The Flats @ West Village really embodies exactly what you think a college apartment would. It's nicer than the other apartments near grounds, like GrandMarc, but for the price you pay, it really isn't up to par. The neighborhood features many nice restaurants and small boutiques within walking distance, and grounds is only a five-minute walk away. My only complaint regarding the noise is that it's next to one of the busiest streets in Charlottesville, so you constantly hear trucks, the occasional drunk group of students laughing and screaming while walking down the street at 3am, and the slight rumble of the train. There also tends to be frequent arguments between pedestrians on the road that are quite easy to hear while inside your apartment. The Flats features a great key system, requiring your key to be scanned at pretty much every door and all the elevators to enter the building- I just wish there was security standing outside the building because sometimes you get the random stragglers trying to walk in behind you when you scan your key. Maintenance responds within the same day of a work order being put in, but some of the maintenance men do a lousy job of fixing the problem. One maintenance man used my dishrag to clean the oil off of his hands from my dishwasher, something he didn't ask me if he could do and resulted in me having to throw my dishrag away. The staircases tend to always have a bad smell, and the elevators are rarely kept clean. Thankfully I have never had a bug problem in my apartment, and have never seen a single bug while living at The Flats. Some apartments around Charlottesville have a weird pipe problem that causes the water to leave nasty black and grey stains/particles in the toilet/shower (GrandMarc & Wertland Square), thankfully The Flats doesn't have any of that going on. Related to the maintenance staff, the leasing staff isn't the best either, they don't enforce their own lease, so if you ever have a roommate who is clearly defying the rules stated in the lease, good luck with them ever helping you with that. I did state that The Flats is one of the better apartments for student living in Charlottesville, if not the very best, but that is just due to the proximity to grounds and how up-to-date the appliances are. If you are looking for friendly, professional, understanding staff or a quiet apartment to study, I ultimately wouldn't recommend The Flats. Pros: - Up to date appliances - Five minute walk to grounds - Plenty of restaurants and boutiques within walking distance (honestly would not need a car while living at The Flats). - Free internet, you just have to provide the router. - Computer lab with printer available in the lobby, you just have to provide the paper for the printer (ink is restocked by the leasing office). - Good sewage system - No bugs - Maintenance responds fast to work orders Cons: - Rooms are vastly different sizes, but you pay the same amount of rent regardless. - Staff doesn't enforce the lease and isn't professional or friendly. - Unkept elevators and staircases. - Maintenence men leave behind a mess and will use whatever you have laying around to clean it up. - Next to a noisy/busy road and the train tracks. - Parking garages are tight and expensive ($90/$100 a month). ...