I lived in Archstone Preston for roughly 8 months. I had signed a 6-month lease and two months (60 days) before my lease ended, I got the ubiquitous request to either notify management of my intention to vacate or re-sign my lease. This is standard practice with all apartments. Anyhow, I signed another lease, but not after haggling with them on the terms. They wanted to up my rent $100.00 per month and that was with signing a lease for a LONGER term than my original lease. WTF' I've lived in a couple of apartment complexes in Duluth, GA (suburban Atlanta) and I don't think their monthly rates, from lease to lease, ever increased more than roughly $15-$20 a month. $100.00 more for a longer contract' Anyhow, they "settled" on the same rate I was currently paying, so I resigned. Low and behold, two months later I had to relocate due to my work, so I had to break that contract. I was not charged any penalties for doing such, of which I was most greatful, and I received correspondence, albeit in a not-particularly-quick fashion, stating that I had fulfilled my obligation in giving them at least 60 days notice to vacate and that my only "burdens", so to speak, were to pay the pro-rated rent for my last month of rent, barring any damages, of course. I had paid all my rent in a timely fashion and had already paid my second-to-last month's rent, by that point. No problem. I paid the last month's pro-rated rent, moved out and cleaned the apartment. Low and behold, the week after the date I listed I would be out of the apartment, I received correspondence stating I would have to pay the balance of that last month's rent. ''' On top of that, there's a charge for roughly the same amount for something that I don't even know what for and a charge for a water bill, of which I've already submitted to the utilities company. I await a reply from management in regard to a phone call I submitted disputing these charges and/or requesting them. I find this very bad business practice and management's handling of this is, well, questionable. Again, I await a reply. However, this has been, by far, the worst experience I've had, in terms of apartment rentals. I consider the $100.00 increase in rental rate HIGHWAY ROBBERY, even though they came down. The fact that they would try to do such is unethical/bad business practice, in my book. On top of that, they're trying to charge me for financial obligations I've already met, per the correspondence left with me confirming my notice of intent to vacate. This correspondence stating I have a balance owed states there were no damages. '''

Oh, and by the way, if you do move into this place (don't say you weren't warned), be cautious of the utilities company (Midway Services) they farm your water bills out to. Monitor your water bills and make them prove to you they are actually reading the meter. I have already turned them into the North Carolina Attorney General's office, for the last bill they sent me indicated I had used more water for the last month then I had for the second to last month. The last month I paid rent at Archstone Preston, I did not live/inhabit that apartment, for I had already moved out of town due to work. The only water used was for the weekend I travelled back to collect the rest of my belongings and clean the apartment, and at that, I used a fraction of a percentage of the water Midway billed me for.

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