The Barac Company

This review is solely based on a tour there. First, I work as a leasing agent and I know the correct and proper way to do things, and what I witnessed was sheer unprofessional manners. I arrived when one of the leasing consultants was walking in and I thought she was a tenant as she had an «ODD» apperance for someone showing up to work. (Sign # 1) This is not the place for me. After brushing off that thought, I proceed to enter into what I thought was the leasing office but it was just an apartment that they rented out to workout of on a property that doesn’t own the apartment building. After waitng for them to greet and acknowledge me after listening to how one consultant took another’s glasses and how he wasn’t expecting her to come in today, they asked me what unit’s was I hear to see.
I told her of the building addresss from the advertisement on craigslist. After confirming, the address she sent me to a gentleman who proceeded to give me the keys to the unit’s I want to see (blank stares). I followed his gesture by asking him is it in this area and are you going to show me the grounds. He said «We don’t show you the grounds as we have various properties and that would be time consuming; since they are different locations.» WTF! Using my gps and car to drive the ten mins to each building, I proceed to view the apartments.
During the first apartment the building key he gave me was universal to all. Which would have been helpful if the doors were locked. Then as I entered the building; I could hear the neighbors music, their kids and other arguements. The apartments are spacious; however the unit’s are in unsafe locations and they obviously don’t care. If you can tour me at your location obivously it’s not safe and I shouldn’t move there. Save your money and time; better off getting a roommate until you can afford your own place.

The Barac Company has a ton of inexpensive properties. You can stop by their office in Takoma and flip through four thick binders full of pictures to get a sense of what a big company it is.
It’s impressive that they manage to manage to so many properties with old technology (check out their website, their office, or their payment policies), an incompetent staff, and a general sense of disrespect not just for the customer, but for each other.
We looked at a really nice, inexpensive apartment in Capitol Hill, put in our application (on paper, hand-​delivered, because Barac is stuck in the 1970s), and were approved. While applying, we got to witness a supervisor condescend to, and even straight-​up yell at, the woman who was helping us, but neither my partner nor I thought too much of it.
When we went to sign the lease, it was our turn.
First, they told us to sign a form saying we had inspected the apartment and that there were no problems with it. While we had seen the apartment a few days before, we hadn’t inspected it. I brought up that point and was told to just sign it. Again, we went along with it. Then it came to talk about the move-​in date: we had been told by the person who showed us the apartment that there was some flexibility with the lease start date, but the supervisor (the same one who had been so rude to her employee before) told us that wasn’t the case. We balked. She brought her boss out, who coldly told us that we were wrong, that no employee would have told us anything like what we claimed, and that we were lying.
So, we left, out the $ 80 application fee, but saved from dealing with a bunch of rude, incompetent people. While were waiting, we also got to eavesdrop on another employee on the phone telling a resident that they didn’t actually have a roach problem in their apartment.

Poor customer service and worse maintenance. Repairs are left half finished if they even do them. Cheap rent is the only thing this place has, but it’s tough to say whether they are cheap enough for the amount of effort to get them to take care of major repairs (holes in the ceiling) or rodent issues.

Living at a Barac owned apartment was the worst two years of my living in DC. Although it is true they have lower than market priced rent in locations near the metro, you are also signing up for:
1. Frequent bug and mice problems, 2. paper thin walls, and 3. a bathroom wall that grows mold and mildew no matter how often they send a contractor to repaint or fix the issue.
Also, my first winter in the apartment, my radiator was broken for a month before a contractor was sent to fix it. I also had to schedule monthly appointment with the exterminator to attempt to control the bug problem in my studio. Is this experience worth a low rent? I do not think so.

Great past 2 years living at the 1321 Kenyon St NW location. If I didn’t have to move for work, I’d still be there for sure! Great location, close to all the shops & restaurants that Columbia Heights has to offer AND Metro station is literally a 5 minute walk! Really can’t beat it for the low prices. Management was always responsive when I needed them (which was not very often) and friendly at the same time. Made some friends in the building and everyone was respectful of each other too. Kept a tidy place, so I never had issues with pests, mice, etc… Would definitely recommend to anyone…

I live at the Sophie on 1847 Mass Ave SE. If I would have read these reviews before moving in, I would have ran the opposite way and never EVER looked back. However, I’m here now so I’ll just list the pros and cons.
Pros:
1. The management lady here at the building is friendly
2. Safe neighborhood
3. Friendly tenants
Cons:
1. Laundry room only has two Very Old washing machines and two Very Old dryers. They don’t work, and they will take all of your quarters.
2. If your not living on the top floor, you can hear EVERY single thing from the floor on top of you. It’s rediculous, I’m sure if the upper floors were carpeted with foam under it (which I thought was mandatory) it wouldn’t be as unbearable
3. The back door is always unlocked, so anyone can walk in whenever they want, I feel sorry for the tenants that live by the door because it’s always being slammed constantly, if the door is going to be unlocked, they need to at least put a padding on it so it won’t slam so loudly.
4. If your in need of a repair, they Will Not Budge, my mailbox has been broken for sometime now, to be exact for about 2 months, still no maintenece. I had to fix my own tub facet the best way I knew how (still having issues)
5. The windows are painted shut.
6. No online option to pay your bills
7. The cable literally comes from the ceiling from a little cord, theirs really no way to make this look appealing
8. In the font of the building, there is a major health hazard/​violation. The step that’s by the door is very unleveled, making it impossible not to trip and fall a few time. Especially your guest.
I can go on in on, but I wouldn’t recommend moving here if you need privacy, quietness, a clean and working laundry room, and safety.
This place is serving its purpose, but I won’t be here for too much longer.

STAY AWAY!!! Bed bugs at the 1614 17^th st nw DC. While moving in i noticed bed bugs crawling on the wall. The management although were quick to send a technician, they sprayed numerous times but the bugs kept on coming ;(I loved the location and the apartment but I had to move out.

I fell in love with an apartment in Columbia Heights and put in an application. First off, they want originals of EVERYTHING so you need to go to the office in person. No online payments of any kind, cash or money order only for applications. They are not friendly or helpful and acted put off by any of my questions. I put in my application on a Tuesday knowing that the apartment I was applying for wasn’t ready yet and they couldn’t give me a move in date. I was told to call the following Monday to check in. It took me an hour to reach someone in the leasing office that day, and they still couldn’t tell me my move in date. With my time crunch, I had to pass. Don’t use this place if you want a business that will be flexible and helpful. It’s their way or the highway, if you don’t like it they’ll tell you to move on.

Hands down some of the worst customer service I’ve EVER come across in my ENTIRE life. I once tried to offer constructive criticism to a woman at the head office and she beat me down like I’m the problem. Tenants are like cattle. My building is always filthy. I once threw a grocery sized plastic bag of my trash in their building garbage bin and they sent me a threatening letter accusing me of being a nuisance for throwing my trash in the trash rather than do their job and just take it out! I always pay my bill on time. I am respectful of other tenants and try to watch out for the general well being of my neighbors.
Our mail is frequently stolen. We’ve reported it to management and it falls on deaf ears. You can’t have packages shipped to the building because they’ll surely be stolen. Horrible

This was the most confusing and disheartening experience I have had thus far while searching for an apartment. No, I DID NOT move into a Barac owned unit — but I visited the apartment and even filled out the application with every intention on turning it in if I discovered I liked the apartment.
It was located in Eastern market only 3 blocks from the metro so you know that is prime real estate. (The Saratoga) For $ 700 a month, I figured it was a steal! When I called Barac to inquire if the unit was still available, I was told «yes» but subsequently transferred to a very rude woman who hollered at me and practically refused to answer my questions about the apartment. She told me that there was an application pending on the apartment. When I asked her if I could apply — just in case things do not work out she said she could not advise me on whether or not to do that and hung up the phone. I called the Super at the building to schedule an «appointment» to view the apartment… he seemed nice enough & told me to call him 30 minutes before the day I wanted to visit. Since he lived on site, it would be easy for him to show me the space… or so he said.
A few days later, when I call (an hour before I plan on being there) he instructs me that he is at another property and should be there by the time I arrived. When I did arrive (albeit cold weather and rain!) he is not there and gets another tenant to let me into the building. I was mistaken!!! The outside of the building was very nice, newly painted, nice landscaping… only the windows seemed very old at first glance. When I entered I noticed that there was a very musty smell about the building and that it was very dark.
I called the Super back, and he instructed me to go up to the unit and view it myself (go figure, right?)…the door was unlocked. OH THE SIGHTS!!! The «living area» was barely 50 sq feet the place was covered in cobwebs and dust. Someone had left a drop cloth, ladder and paint bucket right in the middle of the room. The windows were practically fallling out of the structure! The bathroom was covered in a layer of grime and was so dark… they need to call Bath Fitter STAT! The kitchen was equally dirty, and in dire need of renovations. That fridge looked like it came out the day I was born, twenty something years ago! I spotted several open crevices around the radiators that could easily allow critters to get in. I took plenty of pictures. I was also pretty worried about the creaky floor and and thin walls. When I was exiting the building, I could hear someone talking on their phone from an apartment on the other side of the cluster.
The Super called me after I had already left the building and asked me what I thought. A nice gesture, I will credit him.
I saw that this unit is no longer available on the Barac site, so I’m sure that some poor soul will be moving in soon. I feel very sorry for them! The building is in an excellent neighborhood and has plently of potential, but someone needs to put a lot of TLC into some pratical renovations and it won’t be BARAC! Tried to give them the benefit of the doubt, but they truly must be slumlords!

I’m moving out at the end of this month after living in one of their units for over a year. Everything being said here is true. I fell in love with the unit, but everything has been down hill since.
They have the worst management and customer service I have EVER experienced. They are so difficult to deal with when you have a problem — it’s almost like they don’t even treat you like a human being. I’ve felt trapped in my apartment for the last few months. Repairs are not made well, the building manager hangs up on you, their work crews are next to incompetent, I’ve had a group of guys loitering and selling drugs from my front steps (I’m not in a bad area of town), and a neighbor whose heat is still not working.
Having said all of that, it’s not even the worst of it. As I discovered over the year, my entire building is crawling with bed bugs. Slowly each of my neighbors began telling me of their problem, and then one day sure enough I woke up with bites all down my leg. I started noticing them below the washer and dryer, and even more of my neighbors are complaining now. They have never treated the entire building and just keep treating each unit — chasing them from one apartment to the next. Forget about calling them over and over because it does no good.
Please listen — it doesn’t matter how adorable the apartment is or how awesome the location is — IT IS NOT WORTH IT TO DEAL WITH THE BARAC CO!!!

Their customer service is awful. I loved my apartment manager, but they shadily fired her. They haven’t updated their apartments in eons and still charge you highway robbery for what you’re getting. When I’m paying upwards of $ 1,200, I expect for people at least to be attentive to fixes/​repairs. Not in the least — they send in a «repairman» who is someone who does a half-​ass job. I still have missing tile from my bathtub where the person supposedly «fixed» it. And there’s black mold I’m pretty sure growing out of all of my vents — can only imagine how much it’s been awful for my health.
I’ve been renting there for 3 years now and they keep upping the rent. I’ve paid my rent on time (early, even) for 3 years and they’re not willing to negotiate keeping the rent controlled. I also asked if they could pro-​rate the month that I’d be moving out and they said absolutely not. Arian (?) is also a huge jerk. They’re not in the business of being friendly and they treat people like crap. Makes me so mad that I’ve paid them upwards of $ 45,000 over the last three years. This is my only form of vindication — this company is full of creeps — hopefully you steer clear.

The Morris, 435 16^th ST SE, Washington DC
Habitable that’s the way the Barac Company likes It!!!
I was compelled to move into this apartment, it’s affordable, a 5 min walk to the metro, a somewhat safe neighborhood, with a grocery store 2 blocks away. The place was built in the 1920s, it has good curb appeal, nice landscaping, a real charmer believe me. I was really excited to move in here, the units have tall ceilings and plaster walls with big wood moldings although they’re painting with 20 layers of white paint.
If I knew this place was going to have so many problems and that the management company were slumlords I wouldn’t have moved in. This building is at minimum habitable, that’s how the Barac Company likes it. They’re always one step away from being sued by their tenants because they do the bare minimum.
STEAM RADIATORS
My biggest complaint, this building has steam radiators and they provide tons of heat, however they bang like a mutha. I mean screaming loud banging!!! Crazy enough, they bang in every single apartment here!!! Clearly the heating system needs to be replaced however it’s not the law to have a quiet heating system just a working one! So you know what, the Barac Company will not replace it. Trust me I sent tons of emails and called many times, they’ll send someone out just to waste your time and in the end the problem will not be fixed.
BUGS & MOLD
Bugs Bugs Bugs! Mosquitos, Gnats, Stink Bugs, Roaches, and possibly a bed bug problem although I didn’t experience any problems with bed bugs. Tons of bugs due to them not spraying on a consistent basis and because of the cheap pressboard cabinets they’ve installed. I have a crazy mold problem in my bathroom, I spray everything with tile cleaner with bleach to keep the problem under control. They bathroom is damp all the time because of the shower and tub always leaks. Easy fix right? They won’t fix it!!!
LACK OF SOUND PROOFING
This building is old, but it doesn’t have to be this bad. You can hear your neighbor’s conversations loud and clear just like they’re in the same room with you. The lack of sound proofing makes your neighbors seem very noisy. If you don’t live on the top floor living here will be unbearable, when your neighbors are walking around like normal it sounds like they’re stomping, and if they’re kids running around it’ll sound like a few 200lbs men playing soccer. I know when my neighbors below me are home, because I can hear their door open and I can hear their footsteps when they walk.
CONCLUSION
I stayed here for a year and saved some money but it was not easy living here. I’d rather pay the extra dough or move further away to be more comfortable. I’ve complained many times, the bottom line is that the Barac Company are slumlords! They own many buildings all over the city and they have tons of cash, millions of it!!! And not one of their buildings are remodeled. They’ll do the bare minimum to stay out of court, if you have a bug problem they’ll spray but the bugs will eventually come back. If you have a leaky faucet that’s 30 years old, they seal the leak and not replace the faucet, eventually the faucet will leak again, etc.
You get the point! Stay Away!!!

DO YOU WANT TO LIVE WITH COCKROACHES, MICE, AND DRUG DEALERS? DO YOU WANT NO HEAT, NO HOT WATER, AND FIFTEEN-​YEAR-​OLDS MAKING REPAIRS TO YOUR ELECTRICAL UNITS? DO YOU WANT MOLD, FLOODS, AND FIRES? THEFT, MANAGERS THAT LIE AND IGNORE YOU, OR THAT DON’T EVEN HAVE A BUSINESS LICENSE? Then the Barac Co. is for you. If not, I suggest finding other accommodations. A cardboard box on a street corner would probably give you more protection and safety than any of the apartments that Barac rents.

I tried getting an appointment to view a property they had for rent.
I called the main office via the phone number on the sign at the property and was directed to one of their «agents». I called four times over two days and the woman never bothered returning my calls.
I called the main office again and was told the agent was the only one who could help me. At that point I called a fifth time, no response.
If this is how they do business I’m glad it didn’t work out. I would have loved to have lived at the location, but their customer service was extremely lacking.