Haven Reston Affordable Apartments

10/3/2023 The management team is very unresponsive. For 2 days I've received a note on my door saying that my lease expires in December 2023. When I have forwarded the copy of my lease showing that my lease expires in December 2024 to the managers here I've gotten no response from them. Emilio is the only one in the office that seems very customer service oriented but I don't believe he deals with leasing. Unfortunately, I'm verifying my belief that the only way to get a response from Haven Reston/Gates Hudson management is to post a review that is less than good here.

Pro: It is very quite and parking is free. I haven’t seen any bugs and that was my biggest fear when moving into the woods. The appliances are new and the apartment complex it’s self is very clean. Cons: They force turn off the a/c for the winter without notifying you. When i moved in i specifically asked if the air was self controlled and they said yes. I have bad allergies and sleeping with the windows open every night is terrible. I walked into my apartment today and it was literally 85 degrees because this January day just happens to be in the high 60s. The laundry situation is the biggest pain. you are given a card but can only put 10s and 20s in machine. not every building has a machine to reload the card so you have to walk into another building and it’s just awkward. The machines are typically broken and you have to call the company directly. Drying clothes takes about two cycles every time. Basically if you’re looking to save money and have a decent place to live it’s perfect. Just consider the occasional HOT nights and laundry being a 5 hour process for one load.

Everything is great except the laundry facilities. We love the location, privacy, and relative quiet of the complex, and we find the rent to be very reasonable. We were disappointed that there isn't in-unit laundry, but we thought it wouldn't be too bad because there's a laundry room with two washers and two dryers per floor, which charge $1.50 per load for each machine. We soon discovered that the dryers on our floor and the floor below us do not dry clothes fully. It takes two, sometimes three cycles to get the clothes dry, which is a huge waste of money. Then we had an issue where both washers stopped mid-rinse cycle. We submitted work orders for six different machines (two washers and four dryers), which were marked as resolved within two days, only for one of the washers to charge me but then not start. We'll find out soon enough if anything was actually done to fix the dryers.

I was am the victim of a bait and switch. I was shown an apartment over looking a wooded gully with windows on two sides. I was under the impression that that was the apartment I was going to rent. It turned out that I signed a lease for a smelly, gloomy, underground apartment where I can not use my mobile phone and where there is a constant high-pitched sound from some mechanical equipment. I was totally ripped off. On top of that I had my car towed by Battlefield Towing and Storage. I got my car back after a $53 cab fare and $160 for Battlefield. Apparently my car lacked the proper parking decal which I had no idea was required. What did the manager think I walked to work? Out of spitefulness management refused to give me a decal or reimburse me for towing my car. This place is a rip-off dump. Stay away!

Be aware that the management of Colvin Woods Apartments has entered into an agreement with the shady towing company Battlefield Towing and Storage to engage in predatory towing practices in their poorly marked parking lots. As a result, residents and guests are regularly towed 30 minutes away to a storage facility where you have to deal with rude staff and give them $160 to get your vehicle back. The towing staff patrol the parking lots and wait for car owners to go inside so they can hook up quick and get out of site before noticed. It only takes a few minutes and they have you. Residents frequently wake to go to work and find their vehicles missing because they forgot to put the tag in the window and guests lose their cars while visiting. What an inconvenience and scam! Not a friendly practice.

Colvin Woods is actually situated in a very nice area, and it is surrounded by woods. It's quiet, secluded and safe. I haven't had many problems with my apartment, and I have lived in the complex for nearly 3 years now. They offer both renovated and non-renovated apartments. The major difference between the two are: counter tops, cabinets, and black versus white appliances. Other than that, renovated and non-renovated apartments are the same size (which is actually a nice size for a 1-bedroom). If you're budget conscious and do not care for black appliances, you should grab one of the non-renovated apartments and save some cash. These go quickly, however! When I have had issues, specifically with maintenance, they are VERY quick to respond and will do everything they can to correct the problem in a timely manner. The maintenance crew is great and they work hard to make sure any issue you have is resolved before they leave. The Leasing Office staff is also helpful. Again, I rarely have issues, so I don't interact with them often, but the fact they will hold packages for you is an added bonus. They're opened 7 days per week (except for holidays), so they are very accessible. The fitness center could use some updates, but it's included, as is the pool, which is opened during the summer and is always inviting. All in all, Colvin Woods has done well to me. If I had any gripes, one would be the size of the bathrooms in the 1-bedroom apartments and the other is with the vendor they use for the laundry rooms. There are ALWAYS issues with the washers and dryers in the laundry rooms, but I can't really blame them or maintenance because an outside company is responsible for them. If you're looking for a quiet place, that's near Reston Town Center (a 5-minute drive) and close to the new Silver Line Metro (about a 10-minute drive), Colvin Woods would be a great place to live.

The apartment is dark and tiny, with peeling paint and bugs everywhere. And thanks to being buried in those pretty woods, we get NO PHONE RECEPTION. The power goes out regularly. The folks at the leasing office are pleasant, just never there when you need them. I'm disabled and depend on using my phone and internet to work virtually. The building is at the bottom of a hill which is unnavigable with the least amount of snowfall. Nothing like getting stuck in a tiny, dark apartment with no power or phone access. All this and more for nearly $1600/month.

The area is located close to Lake Faifax, the Dulles toll road and Route 7. There is lots of walking and biking trails. Although some of the apartments have been updated, they are still missing some features most would consider standard like multiple cable outlets and ac/heating available anytime of the year. I feel the office staff could be more helpful and you'll frequently find notes on your door informing you of the newest "rule".