Advise on apartments in NoVA that do not have major pest problems (Arlington: apartment complexes)

[lrmyers4289]

Hi everyone!

I'm planning to leave my current shared townhouse in Arlington this summer to move into a studio or one-bedroom apartment somewhere in northern VA. I'm not too picky on location and my budget can be flexible by a few hundred dollars ($1100-1500ish) My biggest concern is mice/roaches/bedbugs (cannot stand those), as well as safety.

Can anyone recommend apartment buildings you have lived in recently where you had minimal issues with pests (I know there will always be occasional bugs but I don't want a building that has constant problems) and also felt safe (I'll be living alone as a single woman)?

Thanks so much for your help!
Lisa

[BOS2IAD]

Check out this website:

https://www.apartmentratings.com/va/#R

You can look at apartment complexes that are listed to find out what the rents are. Not only that, you can read resident reviews which will give you a good idea as to what a place is like.

[lovely40]

Originally Posted by lrmyers4289

Hi everyone!

I'm planning to leave my current shared townhouse in Arlington this summer to move into a studio or one-bedroom apartment somewhere in northern VA. I'm not too picky on location and my budget can be flexible by a few hundred dollars ($1100-1500ish) My biggest concern is mice/roaches/bedbugs (cannot stand those), as well as safety.

Can anyone recommend apartment buildings you have lived in recently where you had minimal issues with pests (I know there will always be occasional bugs but I don't want a building that has constant problems) and also felt safe (I'll be living alone as a single woman)?

Thanks so much for your help!
Lisa

Glebe House (25 West Glebe Rd, 22305) is nice, clean & rodent-free. I initially signed a 3-mos lease but ending up staying a year. Highly recommend. Studios might be available but one bedrooms have a waiting list. It's an older building. No bells and whistles. Can't beat the location, quality and price.

[Mike From NIU]

It would be helpful to provide more specifics concerning interests, commute length and destination, etc.

[Seija]

Originally Posted by BOS2IAD

Check out this website:

https://www.apartmentratings.com/va/#R

You can look at apartment complexes that are listed to find out what the rents are. Not only that, you can read resident reviews which will give you a good idea as to what a place is like.

The problem with those rating sites is that a lot of landlords encourage their tenants to write reviews on them with incentives. They also have their staff write reviews anonymously, so of course it's going to be a wonderful, perfect, and lovely.

Same with Google. I was very impressed with my current landlord when I signed my lease last November, and I wrote a nice review based on my tour and how much I was looking forward to my new apartment. Now, five months later, after several major problems, one of which has not yet been resolved, I wish I hadn't written such a glowing review. I went so far as to take my review down.

The best place for honest reviews is Yelp. It is more private than Google and not so filled with property managers pretending to be tenants, and people are much more frank and honest. Always read the reviews that are "not recommended" because that's where you'll find complaints by people who never left a Yelp review but were sufficiently unhappy that they signed up just to review their building. If there are a lot of recent one-star ratings in among the hidden "not recommended" reviews, you know to pass a place by.

[villabella22201]

https://japroperties.com/

Landlord is very responsive. They are good at taking care of landscaping etc. Never felt unsafe as a single woman living in their properties. No bells and whistles, garden apts.

[BOS2IAD]

Originally Posted by Seija

The problem with those rating sites is that a lot of landlords encourage their tenants to write reviews on them with incentives. They also have their staff write reviews anonymously, so of course it's going to be a wonderful, perfect, and lovely.

Same with Google. I was very impressed with my current landlord when I signed my lease last November, and I wrote a nice review based on my tour and how much I was looking forward to my new apartment. Now, five months later, after several major problems, one of which has not yet been resolved, I wish I hadn't written such a glowing review. I went so far as to take my review down.

The best place for honest reviews is Yelp. It is more private than Google and not so filled with property managers pretending to be tenants, and people are much more frank and honest. Always read the reviews that are "not recommended" because that's where you'll find complaints by people who never left a Yelp review but were sufficiently unhappy that they signed up just to review their building. If there are a lot of recent one-star ratings in among the hidden "not recommended" reviews, you know to pass a place by.

Not necessarily.

No one ever offered us any incentives to write a review.

If you look at the link I posted, you will notice that many of the reviews were written by "verified" residents. You will also notice that not every review is a positive one.

Yelp isn't as private as you think. Those who are elite have to post a photo of themselves and use their real name. As a result, many would actually hesitate to post a review of their apartment building on Yelp. IMO, it's like telling people where you live.