I am torn because I enjoyed living here for the year that I did. My apartment was spacious, beautiful, and had some great amenities that I enjoyed having (large bathtub, fireplace, balcony) but a few things unfortunately soured the experience for me, near the end. 1. Maintenance leaves a lot to be desired. My air conditioning broke in June. I came home to my apartment being 88 degrees, and I had to turn my AC down to about 68 degrees to get it to work at all. I could barely feel any airflow from most of my vents, and it would take several hours to even get my apartment to a bearable temperature. Maintenance really barely did anything to try and fix it. First two times the on call maintenance tech came out, would complain about having to come out, scanned my vents with a temperature gun and told me it was fine. When I had him scan the wall, and it showed 12 degrees higher than the vent, he shrugged and said a specialist would be called out tomorrow. The specialist just ended up being the maintenance supervisor, he changed a capacitor and topped off my unit I suppose, and they called it fixed. Still wasn't fixed, but I didn't feel like dealing with maintenance anymore, and I had planned to move out. It is also frustrating that I had to keep the AC very low to have it work at all, and it caused my energy bill to be ridiculously expensive. 2. The dumpsters are crawling with rats. I was told several times by multiple people that they are working on it, but it never felt like it. When I'd stand on my balcony at night I would look over at the dumpster, and I'd see 5-7 rats running back and forth from the trees, pretty much anytime at night. When I went to throw my trash in the dumpster at night, after the bag hit the bottom multiple rats scurried out from the dumpster. Not a great experience, and you couldn't pay me to live in a first floor apartment here. Highlands at Dearborn does a lot of things right, the apartments are very nice, but sadly the two factors above make it really hard to recommend to anyone. read more

The apartments have mice in them. We had mice in our apartment for months and management refused to address the issue. Pursuant to tenant rights in MA we did not have to pay rent during this time yet we still did. We also continued to pay rent for the 6 months we had no hot water that was being refused to be treated by management as well. We went 3 months without a dishwasher and a broken wash machine for God knows how long. We have video proof of the mice that was let in by maintenance workers constantly leaving their work garage open. Our garage got flooded by an upstairs apartment and they never informed us even though it ruined tons of items. Then this disastrous place had the gall to place my final months rent, that I told them I would not pay due to the mouse issue not being fixed, in collections. Awful company, disgusting apartments, VERY UNPROFESSIONAL STAFF. read more

I have lived in complexes from California to Massachusetts, and Highlands at Dearborn is truly my number one. I had the fortune of living here once before and only moved out because we wanted to try and buy a house. Unfortunately, the market at the time was just not good. So my husband and I literally said: "Let's go home." because to us, that's what Highlands is... home. The application process is an absolute breeze - in total, I believe it was about 30 minutes of our time to fill everything out and get it processed. And when you're working with someone as amazing as Amanda - you KNOW things will get done efficiently. The communication process is completely transparent from the point you do your application to the day you move in. Nothing is hidden and you will know literally everything you need to know by the day you move in. Be it deposits, utility set ups, etc... there will be no surprises! The apartments are unbelievably beautiful and spacious. You walk in on day one and it's in pristine condition. as if no one has ever stepped foot in there before - gorgeous carpeting, wonderful paint job with beautiful crown molding, clean kitchen with great appliances, ample storage, 9 ft ceilings, in-unit laundry... do I really need to go on? Parking is a breeze! I get home around 7PM - 8PM on weeknights, and without fail I park right in front of my building door on a daily basis. So even on these cold winter days, it's just a short walk to my car door. The grounds are flawless, the residents truly take care of picking up after their pets and not leaving garbage out. And the maintenance team is on top of keeping the grounds clear of and possibly debris or snow. The dumpsters are rarely over filled - minus when Santa brought lots of presents to the kids of the complex, but that's totally acceptable! The amenities this complex has to offer is unreal, especially for the price we pay in rent! Pool, hot tub, outdoor grilling, computer room, gym, wrapping station... and my new favorite - PARCEL PENDING! And you don't need to pay extra for any of it! And the maintenance team - they are simply wonderful! They come right away and help with whatever you need, big or small. They are always prompt, courteous, and respectful of my home. I cannot express enough how much I love Highlands, my apartment, or the staff of this amazing complex... so find out for yourself and make Highlands home. read more

Management is very rude and unprofessional. I was literally yelled at for having my dog off leash. My mistake but why are you yelling at me? Plus entire buildings have burned down..multiple times.. (google it) what's up with that? Don't leave your pets or loved ones at home. This place could literally kill them. read more

I worked with Geoff, from day one of me walking in for my appointment, he has helped me through this process, I could call him any time and he was always there to help me. He is supper friendly, and I know I must have called him 20 times over the past 3 months just to make sure I was doing everything right. now that I moved in, my wife and I would be glad to have him over for dinner, hes jus that kind of guy. read more

We lived at Highlands for about one year. The pros: grounds are well kept, front office staff are super friendly, community is pretty quiet and the maintenance help is prompt and efficient! The only small complaint is related to the fitness center. As soon as it became a warm season, I had to buy a membership at another gym because it is always sweltering hot in the highlands fitness room and the wi fi does not work in most areas of the fitness center as well. The AC thermostat says its set to "50" degrees when I click it, but the room temperature still always reads 75 and sometimes 80 degrees. Like I said, there are many pros to this apartment complex but if you are thinking the gym is a reason to move here over somewhere else, you might want to consider this. UPDATE: We received our full security deposit back (we cleaned and scrubbed the place down and only lived there about one year) promptly after moving out! Additionally, the staff in the leasing office continue to be helpful and friendly after our move out: we needed a copy of our lease (which we misplaced in the move) to get pre-approved for a mortgage after moving to California and emailed Stephanie at the office who promptly sent us a copy. read more

DO NOT MOVE HERE!!!!! I wish Yelp allowed me to give them NO stars, or even better, Negative stars!!! They do not provide enough parking for every tenant, although when I signed my lease I was told verbally there would be plenty of parking and that "it wasn't an issue!" My roommate and I work late nights, and are left with no spots and forced to park on curbs or crosswalks. We have to wake up at 8 am to move our vehicles in order to avoid getting towed. This is ABSURD when we can't go to sleep until 3 am due to our work hours. ALSO, we are on the second floor and can hear EVERYTHING upstairs. I can hear full conversations of the couple above, and what music they are listening to. This place couldn't be worse, and we are miserable. The only answer they have given us to rectify our issue is to park a 1/4 mile away on Dearborne road, and walk back to our apt. The other option was to each rent a garage for $100 extra a month!!!!! We asked to just bow out of our lease and they have the nerve to demand 60 days written notice and $2,000 in early termination fees EVEN THOUGH THERE ISN'T ONE PARKING SPOT TO PARK IN EVERY TIME WE COME HOME FROM WORK!!!!!!!!! It's sooooooo insulting and sooooo frustrating!! We were lied to and tricked into moving here and they don't care at all. read more

This place is an abomination. I lived her with my sister for just over a year. They get you in on "specials" and then bump the price up hundreds of dollars when you renew. The buildings are nice at first glance, but I can't count the number of times maintenance had to come in to fix something... and then fix it again when it kept breaking. Buildings go up so quickly that they are structurally unsound. There were people upstairs that were loud at all hours of the day and night. They would scream and throw things around with such aggression that it sounded like a stampede upstairs. This could happen anywhere of course, but what makes this pertinent to my review is the handling of the situation by the management. No one did anything to assist me with my legitimate concern, rather they let the noise continue. My boiling point was when I came home one evening to a FLOOD in my apartment. There were gallons of water in my home. We were relocated to a nearby hotel and told that this would only take a few days to repair. Apparently I had to go into the apartment with maintenance if I were to reenter before the work was complete. I was then told it would be several weeks for the work to be completed. I remained poised despite the severe inconvenience. A few evenings later I went back to the apartment to get my valuables. To my surprise and complete disgust my jewelry was missing, including a necklace given to me by my late grandmother. I called the 24 hour maintenance line, which is supposed to guarantee a response within a half hour. Never heard back. I filed a police report and went back to the hotel. The next morning I met with the management and was in tears at my despicable situation.... NOTHING WAS DONE. They just looked at me blankly, like complete idiots. How are you in a managerial position if you can't address a THEFT in your complex? I was given dirty looks and told that my locks were being changed because I went in without maintenance. So, I can't go in my own apartment, but a third party restoration company can go in and steal my things without being supervised? Great plan. Do yourself a favor and don't live here. If you ever have a problem you'll be on your own. read more

Everyone was great during our stay here. Excellent staff from management to facilities. Thank you all so much

Overall, the Highlands was not a bad place to live. My now husband and I lived there for two years and moved out because we bought a house. Pros: maintenance always fixes everything very quickly, the pool (except when the hot tub was under construction and the pool was closed on 4th of July), nice granite countertops, laundry in the apartment, spacious bathroom, cheap storage unit available. Cons: the dumpsters overflowed, charges for light bulb replacements on the track lighting, the rent goes up every year. Our apartment was tiny but that was our choice. We heard some rents went up drastically but ours wasn't terrible. There are definitely parking issues but we lived in building 1 and never had an issue. We couldn't hear anyone or anything else until you were out in the hallway, in the apartment it was quiet. We were also on the third floor so that helped. We gave proper notice for move out so we didn't have to break the lease but it is expensive if you do. We didn't paint or put a single hole in the wall because we knew it was temporary and we received our security deposit back plus interest. I never expected that at all and was very pleasantly surprised to see a check in the mail. Overall, the Highlands treated us well. If you are looking for a temporary situation and won't have to break the lease, I would recommend it. read more

1.Ripping people off with water bills Managements are very rude and unprofessional They don't care how you are dealing with or what your concerns or frustration They are using you for water bills which mass law says that landlords are supposed pay for water not residents They overcharging you for rent and garage rental read more

Prior to moving to the Highlands at Dearborn I spent a good 3 - 4 months looking for the perfect apartment. I kept coming up with apartments that were too far from work, too expensive, too run down, too ... questionable. I spoke to people who would give me a run around and not answer my questions but had no problem telling me they needed my hard earned cash prior to even seeing an apartment. On my way home from yet another disastrous apartment tour, I noticed this bright, beautiful, and clean complex right off 95. I did a little research and found this gem of a complex. Of course - I had to read all the reviews on every site and I couldn't help but notice there were a couple of key problems: 1) parking situation, 2) garbage situation, 3) loud/annoying neighbors, and 4) pet waste issues. Even after reading the reviews, I still needed to see the complex - the price was right, it was close to work, the floor plans were beautiful, and the images were just the icing on the cake. My husband and myself came and met the lovely Amanda who made us feel at home right away (and we hadn't signed any papers yet!). Before talking about income or asking for crazy amounts of paper work she educated us on the community, informed us of all the offerings this complex has (which by the way, are mind blowing!), and brought us on a tour of the grounds and showed us a model unit. Seeing everything this place had to offer I knew that finally my search was over. Highlands at Dearborn is simply amazing. From the staff, to the amenities, right down to your apartment - it's just so unbelievably comfortable. That was a year ago. To address the issues I read about, after living here a year (and signing my lease for a second year) I can say that the issues brought up are nonexistent. Parking? It's not really an issue, unless you're coming home in the wee hours of the evening. And even then, I still get a spot within 50 feet of my door. The parking situation only gets complicated when people make up their own spots in front of a dumpster or on the greenery because the open spots with a bit of a walk aren't good enough. Garbage? Once have I seen it overflow, and it was December 26th. What can you say? There's a lot of families here and Santa dropped a bunch of goodies off! The neighbors? You don't hear them, unless they are moving in or out. I don't hear TVs, I don't hear conversations, I don't hear anything and it makes me wonder if I even have people living on either side of my apartment (haha). And finally, the pet waste. In the last year I have not seen even one bit of animal dropping. Every time I see someone walking a dog, they have a bag at the ready. One more point I read about - in renewing your lease, it hardly goes up hundred of dollars like some will say, the increase was so minimal, but remained for with the rates for other available apartments. I'm aware this is a wordy review, but words can't even describe how wonderful this apartment community is. I really hope my words encourage a new resident. read more

This is the best place to live and raise a family the management in the staff in the office are completely amazing the new manager Shanon is unbelievable. She does everything that she can possibly do to make sure that you're living experience here is nothing but amazing I would recommend this place to any single person couple or family read more

This place has no parking they tell you they have more then enough parking they count their garage spots as spots which they charge u 150 a month to rent I had one car and had to park on the street cause they don't tow I will be posting a video on YouTube showing how bad parking has been I was there 3 years search highlands Dearborn parking video coming this weekend read more

I feel like it's unfair that the only two reviews this apartment complex has on Yelp are so negative. I lived at Highlands for a year (March 2011-March 2012) and really liked it. We lived in the building #1, on the top floor. The apartment was very nice and clean, we never head any noise from the neighbors. Parking was never an issue by our building, although I did hear some other buildings had problems with parking. Maintenance was great, they always came and fixed everything quickly. Overall I think it's a great place - nice, quiet, plenty of amenities, office staff is nice. Our rent would have gone up if we had renewed the lease, but we didn't. The only reason we decided to leave is because of the location - wanted more of an urban setting. Overall the rent isn't cheap (we paid $1215 for 1 bedroom apt - around 700 sq ft), but it's an apartment complex, so it's expected. read more

this place is a smoking complex. that means your neighbors above and below you are allowed to smoke inside their apartment and it get into other apartments. when i moved in i told them of the smoke smell and they said it was the rug and they would take care of it. they kept telling me they would seal the cracks so smoke would not get into my apartment but it did. smoking inside the building effects all the residents - it should not be allow. before moving in ask them to give you something in writing that states that you apartment will be smoke free. (specially if you have children!!!) read more

Place is a nightmare from no parking to the bozos in the office. Living there was the worst experience of my life do yourself a favor don't rent here you will be sucked in with no money to move in until your moving day then BAM $1500-2000 or your not getting your keys. Good luck moving there don't be the one that says I should have trusted the bad reviews. read more

I have mixed feelings about this place. I got a job in Boston over 2 years ago and moved to the Highlands at Dearborn from Portsmouth, NH. The reason that I chose Highlands was because the rent for a 1 bedroom 750 sq ft apartment was $1310/month, plus utilities. Granted, my commute was an hour, but anything closer to the city for $1310/month would be tiny, or a complete dump. For the first year, things were pretty good. After my first year at Highlands, they increased my rent to $1430/month. I wasn't happy about it, but just the same, the price for what I was getting was still much better than anything of comparable size and quality closer to the city. Just last month I was told that my rent would be increased to $1555/month. That was the final straw. At that price, one can find comparable apartments closer to the city in Woburn and Stoneham. I have been told that "corporate" dictates the pricing. If corporate is reading this, I have two things to say: 1) You are big, fat, greedy pigs and 2) you lost a good tenant. As far as my time spent at Highlands goes, I didn't have any major issues. The handle on my fridge broke off twice over a two year period. Maintenance fixed it relatively quickly. I only had to wait a day or so. Also, the sliding door to the washer/dryer area came of the track a three times. You could tell that the bracket was warped. They didn't install a new bracket, which is pretty lazy in my opinion. They managed to get the door back on, but it would catch and be really annoying, so this last time I just kept the door off because it wasn't worth the hassle. Parking was a major issue for some people. Fortunately, I got home from work in time that it didn't affect me much. People often have to park in no parking areas and get warnings placed on their windows. The main office sent everyone parking stickers, told tenants to have guests park on the street, and threatened to tow vehicles that did not have stickers displayed. I did not see a vehicle towed once. It was a scare tactic and guests called their bluff. The grounds are pretty clean for the most part. Occasionally you'll see a big pile of dog poop or some trash that managed to get out of the dumpster. Also, there was a false fire alarm in my building twice in the middle of the night. One time the fire department took over 30 minutes to arrive. That didn't instill confidence. (Edit on 6/27/16 - The fire alarm panel has started to constantly malfunction over the last few months. It beeps loudly and DOES NOT STOP until it is "silenced" by someone. This does not mean that the problem is fixed, just that someone has stopped the beeping. I have been told that there is a part that needs to be replaced. Apparently it is the rarest part on planet earth because there is no reason why it should take 3-4 months to make this repair. I'm not a fire alarm/suppression system expert, but having the panel malfunctioning like that is concerning. Between my rent going up and now this, I will most certainly be finding a new place to live after this year). Finally, the staff at the office is pretty good. One time I had to go out of town for a couple of weeks at the last minute and the first of the month was going to fall in the middle of my trip. The office doesn't open until 9:00 and I had to leave by 7:00, so I left a rent check in an envelope and taped it to my door. I called the office when they opened and explained that I left rent taped on my door and got a really rude response about how it isn't their job to go to units and pick up rent. They can tape up flyers to our doors, but going down to collect rent was apparently too strenuous for this person. The bottom line: If you are given a decent rate, go for it. Just don't be surprised when they jack up the rent the following year. read more

My wife and I have resided at the Highlands for 4 years and have had a great experience living here. We are about to sign our 5th lease. The leasing staff and maintenance crew are exceptional, always friendly, courteous and professional. The staff is always planning events for the children living here. All of our maintenance issues that have arose over our time here were remedied quickly. If you work, they always ask if they may gain access to your apartment to take care of the problem. We live in building #3 and have a garage. The apartment is a two bedroom and we love it. Some neighbors are friendly and other are not, but that's pretty typical where ever you chose to reside. There is a mixture of all ages living here. And the complex has a covered schoolbus stop for the children waiting for there bus in the morning. The grounds are well maintained with landscapers always planting new flowers to make the grounds beautiful. The pool is great and we use it every weekend weather permitting. There have been a few minor situations regarding the pool area, but each has been addressed by the staff. One main issue was with residents inviting too many visitors to the pool area. This takes away seating from our own residents. The pool rules are spelled out and I guess as long as there are rules there will be people breaking them. There is a very nice business area with several computers and a printer vailable if you do not have one. Is is open 24 hours with a pass.It is even equiped with wrapping paper and ribbon so you don't have to run to the store every time you are giving someone a present. In addition there is a small cafe and exercise room that as brand new equipment. Lastly, the complex is very handy to all travel destinations, since the complex lies at the interchange between Routes 1 and 95/128 in Peabody, MA. IF you work in Boston you can either drive (not easy with traffic) or you can drive 10 mins. to Wakefield or Melrose and get on the commuter train or a bus to the subway station. We highly recommend The Highlands at Dearborn as a great place to make your home. read more

Nice place, staff very positive, and helpful; I moved in about an year ago, no major issues but not happy at all; price is high from the beginning, but they "promote" it as "specials" and then bump the price up again hundreds of dollars when you renew. Parking is an issue: if come after 8:00pm is very hard to find parking, and not only close to your entrance, but anywhere... read more

Looking back to reviews I'm not surprised. Same problem still exists. Come home late and you'll probably have to park 1/3 of a mile away. What a scam not disclosing the fact that there is no guaranteed parking for the 1500.00 plus dollars they charge for rent. I wonder if the people in the front office have to park as far as we tenants do. I've been renting since the 70s and never ever except when in the Back Bay have I seen such poor management of a condo. Again the symptoms are directly a reflection of those managing the facility. Scared to enforce parking if there was ever another fire the fire department trucks would have trouble and in turn cause further problems. BBB has received similar complaints nothing short of theft of service. No assigned parking for residents are you serious. Somebody do something. read more

This is a terrible place to live. Its jammed in between rte 1 & rte 128 with nothing around it. Its VERY noisy, the trucks start driving by the apartment complex at 4:30am and go all day long. The condition of the apartments are disgusting. They didn't even clean mine at all when I moved in. I have been cleaning up animal hair out of the carpet for days. Its beyond disgusting. The floors are warped in every room, I made a terrible mistake moving in here. Don't expect a parking spot if you get here after 9pm, there are cars piled up on top of each other against every curb because there simply isn't enough parking, and guests have to park in the street, not on the property or they'll be towed. I do not see one single thing that is "luxury" about this place at all - its absolutely horrible - stay away. read more

Great apartment complex. We lived in building 16 for about 2 years and there is a lot of parking there. I however have also seen cars parked on the curbside late nights and early mornings. Pool is pretty nice in the summer and management / service teams were awesome in ensuring excellent customer service. read more

I lived here from March 2011 to April 2013 and I enjoyed my time there. The grounds are clean, the apartments modern and well-kept and the amenities are beyond what you'd expect at an apartment complex. Staff was always friendly and responsive to feedback and I never felt scammed or ripped off. Jenna M's review is more on point with my experience. I lived in building 10 for what it's worth. While the complaints about parking are somewhat founded, it's not nearly as bad of a problem as the negative reviewers make it seem. If I wasn't moving to be closer to work I'd still live here. read more

PLEASE. Whatever you do. Do not move here. As stated before, this place looks great at first. Then you move in and you quickly see that it's all a scam. Within the first 3 months of living there I had to call maintenance 7 times. And most times, they weren't very helpful. The management team is awful. If you have a problem, they will just make it worse. When I moved out, I gave them my notice with my last rent check. Well, after I moved out I recieved a letter from them which stated that I had to pay 2 months rent because I gave them 30 days notice instead of 60. They also held my security deposit. Which is completely illegal. I had many issues with them while living there including a flood in which they treated me like it was my fault, when in all actuality it was faulty equpiment in their AC units. And when they repaired my apartment the repair crew took all of my belongings and threw them into my shower and tub. They also called the police for a "wellness check" when they couldn't get into my apartment to make "seasonal repairs". I was working an 11pm to 7 am shift at work, so I slept during the day. Well, at 9 am on a weekday I was woken up by police and firefighters in my apt because of the management team. They think that they can do whatever they want over there because they have a big property ownership behind them. So beware before you rent there. read more

RUN AWAY AS FAST AS YOU CAN!!!!!! THIS PLACE IS A HUGE RIPOFF. They get you in at a low price, jack up the rent, take your money at every opportunity. I was rushed through signing a lease - had the pages pushed in front of me - I was annoying her actually trying to read it! Parking is terrible, there are not enough spaces, they don't tell you everything you need to know unless you ask - and ask - and ask very pointed questions and force the answer. It took me five emails to get the answer to a question about the rent! SO AWFUL, hold on to your wallet. read more

I have lived at this complex for years. The building I live in was just completed and the rest of the complex was still being built. I have had a great experience living here. The management office has been one continuous positive experience. I have seen many changes in the office regarding personnel over time and and each new staff member makes an effort to be friendly and professional. The maintenance guys are always friendly and awesome. Ive never had to wait for anything to be done. The apartments have an upscale feel and look. I do highly recommend this complex. If you have a positive attitude moving here you just might see how contagious it can be. read more

Lived here for almost two years. In order to park we were forced to rent a garage or park on the street because parking is beyond limited. Right before leaving they came out with a parking solution which is not a solution just a way to make more money off people who already pay high rents. You can now rent a parking spot for 35 dollars a month or a garage for 175. They didn't not increase parking or crack down on people who don't belong parking in there. They have a monitor come around at night sometimes and just leave you a note to move your car that no one listened too. My apartment itself was initially beautiful until the first spring my bathroom was completely covered in ants and I live on the third floor. Summer time the balcony was infested with bees , beehives and spiders to the point you couldn't sit outside. They offered no real solution other than knock the nests down only to have them come back the next week or less. Next summer same issues and now ants in the bathroom and all over my living room. And I'm not talking a few ants.. hundreds of tiny little ants a day. I was told to vacuum them. They offered pest control but would need to remove my cats for 12 hours instead I bought my own pet safe pest spray and had them take it off my rent. The drugs being sold out of these apartments is actually insanely bad. Building three where an office worker actually lives has a drug dealer on the first floor selling out of his apartment every night. Pictures of trucks and plates where taken and sent for months with nothing other than cookie cutter sugar coated responses. My car was totaled while pulling into my parking spot buy a young man from Fitchburg selling weed to someone there as well. Nothing done no sorry no nothing. The pool is barely watched and kids come with out adults at all times. All the office does is send out emails and warnings with no follow through behind it. I would not recommend this place at all. All they care about is you paying extremely high rents and how to make more money out of you from parking your cars. A few office works are actually genuinely nice but some higher up office workers will fake smile at you and speak Condescendingly to you especially if you push back or dare challenge anything they are saying to you. Not worth the money or the headaches. read more

I've lived at Highlands at Dearborn for about two years now. The apartments are nice and kept up pretty well. The main issue here is that they don't have enough parking for everyone. This issue has been brought to their attention multiple time and they have refused to do anything major about the issue. And if you ask them about it they will lie to your face and tell you that it's not a problem and that they have more than enough parking spaces for everyone. If you come home past 9pm you're lucky if you can find a parking spot and if you can't find a spot, and park along the curbs they will tow you. The only other option that you have is to park on the street, which means, depending in which building you live in, anywhere from a 2 minute walk to a distance of roughly 1/4 to 1/3 of a mile. And usually after 10 or 11 there aren't even any spots out there. I've also talked to neighbors who were lied to about the parking situation and ended up breaking their lease because of this issue. They would rather tow the residents who pay to live here than tell guests that they aren't allowed to take our spots. Then they took some of the resident spots and turned them into overnight visitor parking, thus taking more spots away from those who pay to live here. So essentially, if you ever plan on getting home after 9, and don't feel like walking 1/4 of a mile to your building, or paying to get your car out of impound, then this isn't the place for you. read more

We have lived at the Highlands at Dearborn for almost a year and we love it. We owned our own home for over 21 years and we don't regret downsizing to come here for even a second. Every time we have had any question or any issue at all, the entire management staff has responded immediately and solved our issue every time. The maintenance staff is friendly and very responsive. We would and have recommended this location to our family and friends many times. read more

Okay, so the other two reviewers were not very objective with their reviews so I will try to be. I currently live in Evanston, IL, but from June 2008-June 2009 I lived in Building 10 of the Highlands at Dearborn Apartment complex. Considering I have lived in 3 more complexes and have plenty to compare it to. First I moved in just after the fire that destroyed an entire building in 2008. The fact is that I was very frightened about moving into that apartment complex after the fire thinking I was taking a large risk. Upon investigation the complex was built to the MA building code of a fire suppression system that saves life not property. Everyone was able to get out alive because the system worked as it was designed to. It is horrible that everyone lost their things, but they are alive and the insurance that the complex requires you to get should cover most of the stuff lost. So my fears were lessened about the fire problem as most complexes in MA are built to similar code. I received a similar offer to Frank C. regarding no Move In Fee. The truth is that no Move In Fee does not mean you do not have to pay your first month's rent in order to get your keys. Basically some complexes like the Avalon ones in MA sometimes require an additional $500 or more just to move in and the Highlands at Dearborn did not. The security deposit was small and honestly they reminded me multiple times that I would be paying my first month's rent in order to move in. Something else, you have to remember to ask what the rate really is during the specials and not spend all the money you save the first few months on other things. The special rates they advertise are rent averaged out over the entire lease term so while you may actually get $1055/month for a 1 Bed/1 Bath apartment it is $750 for three months then goes to the normal $1300. I do agree that the management staff is fairly useless at this complex however. They lost a rent check once, even though it was deposited by someone and in general they did not seem very helpful. The office is not staffed all the time so if you get a big package and are not there while the office is open you cannot pick it up. Also having been on a couple of dates with one of the staff workers I can tell you that they are coached not to tell you certain things like, estimates on utility bills. Remember Water, Sewage, Electric, and Gas are all bills you need to pay in addition to Internet and Cable, and my bills averaged, Water $15, Sewage $15, Electric $30, Gas $30, not understanding that can make you have a bad feeling about this place. Also the management company is not based in MA. The property is owned and the office staffed by Simpson Property Group, the workers do not usually live in the complex nor do they have any real affiliation with the maintenance staff who is paid with rent money. Parking was not as bad as Frank C. makes it sound. There are at most 8 units per entry way and 6 spaces right in front with four garages typically in the front. Yes the garage was $150 extra per month, but it was so worth it. No elevator is a bit of a pain for moving in considering the first staircase is around 30 steps, but at only 4 floors it really is not too bad. Maintenance and grounds keeping did a good job with the property. I had refrigerator problems and they were fixed within a couple of days without incident. I do understand the frustration of Lauren M. as to the restoration company. Some people were out of there apartments for 3 months due to smoke from the fire and they too I found out later were told not to visit the apartment without maintenance and to leave all their stuff there. One older lady who lived near me in building 10 said she had some jewelry taken by the restoration company, it is not uncommon. However it is the tenants responsibility to hide or lock up anything that can be easily stolen. When my fridge broke the ice maker water inlet leaked everywhere damaging cabinets and carpet, they hired Serv Pro to come in and clean everything up and asked me to stay in a hotel for a week while doing it. The day they asked me to leave I requested to go into the apartment with Maintenance and took all my DVDs, Video Games, and Jewelry with me. That is being a smart renter. Also if you get the non-basic insurance plan theft is covered all you have to do is call the police and get a police report in order to help get the process started with the insurance company. Things I hated were the layout of the complex. The Community Center was about 1/4 mile from my building and even further for some so the pool, hot tub, fitness center, and everything else was too far away to be easily accessible especially during the winter when it was cold. The complex is located right next to a landfill and Rte. 95, during a couple of hot days it smelled bad and the noise was constant. If you have a chance listen to the noise from the balcony of an apartment. read more

Place is overpriced for an apartment in Peabody, MA. Clubhouse has a tiny exercise room, no entertainment room and complex is surrounded by major highways, so privacy is a concern. Application process is very confusing and extra fees are not disclosed on their website. I got the feeling they are out there to keep your deposit if you decide to leave. read more

Don't know where to start. Initially, everything was as advertised. Great staff, pool, club house apartments etc. Rent went up significantly every year. No consideration for loyalty. We were there for 5+ years. I know what you're going to say, if I was there for 5 years then it couldn't be all that bad. However, circumstances with our new home caused a delay in our departure. The parking is atrocious. With each successive year the tenants got more and more rude and inconsiderate. The walls and stairways always dirty, scuffed and needing paint. Trash dumpsters always overflowing. Our pod hallway always reeked of marijuana. It literally got more and more disgusting each year. Our building fire alarm went off seemingly routinely, it took the fire department forever to get there and shut it down. Can't understand how the alarm could go off so frequently and always in the early morning hours. In the end, I simply can't recommend this place to anyone. I would and did the first two years, then one during year 3 then directed them away in year 4 and 5. The office treated us well and we received our security deposit in full plus interest so there is no ill-will there. The place needs a managerial overhaul including enforcing the rules they incorporate. It's truly sad when no one cares about the rules knowing full well that management will not enforce them. The place was awesome and at this point, has been reduced to a joke. read more

I've lived here for 19 months now and I love it. Parking can be tricky on some nights but I've never been without a parking spot. The worst case scenario is that you will have to park somewhere near the leasing office. It's not the end of the world! The apartments are clean, modern and private. In general, the people that live here keep to themselves and they have class. The pool is awesome and newly renovated. The rent is high but that's because it's a luxury community. Don't move here if you can't pay the rent - simple. I've had a few maintenance problems and they were resolved with incredible speed. I put in a recent complaint that my bathroom fan stopped working and my washing machine wouldn't stop if you opened the lid during the spin cycle. The next day, I had a new washing machine and new bathroom fan. It's impossible to get that kind of service in most places. The leasing staff is nothing but nice. I can't imagine any of them actually being mean or unhelpful?! The location is also awesome...you're right off Rt 1, around the corner from 128 and up the road from 95. It takes about 15 min to get to Boston with good traffic. Plenty of stores in the area, etc. read more