Ferncliff South Apartments

Pros

• The reviewer likes the two-bedroom apartment very much.
• One reviewer found the on-site staff member to be okay.
• It was a fine place for most of the time.
• The reviewer appreciated the two-bedroom apartment enough to give it three stars.

Cons

• The staff discriminates against non-black applicants, treating them poorly.
• The property has not provided central air for years; residents rely on portable units and face high utility bills with no help from management.
• Dishwashers stop draining and repairs take months to resolve.
• The office is never open to residents.
• The front desk staff are consistently rude or have bad attitudes.
• The property manager is inaccessible, often with the door shut.
• Application fees are collected and applicants are never contacted; approvals or denials take years.
• Customer service is very poor.
• Maintenance requests are ignored and progress is falsely claimed; delays stretch for months.
• Upstairs neighbors are extremely loud, and there are serious safety concerns (e.g., a bullet hole in a window).
• The South side, especially Building F, is described as the worst part of the complex.
• Lease records can be lost by the office, forcing residents to redo paperwork.

Review

Residents across several Ferncliff buildings paint a troubling picture of a place that should be home but often feels like a confrontation with a poorly managed system. The thread running through these accounts is a sense of neglect, miscommunication, and inconsistent standards from the people who are supposed to keep the property livable. In some cases, people describe feeling singled out or distrusted, with accusations of discrimination shading the experiences of those who are trying to get basic needs met or even just the most routine information from management.

A recurring theme is the office environment and how it handles inquiries, applications, and everyday contact. Several reviewers complain that the front desk staff and property personnel come across as dismissive and unhelpful. One reviewer specifically alleges discriminatory treatment due to race, describing experiences where they were treated "like a dog." Others say the office is rarely open, and that the property manager is usually found behind a shut door, making it nearly impossible to get timely answers. A common complaint is the application process: application fees are charged, but many residents report never receiving any contact or decision - no approval, no denial, just indifference. This lack of responsiveness leaves applicants in limbo for weeks or months, fueling a sense that the process is a black hole rather than a fair, transparent hiring process for a home.

The conditions inside the apartments themselves are described as challenging, particularly when it comes to climate control. One longtime resident notes that central air has been out for three years, forcing the use of a single portable air conditioner for one room, plus a hallway fan and a separate AC in the living room. The result is an environment that is difficult to cool efficiently, with electricity bills that rise as a consequence. There is no apparent support or program to help offset these costs, which compounds the frustration of residents already contending with a difficult administrative experience.

Maintenance and repair responses are another major sore point. Reviews repeatedly say that work orders languish for extended periods - months on end - without resolution. Some residents report that even when a maintenance visit occurs, problems persist, and the process is protracted by calls for "corporate approval" or "emergency" designations that never seem to move quickly. The sense conveyed is that residents feel ignored; their requests are met with excuses rather than action, turning routine maintenance into a dragging ordeal that erodes trust in management.

There are also specific and distressing incidents cited that underline broader concerns about safety and reliability. One reviewer recalls needing a copy of a lease only to have the office lose it entirely, forcing a full re-do of leasing paperwork. Pest and structural issues are noted as well: a bird repeatedly entering the home via the vent above the oven, coupled with a history of delays in addressing the problem. In a particularly alarming anecdote, a bullet hole is reported in a living room window, highlighting potential safety risks on the property. And there is a clear geographic split in sentiment: the North side is described as markedly better, while the South side - especially Building F - emerges as the source of the worst experiences, with persistent noise from upstairs tenants and a pervasive sense of living "in hell" on a daily basis for those on the lower floors.

Noise and neighbor relations contribute substantially to the overall dissatisfaction. The best-case scenario in these accounts involves a competent, respectful home with functioning amenities; the worst-case scenario involves loud, disruptive neighbors above and around you, whose disturbances - foot stomping that rattles light fixtures, arguing and cussing in front of children, and the sense that the building's layout amplifies every vibration - make daily life stressful. The contrast between South and North sides is meaningful: while some residents recall a positive experience earlier on the North side, they describe the South side as a markedly degraded environment, where the most basic expectations of a peaceful living space are not met.

Taken together, these reviews present a picture of a property with serious systemic issues: inconsistent management presence and responsiveness, frequent gaps in communication, procedures that feel opaque or biased, and a maintenance culture that struggles to deliver timely, effective fixes. The impact is not simply inconvenience; it is a sense of instability, unsafe conditions in some instances, and a persistent feeling that residents' needs and concerns are not being heard or prioritized. For prospective tenants, the message is clear: the experiences shared here warn of a high-maintenance living situation with potential for ongoing frustration, especially on the South side and in buildings like F, where complaints about noise, delays, and management's responsiveness appear most pronounced.

In the end, many residents feel compelled to manage their expectations carefully and to weigh the realities of daily life at Ferncliff against the dream of a stable, well-supported home. While a few aspects may work for some - such as a decent apartment in a quieter part of the complex - they are counterbalanced by repeated reports of neglect, slow or evasive responses from leadership, and a living environment that can feel unwelcoming or unsafe for extended periods. The prevailing sentiment among these accounts is one of disappointment and caution: proceed with care, and be prepared for a long, strenuous path to address basic needs and secure reliable, respectful treatment from management.

Restaurants

• Hardee's (0.3 miles)
• TGI Friday's (1 miles)
• Olive Garden (1.1 miles)
• Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen (1.2 miles)
• Carrabba's Italian Grill (1.3 miles)
• Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen (1.4 miles)
• Rodeo Grande (1.4 miles)

Physicians

• New Horizons Healthcare (1 miles)
• Star City Eye Care (1.3 miles)
• Carilion Clinic Family Medicine - Roanoke Salem (1.3 miles)
• Kool Smiles Dentist (1.7 miles)
• Vistar Eye Center (1.9 miles)
• Roanoke Oral Surgery (2.5 miles)
• Carilion Breast Care Center (2.6 miles)

Hospitals

• Near Southwest Preparedness Alliance (1.2 miles)
• Salem VA Medical Center (2.9 miles)
• Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital (3.8 miles)
• Carilion Clinic Inpatient Rehabilitation (3.8 miles)
• Roanoke Ambulatory Surgery Center (3.9 miles)

Transportation

• Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport (ROA) (1.3 miles)
• Roanoke Higher Education Center Smart Way Stop (3.3 miles)

Places of Worship

• St James Episcopal Church (1.8 miles)
• Cornerstone Church (2 miles)
• Shenandoah Baptist Church (2.5 miles)
• St Johns Episcopal Church (3.7 miles)
• Rescue Mission Ministries (3.7 miles)
• Covenant Presbyterian Church (3.9 miles)

Pharmacies

• Walgreens (1.8 miles)
• Medicine Shoppe (2.3 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2.9 miles)
• Kroger Pharmacy (3.2 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.5 miles)
• Servant Pharmacy of VA (3.5 miles)
• Kroger Pharmacy (3.9 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (2.4 miles)
• Starbucks (3.3 miles)

Parks

• Washington Park (2.6 miles)
• Norwich Park (2.7 miles)
• Vic Thomas Park (3 miles)
• Wasena Park (3.1 miles)
• Walrond Park (3.4 miles)
• Elmwood Park (3.7 miles)