Review for Mt. Ridge Apartments

This is a good apartment for first time renters. Not overly expensive and located a couple miles from UMBC. The UMBC shuttle bus runs by the apartment complex so a good location for college students and it won't put a dent in their pocketbook. The management is pretty nice and so are the maintenance workers. But the management is giving me a bit of run-around about my security deposit which was equal to a whole month of rent!

The apartments are cute but older. They clean and paint every apartment prior to a new resident moving in. The wood floors need some work. They look okay but very worn. They really need to be stripped and refinished. Apartment does not pay any utilities. You are responsible for everything. The water bill is divided between all four apartments in each building because there is only one water meter per building. My water bill used to be around $12 a month but then I had a change in neighbors and the bill jumped over $8 a month so the new neighbors must use a lot more water than the previous neighbors. You will be paying if neighbors use more water than you. However, each apartment does have its own electric meter though so you only pay for what you use. A suggestion is to get an apartment on the second floor because during the winter, you get the benefit of the heat below since heat rises. My bill was always lower than the apartment under me since I was on the second floor. One bad point is that there is no central air. You have to use window units. The apartments don't have a lot of closet space. The one bedrooms have more closet space than the two bedrooms though. The parking can be a pain depending on when you get home and part of the complex is located on a hill so when it snows the whole drive ices up and it is very hard to get out safely. If you know that snow is forecast, park at the bottom of the hill even if you have to walk! Landscaping has its ups and downs. Looks nice during the summer. There is a pretty courtyard with trees. However, last fall they never cleaned up the leaves and they were covering the ground until the following spring. That was a bit bothersome and not-so-nice looking.

A good apartment for students and those just starting out. For older people, I would suggest something else. But overall, not a bad experience.