I've read all the reviews written here. Those who speak positively of Gatewater Landing are either eternally nice and the-glass-is-always-half-full people or they previously lived somewhere so atrocious that anything would be an improvement. I had planned on moving out when my lease is up this winter but I'm stuck here for another year because I need surgery and won't be mobile for a few months. I've lived here 5 years and seen probably at least 6 sets of management staff come and go. The place has steadily gone downhill, which is a shame. I'd heard from someone else living here that United Dominion receives more complaints about this particular complex than any other property they own except one. I'd be curious to find out of this is true and if so, why United doesn't do anything about it. Below are just my personal observations/relative to my own apartment. Obviously they aren't the same as others' experiences. I'm in a one-bedroom, third floor, end unit.

The Pros
--convenient to work (as I work 10 miles from here)
--hardwood floors
--large walk-in closet in the bedroom
--roomy eat-in kitchen with a window
--on the water (the second main reason I chose to live here)
--with one exception, the management staff are always friendly
--nice-sized balconies
--nice-sized bathroom with large vanity lights and huge mirror
--it's a fairly quiet complex overall

The Cons
--management staff turnover that is probably statistically as high as turnover at fastfood restaurants (I'll address that at more length later)
--lousy maintenance (which I'll address separately below, as the problems are numerous)
--feels unsafe at night, as the light on the outside my building has been burnt out for over a year and the management office still hasn't replaced it
--inadequate parking
--inadequate trash facilities
--dog poop everywhere
--probably 85% of the chairs & lounges at the pool are broken and they don't/won't replace them
--a landscaping service staffed by people who don't speak English, disregard personal property, and most of which I've heard other residents say they've heard they are here illegally. Someone mentioned they were reporting them to INS. I've heard Gatewater uses them because they are cheap. I have no idea if any of this is true.
--several tenants own banned dog breeds, which wouldn't be happening if the management office did its job
--inadequate storage facilities
--overpriced laundry facilities
--flimsy, cheap construction materials & appliances
--excessively high rent hikes, considering the lack of value you get for these hikes
--incredibly inferior (nonexistent at times) snow removal in winter
--a trashy, dirty area down by the fishing dock
--the fishing dock seems to be used mostly by people who don't even live here at Gatewater Landing. I stopped going down there (I used to sit down there with a cup of coffee on nice evenings) because it's simply not safe to do if you're a female.
--inferior air conditioning system. My entire apartment RATTLES when the A/C comes on. Always has. I complained the first summer I was here but they never came to investigate.

Now what I consider the two worst problems with living here, inadquate management and maintenance (which go hand in hand). This wasn't the case when I moved in. At that time, they had what I still consider to be the best of the lot. Concerns and problems were addressed promptly and adequately. But that particular staff left 6 months after I moved in, and it's gone severely downhill since. Don't even bother leaving a message for the office, because chances are your calls will NEVER be returned. You never know if/when the staff will be in the office. Their hours change constantly. They sometimes also take extremly leisurely lunches. Or are 2-hour lunches the norm now' Rent increases are completely arbitrary. I know someone who lives in my building, who moved in a month after me, and we pay nearly $100 difference in rent, yet we're near the same age (ie, neither of us are senior citizens) and live in the same kind of apartment (1 bedroom). I've heard nasty stories about a previous office manager, that he'd take booze and drugs and dates in exchange for low rent increases or no increases. A friend of mine lived here for a time and she received NO rent increase the year before last because said office manager was so far behind that to comply with the law (regarding sending lease renewal agreements) he just sent her the lease to sign, with no increase at all. I saw the lease (she let me see it before she turned it in), so I know this as fact, not as secondhand information. The other allegations, I have no idea if they are true or not, but considering the person in question, it wouldn't surprise me at all. The guy was... creepy.

Maintenance is so inadequate that it borders on being dangerous. I urge anyone who hasn't had a timely response to serious emergencies -- plumbing issues, electricity issues, safety issues, bug issues -- to contact the state housing authority. Your rent payment can be held in escrow UNTIL the office makes good on such repairs. By Maryland law, your living quarters *must* be habitable. If they aren't, contact the housing authority as soon as you can. I also urge everyone to put maintenance requests in writing, and to send registered copies to United Dominion and to the housing authority. Don't just stop by or call the leasing office with your requests.

Maybe it's the Norma Rae in me, but I would honestly love to see the people who live here stage a rent out. EVERYONE refuse to pay rent until United Dominion addresses the real and serious problems this complex faces.

User Responses
From: Danka	Date: 01/04/2006
This review is excatly what is going on I have been here 2 years and cant wait until the lease is up. It's really sad because this place has alot of potential.

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