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Nightmare - Recent College Grad
From:
VTMikez
Date posted:
7/25/2008
Years at this apartment:
2007
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2008
2 responses
Ok so here is my story. I got a job right out of college with a company on Columbia Gateway...and I thought ok I'll move into somewhere in Columbia Rd because it's in a very convenient location, they would let me sign a 6 month lease and The Bluffs at Fairway hills was the cheapest place I could find.
First mistake, was taking the land lady's word while going through the lease. Yes you can attribut it to being young and naive, but I was also mis-led. ***VERY IMPORTANT - There is an Auto-renewal Policy in the lease.*** And in my 6 month stay I needed to give them a written certified letter 2.5 months before I was going to move out or else they were going to auto-renew me, and so they did without me knowing about it. Most company's do NOT do this. I didn't even realize this before I signed another lease and let them know a month before that I was moving out. I went to the local office and they explicitly told me that they had put me on a month-to-month lease and so that I was very lucky because I only had 1 more month to cover. So my roomate signed another lease in a different complex. Near the end of the month Corporate sent me a letter saying I had another 5 months on the lease and there wasn't anything I could do...and my roomate had already signed another lease because they told me that I was on a month-to-month.
I decided to make the most of this horrible situation and sublet the place. I put in two formal sublet forms, two weeks apart from each other...and never heard anything back. So I sublet it on my own. Then I tried to do a name add-on to the lease to share liability...two weeks went by so I went to the leasing agent and she said she never got it...Ok so another 2nd name add-on...and I told them to please make 100% sure that they got it this time, and guess what' It never happened. The corporate office won't even talk to you, and they want everything faxed to them in writing. I faxed them over a paper with URGENT on in stating what I would like to do...and I never heard anything back. I called corporate and got one of the receptionists...calmly told her that I thought this was unfair and that the woman told me I was on a month-to-month. I could not believe that she yelled at me.
Besides them being conniving thieves, the area is very ghetto thanks to section 8 housing laws, so yes there is crime and thugs around the neighborhood, I read a review saying that their car was broken into, but I disregarded it and like most people thought it would never happen to them...and I decided that I would move in anyway because I don't normally mind who lives in the neighborhood. Well my roommate's car was broken into, his stereo was stolen, and our apartment (mind you, they have locks on the outside) was also broken into, and get this, while the deadbolt was locked. Someone obviously had a key because there was no trace of forced entry as was stated in the police report...good thing I had renters insurance.
Let's see there was a beehive in the back porch, and a HUGE problem with insects during the summer. And the dishwasher didn't work when I moved in. The water that filter through their old pipes is what is called "substrate contaminated" water and so everything in the bathroom that has running water molds really quickly...so be prepared to clean the grime and mold off your sink, toilet, and bathtub every two weeks. Normally it takes about 2 months to get to this point.
Honestly if I can save one person from a similar experience this review will have been worth writing. The people at the leasing office are deceiving and just plain rude when you confront them. I am convinced that Hendersen-Webb is a company run by deceit and on the preying of trusting people. I think the people who run it are honestly as upset as the people living there because they get these complaints all the time, so I don't know if I can blame it on them, and I'm not writing this because I am bitter and angry, but to save someone else the stress and turmoil that they have caused me.
If you dis-regard this reveiw and do decide to move in, please INSIST they take off the auto-renewal policy and have them change the locks in the apartment before you move in. I think this is the only negative review I have written about anything ever in my life, but this company honestly I can say without a doubt deserves it. Please pay the extra $200 a month and live somewhere much nicer and friendlier in the Columbia area. This place does not have a pool, gym, or even a washer and dryer unit in each apartment (It's $1.50 for one load in washer and $1.50 for each load in the dryer) Split two ways it will be the best $100 a month you spend I promise you. If you have any questions e-mail me at Mikezzzz99@hotmail.com
One last thing. If this isn't enough to convince you, please do a google search on how Hendersen Webb tenants like the place...these are some of the first links you'll find...
http://disgruntledtenants.blogspot.com/2008/03/hendersen-webb-continues-to-treat.html
http://malnurturedsnay.net/2005/01/13/henderson-webb-sucks/
http://www.buzzlife.com/forums/showthread.php't=80752 (Hmm this one says Hendersen webb is the devil)
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User Responses
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From:
Anonymous
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Date:
07/23/2008
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As someone who just left this apt complex a month/2 ago very sad to leave I need to respond to this.
First things first, almost ALL apartment places require 2 months notice of moving out and it isn't their responsibility if you don't read the contract (even if you just got out of college and have never rented before, which btw I got screwed by as well). Does it suck to get stuck with a lease? Sure, but should they be held responsible to read you the whole lease? No. And while you may feel they should give you a break there are laws that prevent this sort of thing from happening (fair housing act, etc).
As for the area the author is correct, it is not the uber safest of all and there is some section 8 housing down the ways but I lived there for 2 years and never had an issue with this at all so I'm guessing not everyone that lives there gets broken into.
A beehive/insects? Welcome to the county, there are insects, deal with it.
I think that just about responds to all of the posters' complaints. Honestly, the people at corporate and local were never anything but really helpful to me (they even helped me out with adding an extra month on to my lease so I wouldn't have to move out in one day), my neighbors rocked and I never had any problems at all. That of course isn't to say this person didn't have their share of problems but it seems like a number of them were self-made ("I didn't read the lease to see that I had to give notice of leaving, they are -------s for making me be responsible for that!" or just unfounded (insects? FTW).
So in closing, this guy had an awful experience, I had a totally awesome one, I'm guessing the avg is somewhere in between.
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From:
VTMikez
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Date:
07/25/2008
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Yeah this is probably staff trying to dissuade people from reading the review...funny how it's posted as anonymous. And the lease situation. It's not the fact that I didn't read the lease that I'm upset about, it's the fact that the person who went through the lease NEVER mentioned it, and never told me that I would automatically be renewed. Most apartments DO NOT auto-renew their tenants. In fact none of the 4 apartment complexes before that I lived in did...so yes I am trying to warn people of this cavete. And how is a wasp nest in your porch a self-made problem? or when they tell you that you are on a month-to-month lease, so you make plans accordingly...then at the last minute tell you that they auto-renewed you for the rest of the year? I suppose the car being broken into was self-made, and the apartment being robbed while it was locked with a deadbolt was also self-made? They should really try filtering managers and employees of these company's comments...seriously you think a random tenant checked this site the day my review was posted then shot down every comment I made if they knew that I was just trying to genuinely help the people after me out? What because they love the place so much? right.
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