I have lived in Highland Towers for over a year, and in the time I've been here I have seen the place slowly but surely go to hell. People die in the stairwells-no joke. It's tragic and dangerous. Don't be fooled by the security of the building being locked because people leave the doors wide open all the time for anyone to waltz in.

Parking is a nightmare because it is increasingly being raised. One of my friends who lives here got a spot for $50 and then when I moved in they told me it was going to be $75. So unless you want to pay $75 extra on top of your rent, good luck finding street parking on Highland Avenue.

Management does not take care of the property, nor do the residents. There is trash left out in the hallway for weeks and weeks and I even saw a watermelon rhine in the hallway last just weekend. One of the 2 elevators has been broken all week, and the insides of the elevators get trashed on weekends. Some kind of liquid on the floors, some kind of meat bone, cigarette butts, and sharpie-drawn graffiti are just some of the examples of the kind of trash left in the elevators. And speaking of trash, sometimes the trash pick-up does not come, so residents have no choice but to leave their trash bags outside of the overflowing dumpster for animals to rummage through.

The inside of the apartment is nothing special. The studios may seem cute and cozy, but they are really claustrophobic. The one bedrooms are much MUCH nicer. I would not recommend getting the cheapest of either at this place, because that is probably going to put you on a relatively low floor most likely next to the interstate and directly in the sun. If you live on the other side of the hall, then you have a great view and no sun or outside noise issues.
The apartments nearest to the elevators (Apartments 01 and 02 on each floor) will have a privacy issue if you keep your blinds open because some of the other apartments caddy corner to them can see right in, but if you keep your blinds closed then its no issue.

One of the biggest inconveniences is the lack of a dishwasher, and some apartments have sinks that are too small to fit anything in, making it difficult to cook. It is also difficult to cook if you live in an apartment without an island installed because if you have a microwave it will take up all of your counter space. I have seen apartments however that have a little under counter shelf that fits a microwave. Another inconvenience is the really small washers in the laundry room. At $1.25 a load, it will not fit 1 week's worth of laundry. So instead of paying $2.25 per load to wash and dry, you will pay for 2 washers, and 1 dryer and end up with slightly damp clothes unless you use 2 dryers or pay for more time.

Maintenance isn't all that great. I hate to be rude, but I find the guy really weird and every time he comes to fix something, something else ends up broken. It's really frustrating. The managers have no problem lying to your face either. If you ask them a question, they will tell you what you want to hear or makeup some lame excuse. They also don't notify you of package arrivals, so if you are expecting something you have to ask them for it, or they will stop you in the hallway if they happen to see you. Another thing is last winter one of the perks was heated floors in the bathroom, but being a rather mild winter they got turned on and off a lot. If they are going to advertise heated floors, they should turn them on in November and turn it off in February. Not turn it off every time the weather goes above 65 degrees.

Basically, this place is a "fine for now" apartment. If you are looking for somewhere to live for a few months, then this place will do fine. Luckily they are extremely flexible on the length of their leases. It's convenient to most everything you'll need in Birmingham. Close to Brookwood, close to the Summit and Target. Western Supermarket is literally across the street and open 24/7. For college students, it's very close to UAB, and not too far from Samford either, and Birmingham-Southern is just a short interstate ride away. Being so convenient, the place would be fantastic if management was better. Such a shame.

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