Apartment Review for Morningside Apartments - Alexandria, VA

Morningside was once a fairly attractive, livable community. Years ago, it was clean, well maintained and affordable. I have lived here for over 5 years and can no longer tolerate it. It is still affordable. That is about it. People hang out in the doorways and in the basement, where they also feel an invitation to urinate. Parking is alright, as long as you are not out past 11pm. Commercial vehicles are prohibited but not enforced. Coming 'home' and seeing taxi after taxi is incredibly frustrating. You can not expect to go out at night, drive home, and not walk a long distance from your car to your door. This is particularly enjoyable in the winter, if you like that sort of thing. The appearance has steadily gone downhill since I moved in. The lawns were once well cared for, the fences were pleasant, and the buildings were well maintained. Today, there are holes in the ground where the fences once stood, there are rodents and trash in the bushes. Trash dumpsters have ALL been removed, instead of being strategically placed, in favor of one massive compactor that resides an average of 3 blocks away for all residents. Since nobody wants to walk 3 blocks to dispose of their trash, many residents opt against putting trash bags inside of their vehicles and leave the trash in front of the building for the maintenance crew to deal with. The rest of us are forced to put the bags on the top of our vehicles or hold the bag(s) out of the window and drive very slowly to compactor. There are roaches, which is manageable until someone either moves out, moves in or the usual lapses in exterminator inspections. There are rats on the premises. RATS. There was recently an apparent outbreak of bed begs that forced them to bring in trained dogs (SERIOUSLY!) and I was so grossed out that I sprayed down my mattress heavily. Office Staff is highly unprofessional. Nobody will return your call if you are a resident, so don't expect it. Receptionists are immature and seem annoyed if you show up and apparently can't schedule an appointment for you to meet with the manager(s). The maintenance is sub par. I've had issues with having things fixed, ongoing for years. In the summer you have about 2-3 months of No AC and the AC is turned off way too early for the colder months. There is mold. There is water damage. Noise levels are acceptable, aside from the prayer sessions that some of my neighbors have that include at least 2-3 hours worth of group song every week. This place sucks. It didn't always. It does now and it has for awhile. Do NOT move here.