The truth is in the negative reviews on this site/page. Please see my review on 6_24 for additional reasons not to live in this apartment complex. So far, everything has ringed really true when I was perusing these reviews. I was amazed that so many folks had written in after me about a year ago. There are a lot of issues in these negative reviews that I wished I had included in my original, which I thought was pretty comprehensive.

The new situation here at the complex is that they're trying to renovate all of the units slowly, as the tenants move out, and charge higher rent to make up for this I think. I'm leaving in June and I will be glad. Another new fee the apartments are chosing to force on folks is that of "pet rent". Yes, Pet rent! It seems that any way the complex or its parent company can come up with ways to make money, it will. I inquired about the new pet rent ($20/mo.) when renewing my lease, and explained that I was told when I moved into the complex that a one time fee of 300.00 would be all that would be needed for me to have my pet live with me under the guidelines of my apartment lease. When I asked why the pet rent was being charged the representative answered "it's a new fee that we have to charge". "It's for the installation of the doggie stations around the complex". These "doggie stations", are very small wire trash containers that have a compartment for bags above them, so that you can dispose of your pet's waste.

It's really too bad that the stations are ALWAYS FILLED to capacity and spilling out onto the ground with bags filled with FECES! These are especially hard to walk past on hot days. So as you can probably understand, I'm wondering why I should have to pay an additional fee if I'm not using these stations, or can't use them because they are full or hazardous to use.

Another thing that has recently been getting awful is that of litter in the breezeways and around the complex. It's amazing how much trash has accumulated on the nature trail and around the buildings.

I fear that the speed of the cars in the neighborhood will soon take a child's life. I am in fact afraid to walk around the complex any more without using the trail, because drivers are so reckless. A simple innovation for the office to make would be that of speed bumps. It is truly amazing to me that people would drive this way around children.

About half of the nature trail isn't filled with trash, and this is where I live. On the other side of the complex, you can't help but notice the smell of a huge, backed up, polluted creek. This of course draws the West Nile and mosquitoes in the summer months.

So I don't know how some folks gave this place a great review (some seem to think it's the office giving themselves a good review):)

But yeah, you don't want to live here.

There's a complex right beside Dominion West End that's called the Crossings. When it was new the rent was really outrageous for the time. Come to find out, my rent is almost this much now! It's a great new facility, but I wouldn't recommend it either, as I've heard there's cracks in the floor levels from where the cement was originally poured wrong. I don't know about the upper levels though, but I'd check it out first.

I'll probably post a link to my website here soon so you can see actual pictures of the squalor. Then I wouldn't have to write so much!

Good luck finding a new place to live, and have a nice day.

User Responses
From: Micheline	Date: 07/11/2005
Normally our staff does not waste time in responded to this review/survey wesite; however we could not let this one go by withour adding our comments. We are continually renovating our apartments enhance the quality of our community. It is quite difficult to renovate the interior of an apartment while it is occupied. Since you lived here last year I'm sure you remember that we completed exterior renovations. Our staff walks the property daily to remove trash from the community. It is always easier for someone to complain about a piece of trash than to remove it. We empty our pet cans every day however we can not babysit our residents to insure that the waste goes into the can and not on the ground. Unfortunatly our corporate office implemented the monthly pet fee. At the time you moved in the fee was not charged and we could not predict the future to know that this policy would start last year. We are sorry that you hated living here, but stayed for several years. We regret that you did not feel this strongly about Dominion West End to inform anyone in the office or at our corporate office while you lived here. We have addressed the speeding cars with our residents in every newsletter and have tried to contact the police to monitor our residents speed. This is a private community and Henrico County will not enforce the speed limits. We would have gladly taken the time to address your concerns. It is a shame that you waited until you moved out to post your "issues" on this website. It is sad that only the negative comments are on here and we dont ask anyone to post positive things.
From: windokat	Date: 04/13/2006
I don't live in your complex, but I am a resident with similar complaints about a pet fee that cannot be justified. This is to the "leasing industry" as a whole. I am a cat owner, and I will not accept responsibility for my neighbors dog that digs in the the bushes. I have seen the responses from some Apartment managers explain that cats may chew walls or cabinets. I would LOVE to see a photograph of this kind of damage from a cat. If a cat urinates on the carpet and the subflooring is affected, then my $10 pet RENT will not go far in repairing that kind of damage. In short, the collective community is basically paying for the damage of a few pets that leave extreme damages. I moved into my community before the pet RENT was levied, and we were issued a notice that when we renewed our lease, pet RENT will be added to our contract. If corporate offices were smart and really cared about staying in good graces with their residents, they COULD "grandfather" the current residents from this charge until they moved out. This nickle and dime mentality does them more damage than bringing in extra cash flow. One last point....my community is a family friendly community, and while I live alone in my unit, my next door neighbor is married with two children. There rent is the same, and I can testify that their toddlers do much more damage to walls, sidewalks and landscaping than any pet on this property. I suppose the next step will be "KID RENT". By the way....my complex is claiming that having a pet is an "amenity" which is ludicrious. I think the entire multi-family leasing industry has gone insane. It's time that tenants stand up and stop this nonsense!

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