I've lived at Rose Hill Apartments since 2005 and will be moving out in a few months. I m moving out because I ve taken a job outside of the area, but also because the cost of living is extremely high in this area. I looked at several Kingstowne area apartments when trying to find a place (Sussex At Kingstowne, Van Metre Saratoga Square, Van Metre Saratoga Square, Archstone Springfield Station) and went with Rose Hill because they were nice apartments at a somewhat more affordable price.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ROSE HILL APARTMENTS: The complex is divided into two separate apartment complexes that were merged together at some point in time, Rose Hill I and Rose Hill II. The apartment complex is big enough that your experience (parking, noise, etc.) might vary a great deal based on where you live. I think the units are nicer where I lived in Rose Hill I (HINT: the units on the road by the swimming pool have the most parking and are probably the most secluded).

PARKING: Varies a great deal throughout the complex (VERY hard to find in some areas, not hard by my unit). You can rent your own reserved spot if you want to, but I never had a problem finding a spot. I never had a problem finding parking for guests either. Seems like there are an inordinate amount of commercial vehicles that park throughout complex (landscaping vehicles, work vans, etc). I never had a problem with car break-ins, vandalism.

NOISE: I don t hear a lot of noise from my neighbors (occasional bass from below from neighbor s TV/music) but I hear everything else. I hear way too much truck traffic, especially the beeping sound of trucks backing up from the nearby shopping center in the early morning. You ll get some airplane and train noise too; it s a pretty busy area. You can hear when your neighbors take showers as the water pipes hiss through the wall. Very annoying and disrupting to your sleep patterns when your neighbor wakes up hours before you do! This may vary based on your apartment location, but I get a glare in my bedroom window at night from the parking lot lights. Make sure you have a thick curtain to cover the window with if you want to sleep well at night. Maybe earplugs and a sleeping mask too! This place isn t for light sleepers, and this is my biggest complaint about the apartment.

GROUNDS: Upkeep and landscaping is great. They definitely make an effort to keep the grounds looking sharp. The pool is awesome and by far the biggest and best in the area. I decided to find other workout options rather that use the complex s small and cramped fitness center.

SAFETY: I never had any issues with break-ins, vandalism, etc. with my car or apartment. Parking lots are well lit (as described above!) I ve seen a security car patrolling occasionally at night which is reassuring.

CONSTRUCTION: The apartment is no frills, but put together reasonably well. The layout of the one-bedroom model is a head-scratcher. The living and dining rooms feel oddly crammed together around the washer and dryer closet; it s difficult to lay out living room furniture in a way that looks nice and makes sense. Expect to buy plenty of lamps or track lighting as the apartment comes with a lighted ceiling fan, but no lighting for the living room and bedroom areas. TINY BATHROOM with no fan for ventilation(!) Adequate bedroom, kitchen and closet space. The balcony is nice as long as you aren t catching your neighbors second hand smoke while you re out there.

MAINTENANCE: Apartment staff is very proactive in asking if there are any problems. Maintenance requests often take a few days to complete if they are not urgent, but are usually done right. I had a refrigerator die and they had it swapped out in a day. Not bad. Maintenance staff is generally friendly but there are a few exceptions. I liked how the staff notifies you well in advance if there was a need to enter your apartment for maintenance or any other reason.

STAFF: I loved the staff right up until recently. The staff is very professional, and helpful as long as everything is going well. Just don t be late on rent by even one day, or you ll be treated like an idiot who doesn t know how to handle money. They ll hide behind corporate policy rather that give you any leeway; you ll have to pay a late fee which is reasonable, but you ll also have to pay that month s rent by cashier s check instead of personal check which is insulting and a hassle. Plus you ll be reminded of your one late rent payment in any future dialogue you have with the staff. If you have a year or half-year lease, move out requires 60 days notice, which is excessive. If you have a month-to-month lease, move out requires only 30 days notice, but your rent will be roughly 18% higher per month than the one year lease rate and subject to increase at any time!

OVERALL: If you must rent in this busy, high cost of living area, Rose Hill Apartments is a reasonably nice, relatively affordable option.

User Responses
From: Redskinsrulez	Date: 10/02/2007
This is where Rose Hill I vs Rose Hill II are different. I live in II and I have a fan in my bathroom, apt is layed out great for furniture, very little noise from traffic because there is no traffic other than folks who live here, no bright lights or a lot of work trucks. I never hear my neighbors taking showers, my w/d is in my furnance room not my kitchen or front closet and my furnance room is in my unit in the hallway. I also have overhead lights in each bedroom. Rose Hill II was built about 2 yrs after I and is all elec. as oppose to I which is elec and gas. Rose Hill I units have balconeys where II doesn't only patios on the first floor. As for the 60 day notice for move out that has become somewhat of the norm for most apts in the Metro area w/ a year lease and going month to month is usually a higher rental rate. I have lived here since 2005 also and I like it fine. Becoming a little concerned w/ the yearly rent raises and the amount of them but that is a reflection on this area as a whole. In II we have had issues on and off w/ car break ins since we are in the back of the complex. Laker lane could use more lighting as it is very dark along the fence line where you park. I agree w/ the posters overall comment. It is a nice place for the cost.

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