Well, I know this is very lengthy but there is just so much to write about concerning this place--virtually all of it bad. And given the review by the person who asserted that there is "something obviously wrong" with the people who have criticized Ravensworth Towers, a very detailed review is in order.

When I moved into my apartment at Ravensworth (from out of state), I was charged a $315 "cleaning" fee. Yet the entire (and I mean entire) kitchen was covered with grease, and in fact they had even PAINTED OVER grease on the walls before I moved in! The bathroom was in similar condition--it was black (and I do mean black) with mildew throughout, many tiles were starting to come off the wall surrounding the bathtub, and they had even caulked right over hair along the baseboards! It was a stark contrast to the beautiful unit I was shown while apartment hunting, to say the least. So my first day there consisted mostly of scrubbing the kitchen and bathroom just so I wouldn`t feel I was living in someone else`s filth--yet the management had the audacity to put an inane certificate in that greasy kitchen saying the apartment was in "Perfect Move-In Condition." Yeah, right.

During the winter the place always felt cold, because there were so many drafts coming in around the windows. This carried over into the warmer months--except instead of cold coming in it was water, which soaked the carpet and the floor underneath. Along with that water came so many ants that I found an anthill in the den (and no, I am not exaggerating or kidding)--I had never seen anything like it, and neither had the exterminator whom they finally called after I complained twice about the ants.

I also received notices about astronomically high balances I supposedly owed for "unpaid utilities," yet I did not owe the money. In similar fashion, in May I actually got A SUMMONS because I was supposedly being SUED for not paying my rent--despite the fact that my rent was charged to a credit card automatically each month by the management!

And speaking of automatic payments, one month I noticed that, in addition to my rent, there was an additional $500 charged to my credit card by Ravensworth. Huh' Yes, they did take it off without a fight, but why in the world would they do it in the first place'

Perhaps that, somehow, helps to explain why a notice was left a month or so later on everyone`s door by the power company, saying power to the entire building was scheduled to be shut off. Why' Because Ravensworth Towers was delinquent by over $24,000 on its account.

Such negligence was not limited to financial matters, though. There was also an occasion this past summer when some environmental assessment firm was inspecting the building. Apartments were entered without proper notice--mine was one of them--and on top of that the management apparently did not even accompany them during those inspections! Whether or not they were accompanied, though, does not matter, because either way it was just plain illegal.

Moreover, if you are desperate enough to rent from Ravensworth Towers make sure you do not ever end up having to go on a month-to-month basis for any length of time as I did (because of a new position that was, thankfully, out of Virginia but not starting until late October). The rent on my already ridiculously overpriced one bedroom apartment ($1039 per month, and only because it was not been renovated--otherwise it would have been over $1300) was increased by TWO HUNDRED AND TEN DOLLARS because I went to a month-to-month basis for my last six weeks there.

On top of all this, everything the other reviewers have been criticizing this place for is, for at least the most part, true. The management was both unresponsive and inept, the hot water was unreliable for months last winter (2002-2003), the common areas were always filthy, etc. And although I have never experienced theft of my property by the maintenance people there, a couple of them were real jerks.

All that is not even to mention that some of the tenants seem to have nothing better to do than to mind everyone else`s business. Others do things like shovel the snow from behind their car to the already-cleared spot behind someone else's car. What a nice thing to walk out to after shoveling out for an hour after a huge snowstorm, hey'

Anyway, after my experience there I just cannot find much of anything good to say about Ravensworth Towers. Yeah, the units do have a washer & dryer, there is a party room, etc.--but I cannot stress enough that they certainly SHOULD given the rent. So the only positive things I can really say about Ravensworth are that the location is very good, and that there was, thankfully, a change of management earlier this year (the second since I moved there in September 2002). And while the new property manager is unquestionably better than the previous one was, she did nothing to show me that she was any better than mediocre (in fact, she was the one responsible for the summons I found on my door, for crying out loud!!).

So I`m sorry, but when good tenants have to worry about overcharges, erroneous charges, illegal entries, having their power turned off when they have paid their utility bills, and even being falsely sued by the management, then there is something wrong with the MANAGEMENT, NOT the tenant (and please note that when I say "management" I am not just referring to the people in the rental office at Ravensworth--this is an AIMCO property and they are ultimately responsible for the oversight of the property).

Again, run--don`t walk--away from this place if you have any sense. In fact, I would suggest doing the same for any AIMCO property if Ravensworth is representative of AIMCO management.

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