1111 Belle Pre Apartments

I lived at 1111 Belle Pre for two years and only left because I decided to move to the District. Overall, it's a great place to live. The apartments great and have updated appliances appliances. During my stay, my only real complaint was that the unit often reeked of weed, probably because it was next to the main stairwell. It was unpleasant to come home and suddenly get hit with the stench. To Belle Pre's credit, they called me and told me they want to fix it, but I don't know if that can happen if they don't install better vents. The building itself is solid. The rooftop is beautiful, the pool is fun, and the gym has everything you need for a standard workout. And the front desk, leasing office, and maintenance staff are fantastic. They're friendly, helpful, and almost always available. They made me happy to live here. Furthermore, the location is unbeatable. It's a mixed-use development, so you're above restaurants and a nail salon, and I could also walk to Old Town, grocery stores, the post office, and the Metro. I felt very safe walking around, morning or night. If you're looking for a place to live in Alexandria, you can't go wrong with Belle Pre. If I return to Alexandria without buying a home, I'll try to live here again.

I lived here for 2.5 years and it is a really great apartment complex. The staff is helpful, concierge is friendly (shoutout to Sean and Dina!) and maintenance is responsive and quick. Structurally sound, I never really heard my neighbors unlike other apartment complexes with thin walls. Very pet friendly. Overall a great location!

Lived here for three years, the final straw was watching the police break up a drug deal and make the arrests right outside my living room window on the first floor. That coupled with the renewal letter stating rent would be increased further (almost $600 dollars increase over 3 years in a 1 bedroom apartment). If you decide you need to live here, I suggest you try to move into one of the higher floors. Pros: -Maintenance team and Concierge team were always responsive and quick to help. These teams are the reason I'm giving 2 stars instead of one -Close to the metro -You can walk to old town -Apartments have okay soundproofing. You won't hear your neighbor's conversation, but you'll know if they have a sound system or if your upstairs neighbor dropped something. Cons: -Parking gates breakdown frequently. This is frustrating when you already pay for parking, and even more frustrating when there was at least one vehicle stolen from from the residential parking area -Fire alarms go off somewhat frequently. Usually around the first few cold nights in fall/winter there will be a fire alarm and an email will follow stating a pipe burst and preventative maintenance didn't catch it. Also, there were several times the fire alarms went off in parts of the building, like the loading dock, but didn't go off in my apartment. -Recently lots of construction noise outside/inside of the building. You will be notified that you "may hear light hammering or drilling" and that can mean that you hear nothing all day or it sounds like somebody is using power tools in your apartment for 8 or 9 hours straight. -When you move out, you will have to pay for cleaning and carpet cleaning, so don't expect to receive your full security deposit. -You have to use comcast Xfinity for internet and cable. The service is decent. Be warned that when you move out, there's a chance Xfinity will re-instate your service and charge you again because Belle Pre didn't move a new resident into your space or fill out the documentation that they're responsible for utilities after you've moved out. When I expressed my reason for leaving was the increase in crime in the area and increase in rent, I was told by Belle Pre management via email that "crime has no zip code and can happen even in the most affluent communities" and that I can call the police emergency/non-emergency lines. This is true, and I have called the non-emergency lines a few times while living at Belle Pre for different issues. While it's not an issue Belle Pre can fix, it is a situation I can choose not to live in and for the price, space, and issues, living at Belle Pre just wasn't an option anymore. One plus is that the emergency services know the area quite well, so it doesn't take long for a response.