You heard right, do NOT rent a three bedroom apartment at the Lodge. If you want to pay a lot of money for your heat/cooling bill, then by all means, be my guest. The master bedroom is way too hot in the summer and extremely cold in the winter. You can feel the draft coming in through the windows. Even adding plastic did not help. I moved in when it was cold, but of course the day I moved in, the heater was turned up full blast so you couldn't tell that there's a problem. After realizing this place had insulation issues, I asked maintenance to come and check it out. Maybe fix the windows, add plastic, anything, but they did nothing except say they "could" put up plastic. They did exactly that, they did nothing. I went out and got some plastic and put it up. It was still freezing in the room. I talked to the property manager, and they said they couldn't do anything about it.
So, a good reason not to rent this apartment because of the insulation and the fact they did not do a thing to help. I practically begged them to fix the problem, management disregarded it. (mind you, I have three toddlers and a wife)
Management - They will smile in your face, and tell you about all the great amenities. Don't be fooled. The bikes hey have readily available, they will hardly ever be used by anyone. Reason being, you have to have the bike back before the office closes. So, if you want to ride a bike after you get off work or after picking up the kids, forget about it. The latest that office stays open is 6:30 - 7pm (if that).
More about management - there is a blond that works in the main office who would give me the dirtiest looks, as if I didn't belong there at the lodge. I told her about the cold room and she looked at me as if I had two heads. I don't particularly like the management nor the maintenance crew because of the crappy job they do.
Price - It's not worth it. If you're military, try looking on base for a place to live, they aren't too bad. There is nothing to justify the high price except that you're right next to Meade.. Whooopie.
Trash is pretty distant for others around the complex. For us, it was just a 30sec walk across a parking lot.
Noise - you can hear everybody walking up and down those stairs. You can hear people through doors and walls. So beware if you're a loud mouth.
For being a luxury apartment, you'd think they would have a play area for kids; something on the premises. Not at all. I have three kids and had to walk quite a distance to a playground.
Parking, that's not too bad, It got worse as soon as more people started moving in.
The gym could have a little more to it, especially if you're paying for that amenity.
The apartment itself- nice space, horrible heating and cooling. I forgot to mention, that master bedroom will directly an drastically effect the temperature of the rest of the apartment. Who wants a freezing cold bedroom right before they get into bed' Also, the fixtures, very cheap. My son grabbed the handle to patio sliding door and it came right off. The bathroom sink (flat area) is flush with the drawers below it, so if water runs off, make sure to wipe it really quickly. The water hits the drawer (fixtures) and will start to warp the cheap "wood."
Lighting, they use all the standard lighting, so, you'll be paying a bundle if yo leave those lights in place. Just to save a bit, try using the halogen bulbs. they worked great for us.
So, in conclusion, it's not worth the money to take a 3 bedroom. It's not worth your effort trying to get the management or maintenance to fix the heating/cooling problem because they just won't. It's not worth it to be buttered up by one of the staff and realize later it was all just a game to them.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/12/2009
I respectful disagree with some of the above. I have not had heating nor cooling problems with my 3BR apt, and my BGE bill is much lower than what it used to be. I don't have a problem with water dripping on the bathroom drawers, either. And, a previous poster made mention of frogs in the apartment, which I have never had a problem with. I will say the painting job is cheap, though. If you leave a potted plan near a window, be prepared for the pot to stick to the paint. My biggest complaint with the Lodge is safety. There have been several thefts/burglaries over the past year, including of cars and apartments. I agree that having the empty police cars about is not enough of a deterrent. I hope the Lodge puts more effort into safety, given the frequency with which thefts seem to occur.
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/17/2009
So I have to say first off that I am very angry at the the comment about "empty cop cars (with carseats in the back!! ((safety first)))" Those cop cars may be empty but do you ever stop to think about the fact that they do actually work and not just live here to do security!!! And that doesn't mean they work the same hours as you. They have to sleep some time! But you are more than welcome to stay up 24 hours and work your regular job and then come home and do the job you think they should be doing! And the car seat comment, come on are you serious?! Cops have children too!! But to end this I will say the apartments are nice but very poorly built. We will be moving at the end of our lease. And as far as "safety" I don't have any worries!! But I guess it helps when you are friends with the local officers!!!!!!
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/17/2009
The point that was trying to be made is just that; yes, the cops do work long hours, that's why regular security is needed!! I don't think that "show of force" is really intimidating to theives. But, oh well, if you're bu hurt over that comment "...safety first" I'll assume the carseat belongs to...you? LoL, nah, j/k, but you really should lighten up. Run from the lodge, an never go back! If you are thinking of renting here, think long and hard about it before you make a huge mistake... ok, I'll just come out and say it...Don't rent here!
From: SecurityOfficer	Date: 04/20/2009
Yes I have kids. Thats why I have car seats. We park our police cars to be seen because its better than parking them to not be seen. We patrol at different times of the day/night and usually in plain clothes. We dont see any reason to put the uniform on for an hour or two. Our cars are usually empty because it is better to be out of them to check the community. Alot of the people we dont want in our community know my vehicle, so I park it where they will see it. I dont have to be in it for them to know Im watching our community. We do regular foot patrols during different times of the day and night. All the break-ins happened during the 3 months we were not here at the Lodge. At my request, the fence along Rt.32 was built, lights were added and a second officer was brought on to help. We escort people off property that don't live here on a regular basis. We can only catch the poeple we see though. With the help of the residence calling police or management we could do even more. We dont know someone is knocking on your door unless you tell us. We also need residence to understand it takes less than a minute to smash a car window and steal a GPS unit and it takes 3 minutes to steal a set of rims. We try to patrol as often as possible between 2am and 5am since this is when these crimes usually occur but without the help of residence helping us it is not easy to catch or prevent these crimes. Valuables should not be left in plain sight in your vehicle. We love the Lodge and take pride in our community. I would like to know which frequent crimes "anonymous 4/12/09" is speaking of. The residents I have spoken to are very pleased with all the Lodge has put into security.
From: Anonymous	Date: 05/13/2009
I have lived at the Lodge since 09/2008 and have had a very pleasant experience. I live on the first floor, and always have my doors/windows locked and blinds shut when I am not around. That, normally, is the first step to avoid thefts of personal property. Furthermore, I agree with the Police Officer that it does not take long to steal a GPS, and almost any property that you will visit in the DC/VA/MD area will tell you to keep all valuables in a safe place, out of plain-sight!! And I also agree that they do have real-lives and real jobs, and no book says that they are not allowed to carry child-seats in their cars. And in response to the statement that the "empty cop cars" do not help, I disagree with that. There is something known as the placebo effect, and in this instance, I have seen it work a lot. I have noticed cars that enter into the complex fast, and immediately slow down upon seeing the so-called "empty cop car". I have to also agree that the apartments are not built that well, and that has been a great disappointment for me. I have been able to hear sexual moans and screams of my upstairs neighbors, as well as any movement that happens when they are walking, or when their pet is running around the apartment, or washer/drier and dishwasher is operating. I also am disappointed by the HVAC performance in the apartment. Mine is a 1-bedroom apartment, and my AC works well in the rest of the apartment except the master bedroom (well, the only bedroom). So, in order to have the room either heat or cool at night, I have to leave the bedroom door open so that the breeze from the rest of the apartment can make its way into the bedroom. I also have began despising the fact that pet owners cannot pick up their dogs' crap, but pray extremely heavily that karma hits them back when they get to step on some other dogs' crap. When it comes to parking, I agree that something needs to be done about the parking related issues. Lodge has to limit the number of cars per residence that can park in the immediate vicinity of their respective apartment, and I am sure someone can come up with an efficient system.

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