Overall, the apartments are relatively better in terms of layout than some other apartments nearby; good maintenance and support team; scenic views and trail around the Belmont lake; good for MMS and MQM students as most of them tend to stay in this neighbourhood in the past few years; bus stop right outside the gate which drops you at Fuqua; gated community; good gym and swimming pool!

What I like best about the Belmont is the surroundings. Within the estate there are many trees, and even a lake. It's gorgeous. It's also pretty quiet and I loved that it was about a 25 - 30 min walk to Fuqua.

The building itself is pretty good but the management is pretty racist towards international students

The property in itself is pretty decent for the price. It is much safer now. But there is a problem with roaches right from the beginning.

So far so good

Not sure if The Belmont is the right apartment complex for you? Here are some fun tidbits from my own experience to help you decide.

- Despite an ungodly amount of pest control requests, The Belmont has never been able to get rid of the roach problem. Roaches have shown up in my bed, shower, cabinets, toilet, sink, clothes, shoes, etc. regardless of how clean the apartment is. I have purchased every “roach solution” out there to no avail. If you have an issue with roaches, living here will be your nightmare. I cannot stress this enough.

- When I moved out, I was charged over $500 in damages. They insisted my access card was missing until I provided a video of it being returned to which they responded, “we just found the access card.” They charged me $195 for a couple of tiny scratches on the kitchen countertops. I have a timestamped photo showing that the scratches were there when I moved in but recently learned that the Belmont doesn’t accept tenant photos as evidence (keep that in mind). John Kellum told me in writing that the kitchen and bathroom countertops were damaged by the previous tenants but that they were reglazed immediately prior to my move-in. I believe this to be a lie, as I have photographic evidence showing that they were still damaged when I moved in. I was charged over $160 for a vinyl transition strip which was peeling up because it was cheaply installed. A charge which, after a lot of arguing on my part, was eventually dropped. The Belmont staff also initially refused to discuss any of these issues with me and instead made me go through a third party, a woman in Virginia who had no idea what was going on because she lives in a different state.

- When I moved in, the condensation drain above the shower was constantly dripping dirty runoff water from the A/C into my bathtub. It covered my shower in dirt and made taking a shower the most repulsive experience. I went to the leasing office to report the issue and was told “that’s just the way it is.” I will attach a picture of the drain and tub for reference as well as my makeshift tape solution needed every time that I wanted to take a shower without dirty water falling on me. I was also charged for the dirty bathtub when I moved out.

- The Belmont found a leak in my apartment during an inspection and neglected to tell me about it and/or fix it. Instead, they ignored the issue, and I was charged an extra $120 for water the next month. Every time I went to the leasing office to ask questions, I was told, “You really shouldn’t leave your water running,” “It’s your fault for not reporting the issue” and “Sometimes my cat drinks water from my sink when it drips, and I’m not complaining.” Up until then, my average water bill was no more than $40. It took over 2 months of hounding the leasing office to get my money back.

- When I asked to add a new roommate to my lease, I was given the wrong paperwork which, if signed, would’ve essentially evicted me from my apartment. Always read everything they give you before signing.

- I called the leasing office on a Friday afternoon to report my car being stolen and was told “I’m sorry, I don’t know what to do in this situation, but we're closing soon. Maybe try calling back on Monday.” I have also had 4 packages stolen because the locker system sends your code to other people when the WIFI goes down (I have had other people's codes sent to me as well). The leasing office will tell you that they aren’t responsible, and that people often return misplaced packages. That has happened 0/4 times for me.

- “Security” is a joke. A male security member who sits at the gate at night has made comments multiple times about what I was wearing, so I got to feel uncomfortable every time I came home. You can also flash a plain, white notecard at night when the gate is broken, which seems to be about 50% of the time, or anytime you are following behind another car, and that will pass as a gate key. Security will let you t

No issues, Pool and gym are good, property responsive to maintenance requests

Some pros of the Belmont are:
-Walkable to Duke
-Has a nice pool
-Has a nice pond
-Easy parking
-Responsive maintenance team
-Not as expensive as some other places

Some cons of the Belmont:
-Very old appliances
-Sometimes management is strange

I love the lake and walking trail in the community. There’s a nice pool and deck area with lounge chairs and umbrellas. The gym is a bit small for my taste but it has peloton and a yoga/body exercise room with a big tv. The gate is guarded at night and there are patrols on duty to keep people safe. The gate is fob or access code only during evening hours. The apartment is nice and clean but not the highest quality. Maintenance is usually responsive and takes care of pests. Pets are welcome.

My apartment is very quiet, which is great for law students. It is also quite convenient, as it is close to campus and has the Duke Transit bus stop right outside.