I moved to the Vinings in June 2003 and am still a resident in the same 1/1 apartment as of the date of this review.

My experience at the Vinings has been almost all positive. The same management has been in place since I moved in, and they are always helpful and courteous when I've stopped in to pick up packages or borrow a spare key when I accidentally locked myself out, renewed my lease, asked for repairs, or--my one bad experience here--reported a break-in.

The grounds are very well-kept, the maintenance staff has been very prompt with repairs (the electricity in my bedroom and bathroom shorted out on Memorial Day weekend, and a staffer still came by and fixed it on Sunday), the fitness room has a decent selection of equipment and is open 24 hours, and the pool is clean, probably because most people just lie around tanning on the loungers instead of actually going into the water, LOL. The no dogs/no motorcycles rules keep the complex very quiet. Rent is the lowest in this area, and you can't beat the convenience of valet trash pickup right outside your door and a washer/dryer in every unit. I have never had to park more than 50 feet away from my stairwell, but I am in a single bedroom building. Maybe folks in the 2 or 3 bedroom units have more issues with parking.

The apartment complex is very safe in terms of violent crime, but I know from personal experience that there have been instances of property crime/burglaries. A few months after I moved to the Vinings in fall 2003, someone broke into my apartment (with an electric lockpick according to the police officer who wrote up the report) and stole a digital camera and a camcorder and bag. There was no sign of forced entry, and my door was unlocked when I got home and discovered the theft.

I reported the break-in to the police and the office immediately. The office staff sent maintenance to install an additional bar on my door the next day, but I went ahead and changed my deadbolt and added a keyed doorknob from a better lock manufacturer just to be safe. (The doors are secured only with a cheapo Kwikset deadbolt lock, and there are no security systems.)

I haven't had any other issues myself since then, although we get flyers every 2-3 months or so informing us that other residents have reported items stolen. Recently, one of my co-workers who also lives at the Vinings had someone attempt to steal the rims off his car.

Regarding the "invasion of privacy" mentioned by others...Maintenance DOES come around at least once every month or two to do pest control or maintenance inspections and to change out the air filters in your AC unit. The pest control schedule is posted in the calendar on the back page of the monthly newsletter, and any other maintenance visits or work on your building are announced in advance in memos left at your door. If you are caught by surprise, it is your own fault, but I admit that I do keep important documents and valuables in a locked safe box.

I'd say that overall, I'd still recommend the Vinings to anyone looking for a reasonably-priced apartment in the Sea World area. The incidents of burglaries are about the same for all of the apartment complexes around the International Golf course--Broadwater, St. Andrews, AND Vinings--according to the police. Pick any non-gated complex in the 32821 zip code, and you'll run the same risk of break-in as you would at Vinings, but you wouldn't get nearly the same level of service and amenities for the same price.

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