Oglethorpe Condominium - Hyattsville, Maryland

Tender N.

Do not recommend renting or buying from here.

Reasons why:

Old building: Asbestos confirmed, roaches, mice, thin walls - can hear my neighbors conversations and even feel them walking (shaking walls and floor) around above me and hear their music or television, the pipes are old and plumbers have said they are poorly done so they leak often in multiple units and in the laundry rooms, heat and a/c is controlled by the main building so you have no control over when your unit gets heat or a/c just an “air handler” in your unit to bring the air in or keep it off.

No welcome desk or security, making this condo building less safe.

New package room has had tons of roaches in there. You’ll very likely bring more of them into your unit.

Management is only one person and does not enforce any of the rules. They are always going on vacation. People always do stuff they’re not supposed to when management leaves.

Parking lot typically fills up in the evenings so you’ll have to find street parking - much is permit parking only except for one tiny strip across the road.

People dump their trash on the floors in the trash room and it attracts more pests. They used to have people who checked and locked the trash and laundry rooms at 9:00pm but they don’t have people do that anymore.

Zero amenities.

Elevator breaks down and water is turned off multiple times a month.

People steal packages from your front door or open your mail if they find it out. There have also been break-ins and homeless people in the building. You should install a door camera.

If anyone is doing construction near your side of the building you can hear it very clearly.

The finances are very poorly managed. During Covid there was a huge gas leak that was not detected for years. We had no gas for 3-4 months. On top of days of not having water or having no power outages due to repairs. It was awful and management did not subsidize rent or HOA fees - probably because the condo ran out of money. Soon after they RAISED the HOA fees a considerable amount.

The foundation of the building is cracked some (allowing more pests in). It was repaired. The roof needed major repairs. And now we are experiencing more major construction.

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Positives are:

The location. Right off of Route 1. Bus stop right outside of the building. Close to three metro stations. Close to 8 different grocery stores and multiple shopping centers and restaurants. Close to schools. Capital City bike share is just a 10m walk down Oglethorpe.

Units are affordable and well sized.

Balconies.

If you own you may not be able to rent your unit out. Only 33% of the units can be rented in the building at a time and there is a waiting list.

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IMO the negatives outweigh the positives. I recommend people rent here before they decide to buy.

I am very glad that I moved out and I am much happier where I am living now.

Jordan F.

Current resident here and building is very old and always an issue. There was no gas from 6/2021-10/2021. Closer to November to be honest. Late October is when the gas was turned back on. I paid full rental rate during this time. Also spent thousands of dollars to provide food for my son and I. Unit owners and building managers did absolutely nothing to work with tenants. We were provided raw groceries with no way to prepare them, ironic right? Water is turned off at least once a week and happens to always be on a day that I am off. Pest control bangs on the door at 7 am like the police. There is a major leak in my unit due to a plumbing issue in a unit on the top floor that has yet to be repaired. Once a month I come home to everything in that area destroyed from water damage.

Update!!
Have since moved and management and unit owners still suck. Office is never open when it should be and I was not allowed to pick up my mail. I was told to contact unit owner. I feel it's illegal to withhold mail. My advice, DO NOT RENT OR BUY HERE!

Camille H.

Do not purchase here, do not rent here unless they make serious improvements.
I have rented here for the past 5 years and just moved out. This is just my opinion and experience and some units have been updated and modifed enough for a better experience by others.
Here are the pros and cons of my experience-

Pros:
Convenient location near several metro bus stops, the Riverdale Marc station and not far from the Green line for commuters.
Nice neighborhood where its typically comfortable walking and lots of food and sights to see
Beautiful views from higher floors.
Easy deliveries by Amazon/UPS/FedEx when they get access to building.
Storage units in basement that pair with your unit, but can only access them while cleaning and management are available.
Friendly neighbors

Cons:
Roaches
Only two small elevators and one is often out of service.
No freight elevator, making it harder to move in.
Not enough parking spaces.
Water is shutoff almost weekly for maintenance issues.
AC vs Heat is controlled for whole building at once, so you have to wait for them to flip the switch with the season. Often burning up for a month in May, and sometimes too chilly for a week or two around September/October.
Repeated stealing of car tires are reported on certain models.
Repeated roof leaks into my unit over the past two years I've been there. (8th floor unit)
Recent electrical grid issues where the generator didnt work for all of the units.
Gas has been out for over a month now and Washington Gas is struggling to pinpoint the leaks. I've even heard the maintenance guys talking about how several water and gas pipes are ready to burst.

Victoria F.

Minority residents and visitors be aware. I was in the complex yesterday visiting. Two white residents accused me of burglarizing the place because I was black. These two white residents called the police on me when I wasn’t doing anything wrong. If you are a black person or A person of color, please do not move here because you might get the cops called on you for just existing as a minority. I am beyond traumatized after this experience. As a black person who is college educated in pursuing an advanced degree, I never thought that I would be racial profile and seen as a criminal because I am black. Again minority residents and visitors please be careful in this apartment complex. Dear white people please stop calling the police on innocent Black people for just existing it’s not right. I will have to go to therapy after this traumatizing experience.

Fana T.

LOCATION IS TOP NOTCH. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IS VERY ACCESSIBLE IF YOU WANT TO BE NEAR PG METRO OR UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND. VIEWS OF CITY OF HYATTSVILLE ARE SUPER (NAMED HYATTSVILLE FOR A REASON) UPDATED CONDO APARTMENTS. BLDG IS WELL MAINTAINED + PARKING ON SITE! CANT MISS WITH THIS PLACE

M B.

Just moved in.. reviews to come

Erica R.

Flor F.