Chatel Real Estate
reviews and complaints

I'm a tenant of one of the properties Chatel manages. I got some complaints 'bout the livability stuff, and they ain't fixed 'em fast enough. I'll send ya some pics of my convos with the property manager, and also some recent pics of another problem that ain't been fixed yet (the back of the building is all flooded with like 5 inches of liquid that smells like sewage, and it keeps gettin' worse).

Two years ago, my landlord moved abroad and transferred management of his property over to Chatel Real Estate. To say that the experience since has been unpleasant would be an understatement. I first brought to Chatel's attention an issue with the air conditioning in my unit during a Sunday evening in the fall of 2019. The emergency heat had gotten stuck on, even though it was not set to emergency heat. The temperature in my apartment skyrocketed- the air coming out of the vents was hundreds of degrees. Chatel was unconcerned. Their managers informed me that they only had an obligation to keep the apartment ABOVE a certain temperature in the fall, and if it was heat, even if it was hundreds of degrees, it wasn't considered an emergent, or even urgent situation. I articulated that it was so hot, I was actively worried about a fire and that I was considering calling the fire department. It was only after repeated, challenging conversations with threats of a lawsuit from me that the Chatel team reluctantly agreed to a) send a technician out to the unit and b) provide a window unit to bring down the temperature in the apartment. In late-July this summer, (7/26 to be exact) I reached out again. Though it wasn't manifesting exactly the same way, something was wrong with the AC and the air coming out was hotter than it was supposed to be. The temperatures in my apartment skyrocketed again, in violation of my tenant rights. They didnt send someone out until the next day (24+ hours later) to address the issue. No work was done to the A/C unit. I recently traveled out of town for the Labor Day holiday, and while I was gone, I had my unit set to 74 degrees (perpetual hold) and AUTO. On 9/1 a replacement freezer was installed in my unit without me being home (despite Chatel being made aware of my travel and my request to have this install done while I was present). While I was traveling, I had a medical emergency that included an internal hemorrhage that resulted in emergency abdominal surgery, a broken foot, and a hospital stay. This delayed my return to the unit, meaning since 9/1 when the freezer was installed no one other than Chatel staff members have been in my apartment (it seems a Chatel staff member entered my unit to take photos for a rental listing- I don't know what date she entered my unit, but I was not notified, and it was after the freezer install as can be noted by new freezer in unit photos. When I returned to my unit on 9/11 around 9 pm, after discharge from the hospital and the trip back to DC, the unit was so hot I had to use a shirt to open the door because I couldn't touch the door knob with my bare hand. The thermostat read that the unit temperature was 115 degrees fahrenheit. The temperature outside had a high of 75 degrees at 9 pm on 9/11, so the temperature in my unit was 40 degrees higher than outside, and 55 degrees higher than is allowed under the DC tenant bill of rights. I immediately called the emergency number provided. The first call came to Chatel at 8:59 pm. I received a call back at 9:05 pm from the Chatel on call manager. He told me he would look into it and call me back. Despite repeatedly calling for an update on what steps were being taken to resolve this emergent issue, I did not get an update until 9:40. Over forty minutes since my initial call. The repairman deployed to my unit reached out at 9:41 and informed me that he wouldn't be able to arrive at my unit until close to midnight. I told him to come and that I would work with Chatel to find someone to meet him at the unit. I then tried repeatedly to get a hold of Chatel, but was unable to do so until 10:00 pm- 20 minutes after my conversation with the AC repair man. I had already informed Chatel that I was post-surgery, but reminded them again and informed them that someone from Chatel needed to come to the unit and meet the AC repair man. I also informed them that I wanted to speak to Chatel leadership (Lou Constanza). I was informed me that they would work on having someone come meet the repair man and reach out about connecting with me and call me back. At 10:13 pm I finally got ahold of Chatel again (I had to call them) and was informed me of the following: That Chatel team had spoken and decided my situation was not emergent or urgent. That Chatel had decided they would not be sending someone to meet the repair man and that if I chose to leave to go to a hotel for safety and health reasons the emergency repair would be canceled. That Chatel leadership refused to speak to me, because it was felt that my situation was not urgent and therefore not worth their involvement. That Chatel would not provide a portable/temporary AC unit to the apartment to help lower the temperature in the unit because they did not feel the situation was serious enough. When the AC repair man arrived at midnight, after we'd been able to force the heat off and had opened all windows and doors, the temperature in my unit was 90 degrees (still 30 degrees higher than is allowed under DC law). The repair man articulated surprise at the temperature in the unit, informing me that he had been informed by Chatel that you all decided I was being dishonest about the emergent nature of the issue. The temperature in my unit wasn't a recent development- it's clearly been that way since Chatel's most recent visit, as indicated by my utility bill and the state of my apartment: wine bottles have exploded, the liquids in my pantry have all evaporated, the candles in my unit have melted, some of my art has melted off my walls, and my plants have all died and many of my electronics are not working. I tried the cell number listed on Chatel's website for leadership (), where they claim to be "easily accessible"- I'm not sure if this number is real, but given the lack of a voicemail, I am assuming it is not. Last night Chatel showed a knowing and willful disregard for my health and safety, and frankly the safety of all other tenants in the building, as I repeatedly articulated my worry that this was a fire hazard and their team refused to acknowledge or address my concerns. Chatel was entrusted to manage this unit by the owner for me as the tenant, and yet you have also have repeatedly violated my rights under the DC Tenant Bill of Rights Sections 6 (14 DCMR §§ 106; 301; & 400-999), 9 (D.C. Official Code § 42-3505.02), 10 (D.C. Official Code § 2-1401.01 et seq.). I'm not sure if it was felt that because I've given my formal notice to vacate (primarily because living in a unit managed by Chatel is no longer safe or sustainable), they felt that they could operate above the law and threaten my health and safety to minimize their inconvenience. They have refused to communicate with me and no plan to address this issue has been provided to me, nor have I heard from any member of their team since this emergency occurred.