Hermitage At Beechtree

I lived in this apartment complex for six years. I really liked the apartments when I first started living there, but my experience slowly went downhill as time went on. The apartment complex switched management companies a couple of times during my stay and each time it seemed to get worse. The people living there vary widely from seniors to fresh out of college kids. I never had any safety issues or noise complaints but there were a few times they posted warnings about car break ins (seemed to be on the car wash station side of the complex).
The apartments themselves are older, maybe built in the late 70’s or early 80’s, and it definitely shows in certain areas. Recently they have been doing a lot of cosmetic upgrades. They repainted the siding and trim, redid several walkways and steps, they are putting new roofing on several of the units, they spend a ton of time/​upkeep on the landscaping and the main leasing building (plan to be awakened by blowers and mowers at 7:30 am every Monday), they just redid the fitness center (which is pretty nice, but small), they added two new gas grills and two fire pits (although the grills are usually out of gas and you must reserve a time to use the pits). The pool area has been redone but for the last two years it has been closed during the summer more than it has been open. Every two weeks it seemed like it wouldn’t pass water inspections so they would have to close it and treat it.
On the inside, the apartments had been updated with new cabinets, new ovens, new faucets, new lighting fixtures, etc (this was 6 years ago). The cabinets are kind of cheap. I had many corners of laminate peeling off of the drawers. The H-​VAC units are slowly being replaced as they die out. I would check that the apartment you are looking at has a new H-​VAC unit and a new water heater as mine didn’t and when the water heater finally went out and was replaced my electricity bill dropped by about $ 25 a month.
Now the downsides. First I want to say the leasing staff is usually always very friendly and helpful, though it can be hard to get them on the phone. The maintenance staff on the other hand is a bit of a joke. I had mice problems the entire time I lived in the apartment and complained numerous times. All they ever did was put down sticky traps in the kitchen and laundry room (even though you pay an automatic pest control fee every month of about $ 5). I had several water leak problems while I lived there. The kitchen sink leaked the entire time and they never could find the problem, my bathtub faucet was replaced when it was leaking with a mismatched part that left a space between the tile and the spout (they wrapped this with electrical tape and called it good), my water heater went out twice, flooding the apartment below me as well as my laundry room, and only after the second time did they replace it and in the process broke a door which they just left.
When I moved out I had to break my lease and was hit with numerous fees. I know, it was my fault for breaking the lease agreement, but be aware of the ridiculous charges before you make the same mistake.
Insufficient Notice Fee: you must give 60 days notice or you are charged for the amount of time for which you didn’t give notice (ex: I gave 15 days notice, so I had to pay for 45 days rent, which was over $ 1000 for me)
Lease Termination Fee: Automatic two months rent for breaking lease early, this is in addition to insufficient notice fee. (for me $ 1500)
I also traveled a lot, which they knew about so as I was moving out I was told I needed to pay them $ 50 or get a professional cleaning service to clean my carpets because they might still be in decent condition (it had been 6 plus years). But, if they were in bad enough shape they would just replace them on their dime. What? I would possibly get penalized for keeping my carpets clean. Luckily they decided to replace them.
Other random fees they include in monthly bill:
I had a one bedroom and was paying $ 750/​month base rent, which would go up about $ 40 – 50 every lease renewal
Cable (no choice, you have to have it) — $ 50
Pest — $ 4.99
Trash — $ 7.99
Water (their is a base fee ~$ 15 and anything above is extra) — usually ~$ 20
Statement Fee (yes you get charged to get a bill) .95 by email or 3.99 by mail
Electricity (keep in mind I was out of town ~2 weeks out of every month) — travel month ~$ 60, full month in town ~$ 100+
Overall it is an older apartment complex that has been dressed up somewhat cheaply to keep up with the times. They are able to charge the higher rents other newer places do because of their location, not their quality. The community did seem to be heading in a younger crowd direction (maybe due to price), but I have no complaints about any of my neighbors, as they were all very nice and cordial. Also, you cannot beat the location, just be aware of what you are coming into and DON’T break your lease!