First National Apartments

This place *was* great until GatesHudson took over. In the less than 2 years since they took over every employee quit because they hated working for GatesHudson. Out of 3 elevators, 1 has been out of order for approximately 16 months and the other 2 constantly break for days or weeks at a time. The electrical is a mess. The circuit breaker in my apartment trips constantly due to old wiring and power surges to the building which GatesHudson is unwilling to spend money to fix (according to their former employees). Literally the only building maintenance/improvement I've seen in my 18 month lease was an attempt to replace the front doors 6 months ago. The were installed wrong and have remained broken for 6 months... In a nutshell, avoid this place like the plague. It's roughly the same price as other apartments in downtown, but with fewer amenities and a garbage management company who refuses to spend any money on the property while simultaneously raising rent prices every chance they get.

I can literally hear my next door neighbor's conversation. They also each floor has concrete between floors, but I've definitely heard footsteps from above. Thankfully, it's pretty quiet during the work hours, which makes working from home bearable, but for the price, I would not recommend.

Current review 5/4/2020 I have lived at several apartment complexes in downtown Richmond (8th and main/Heritage apartments/Edison) and I confidently say that First National apartment outshines them all. Beautiful apartment complexes with high ceilings, modern amenities, THICK walls (resist sound), large windows with a amazing view, and lighting fast Verizon internet. It's honestly a no brainer to live here - on East Main street and in the downtown Richmond area you do yourself a dis-service by not living here. Bottom line is you get what you pay for and just read the reviews they speak for themselves. ------ I highly recommend reaching out to First National and specifically ask for Aqua and Tina. Aqua is the current property manager and her experience and service towards residents is unparalleled. It is shocking how she is able to accomodate a resident's needs instead of looking at you as a "customer". Aqua is empathetic and tries to work with you to the best of her ability - in my opinion this is a skill that cannot be taught and it blows my mind that she hasn't been promoted to the highest paying option yet. This goes equally to Tina.

The poorly maintained trash chute/refuse room has led to a severe fruit fly infestation. The community room, halls, mail area, gym, and many apartments are full of them. I have a very clean apartment, with no dishes in the sink and no garbage in the trash can. I also put bleach down my drains daily as instructed, but I am still unable to cook or eat in my apartment, and can’t even keep food in my refrigerator. Every food item ends up covered in fruit flies nearly immediately. They are landing all over me as I type this. Per management, it will be taken care of by a professional exterminator next week, but this has already been going on for almost 2 weeks. It is truly disgusting. I do not recommend First National Apartments, unless you love fruit flies.