Braddock Lee Apartments

This apt complex was once a reasonably priced nice place to live. Since the new owners (Bonaventure) took over the place is going downhill FAST. They are making the tenants use an internet system (badly rated one)
no one wanted or asked for at $85 PER MONTH- MANDATORY. EVEN IF YOU DON'T WANT IT-THERE IS NO OPTING OUT. Even if you already have great internet from another company at 1/2 the price. They started charging FOR ELECTRICITY (former owner paid), formerly free chicken wire storage... cubicles are now $50 a month!!! WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY WILL THINK UP NEXT OUT OF THE BLUE). They are not spending the money to keep the grass cut - was a foot high until some I know renters called the City to complain). IN OTHER WORDS THE NEW OWNERS ARE LETTING THE PLACE DETERIORATED WHILE CHARGING WAY MORE. Read More

Stay Away - Hidden Fees and Price Gouging
I've lived here for a while, and things have gone downhill fast. Management is suddenly adding fees and raising costs without warning or any signed agreement. It feels like they're price-gouging the tenants who are just trying to live peacefully.
There's no transparency, no communication
-just new charges showing up out of nowhere. If you're thinking of moving here, be prepared for your rent to go up without explanation. Extremely disappointed and would... not recommend. Read More

I've lived here for 10 years because the rent is affordable, and the neighborhood is quiet. However, over the years, the building has deteriorated.

There have been recurring plumbing issues, leaking water pipes, and my bathroom ceiling had to be replaced. During a heatwave, the A/C was out for an entire week, and in winter, the broken heat pump left me freezing. The mice and roach problem is persistent—despite scheduling pest control four times a year, they never fully go away. I think... Alexandria just has a general pest issue. Parking is also a challenge; after 8 PM, it’s hard to find a spot, so getting home early is a must. I paid for parking at the time, which was $60 per month.

The office staff is unreliable—they rarely answer the phone, don’t return messages, and the office is often closed.

On the positive side, the location is great, with easy access to I-395, Old Town Alexandria, Shirlington, D.C., and Arlington.

The maintenance team is friendly and usually fixes issues within 24-48 hours. The neighborhood feels safe, and package theft isn’t a concern.

Would I ever move back? Nope.

Read More

I've lived here for about 2 months now and the first few weeks were a stressful nightmare. Two days before we were supposed to move in, I find out that the unit we signed a lease for would not be ready in time so we had to sign a whole new lease and I had to change my renter's insurance. They agreed to keep our current rent amount despite the new unit being more expensive due to interior upgrades. The leasing office is understaffed and they are very rarely available and most of the time do not... pick up my calls. I heard they hired someone new so hopefully that helps. After the whole unit change debacle, I discovered the dish washer was broken. They took almost a month to order the new part and fix it. The bathroom does not vent properly and humidity gets trapped in there. Smells from the unit above come down in through the bathroom and make it smell pretty awful. The person in the unit above us definitely smokes which is not allowed and the smells stay concentrated in the bathroom. We have noticed a few roaches but no mice.
Now for some positive stuff: The maintenance people are amazing and very quick to respond and help out. Luckily I have not had any issues with parking. The neighbors in your building determine what kind of experience you have and we have gotten fairly lucky with that too. They are mostly quiet which is great. The electricity has gone out once so far but was fixed within a few hours. I have not had any issues with packages getting stolen either. They had put a fresh coat of paint and new carpet in our unit before we moved in which was nice. The location is great for my commute and I like that the street is pretty quiet. Considering my last place had a ton of mold, asbestos, and theft issues, this is a step up from that. Basically if you don't need anything from the leasing office you'll be fine. Overall it's a decent place to live. Read More

We dealt with roaches from day one of moving in, we see at least 5 large roaches every single day in our apartment even though we regularly clean and leave nothing in our sinks. The pest control did nothing every time we called, all they would do was leave dust everywhere and claim it would stop the roaches.
The A/C broke multiple times in our one year stay, and the office would take multiple days to even acknowledge what happened. After that, it would take even longer, with no updates from the... office, to fix the problem.
If you don't have in unit washer and dryer, be prepared for the card refill machine to break multiple times, and be prepared for the office to once again provide minimal help in dealing with the situation.
Finally, after all of these, the office has the audacity to attempt to increase our rent by close to $100. Between paying more to live among roaches and a horrifically managed office or moving out, it was a pretty easy decision.
The only thing I can thank Braddock Lee for is I now know what to look for to stop myself from renting at such a horribly run place. Read More