This apartment is not superb, but it is definitely the best in the area and best for the money - I know, my fiance and I looked at ALL of them and we're both experienced apartment-hunters. This time we had to move in a hurry because of a job change. Here's what we've discovered:

Good things: The manager, Lillian, is super-nice. Maintenance has been quick to respond to problems. The building is old but it's solid and well-maintained. Every weekday, the grounds crew guys walk every inch of the complex picking up trash, and a cleaning woman visits each building to sweep out the foyer and staircases. Utilities are included! The key-access building entry doors are always in working order and help with safety. You can sometimes hear a little noise in the enclosed stairway - voices echo there - but it's surprisingly, pleasantly quiet inside the apartment. The residents are almost all working class families. There are playgrounds and large park-like lawns where the kids often play soccer, but they don't just "hang out." It sounds superficial, but the cars in the parkinglot can tell you a lot, too. There are no broken windows or bondo-covered doors. These are nice, average looking hondas, toyotas, some suvs. You get two parking spaces for a two-bedroom apartment. We feel safe parking here. If you don't get a guest permit in the office, your guests have to park along one of the nearby residential streets, but this means the apartment spaces are available for the RESIDENTS, as it should be. And a BIG plus - the complex is right next to the Hyattsville Metro stop! VERY convenient. We both take metro rail to work every day. The apartment complex is cat friendly - no pet fees! There is seldom noise outside at night. The model they show you really does represent the units for rent. Ours is sunny with a nice view. There is a well-used walking/biking trail next door. Police cars patrol the neighborhood regularly but only once have I seen them have to respond to an apartment. The street running through the complex is a cul-de-sac, so there's no crazy drivers speeding through on their way somewhere else.

Bad things: The apartment is small. The kitchen in small. (This might not bother everyone, but I do a LOT of fancy cooking and baking!) The stove/oven is small and the appliances are not exactly new (really, the stove and fridge are all you get). No dishwasher. No disposal. We initially had a HUGE bug problem, oddly only in the kitchen, and the apartment's contracted exterminator didn't seem to affect it at all. (We started sealing plastic sheets over the kitchen doorway and setting off bug-bomb foggers. That seems to do the trick!) Sadly, I have heard that bugs in the greater DC area are the norm. The apartment comes with one a/c window unit and just cannot keep our sunny third-floor apartment cool in the summer - we were miserable, until we bought a second a/c unit (yes, extra unit = extra money). We don't have any mold, thank god, but we do have some flaking paint in the bathroom because of the humidity in there. There is one laundry room for every two buildings, and there is no one to regularly look after the machines so you have to check carefully before putting in any laundry loads - someone ran a dryer with some kind of pen, and it left ink stains all over the inside. We had nothing but trouble when we tried to get phone/internet from Verizon. The fault is largely with Verizon (not Kirkwood) but the old infrastructure certainly complicated things.

All in all: The neighborhood is not upscale and the apartments aren't particularly spacious, but these are the best in the area and the price is very reasonable. Like anywhere, you will find people who hate it and people who love it. We will not renew here (we need a larger space to set up a home office) but would recommend it anyway.

User Responses
From: Jameselizabeth	Date: 02/20/2008
This is a very well written description of the area that I am of interest in. I do remember mentioning about all utilities. I thought water was a utility that had to be paid by the tenant, maybe I am thik ing of another apartment complex. This article was very well written, descriptive, and informative. I am really going to take a look at this complex
From: ChampTKO	Date: 05/30/2008
Thank you for this but this was a year a some change ago. whats a new review
From: twothousand8	Date: 12/23/2008
what exactly did you buy to get rid of the bug problem you had?

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