Broadlands Apartments

Current Resident 450087

Resident • 2006 - 2007

This website is deceiving. The people that post on here crack me up!

I moved into Southern Walk the beginning of December. I can't say much either way for the staff since I haven't dealt with them much. As for other complaints...<br><br>Parking - there is always TONS of parking, so those of you complaining about that, I have no idea what you are talking about.<br><br>Noise - Yes, I can hear the child in the house next to ours playing their instrument, but other than that, I haven't heard a peep. Sometimes you can hear roadway noise, but you knew you were moving in right next to the Greenway, so what did you expect?<br><br>Cable - Of course the cable sucks! Were you expecting to get high quality cable when you're only paying $70/month for cable AND internet? No way!<br><br>Trash - I have seen a lot of trash, but it is Christmas time and people have lots of boxes and trash around then. So I can't speak for the rest of the time.<br><br>As for the person that had items stolen from under their Christmas tree... I did feel bad for you until I read that you left your GROUND FLOOR WINDOW OPEN!!! I mean come on! That is your own stupidity. I don't care if you are living in the Holy Land, you never leave windows or doors unlocked when leaving your house.

Current Resident 960349

Resident • 2006

Abusive illmannered staff

Staff is illmannered and rude. Pleasent upon renting but when some type of assistance is needed, their lack of education and vulgarness is aparent to all. I would not rent from this place again. Deceiving.

Current Resident 974113

Resident • 2005 - 2006

Nice florrplans and Great Location

I have been living at southern walk for about 2 years now and so far is has been a good experience. They offer townhouses for rental which many properties dont provide and the location of the community is great. Van metre is building a shopping center right next to the community also, which is literally walking distance. The one complaint i did have in the past was the parking which got overcrowded about a year ago, but the situation has gotten a lot better. I plan to renew for another year until a purchase a home in the area.

Current Resident 1207

Resident • 2006

Nice apartment ,normal apartment living

We have lived here 3 monthes and I don't see what the big deal is. The office is nice, they won't bend over backwards but not rude. I have a neighbor who smokes like crazy below me and all of my furniture and clothes smell terrible but I'm working on that. It's an apartment if you want a calm apartment move to the top floor if you want better service move to a highrise and live in a penthouse.

Current Resident 49877

Resident • 2006

this place sux--save your hard earned money and move!

Plywood palace all veneer and no substance way overpriced sux

Lyrik08

Resident • 2006 - 2007

Staff Sucks

I must say that the staff is so busy trying to get people to move in here that they forget all about the people actually living here. They put you off very quickly once you are a resident. We've been here a year and I REALLY want to move but my husband doesn't feel like moving. No one in there knows what's going on....we got a letter saying we owed them $ from the increase of our renewal, however our renewal didn't go up.....but no one in the office could tell me why we got this letter....it took 3 days to get it resolved. Also, they aren't willing to help out those people who ARE willing to stay here after a year.....they want to ---- you into paying more money for NOTHING.....instead of working with you. We wanted to change into a lower level apartment but were told that we would basically be renting 2 apartments for a month.....yes, paying to rent 2 apartments for a month.....uh...NO! Then it was prorated for this and that and the other. I asked to extend our lease til the end of the month so we could move into another apartment ON the property......they wouldn't even do that.....they just really don't have any customer service or customer care for the people who live here and are willing to stay another year.....that is enough to make you NOT want to renew. I will say that ----- is the best person working in the office. She is very friendly and inviting when you go in the office.

rummers78

Resident • 2005 - 2006

High-end Apartment w/ high-end pricing

I have lived here for a year and a half and have liked my experience overall. Noise isn't too bad. We live in the Chestnut model which is unbelievable. You will love the Kitchen/Dining room. Eight windows in just that room(s). Upper-Mgmt staff is rude though. They also raised out rent $150 a month (ouch). Never had a maintenace problem that wasn't taken care of within 24 hours. Nice walking trails in wooded areas. Never felt uncomfortable or unsafe in this area. Trash bin can get out of hand on the weekends. There are alot of dogs (i.e. barking) including our two. Never had a parking problem. Would overall recommend.

southern_walk_sucks

Resident • 2006

DO NOT MOVE HERE.....WORST EPERIENCE..THEY TREAT YOU LIKE CRAP ONCE YOU MOVE IN.

DO NOT MOVE HERE.....WORST EPERIENCE..THEY TREAT YOU LIKE CRAP ONCE YOU MOVE IN.

Current Resident 227098

Resident • 2005 - 2006

Lots of Exaggeration Here

Okay, there is quite a bit of whining up here. honestly, Southern Walk is a very, very decent place to live. <br><br>my apartment has a very nice floorplan..one room upstairs, one downstairs. that's very hard to find, and the ceiling has a shelf all the way around it that you can rest vases on. the place looks like it was built yesterday and that nobody has lived in it. the only complaint is that the wires are so weak that i couldn't plug in a SMALL space heater and the vacuum in at the same time without shorting my bedroom. I think the surges ruined my desktop computer. also, the two bedrooms don't get proper AC/Heater circulation at all. but no huge crisis. <br><br>the parking is definitely a problem if you have an overnight guest. basically, you can't have guests because the parking is so limited. and even if you live here, you better have your sticker up or they will quickly tow you around 5:00AM while you're in bed. <br><br>yeah, the gate is a joke. they only close the gate when they feel like it (4 or 5 days a month). however, there is SO LITTLE crime around here, you don't even need it. i've left my car unlocked overnight several times, and once left my front door wide open for an hour, and nothing has ever been taken. (actually, the door was unlocked and flew open on a windy day while I was away. doors shouldn't do that!)<br><br>the garbage disposal does break like once every other month for 3 or 4 days, but in such cases, they rent a large dumpster to put trash in. no big deal!!<br><br>There is not a bug problem at all really. at the beginning of summer, you get a few ants, but spray some Raid once and never see them again. <br><br>and yeah, the office staff needs some work. no, they're not rude or mean..it's just that the turnover is so high, and they even have temps working there. therefore, the staff is very uneducated. once, a temp told me i could pay half my rent now, and the other half a week overdue. i tried doing it, and was almost evicted. I wrote a complaint about it and never got a reply.<br>Maintenance comes within 1 or 2 days, and I guess they do the job, but it always seems like they only fixed half the problem.<br><br>The clubhouse and grounds are gorgeous. 24/7 gym and business center come in handy with free copier, fax (if it works), printers, computers<br><br>ask for the discounts-- b/c I work at the company i do, they cut a lot of our fees like application, some of the deposit, etc.

Current Resident 276512

Resident • 2005 - 2006

Don't move here!!!!

We're finally done with our lease!!! We're done with Van Metre for good!

Current Resident 448562

Resident • 2004 - 2006

Worst management

The management for this apartment must be taught some basic manners. I moved out because they disrespected apt. residents. This is the worst stay experience you could ask for.

sergiothepilot

Resident • 2005 - 2006

Terrible stay away!!!!!!

Parking is a big problem, people in the office are unfriendly, very, very noisy. Poor construction (that's the problem with the noise).<br>I would not recommend or come back to this place.<br><br>Also the garbage is a big problem. Only one garbage disposal which brakes often and then the garbage sits in front of the container for weeks!!!!!!

Current Resident 963224

Resident • 2004 - 2005

So glad

I am so glad my family moved. We left and will never look back.

Current Resident 467656

Resident • 2006

So many problems...

we rent a townhouse here. In our area, there is always tons of extra parking, there is never a time that all the spots by us are filled. A couple of weeks ago, my husband got towed...from right in front of our townhouse. how ridiculous. a resident getting towed from their own complex.<br>And anywhere there's a grassy area, there's always piles of dog crap everywhere.<br>I should note that originally, I posted good reviews on this site. <br>After a year, issues (parking, dog crap everywhere, gates never working, trash dumpster overflowing) have not been fixed. <br>When I call the office and leave a message, no one has ever gotten back to me. I have to go in (sometimes twice) and tell people in there of my maintenance issues, and the one lady in there acts like I'm a huge burden when I tell her what's broken.<br>We are not renewing our lease.

Current Resident 649254

Resident • 2006

This place sucks.

That's pretty much it...This place sucks. Normally, I wouldn't accuse Van Metre employees of writing their own reviews, but the staff here would be just the type of people to do it.

Current Resident 959533

Resident • 2005 - 2006

Southern Walk (no run) away from here

My friend just spent five days driving here from California. He stayed at my apartment for a couple nights before his townhouse was ready (wasn't cleaned out by previous tenant)and he got towed. $100 down the drain. The "guest" spots here are all filled up by 9:00, not to mention the regular spots. Management explained that guests aren't allowed to spend the night! Good thing I pay rent for that guest bedroom. Ironically the night he got towed, we had mentioned how much parking was available that night. Maybe it was because everyone was being towed, or maybe it is because everyone is moving out! The other funny thing is that I bought a new car last year and went into the office to get a new sticker and the person working there just handed me a new one, no questions asked. They didn't ask what unit I lived in, or for my old sticker, or what kind of car it was, or anything. They just hand out parking stickers like candy yet apparently randomly tow vehicles. Screw these people. <br>I'm moving down the road soon and I can't wait.

Southernjoke

Resident • 2005 - 2006

Parking At Southern Walk...

Or should I say lack there of! I had a friend watch my apartment for a few days while I was out of town, they had his car towed! There is NO parking for our guests! I don't think it's right that they can get away with this. They say that guest parking is only around the clubhouse (10 spots) what a joke! How many tenants live here??? Our guests are expected to hike all the way to the other end of the complex if they want to visit...forget it if you come past 9pm! Where the hell are they suppose to park??? I now feel that I can't have anyone over for fear that their car will be towed. It's SO WRONG! I don't know how they can get away with this. It has to be illegal for them to tow away a car that is not clearly marked a tow away zone! I WILL NOT renew my lease if something is not done about this. I do have other complaints such as the noise level, trash, the gate, and dog crap everywhere, but this towing of our guests cars is my biggest gripe about this place. Something NEEDS to be done!

Current Resident 375956

Resident • 2004 - 2005

SO glad I moved out. Miserable experience.

Clearly the management staff is unable to return residents' calls because they are too busy writing up positive reviews on this website. Any YES recommendation was obviously written by Van Metre staff.<br><br>My list of complaints about Southern Walk is too long to list, and most of them have been covered by the many many complaints on here - flooding, ants/bugs (not for lack of cleaning the apartment on a regular basis), loss of heat, no hot water, rude staff, etc. etc.<br><br>Thank God I only had to live there for one year. It was honestly the most miserable year of my life, all because of the horrible conditions at Southern Walk.

Current Resident 392417

Resident • 2006

Southern Walk Rentals

Our family moved into Southern Walk in mid -August of this year. We found the apartments to be a bit above the rest in the area as far as the overall appearance and amenities. Regarding management, we must say that from our very first contact back in Feb 05 it has been a very positive experience! The sales people were very helpful and punctual. The properties showed very well and truly sold themselves. The Manager and Assistant Manager have been superb in their efficiency and caring attitudes. We are truly amazed how they are able to handle all that is required of them and still find time to sit and chat when we come in. We have also been fortunate to meet the General Manager who oversees a number of Van Metre properties, she is also very caring and truly understands the complexities of her position. In a complex with over 300 units we are amazed how quickly things get done. We do understand that with so many rentals that there is a priority regarding what gets done first, that is only reasonable. Whenever we have gone into the office we have been greeted with warmth as if we were family. Again, we do understand that we are only one apartment, yet we are treated as if ours was their first priority, what more can one ask. Having lived in a good number of communities one soon realizes there are always those that complain or are unhappy, that's just the way it is. However, many times those are also the people that break all the rules, don't pay their rent on time and or are very loud neighbors with no consideration for others. We for one are truly happy when those neighbors are asked to leave ! Southern walk is first and foremost a rental community, which means that are a great many different people living here, which we truly enjoy. There should be an understanding that in such a community one will always experience a few that spoil it for others. Perhaps they don't pick up after their dog, or forget that their are others living next door and play their music very loud. And still others that don't understand how fortunate we are that dogs are aloud in the apartments and allow their animals to do a great deal of damage to the apartment. Which in the long run will cost the other renters more money etc. It seems that if one is respectful and considerate of others their time at Southern Walk will be very enjoyable.

blackburn

Resident • 2005 - 2006

Thumbs Up!

I live in a one bedroom apt and love it here. The folks and neighbors are great and so is the staff. If you have't met Sal then it is worth it just to talk to him. I had some unusual circumstances when I moved in and the staff were very accomodating and made the entire experience excellent. Not sure why the other folks are bad mouthing the apartments...I am sure that if you try to break the rules you would write nasty comments.

mr.mrs.notgoinganywhere

Resident • 2005 - 2006

What's all the fuss about???

My husband and I live in a two bedroom town home and we love it here. We have lived here for about eight months now and we have every intention on renewing our lease.<br><br>I came across this site because one of my friends is looking for an apartment. I referred her to this community and she asked me about the comments that were posted. I couldn't believe what I read when I came here.<br><br>The staff (both maintenance and office) are extremely friendly. I will say that there seems to be a lot of turnover. The assistant manager and maintenance tech are the only ones still here that I know. My mother died about four months after I moved here. Through those hard times and to this day, the assistant manager treats me like one of my friends would. VERY PERSONABLE.<br><br>Our town home is fantastic. We have lived in a lot of apartments and this one is 100% better. Our next step is purchasing a townhome because we could never go back to a regular apartment. We feel like we're in our own house. We don't hear our neighbors at all. We are out on the balcony all the time-no fear of falling whatsoever. As far as the hot water goes..has no one lived in an apartment before? All we had to do was get maintenance to increase the hot water temperature and all was cured! I can run my washer, dishwasher and shower at the same time with no problems. <br><br>The parking seems to be scarce at times. But we have a garage so our cars are good to go. The gate was a little tricky at first, but it's been fine for a while now. Our little remote things didn't work one night and we brought them to the office the next day. We were told that the batteries had died. The office apparantly had batteries on order, so we were asked to purchase them ourselves. I was a little thrown off until we were told to just bring back our receipt and the office would reimburse us for the inconvenience. Our remotes have worked ever since. <br><br>I am extremely scared of bugs. During the summer I saw a couple by the door and freaked out. I called the office and was put on a list for pest control, problem solved. Throughout my travels, I have realized that ants and bugs can show up anywhere and become a big problem fast, through no fault of anyone's. I'm just greatful that we don't have to pay an outside contractor to come out and fix the problem (been there, done that). Let management pay for it. <br><br>I do see a lot of pets here. The poop does seem to be an issue from what I have seen. But I don't get it. The office has sent out reminders and there are pet poop garbages all around here. Why can't people pick up after their pets?? I'd like to follow the next person I see not pick up after their dog, back to their door and leave the poop on their doormat. Then when they step in it, they'll get the picture.<br> <br>Only an idiot would sign something without reading it. We read the lease agreement word for word before signing it. Nothing out of the ordinary. Every community we have lived at has had their version of "termination fees" and every community makes you pay for damages (we learned that one the hard way). <br><br>Apartment living is much different than owning your own home. Everyone knows that. They both have their advantages and disadvantages. If you want to pay out of pocket for everything that goes wrong, if you want a backyard full of your own dog's poop, and if you want to make a mess of your living environment, THEN BUY A HOUSE! Stop trying to make apartment living something it's not. <br><br>Take a step back, think about where you are, and enjoy yourself. We are! <br> <br><br> <br><br> <br><br> <br><br><br><br>

Current Resident 508047

Resident • 2005

Take These Negative Reviews Seriously

Seriously consider the tenor and frequency of the positive ones. They should be filed under "SW marketing." <br><br>I have never paid the fee to break an apartment lease (this was my 5th apartment), but it was more than worth getting out of there. <br><br>Other posters here have tried to convey the attitude of the staff, and I think it falls somewhat short. The staff not only doesn't seem to want to help, they are visibly *annoyed* by any question you may have (though the people in maintenance I interacted with were very personable). <br><br>The general affect is no one feels comfortable in the "community" spaces such as the clubhouse, pool, etc. The staff is snappy, two-faced, and downright rude. The community dynamic suffers. Someone should give these people some customer service training...if you can't mean it, fake it.<br><br>The turnover rate at this complex is extremely high. If they tell you there is a waiting list for the complex, wait a couple weeks. Someone will break a lease. The turnover was a problem for a person like myself as I worked a non-typical 11am -7pm job. Therefore at 9am, every day, I was greeted by subcontracted, noisy cleaning workers attempting to erase all signs of a previous tennant. This is a problem if you work from home or spend a lot of time in the apt during the day. <br><br>The construction is shotty. The "upscale" features they describe include:<br><br>- Living rooms wired for surround sound (oh, but you need an amplifier and some cables and some time...meaning we put two 8" speakers in the ceiling...have fun!)<br>- Crown Moulding! Crown Moulding! It is installed fine in the display home...why was it less than parallel to the wall in mine...and cut too long by inches around corners?<br>- Our heat broke on the first cold day of the year<br>- Maintenance tickets take longer than expected (thought the maintenance staff, again, seems ok...they probably just need some help covering it all)<br>- etc.<br><br>For the same price, try the Ashborough a couple miles North off of Ashburn Village Road...it's a step up. Even if you work in DC..consider moving west a good 10 miles...despite the addition to the commute, your happiness levels will be much higher. Consider the Arlington area...it's no more expensive than this sham and the complexes I visited there seemed to appreciate customers.

BERK

Resident • 2004 - 2006

This place is a JOKE!!

My family can not leave this place fast enough. We were fed a line of bull crap when we first moved it. They make it seem like they are a great community and that they are there for you. But you quickly learn that isn't true. We have had numerous problems with our 3 bedroom townhouse. The deck outside isn't safe to stand on...but they will tell you it is. That is after they tried to put screws in the boards that were buckling up. The dishwasher sucks and is so noisy you can't hear your TV. The heating system is a joke. Like everyone else has said, you have to turn your heat down to take a warm shower. And if you have a garden soaking tub, good luck filling it up to actually soke in. I can only put in enough water to cover my knees before it is cold. If you have small children I don't recommend putting them in a bedroom that shares a wall with a neighbor. Every night I was woken up by the sound of my neighbors either fighting or going at it. You could hear it like you were in the same room through the baby monitor. The windows leak in both the kitchen and the living room. I have had them fixed twice and they still leak. I just gave up. The ants in the summer are unreal!! And I was in a townhouse. The garbage is a mess!! The parking situation is a joke. The gates...don't even get me started. They should just remove them....THEY NEVER WORK!! Well I take that back....if you want to leave the community you will have an issue getting out. But anyone is welcome to come in. The one week that the gates did work, I took my key in to make sure it worked, and asked what would happen if someone had to call 911 when the gate was closed... to which they had NO answer. They said they would get back to me....I am still waiting. <br><br>My garage door has never had a proper lock on it...and still doesn't, unless you count the folded up cardboard that keeps the lock in place proper. I pushed the issue to have it replaced once we found out that our neighbors motorcycle was stolen from his driveway. And as for a police report...I saw it....but I never saw a letter issued by Southern Walk letting everyone know that there was property stolen within the community.<br><br>The management for this community sucks. The other day I went in to find out about our move out walk through and had to wait until the assistant property manager was done smoking. To then be treated like crap for coming in to ask such a question. I still don't have an answer. <br><br>I could go on forever, but why waste my time. This place is awful!! DO NOT RENT FROM VAN METRE SOUTHERN WALK!!!

Duckcreekschmuk

Resident • 2005 - 2006

Poor Service, Nice Place

Yes, the people that work here are unresponsive as soon as you sign on the bottom line. We left many phone messages and emails concerning our lease/check-in that NEVER got a response.<br>But, the one maintenance issue (no heat/hot water) I had was corrected within 15 minutes.<br><br>No, there is not enough parking, good luck after 9:00 p.m. Bad planning, but the staff can't do much about that. They could tow cars without parking stickers, but those cars belong to friends and famliles of the residents. There is nothing nearby that would warrant outsiders parking here.<br><br>Yes, I can occasionally hear noise from other units. It's an apartment building.<br><br>The front gate is just a ridiculous idea in the first place, but it doesn't work anyway - no biggy. <br><br>The trash dumpster (which is housed in its own building)does overflow a lot on the weekends, but that is mainly from when people are moving out. They unload HUGE amounts of trash and furniture on us schleps that still live here. There is not "trash everywhere," the landscaping is actually quite nice. The grass is as green as it should be and only went brownish when we went 6 weeks without rain. The surrounding apartments had gone brown before us. Drought is not good for grass. Some jerk that lives here would put out his own sprinkler around our building, or stand there with a hose watering the grass. Buy a house, get a life.<br>The pool has lifeguards on staff, comforting if you have kids ( I don't), but not an option for laps (too small).<br><br>I've lived in bad apartments in bad beighborhoods, this is not even close to being one of them. This is an extremely conservative area and the residents have high expectations and a condescending attitude towards "the help." No drug dealers to be found here, just a few kids with baggy jeans. <br><br>Would I rent here over some of the other options nearby? Close call, but probably not. Not looking forawrd to getting screwed on the checkout. The management is unable to keep a reliable staff, and the residents are a little uptight for my taste. Maybe it's the "gated community" mentality.

Current Resident 769749

Resident • 2005

What a scam

The gate never worked.<br>The garbage is everywhere.<br>The staff is rude and does not return calls.<br>I was told I did'nt need a walk thru on move out, then was charged for carpet replacement. <br>Not enough parking.<br>The grass outside my building was brown and dead.<br>Save your money go somewhere else.<br>