Business ProfileforHomestead Properties

Homestead Properties certainly maintains clean and affordable apartments, however, the staff members are not tenant-friendly. Although several of the issues I had may have been associated with the pandemic (i.e., limited availability and responsiveness), the bigger issue is an unwillingness to work with their tenants. Homestead staff and maintenance would not accommodate the scheduled of my wife and I, who spent much of the last year teaching online from home. They would let themselves in to make repairs, perform apartment checks or spray for bugs while we were engaged in teaching online and without consideration of noise or privacy. Recently, one staff member, Melissa Lefevers, was particularly untoward as it related to an alarming water bill. She notified my wife and I that the water bill was irregularly high and that maintenance staff would need to come in to investigate. I asked that she work with me on scheduling a time as my wife would be teaching online and she stated "we don't do that." I attempted to re-explain my position and she continued to provide short, non-accommodating responses. This went on back and forth a few times before she threatened to make note that I refused to allow maintenance to come and that I would be paying the large bill. I reiterated that I was not refusing the inspection, but that I needed some idea of a schedule. She ended the conversation by saying that they would discuss it at their morning meeting the next day. I thanked her and hung up. The next day came and that afternoon my wife called to follow-up, speaking with a different staff member, Megan. She informed my wife that Melissa had indeed placed a note in our files stating that I refused to allow anyone in our apartment. My wife worked with Megan to remove the fraudulent note and to schedule a time for maintenance. Maintenance determined that the high water bill was due to a broken water meter. Melissa has routinely been difficult and unfriendly and several neighbors have also expressed this. However, the particular example above goes a step further and reflects a violation of tenant rights. If choosing Homestead Properties, consider asking to speak to someone else and understand that your privacy is not a priority.