Apartment Review for The Windsor At Fair Lakes - Fairfax, VA

I've lived at the Windsor for 3 years, and will be moving out in the next few months. It's a pretty average apartment. Rent isn't too high, but then again, the complex is about 30 years old, and most of the units are definitely in need of...renovation. Parking can be annoying, as all reserved spots are located in one section of the complex. You could end up having a reserved spot about 3 blocks from your building (depending on which building you get) - and, you only get one reserved sport per unit (even if you have a 3br unit!). Luckily, it's not too hard to get a spot "somewhere" in the complex, at any moment in time - you may end up having to walk a block or two to get to your door. Maintenance is actually pretty good. They usually have a guy out within a day to fix any problems. The only major issue we had was a perpetually broken AC compressor - it had to be replaced 5 times before we got a working one. Of course, this took place in the heat of the summer, and we were without AC for well over a month! The apartment complex later found out that we had a defective batch of units installed - We ended up getting a few days of rent credit from the whole ordeal, so that was a definite plus. The community isn't horrible, but it could be better. It offers up everything from the 20-something partier, to families with 5 kids. So far, I haven't really encountered any "sketchy" neighbors. Everyone generally keeps to themselves, which is good. On the other hand, in three years of living there, I think I've maybe gotten a total of 2 "hello's" from random people passing me outside my building. Unfortunately, in the past year, the complex has become littered with unsupervised young children riding their bikes in circles up and down the parking lots. I'm just waiting for one of these kids to get hit by a car that's pulling into the complex! Also, I frequently see kids kicking around soccer balls and throwing footballs in the middle of the parking lot. One night, there were 3 high schoolers that started kicking around a soccer ball at 2am. When I looked outside, the kids were seeing how high they could kick the ball while getting it to bounce off the roofs of cars! So, if you have a nice car, be aware of this little issue. Lastly, here are a few other minor complaints: - No outgoing mailbox for the entire complex - The leasing office staff was completely replaced in Summer of '07, and is now under new management - The jacuzzi at the pool is perpetually broken - At least half of the equipment in the gym is broken (I've never seen anything replaced in the 3 years that I lived there) - The lock combination for the gym is only updated every few years, so you will frequently see non-residents in there, taking up the already limited equipment - The pool, while a nice addition to the complex, is arguably the smallest pool I have ever seen - Trash does pile up outside the compactor on a weekly basis I'd say this place is a decent area to kill a year of one's time; but I wouldn't want to stay longer on account of the unreliable utilities, the "parking-lot" kids, the older interior units, and the massive rent increases.