The Reserve at Forest Hills

Current Resident 7128

Verified Resident • 2010 - 2011

Lived there for 4 years....

Lived there for 4 years. Rent is WAY too expensive considering the crime rate at that complex alone...can't tell you how many times in 4 years friends or neighbors were held at gun point, robbed, or got broken into. Sure, that can happen anywhere, but the staff is ridiculously apathetic about even attempting to try to stop it. Parking is RIDICULOUSLY TERRIBLE!!! Good luck finding a spot if you get home later than 8PM.

Current Resident 675788

Resident • 2013

I came from another state to attend UNCW and I was informed that The Reserves at Forest Hills was a nice community, so I rented an apartment here. After several years, I have to move out because the "NEW" office staff is terrible. They do not want to work with any tenants who PAY their HIGH rent amount when a complaint is initiated which clearly violates the lease terms. They do not enforce rules that are clearly stated on the lease and they allow ANY breed of dog to live here and they do NOT enforce the rules even though there have been very aggressive dogs on the property who not only attack other dogs, but are not people friendly either. Another issue is the dog poop all around the property. They do NOT enforce the policy for picking up after your dog, even though they supply dog poop stations with bags. They do not enforce LEASHES which every dog is required to be on. They have made a dog "park" fenced in which they have NOT maintained since they put it in. Dogs dig holes and they are left so that people can break their ankle or leg or arm when they fall in the hole. One part of the fence, the gate latch does not even meet the fence so that it properly closes, allowing for any "aggressive" dog to attack another dog by getting out of the fence. The property seems to have attracted more college kids which really makes it difficult to "enjoy" your apartment when you have kids screaming, yelling, drinking, littering and throwing garbage all around the property. This is NOT a place I would recommend for "families" and/or "mature" adults who just want a QUIET place to live. Security is nonexistent and if you ever find the need to call, you will not get an answer. For the amount of rent that you are charged, and the promises of having a nice, quiet living atmosphere, you definitely DO NOT get what you pay for. I see other remarks being made about parking. I will add that I have seen boats parked across three spaces and I have seen motorcycles, mopeds, etc. parking illegally in spaces reserved for handicap parking. Making NUMEROUS and REPEATED complaints, you still get no satisfaction. This apartment complex has gone downhill with "new" management and other personnel in and out it seems every single year. On a good note, maintenance has been excellent the entire time I have been here. When I put in a service request they typically fulfill that request within the same day. As far as my overall recommendation, I would NOT recommend the apartment for the amount of rent because paying almost a grand for a one bedroom and having to put up with constant noise, and unanswered complaints is not worth the money!!

Current Resident 7090

Verified Resident • 2012 - 2013

Overall this is a good...

Overall this is a good location if you're in Wilmington for a short period of time such as 6 months. Towards the end of my 6 month lease I became annoyed with the college kids. But my apartment itself was nice regardless of thin walls. Location is okay, the proximity to different places is nice but I would not go running outside by myself at any time of the day between the traffic and neighboring communities.

cc840

Resident • 2011 - 2013

I lived at the Reserves for 2 years. I would not recommend this place because of it's location. There are many other apartments in the area for the same price but in a much safer location. Guns get pulled there, courtesy officer doesn't exist and the manager doesn't care to issue noise complaints. The dog poop is horrendous and those who did care about it, are now gone in the office! Maintenance is beyond amazing. Office staff WAS super friendly and had almost no turnover until now. Many people say they weren't nice for paying rent on time, it's rent, its due within 5 days; they have to be the same to everyone that pays late, they want to keep their jobs! Always very nice and helpful until the staff changed around December/Jan. I lived in a 3 bedroom 3 bathroom apartment which was really nice, but there were way to many doors in that apartment and the noise was never addressed. You are going to hear noise in an apartment, that's what you get if you choose that over a house, but at least enforce the rules. There were 2 girls that were in the office that would always address it, but it was the manager who didn't care (all three of which I believe are now gone). I would have recommended the Reserves with warnings, but not anymore. There's a difference between going to work and loving your job, here is the first of the two.

Current Resident 7085

Verified Resident • 2011 - 2012

It worked very well for...

It worked very well for my son who was attending school in Wilmington.. Would rent there again..

Current Resident 873994

Resident • 2011 - 2012

The apartment layout was great for three girls. Three bedrooms, three baths and a great kitchen with lots of storage. However they really need to hire some more mature help in the office. Management is unintelligible. They can't seem to manage their simple bookkeeping. We were broken into (the alarm either didn't work or was ignored) and never felt safe on this property. They did handle this situation very well though after I mentioned that my attorney would be addressing the situation. The property is surrounded by project neighborhoods - we should have realized that BEFORE moving in. When moving out we were assured we were completely paid up on all rent and utilities. Then, six weeks after moving out we get a very threatening call saying they would be sending us to collections for the $84 we owed them. When questioned as to why we were just hearing about this they said, "oh, we don't have a forwarding address on you so we never sent the bill." Um, shouldn't you have maybe called us six weeks ago when you discovered that?!?! This after paying all of our bills to them on time for 12 months. Thanks a lot for the disrespect. I know apartment living is horrible but no need to be threatening.

Current Resident 130178

Resident • 2010 - 2012

Terrible. Cars got broken into in the parking lot, office lost our checks and charged us late fees, manager will NEVER call you back, and that 400 dollar pet fee? No one actually pays it and even if you do it doesn't cover anything when you move out.

Current Resident 407504

Resident • 2011 - 2012

Good for loud college students

At first I really enjoyed living at the reserve. My room/bathroom is pretty big and maintenance has always been really good about fixing any problems we've had. However, it seems like the whole apartment complex is filled with drunk college age students. Don't get me wrong, I go to UNCW and like to party BUT every single night? No!! I have counted and I would say there has been about 2-3 nights every month where it is completely silent. Otherwise, I'm lying in my bed awake at 4am on a tuesday night listening to drunk losers outside screaming/throwing up/being belligerent. Basically, if you like to get drunk and be loud 24/7 this is the place for you. If you have some class and like to actually have a night in once and awhile, don't live here. Plus parking sucks! If you leave and come back after 9pm any night, there will be no parking spots by your apartment, regular or visitor. Due to the constant parties, millions of people fill up the parking lots (and don't park in the visitor spots).

Current Resident 121742

Resident • 2011 - 2012

Wouldn't recommend

I've lived at the Reserve at Forest Hills for a year now, and I'm pretty excited to move out. When I moved in, I was very happy with the layout - we lived in a 2 bedroom apartment with the sunroom. Upon move-in, we discovered that our microwave was broken, as well as multiple pieces in our refrigerator door. We submitted service requests, but no one ever got back to us...so they're still broken. Our security system wasn't working when we moved in, and it was never fixed either (not the greatest situation to be in when you live on the first floor). We've had multiple issues with the washer/dryer units that were installed, but maintenance was very helpful and quick about repairs. The maintenance staff is very friendly, and I have nothing bad to say about them. We have also had issues with roaches/water bugs - we are extremely neat people, but being on the first floor we experienced a lot of pest problems. For some reason we experienced the biggest pest problems when the apartment would actually spray for bugs, which I found annoying. Also, being on the first floor, we had a lot of issues with the landscaping staff leaf-blowing our welcome mat down the hallway and not picking it up, which was super annoying. My biggest complaint about the Reserve is that rules are not enforced that are in the lease. Our neighbors across the hall would constantly leave disgusting trashbags outside of their door, which brought in pests - they were supposed to be fined for doing this, but the office never seemed to care, even when we complained multiple times. There is trash and dog poop EVERYWHERE, and complaints to the office again yielded no change. Our upstairs neighbors were extremely loud and inconsiderate, and after talking to them and the office, we were advised to call the courtesy officer. However, the courtesy officer never did anything to help us, and our neighbors continued to play music extremely loud until 4am. The lease says that after 2 noise complaints you are supposed to receive a fine, and a 3rd noise complaint will result in eviction. However, it's very clear that the office ONLY cares about making money instead of offering quality service, and after more than 10 noise complaints, our neighbors were still there. We eventually had to resort to calling non-emergency police to resolve noise issues. The women who work in the office are very nice, but do not do a very good job. Most of the women that work there are under 25 years old, and are not very professional. There were multiple instances where we had packages waiting in the office, but were not notified. After stopping by to find out if they were there, the girls informed us that it was "not their job to tell us about packages", which confused me. Each complaint that we attempted to submit was received very defensively, and we never received any apologies for unsatisfactory living conditions. We have also had issues getting messages about maintenance problems to go from the office to the maintenance men - I've stopped calling the office at all anymore because every time I submitted a maintenance request through them, it wouldn't get done. Parking is also a big issue - because there is free-for-all parking, it is safe to assume that you will not be able to get a parking space by your building after 8pm. The visitor's lot has multiple huge boats in it which take up three or more spaces, which takes away from parking even more. I would also not recommend living here based off of the price. Initially we were quoted a somewhat high but reasonable price for the 2 bedroom apartment (just over $1100). However, in order to extend the lease for an additional 12 DAYS (not even a whole month, and with ample notice), our rent skyrocketed over $200 more. We were not given an explanation about the additional charges beyond that it was "month-to-month" pricing. There are some positives to living in the Reserve. Although many people complain about it being next to the projects, I have no complaints regarding the location. The complex is very centrally located. It is only a few minutes from the mall, UNCW's campus and downtown, and it is very easy to get basically everywhere from where it is located. The gym and office center are nice and well-kept, and outdoor facilities are very nice. The office staff is friendly, even if they don't do the best job. All-inclusive rent is very helpful, and energy/water allowances are very high (which probably has something to do with the higher cost of rent). Overall, I had a negative experience at the Reserve at Forest Hills. I think that the cons outweighed the pros in my stay here, and I would not recommend this complex.

Current Resident 272371

Resident •

Coming from a current resident

I'm a current resident at the Reserve and I've been living here for about a year and a half. We chose The Reserve for two reasons: 3 bedroom/3 bath apartments, because, as three young women, we didn't want to share; and price. Two of us could only afford $400 per month, including utilities. Since that's such a small amount, we didn't think we would find anywhere so cheap, but the Reserve was running some sort of deal in May when we signed up, and we got the place for $1185 a month WITH utilities. We were thrilled. Unfortunately, the great price didn't last. The next year, in April, we asked how much it would be to renew our lease (because if it would go over $400, we'd need to find another place). We were told that they couldn't tell us until May but that it wouldn't go over $1200 all together. ...yeah, it's $1250 now. That's not much over $400, so we decided to stick with the place so we wouldn't have to go through the hassle of moving out and moving in somewhere else. It's still a decent price, but we're expecting another $65 increase next year, now, and we definitely can't afford it then. There are other issues, as well. We live around a LOT of college students, and while we're college students ourselves, we don't drink/smoke/party/anything at all that could possibly be considered noisy or dangerous or "fun." All of our neighbors, on the other hand, throw frequent parties. Because my room is very close to another building, I frequently have other people leaning against my windows and sharing their deepest darkest secrets with each other while I try to sleep. A few nights ago, our neighbors threw a loud party that featured someone cawing like a bird at 4 a.m. When we called the "courtesy officer" he didn't pick up. Our neighbors on the other side threw a wonderful little party and left their door open, letting the magnificent scent of pot smoke and the loud and vigorous sounds of Skrillex and beer pong waft out into the breezeway. Often, when my roomates and I walk to our cars at night, we hear loud catcalls from the guys who live above us, because they seem to be drunk every night by 7 p.m. (I know you'll probably read a lot about noise due to the train tracks behind the apartment buildings, but it goes by at about 2:00 a.m. every night, and I'm always up, listening to the neighbors partying, so it never bothers me.) There's a lot of low income housing right down the street, too, and we often get people from that neighborhood slowly cruising down the street, listening to much so loud it will deafen you inside of your apartment. It's really amazing. (Also, the street is a complete mess. Realigns my car every time I drive down there.) The parking is also a complete nightmare. If you come home after 8:00 p.m., you will NOT find a parking spot. Not in "visitor's parking" and certainly not in front of your own apartment. If you're lucky, you'll only have to circle around the entire cite (which is pretty big) a few times before you find something. And even though they say you can park on the curb until 9 a.m., people tend to park on them all day and never get a parking violation or get towed. (I did it once, however, and it wasn't in a no parking zone, and my tiny car had a notice on it that it would be towed in fifteen minutes when I went outside at 8:30 a.m. Figure that one out.) The parking situation's mostly due to the fact that there are no parking decals, and it's a huge free-for-all because everyone parties every night and invites 50 people over. If they do go out to party, they always take a cab. Other than those HUGE problems, I don't have any real complaints. Well, maybe the plethora of dog crap that's always found on the sidewalks and breezeways and every 5 millimeters in the grass. They say you'll get fined if you don't pick up your dog's crap, but that's obviously a lie. Well, I guess I can also complain about the terrible girls who work in the office. They're nice enough if you have to go in and get a package, but god forbid you be a day late on your rent, because then the claws come out. Don't even bother trying to explain the situation to them, because they just don't care. Or, in some cases, they charge you extra and can't tell you why. Sometimes they blame the computer for adding up your total wrong, but they don't possess the math/computer skills required to type in different numbers. They'll tell you the "central office" made the mistake, and there's nothing they can do about it. Because the 17 different phones in the office don't have the capabilities of calling other places, apparently. I say none of this in jest, but there are good parts about living at the Reserve. Despite their stupidity, most of my neighbors are fairly nice. It's perfectly placed between downton and the rest of Wilmington, and it's less than a mile and a half away from CFCC and UNCW. It's really close to the mall and maybe a 10 minute drive from the Mayfaire center. It's also a beautiful place. The grounds are really well kept and it's nice to walk around outside. And you can't beat the convenience of paying all of your bills with one check and having one bathroom per person. I'd recommend it, especially if you don't mind loud noises and annoying parking. Or if you're super, super mellow. I'd rather live here than any of the other dumps in Wilmington. (Oh, and yes, there's crime. But the apartments at the Reserve come with security systems. Set your alarms! And try not to hang out by yourself in the parking lot at night. Sometimes your drunken, noisy neighbors are useful by scaring off potential predators.)

Prospective Resident 906848

Prospect • Visited 2012

? mixed feelings

So of the reviews im reading, all the perfect scores/the only good reviews have 3 things in common 1. they say the office staff is great 2. they talk about the cookies 3. they say how safe it is ....... anyone else find this fishy....maybe the staff shouldnt be posting fake reviews that are all similar...

Cfw4762

Resident • 2010 - 2012

Dont live here!

Awful place to live.. Break ins are inevitable, right next to the ------.. No parking.. no assigned parking or visitor, they will tow you.. And a bad pest problem, people at the office are impossible to work with!! Dont sign the lease! I was warned ab this place and wish I wouldve listened!

Current Resident 524271

Resident • 2010 - 2011

ROACHES

Second year living in the complex and it seems to get worst with age. The entire complex is covered with roaches that they routinely spray to help 'protect your apartment.' It's not effective in the slightest. Also, because the reserves doesn't force parking stickers, good luck finding convenient parking close to your room. One weekend I had to park on the complete other side of my building at 11 p.m. just to park my car.

Current Resident 231210

Resident • 2009 - 2010

Highly recommend it, great place to live!

The Reserve is a great place to live. All of the ladies in the office are extremely helpful and friendly, they go above and beyond to help you in any situation you may come across. (And they can make some delicious cookies too!) The maintenance men are very nice and attentive. My maintenance issue was handled right away. I definitely feel safe here and the neighborhood is friendly. Overall, my stay here has been a pleasant one, given the location, the excellent staff and the spacious apartments.

mattbiggest

Resident • 2010

Very Nice Community

I have only lived here for several months but my experience has been a delight. The office and maintenance staff are extremely helpful and friendly. When I first signed my lease, I had 2 other roommates but at the last minute (2 days after my move in date), one roommate backed out. The leasing consultants found me a 2 bedroom to switch to on almost no notice whatsoever. The condition of both apartments were outstanding. The buildings are well built especially when compared to other competitors in the area. The grounds are maintained very well and my minor service requests have been responded to within 24 hrs of notifying the staff. One thing that sets them apart is the option to have all inclusive living, where you write one check to pay for your rent and ALL of your utilities. It saves a great deal of time, is very cost effective and includes a washer and dryer. I really can't think of any complaint that I have had since I moved in. Everyone here is a true professional.

Current Resident 633311

Resident • 2010

Don't do it unless you want to be scammed and screwed

The reserves at forest hills is a nice looking complex indeed but the management is the worst. They will fine you for any little thing they can find. They do not treat every one of their residents equally. The girls that work in the office are all at least 21-25 years old and are dumber then a pile of bricks. They do not have any of your paper work organized. They gave me 4 different quotes on my rent for July. Finally I got a final quote and then I got a letter saying I still owed them a certain amount. They really need to consider hiring new girls to work the front office. Sometimes you can't base who you hire off of looks, seeing as in this case all of them are mentally incapable of getting anything done right. The workers that roll around the apartment complex also live here and will drink with residents and cut those residents slack on fines. If you do not drink or hang out with them though be sure you will eventually get a fine. There are piles of dog crap everywhere and they say they will fine people for that but the only person I have seen them fine is a person with a 2 lb dog. This apartment complex disgusts me with its tactics. They are also supposed to have an onsite officer, one night someone tried to break into my apartment and I tried calling him 3 times, he did not answer once or call back. When he does answer he is all rude and pissed because he actually has to get up and do something. Do not move here, save yourself the money and the hassle.

Current Resident 261185

Resident • 2009 - 2010

NO NO NO NO

I HATE THIS PLACE! it's the worst place ever to live! They lose your money. They say you have late fees that you don't really have. They say you havent paid your rent, and then when you call them EVERY SINGLE MONTH to TELL THEM that you did pay, they ALL OF A SUDDEN find it!! YET, the lateness stays on your record!!! IT SUCKS HERE!!!!!!!!! THE STAFF SUCKS TOO!!! DO NOT MOVE HERE EVER IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE. EVERRRRRR. I have had the WORST experience ever with this place!!! AND there has been SEVERAL breakins and robberies!! This place is SKETCHY and UNSAFE and THE WORST place EVER to live. IF you like to argue every month over where your rent goes, and stay stressed out..and sketched out... THEN THIS IS DEFINITELY THE PLACE FOR YOU!:)

Current Resident 449659

Resident • 2008 - 2010

One of the better places in town

I have lived at the Reserves for almost 2 years now and I really do like it here. I had a noise issue about 2 months back and called the courtousy officer at like 3am. He was very nice and said he would take care of it. In about 5 mins. I heard the officer outside in the breezeway telling everyone to go home and was even showing up with Wilmington Police making underage partiers pour their alcohol out. The last apartment I was at, I had to call the officer....he never showed up!!!!! I feel very safe here. The office staff are the best!!! They go out of their way to help you. Plus, they have GREAT cookies! In the summer the pool is an added bonus. The only real problem here is parking. Some people who don't live here park anywhere they want, I wish we had assigned spaces, but I think that got voted down. All in all I must give the Reserves a great rating for their office staff, security staff, maintance, and the grounds staff...I would recommend it to ANYONE!

Current Resident 109401

Resident • 2006 - 2010

BEST PLACE EVER!

I have lived at The Reserves since 2006, and I absolutely LOVE it! This is the only apartment complex I've ever lived in and I have been so happy here. I rarely have needed to call maintenance, but when I have they have come the same day every time. Besides maintenance, the office staff is also amazing! They are so helpful and sweet and the cookies are GREAT! The amenities are convenient (especially being available 24hrs since I work odd hours), but I do wish they would add a doggie park. I have lived in both one bedroom floor plans, and the three bedroom three bath floor plan and, I must say that the one bedrooms are the BIGGEST one bedrooms I've seen! Regardless of what anyone else says, I choose The Reserves as my #1 place to live in Wilmington and I LOVE it here!

Current Resident 32333

Resident • 2008 - 2009

Best Complex Ever.

I've read several bad reviews, but from my experience, The Reserves have been outstanding. The Staff are really great and cater to any needs I have had. And I have become great friends with my neighbors. I feel incredibly safe here, which was very important to me. I have recommended this place to everyone, it is outstanding and I intent to renew my lease for as many years as I need an apartment.

Current Resident 26966

Resident • 2008 - 2009

the best year of my life.

these apartments were amazing. i now rent a house, and honestly would rather just go back to the reserves. everyone that lived there was nice. i always felt safe, which is important because i'm a female. the management was AMAAAAZING! they were always friendly and helpful, and they always tried to cater to residents. the all inclusive option was the best thing ever. parking was a pain sometimes because i work late. and never leave your trash outside for one second!!!! but really, the best place to live. and i'm young and have friends and no one ever complained about us being too loud. i was only kept up by neighbors one night out of our entire year there. anytime you need maintenance done, they will come very shortly. great experience. i don't know what these other people are talking about, at all. by the way, i lived there when the guy was there that killed his parents. he was in the building next door. the staff did everything they could do to contain the incident and the whole place was blocked off by officials. it really wasn't that crazy. the management did everything in their power. they can't help where psychos go!!

reserverenter09

Resident • 2007 - 2009

Great place to live

I really like this place. I have just signed my 3rd year lease. It is very safe, clean and the office staff are very helpful. I have read the other reviews and I guess it may depend on which building you live but for 3 years now, no problems at all.

lobsterofjustice

Resident • 2007 - 2009

Highly recommend!

Seriously, this is a nice place to live. I am disgusted every time I go to a friends house who lives in any of the other complexes in town (with the exception of avalon). It is very expensive, but it's the nicest, and has the largest apartments. The office staff and maintenance people are nice. It is a little loud. But this is a college town, you're going to have that. It seems to come and go. I have been woken up by drunk people yelling outside, but only a few times in 2 years living here. Honestly, it's going to happen in any apartment complex. If any of The Reserve's issues bother you, you should be looking for single family homes in suburban neighborhoods, because this is definitely as good as it gets in a college town apartment complex. Most of the tenants are UNCW students, and it seems to me that probably 80%-90% of tenants are under 30. Unfortunately, the complex is right down the road from what I'm sure is government housing, with sketchy people walking around. But these people don't seem to come into The Reserve, and we have alarm systems. I did have two bikes stolen off my porch - but my porch faces the road and the bikes were there for weeks. Still, it pissed me off - so the place isn't perfect - but they should have been locked up in my storage unit next door anyway. I feel very safe living here and my girlfriend (a college sorority girl) takes out dog on walks after dark all the time. Parking can be an issue. There are visitors spots, but no parking decals or numbered spaces. I'm sure some people have more than the alloted number of cars, and I'm sure visitors park in tenant spots. We have received a notice asking for input from the office, so they realize this is a concern. We are clean tenants, I don't have bug problems. There were a few when we first moved in, I guess stragglers from the people who lived here before us, but I haven't seen a roach in ages. The only maintenance issue we have had is the -------- (literally) man who used to live above us showered without a shower curtain, and it left water damage above the shower in our second bathroom. That was fixed. I recommend this complex. My girlfriend and I are thinking about moving out because we want a townhome, but we would hate to give up something so good and end up in a worse place. I remember apartment hunting two years ago, looking on this website. I'm am really glad with the decision I made to live here.

Current Resident 366811

Resident • 2006 - 2008

MURDERER and DRUG DEALERS arrested at The Reserves

You make think that this place is the ideal college apartment complex. Yes it's dirty, smelly, and loud through all hours of the night but now the truth comes out about who really is occupying these apartments! You may have heard recently about the man who murdered his mother and step-father by stabbing them in the back multiple times. "Altman was arrested from the Reserves at Forest Hills apartment complex on Darlington Avenue after a resident tipped off authorities." He is currently awaiting trial and could possibly face the death penalty. http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=9893110&nav=menu157_2 "On Wednesday night, two UNCW students were among four men arrested in a cocaine trafficking bust at the Reserve Apartments on Darlington Avenue." This place is somewhere you don't want to live. The projects no more than a quarter of a mile down darlington ave. have started to rub off The Reserves at Forrest Hills. http://wwaytv3.com/uncw_students_involved_two_serious_drug_busts/02/2009 If you're looking for an apartment to rent for a little while, look at The Avalon on darlington ave. They are brand new, and cheaper than any of the apartments at The Reserves! They have a friendly staff, bigger pool area, nicer and more work out equipment and NO CRIMINALS!

Dudebrah

Resident • 2006 - 2009

Excellent

The Reserves at Forest Hills offers many exclusive services for its residents. Along with an outstanding atmosphere, it hosts a beautiful landscape, in which its service technicians and groundsmen work diligently to maintain. A great buisness center with new updated computers bodes well for both college students and working class alike. Plus, their exercise equipment is top notch, as well as a certified personal trainer for those who need it... Free of charge for its residents. I've enjoyed my time here and have never experienced any problems with the office personnel nor any worker for The Reserves. It is one of the premiere places to live in Wilmington. See for yourself!