PLK Communities - Cincinnati, Ohio

Amos G. J.

Where do I even begin? If I had to sum it up in a few words: rodents, filth, deception, and complete disregard for tenants’ well-being. But let’s start from the top.

Like any hopeful renter, I was drawn in by the website clean-looking units, competitive pricing, and an overall livable atmosphere. That was the first and biggest lie. Upon arrival, I quickly realized that the pictures online must have been from an entirely different building or maybe even a different planet because what was actually available looked nothing like what was advertised. Still, I ignored that first red flag. Mistake.

Fast forward to move-in day, and almost immediately, I was warned repeatedly by existing residents about the massive rodent problem in the building. Not just that, but I learned that multiple people had actually moved out of our exact unit because of it. You’d think that’s something the leasing office might disclose before signing a lease, but of course not. When I brought it up, their response was as infuriating as it was ridiculous:

“Oh, we’ll add you to the list.”

Me: “What list?”

Office: “The list of apartments needing pest treatment.”

Me: “And this wasn’t something worth mentioning before signing the lease?”

Office: “Well… the list just started a few days ago.”

Me: “Oh, right… conveniently right when I moved in? Sure.”

At this point, I tried to get out of the lease, but naturally, they had that trap locked tight. The only way out? Pay four months’ rent upfront plus the remainder of the current month. Because, yeah, everyone just has thousands of dollars lying around to throw away on a problem they were never warned about.

Then came the actual pest control process, which was another nightmare. We had to remove everything from our walls, clear out our cabinets, and empty our closets—three times a week—with only a 24-hour notice. If we failed to do so by their deadline? A neat $200 charge. Keep in mind, people have jobs, school, responsibilities—lives! But apparently, that’s irrelevant when the complex is trying to cover up their negligence. Of course this issue continued on throughout the year without any type of resolution.

The issues didn’t stop at the rodents. The hallways? Always dirty. The smell? A mix of smoke and whatever nightmare had been lingering in the carpets for decades. The lighting? Barely existent. Security? Nonexistent—no cameras, no locked building entrance, just thin windows and the feeling that at any moment, something could go terribly wrong. And, of course, something did—one of our cars got broken into. When we reported it? The property manager’s brilliant advice was, “Next time, just leave your doors unlocked so they won’t break in.” Excuse me? The solution to crime is to make it easier for criminals?

And through all of this, the property manager showed little to no concern. No real empathy, no effort to address complaints—just the bare minimum to keep the building running while tenants suffered.

So would I recommend living here? Absolutely not. But hey, if you enjoy overpaying for stress, rodents, and a complete lack of security, then by all means, sign a lease. Otherwise, do yourself a favor and run in the opposite direction. Hopefully, they turn things around—but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

mario Z.

Living in a PLK Communities apartment complex has been a truly disappointing experience. From the start, it’s been clear that tenant care is not a priority. Any time an issue comes up—whether it’s maintenance, payment problems, or general concerns—the default response is to blame the tenant rather than offer real help.

Even worse, the replies you get feel like they’re written by artificial intelligence. There’s no empathy, no effort to understand the issue, and certainly no accountability. It’s like talking to a robot that’s been trained to dodge responsibility.

I’ve gone out of my way to communicate and solve problems respectfully and proactively, but it’s clear that PLK is more interested in checking boxes than actually supporting the people who live in their communities.

Save yourself the stress and look elsewhere.

Michael M.

Do not rent from this company. They forced my wife and me to pay $1000 for an entirely new fridge upon moving out, as their maintenance guy scratched the original during installation. They then refused to let me take the original even though it was in perfect working order. They will frequently need to do pointless inspections of your apartment with almost no notice. During the first 6 months of my lease, I had no blinds on any of my windows in busy Covington while paying almost two grand for rent. They left a propane tank outside of my house, chained to the fence for over a year, and then told me I was violating my lease for leaving it there. Nothing about the other 1 star reviews on this page shock me at all.

David M.

They continue to try to push through a large development down the street from my house where the community came up with development standards very different than what PLK is looking for. PLK is looking out for what is best for them.

PLK's website says about the project - "The underground garage provides 350 spaces, including 183 for public use."
Reality - PLK is providing some commercial parking per zoning requirements but this results in NO additional public parking. It is not even providing enough commercial parking spaces to support its own development.

Andrew K.

PLK just took over Mark Lane in Naples Florida and have single handedly ruined this place. Whoever you sent down here I suggest you replace from a management perspective.

If you like ants, lights out in hallways, clutter, additional charges, upholding to the T the terms of your agreement if you even try to work on alternative arrangements then PLK is your group to work with.

Joan S.

This company bought a luxury apartment building in Naples Fl. They have quickly turned it into a ghetto. Trash bins overflowing outside people apartments, dirty furniture in the small yards, many unneutered dogs pretending to be service animals or ESAs. One lunged and growled at me and my dogxas we walked by today. Clearly vicious. Tenant's moved in today with 2 junky pickups loaded with mattresses and junk. Look to be under section 8 which they do not have to do in florida, especially in a luxury building. I moved here thinking it was clean, safe, well kept paying 3000 a month
This company ruined it. And everybody is leaving. Disgraceful.

Diamond

I lived at one of the PLK properties for 4 years and no major issues until I bought a home and moved out. My last day on their property was Sept 23rd. I was told it takes up to 30 days for them to assess the townhouse and send the information to corporate who would then send me a check for my deposit. I called the rent office on Friday, Oct. 25th, 32 days after I moved out, asking if the townhouse had been processed and to get an ETA on my check. I was told that they had to check with the manager but that I left it in such great condition I would receive my entire deposit back. I heard nothing, so on Monday, Oct 28th I physically went into the office for an answer and was told that it had been sent up to corporate and that I should receive the check in the mail in about a week.

Almost two weeks went by before I reached out to corporate and was told by Chuck that they sent the check out on Friday, Oct 25th when they received the notice from my property which I found odd because I didn't even reach out to them until 3pm on that Friday which is well past when the mail runs and gives them zero time to process it. Nonetheless I took his word and told him I didn't receive it. He said that he would check with accounting to make sure it hadn't been cashed, void it out, and issue me another one. Another week and a half goes by, still no check, so I call Chuck back and leave a voicemail at 9am on Friday Nov. 15th. Chuck does not return my call.

Monday Nov. 18th I called corporate again and asked the receptionist for their address to see if I could come in and speak with someone about how long it had been taking to receive my money or if they could just cut me the check while I was there, she stated they are not allowed to give the address out and tenants are not allowed to come into the office without an appointment. I was ok with that and figured it was for safety reason due to the amount of disgruntled tenants they have if this is how they operate. She then wanted to transfer me to Chuck, which I politely declined because at this point I didn't feel he was doing his part so I asked to speak with either someone else in his department or his manager. She responded that she is not going to do that and that the conversation was making her uncomfortable and all she could do was take my information down and pass it along but wouldn't give me any other information. I said well that's not going to work for me and I have never asked for a manager and been denied access to one so now I want to speak to your manager. She proceeds to say no and hang up on me. I found it odd that she was denying me access to a manager because as a secretary you clearly sit at the bottom of the totem pole and answer to someone whom I'm sure would not be ok with that display of behavior towards a customer who gave you no reason to act in such a way.

I then called the property I lived on and explained the situation to the property manager who said she would look into the situation and apologized for how her peers handled it because that is not a good representation of PLK Communities and that I should not have to wait that long for my money. While on the phone with her Chuck calls me on the other line, I answer to him yelling, being belligerent, and flat out rude about how I can't call there anymore because they already mailed my check out twice and he was done dealing with me and proceeded to hang up.

Monday Nov. 18th, I went back into the rent office to talk with the property manager who was busy so one of the other ladies helped me. She looked it up in the computer and showed me that Chuck had been lying and had just processed my paperwork that day and the ONE and ONLY check was sent out that day at 1pm. I finally received my deposit back on Friday Nov. 22nd a mere 59 days after I was off of their property. The entire situation was handle in the most disgusting way. Thank you to the ladies in the office.

Jamal H.

One star is too many.

I have had the unfortunate experience of living in a PLK Apartment. Latitude at Deerfield in Mason.

The unit was filthy upon move in. That is something that just happens. You deal with it and move on.

I complained about my carpet being old and dirty upon move in. The then property manager only response was we cleaned it before you moved in… Ok. Roger that. But when the carpet is so dirty you purchase a smart vacuum which runs two cycles a day and manually vacuuming daily can’t eliminate the dust and allergens it’s time to replace it.

My children and I have developed respiratory issues and have been forced to try to live with it.

I have to purchase expensive after market air filters to replace monthly. I had to purchase air purifying units for inside my home and my kids room. Our negative health impacts required daily prescription and over the counter medications, often 3 times a day for each of us.

As confirmed by the manager, the carpet is 10 years old (original carpet from when the apartment was built) when their alleged policy is to replace the carpet after 5 years. 5 years ago was 5 years. I have been here for one year. The carpet should have been replaced. I wear shoes in my house because it is more hygienic than walking barefoot.

I have made numerous complaints regarding insects and the lack of seal around the patio doors in the unit. Air moves free through out the space. The windows are framed by metal which has lost its firm fit over the years due to temperature fluctuation and metal expanding/contracting.

During the winter I had to purchase 3 space heaters to help the heating unit. Once again these apartments were opened circa 2015 and should hold their temperature. My heat unit would have to run 12+ hours(I have data to support this) to keep my home above 69degrees in colder months. There has been 3 inch piles of snow/frost on my window seal from the climate entering my residence.

Common spaces are very dirty and not maintained. A lot of short cuts are taken with the upkeep of these apartments and it shows. There was a 4”x2” whole in my sliding glass patio upon move in that was covered with black electrical tape.

This was discovered due to the frigid temperatures. The management team was contacted. Nothing was done. It took contacting the Warren county health department housing team to come out and have someone repair the door.

The complaint was in December. The health department was contacted in February. Magically. The door was repaired a week later.

There is no communication from regional leadership. At the leasing manager level you are told everything goes through the regional manager. It has been weeks since written notice was provided and not one member or management has contacted me.

There are so many more issues I have documented with data to support my claim.

Alicia Taylor, Regional Manager has not contacted me after multiple request.

The leasing office has reached out to her in front of me even and I have still yet to receive one email or phone call regarding anything.

I hold her responsible for the condition of my apartment and PLK responsibility for the hardships my family have endured.

Residents should not receive the runaround. More over, residents should be able to receive the service which comes with having a property manager.

See the photos below as testimony. The floors have been in this condition for months.