The Preserve at Ballantyne Commons

I’ve been living here for ten months and have had a really positive experience. Not sure what’s up with the negative reviews below because none of that has ever happened to me.
Love my apartment, the grounds are well-​kept, the office & maintenance staff are friendly and professional. I too am always greeted by name in the office. Amenities are great, and it’s a very pet friendly community for my two dogs. There was a 9% increase on renewal, but that’s not enough to cause me to consider moving.
Regarding the complaint from previous reviewer about the renters insurance — it was in literally every document I read/​signed prior to moving in that it was required and I hardly think $ 11/​month qualifies as over-​priced.
All in all, I would recommend this as a great place to live.

When I moved to Charlotte last year, I visited a few apartments that were not that great. When I came to the Preserve to look, they rolled out the red carpet, and I was really impressed. That feeling lasted about 3 months into my 11 month lease.
The management seems to be your best friend, until you have an issue with anything — then they make you feel like a high maintenance bother. Within the first few months, I had a problem with my air conditioning/​water heater unit leaking water all over the closet. When maintenance came to fix it, they left greasy footprints on the carpet. And they do not warn you that they’re coming in, they’ll knock once and then open the door with the master key. No call, no nothing. (What if I was in the shower when they showed up unannounced!?) Once, I came home from the store and found my microwave ripped apart because I called a few days earlier saying I was missing a screw in the fan part. They never warned me that they were stopping in that day, I just came home with groceries and had microwave pieces all over my kitchen, no maintenance guy in sight and no note from maintenance stating a return time, etc.
The community is older and not very active. People will wave when you drive by, but don’t really ever want to meet you. After my «honeymoon» phase with The Preserve wore off a bit, I realized that I wasn’t really that thrilled with it. (That’s why they get two stars, I never felt «unsafe» or anything, but I just wasn’t happy) It wasn’t terrible, the apartments are fine, so I figured if the rent didn’t go up that much, then maybe I’ll think about staying to avoid the trouble of moving. Then I got the letter that stated that my rent would be raised $ 80 a month and did I want to sign a lease! No thank you, Preserve.
Oh! And Brian l. wasn’t kidding about the automatic rent payments, they give you such a hard time about it!
The Ballantyne area is a great place to live, but do yourself a favor skip over The Preserve. There are much better options just around the corner! (When I moved out, I moved less than a mile away and am SO HAPPY that I did!)