The hilands office staff could care less if you lived there or left. Your satisfaction is of no concern to them. They treated every question and concern I voiced to them as an annoyance. Everything from asking for a receipt for my rent payment, to an objection of a rent increase was taken as an inconvenience or sometimes an assault on them personally. When I approached them to discuss my rent hike of $10 this month (March, 03), they were combative and in disbelief that I would not accept their contention that "everyone was doing it".



Here are the facts: NO ONE wants to live in this god forsaken desert wasteland in the summer. When I moved here last June, the three apartments surrounding me were vacant until OCTOBER. Put simply, apartment managers are hurtin? for people in the summer because its 110 degrees everyday.



There are only a few types of people that live in Tucson: the majority is made up of Seniors, Students, Scientists and Soldiers. The students and seniors wave good-bye each summer (MAY) and return in the winter (OCT). That leaves the scientisits, who do well enough at Honeywell, TI and Raytheon to buy decent homes...and the soldiers, airmen actually, who work at Davis-Monthan AFB for two to three years at the most.



My conclusion: they need to cater to the airmen in the summer. The hilands accomplished this by RAISING rates! Not only are they among the two or three apartment complexes that offer NO military discount, they refuse to waive the non-refundable deposit fees and charge an "application" fee (an easy $35, you provide the labor for filling out the lease). I even had to pay $300 for a pet deposit, half of which is non-refundable. You know how destructive kittens can be...even if he does ruin the carpet, I paid for it! And the next unfortunate soul will have to pay for the new stuff.



They treat you like a nusance, policing your patio and fining you for items they deem inappropriate for public display (boxes, towels, bicycles, et. al). They?ve accused me of not paying my rent on time, the reason I?ve always requested a receipt. All this has sickened me...but did I mention, THE APARTMENTS ARE JUNK!



Paper thin walls, the cheapest carpet your security deposit can buy, and a paint job fit for the blind. I suppose your wondering why I lived here in the first place then' I suppose it was because of the lush garden atmosphere that they work so hard to maintain. I wondered why this should be such a rarity until I realized that TUCSON IS A DESERT. The town isn?t supposed to have green grass and bushes. There isn?t enough water here for them to be maintaining it the way they do...it?s a waste of natural resources. They even keep the sprinklers running during our infrequent rain showers!



Maybe they?re doing me a favor, there are lots of better places to live around here. It would just be more convenient for me to stick around for a few more months until I?m able to have my wedding and look for a bigger place. This situation is amazing to me, I?m not asking for a rent reduction, just to stay the same! Oh well, I?ll probably be better off where the law of supply and demand is better understood and the custmer more respected.

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