I left a fair review of this apartment 6 months after I moved in. At the time, this place was ok. People were still moving in since the community just completed their so-called Renovation .

Now this is my review at 11 months.

Noise: Walls are so thin you can barely hear your neighbor when he/she takes shower, or at night, you can hear your neighbor upstairs or downstairs snoring, turning in their bed. It is NO JOKE. Come on in to experience it for yourself.

Maintenance: They are really good. When you call for repair, they will show up just after a few hours. I know them by names, Ortiz, Boumi, and Will do great jobs. I congratulate them for their hard works.

Looks: The apartment looks good inside/out, but DON T BE FOOLED by the look, you will be deceived. The appliances come apart, breaks. I knew the maintenance guys because they came into my apartment TOO MANY times to repair the cheap appliances. The cheap carpet looks good at first, and then starts looking filthy even when you vacuum, and shampoo it constantly.

Management: The new management thinks they represent the smartest people in Alexandria. Be careful, when you decided to sign the lease. Read the lease at least 6 times, and understand every single word on it. I am saying this because they tried to trick me, and inserted in my lease that I would pay $9678 in case I break my 1 Year lease for a 2 bedroom apartment.
BEWARE of Craig Fowler and Manish, they are sneaks transformed into human beings.

Utilities: You will be surprised when your water bill jumps from around $35/month to around $67/month the following month. Soon, the water bill will be $100 /month.
Good luck if you still decided to move in.

User Responses
From: kuntz	Date: 05/07/2009
Well! It sounds to me that there's also that race thing. Just be happy that every day is a day closer for you to move out. When I first moved, I was treated nice. Then, everything started going downhill. Whenever, I go to the office for any question/concern, they look at me (especially the ----- called ------) as if I was coming from a different planet. Anyways! 5 more months and I am out.
From: Anonymous	Date: 05/07/2009
I totally agree! They seem not to care about their tenants at all. If you are seriously thinking about moving. Don't, it's the worst decision I have made. I now have MICE!
From: Anonymous	Date: 05/07/2009
I am so relieved to hear that I wasn't the only one treated so horribly! I honestly thought it was a race thing, but it sounds like management is just plain nasty to everyone. I understand that older communities (and yes, this is just a really old apartment community with fresh paint!) sometimes have maintenance issues, but it's up to the office staff to address those issues correctly (polite, fast, etc). I agree...do yourself a favor and think twice (well, actually, think WAY more times than that!) before you trash your money. You'll count down the days until you can move out of this place.
From: Anonymous	Date: 11/04/2009
Wow! I totally agree! They are supposedly renovating and have been since before summer and they have done nothing!! They shut down our pool for the entire summer and had a dumpster in the parking lot overflowing everyday! They didn't give us passes to another pool or deduct from our rent, nothing! Appliances suck, carpets suck!!!! No security! Drug deals in the parking lot and u can hear your neighbors through the majorly thin walls. Staff is so rude!!!! They don't return calls especially tamora and craig who's an -------! They laugh at you when you complain and tell you there's nothing they can do about your issues! I hate it here and cannot wait until february when we can move out of this dump!! Don't move here!!!!
From: Anonymous	Date: 11/05/2009
I understand where all of you are coming from. I had some issues since I have moved in. When issues are reported, there is no follow up or expectation set on when things will be completed. I moved as soon as the building opened. I was told that the state of the art club house building and pool would be opened but we all know that story. No compensation was made for the pool. I know of 4 residences who have had their floors "fixed" because of the noise that comes from the resident above. It really hasn't helped. I have not had an "attitude problem" with the staff but their actions do rhetorrically suggest that they dont care. They seem very dismissive. If they say they are going to call, they never do. I will definitely not renew my lease unless they give me the same special I had at move in.
From: Anonymous	Date: 11/26/2009
I have lived at The Encore a few months now and have spent a lot of time visiting my girlfriend's apartment before we moved in together. Since moving in, I would agree about the SOUND issues but I honestly can not say that this is unique to these apartments. I have had neighbor noise issues EVERYWHERE. Some things you just can't prevent so I suggest a top floor apartment for those who are extremely sensitive to noise. On occasion, we did hear our neighbor having a "good time" in the wee hours of the night...but it made us laugh more than anything. The best thing about The Encore to me is the CONVENIENCE. When I first moved I relied on the shuttle servies to PENTAGON CITY until I realized that there is an HOV EXPRESS METRO BUS (8Z,8Y,8W) EVERY FIVE MINUTES during RUSH HOUR in the AM and PM to/from the PENTAGON on 395. The ride is 10 minutes! This is super convenient for me and likely the reason why I will stay. I would also add the convenience of having a SHOPPING CENTER right up the street as well as some safe and popular running paths and park for AM/PM jogs. For the price, you really can have peace of mind. Management...well you just have to play by their rules...don't hate the player, learn the game. Tenants have rights...and when your rights are violated...take teh appropriate action but don't expect perfection when renting ANYWHERE. Construction issues...I never believed the clubhouse plans when I read them or received updates when I asked on the status. I do feel bad for those tenants who have fences built up directly in front of their courtyard or blocking off available parking. To avoid issues related to the construction I would suggest renting nearest to the Management Office and further from teh Braddock Rd corner of the complex. Especially the North Van Dorn side that is a dead end with many tenants competing for parking spaces. Likewise, if access to a pool is important. Then I would not cash-in on deals.

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