The custom features that they advertise on
apartmentguide are misleading.
At the moment I am writing this, the gated entrance hasn't worked for two years or
more, in fact the front most gate has been completely removed.

Although the community backs to a nice
wooded bike trail and lake, by and large the
"view" you'll get is the parking lot or the
Fairfax county parkway.

A lot of the units don't have gas cooking.
Ours didn't wind up having it which made me sad. So if you are a
serious cook, be very specific about what unit you want.

Also, we were told by the person showing us the community that they
had high speed DSL internet. Well, we do have high speed internet
which works very nicely on most days, but it is CABLE internet
and so Cox's is pretty much the only way to go.

The soaker tubs are WONDERFUL. But on especially frigid nights, our
hot water heater is flaky. We've found if you run the hot water in both
the shower AND the kitchen sink sometimes it warms the pipes up. But on more than
one occasion we've spent the evening boiling water on a stove to fill the tub.

If the fireplace is a big selling point for you, make
sure you understand how to use the darn thing, take a good look at the one
in the model. We've only gotten ours to work once, and that's
with the aid of two friends used to gas appliances, and only after half an hour of cursing. It's one
of those ridiculously enigmatic gas fireplaces that require turning and pushing
a series of buttons and switches in just the right order for just the right amount
of time.

At one point I could have sworn they had a weight
restriction on pets, but you see a lot of owners
walking large breed dogs. So if that's something you care about, don't move here.
My major complaint with these sweet doggies is that they make a mess all over the
back staircase, on the sidewalks, and even in the hallways.

This is a sign of discourteous stupid irresponsible neighbors,
which you are bound to get anywhere you live. And I realize
every time I nearly step into a "present" the size of human
waste that I am perfectly capable of picking the mess up
myself with a handful of plastic bags. But A) I don't relish the chore,
frankly this is the reason I don't own a dog, and
B) I figure I pay enough in rent to let management take care of it.
Which they always do, but sometimes it takes a while.

Trash. If you move here don't live in the front of the community
because on especially hot days you will smell the wonderful pile of trash that sometimes
accumulates when the trash compactor is full or broken. Management has left nice little flyers on our door
explaining that we are allowed to run the compactor ourselves, but my husband and I and
apparently most of the community have yet to decipher the mystery which is the compactor. So on certain occasions
you will see what we have lovingly nicknamed "trash mountain." But honestly, you will probably
have this problem in most communities with compactors. It probably doesn't help that every other day
we have yutzes dumping old yucky living room sets into the trash and recycling area. Classy. Real classy.

Parking is a little weird for guests. Although our community has a LOT more residential parking than
most of the other places my husband and I looked at, the guest parking is predictably pathetic.
Our friends typically wind up parking on the street and hiking a good distance to the apartment.
(Which unfortunately for them is a walk-up to the fourth floor, we were too stingy to wing the extra $175
a month it costs to rent from the building with an elevator.) The parking policy is also ambiguous at best.
There aren't any signs that warn guests that the katrillion unmarked spaces require a decal. There are only
a few paid reserved spaces that say anything about towing enforcement. And the only hint that guests are
required to park anywhere but the unmarked spaces are the newly painted yet vague and already faded markings
on the curb and parking space that say "GUEST." On Saturday evenings you will find dominion towing
racing around the vicinity with a flashlight meticulously wandering the lot looking for that one poor schmuck
whose friend or family member wasn't clear on the guest parking policy or who risked parking "illegally."

One more thing I've noticed this past winter, they don't really do much to prevent ice from forming on our stairwell. I get really worried when I have people visiting the apartment after a rainy/slushy winter day. I'm praying that we get through this winter without anyone causing serious injury to themselves.

Now that I have finished writing my critical evaluation, I would just like to point out that overall the Summit at
Fair Lakes is a nice community. It's true that they aren't always super quick about cleaning up the dog doo
or fixing the trash compactor, but overall the community is clean and they take care of their tenants.
If you have an appliance that breaks they are prompt to fix the problem. They are always polite and friendly, it's
great customer service, they seem to really care about your needs. Compared to most communities, there just isn't
the same amount of bull.

I see a lot of negative reviews, but the reality is if you want A living, you'd be better off purchasing a penthouse condominium at the Ritz Carlton. Every single apartment community in Fairfax County is overpriced and run by apathetic fat cat clubs.
The management in most places are staffed by underpaid overworked individuals who are constantly getting screeched at because people in Northern Virginia can't seem to express a problem to a customer service rep without screaming. I understand that our management isn't the concierge at Caesar's Palace or the Royal Club of Bangkok. There will always be minor inconveniences and nuisances no matter where you live. And the way I see it, at least there aren't signs of vermin or rashes of neighborhood crime. (As it turns out you don't really need that gated entrance.) You are paying for the close proximity to shopping malls and major roads like 66 and the Fairfax County Parkway. You are also getting a more spacious floorplan than most communities. It's true that the insulation here is less the perfect, but honestly the walls are better built than most other communities, and if you don't like hearing neighbors, live on the top floor or just avoid apartment living entirely. With everyone literally living on top of one another there can be no perfect sound of silence.

I would definately recommend living here. If the renewal notice doesn't show too much of an increase in rent (fingers crossed)
we will probably stay here another year ourselves. If however the rent does skyrocket, I promise you I will be back online at apartmentratings to complain about how we have to move furniture down those loooonnnnggg endless stairwells.

So you know, check the community out. If you like it, move here. Just make sure not to double park your motorcycle
in a prime spot, dump heavy sofa sets on top of the recycling bins, and for the love of G-d, pick up after your pets!!

User Responses
From: needcheaprent	Date: 04/07/2005
She obviously has never dealt with management at Summit. I have lived in other apts in Fairfax...and have experienced no problems!!!
From: stanese	Date: 07/03/2005
Have you ever thought that your standards of living maybe different from hers? Maybe it is how you talk to management that gets you the response you have gotten.
From: summit11	Date: 07/14/2005
In response to the trash-- Its the residents that make the pile!!!!!!!!!!!! The compactor is never broken and it takes one lazy person to throw their trash down and then the other 500 residents throw it on top!! Why are you people complaining and then you throw your entire living room set on the side of the trash !!! All you have to do is let the office know and they come and clean it up right away!! I see everyone on here complains about guest parking but I can just see if they added 100 more guest spot then everyone owuld complain there isnt enough resident parking.. and HELLO this is apartment living your not going to get a spot in front of your apartment.. if you want that then buy a house!!!! And one last thing about complaining about a "mess" from pets.. AGAIN you COMPLAIN and its YOUR DOG MAKING THE MESS!!!!!!!!!!!
From: moosie49	Date: 07/31/2005
Mr.Summit11- I wrote this review. I don't own a dog, but I would agree that if you did own a dog you should clean up after it. I think the dog walking clean up stations are brilliant and have definately improved matters in my building...either that or the pet owner(s) guilty of letting their dog(s) poop on the stairs and sidewalk has left. They shouldn't add 100 more guest spots, but five would be a nice round number. Especially since the county is considering getting rid of street parking on Field Brigade. I would also agree that residents shouldn't park in guest spots. But unless they have a decal, there's little management can do to enforce the rule. And on the trash---no its not the management's fault. Management is great and all you have to do is tell them about it and they will clean it up. But the compactor is a confusing issue in terms of its operation, and a lot of the residents here don't even bother to check if the compactor is full before chucking it out on the sidewalk. And when you do have large items like furniture to dispose of, its really not that hard to drive it down the street to the West Ox dump, or donate it to a charity. But like I said before, this all boils down to inconsiderate residents.

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