Elysium Fourteen

Reviews

• KF

  Kevin Flores

  2 days ago
  1.0
  Lived in Elysium in 2024 and moved out around the time of the switch over to new management. There were several aspects of my stay here that were shady and deceitful on the part of the building management that I've never encountered in any other rental complex since. 1) HVAC suddenly went out, and was not restored for 2 whole months. This was during the sweltering Spring-summer months. Condensation was literally forming on the ceilings. No explanation, apologies or concessions offered for this 2 month outage. Residents were outraged. 2) Move in was rocky. It took some back-and-forth for management to finally upload the official lease to sign. Management relied on lots of verbal promises, and telephone conversations. Seemed to avoid putting things in writing. When move-in time finally did come, the concierge helping us was very rude and aggressive. The elevator was not reserved and she was surprised that it needed to be for move in. 3) I moved in under a "Lease Transfer", taking over an apartment from a previous tenant. But I was deceived and surprise bills from the balance the "previous" tenant left on the apartment. Management was unyielding, brash, and claimed "tough luck" and basically told me "it's your fault now". Generally unfriendly, rude management. 4) The condition of the apartment when I took over was subpar. Very dirty. No effort made to clean the apartment before turning it over to me. The kitchen faucet was broken. Broken cabinet doors. Rust in the kitchen. Toilet was leaking. Microwave made loud static discharges and electrical current sounds. Maintenance tickets were entered for these. The "Maintenance" guy, which there is only 1 for the whole complex, is not a dedicated or trained maintenance worker but just an ancillary staff who also gives prospective residents tours. Each time he just comes in, dismisses or downplays the issue, never fixing anything. 5) Package locker suddenly went "offline" 2 months into my stay, never to come back online for the remainder of my stay. All of our packages were left out in the open for anyone to take, unsecured, sometimes even left on the busy 14th street sidewalk. 6) The lower level which includes a small gym area smells strongly of mildew/sewage. 7) Trash with rats piling out of the rear building exit, blocking the exit. 8) Water pressure fluctuated a lot and hot water was regularly unavailable to my apartment during certain times of the day. We are told the water and sewage utilities are metered collectively and basically run on the same pipes to everyone on the floor (a major con is the ratio utility billing system). The Elysium taught me lessons. It has become my guide on red flags to look for in a property. I sincerely never encountered experiences like this in any other properties I've rented in the DMV.
• BP

  Bella Perez

  Dec 7, 2025
  1.0
  One star as there’s no option for 0 Stars. The issues that plague this building are endless. The shady utilities being inflated by the newly opened restaurant downstairs is just the beginning. Management swore it had nothing to do with the restaurant when hvac doubled and tried to blame increase in rates. Then when pressured admitted they had no separate meter and it was Wonder’s fault. No explanation of how these are calculated has been provided even after requesting it. Constant issues with the water pressure and hvac. Back entrance is constantly blocked by restaurants trash and the rat problem has increased since this is happening on the back of the building. Apparently, Kettler refuses to pay for the locker system in the basement and now we have to sort through boxes to find our mail like putting an extra shift for USPS. We lost our concierge service since the new management took over as there’s never someone at the desk and rarely ever someone at the leasing office. No matter how many emails you send they will never respond, it feels like they just don’t care and it’s frustrating given the premium price of the building. Honestly, if you can help it stay away.
• DJ

  Dan Johnson

  Oct 4, 2025
  1.0
  Kettler management has provided terrible service. Would not recommend given the high cost and low quality of maintenance and customer service. I moved in July 2024 under Bell Partners management and the experience for me was excellent - responsive maintenance, professional and timely communication, well-maintained building. I happily recommended E14 to friends and colleagues. Since Kettler assumed management in May 2025, service quality has collapsed completely. Habitability Issues: • HVAC system fails repeatedly (reported 6+ times over 5 months) - unit reaches 78-80°F despite multiple maintenance visits • Water pressure severely degraded since first-floor renovation - no timeline for resolution after months of complaints • In-unit washing machine drainage issues unresolved after multiple reports • Call box non-functional for nearly 2 weeks Security & Professional Concerns: • Unresponsive to security accommodation requests (important for many DC professionals) • Proposed lease renewal included invasive addendum granting rights to use tenant likeness/image for advertisements • Building manager is rarely present and, when available, has been rude when approached about these issues The Impact: Under Bell Partners, I actively referred friends to this building. Since Kettler took over, 3 separate friends moved to DC and were interested in living here. After seeing these issues firsthand, all three chose other buildings. That speaks volumes. Administrative Dysfunction: • Lease renewal delayed 2.5 months despite multiple requests beginning in May Not Worth the Premium Cost: This is one of the higher-cost buildings in the area, but Kettler's management provides nowhere near the quality of service that price point should command. We're long past the "management transition period" excuse for any of this. The building itself is beautiful and well-located, but current management cannot maintain basic standards or accommodate reasonable tenant needs. Update: I'll update this review if management addresses these longstanding issues.
• JD

  Josh Dolin

  Mar 7, 2021
  5.0
  The leasing agent, Sam, is so wonderful! This was my favorite apartment to tour on 14th St. I haven't lived in this property, but it is beautiful and at a great location.
• GL

  Grayden Lichter

  Jul 16, 2020
  1.0
  By far the worst experience I have had in dealing with an apartment community. I don’t even know where to begin. I had applied for an apartment after calling the leasing agent, did a virtual tour, and decided to submit an application. The unit was available at the end of July. After finding out I got approved for the apartment AND SIGNED THE LEASE, I get a phone call from Elysium less than 3 weeks from my scheduled move in stating that the current residents decided not to move out and therefore voiding my lease telling me I am unable to move into this unit. This is after telling my current residence that I will be moving out and giving them my notice to vacate. Apparently giving notice here to vacate doesn’t mean anything to these people as they will twist their story in any way, thus screwing you over. They then offered another similar unit but at a different price. However, they were not willing to offer the same price after putting me through this nightmare. I strongly considered doing this as I was going to be homeless just a couple of weeks. After inquiring about that unit, they tell me the current resident wants to extend their rent for another month and could not guarantee this wouldn’t keep happening. Long story short, DO NOT MOVE HERE. They are shady people and will never tell you the truth until it is too late.