I lived here for a year and I would give 3.5 stars. I suspect this must be wood framed building because the insulation from noise is pretty bad. My neighbor would watch TV at a regular volume but the noise would very clearly come through my walls. And noted by other reviewers, I was not a fan of property management team. They are extremely picky and sort of ridiculous. I had a single empty bottle on my porch, literally my porch was empty except for that glass bottle. I received a notice from the property team with a picture of the bottle indicating that I was violating community guidelines and this was a cease and desist letter. You can't even have an empty plant pot on your porch. Otherwise, I liked living here. Close to the metro and the amenities were nice. I wish the pool was opened later but I was happy with the gym and pool in general. read more

Rent is high. Amenities aren't very good. Parking is awful. I mean awful! Spend 30 minutes a day circling to look for an unreserved spot. The condo association management is tough to work with they never budge, they always refer to their bylaws, especially Sean as another Yelper stated, his life is this property, pretty sad! read more

I have lived here for two years now and am in the process of leaving this shit hole. The community has no security so packages delivered are being stolen left and right. The management group also allows a predatory towing company to patrol the parking lots and actively look for no parking tags. I have witnessed several occasions where someone left their vehicle for 10-15 minutes and it was already towed. This happened to me personally when I went to get my parking pass and after being gone for 5 whole minutes, my car was towed....yet I LIVE HERE! Honestly this place is not worth it at all and I HIGHLY recommend buying or renting elsewhere. read more

I lived in the Gates of McLean for 15 months and loved the location. I was renting from a private owner who hadn't updated the condo, but the layout was spacious for a 2BR 2BA Unit. The windows were double pane so I couldn't hear the metro nor outside noise much while in the condo. Plus helped keep cooling and heating costs down. The community had good amenities (walking trail, gym, pool, grilling area). It was about a 8-10min walk to the McLean metro stop on the silver line. I had a reserved outdoor parking spot in front of my building. My building (1600) was one of the open garden style buildings and I had no issues with package delivery, but would see messages on the online bulletin board of other buildings having issues with missing packages. Only negative thing I didn't like about the Gates of McLean were how thin the walls and floors were. I had a corner unit and my room shared a wall with a neighbor and usually they were quiet but there was a few times I could hear arguments in my room. Also my upstairs neighbor had a dog (or some pet) and I could hear it running around during the day. But overall, I enjoyed my time living there! read more

I used to own two units at the Gates of McLean for a long time,I was forced to sell them due to deteriorating and inefficient management .Even though the community is well situated but due to unprofessional management the value is not well kept. I would not recommend the community. read more

There are two types of people living in Gates of McLean, 1) condo owners and 2) people who rent from the condo owners. Obviously you will not get an unbiased review from condo owners since they have to protect their investments. I was a renter for a year. Positives: 1) Convenience - It's a quick walk to the metro station and right off 495. Can't get anymore convenient. 2) Rent from a 2 bedroom unit is not too expensive, you can get it for $1,800. Compared to rest of Tysons, it's not unreasonable. 3) Maintenance for the property is pretty on point. You always Negatives: 1) All units come with a parking spot or two, but guest parking after 7PM and weekend are hard to find. It's not a problem if you don't want visitors. 2) Depends on our unit, if you are in the building facing 495, you will hear traffic and siren in the morning. 3) Condo association is very controlling, and yes, they will charge you $500 if you want to move in or out on weekends. And let's face it, most business professionals don't want to take a day off during the week to move. 4) I lived on the ground floor and we had ant problems, but it was not coming from outside, it's coming from upstairs. 5) Basketball court needs update, but I might be the only one that has ever used it. 6) The paper thin wall - this is probably the worst part of all, you can hear your neighbor fighting, having sex at night and elephants walking on the floor above you. read more

Stay away!! I moved out this past weekend after living there for two years. I am so glad to be gone! It was a difficult living situation. Condo management is awful! The manager, Sean, is incredibly rude. They charge $500 move in fee and $500 deposit if you move in on a weekend! Board is rigid and hostile. Board memebers watch your every move and charge you fees as often as they can. Further, they just implemented a new parking policy that makes it impossible to have a guest over. I had my car towed two times! There is a premium since it is a gated community yet the gates are usually open. Please be warned! I wish someone had warned me. Don't buy or rent here. There are better, lower priced communities. PS Don't rent from Peter Kwon. He is the worse landlord I have ever had. read more

Shitty company, unorganized, glad to be out of there. Nickel and dime everything, except they can fuck up and no reimbursement when apartment flooded or even a personal email. Good riddance! read more

I've been renting here just under two years. I've lived all over the DC area in about the last eight years. This is definitely the best value when it comes to what you get. When I searched for a place before I moved here, this is the only place I could get garage parking, a walk in closet, a full sized washer dryer, and a balcony that wasn't too much money. My unit is on the top floor so I don't hear any noise like others. My unit comes with garage parking so I never have a problem finding a spot. Most places in the Tysons area will charge you for parking since there's limited space, so if you're looking to rent, make sure it comes with a spot or two. Visitor parking can get full sometimes, especially after 11pm. But if it does fill up, there's a huge, cheap lot next store that visitors can park in ($2/day on weekends). Also, the Metro is right here. Since it opened up, I see hoards of people in the morning walking to it. (cross at the cross walk people!) This is the first job that I've worked that isn't Metro accessible so I don't get to use it too much. read more

Parking here is ridiculous. That is all you need to know!

Not a bad community to live in...if you like paying high condo fees, parking that doesn't make sense, and a ton of road noise from the beltway. The condo was very convenient to work when I was at the Booz Allen HQ complex. However, when I moved to client site, it still was convenient to the beltway. Steer clear if you can afford to buy a place or rent elsewhere - it needs a lot of work before it's worth anything. read more

There's definitely review bias in this community so i thought I would add my two cents. I've had absolutely no problems with noise from neighbors or 495 and I live facing it. I've had nothing but good experiences from neighbors, parking has been fine (there are plenty of unreserved spots near my unit), and the management company has been accommodating and professional. Maybe I just got lucky, but I feel people complain too much! If you have a bad landlord, that's not the community's fault! read more

Location is great and once the construction is finished it will be an asset to have everything within walking distance.

Still continues to be a very poorly managed place and so grateful to not live there. I have not met anyone who had a positive experience. It's unfortunate because the location is a good one and the management office does a disservice to the owners of the units. read more

I've rented here for three years and I can say that I love my actual condo unit, my landlord, and the location of the community. Amenities are okay and parking is definitely terrible for any visitors, just as others have posted about. I've been in communication with the Realtor to talk about buying a condo, however after my experiences with the management office and board of directors I've decided that they are reason enough not to buy here. They are the most miserable people I've ever had to deal with and on countless occasions they've been unhelpful, unprofessional, and down right rude. They could care less about any resident in the community and I would be disgusted if any of my money that I spent in HOA fees went to to pay their salaries. read more

I lived here for over 3 years and loved it! The location is super convenient, and the neighborhood is very quiet. The amenities were great - the gym was decent. Didn't use the pool or the sauna but had heard great things about it. The office changed the rules about parking over a year ago, which has greatly improved the parking situation - I didn't have a reserved spot but was always able to find a spot to park. I also had good experience with the condo management office. They were very quick to respond and easy to work with. Great value for what I got! read more

Great location, the community is generally clean, and underground parking(for some units) is a nice feature. The major issue with the GOM apartment I rented is the noise. Can hear a lot of noise from my upstairs neighbors: stomping around or playing drums etc. Sometime it's really disturbing. Not sure why the walls and floors have nearly no sound insulation. read more

I had to make an update. If your landlord is Anne Wang, please be careful because she will find any reason to take your security deposit. she tried to take our security deposit for normal wear and tear issues after we vacated the premises. Furthermore she tried to punish us and charge us extra rental income and late payment fees for months from previous years after we asked for our security deposit back. You have a right to demand your security deposit back. Don't let her cheat you. read more

So I'll start by saying that I've seen my share of rentals and their associated prices attached, and viewed my small share of spaces before that. For the price I pay (renting from a landlord, I am not a condo owner) this is a great starting point for someone who is younger and in need of a decent place to stay. I live on the top floor of my building, so YMMV. PROS: 1.) In unit washer and dryer. After spending $20-$40 a month for laundry at my old place, this is a godsend. Our in unit washer/dryer are in pretty good condition and do their jobs well. 2.) Neighbors that I have encountered have ALL been pleasant and will say hello or make small talk. This also includes the grounds staff/cleaning crew. Treat others how you want to be treated and they'll be super pleasant. 3.) I see a lot of whining about 495 - I live on the side facing 495 and am above where the sound barrier ends. 50-75% of days my window is open during the day or when I sleep. I rarely have issues except for the occasional siren or honking semi. This is barely an issue IMO, and I expected it to be a nightmare - it isn't. 4.) Maintenance gets shit done and they generally do it pretty fast. If something is amiss outside of your actual unit, their turn around is a few days to a week depending on if it's something requiring a new part or can be done right away. 5.) In the unit I live in, we all have walk-in closets which is fantastic. Ours came with built in adjustable storage, but I'm unsure if that's the norm or not. 6.) PROXIMITY TO METRO. Wow, can't believe I almost forgot this. It's about a 5-8min walk to the metro - maybe a little more depending on which building you live in. Overall for the price I pay that's a pretty fantastic deal. CONS: 1.) I do not personally have a problem with this, but I do know that walls are on the thinner side. You will most likely hear some of what is going on around you. HOWEVER there are tons of units that I walk past where there's a storage unit or utility closet between you and your neighbor. Just be aware of that. 2.) The gym is kinda small and apparently very frequently busy. This may or may not matter to you. Best to go at off-peak times as usual. 3.) Parking almost always sucks. Three of us share two reserved spaces. I get home early enough that I always take an unreserved spot, but it sucks whenever we want guests. At least there's a metro parking lot that's safe. read more

I don't know why the reviews are so bad. I've lived here for a year and have not had any issues. There are tons of guest parking spaces and I always see ones available. If you are renting, you renting from the owner. Take up your issues with your landlord! I work in DC and this condo complex is a gem! Try finding anywhere else that is so close to DC and Tysons at this price....you won't! read more

I've lived here for 5 mos. it's a nice place but the employe at the office is very nasty and rude especially the lady at the front desk. Stay away from her. They towed my car twice. She is the one who calling the Al's towing care. Be aware !!!! read more

When my husband and I first moved in, we regretted it within the first week. We wanted out on day two, not because of our landlord, but because of the community, the management and the parking situation. It became better as time went on though. Our biggest complaint is how hard it is to have dogs here. We have two dogs and though they say it is a dog friendly community, it's not. We had to go above and beyond to have dogs in our condo - we basically cannot allow our dogs to be dogs. It's basically asked that you do not allow your pets to bark or play (I understand that it was our choice to have dogs in a condo, but it's also everyone else's choice to move to condos where dogs are allowed... I'm sorry, but they bark sometimes). That's management, not our landlord. (Oh, by the way, there are no dog parks in the area and you cannot use the grass at Capitol One, they will come and tell you to leave and stand there with you until you do leave.) After we rented another parking spot our experience became much better. I'm no longer fighting everyone else for an unreserved spot and I'm not rushing home after work to get a spot. I'm able to go someplace after I come home and still have a place to park. Come to think of it, unless you have a reserved spot, it's not very convenient to have a life here outside of work unless you can take a cab somewhere. On the plus side, however, the location is fantastic (if you don't mind the rush hour traffic!). Very close to the city (where my husband works, very short commute in the AM) and being right next to 495, 267 and 123 is pretty awesome. You can get anywhere very quickly. We have liked our stay over the past year and a half, but the first year was rough! We are now buying a home with a yard so our dogs can be dogs again. We loved our landlord, but the management when we first moved in was tough to work with, they're much better now though (now that Shawn is gone). Bottom line, don't move here if you have pets, and if you do move here, pay for a reserved parking spot, it will be so worth it! $100.00/month. If you don't rent a spot and accidentally park in a reserved spot, you will be towed almost instantly. If you have kids, make sure they don't run up and down the halls, it's very loud in the hallways. Fair enough? Good luck to you on your home search! read more

This place is absolutely terrible. I recently moved out of GoM after living there for 15 months. I'll provide my biggest complaints, mostly seconding the sentiments of previous reviews. Parking is absolutely horrendous. The front office doesn't care to do anything about it. Don't plan on having people come to visit unless they do it during irregular hours. Not only are there visitors looking for visitor parking spots, but many of the tenants are doing the same, since the units rarely have adequate assigned parking available (we lived in a two bedroom unit that had one assigned spot). Your life will have to be scheduled around if/when parking is available. There are about 25 visitor parking spots available for the entire community of over 600 units. Not to mention that the tow trucks are almost constantly circling. The front office is just as bad as the parking situation. They simply do not care. They are nearly impossible to to work with, and make changes to the community at their own free will. For example, a parking spot that has been a visitor spot will be spray painted with "Reserved" (meaning assigned to a specific unit) without any notice, as soon as a car parked there leaves. They all have the attitude of "Not my problem". The HOA is a group of bored tenants and shut-ins that exhaust the small amount of power that they have to make life miserable for everyone else in GoM. They walk around with clipboards in the middle of the day and/or literally sneak around in the bushes to take cell phone pictures of any violations occurring outside (balconies, common areas, etc.). This happened to us twice because of a grill on our balcony. They won't talk to you about it like a reasonable group of people, they'll just sent you a violation notice attached to your door in the following days like a bunch of cowards. The only board member worth a damn is Gabby D., who might be the only reason the HOA hasn't morphed into some tribunal court - she's the only person of the group that isn't a total lunatic. The construction of the units themselves is poor, at best. No insulation makes for zero energy conservation and the ability to hear your neighbors as if they were in the same room as you. The places are not efficient in the least, and have no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Long story short, this place is terrible. It makes for a lot of undue stress that tenants don't need to deal with when they get home. The rent is high, the management is crap, the amenities are nil, and no one can come over to visit. The only bright spot is the location. But don't worry, with the addition of the McLean metro stop at the end of the street, not only is rent being raised, but there's more traffic, more congestion, and even less parking. STAY AWAY IF YOU CAN! read more

Gates of Mclean is a convenient place to live if you don't want to pay too much to live in DC proper or even Arlington. Other than relatively cheap rent, it doesn't have much else going for it. I lived here a a few years ago and right before the community converted into a condo. I was suspicious when we got a flyer saying that they will be inspecting our units for appraisal...a few months later all units were converted and tenants had an opportunity to buy at a "discount." I laughed at the prices back then and looking back, there are some people who have gone underwater, even if they had purchased at the discounted offers. Anywho...the place has shoddy construction. You can hear your neighbors' every little footsteps. One time I was wondering who was the elephant living upstairs and heard him leaving. My unit overlooked the parking lot and to my surprise, it was a very short skinny rail guy. You will also hear noises coming from the beltway all day and night long LITERALLY. I was suckered by the cleanliness and niceness of the place when I signed my lease that I didn't hear the noises until I moved in. LOL. I tried to make myself think that they are swishing ocean wave noises instead of cars going at 80 mph. The only time it was quiet was when cars got stuck on 495 in the blizzard. This place will be walking distance to the metro when it finishes in 2013. If you don't plan on living there but renting it out, it might not be a bad idea to purchase. However, you might also find your tenant pool to be narrower due to the noise level. Can you imagine living there now with all that noise and then hearing the train go by in 2013 beyond? I think I would shoot myself. read more

I've lived here since January 2014. All was well until a couple of minutes ago. I called the emergency management number at 12:10am and was told quite rudely to call back apparently the system needs rebooting so my emergency can wait. Never mind that I have 5% battery life, and there's no one else here to help, and problem is a property management issue and not a 911 issue...?! I took a second to write this review. If I don't update it with something positive. .. Calling back now. read more

I live the just one year and great location, but very poor management. 1. Parking policy is terrible: My friend visited me one night for a couple hours and parked the guess parking slot. The car was taken away, because the parking hang was felled. The totally cost $200 to got the car back. 2. Business Center Hours is same as normal working hours, so it is unusable for work people. read more

We love this community!! Early in the morning you see people either walking with their dogs or jogging around the community. The landscaping is kept beautifully manicured and the building kept clean. Many mature trees line adding foliage and beauty to the community. We have a reserved spot for our car and have 2 hangtags for visitors. We are very lucky to have gates out front controlling the access giving the community privacy. Parking has never been an issue since there are many parking spaces that are not reserved specially to one side of the community. There is the metro park and ride right next door which is only $2.00 to park on the weekend which is also convenient if you are having a big event and need extra parking space. We have friends that live in condos that do not have that and really suffer due to lack of parking area. Yes there is a lot of construction in front with the Capital One building, Wegmans, restaurants and other construction but this will only add value to this community and will benefit us all. There is always construction employees directing traffic so the disruption is minimal. We also love the fact that the management company is out front near the gate. The ladies there have been always so helpful. The pool area is beautiful. This is a great community and we are proud to live here. read more

Been living here for 3 years - such a convenient location and easy commute no matter where you work - DC, Maryland or VA. The community is nice, mostly young professionals. Although the gates are often wide open, I always feel pretty safe on the property. Small but cute outdoor swimming pool, gym and sauna - nice amenities to have in the heart of Tysons. There is even a small little trail and park right on the property, nice for taking a walk or walking your dog. People are pretty good about cleaning up after dogs. There is even a grilling area with a charcoal grill and 2 tables next to the basketball court on property. I don't have a problem with parking since I have one space in the underground parking garage and one more reserved spot outside. I barely ever need more parking, but when I do, it does get tough sometimes to find an empty unreserved spot. Towing is strictly enforced (!) so be careful with your guests parking in reserved spaces without stickers or in guest spots without hang tags. Cant wait for the Capitol One construction to be over to enjoy the peace and quiet again! read more

I wanted to give Gates of McLean a one star review, but I rarely give those although this place deserves it. I lived here for three years because of school and it was the absolute worst. Like other yelpers have said, the pros are that you do have a patio, master suites have a large walk in closet, and each apartment has its own washer and dryer. However, the cons heavily outweigh the pros. First and foremost, much of your experience will likely be determined by how good or bad your landlords are. Mine were horrible. They never inquired about the apartment or asked if I needed anything. When I did reach out to them with a problem, they wanted me to fix it myself (i.e. disposal broke, "can you stick something down it to try to fix it?"). I also lived there with a barely functioning dryer from 2000 or earlier (of which they were aware) for three years and they did nothing. I could honestly write a novel on how terrible they were. In the apartment I rented, I had a terrible mold problem because the ventilation was terrible and the bathrooms do not have windows are usually located far from natural lighting. I also heard every move the people above me made, so if you love being kept up at all hours of the night only to rise again per their elephant-like noise in the early morning, then this is definitely the place for you. Aside from the apartments, the parking is atrocious. Visitor parking fills up quickly. My roommate and I left our apartment on the weekend, and I am pretty sure other residents stalked our spots because they knew we did not use them on the weekends because I would always come back to find some unknown car in our spots. Lastly, the people in the office are the worst. They are good for absolutely nothing but taking your money at move-in and move-out. Car needs a jump start or else you're stranded? Sorry, we don't do that. Accept packages (many stolen over last Christmas holiday)? No way. Call maintenance to help you carry something to the dumpster? No, we cannot help you. So, what do they actually do? They are happy to take $25 upon move-in and move-out for no good reason as well as a $500 check for any damages done to their buildings and elevator upon move-in and move-out. This within itself is comical because the facilities are just not that nice. GOM may also pride itself on its location but Capitol One is developing all around GOM and is creating a lot of construction traffic as well as noise, none of this will cease anytime soon. Further, the stoplight at the bottom of Scotts Crossing will likely be the longest stoplight of your life and it would take me 45 minutes to one hour just to get to the mall to pick up food and back. Last but not least, the association that governs the property and enforces the covenants are very bored individuals (you may want to read the covenants before even renting here). If you happen to be cleaning and drape a kitchen mat over your balcony for 4-5 hours, expect to get a picture of it and a letter notifying you that you broke a covenant within five days even though you removed the mat after you mopped your floor. Yes, that's how absurd they truly are. If you love shoddy apartments, non-resourceful people, and big brother watching you, then you may want to give the Gates of McLean a go. As for me, I was grateful to see it in my rear view mirror for the final time. read more

Do not rent here unless you like to hear exactly where and how your upstairs neighbors walk and the constant swishing noise from 495...oh and you will definitely be hearing that metro train coming and going. If you do plan on living here because you are crazy, please buy a year supply of ear plugs...industrial strength. This place while it looks nice is shoddy in construction with no sound insulation. I once thought an elephant lived upstairs only to find out by peeking through my windows that it was a skinny short guy (he was going to his car and my unit faced the lot). Before then I almost wanted to bang on his door for walking so loud- good thing his walking was the only thing that I heard if you know what I mean!!! Oh did I mention that this place does not have sound insulation? read more

Don't live there if you have to find parking spot. The parking there is a joke. And the management officer Sean, isn't making it easier at all. They toll your car whenever they can! read more

Terrible experience. Minus ten stars for management, absolutely the worst management ever.

I've lived here for 7 months and haven't had any problems. Parking has never been an issue and I've only had good experiences with management. The only thing I'm not a fan of is the "movie theater." It's $50 to rent plus a $65 mandatory cleaning fee even if you leave it spotless. It's not even a projector, just a rear projection TV set into the wall. The pool and gym are nice and generally pretty empty. I've liked living here. read more

I am not sure why the reviews are so low on this community. We have been there for 6 years now. The location to highways and soon to be metro access is fantastic. The club house and grounds amenities are convenient and well maintained. The management staff has always been supportive and responsive to us if an issue came up. It sounds the fees may feel a bit high to other reviewers, but that expense goes right back into the upkeep of the unit exteriors and grounds. As a owner, I am fine paying the condo fees because I have seen the efforts taken by the management to keep the buildings and grounds in excellent condition. The only down side is the parking if you want to have visitors over. It can be a challenge for them to find parking. Good thing the metro is coming in soon. read more

The place is really getting nice. The metro is changing everything. New owners have upgraded their units and are attracting professionals who want a nice place to live but can't afford Arlington. You won't find a place to buy or rent at these reasonable prices and be a 5-10 minute walk to the McLean metro station that opens ina couple of months. read more

The place is clean and well maintained. However, critical issue is being able to have a guest(s) over for a visit. And that is now impossible because the Board eliminated virtually every unreserved parking place in the complex. No place to park for a visitor without running the risk of being towed. A very basic amenity is now missing. When asked about elimination of unreserved spots, Management could not logically explain. However, there may be availability of parking places if you pay $150 - $75 per month. The Board apparently decided to cash in on the prospect of scarce parking availability in the area due to all the Metro/commercial development planned. So, be aware. This place is fine if you are single and a hermit and have no friends. Otherwise, you'll have to arrange a pick up spot for visitors and shuttle them back and forth to their vehicles. That's the huge disappointment with this complex. And it's critical. Sorry for this negativity, but if you aren't single or a hermit, then you'll have a big problem here. If this policy had been in place when I bought in 2013, I wouldn't have bought here. read more