Avalon At Fairway Hills

I was going to wait until I have been living here for a little bit longer before I give my official review, but I want to commend Avalon at Fairway Hills and its wonderful staff! I have only been living here for 2 weeks so I will update this review if my opinion on this apartment complex changes, but so far I could not have chosen a better apartment complex than this one!
To begin, all the staff is incredible! They are very helpful, they listen to you, and go above and beyond to fix anything you ask. The maintenance staff especially has been very reliable! I’ve had two of them help me (Chris and Taylor). They have been so kind and helpful. Everyone in the leasing staff is very polite, nice and they greet you right when you walk in. I previously mentioned how they go above and beyond to fix/​accommodate you. Well, during my move in, I mentioned a couple of items that needed some updating (rusty bathroom sink drain hole, rusty dishwasher drain hole, and rust on the oven drawer). I did not expect to get any of those items fixed, but I did! The NEXT day they replaced the rusty bathroom sink drain hole, removed/​painted the oven drawer, and ordered a NEW dishwasher for me. (By the way, I’m completely shocked that they ordered a new dishwasher for me). Chris just installed it today and did a wonderful job!
As for the community, it is very well maintained. The pools are kept clean and have a lifeguard on duty. The BBQs are gas and work (they overlook the pool). My only suggestion is to move the bbq so they can be used when the pool is not open, but that’s a minor detail. I’m still able to access the bbq. There is plenty of parking spaces (unassigned). The tennis courts are kept up. The gym has a lot of equipment and is clean. The area is very quiet and located on a golf course.
My apartment has been great no complains. When I moved in, you could tell that the carpet was cleaned very well and looks new. The walls were freshly painted, and everywhere was clean. Everything inside the apartment works, but I know that if a problem ever occurs that I can rely on the staff to quickly take care of it.
I definitely recommend living here at Avalon at Fairway Hills!
*Pictures on their website are true to how the complex is

This is going to be a very thorough review of my past 4.5 months here.
As far as apartments go, I can’t imagine getting much better than Avalon at Fairway Hills for the price in Columbia. We signed our lease in December, so of course we got it cheaper than it would be now that it’s Spring. We pay a base of 1320 for an 800ft, which seems like a ripoff until until you look elsewhere in Columbia. Also we are in the «updated» community, the Woods, which I believe they said was updated in 2007. The main differences are in the kitchen. I looked at some of the «classic» units in the fields and meadows and I decided I just couldn’t deal with the 1987 kitchen for whole year (I spend a lot of time there). Although it would really be nice to have a flat range stove top. I hate coil tops they are so hard to clean and are never level. I hope they put those in their next renovation plans.
Utilities: Since we moved in December I went ahead and wrapped the windows in our bedroom immediately because it was very cold. I think it did help, but the bay window is hard to wrap. I probably could have saved even more if I had bought bigger wrap. The most I paid I think was in February it was about $ 150. Oh and I should mention that we live in the middle, not ground level but not top floor. Water is individually metered, so it’s not much.
Also to note: we previously lived in a basement apartment in a house and had an awful time with bugs and wolf spiders (my worst nightmare). I am thrilled to say that I have only stinkbugs here, at least on our level, which don’t bother me.
Speaking of water though, if you have a choice between the full size W/​D and the thintwin version, go with the full. You will do half as much laundry. I like the window in my kitchen which I chose instead of the full W/​D but it is a nuisance to have like 10 loads when you normally would have 4.
Maintenance: top notch they are super fast. Once, my washer wasn’t draining and I think I put a request in through the portal at like 10am from work and it was done by the time I got home at 5:30.
Lighting: Contrary to some reviews, I think that the lighting in the communities is fine. There are a few darker areas here and there but if I have to take my dogs out at 12AM I generally feel very safe.
Office Staff: I have never had any issues with the office staff, any time I have needed anything they have been helpful. Not over the top, but helpful, and that’s fine with me.
Guest parking: OK, there are designated spots for visitors which you need to have them use after 6pm but most of the time they are full with residents vehicles, especially residents’ motorcycles which ticks me off, but that’s not Avalon’s fault.
Trash: There is only one trash area for the Woods community, I wish there were 2. From where we are you pretty much have to drive your trash over to the dumpster. I knew this going in and it wasn’t a deal breaker for me, but just be aware.
The gym: Free weight area is so small that there is almost no room to use them. But it is open ²⁴⁄₇ which is good. I can’t review the pools as of yet but I have high hopes because I love pools.
Pets: They are super pet friendly in our community. The one thing I really wish they had was a bark park, just something small over near the tennis court or something. For the price they charge for pets — $ 50 each pet, they really should have something (and that’s on top of the 500 $ pet deposit which I don’t expect to get back). I really don’t know why pet rent has to be so expensive and that goes for most communities. People don’t have to pay extra for kids so why should I have to pay so much for my furkids? This is probably the only real complaint I have with Avalon. But it was just the best in everything else and the rent made up for it even so, so I got over it. But seriously, please give us a little pet area! That would be so great and make our pet rent somewhat worth it.
It is a 5 minute drive to the Columbia mall which is great for running errands. It is also very central to most other shopping areas and it is a 10 minute drive to work for me, and 15 for my husband which is a big part of why we chose to stay in Columbia.
Over all I give it 5 stars because nothing awful or major has happened to make me want to leave and I am comfortable and feel safe here. We want to buy a house but if we can’t this year, we will most likely sign the lease again for our current apt as long as it doesn’t go up too significantly.

Just moved here with my husband. The apartment is very spacious and thoughtfully planned out. The grounds are clean and well kept. There’s always open parking. So far we love it.

I lived at Avalon @ Fairway Hills in Columbia. I will say that the original staff at Avalon was much nicer than the newer staff members. That’s not to say that the newer staff are mean by any means, but I remember a staff member named Elizabeth who went completely out of her way to make sure I was happy and attended to, even while she was showing me around the community. The newer staff are polite, but there’s nothing special there. However, I digress…
The Good:
— Good, Clean, Quiet Community
— Close to Wegmans, Target, Old Navy, REI, Bed Bath &Beyond, and any other shopping necessities.
— Close to the Columbia Mall (For good or bad)
— Community Pool/​Gym
— Free water source to wash your car for Free
— Quick Repairs (If Needed)
— Tons of Parking for Visitors
— Pretty Safe
— Pretty close to major highways to get into Baltimore or DC
— Washer/​Dryer IN your Apartment
— Some Apartments have «updated» amenities (Dishwasher/​Fridge/​Microwave/​Stove)
— Online System for Paying Rent, Getting repairs done
— Repairs are QUICK!
The Bad:
— $$: They seem to raise rent prices just because they want to
— Poor Community Lighting (can get pretty dark/​scary at night)
— Make sure you don’t end up in the basement Apartments!!!
— Gym is Small
— There’s a Country Club across the street and the golf course literally cuts through the community
— Most Apartments have «outdated» amenities (Dishwasher/​Fridge/​Microwave/​Stove)
All in all, the community is good, with a few quirks that may or may not get on your nerves. Overall, I had a good experience. The proximity to most shopping was GREAT!
I ended up moving out of the community, not because of anything the community did or was, but because of the distance to my work. If that wasn’t an issue, I would have highly contemplated staying in the community.
Also, they do have an emergency repair system as well as a non-​emergent repairs which was really useful. I had a leak in the dishwasher at one point and they came out to fix it at like 5am.

We have lived in Avalon since March 2013. We have been quite pleased with the level of service we have received since moving in. I recently requested a designated parking space because of medical issues. Although I have a Handicapped parking permit, there are no designated spots near our apartment. Within two weeks of my request, I received a phone call from Kathy K. who informed me I would be getting a designated parking spot directly in front of my apartment. The marker would be installed that day!!! As always, the service at Avalon has exceeded our expectations!!! Thank you, Kathy K!!!

I am just new neighbour. Quality of service, leasing, and maintenance are good.

Thank goodness I found out how they are BEFORE I moved in !!! Had to cancel a hold on an apartment. I was supposed to move there in 6 weeks, but am unable to do so due to unforseen events… THEY SAID THEY ARE CHARGING ME AN ENTIRE MONTHS RENT as a punishment for canceling!!!

Since I only get 5000 characters let me just give you a highlight.
Upon moving in they had to fix the burners on the stove, the counters were surfaced wrong and everything stuck to them, the screens didn’t fully close so bugs would come in and the patio screen door was the wrong size (with tape filling the gap).
3 cars got broken into including mine and when I tried to let my neighbors know so they could be aware I was essentailly yelled at by an Avalon employee to not do that. Another guys tires were slashed and his windows broken with a bat.
The gym doens’t have those nice towels they may promise you and often runs out of the whipes to keep the machines clean of the last persons sweat. But you may be able to share the gym bathroom with some roaches if you’d like?
They do come quickly to fix things but depending which guy you get they will just pull old stuff off vacant appartments so the next person is likely going to get the broken stuff like we did.
When my renewal came up I was close to being relocated with work so I didn’t want to move for a month so my choices were to pay $ 2400 for a month to month lease or sign a full new lease at $ 1240 (raising mine $ 50 a month). They were unwilling to work with me on either one. A month later I was relocated and had to get out of my lease. I was able to allow them to market the apt and they found someone quickly. I ended up having to pay the difference in this new persons lease and my lease which was $ 123 a month. Glad they worked with this new person since I would be paying for the difference. They had also promised me that I could pay this $ 123 difference on a month to month basis which I thought was pretty cool as it would help me get settled at my new place.
Upon leaving everything was good dropped off the keys they didn’t charge me for anything. The $ 150 for someone else to clean everything is amazing to just be able to move out and leave any mess. I tried to call them abouut 2 weeks later to find out what I owed them and how to pay it. They said they didn’t have that information yet and they’d be in contact once they did. I got a call about 3 weeks later telling me i owed $ 1400 and it was due in 5 days. I guess I was supposed to get 15 days but they didn’t have my new address so I didn’t get the mailing they had sent. I put my new address on the envelope with my keys as they had told me to do but by this point i wasn’t surprised at all. They also told me I had to pay the total amount within that 5 days or it would go to collections. Guess that month to month thing was just total BS. I didn’t think I would have to check my lease to verify what the people in the leasing office were telling me. I had requested my final bill in writing because at this point i didn’t trust them at all. A rude person calling from a blocked number asking for $ 1400 is rediculous. When i told her i’d mail a check she said it would be late at this point and i’d end up in collections. I tried to escalate but she was already the manager on duty and I’d have to wait for her manager to call me. I ended up getting my break down and at this point i just wanted to be done with them so I paid it and am still waiting for confirmation in writing that I have a Zero balance with Avalon. I was promised that by mail by the guy who took the payment.
I wouldn’t move here if the rent was half the price. I don’t like how they do business. Don’t like the lies they tell to get your business and make you happy to your face. Moving is hard and stressful enough if you are paying this much go someplace else that will treat you better. Someplace you won’t have to worry about getting screwed at.

First, the good things. Maintenance was always quick to respond and handled the problems efficiently and professionally. Okay, wait… there was only one good thing.
Please bear with me while I explain what occurred because I think it’s important that people understand what they are dealing with.
In April 2014, shortly after midnight, an unidentified man entered my apartment. Apparently the slider on patio had not latched properly (the police who came to my apartment later also had trouble getting it to latch) and he took that as an invitation. My belief is that he had a drug deal pending and his buyer said she would leave the door open for him. He came directly to my bedroom, flipped on the light and announced himself. Whoever he was looking for was not someone he knew by sight so he kept insisting I was her and kept demanding money. Long story short, I was able to keep my head and convinced him to leave the apartment without me getting physically hurt although he suggested many times that there were things we could do while he was there. I was frightened out of my mind. More disturbing was that he kept telling me that he was a neighbor who lived «just a couple doors down.» I was new the community and didn’t recognize him but I had no reason to disbelieve him. As soon as he left, I called the police. They dusted for prints and took my statement. By then it was after 2 a.m. I went back to bed but of course was unable to sleep.
As soon as the office opened the following morning, I went in to tell them what had happened. I gave them the name of the officer and the report number. I also told them that the man indicated he lived in the community. I expected at the very least that they would distribute a notice about what had occurred so others could be aware and cautious. I waited a couple of days but no notice went out. I went back to the office to let them know that because of the breaking and entering and assault, I was no longer able to sleep without medication and wanted to speak with them about moving and I also wanted to find out why no notice had been posted.
I was told that the police had not contacted them. Well of course they didn’t. They did not have time to contact them but they indicated that someone from the office should call them to discuss who the perpetrator and the person he was seeking might be. That’s why I gave them the officer’s name and the report number. Katherine Osterritte said they weren’t going to post a notice because «afterall, you had left your door unlocked open and nothing was taken and you weren’t hurt!» I was appalled and amazed that this was actually said to me! I guess my leaving my door unlocked I got what I deserved and it was perfectly okay for any stranger to to enter an apartment not their own and enter a woman’s bedroom while she was asleep and make lewd suggestions all the while demanding money from her.
Finally management agreed that a notice should be put out. By this time several days had passed. I told them that I was amazed they wouldn’t do this immediately, if only for the fact that their legal liability would be astronomical if another occurrence happened and the victim knew that management was aware that there was someone who was entering apartments without invitation.
Then we got to the discussion of me moving. Since I had only lived there 4 months, my lease still had a lot to go on it. They offered to move me to another apartment not on a ground floor or I could move to another Avalon community. However, if I was to move into the exact same apartment in another building, the rent would increase by over $ 200 because they had recently raised the rent! They would not honor my original lease! And if I moved to another Avalon community, I would have to pay a nearly $ 1,000 transfer fee. Of course, it made no sense for me to stay in that community because this man indicated he was a neighbor and I was always afraid I would encounter him again. And I was not going to pay $ 1,000 to transfer to another community. In the end, they let me out of my lease and I moved to another community.
While I was packing and preparing to move to another community, a flyer was distributed about community happenings. I almost threw it in the trash but then I turned it over and saw that there was a notice about a number of cars being broken into at Avalon Fairway Hills and the airbags being stolen. Had I not turned the flyer over, I never would have known what was going on. Since when does it make sense to put a notice about something that involves the safety of residents and their vehicles on the BACK of a bulletin about St. Patrick’s Day events?
The staff at Avalon, and particularly Katherine, were completely unsympathetic and unhelpful. I had to fight for everything that I would have considered normal responses to a horrendous situation and I could not stay at a place that cares so little about its residents’ safety.

UPDATE:
8÷1÷13. All has been resolved amicably after we sent a strongly worded letter and filed a complaint with the MD consumer protection division. We don’t know what was effective in the end. Avalon called to apologize and to tell us they retracted the charges. We just received our refund check in the mail.
All in all, it’s a pretty nice place to live, but keep on your toes with the financial/​legal end of leasing with them.
This is all unfortunate, since we lived there pretty happily for 5 years. The grounds and apartments are clean and well-​maintained. The on-​site staff and maintenance personnel are all very pleasant. Maintenance was very prompt. Grounds are well kept. Entryways were cleaned and vacuumed regularly. Perhaps the parking area could use some more lighting, but while we were moving out, we did see that the management was working on significantly improving the exterior and grounds.
The only problems we had were with the legal/​financial end of AvalonBay. Every time we were sent a lease renewal, they tried to raise our rent by large amounts. When we moved in 5 years ago, we were paying $ 1200+/month. Every year, management would offer a renewal rent rate with a 6%+ increase. Fortunately, requesting a lower rent increase with the on-​site staff usually worked as long as we were willing to sign a 12-​month lease. They would sometimes say no first, but with a little push, they will talk to the main office for you. Always negotiate!
While we were house-​shopping, we did not choose to renew a 12-​month lease and instead went to a 3-​month lease. That raised the rent from $ 1400+ to $ 1900+ (no amount of haggling worked). After the 3-​month lease ended, our month-​to-​month rate was $ 2100+.

Just renewed my lease. Been here a year and still satisfied with the quality of service from management, leasing, and maintenance. Rent is high, but that’s to be expected living in Columbia. My apartment (1 bdrm, 1bath) is nice.

I thoroughly enjoyed my 18 month stay at Avalon at Fairway Hills. The staff was excellent, the apartment was roomy, and our back yard was a golf course — not bad at all.
It’s pricier, that’s for sure, but I felt like I was paying for how safe it was, how close it was to the mall/​freeway, and the decent size of the apartment. Could you potentially buy a townhome/​apartment and pay less on a mortgage? definitely. However, for someone who isn’t staying on the East Coast permanently, I really enjoyed my time here.
Cons would be the extreme lack of visitor parking, and the singular trash compactor for all the apartments that was constantly broken/​overflowing. Other than that — nothing too bad at all!
I’d recommend it to anyone, though I’d note that it IS pricey.

Well rent has apparently gone up compared to what the previous reviewer said. I now pay that much for a single bedroom and single bathroom.
Overall I have no complaints with this establishment. The staff is extremely friendly and really went the extra mile to make sure my move in was successful. However, I did have a huge problem that was not resolved for exactly one month — a broken air conditioner. The unit was old and beyond repair — they tried to repair it several times but it never would work. All it did was run continuously, pump hot air into the apartment, and flip the circuit breaker.
After a long struggle with the maintenance staff it was finally resolved once an entirely brand new air conditioner unit was installed. Ever since, I have never had a problem with the air conditioner and in fact my air conditioning bill DRASTICALLY dropped.
Aside from that the complex is extremely well maintained. Landscaping is maintained at least once a week and I literally have never seen garbage anywhere on the entire property… in the parking lots, outside apartments, etc… it’s always spotless. People seem to really care about their property.
Neighbors are nice, and during the summer months the facility runs some social events to get to know each other at random locales.
Rent is a little pricey, but the ability to have piece of mind day or night is really refreshing. I’ve heard too many horror stories from friends or reading on the internet… and besides my air conditioner issue, I don’t have a single complaint. The buildings are definitely well taken care of, and if they need repair I see contractors working to replace carpets, tiles, etc… my apartment looked brand new when I moved in… and still does, except for all my stuff! :)

Lived here from 7÷25÷08 to 7÷24÷09. Completely average garden apartment ($ 1400/​mo for 2 bed/​2 bath). Not particularly special, but maintenance was timely when requested, which is a plus. On-​site pool in each of the three sections and a gym (only in one section). My only major complaint was on moving out. We asked what needed to be done before vacating weeks in advance, were told we needed to do nothing. We requested an inspection (they are supposed to do this without being asked 2 months prior to move out but in our case did not) and were given a laundry list of tasks that we no longer had time to complete. The staff at the leasing office needs to get their act together to smooth the process for everyone. I will not be moving back to any Avalon community. The apartment was not worth the price (rent would have been raised significantly after 1 year mark), but it is average for its location.