I moved into Heights on 9/10/05. The leasing agent gave me a welcome letter that specifies TOTAL MONTHLY RENT and with no fees. She gave me the then 'current special' for the then 'market rate' of $983 for a one-bedroom apartment. That was the same move-in special she gave me when I came to Atlanta to look for apartments 2 weeks earlier.
I always pay the rent earlier at the end of the month for the next month rent AT the office. Why AT the office' The manager Renee gave residents a letter dated 10/4/05 to say the following:
You did not receive a water/trash bill during the month of September. We have changed companies and contracted Hocutt Inc. to do our billing for this property. ...ALL WATER/TRASH PAYMENTS ARE TO BE APID TO THE HEIGHTS AT PEACHTREE CREEK. Due to the change in companies the billing for September was not sent. Therefore, the next two billing cycle will be for 45 days each. Once we get through this transition we will be on a regular schedule and bills will be sent to you around the 20th of each month and will be due the first of the month with your rent payment.
I have been going to the office to ask for the water bill and always been given the same response: 'You pay the water when you get the water bill.'
I have lived here for a little more than 3 months and have been threatened with 3 notices slipped into my door. The first 2 notices say that I owe them money and therefore they charge me late fees. Each time I went to the office to ask for why. The assistant manager Delores looked into the computer and complained about accounting errors and asked me to disregard those notices.
Then on the evening of 12/5/05, a notice was slipped into my apartment door again. The notice says the following:

STATE OF GEORGIA
THREE DAY NOTICE TO PAY RENT OR GIVE POSSESSION
December 4, 2005
(The following in Red Ink)
I have not added late fee but will do so tomorrow morning if balance due is not remitted. Please deposit in the night deposit box TONIGHT. Late fees are based on Market Rent and could total more than $100. I do not want to have to charge you this fee for such a small past due balance.
(End of Red Ink)
Pursuant to Georgia Statute 83.56(3), you are hereby notified that you are indebted to us in the sum of $44.73 for rent and sue of the premises ... and that we demand payment of the rent or possession of the premises within 3 days ... from the date delivery of this notice: to wit: on or before the 8th day of December, 2005.
In addition, you owe late charges of $ 103.80. Late charges may increase.
... If suit is filed, you may be liable for our suit costs including attorney's fees.

That note came on 12/5/05 and I went to pay the rent on 11/30/05 for December and asked again for the water bill that had never came since I moved in and was given the same answer 'no bill and no pay.'

Then on 12/6/05, I had to go to the office to ask 2 questions:
1. What is the $44.73 late rent for'
2. What is the $103.80 late charges for'

Assistant manager Delores gave the following:
For the $44.73::
9/6/05 to 10/10/05
water: $9.35
sewer: $13.74
invoice fee 1.10
trash $10.54
activation fee: $10.00
The total is $44.73.

For the late charges $103.80:
Delores: Do you know what is the market rate for your apartment'
It is $1038/month. I charge you 10% on the market rate.
(I say it to myself: Dear assistant manager, you alone cannot decide the market rate.)
But why did you do that'
Assistant manager - I DO NOT deal with angry residents!!!
And she stormed out of the room without a trace. What could she explain'!

On 12/7/05, I went to see the manager Renee and she was not available. I asked for a copy of my lease agreement that they had never given to me after I signed the agreement. The lease agreement had been cooked after I signed it.

$983 for rent was printed on the lease that was the 'current rent' and NOT the special that they gave me when I moved in. However, it is crossed through and $1038 was added by handwriting after I signed the lease.

On 12/8/05, I went to the office again.
The following is my dialogue with the apartment manager Renee:
I: I have the welcome letter that specifies total rent and does not contain any fees at all.
Manager: That is the leasing agent's letter.

Then she showed me her own water bill for a 3-bedroom apartment with family:
trash $5
sewer $23
My bill for a 1-bedroom apartment for myself alone:
trash:$10.54
sewer $13.74
invoice fees: $1.10
The charge is from 9/6/05 to 10/10/05. I did not move in until 9/10/05

I: Why have you been giving those intimidating notices for no reason'

Manager: I do not know that you have not received the water bill.
(I said to myself: Does she know that I have received the bill' She does not know anything except to hike rent during the lease using what she could resort to.)
Then I showed her the letter she sent to residents on 10/4/05 to tell us about the billing delays. She was dumbfounded for a second.
Manager: It is our company policy to issue those notices.

I called the water company Hocutt Inc.. They said that the apartment does the reading. Then on 12/10/05 I searched and found the water meter for my apartment . The meter was greasy and dusty. I had to wipe it clean to see the reading. It was 2254.
The apartment did not give me the printout bill of a computer monthly run: just the printout of a personal computer. I happen to be a computer programmer and have coded and run monthly bills for our clients. From 9/10/05 to 10/10/05, beginning reading 1655 and end reading 1890 and monthly usage is 235. The above is what they want.
Then from 10/10/05 to 12/10/05, beginning reading is 1890 and the end reading is 2254, the average usage for the 2-month is 182. Why the first month of what they want is 235 versus the next 2 months average of 182' Why a hike of more than 29%' How desperate the management has been trying to hike my rent during my lease!!! Renee, please do not throw away a big watermelon for the sake of extracting and grabbing a tiny grain of sesame! You lose more for the long run than the short gain.
Competence and honesty and fair treatment are the best policies. Why is the move-in special there all the time' Be fair and honest retains residents and keeps the complex occupied and the Heights make money. For my job, I have lived in apartments in different states and cities. My 3-month experience at Peachtree Heights has dawned me on the revelation that how lucky I have been before. All my previous apartment managements played by the rules and never tried to hike rent during the lease period using outrageous fees. Most important of all, they had been nice and and never threatened me with those groundless notices. I am so busy at work and just have no time to deal with that incompetent and dishonest management. Its behavior has broken the trust between the resident and the Heights at Peachcreek. I wish that I could have found this apartmentRatings.com website earlier so that I could have checked it out before I trapped into that lease. I am counting the days before I can give Heights management a written notice to move out more than 60 days before the lease is up.

User Responses
From: PeachTreeCreek	Date: 02/28/2006
the management is not dishonst ..just pay your damn water bill and rent and you wont have to type long convoluted crap on sights like this
From: Savannah416	Date: 03/01/2006
Wow. I've been reading all the responses by "PeachtreeCreek" and am digusted.
From: PolarGlo	Date: 04/16/2006
This is the second time you have complained about that nicname. It is not the manager its just someone with an opinion.
From: pioneer3690	Date: 09/26/2006
DONT EVER MOVE TO THIS APT. I AM LEAVING HERE SINCE THREE MONTHS AND I M PAYING 854.00 PER MONTH, NOW THEY ASKING ME TO PAY 870.00 , AND I HAVE THE PAPER WHICH SHOWS MY MONTHLY RENT IS 854.00 BUT THIS LADY IN THE OFFICE SAYS THAT PAPER WONT WORK IN THE COURT. I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO. ANYONE HAS THE REGIONAL OFFICE NUMBER??

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