Tellus

Do not recommend. Air conditioning is constantly broken, and the elevator is out of service so often it's become a running joke among residents. Maintenance staff are prompt when you submit a request, but issues rarely get fully resolved — expect repeat visits for the same problem.
Amenities are a letdown too: the rooftop TV ad courtyard firepit have been broken for the past 4 years, with no replacement or fix in sight. They even installed a brand new grill on the 2nd floor, and the temperature... knobs fall off the moment you touch them — a clear sign no one's bothered to fix it since. On top of all this, communication from management is consistently poor — updates are vague, delayed, or nonexistent.

This is a pattern, not a one-off. Save yourself the frustration and look elsewhere. Read More

The building is overall okay but definitely not worth the price. The main thing is that something is ALWAYS broken. 2 out of the 3 elevators were broken for months when we first moved in and it would take almost 10 minutes just to get downstairs sometimes. The only working one being the elevator that is rented out for move ins and often had to be shared with people trying to move in. The power also goes out momentarily in the building about once every 2 weeks for some random reason and at times... has caused the loss of important work. I once watched the front desk attendant yell at a vendor for "not putting something back correctly" to the point she was crying outside of the building. I will say that the maintenance is fairly quick when it comes to fixing something in the apartment and they are very friendly but thats one of the few good things. The "solution" that the building gives is to order a few pizzas and give them out in the lobby but they run out in the first 20 minutes so it's not even worth it. Overall, not a bad place to live, but the price is outrageous compared to others. Read More

I’ve been at this apartment for about a month and it is the least tenant friendly apartment I’ve ever had. They require a cashiers check for your first payment (no online option). For lockouts, they charge $75 which is a little expensive, but they also won’t give an estimate on when they will arrive to let you back in and it can take over an hour to get back in. I would strongly recommend avoiding this apartment building unless you want to be treated like crap because of “company policy”

I’ve lived at the Tellus for over 3 years and when I was ready for a bigger space, I opted to stay here as opposed to moving to another community. The management team including Conceirge and the maintenance staff have always been supportive, friendly, and attentive and I’ve always felt they go above and beyond to make residents feel welcomed and cared for. The apartments themselves are modern and stylish and I feel they offer a high-end living experience in a comfortable Arlington neighborhood.... One of the best features, and a primary reason to stay put, is the stunning skyline views of Washington, D.C., which truly elevate the living experience. Very happy with my time here thus far! Read More

Cons:
- Management. The building management is the main reason we chose to not renew our lease. I'm tempted to type out each individual issue we have had with them but there is a character limit on this review. The assistant manager is unhelpful and rude. Every time we were forced to interact with him there was an equal chance of either being completely ignored or receiving a rude reply that in no way answered our original question. The building manager was (at least to my roommates and I),... completely absent. I could be stuck in an elevator with the man for an entire day and likely would not recognize him. The best thing I can say about him is that he was never rude because he never replied to a single email.

- Amenities. Had we known that management would make it so unpleasant and difficult to use the amenities, we would have chosen to live somewhere else. They were often closed for unknown reasons without any communication from management, constantly changing requirements to use the pool (even after vaccines were released and COVID cases fell), and the firepit in the courtyard was often inoperable.

- COVID protocol. This is one of the areas that bothered me the most. COVID rules and regulations were slow to come out (even after many other buildings had released theirs) and horribly enforced. Staff rarely wore masks, even when doing maintenance in our unit. The only COVID rules that were strictly enforced regarded use of the pool which I can only imagine was to reduce the cost to maintain and pay for a lifeguard.

-Move out: exorbitant damages fees and lies about condition of apartment

The only pros for this building are the central location, the view if you are lucky enough to be on a high floor, and Walter at the front desk. Read More