Harper House at The Highlands — Local services in Columbus

I am writing to raise several concerns regarding your employees and what I perceive as predatory billing practices. I also wish to alert future tenants about the policies and procedures they may encounter while living at Harper House.

I have been a resident for 15 months, during which time management was consistently welcoming, friendly, and responsive—always addressing my and other residents’ needs promptly and respectfully. However, just before my most recent lease renewal, the management team changed. As someone who seldom requests anything, I trusted that the new team would maintain the same high standards. When I received the renewal paperwork, I was told everything would remain the same except for a rent increase. Unsure of the legal terminology due to my English not native language background, I specifically asked whether any lease terms had changed. After being assured they had not, I signed the new 15-month lease.

Everything seemed fine—until Thursday, July 3, when I was shocked to see a $65 internet charge in my tenant portal. Since moving in, I have relied exclusively on my own internet through AT&T cellular as I am usually never home. I have AT&T cell phone and iPad with unlimited internet and all my internet needs are met with my cellular provider services. When I called the main office, I was told I “signed a contract” for internet service and that nothing could be done about the charge. When I requested a manager return my call, the tone from staff was hostile and dismissive. Manager called back, and I was told, “you signed a contract, so you’ll pay,” and “if you don’t like it, call our legal”—then the call ended abruptly.

Please note I am not the only one they did this to: your tenant on reddit.com said “They send… a $100 bill for AT&T internet… said anyone who renewed… signed up for it, but this is the first I heard.”

This experience felt predatory: non-essential internet service bundled into my lease without clear disclosure or consent, for $65/month—a $15 kick back to your office (ATT charges a bit less than $50, yes I did call them). This hidden fee is unfair and places undue burden on tenants. I never knew about this in the first place and service charged for was never provided, however most important part this service is not needed by me so how can you make one pay for something I do not need request agreed or want for?

I also encourage current and future tenants to review their lease carefully. This can prevent unnecessary charges from being bundled into your rent and stop the company from using underhanded tactics to secure kickbacks—such as imposing a $14 insurance fee or charging $8 for rent-payment reporting (“stating that you pay rent on time?”). These shameful, exploitative practices have already prompted the State of Ohio to pass legislation regulating utility resellers—and the FCC is now considering new rules to ban deceptive “junk fees” on bulk-billed services.

Shame on your company for using such tactics and taking advantage of tenants—people who support your business. Just so you know, this letter will be shared on Google reviews, reported to the FCC (regarding internet billing practices), the Ohio Attorney General, the BBB, and posted on social media. I hope that $15 margin was worth it.

I am formally requesting that the internet charge be removed from my account, as I do not use hard-wired or stationary internet services. I also request that any similar charges—whether already applied or scheduled for the future—be canceled and voided, as I neither agreed to nor require these services. Charging me for services I don’t need or want feels incredibly shady and dishonest, plus you definitely need to address your new staff at your rental office....

Best of luck to all future...

👉 I recommend everyone to read this. I have been a resident here for some time, and unfortunately, my experience has been getting worse after the recent changes.

First of all, the payment system has become unnecessarily complicated and restrictive. Until recently, I was able to split my rent into two payments without any issues, but now management has decided to post the balance on the 25th instead of the 1st, forcing a full payment in one transaction. This is highly inconvenient and not in line with the lease agreement, which clearly states that payments can be made until the 3rd of the month. Instead of improving the system, this decision only creates frustration for residents.

On top of that, there are other disappointing changes after the merger. Printer paper is no longer available in the same building, and now we have to walk to another one just to get it. The TVs in the common areas no longer work, and the internet, which used to be individual and more reliable, has now been turned into a mass/shared service. For $80 a month ($40 from each of us), the service quality should be much higher and more resident-focused.

Also, the lack of staff allows anyone to enter the complex, especially during working hours. Here is how it works: they come in through the main entrance, walk into the mailroom, and from there freely access the rest of the complex. Or you can just enter through the main entrance, walk into the lobby, and go wherever you want—right or left, the entire complex is open for exploration. They can take whatever they want, especially from the stand with all sorts of stuff.

Despite all this, the monthly price for a 1-bedroom apartment is approximately $1,613, not including electricity.

There are approximately 211 apartments in the complex. Assuming an average of 2.5 residents per unit, that’s around 530 people. At $40 per month each, this adds up to about $21,200 monthly, or roughly $254,000 per year. I believe that with this amount of money, issues such as water supply and other problems could have been properly addressed. These numbers may even be underestimated, but the main point is that residents deserve more attention and care.

There were also issues with the air conditioning, which took a very long time to resolve. Combined with all the other inconveniences, this shows a lack of proper attention to residents’ needs.

They also advertised the pool as heated and open year-round, but that is not true.

At this point, the only way I would consider changing my review is if management at least reconsiders the new payment system and resolves the ongoing issues. Until then, I cannot rate Harper higher.

Also, a huge number of rats are running around the complex (as everyone knows, they are carriers of particularly dangerous infectious diseases). It seems that no deratization measures are being...

Complete and utter lack of empathy within the new management team. Prepare for insane utility bills with no explanation from the electric company as to why it remains $200+ (at minimum) each month for a 1,000 sq ft home no matter what your thermostat is set to. We broke our lease and moved out 2 months early and our bill was still over $100 without using the AC.

This place was built with insanely cheap materials and is pitched as luxury. Last summer, our AC wasn’t functional for months, leaving holes in our ceiling and an AC unit hanging from our window in the middle of the summer for what felt like an eternity. Management insisted it was fixed, but the HVAC was so poorly installed it quite literally had a gaping hole in the middle and air flow was non-existent. We practically begged for a solution for months until it was finally “resolved.”

As soon as new management arrived, they began unit inspections under the guise of “changing the filters” and charged me for my ESA who had been registered/ on my lease for years until they “lost documentation” during a software change. I was freshly postpartum and scrambling to book a last minute doctor’s appt so I could provide additional documentation to have the fees removed before their “deadline.”

The hallways are filled with animal urine and the package room is chaos now that the management team has decided to congregate at the Luxe rather than be available in the complex you live in.

Fast forward to move out, where inflated charges were added to our move out statement without any reference to the move in checklist or consideration that we had live in the home for 3 years.

There are several much more affordable homes that don’t inflate their pricing and actually care about the people living in the home (and who understand how to run a business). Truly, beware.

s/o to Chad from maintenance who was fantastic to us the entire time. I’m sure it’s extremely difficult to remain positive with such a miserable management team leading...