The Whitmore Residents Blog (Formerly Taylor Place)

Taylor Place is now "The Whitmore"

2009-07-26T13:51:00.002-04:00

As you will read and watch in this blog, residents of Taylor Place (now The Whitmore) were kicked out last year due to renovations. Some residents had been signed to one year leases days and weeks before receiving notice to vacate. There is a lot of information here (especially post comments from residents that shared their experiences with this complex). I hear little if anything has changed since I moved. Be sure to watch the YouTube videos of The Arlington County Board Meetings where Taylor Place (UDR) was discussed. A lot of shocking information was reveled during these meetings (including the fact that Taylor Place did not even have a General Renovation permit to conduct renovations at the time we lived there). Most of us living there were forced to endure LOUD construction noise 6 days a week anywhere from 6 am to 9 pm.

Website for The Whitmore:

http://www.taylorplaceapts.com/communities/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewCommunitySplash/communityID/359.htm

Before making a decision to move to this property, please read over the information (and watch the videos) discussed on this site.

Final Relocation Agreement sent to Louis Kovalsky 6/3/08

2008-06-03T22:16:00.002-04:00

OK guys, our final draft of the relocation agreement has been sent to Louis. Let’s see if he follows through with his verbal promises! Please post your comments!!!!

RELOCATION PAYMENT AGREEMENT Taylor Place Apartments
4301 Columbia Pike, Arlington, VA 22204

The undersigned tenant(s) of Taylor Place Apartments residential unit No. _________ , 4301 Columbia Pike, Arlington, VA 22204, and the landlord thereof, agree to the following:

Landlord shall pay Resident the sum of $______________ in accordance with the Arlington County Guidelines of
Relocation Payment as follows:

Studio/Efficiency $750.00
1 Bedroom $900.00
2 Bedroom $1050.00
3 Bedroom $1200.00

Landlord’s obligation to pay Resident the amount above is subject to the following terms and conditions:

1. Relocation payments shall be offered to all tenants, with the exception of those on month-to-month leases and those
who had given notice to vacate prior to receiving the 120-day notice from UDR.

2. All tenants that signed Buy-out agreements and received payment less than the County Relocation guidelines shall
receive payment in the amount of the difference.

3. Payments shall be due and payable after Resident vacates the Premises and upon return of possession of the Premises
(including all keys and access devices) to Landlord, except where provided herein. One Half of the payment may be
received up-front upon request at the Taylor Place Management Office.

4. Except as expressly provided herein, Resident must fulfill all the terms of the Lease, including the payment of all
rents, utilities and charges accruing through the Termination Date. Resident must not be in default of the Lease.
However, UDR will not penalize and deny payment to Residents who have more than the allotted persons per unit.

5. Residents who owe rent, utilities, and/or late fees shall not receive the Relocation Payment until the debt is cleared;
or, the monies owed shall be deducted from the payment upon vacancy, and the Resident shall receive the difference.
No other sums or payments will be due or owing from Landlord to Resident regarding this Relocation of Taylor
Place Residents under this Agreement.
Waiver. Resident hereby releases and discharges UDR Texas Properties, LLC d/b/a Taylor Place and UDR, Inc.,
together with their respective current or former owners, partners, directors, officers, employees, agents, attorneys,
shareholders, affiliates, subsidiaries, predecessors, and from any and all manner of actions, suits, liens, losses, debts,
obligations, damages, claims, judgments, bonds, executions, and demands related to the early termination of
Resident’s lease and tenancy at the Premises.
I have read, understand and agree to the preceding provisions: [All residents must sign here]
Resident Signature Date Resident Signature Date Resident Signature Date
Resident Signature Date Resident Signature Date Landlord Representative Date

UDR, a Public Company!

2008-05-17T00:16:00.006-04:00

MAJOR DIRECT SHARE HOLDERS

TOOMEY THOMAS W 645,453 Shares Reported: 26-Feb-08
GROVE JON A 250,554 Shares Reported: 3-Jan-08
TROUPE WARREN L 176,911 Shares Reported: 3-Mar-08
GIANNOTTI RICHARD A 155,018 Shares Reported: 13-Mar-08
SANDLER MARK J 140,853 Shares Reported: 12-May-08

TOP INSTITUTIONAL SHARE HOLDERS

COHEN & STEERS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC. 12,494,433 Shares, $248,014,495 31-Dec-07

Barclays Global Investors UK 8,355,833 Shares, $165,863,285 31-Dec-07

VANGUARD GROUP, INC. (THE) 8,271,634 Shares, $164,191,934 31-Dec-07

JP MORGAN CHASE & COMPANY 6,375,428 Shares, $126,552,245 31-Dec-07

LASALLE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT SECURITIES 4,821,594 Shares, $95,708,640 31-Dec-07

STATE STREET CORPORATION 4,428,320 Shares, $87,902,152 31-Dec-07

Bank of New York Mellon Corporation 4,376,160 Shares, $86,866,776 31-Dec-07

ABN AMRO ASSET MANAGEMENT HOLDINGS INC. 2,698,039 Shares, $53,556,074 31-Dec-07

FMR LLC 15,450,738 Shares, $306,697,149 31-Dec-07

DEUTSCHE BANK AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT 2,536,995 Shares, $50,359,350 31-Dec-07

TOP MUTUAL FUND SHARE HOLDERS
FIDELITY REAL ESTATE PORTFOLIO 7,729,960 Shares, $172,764,606 29-Feb-08

VANGUARD SPECIALIZED-REIT INDEX FUND 4,630,114 Shares, $105,705,502 31-Jan-08

AMERICAN CENTURY REAL ESTATE FUND 3,159,064 Shares, $62,707,420 31-Dec-07

FIDELITY VALUE FUND 2,603,346 Shares, $58,184,783 29-Feb-08

COHEN & STEERS REALTY SHARES INC 1,994,262 Shares, $39,586,100 31-Dec-07

ISHARE/COHEN/STEERS REALTY MAJORSINDEX 1,706,056 Shares, $38,130,351 29-Feb-08

FIDELITY BALANCED FUND 1,358,176 Shares, $30,355,233 29-Feb-08

DFA REAL ESTATE SECURITIES PORTFOLIO 1,357,500 Shares, $29,905,725 30-Nov-07

VANGUARD MID-CAP INDEX FUND 1,183,535 Shares, $23,493,169 31-Dec-07

MIDCAP SPDR TRUST SERIES I 1,127,588 Shares, $27,422,940 30-Sep-07

Deleting this blog?!?

2008-05-14T22:30:00.001-04:00

Well, Well, Well apparently a Vice President, and Area Director Mid-Atlantic Region for UDR would like the blogger to consider removing this blog in its entirety so the huge response and PR goes away with it. I have to wonder why UDR all of the sudden wants it to go away. Are they now starting to worry about their reputation, and the way they treat tenants? What does everyone else think about removing our blog?

Email

2008-05-09T21:11:00.005-04:00

This is an email I received from a fellow tenant and very good person. He/She asked me to post this:
"Louis has finally! offered this is deal:

1. Everyone may move at-will with 30 days notice. If you bring application papers to the office from a new apartment/home and/or have any other reason you need to give less notice, you are allowed to move out with 15 days notice. (This is the same offer that we got last Friday, but it still holds.) PLEASE remember to write your notice to vacate in a letter including the date of your vacancy and have someone in the office sign it and give you a copy w/ signature! (better safe than sorry)

2. Everyone that signed a lease or re-signed a lease 6 months prior and up to the date the first 120-notice was given (we think it was March 5th but need to varify) will receive the Arlington County reccomended Relocation Assist Payment as below:
Efficiency $750
One-bedroom $900
Two-bedroom $1,050
Three-bedroom $1,200
The reason for the six-month cut-off is due to the six-month disclosure that Arlinton County requires. Our original request was that everyone in the building get these payments, but in light of the County requirement, this is the fairest compromise we could get.

IMPORTANT: If you signed a Buy-Out Agreement, unfortunately this does not apply. You signed a legally binding document as UDR is within their legal rights to hold you to your agreement. HOWEVER, if you feel that you were mislead, pressured, or fraudulently treated, bring your papers to the office and talk to Nikki about your case individually. Louis promised that he would listen carefully to each grievance and possibly consider additional options.

3. Bethany covered this one in her e-mail today about the noise/ contruction and living condition issue. Yay Bethany!! If it hadn't been for you going through the hell you did and speaking up with conviction, we all may have eventually suffered as you did. You rock!

Louis will e-mail a draft copy of an agreement that tenants will have to sign in order to receive the Relocation Assist Payment (he was hoping that the lawyers would finish drafting it tomorrow). The idea is that by signing this paper, you are agreeing to accept the payment and will not take further action against UDR in this matter. I will immediately have a lawyer look at it to be sure it is fair and safe for tenants to sign. No worries, we got our back :)

I really hope that everyone feels that this is a victory. After all, just a few short weeks ago we were offered nothing.

I also hope that you are all blessed each and every day as much as I've been blessed through this experience with you all."

Best, "Undisclosed Tenant"

Partial County Board Meeting, Saturday, April 19, 2008

2008-04-29T06:35:00.003-04:00

Public Comments

Taylor Place Speakers Sydney Shea 20:55 - 23:21 . . . Bethany Potter - 26:10

Response to Public Comments by Arlington County Board members

1:05:23 (9:35 a.m.) -- 01:24:40 (9:54 a.m.)

Chris Zimmerman, Board Member: I’d like to get a couple facts clarified so I understand. First it’s
my understanding, correct me if I’m wrong, that the owner of this building decided to conduct
renovations on a comprehensive basis by essentially removing all the tenants and issued notices?

Renee Willis, Tenant/Landlord Office: That’s correct; it’s our understanding that in March of this
year, the owner of this building issued 120 day notices to all of the tenants, well for the tenants that
were under lease; for the tenants….

Chris Zimmerman, Board Member: Okay, Okay, one thing at a time. So they issued notices saying
we’re kicking everybody out?

Renee Willis, Tenant/Landlord Office: Right, that they would have to vacate within 120 days.
Chris Zimmerman, Board Member: One hundred twenty days which is the most imposed on the landlord by the state?

Renee Willis, Tenant/Landlord Office: Right, and for the individuals on a month to month basis they were only given a 30 days notice to vacate.

Chris Zimmerman, Board Member: Only given thirty days? Is that consistent with the state law? I
thought 120 days were required. Its not if you’re on a month to month?

Renee Willis, Tenant/Landlord Office: Well in terms of the notice, the landlord is only required to
give 30 days notice if the tenant is renting on a month to month basis. If a tenant has a lease, then
the landlord is required to give that 120 day notice.

Chris Zimmerman, Board Member: OK, now clearly the landlord knew they wanted to do this for
sometime and were preparing to do it. Is it true that they were bringing in new tenants and signing
them to 12 month leases when it was clear that within that 12 month period they would be kicking
everyone out?

Renee Willis, Tenant/Landlord Office: We do, we actually have proof of that. Um, one of the
residents of Taylor Place um, did send in her lease so we received her lease that was just executed
February the 11th of this year and it’s a 12 month lease.

Chris Zimmerman, Board Member: So in February they signed somebody to a 12 month lease and
a few weeks later told everybody they were kicking them out in 120 days?

Renee Willis, Tenant/Landlord Office: And that’s just one example that we received, and that’s an actual example that we have and we do have that tenants lease.

Chris Zimmerman, Board Member: Is it also true, and I’ve heard that, people that have signed the leases and were then given the eviction notices are basically being put at a disadvantage if they want to leave sooner than that and are basically being held to the lease?

Renee Willis, Tenant/Landlord Office: That’s correct, that’s what we understand as well and we
had that conversation with the owners representative this week um, its our understanding that they,
um they want to …have a stream of income during the renovations

Chris Zimmerman, Board Member: "Oh, I understand their motivation. I don't think we need to struggle to understand their motivation. It's just their behavior I was interested in."

[After exchanges between Zimmerman and Willis and Tejada's comment re: letter] . . .

Vice Chair Barbara Favola: Thank you. I guess I just want to be very clear about what authority, if any, the county has in this situation. My understanding is that we're governed by state law and we don't have direct authority. But, if I am wrong, I would like to know what options, if any, the
county can bring to the table to help these tenants.

County Manager Ron Carlee: Yeah, The primary thing that we can do right now is serve in a negotiating way, as Miss Willis described, trying to persuade the owner to do what is right. We will explore any potential violations of any laws and provide any assistance that we can to help the people understand their rights in that regard. And we will also work hard to try to mitigate as much as we can, through our inspections, the impacts of the renovations that maybe going on and impacting people while they are living there. [Time stamp 01:19:34]

Vice Chair Barbara Favola: Well, I mean, in this case since we will be doing inspections, the owner
will have to file with us to get various building permits. I think we have to monitor this case in all levels throughout the county departments because I, for one am really. . . well, I'm angry and
disappointed that an owner in our community would choose to treat tenants this way [pause] who many may have been long time residents. This is.....there should be some sense of ethical behavior and fair treatment. [Time stamp 01:20:14]

And, I really find it very disturbing. So I want the county government to do everything we possibly can, legally and using moral persuasion, to help these tenants. I don't see a magical bullet here, but
I think there are some opportunities that the county has to intervene and intervene wisely on the tenants’ behalf. This is a situation that I think really does require our best effort. [Time stamp 01:20:44]

Walter Tejada, Board Chairman: Thank you to all of my colleagues for their words. We wish we
could wave a magic wand and make it all go away and make things right. Unfortunately, we live in
a property rights state, is what's said all the time, and where owners/landlords call the shots and
there's little, if anything, that is within tenants power or within our local government to be able to
help. It's not because we don't want to, believe me. I think if we in Arlington look back in history -
probably 1999 was a turning point where thousands of Arlingtonians were eradicated from the
Arna Valley complex neighborhood - that we began to look at our tenant [pause] pushes to tenant
compensation and relocation guidelines and helping as best as possible. We continue to do that and
it is frustrating because we do have limitations. We need to get legal authority to be able to act in
places where, by rights, as you heard in some of the discussion earlier, it takes place and it's even
less we can do then when someone want to get into what's called a site plan project and go on, and
so on. So we will continue to do the best we can. We have started to help before your coming this
morning. We are directing staff to continue to do that and as much as possible to stretch the limits
of our authority
in order to help you. [01: 22:13]
I want to thank all of the tenants. I want to thank Miss Shea, Miss Potter and everyone who came
this morning, we'll continue to work with you. And I particularly want to thank the Buyers and
Renters Arlington Voice, Miss Cari Palerm and everyone involved with that organization to try to
find some sort of relief to our tenant community. There are some things we are discussing such as
mandatory tenant compensation. It's not something that can happen lightly. We're having
discussions about it, it might not end up happening because of the cost -- something called dollars
that has to be put up and I'm not sure that we might be able to do that.
But we are evaluating our legal options and we wish you the best of luck. We will continue to work
to help you as much as we can.

Chris Zimmerman, Board Member: Mr. Chairman.

Walter Tejada, Board Chairman: Mr. Zimmerman

Chris Zimmerman, Board Member: Just a follow-up in terms of what we're taking away from this. I take it, but perhaps it should be made explicit, that The Board is asking that every means that is within our legal ability be used.

Walter Tejada, Board Chairman: Correct

Chris Zimmerman, Board Member: That manageable [pause] within whatever powers we have
that the Manager will pursue and will report to us. To the extent, you know, that some of the limits of our legal authority are identified and, you know, the tools we wish we had we should be thinking
about that in terms of our legislative package. It doesn't mean it would get through the General Assembly when we put something forward, but that shouldn't stop us from putting something forward.

Walter Tejada, Board Chairman: That's right.

Chris Zimmerman, Board Member: Using the opportunity to demonstrate the reason why such powers might be needed.
I also, Mr. Chairman, would be happy to see that we fulfill one request that we write a letter, presumably over your signature, to the relevant landlord. And I would add to that that I think given the nature of this case and what I do think is just an extraordinary example of unscrupulous behavior, such as I have not seen before, that we consider writing a letter also to the Apartment Owners Association. I think it should be brought to the attention of the brethren of this particular landlord and to others in the business community because, you know, I think this gives them all a bad name and, you know, they should know about that.

Walter Tejada, Board Chairman: At minimum, it is indeed unscrupulous behavior. I could call it something else but we're in prime time and we will leave it at that. We will do whatever we can to help and that's the bottom line. Thank you for coming this morning.

[Time Stamp 01:24:39] End of discussion regarding Taylor Place Apartments

MEETING WITH UDR, ARLINGTON COUNTY & TENNANTS, IN THE LOBBY OF TP AT 6:30 PM 4/24

2008-04-23T22:55:00.007-04:00

EVERYONE, PLEASE ATTEND THE MEETING TOMORROW, IN THE LOBBY AT 6:30 PM 4/24! We need to have all possible tennants there. You dont have to say anything if you wouldn't like to. But just having a large croud of tennants would be great.

Important Email I received from an attorney willing to help

2008-04-21T18:41:00.000-04:00

I’m an attorney with Legal Services of Northern Virginia, and a board member of BRAVO. I’ve been conducting outreach for Taylor Place tenants to help them deal with this whole situation. I understand that you’re the person to contact about getting things up on the blog. I would appreciate it if you could place my contact information on the site, so that people know to call us. We can represent anyone who qualifies for our services, and for those who do not qualify, we can at least provide advice and counsel. Everyone who has any questions at all should contact our office; we can, at very least, help them assess their options. There’s no charge, and we’re eager to help as many people as we can. People should call 703-532-3733, and mention that they are calling about Taylor Place. Thanks!

Matthew B. Novak

Staff Attorney
Legal Services of Northern Virginia
1916 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 200
Arlington, Virginia 22201
Phone: (703) 532-3733
Fax: (703) 778-1011

UDR: Opening doors to the future?

2008-04-19T20:38:00.008-04:00

UDR Properties in the METRO DC AREA: AVOID THEM AT ALL COST, AND SPREAD THE WORD!!!

1

Andover House
1200 14th Street NW Washington, District Of Columbia 20005 (866) 427-2581
Andover House has everything; Whole Foods, Studio Theater, coffee shops, restaurants and easy access to everything including a swimming pool.
Rent: $1,505-3,900 Bedrooms: Studio-2

2

Calvert
3110 Mount Vernon Avenue Alexandria, Virginia 22305 (866) 780-8157
Alexandrias most prestigious community! Several floor plans to choose from. Impressive views with wall-to-wall windows. Rooftop pool/fitness center.
Rent: $882-3,028 Bedrooms: Studio-2 Bathrooms: 1.00

3

Circle Towers
9335 Lee Highway Suite 100 Fairfax, Virginia 22031 (703) 273-9054
Come home to Circle Towers Apartments where we have an ATM, Bank, 2 restaurants, full service hair salon, market/deli, dental service, & more Rent: $1,172-3,000 Bedrooms: 1-3

4

Delancey at Shirlington Village
4220 Campbell Avenue Arlington, Virginia 22204 (703) 379-1886
A wide variety of floorplans including one, one and den, two bedrooms, lofts and penthouses. Offering three distinctive styles of apartment living.
Rent: $1,520-2,840 Bedrooms: Studio-1

5

Dominion Lake Ridge
3216 Bluff View Court Woodbridge, Virginia 22192 (866) 744-3009
Beautiful Woodridge apartment community! Vaulted ceilings and wood burning fireplaces. Full sized washer and dryers. Near Lake Ridge Park and Marina.
Rent: $1,193-2,069 Bedrooms: 1-2 Bathrooms: 1-2

6

Dominion Middle Ridge
12280 Creekview Circle Woodbridge, Virginia 22192 (866) 249-8541
The only community in Lake Ridge with a swimming pool! New appliances and wood cabinetry. Track lighting. 24-hour fitness center and tennis courts.
Rent: $1,009-2,515 Bedrooms: 1-3 Bathrooms: 1-2

7

Presidential Greens
3904 Executive Avenue Alexandria, Virginia 22305 (866) 230-2898
Upscale community near Washington D.C. and Alexandria! Versatile floor plans with modern appliances and natural light! Onsite laundry facilities.
Rent: $792-2,449 Bedrooms: 1-3 Bathrooms: 1-2

8

Ridgewood
4101 Postgate Terrace Silver Spring, Maryland 20906 (866) 757-0672
Gorgeous apartment community in Silver Spring! Intercom systems, washer and dryer, French doors. Newly remodeled fitness center, spacious clubhouse!
Rent: $1,194-2,227 Bedrooms: 1-2

9

Sullivan Place
5575 Vincent Gate Terrace Alexandria, Virginia 22312 (866) 841-4285
The Washington DC metro areas best studio, 1, 2, & 3 bedroom apartments for rent are waiting for you! Convenient location near Van Dorn Metro!
Rent: $1,334-2,594 Bedrooms: Studio-3 Bathrooms: 1-2

10

Taylor Place
4301 Columbia Pike Arlington, Virginia 22204 (866) 649-8110
Small community with convenient access to Arlingtons attractions! Stackable washers and dryers. Modern appliances. Large outdoor swimming pool!
Rent: $993-2,153 Bedrooms: Studio-3 Bathrooms: 1-2

11

Waterside Towers
907 6th Street SW Washington, District Of Columbia 20024 (866) 742-3423
Washington D.C.s most prestigious community! Incredible city views! French doors and alarms. Two swimming pools, onsite health club, and concierge.
Rent: $958-2,550 Bedrooms: Studio-4 Bathrooms: 1-2

12

Wellington Place at Olde Town
10303 7th Regiment Drive Manassas, Virginia 20110 (866) 418-4688
Quaint small town apartment community! Vaulted ceilings. Fireplaces. Balconies and patios with extra storage! Close to antique shopping in Manassas!
Rent: $999-1,825 Bedrooms: Studio-3 Bathrooms: 1-3

ATTEND THE ARLINGTON COUNTY BOARD MEETING TOMORROW!

2008-04-18T22:26:00.013-04:00

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE ARLINGTON COUNTY 4/19 BOARD MEETING. Available NOW
Ok, so tomorrow Saturday the 19th is the Arlington County Board Meeting. All of us need to attend to show the board how big an issue this is in our county. The more residents that are present, the more results we are likely to get. I plan on bringing signs expressing our rights to be treated fair decent and reasonable by UDR. Clearly UDR abuses their tenants and the Arlington County Board needs to know how badly we are being treated. Also, I urge everyone to tell your experience about UDR’s unethical practices to everyone you can so that others avoid renting from them, thus avoiding the mess UDR has put us through. I look forward to a large turnout tomorrow!
J. Walter Tejada, Chairman, Remarks For Organizational Meeting January 1, 2008 (see his remarks about housing in Arlington County): CLICK BELOW:

Tejada Remarks

UDR/Taylor Place: A Shocking Ad I discovered online

2008-04-12T09:14:00.009-04:00

To Read Or Post Comments, Click here: comments

Folks, this entire situation just seems to get better and better. As you will see on teant.com (posted below) Taylor Place placed a plethora of ads for apartment rentals after the eviction notices went out to residents:

http://www.google.com/search?q=taylor+place+arlington&hl=en&client=firefox-a&channel=s&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&start=30&sa=N

They even had the gaul to state “Taylor Place has completed its renovation, including new hallways, lighting, fitness center, and pool furniture.”

Please comment on this blog and tell your personal situations where UDR/TP has treated you. On Monday, I will be sending peoples experiences with UDR to Senator Jim Webb. I have a friend that personally knows him and worked on his campagin when he was elected. Maybe a call to UDR from a U.S. Senator or one of his staffers, urging UDR to treat us fairly would get their attention.

How can the state of Virginia allow this? How can the Federal Government allow this? The way I see it, this is fraud. UDR has defrauded us (especially those who signed a lease, paid the $350 move-in fee, moved in, and a week later received an eviction notice). I don’t see how our federal, state and local representatives are allowing this. To me its common sense: the government (at any level) should investigate all aspects about this renovation and the way they are handling it. And I’m not only talking about the evictions, they need to look at the way the shotty construction is being handled. Where is Arlington County when the citizens need them the most?

There seems to be no end to this company's LIES! Just take a look at what I found on this website:

http://tenant.com/839578

Listed/Edited on: Sun Mar 16, 2008
The Plan A1C floor plan ranges from 1199.00 to 1199.00 per month.

Floor Plan Description: Taylor Place has completed its renovation, including new hallways, lighting, fitness center, and pool furniture. Our lobby, offices, party facility, and landscaping are also updated. Wall to wall carpeting is available. Come home to Arlingtons most convenient apartment community Taylor Place is easily located off exit 8, less than two miles from I395. Were just a block away from the local grocery store and pharmacy, and minutes from downtown Washington D.C. Ballston Commons Shopping Mall is only five miles from our pleasant community, and the local bus stops right at our front door on its route to Ballston Metro Station and Pentagon City Statio
Share This Listing: http://839578.tenant.com/ OR http://tenant.com/839578
Listed/Edited on: Sun Mar 16, 2008
City: Arlington Monthly Rent: $1199 Listing ID: 839578
http://tenant.com/click.php?propID=839578&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cityleases.com%2FSpider%2FSupplyDetails_adv.asp%3Fsource%3D10359%26SupplyId%3D846499

A UDR PROPERTY IS THE LAST PLACE ON EARTH TO MOVE!

2008-04-10T18:34:00.002-04:00

Very good post from apartmentratings.com:

http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/VA-Arlington-Taylor-Place-753923.html

If you would like dishonest, money-raping property managers, by all means move to Taylor Place when they complete construction. I have lived here for 4 years and the fact of the matter is there has been numerous turnovers in the property management office. The current manager, Slyvia Scott is a waste of space and oxygen. She knows nothing about management and construction and has been pointless in this AWFUL transition. I enjoyed living here the last 4 years, the location is great the apartments are large and while the building was old and had it's quirks the maintenance staff was responsive (The head of maintenance has recently left for a different property). The rehab has been on the table since Spring of last year. They knew as late as last July that they intended to conduct an interior gut rehab. I have yet to receive a proper communication on letterhead about their plans and between the woman from Richmond and the latest 'project manager' on site the District Director hides behind what is an abuse of the residents. UDR had no qualms with re-signing tenants to year long leases as recent as 4 weeks prior to serving notice of construction. I received notice to vacate the second week of March and was informed that my 'buyout' incentive week was to be moved by April 25th. I was explicit in my questions about when construction was going to begin (I am on the 7th floor) and have a young child. I was told that construction would not begin before the 25th. Well needless to say, on Monday they started to gut the apartments around mine. It is unbearable, dangerous and infuriating. I am pondering an op ed piece to the Washington Post about this. When the rehab is done my apartment will rent for $2,200 a month, I currently pay $1,430. Needless to say UDR banked on the fact that 1) tenants wouldn't know their rights, 2) Virginia is a landlord friendly state and 3) that by providing no real time to make an informed decision people would be forced out quickly. It's appalling. It is a company laced in dishonest undermining practices. United Dominion -- www.udr.com This is not a management company you want to rent from!

Taylor Place: A Virtual Prison!

2008-04-10T00:07:00.005-04:00

So here we are, residents of Taylor place virtually imprisoned by "the management" (aka The Element). Construction has started already, and many of us are forced to live with the unbearable noise, mistakes causing water outages, and gosh knows what else.

The one thing that really gets me is how all of us are told by management that we are not allowed to vacate our apartments until the move out date they stated in our letter. Several of us have asked if we can move as soon as we find a place (say, a month or more before the date they have mandated) and we are told that moving out early is considered breaking the lease (along with an enormous penalty for not living up to the contract we signed....ohh and of course no buy out payment and forget about getting the deposit back). Forget the fact that they have put us on notice to vacate before our leases expire. And never mind that they are breaking their contract with us (you know, the papers we signed stating we have a one year lease to occupy the apartment they talked us into moving to)! One would think that since Taylor Place claims: "our residents are very important to us", they would release those who find a new home and allow us to move out. Instead, they have opted to squeeze every penny from us until the very last moment.

The Virtual Prison is not a very fun place. With senior citizens living here and having to endure the VERY LOUD noise of construction (not to mention all the woopsies committed by the construction crew which have caused water and power outages for some apartments.

Yep ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the new Taylor Place: A VIRTUAL PRISON!!

Welcome home to Taylor Place!

CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT: Taylor Place Residents (plaintiffs)

2008-04-08T20:56:00.003-04:00

CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT:

Taylor Place Residents (Plaintiffs)

Vs

Taylor Place Apartments, (UDR), or formerly operating as United Dominion Realty Trust. (Defendants)

Residents have recently banded together along with their Arlington County Attorneys to take action on Taylor Places' disregard for the law. More importantly we come together for the place many of us have called home for years, those of us who were lied to when we signed a one year lease, only to find out most of what we were told were lies and most importantly: UDR/Taylor Places' lack of respect for the residents' they claim to care about.

So far, from what has been uncovered by private investigators, the upcoming lawsuits against Taylor Place (UDR) are far more expansive than we had initially expected.

Taylor Place has not followed the laws of Virginia and ARLINGTON COUNTY.

Anyone interested may join us, and if we get enough people, this case could reach class action status after investigations are complete, and the case is filed with the courts.

Below are just a few laws/county ordinances that Taylor has wilfully, knowingly, and blatantly ignored. Wilful noncompliance has already been uncovered at this juncture:

1. Rental buildings that are undergoing renovation, demolition or conversion to another use:

Owners/developers seeking county funding or site plan approval to redevelop a site are expected to: complete a tenant survey and develop a relocation plan that is reviewed at a public meeting by the Tenant-Landlord Commission. It is expected that the owner/developer will communicate with tenants regarding plans for the property, provide assistance finding a new unit and provide a relocation payment based on the size of the unit in which the tenant resides.

2. Owners or developers must provide a relocation payment based on the size of the unit in which the tenant resides.

Efficiency furnished $260, unfurnished $500;
One bedroom furnished $295, unfurnished $600;
Two bedrooms furnished $330, unfurnished $700;
Three bedrooms furnished $365, unfurnished $800;

3. Owners/developers must provide tenants the state- required 120 day notice to vacate.

ANYONE INTERESTED IN THIS POTENTIAL CLASS ACTION PLEASE CALL (786) 693-5714 FOR MORE INFORMATION.

ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDING SERVICES in Arlington, County

2008-03-22T13:43:00.001-04:00

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If anyone is still checking information posted in this blog I thought I would provide resources residents have at their disposal since many of us are sort of in limbo as far as housing goes. Taylor Place/UDR somehow believes they can get away with their unethical (or better said unlawful) practices. Check out the following county offices that can assist in this situation. In my case, I don’t care what UDR does now, I will leave as soon as my lease is up.

Clerk of Court ............... ... ..703-228-4590
Code Enforcement ....... ........…703-228-3232
Human Rights................... ...703-228-3929
Housing Grants Program ....…703-228-1350
Tenant-Landlord Office..... ....... 703-228-3765

Citizens Assistance and Information...........703-228-3000

This is the County's central information and referral service. It handles
questions about any problem and makes referrals as needed to other
County offices and to community agencies.

OTHER ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDING SERVICES

Joint Armed Forces Housing Referral Office.....703-696-3557

The Housing Liaison Section at Fort Myer handles housing problems
encountered by military personnel.

Lawyer Referral.................................703-228-3390

The Arlington County Bar Association maintains this free service that
provides names of lawyers specializing in various problem areas. The first
meeting with a lawyer on their list is covered by a small fee.

Legal Services of Northern Virginia............703-532-3733

The Arlington Legal Aid Society offers free legal help to persons with
limited incomes.

NVFS Housing Counseling Program...............703-769-4600

The Housing Counseling Program assists tenants to remain in their
current housing or to find permanent housing.

NVFS Multi-Cultural Program....................703-533-9727

This program, operated by Northern Virginia Family Service, provides
counseling and social services for refugees and coordinates with other
agencies doing similar work.

Spanish-Speaking Committee of Virginia.........703-243-3033

This office serves as a resource center for Spanish-speaking persons. It
makes appropriate referrals, provides interpreters if needed, and
publishes a free monthly newspaper.

Taylor Place was already Trashed: apartmentratings.com

2008-03-15T23:27:00.006-04:00

http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/VA-Arlington-Taylor-Place.html

More comments comments (as people are waking up to see the real Taylor Place, we are seeing more telling there experiences)

1. Avoid this place like the plague!
From: mocabby16@aol.com Date posted: 3/13/2008 Years at this apartment: 2004 - 2008

I've lived in Taylor place apt for over four years and I must admit, at first everything was great. A great location, love the neighborhood, great price...but once I moved in everything changed!Don't expect any consistency when it comes to staff management. The staff turnover here changes so much that I've seen a complete staff change more than five times! Also, don't relay on them to tell you the truth about what is going on with the apartment. My fiancé and I asked them point blank if the building planned to do any apartment renovations and instead of letting us know there future plans, they had us sign a year contract only to tell us three months later that we need to move out on May 4 (55 days) because of renovations! The law states that the apartment must give you 120 days notice to vacate for renovations, which Taylor place offered...but said it would be beneficial for us to leave in May because that is when they will be starting the renovation process. Nevermind that I have a school age child that lives in the apt that attends school locally or all the elderly people who had lived there for 20 years.When I first moved in, the office manager told us that we may see a few bugs because when they were putting in the new appliances, that may have rattled some them up, but what he really meant was that our apartment would be infested with roaches. No matter how clean we kept the apt, it took us nearly a year of people coming in every week for the problem to go away. Expect to pay high cable/internet services only to have sub par service due to outdated wiring in the building.Also, avoid taking the stairwells if at all possible, or be ready to dodge human/dog urine, trash bags and the occasional pile of vomit. It also doesn't do much to alert staff as it will be sure to remain there for another couple of days. This also applies to the grounds. Don't be surprised to see glass and trash in the parking lot for days after reports were made to clean up. Also, the freight elevator seems to always be conveniently not working.Now I know you are probably wondering why I stayed in an apartment for over four years if this is what it was like. I will say that the apartment I was in was very nice and I loved the location, but my overall experience with Taylor place was not worth it! As much money as I had to pay to live here...I could have stayed somewhere else. I advise anyone who is considering to move here to keep in mind all that I have said b/c I would hate for you to have the experiences I had.

2. NOT FAMILY FRIENDLY, LACK INTEGRITY
From: kris.muten@hotmail.com Date posted: 3/13/2008 Years at this apartment: 2006 - 2008

After spending a year in which we were content with our 2 bdrm 1.5 bath apartment on the 6th floor my fiance, 6yr old son and I decided to sign a second 1 year lease with Taylor Place. Prior to this there were rumors of a large renovation being planned, while signing the new lease we specificaly inquired about these rumors and were assured they were false. Currently we are 3 months into the new lease and have just been informed that our entire floor will have our leases terminated in 120 days with a buy out of $750 if we can vacate in a 7 day window between APR 27 - MAY 4 otherwise no compensation is offered and if the apartment is vacated prior to APR 27 penalties would be levied against us. Taylor place also in formed us while we have till june to vacate they would begin construction May 4 and we would have to deal with the noise and other problems that coincide with an interior constuction project (Great enviroment for a 6yr old and again no compensation). After numerous attempts to contact the property manager I have still not received a reply from her regarding questions I submited 72 hours ago, I was contacted instead by an employee of UDR (owners of Taylor Place) who they brought up temporarily from Richmond to assist residents, I had to explain to her why relocating to other UDR properties in Woodbridge and southwest DC was not possible due to the fact that my son attends school in Arlington, the only response she had was that she was not familiar with the area. The only other complaint I have with this property was an incident where my car was broken into. My car was broken into in the Taylor Place parking lot (not to uncommen in this neighborhood), when speaking to the police officer who was investigating I was informed that they had been to the parking lot multiple times earlier in the week for the same reason, Taylor Place made no effort to warn residents that our parking lot was being targeted. After the theft I asked the desk manager why the night manager did not walk the parking lot at least once a night so they could notify us if our windows were smashed out, I was told they would not do this because some night staff were females and were scared to be outside at night.In conclusion, the apartments are not bad although the broadband signal is weak, had managment made any effort to help ease transition of residents they were evicting as opposed to making sure apartments were filled till the last possible day I would be a little more positive in my review. UDR properties value one extra weeks rent over the wellbeing of families with children. I stand by everything stated in this review and can be contacted at kris.muten@hotmail.com if any further information is needed.

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Taylor Place kicking out their residents

2008-03-15T19:19:00.005-04:00

As most of Taylor Place Residents already know, the building manager (Ms. Eva Braun) and her cronies are lying to us. We are all being kicked out and some of us are not even being notified. So far, I know of one resident who signed a lease, and then a few days later was sent a notice to vacate due to "building renovations". This is unacceptable!! I urge all residents of Taylor Place to contact the management office and ask the questions that they are unwilling to answer. I would also encourage everyone to complain to the county. Arlington County has laws that govern how Residential Communities who are in a contract (lease) with residents can act. In my case, I am under a 12 month lease and have been told I have to leave BEFORE the lease expires. Check out this arlington county website:

Arlington, VA Tenant Landlord Handbook

http://www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/CPHD/Documents/1551tl_handbook.pdf

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comments

If anyone hasnt seen the letter that residents are receiving, here is a copy for your information:

Taylor Place
4301 Columbia Pike
Arlington, Virginia 22204

March 13, 2008
Undisclosed Name
4301 Columbia Pike Apt ###
Arlington, Virginia 22204

Dear XXX,

We would like to take the time to thank you for being such a valued resident here at
Taylor Place. As you may have already heard, our company has decided to perform a
major renovation of Taylor Place. These renovations include dramatic updates being
made to the interiors of each apartment home. Construction will be expansive and will
require the apartment homes to be vacant during the construction. We have received a
tentative construction schedule that involves construction starting on your home during
the month of “Month” 2008.
If you can accommodate this schedule and move out on “MM/DD/YYYY” we are prepared to offer a buy out payment to assist with your moving expenses. This buy out payment would be paid to you upon return of your keys so that it could be put towards paying a moving company, monies due for your new home, or to be used as you wish. We would also promptly process your deposit refund (if you have a deposit being held) and have it sent you your new address shortly after the return of your keys.
Our company has several communities in the area that are prepared to assist you in
finding a new home. Due to the inconvenience, we would waive all application,
reservation, andlor administration fees. You are not obligated to move to another UDR
community, but we would love the opportunity to reserve a new home for you at one of
our sister communities. If you are not willing to accept our offer to vacate your apartment home on “MM/DD/YYYY”, we will proceed with scheduled construction around your apartment home. Construction can be noisy and we feel as though vacating your apartment now and taking advantage, not only of the waived move in fees, but also the buy out option may be beneficial to you. Persuant to VA Code 55-222 a tennancy may be terminated to perform rehabilation on the appartment. If you do not wish to accept the buy out agreement listed above, this letter officially serves as 120 days notice to terminate your lease on “MM/DD/YYYY” with no buy out payment. The termination of your lease still requires you to remove all belongings from the home and leave the apartment home in an acceptable condition. You will not be required to clean all appliances and flooring, but will be required to remove all trash from the home. If you have painted accent walls in your home or put up wall paper or border, this will need to be removed or primed over before vacating.

It is imperative that we speak with you regarding your options no later than “MM/DD/YYYY” (personal note: residents are given just days to respond). Please contact us directly at 1-703-920-3660 and ask to speak with myself or Beth.
If you prefer to contact us by e-mail, please direct your questions to Sylvia at
sscott@,udr.com or Beth at bkeller@udr.com. We are eager to speak with you and assure
you that we will do our very best to make this transition as smooth as possible.
Many residents are eager to see the finished product so that they can reserve one of the
new apartment homes. We would love to speak with you about these renovations and see
if you are interested in being added to this waiting list in the near future. Our residents
are very important to us and we see these renovations as a way to take Taylor Place to the
next level in terms of fine living. We hope that you are excited about the future of Taylor
Place and hope that you will return once renovations are completed.
Sincerely,
Sylvia Scott
Community Director