Broadlands Apartments

I loved this place at first! The staff is very nice when you move in and makes you feel very welcome. Then you realize how crappy the place is built and everything falls apart, it’s fixed crappy so you’re always needing maintenance. As others have said they don’t do snow removal well so good luck getting your car out in winter. The staff also is incredibly rude! They treat you like you’re scum and will send you to court over any little thing it’s ridiculous! I’ve never been spoken to so rudely by people in my life I am so amazed they have tenants at all! They continuously raise rent it’s ridiculous! And I’ve heard when you leave they try to stick you with a laundry list of damages! Ughhh! Run away! Fast!

I have been a resident since October 2013 (9 months as of 07/​21/​2014).
After moving from place to place and experiencing a variety of different apartment complexes and management styles, I have finally discovered a community that has not only exceeded my expectations, but has become a place that I am comfortable enough to call my home. But what makes Broadlands Apartments stand out compared to other communities?
While the pricing is competitive, the neighborhood is beautiful, the community well-​developed commercially, and the apartments are well-​kept, it is the management and maintenance staff that truly allows this complex to shine. Led by Property Manager Kathy, the management is both courteous and responsive, doing everything they can to ensure resident happiness. From courtesy calls and emails, designated neighborhood captains, to planned events such as barbecues, wine tasting, Halloween parties, cupcake decorating and more, the staff goes above and beyond.
The maintenance staff is both skilled and efficient with all of my tickets being answered and closed within 24 hours. Whether it’s a clogged sink, malfunctioning AC, beeping smoke detector, or you simply need some shelves put up, you can expect maintenance to resolve your issues with unprecedented swiftness.
My only complaint is that I’m not living in a house, but Broadlands Apartments has got me covered there as well. In fact, a portion of your rent is added to a pool that eventually accumulates to a sizable sum for assisting with a down-​payment on a Van Metre home. It is clear to me that the business model for Van Metre is to win you over with kindness and a beautiful community and then further bribe you to purchase one of their homes, and you know what? I’m perfectly fine with that. But until I’m ready to take that big step, I’m more than content living in a community where the staff feel more like reliable friends than business associates.

We’ve lived at Broadlands Apartments for about roughly a year and… well, I love it. Out of all the apartments and all the different complexes I’ve lived in throughout the years Van Metre Broadlands is the first I really, truly feel like I can call home.
NOTE: For prospective renters every few months they have a ridiculous deal like «Sign the lease get 2 months free rent!». We’ve seen it go as high as 3 months free rent. Check on their deals before you rent (you can save a LOT of money).
It’s also a bit of a slap in the face to current residents as there’s no incentives to keep your lease when new residents get a $ 4−6K bonus in free rent for signing a one year lease. I still love living here, but it’s discouraging to see massive discounts for new residents available when they’re asking me to renew my lease and offering nothing but an increase in the cost of rent. It’s literally cheaper to move somewhere else that offers a move-​in special.
The Great:
The apartments are spacious, well kept and affordable (despite their location in NoVA). There’s several great amenities (pool, gym, built in surround sound) and plenty of shopping nearby, including a grocery store in walking distance, a clinic, several restaurants and a drug store. It’s central to major byways (Rt 7, the Greenway, 28) and close to several major malls (Dulles Town Center).
The grounds are well kept (with some exclusions, see below) and the area is gorgeous and well kept.
Front desk staff are quick to resolve problems. Maintenance responds generally within a few hours, a day at most. They’re really quick to do right by the residents, and have always follow up with a phone call to make sure things were taken care of (a huge perk in my book).
What problems have arisen, Van Metre has always taken full responsibility and have done a fairly astute job at owning up to the problems and making attempts to rectify them (we’ve had some serious ones). It’s refreshing to see a company that owns up to shortcomings and tackles them head on to address them.
The Bad:
The dogs. Too many residents let their dogs run around unleashed, and it’s caused more than a few problems. I’ve had other tenant’s dogs run up to me, nip at my heels and almost cause incidents while walking my own dog (a German Shepherd). As the owner of a big dog this can be extremely stressful when someone else’s dog runs up to your own.
And with dogs… comes the poop. There’s a huge problem with biodegradable landmines hidden amongst the grass. Too many residents fail to pick up after their pets (which, in turn, affects responsible owners like myself). I’ve had to clean my shoe more than a few times, and it’s incredibly frustrating ESPECIALLY given clean up stations are posted around the property every 150ft or so. It’s not a big deal during the day, but I wouldn’t trust walking in the grass at night.
If it weren’t for the issue with dogs I’d have no hesitation outright giving the place a 5.

We have lived here for 6 months and overall it’s been fantastic! The front office does an amazing job keeping in contact and making sure their tenants are satisfied. The front office always calls to check in and make sure things are taken care of!
Currently my largest complaint is the dog poop everywhere, but I feel that is less on management and more on the tenants for not cleaning up after their pets! There has been a couple times I’ve seen dogs off leash, including the property manager’s own dog, but I hope this issue gets resolved over time.
Their maintenance team is great and usually handles issues same day or the day after. They even clean up after themselves if they make a mess, which is great!
I will update this review in another 6 months!
*Edit*
we have since moved out of Broadlands and there was a change in management before we left. New staff is cold and unhelpful. Rather disappointing things changed so much.