to be carried out. And there is a front desk person 24/​7, there is no security presence, per se. Numerous fire alarms will disturb you. Leaks in the parking garage may stain your car. The trash room will be malodorous.
There are also a couple of oddities to note: though advertised as pet-​friendly, and though they claim to have «designated areas» to walk your dog, there is no common area for such an activity. Pets are banned from the courtyard. The patio closes early. Also, many rented east-​facing units that now overlook a long term construction site. They were not told about that project and are unhappy about that. Also note, if you face H St. there is a lot of noise, sirens, etc. The west-​facing side overlooks a dirt, surface parking. And, in a sort of ironic twist, there is a lifeguard, though it would be nearly impossible to drown in either micro-​bodies of water.
Considering the top-​dollar per sq. ft. rent at 77H, I’d suggest looking elsewhere to save yourself some heartache and disappointment.
Disclaimer: I am not an expert in construction, AC, rental management or any other issue covered in this review. This review is only my personal perspective meant only to reflect my opinion.

The apartments are lovely! They’re big, very modern, and the building is always very well-​kept. The one thing and one reason why we will be moving when our lease is up is the location. For the same price, there are equally as nice places located in a much better location. This building isn’t really in NoMa like advertised — it’s quite a bit of a hike to all of the restaurants on H Street NE. Also, it’s a bit of a hike to Chinatown. There really is nothing around the building, like if you lived in Dupont or Columbia Heights, so overall, really not a good location for the price at all.

I don’t live here…
But I have a good girlfriend that does. The apartment she lives in is very nice. All high end appliances, and very nice space. However the staff here is VERY VERY rude. I was helping her get a few things into her place, and simply wanted to pull in the parking garage so we didn’t have to walk so far. I was told no, even when we simply explained we were just dropping off things. She rudely yelled through the intercom «NO, YOU CAN’T!» then wouldn’t respond. Just a little advice for the manager… Stop hiring people who don’t have common etiquette. These seem to be high end luxury apartments… so your staff should reflect the type of clientele you want to attract…

We’ve been here for about 7 months and we love it! The staff has had some turn-​over and gotten rid of some of the bad customer service but the veterans are still there and the new concierge desk attendants are awesome! I’ve really come to love them and sometimes bring them food when they’ve been working long hours.
I’m not sure what the prices are like but we got a phenomenal deal for the market rent in the area. The community was establised in 2012 so we are the first tenants in our apartment. The hardwood floors and open kitchen/​living room floor plan is to die for. The apartment is pet friendly so that’s a huge plus! Also there’s a grassy area all around the block so my pups and I take a 10 min walk around K street three times a day. It’s been relatively safe and I’ve walked them alone at 1am before. There are a few homeless peopl across the street at the shelter but they tend to stay over there and wait for the food.
I’m also dually impressed with the gym. It’s very functional with a lot more attributes and equipment that most apartments don’t have (stair climber, pull up bars, leg presses, ample amount of free wieghts, yoga room, etc.). Also there’s free wifi in there! Talk about an easy cardio with my netflix streaming!
77 H is super duper close to Union Station, Chinatown, NOMA, Mt Vernon, the US Capitol, and H St. We probably go to Chinatown almost every night for dinner but we also walk a mile to H St when it’s nice. To Chinatown, it’s a 10 min walk to 6^th and H (cross street for Diakaya). Also, Union Station has some awesome places to eat and some good shopping (MAC store, H&M, Chipotle, Roti, Shake Shack, Chopped, etc.).
I love that I can make online payments and do everything online as well. A huge plus when you’re not in town to drop off a manual check or have to wait for that thing to clear… ugh so annoying!

My unit had BEDBUGS coming through the ceiling. AND since they included a «Bedbug Addendum» to my lease, I’m unable to get out. Do yourself a favor and live somewhere else.

77H exceeded my expectations in my year there. The staff were friendly and helpful, maintenance was almost instantaneous and could be managed through an iPhone app, and I never had any problems with the quality of the building or loud noises. Of course there can be some annoying people in the common areas from time to time, but none that ever interfered with the serenity of my room. If I hadn’t left DC, I definitely would have renewed my lease. My time was lovely and I’ll miss this place.

Decent floor plan and location, awful service, awful management. If it weren’t for the location and floor plan, this would be a 0 star business. I lived at 77h for 9 months, and the staff was continuously dysfunctional, unhelpful and rude. There were at least 25 different temps working at the front desk during my time there. I would say 1 in 3 packages that arrived for me experienced some type of complication because of the dysfunctional organization system. Marcus was particularly rude, and the rest of the staff was just useless when it came to getting things done. At one point, during the middle of winter, my air conditioning/​heating broke, and switched to full force cool. It must have been 40 degrees in my apartment. Instead of getting an engineer there, the building gave me a space heater and said «good luck someone will be by tomorrow.» If you are a 1l, and need to live right by GULC, then this is a decent option. If you are not a 1L, there is absolutely no reason you should subject yourself to the horrifyingly bad service here. I would avoid like the plague.
Issues:
the pool is a joke, it is 10′ by 10′, open for 2 months a year, and they have a lifeguard. Utterly useless. The waiting pool is also a joke. The elevators: constantly broken, literally, at least once a week.
The Wal Mart downstairs — this is hit or miss, definitely convenient, but definitely has some side effects: namely a busy retail location with all of DC’s elements represented: including homeless people.
The Gym: one of my neighbors was basically tossed from a broken stairmaster, and had to get stitches — so basically a death trap — you can’t count on things to work well.
The prices: high as usual per DC, but not worth it simply because the service is SO BAD.
The concierges: there is 0 consistency.
TLDR: Live literally anywhere else.

Not a resident, but got to see the terrible quality of the management firsthand. My friend was having a small get together on the roof, and after a few hours of peaceful socializing, the building management came up to tell us that we all had to leave or the police would be called. There was no warning, and this seemed extremely excessive given that we were doing nothing more than sitting around and enjoying a few drinks and some bbq. As far as I could tell, they were not responding to a specific complaint, we were not breaking any of the written rooftop rules (there was a sign) and no one else on the roof appeared to be bothered by our presence.
As I mentioned, I don’t live in the building, but I did not feel welcomed as a guest, and my host didn’t get to enjoy himself because he was being harassed by the management. What is the point of the nice roof deck if you can’t have a few friends over to enjoy it?

Not only have I had problems with the building itself, but the staff has gotten pretty unpleasant. I’ve had a handful of experiences where, instead of talking to me like a fellow human being, staff members have threatened to call the police or levy several hundred dollar fines against my apartment for things like (a) a mistaken noise complaint (they had the wrong apartment) and (b) failing to adequately wipe down a countertop in a common space. Bozzuto has made being «at home» more stressful than it ever should be.

I actually love living at 77H and was surprised to see bad reviews. I’ve been living here for about 7.5 months now, and it has been great, and I would recommend this place!
1. The management is great. Very responsive to emails, and they organize various fun resident events. Free breakfast once a month and provides coffee every day.
2. The Concierge is awesome/​friendly. My previous apartment charged $ 100 whenever residents were locked out of their rooms. But here, it’s free! Also, they take care of all the deliveries.
3. Built-​in furnitures are nice; plenty of cupboards/​storage area. Also, whenever you need something to be fixed, they are very quick and responsive.
4. In terms of noise, I guess it depends on who lives near your unit. I have no noise problem whatsoever (thank you neighbors!)
5. Even though I don’t have pets, I like how it is a pet-​friendly environment. I like seeing cute dogs going out for a walk with their owners.
6. Living above Walmart is super convenient. no need for a car for grocery shopping, and can go in slippers even in the cold or rain.
oh, one thing all my guests comment whenever they visit is that the apartment smells good :)

My husband and I were looking for a high-​end apartment in the H street area and since 77H is managed by Bozzuto — we figured it would be a good option. Having nothing but excellent experiences with leasing agents in other buildings (special shout out to the great team at The Lexington Market Square), we were willing to pay a premium to live in a well-​managed building.
Saturday: We show up at the building and are informed that the unit we saw online (less than 2 hours ago) was rented out just before we dropped by and the next available unit was at least 350 — 400 $ more (for a smaller size). This put the rent a little above our budget and we decided not to tour the facility.
Monday AM: I get an email at 11:03 saying that they are offering 1 month off on all available 1-​bedrooms– which seemed like a good deal. I call at 11:06 and the same agent who assisted us the previous day says that the deal is now over. Within 3 minutes! When I asked how it was possible that it expired in 2 – 3 minutes, she said it was an expired deal, it was no longer available and still could not offer an explanation about the email.
Personally, I find it quite strange that this would happen 2 times within 2 days and the general vibe I got was that this might have had something to do with the fact that both my husband and I are NOT Caucasian American. Oh well! We found another place down the road, for a better price and a friendly leasing office.