I moved here straight out of college-- it was one of the few places I could afford to live by myself (I got in on a rental deal). I chose Belcrest over other buildings because it seemed safe, and I guess it is, comparatively. However, having grown up in farm-land, it was a bit strange to see a guy getting beat-up in the mall parking lot (which you have to walk through to get to the metro) one night when I was walking home.
However, considering that this is Hyattsville, it seems like a very safe place. The main problem, really, is the residents. They tend to play a lot of loud music, play basketball indoors, or hang out on the stairs outside the building (which, since I'm on the first floor, is right outside my window). Maybe this wouldn't be such a problem if it didn't start pretty early in the morning (about 7am on weekends, at least) and continue late into the night (I'm talking 1am). Granted, the night-time hangouts don't happen all the time, but often enough to piss me off.
The other big problem, which I think is tied to the residents, is the roaches. I am very very clean, but, because at first I thought little roach-traps and sprays would fix the problem, I ended up with a full-blown infestation. Had to have the apartment sprayed-down for a month, and was still having problems. Finally, I spent a few weekends sealing every hole I could find in the place with canned insulation or caulking. It took forever-- there were tons of crack! Nowhere in my apartment did the baseboard actually touch the floor/carpet, and in the closets there was actually a one inch gap between the bottom of the baseboard and the closet floor! Only after sealing those holes and the gaping holes around the kitchen and bathroom plumbing did I get some relief from the bugs. Of course, I still see them from time to time, since there are huge holes around the furnace that I can't reach, and management hasn't responded about fixing them. So yeah, roaches are a huge problem, and probably more or less of a problem depending on your neighbors, your cleanliness, and how much work you want to do making the apartment livable. (Just as a side-note, I even talked to one of the rental people about the roaches. She lives (maybe lived') here, had roach problems, and said that if they continued, she'd move out. Unless she put in the work that I did, I'm sure she's left by now).
Oh, that's the other thing. My air didn't work when it was supposed to, and neither did my heat. I'm pretty aggressive, and called almost every day, and it still took a week to fix the air and two weeks to fix the heat. (They kept saying nothing was wrong or they couldn't fix it). Also, when I first moved in I got two leaks in my ceiling from two different problems!! There are a few good people in the rental offices, but a lot of them don't seem to care much, and they don't respond very quickly at all. And there is often trash floating around in the wind outside (it creates a wonderful atmosphere).
What can I say' If you like not having heat/air when you want them, listening to your neighbors jump on your ceiling or yell outside your window, and living with bugs, have at it. I'm out of here at the end of my lease. lGjq8RUBjvsZjkb5ueji

User Responses
From: sandy831	Date: 08/27/2005
I have lived at belcrest for a year and they have changed a lot, from the day I first moved in. The staff is very helpful and friendly, maintenance is always on time and the new manager has took care of all my problems in a timely manner. Know as far as the roaches that is a lie the apartments are not infested with roaches and I have not seen one roach since I have been here. I keep my apartment very clean and if everyone else would do the same they probably wouldn't have roaches.

Your thoughts? Post a response to this review. Display my response: with my username anonymously Responses appear below reviews and one response per user is permitted.

   Free estimates on moving trucks      Find apartment share/roommates