Brittany Commons Apartments

Current Resident 25445

Verified Resident • 2013 - 2014

safe secure many happy tenants here. lovely apartments. Great well mannered and helpful professional staff and maintenance staff. many dog lovers are here. many joggers are here. there are happy families and senior citizens too. People who sell their home looking for a short term are here and very ice people and pleased with development also.

Current Resident 24792

Verified Resident • 2013

So far so good. We were...

So far so good. We were a little surprised the maintenance did not come out to fix our toilet a little faster though. We were also told that the volley ball net would go up shortly after we moved in, and it has been a month.

Current Resident 194258

Resident • 2012 - 2013

I have lived in this apartment complex since September 2012 and have spent most of that time living alone since my husband has deployed and my children are in college. I have always felt very safe. I have two dogs and have found this community to be very welcoming of animals. There is lots of walking areas for the dogs and plenty of places set up for the easy removal of pet waste. I have had contact with the office staff on lots of occasions and have always found them to be very helpful, kind and respectful. I love all the activities they plan on a monthly basis for the community too. The maintenance staff is also top notch. They are friendly, helpful, and come in get the job done and leave my home clean. I highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a quiet community to live in...they are also a very pet friendly one too.

lmbpolo72

Resident • 2012

Don't let them sucker you into this place. Do yourself a favor and move on. We couldn't take it anymore and bought a house for some peace and quiet at last. Be sure to do your homework when it comes to apartment searching, as I failed to do so and payed the price for it. A lot of lessons learned here. The staff is deplorable and only will do the bare minimum for you, only because they have to. They seem nice, but it's only for show. Some issues that I experienced of note: For all the non-smokers, there is no smoking in the apts, but they do allow it in the walkways for which the smoke comes right into your apartment anyway. Floorboards are non-exsistant, so you get to hear everything from your neighbor. The oven fan just recirculates the air you cook with so you have to leave your windows open when cooking or risk the fire alarm going off. Internal wiring for the cable is subpar. We've always had issues with the cable signal, even when Comcast came out three times. Water heaters are located inside your apartment and the condension system to the heater leaked on us, flooding my sons room three times in a 4 month span. Don't bring your barbarcue, as there is no cooking outside your apartment. You must use their old rusted barbarcue pits, away from the apartments. They do offer concessions for military and Govt employee's (discounts for the first months rent) , however, if you decide you break your years lease, it's two months additional rent and a payback of the concessions you received, regardless of the circumstances. Washer was extreamly loud when running, but since it didn't break, the staff took no action to replace it. There has been a breakin of a vehicle while we were there, so crime does occur in a gated community. Speaking of the gates, people can walk right in and right out, day or night, along with any vehicle following in after it's opened, so it does present a false sense of security. One and only bright spot, as i can't be all negitive, the maintenance staff was very nice, and did the job right, however, we saw them too many times. Overall grade is a solid D. You can do alot better than this place.

kaeda26

Resident • 2008 - 2010

Very nice complex

I lived at Brittany Commons for 1.5 years and was very happy with it. We never had a problem with the management or maintenance. We were in a 2 bedroom on the 2nd floor, lots of storage with walk-in closets in both bedrooms, big laundry room, pantry, linen closet, and extra storage closet off the dining room. There was lot of room to walk dogs and a fenced dog run which was great for us. We never had any issues with noise, although we had a neighbor ask us to turn down the volume once when we were watching a movie. I didn't think it was too loud, but I blame my boyfriend's 5.1 surround sound. The only problems we had with parking were during the winter when we got a lot of snow. It took a long time for the parking lot to get plowed, and the snow that had piled up in between the cars never did get plowed out, so it was difficult to get back into a parking space. Right before we moved out, the water heater in the apartment above us broke and flooded part of our apartment. Fortunately we had already moved out most of our things from that room, but the management was easy to work with and we got our entire deposit back no questions asked. The construction is not the best quality - some of the doors didn't fit the doorways quite right so there were gaps, and some of the molding had been installed hastily - but overall we were very comfortable. No drafts or issues with bugs. All of our appliances worked well, the washer and dryer were full-size, and we had a big tub in the master bath. I also liked the big windows because we had lots of light, but this could be a safety concern if you have small children because the windows come down to about 6" off the floor. Overall we had no issues and a good experience. I would rent here again if I ever ended up back in the Fredericksburg/Spotsy area.

Current Resident 230848

Resident • 2011 - 2012

HORRIBLE PLACE TO LIVE! STAY AWAY! AND STAFF ARE FULL OF B******

DO NOT MOVE HERE! SAVE YOUR MONEY AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE! THE STAFF IS HORRIBLE AND B****Y! ESPECIALLY ASHLEY AND GRETA! ASHLEY IS THE WORST! THEY NEED TO GET RID OF HER AND ALL STAFF THERE! THE APARTMENTS HAVE GONE SO FAR DOWN HILL! ALL THE COMPLAINTS THAT COME IN, THEY DO NOTHING ABOUT IT! VERY LAZY UNEDUCATED STAFF! THEY INCREASE YOUR RENT WITHOUT TELLING YOU! WE BROKE OUR LEASE TO GET OUT OF THAT PLACE! WHEN YOU PUT SERVICE REQUESTS IN, IT TAKES MONTHS TO GET THINGS FIXED! AT ONE POINT THEY LEFT TWO HUGE HOLES IN OUR ROOF BECAUSE THE UPSTAIRS TENANT HAD A LEAK! THEY LEFT IT THAT WAY AND OUR CARPETS WERE SOAKED! THEY NEVER CLEANED THE CARPET AND WHEN THEY FINALLY REPATCHED THE ROOF, IT WAS A DIFFERENT COLOR! SO HAPPY TO BE GONE AND DONE WITH THOSE HAGS!

AmandaLynn87

Resident • 2011 - 2012

Very Unhappy!!

My husband, 2 children and I moved here in September last year. I agree with the mold complaints, I have been fighting to keep my window sills free of mold and it is a full time job. Also my husband works for a major car OEM and is responsible for repairs on warrantied vehicles, this requires him to get a new field vehicle every 6 months or so and also has to drive vehicles that he is repairing or investigating. The office informed us that he must park in visitor parking with any vehicle we do not own (even though his registration is always the same plate just moved from one vehicle to another). There are only a handful of visitor parking spots and they are always full in our half of the complex with the same vehicle, I assume people who live here and dont have a parking permit or have more than 2 vehicles. One night he did not make it home until 10 pm and there was no where to park the show vehicle he was driving, a vehicle owned directly by the manufacturer, an hour later a tow truck arrived and slammed into the vehicles wheel causing $400 worth of damage and after the police arriving the tow company, contracted by the complex, driver had to drop the car for a $25 fee. The office informed him the next day they are not liable for what the towing company does which legally they should be since they are the ones responsible for allowing them inside the gated community, when the gates do work anyway which is only about half the time. I will NEVER gove a good review for this place! I pay way too much to live here to have my husband verbally assulted by someone contracted by the complex and have my children witness it! As soon as our lease is up we are out!

Current Resident 743738

Resident • 2010 - 2012

The best apartment comlex I have lived in.

I lived here for 2 years. Overall it was problem free, and I would have stayed if I had not bought a house. I really enjoyed the management staff who were mostly all very friendly and helpful. They even waived late fees twice for me when I was a day after the 5th due to extenuating circumstances. I wouldn't bank on them always doing this, but they understood my issues were not completely my fault either time. The one time I had a maintenance request, it was handled promptly. Also, the management will spray if you have bugs or ants which most places force you to pay yourself. I think it is rare to have any serious bug problems because they spray the outside of the buildings all the time. The grounds are always being trimmed and landscaped. The gate was broken often, but that never bothered me either way. The management also returned my deposit quickly. I was even nervous that the apartment was not clean enough. I repaired the nail holes, but did not sand them. Parking is great with roomy spots and lots of them and ample visitor parking. My only 2 strange complaints are that when I moved in my towels kept getting bleached from the wall. Yes, the wall not the washing machine. I am not sure what was going on but it stopped eventually. And the second was the bathroom fixtures were so tiny I could barely get my hands under them. However, this was upgraded when I renewed my lease. Upon renewal as an incentive, the management offers a list of upgrades that you can pick from. I think it is a creative way to upkeep the apartments. So if you are looking to move in, do not hesitate. If you are nice and polite to the management staff, then they will take care of any issues you have. I am certain of it. I have lived in quite a few different apartment complexes over the years to compare it to and this was by far the nicest and only place I renewed my lease.

Current Resident 688970

Resident • 2011 - 2012

the worst management I have seen

bed room stings , wood under the tile is rotten ... management office are ------- !! they lie to your face , they just want to suck money out of you ..group of nasty thugs .

brittanycommons

Resident • 2012

To Anonymous on 2/21/12

Just want to write a response to your posting dated 2/21/2012. This is being written by the Brittany Commons Management staff. Yes-your apartment did have some mold. It was brought to the attention of the office and within 3 hours,the property manager was contacted,a new apartment was agreed upon and your new lease was ready for you and your wife to sign. You had the availability to start moving right then and there. You state that we do not care. If that were in fact the case, we would not have pushed this through so quickly. You stated that there are costs involved in moving--like the connection fees for the utilities. Our Property Manager told you to bring in the bills with those charges and she would reimburse you on your rent. You did state that your mattress needed to be replaced--one that was on the floor, one that did not appear to even being close to new, and aparently had some mold on it. We did state that we would not buy you a new mattress. We understand your frustrations, but your statements about what happened are not being reported accurately.

Current Resident 125917

Resident • 2012

Never Ever Live Here if you have Children!

We moved in November, thought it was beautiful...well guess again. We had to move out of our original apartment to a different one and its only February. There was MOLD in every window and door to the outside. All over the master bedroom, our furniture in our bedroom. And guess what else? They are not going to pay for any of it. And yeah sure they moved us to another apartment but I have to pay extra in my rent. and not counting all the fees that come with moving all your utilities and address... I have two small children both under 2 years old. My 4 month old son had RSV, which could very well have been caused because of the mold and do they care? Absolutely NOT! I can not warn you enough to NOT LIVE HERE! Management is rude, the ONLY GOOD PERSON WHO WORKS HERE IS Valerie. I just can not believe how NO ONE HERE CARES ABOUT CHILDREN AND THEY'RE SAFETY!! There are cigarette butts all over the grounds, in the landscaping, on the stairs and even my patio AND I DON'T SMOKE! I'm so disappointed, I really REALLY wanted to stay here for 5 years until we bought a house. But now I don't think we will. I really think someone who rents their house out would care more about their tenants than Brittany Commons does. Sad. Not to metnion that there was a Robbery on Paddington Place...where a pizza delivery guy was robbed and cut. The gates are always broken and open to the public. I really can't stress again how DISAPPOINTING this is.

GBPackfan

Resident • 2011

Great experience!

Our family of 5 lived at Brittany Commons for 4 months while we searched for a house to buy after moving to the area. Our time at BC was great and we could not have had a better apartment experience! We lived in the middle of two floors and rarely ever heard our neighbors. There is a pretty walking trail, tennis courts, playgrounds, two pools, tennis court and a soccer field, plenty to do around the grounds, especially for those who have children. We rented the largest unit, 3 bedrooms and it was quite spacious. The staff were all very kind and maintenance was always quick to respond when something needed fixing. We would definitely recommend BC as it was a great experience for our family. Special shout out to the office manager Valerie, she did a great job making us feel welcome at BC and was always kind to talk to.

Current Resident 541972

Resident • 2011

Noisy - Not recommended

I'm 4 months in on my lease of a second floor apartment. I can not wait until this is over. The neighbors above me sound like clumsy elephants - I blame this on the paper thin walls and ceilings. I can hear my floor creaking and cracking as I tread lightly and can only imagine what my downstairs neighbors think. Avoid the balconies - in my unit they overhang the master bedroom, leaving it very dim and allowing you to hear everything the neighbors are saying when you are trying to get to sleep at a reasonable hour. Even with closed windows and thick blackout drapes. Poor construction - especially in the kitchen. Joints are uneven, and there are gaps big enough to see light under bar height counter area. My apartment was not thoroughly cleaned prior to my occupancy. Unfortunately, most things were unnoticeable until uncovered through daily use. My garbage disposal had a spoon in it (it wasn't mine!)!! Things that I did notice upon move-in inspection were simply noted on the paperwork and never resolved. Both showers had cracks in the walls, stains on carpet, marks on other walls (seems like they have not been painted since construction), and the ceiling fan was removed in the second bedroom for no apparent reason. The oven door did not stay open when you tried to remove pans, and it took them nearly a month to fix it. After the earthquake, I returned home to find cracks in the walls and ceiling, appliances that had moved significantly, boards cracked and warped on the balcony, not to mention what happened to my personal belongings. Bottom line: These apartments are not well constructed or maintained. Renter Beware!

OverThere25

Resident • 2011

Live here if you like to hear your neighbors above you and other nonsense

Ok from the outside Brittany Commons appears to be a very safe, very nice apartment complex. It is safe, I personally never once felt unsafe while staying in these apartments. However, they are poorly built. If you live on the bottom or second floor, you will definitely be able to hear your neighbor's every move and footstep. If you're lucky, you might even get to hear their conversation or whatever they are arguing about. After a while, it really got on my nerves because the people that lived above me never seem to go to sleep and they are up walking around (or stomping around because that's what it's really going to sound like) at all hours. Also, if you love spiders and other insects, then this place is for you. I can't tell you how many spiders alone I kill on a day to day basis. I do not know where they are coming from but it is guaranteed that I will kill a spider or two DAILY. Not an exaggeration folks. Parking is somewhat adequate. Make sure you have that sticker in a VISIBLE place on your car. They are not joking when they say they will tow your vehicle and your guest's vehicle if it is not parked in visitor's parking or have that sticker in a VISIBLE place on your car. I talked to a neighbor who told me that they're car was towed and they said they had the sticker on their car. So I figured it must have not been in a visible place. Kids. There are plenty of kids that live here. It can go two ways. Either you like kids or you don't. If you don't like kids or just don't want to be around other people's kids this may not be the place for you because there are children here. But the place is not overly run by kids. Size. The apartments to me seem an adequate size however they are poorly built because as stated earlier, you can hear your neighbors who live above you. The kitchen appliances are cheap. Don't expect a luxurious refrigerator or stove. Actually the stove is an electric one so good luck to cleaning those drip pans. There are a washer and dryer available in which I had no issues with those. The kitchen itself seems pretty cheap too since this is a luxury community. But to each his own. Simply my opinion. In relative to location you are close to Central Park, and about a little over an hour's drive from D.C. (Traffic counted). Other than that, if you can overlook those problems as stated earlier, Brittany Commons can be a very appealing place to live. I however think I can get a better deal by paying a lot less and not having to deal with the issues as stated above. But like I said earlier, to each their own. I hope this review is able to help you in your decision.

Current Resident 296144

Resident • 2010 - 2011

No major problems

We lived in Brittany Commons for 11 months and had no major problems. Any time we had a maintenance request they were there the next day and fixed it. The apartment itself was nice and we never had any issues with mold like other people have said. My husband got a new job and we had to move a month early. We talked to the office staff about ending our lease early and were told that we could just pay last month's rent and if they rent out our apartment we would get the rent back. After calling to check if they had rented it, they had put it as a rent concession but after speaking to the manager realized it was their mistake and since someone had rented it, we received a check in the mail a few weeks later. My only issue with Brittany Commons was that there wasn't enough guest parking and often our guests would have to park far away and walk. Other than that, great. Oh and a definitely plus--if you refer a friend to live at Brittany Commons, you and that friend receive a check for $750. We referred a friend and got the check and put it towards rent. It was great!

Hemi31B

Resident • 2010 - 2011

Unfair practices

Today, the 25th of August 2011, Brittany Commons ordered my car to be towed when I am resident in good standing. Its malicious and unwarranted. The women who works in management I spoke to in reference to the incident was rude. The man who was towing my car said he had a note from the complex to tow my car and after I ran out and shouted, he then released the car back after he knew it was going to be reported as theft/a felony. I will NOT recommend anybody to this complex! It is alleged that there may be some sort of collusion between the apartment complex and the contracted towing company. The fact that I had a resident sticker in my window and my car being towed was an act of stealing and violation of the law. An illegal seizure is a civil rights violation. Beware!

Current Resident 916177

Resident • 2011

Not Nice

Charge different prices than what your qouted. People are very nosey, as well as staff.

Current Resident 696511

Resident • 2009

If you do NOT live here, you are WRONG!

I have lived in Brittney Commons Apartments for over 2 years now. I have only good things to say about this complex and the staff who runs it. They are VERY understanding people and have made my experience here far better than perfect! Of course no apartment complex is perfect, but I will say that their team is right on point with getting issues resolved. The complex itself is very appealing, and the inside is just as great. The layout of my apartment is awesome and inviting. Overall, I would say that this is BY FAR the best place I have ever delt with and I would refer ANYONE looking for an affordable apartment with luxorious benefits.

ValWelch22553

Resident • 2009

Response to residents of Brittany Commons

I believe that this was written by a resident of Brittany Commons on Sunday, July 31, 2011. I, too, am a resident here, and yes, I also work here. Yesterday early evening, sometime between 3:30 and 4:30 PM, I was leaving the community to go out. As I approached the gate to exit, a large, white, newer model truck was attempting to enter through the exit gate. I stopped suddenly to avoid getting hit. The person in the truck motioned for me to back up; I would not and could not, as there was another car coming up behind me. The passenger in the truck got out, approached my car and asked me what they were supposed to do since the entrance gate "was broken". (Please note: The gate was not broken. By the time this episode ended, at least three other cars had entered the community through the entrance gate.) I told her that if, in fact, the gate was broken, they would have to go around to the other entrance at the leasing center. She stormed off going back to her truck using expletives that I will not write on here. Just for the record, there was another resident who saw and heard what went on and stated that they were glad that I did what I did. They have a teenage daughter who drives that may not have been so lucky as to have been able to stop without having an accident. I found that this resident came into the office to put in a complaint and they were told the same thing. THE EXIT GATE IS JUST THAT!! AN EXIT!!

Current Resident 687862

Resident • 2009

I would NEVER live here again!

Brittany Commons Luxury Apartments is one of the biggest scams of an apartment complex ever. What you pay for and what you actually get are to completely different things. They do a very good job showing you the apartments and getting you to sign the lease and everything is downhill from there. One of the worst parts is the staffing and management of this complex. While you are living there and paying your rent you are essentially paying the salary of the office staff, and you would think they would be nice and helpful. They point blank aren t! They all have attitudes and are always rude. It makes your living experience here horrible! I would HIGHLY recommend that if you have the choice of living here or somewhere else Choose somewhere else!!!! I can't wait until my lease is up!!!

Current Resident 383287

Resident • 2011

Embezzlement

Managers are crooks. Had security deposit stolen when I changed apartments! Was told security deposit was transferred to new apartment, when in all actutual reality it was released and put in the pocket of the assistant manager! Came to light by the secreatary. Called their headquarters and reported it. Money put back in security but NO punishment for the crook! Got a bill when I moved out for $600 more than what I should. The bill typed up by the Assistant Manager. Going tomorrow and pressing charges and will sue the hell out of them. Anyone that has questioned their security deposit should contact the Spotsy sheriffs office.

Current Resident 941167

Resident • 2010 - 2011

BLACK MOLD!!! BEWARE

Brittany Commons is the most poorly run establishment I have ever had to deal with. Here is a short list (not all of our problems just the big ones): -BLACK MOLD growing all over our bedroom! It took 3 weeks before management even came out to look at our apartment. They then tried to say the mold growth was simply because of the humidity from the bathroom. Any one who does a tiny bit of research on Black Mold knows that it takes a little more than just bathroom humidity for mold to grow! They did not want to take any responsiblility for having a poorly designed layout. The airflow is not adequate for the space, particularly when you live on the ground floor like I did. -Air conditioning until leaked so badly that the maintenance staff had to "recharge" is 5 times in 10 months!! Which is highly illegal and unsafe for the environment! They advertise as being a "pet friendly" complex yet are leaking harmful chemicals all over the environment where people walk their dogs. -Flooding toilet -Carpeting seams were coming apart in multiple places - Had to spray for bugs ourselves And many many more! Now regardless of how big or how small the issue, it would always take more than 2 calls to even get someone in our apt to look as our problem. The managment staff is just TERRIBLE and RUDE! I highly recommend staying away, if not only for your health/safety but for the simple fact you will be over paying for a sub-par apartment!

Current Resident 841037

Resident • 2011

7 months and no (major) complaints

I have had no major issues since I moved in 7 months ago. The staff I have dealt with have not been particulary discourteous nor have they gone above and beyond anything that I have requested. Have called maintenence for a few things, shower head and water heater pilot light and they came same day and had no problems...again they were neither horrible nor exceeded my expectations. The interior of the apartment was in good shape, we had new carpets when we moved in...the insulation is a bit thin however we are on the top floor of a building and in the winter did not notice gas bills particularly high for 1100 sq. ft. of space considering it is a heat pump....we'll see about the summer I'm expecting high costs since we're up top anyway. Overall the the inside is nice to live in, no old musty mildew smell like some older apartment complexes. I almost never hear neighbors save for a door closing every now and then outside in the foyer. Plenty of parking, even for visitors when we've had them. The grounds are very well maintained if this matters to you. The gate issue...I could care less if there was a gate, it's not going to stop whatever you think needs to be kept out anyway!

Current Resident 588232

Resident • 2011

Never judge a book by its cover

Yes, this apt appears nice, "outside looking in", sales staff are very good at telling you what you want to hear, but nothing said or promised was true. Poorly insulated, so in summer electric bill was high and in winter both electric and gas was tripled and only had enough hot water for 1 shower daily, when maintenance was called, they said nothing was wrong, we just had to live with it. Had to shrink wrap windows in winter to keep out strong cold air that kept blowing in, snow removal poor. Dishwasher kept leaving gritty sand like substance on dishes, when asked to fix it, it was replaced with a dirty used one that did the same thing. Toilets do not flush correctly in our building, and tubs and sinks do not drain properly. Unless you face the right direction the only choice you have for cable/internet is Comcast, they are deliberately keeping out Verizon Fios. Carwash facilities are always broken, gates are never working and always open, just for show. To get the refrigerator to make ice you have to freeze everything in your frig. Only good thing I can say about this place is that the grounds are beautiful. I would never recommend this place to anyone and cannot wait to move out!!!!!!!!!

Current Resident 800834

Resident • 2010 - 2011

The Office Staff ...Sucks.

Whenever I have a question or concern the office staff reception is abrasive and seemingly annoyed. Voicemails are never returned and emails are quick short answers that do not provide the support needed. Maintenance requests are not completed within a timely manner and the knowledge of said staff is inadequate for the size of the complex. I can't wait until my lease is up.