I've lived at Kanso SS for almost 1.5 years and love it here. The location is unbeatable — a 5-minute walk from the Silver Spring metro, bus bay, and downtown. I have plenty of space and ample natural lighting in my apartment. I appreciate the gym space downstairs and package room/Amazon lockers for deliveries. Management is easy to reach and helpful, though I have only needed to contact them less than a handful of times. I highly recommend this apartment complex if you are looking for the best bang for your buck in the DMV area.
Maintenance staff is so responsive (flat out amazing).We very rarely ever hear anyone that lives next to or above us. Our neighbors are great and we have made so many friends while living here!
We couldn't ask for a better location while maintaining proximity to the city. But again, I really have to shout out the maintenance staff for how hard they work and how friendly and responsive they are!
This a great apartment building. Well maintained. The maintenance staff are very effective. All the staff are very professional and friendly. They are open to listening to our needs and concerns.

Frédérique Abate
Apr 15, 2024
I lived at Kanso Silver Spring for 2 years and I really liked living here! I only left because I relocated closer to my job, otherwise I would've renewed my lease again.
Pros:
Overall living here was very peaceful to me. My neighbors were quiet - I hardly ever heard them - and the building wasn't super busy. When I would use amenities like the gym, regardless of time of day, I was almost always alone there. The building is on a side street, so there's no traffic driving by, only the people who live there.
You can't beat the location for the price. This building advertises itself as "luxury" but the appliances aren't super updated and the interior of the apartments are nothing to brag about. But it's all very standard and does the job. However as mentioned, the location is great. You're a 5 minute walk to the metro and a ton of restaurants, etc.
Cons:
You have to pay for parking. When I was moving in, I knew that would be the case, but I couldn't figure out how much it would be. When I was there (2021 & 2022), I paid $160/month - it never changed over 2 years. I had an optimal spot, so I paid a bit more. I believe some paid as low as $130/month. It's a really annoying payment, but in the Downtown Silver Spring area it's normal.
The lock situation. So many other reviews mention this, but for me it's sort of a lukewarm con. It is nice that when they switched from physical keys to an app, I didn't have to carry around 2 fobs and a key anymore, but I was always afraid my phone would die or I'd forget my phone and I'd get locked out. I lived alone, so that would be really annoying to deal with had it happened.
Misc:
In my 2 years of living there, I never once saw a cockroach or any other bug/pest.
My lease renewal rate was neither good nor bad, just standard. I was never blindsided with a 20% increase, but management was never so generous as to move it up a hardly noticeable incremental amount.

We moved in this week to Kanso Silver Spring. The application and move in process was excellent. The staff at Avalon corporate leasing office and in the building in Silver Spring were responsive and timely in answering questions about the application process and move in scheduling. When we arrived, we got our keys with no delays and an elevator was blocked off for our movers to use. All handled very well by front office staff.
The apartment was move in ready in terms of being clean and there were no issues with doors, blinds, carpet etc. The dryer did not seem to be venting properly, but that issue was addressed immediately by Sergio in maintenance. So far, the building common areas are very clean and organized.
In our apartment, we don't hear neighboors through the walls or anything like that. Occassionally hear someone in the hallyway. Very quiet at night. We are in a top floor, corner unit, so this could be a factor in terms of not hearing others.
We are very happy we chose this complex.
Adding an update to my review. We have now lived here for almost six months and are still very happy and satisfied with the complex. We even had two issues.
One was a billing issue that was the fault of the electric company Pepco not us or Kanso. It took some time to sort out. The office staff on site and at the main office for Avalon Bay were super responsive and made sure the issue was resovled. Their follow up was great.
The second was a leaky pipe under the sink. It took some time to figure out because water is hard to track. The maintance staff responded immediately and provided a drying fan and dehumidifier to be sure we got all the moisture taken care of. The workers who fixed the pipe were very careful and made no mess. Stuff happens- we were very impressed with the fast service and resolution of the issue. Sergio, head of maintenance also checked in on us regularly during the process.
We still highly recommend Kanso.
Updated May 24
Wanted to add another update to my review. We decided to move out of Kanso because we wanted a bit more room and a balcony. We enjoyed living at Kanso for the 2.5 years we were there.
Building was always well maintained and clean. Great service team for any issue- very responsive.
We had an easy and drama free move out process. Avalon Bay managment was responsive and very clear about procedures. No surprise hidden fees or charges.
Still highly recommend this complex.

Cindy Sanders
Nov 06, 2021
Kelly, the Property Manager at Kanso Silver Spring, and her team were incredibly helpful throughout my stay and move-out process. Additionally, the maintenance staff was always so responsive to my service requests and resolved issues promptly. Kelly and her staff truly go above and beyond to ensure residents have a great experience. Highly recommend!
I would definitely recommend Kanso. I did research on a bunch of different downtown Silver Spring apartments and this was one of the best ones I could find for the following reasons:
- The location can't be beat- I do not hear loud traffic noise (despite being in the middle of downtown) and Kanso is steps away from the metro and restaurants
- The apartment is clean! I have read many reviews from other apartments of issues with infestations and bugs but I have not experienced that here and the hallways do not smell either! My friend has told me it feels like a hotel when you walk in the door.
- While there are not tons of amenities, there is a nice gym, outdoor grill area, and clubroom
- It is easy to get in and out of my apartment using my personalized key pin and Mobile app that unlocks the door-- and the building feels secure and safe
- Maintenance is quick to respond to my concerns and all of the leasing staff members are super friendly
Overall a very nice and simple apartment that feels like home!

This is by far the nicest building we've ever lived it. Mary in the management office is outstanding! Kind, personable, efficient, she went out of her way all the time to help us, even feeding our parking meter for us once! The application process was smoother and faster than anywhere we've lived! And the price was better than some "affordable" unpleasant places nearby. The building is kept in immaculate condition by two very friendly and hard-working young women who are up at the crack of dawn making everything spotless. And I've never seen a maintenance crew like the two men at the Portico. If we put in a service request before going to bed, it was completed first thing in the morning. Without question, the best run building I've ever lived in. Finally, the floor plan for our two-bedroom unit was perfect. Great open feeling with lots of light and excellent use of space. When I see people walking around downtown Silver Spring with fliers and folders from apartments, I go up to them (complete strangers) and tell them that they should visit the Portico. It's a great place :)

Floyd Starnes
Nov 01, 2015