Watergate at Landmark

Don’t be fooled by the resort appearance. While this is probably the biggest bang for your buck as far as sqft and amenities, it’s not worth the headache and the drama that comes with living here.
I moved in last year, as a renter, to ‘try before I buy’ and I am glad I did that. I’m looking forward to moving out.
Yes, I agree with the other comments and then some:
— ridiculous parking issues
— old people making false/​nuisance calls into patrol services mid-​day weekend timeframe
— but no resolution regarding your complaints to patrol services during sleep hours
— frequent emergency vehicles, at all hours, for elderly falling ill, dying and trying to commit suicide off the balconies, false fire alarms
— neighbors’ smoking and cooking smells permeating through shared vents and warped door frames
— constant construction
— nice, but impotent patrol services and front desk personnel
but that’s condo living for you. My only compliment is the snow plowing was great!
What bothers me is the generally bad, unresponsive and inefficient management, the horrible and inconsistent communication, outright lies from management and other staff, and complete disrespect for the rule-​following people that live here. They treat you like a student in a dorm. As a homeowner, and professional, I don’t know how they stay in business.
Also, there’s a number of sex offenders living here. Lots of creepy men by the pool.

We are a Mid-​30s couple with two kids and we couldn’t be happier with our decision to purchase at WAL. It doesn’t come without its issues (it is a large complex — there will always be issues — in this case primarily parking) but the pros much outweigh the con.
So let’s tackle parking — it can be frustrating late at night not to find parking near your building. but it is not impossible (frustrating but bearable)
Security: I have had nothing but the best experience with security — professional and friendly enforcing the by laws we all agreed to live by.
Construction: Construction is phased. It has to be in such a large complex. I have not found it as an inconvenience. Quite the opposite. As a property owner I am pleased the association is putting my money back into the property to maintain it and keep it looking good and functioning.
Association Fees: fees are high at the WAL but not the highest in the area. Much worse condos nearby have higher fees and not nearly the amenities.
The average age is getting younger as people realize this is a great place to live!
People love to complain and will complain about anything.

This is a retirement community that has constant construction and terrible security guards. One of the worst decisions I made was moving here. You’ll feel like you are in prison or a boarding school with rules that will constrict you from living. This should be your LAST option.

Since I posted my initial review, things have improved. The Watergate desk staff haven’t missed a package delivery, patrol services have been friendly and responsive, and the on-​site convenience store has even started selling fresh fruit and vegetables. With regard to the specific issues I identified in my initial review, I haven’t seen the dishonest desk clerk in a while, patrol services has been on top of complaints, and I haven’t seen the security guard who told me that I would be fined 25 dollars because the gate pass the Watergate sold me did not work.
Plus, the Watergate, with its many on-​site amenities, was a pleasant place to spend the long winter of 2015.
I would give the Watergate five stars but for one factor: the Watergate’s «Communications Committee.» Late one evening, someone slipped under the door to the unit where I am staying a three-​page typewritten letter, addressed to me personally, from the Watergate’s deputy manager. The letter stated that an unnamed «member of the Communications Committee» notified the building management that I had posted a Unilocal review on 11/​17/​2014. Attached to the letter was a record of my call to the patrol services staff the night of the neighbors’ party — which only confirmed that the person I spoke with at patrol services did not take down the information I provided that night.
The letter was defensive and did not respond to any of the points I raised in my initial Unilocal review. Notably, in the letter, the Watergate manager suggested that I read the Watergate rules. I re-​read them. Curiously, the Watergate rules do not provide any insight into how to respond to the issues I identified in my 11/​17/​2014 Unilocal review.
I couldn’t help but feel that the time and energy that the Watergate Communications Committee spent to track down my identity, draft me a long letter, and drop it off at my apartment late at night would have been much better spent training the Watergate desk staff. Let’s hope that the Watergate Communications Committee finds a more effective — and less creepy — way to respond to constructive criticism.

I’ve live in Alexandria. But I’ve never heard of this place, drove by it, or even know anyone who lives here. Somehow they’ve managed to get my number and I get a automated message from them every time there is some sort of problem (no shuttle buses, delayed office hours, no lifeguard etc.). I’ve tried calling to get my number off their system, but I can’t even get a hold of a real person! It’s frustrating because I’ve been getting calls in the morning that wake me up for the past two years.

I don’t live there so I’m reviewing as a frequent guest. The building and grounds are decent, and seem to be a pretty good value for a renter (hard to judge the value as an owner because of the huge condo fees).
My issue is with the management. As other reviews have noted, there is frequently construction going on. Currently there is work going on with the parking lots. It’s in stages and appears to affect maybe 50 – 60 spaces at a time (out of maybe a thousand spaces). So do they do the reasonable, logical thing and REDUCE the number of visitor passes to reflect the reduced number of spots? Of course not — they completely ban all visitor parking after 8 PM. So if you’re lucky/​early, you MIGHT be able to find street parking within a mile. Then you get a 10 – 20 minute walk to visit your friend … and pass dozens of empty spaces inside the parking lot along the way. Opening, say, 40 spaces to visitors might not ensure me a spot in the parking lot, but it would mean 40 less people looking for spots on the surrounding streets, and make finding a spot there much easier. But I guess it would require too much time and thought to implement a plan … better to just have residents not have any guests for two or three months.
This is just one example but I’m told it’s pretty representative of the way things are handled there.

Huge place that is hard to get around unless you are familiar with the grounds.
Bf and I came for Oktoberfest and enjoyed the food and entertainment. Crowd was a bit more senior than I expected…

The community in and of itself is great. A lot of conveniences and upsides. The down sides, or aggitations, all seem to be through mismanagement or lack of a chacks and balances system.
1. There is a board of directors and management office. The management company works directly for Watergate, they are not a 3^rd party. There is little incentive for service or over sight when there is a complaint.
2. The patrol services, or security, is not very nice to people. Additionally, at times, the residents are not treated as people paying for the services as a perk for there residence, but rather as people to police, ticket, and enforce. This should be a service and not a problem.
3. The serivce desk isnt bad, but they are not 24 hours. They should cut the patrol services and contract a 3^rd party group to handle services.
4. Construction is non-​stop. Very unpleasant to live in a construction zone.
5. Ammenties are great but could be more accessible, such as leaving the pool open for at your own risk swimmers, like a hotel does, have pool balls and cues in the pool hall room, and have the racket ball free.
5. For owners, there are unnecessary restrictions on unit remodeling. Some restrictions are important, but others are silly (flooring choices for example).
6. If they can fine you, they will. Alos, my comfort level has only gone down since moving in and the condo fee keeps shooting up.
This community could be a hidden gem of Alexandria, however, it is mis-​managed, there are some outdate or silly rules just to suit a few, it is expense to live here, and the overall services that are paid for are poor.

I rented for a year at Watergate in 2000 as a recent college grad. It was a great place for me at that time — beautiful gazebos by the gorgeous (!) pool, free shuttle to the metro, an on-​site convenience store, security, jogging trail, outdoor BBQ spaces, and a beach volleyball court.
In 2006, I was living in DC but got married to my husband, who lived in Virginia with his young son. We couldn’t get anything like it for our money in D.C. so we bought at Watergate. We continued to enjoy the nicely landscaped grounds and security, but also features like the ice rink and indoor pool in the winter, the playground, putting green, ping-​pong, billiards, etc.
A major plus is, as other have said, the quality of construction is high, people ask me, but you honestly do not hear your neighbors even if they have parties, barking dogs or screaming kids. It is well-​built. The past few years have been a trial as the board opted to push through many many major projects at once, but I am hopeful that we’ve turned a corner. Some of the projects were necessary maintenance to keep Watergate in good shape physically. (They have also gotten rid of a few things, like the ice rink, but there are a lot of young families, and there is a strong sense of community.)
For us, it’s an excellent balance — close to D.C., the benefits of condo living (ample well-​maintained outdoor space), no need for a gym (they renovated the gym just a couple years ago), with the perks of «small town» living too — I know my neighbors and my neighbors’ neighbors. It is an extremely diverse community, which I love, and which means there is something for everyone.

There is a reason why so many units are empty and so many others are for sale. Between the horrific parking, inability to have guests, 10pm visitor curfew, appallingly rude security personnel (with the exception of three or four, including Margaret who is a competent, helpful and resourceful), I cannot understand why someone would choose to pay (what amounts to the mortgage payment on a mid-​sized home) on a condo here. There are at least 2 major construction projects going on at anytime. Office staff have been polite, however there is little they can do as they have limited power and/​or authority to resolve any issues or concerns. I was offered a unit for sale as the owner is trying to do a short sale, however, I wouldn’t purchase anyan anything even if it were 50 cents (the reality being that the condo fees, the infraction fees, breathing fees, walking fees, talking fees, and any other fee and its associated headaches would still cause the cost to be in excess of $ 350k) which is unfortunate because some of the amenities are nice.

I’m going to re-​write my review of this place. I actually absolutely love it here. Yes, the construction is always but amenities is far superior than any other community, this includes, home, condo, and apartments. My neighbors are terrific, it’s close to all major roads, it’s access to the metro. I honestly dont know what more you need. In terms of the amenities, there so much geez where do I start: jacuzzi, gym, gym classes, karaōke nights, resident events, bar, on-​community delivery, dry cleaners, store, library, indoor/​outdoor pool, grills, tennis courts, put-​put golf, 24 hour security. I can add more to this but my fingers are happily tired. It’s been a pleasure and I honestly do not know where else I would move to. It’s super fantastic place to live!!!

I have been living at the Watergate at Landmark for about 6 months and I’ve had about all I can stand. The people working in the resident services office are lazy, incompetent, and worst of all rude. That said, I hold the «patrol services» individuals in special contempt. They routinely treat residents with insolence and are some of the most discourteous people I’ve ever encountered. If you think living in a quasi-​police-​state, run by ignorant, wannabe law enforcement offices that must have been turned down for a position at the Landmark Mall, then you can finish my lease out at the Watergate at Landmark.

I’d first like to mention that I’ve posted a review once before perhaps a month ago and it clearly was deleted. For the person (s) trying to defend WAL… good luck. You’ve got more people fed up with this place than just me. That said, this place may appear to have all the fantastic amenities one would love to have but it comes with a price… YOUR SANITY. WAL has nickle and dimed me from the moment I moved in and all of the roommates that have come and gone. The condo board has more rules and regulations that will make you wonder what society we live in (i.e. no bikes are allowed on the balcony as it «looks» unattractive or umbrellas too). Parking here is as ridiculous. There are restrictions posted everywhere and the community security will not hesitate to either boot, ticket and/​or tow your vehicle at 4AM without any notice or courtesy. When you pay to live in a community and have your car registered and wake up to see it missing in a gated community your first thought is: STOLEN. Nope, towed and ticketed. Thank you Watergate at Landmark you have finally gotten me and my wife to move to greener pastures. And according to the Realtor there’s plenty better with the same amenities. Bottom line: This place can’t do enough to control how you live and ticket you if you don’t conform. The vacancies aren’t coincidence, people are fed up and so are we. Thank goodness we are only renters. We are outta here. Adiós

Always under some unnecessary construction.
Every time it snows and they plow, they pack the snow against the cars making them impossible to remove unless you shovel them out. Don’t worry, if you manage to dig your car out and leave, they’ll plow you back in the next time you park.
There is a parking lot party behind building 3 every weekend night. Impossible to have windows open in nice weather. Security refuses to address it.
I got a ticket for not having a front license plat eon my car.
They print everything on flyers and stick it to your front door. Its a waste of paper, irrelevant news and often redundant. Happens almost every day.
Nice indoor pool but it’s only open an hour at dawn and an hour at night.

I don’t understand the negative reviews that are on here; it seems like others had extremely unrealistic expectations.
I’ve been renting here for about 6 months, and plan on renewing my lease for another year, because this place is nearly perfect. I lived in some nightmare places in P.G. Country across the river, and Watergate is miles above them. Living here is like living in a hotel, you have absolutely everything you could want here:
–There is always parking, I have never had to park very far from the entrance to my building.
–Security here is awesome. They are serious about not letting in anyone who isn’t approved. I have had to call them a lot for noise disturbances with my neighbor who is doing construction and doesn’t follow the rules, and their guards have been polite, responsive, and proactive. The staff does a great job at cleaning the buildings.
–Front desk is helpful and polite. Unlike my last place, I don’t have to worry if I lock myself out, or if I have packages coming.
–Amenities: It’s a little more than if you leave the complex, but the market here is good if you don’t want to cook or need some sundries, and the on-​site drycleaning can’t be beat. The pool is AMAZING, and the fitness club is pretty awesome; I’m in there every day. Saunas, walking track, Jacuzzi… I’m saving on gym membership by living here!
–Plowing: With the crazy storms we had this winter, Watergate did even better than the City at plowing. Every snow, the plow makes a pass within an hour of the first flakes and keeps up with the snowfall.
–People: This is a really mixed community; young families, professional singles, and a LOT of older folks. People take time to talk to each other in the elevators, the gym, etc. A lot of folks have lived here over 20 years, so they take a vested interest in the community. Which means a nicer, safer, quieter environment. Yes, there are kids and teens here, but all of them have plenty of proper places to play. I once saw the security chief chase off some teens that had been improperly ‘invited’ onto the community by a resident’s kid and were using some of the amenities, so the staff won’t tolerate things like that.
My only complaint is that, as an older building, the vent system is shared, so whenever my upstairs neighbor lights up a cigarette, I have to ‘enjoy’ it too. But shy of gutting the building and doing a top-​to-​bottom renovation, that can’t be helped.
Overall, this is a wonderful community and I am seriously considering buying a unit here because of it.
**UPDATE**
Well, unfortunately WAL pretty much began a slide into chaos in about mid-​2011. Owners began fleeing in droves and the renters that moved in were absolutely terrible. The construction was out of control, never ending, and made it impossible to park or enjoy any sort of peace and quiet. I was chased and threatened with physical violence by one upstanding denizen due to my minority status. I finally had enough and moved out, where I was ambushed by an $ 800+ Cash only move out fee, only $ 300 of it was refundable («elevator fee» they called it). This place is in the red and sliding deeper into it and they’re trying to make up for it by stiffing residents.
Stay away until this place gets its head screwed on straight. The only thing true about my review above is the amenities.

Well, I dont’ own a condo here, but I’ve visited often enough! Condos are arlgith in size. Manned security gate, good amt of parking. MY fav thing about this place is the gazebos and pool area. The pool rocks! its huge! There’s a lap pool, a huuuuuuuugggggggggge wading pool and separate diving pool area. Also like that they have a sand volleyball court. Makes for some great times.