Frequently Asked Questions
Wilken Development offers luxury apartment and townhome rentals in 5 convenient locations throughout the Highland, IL and Carlyle, IL communities. We take pride in our great locations and offer first-class customer service. No one does it better! Wilken Development provides residents with everything they could ever want in apartment and townhome living and so much more.
1) What is the difference between a Townhome and Apartment?
Our Townhomes are two stories with a flight of stairs inside the home. They are 2 bedroom, 1.5 or 2 bathrooms. The advantage to a townhouse is there are no neighbors living above or below. The advantage to an apartment is everything is all on one level.
2) What length is the lease?
Our lease is for a period of one year. After one year, the lease automatically renews for month to month periods unless notice is given to the office at the end of current lease.
3) What if we have to break our 1 year lease?
If for any reason a tenant does not fulfill the agreement period of the 1 year lease, then Tenant understands and agrees that they will be liable for rent payments for each month remaining under the lease term.
4) Can we have pets?
You may have a dog less than 25lbs at full growth (breed restrictions) spayed/neutered. Cats must be spayed/neutered and de-clawed. There is also an additional non-refundable pet fee of $295.00 + $30 increase monthly rent.
5) What do we get for our rent?
City taxes, yard maintenance, snow and trash removal is all paid for by Wilken Development. If you need any maintenance you simply call our office and we will take care of your request promptly. You get to live in a well maintained and safe apartment or townhome.
6) Are the unit's electric or gas?
Electric, The City of Highland provides our electric, water & sewer.
7) Are we allowed to have a satellite dish?
No. The appearance of satellite dishes detracts from the appearance of our buildings. You will have access to cable for television and high speed internet.
8) Can we have someone move into our apartment or townhome?
You need to call the office to get an application form, let the person who is interested in moving in to fill out the form and return it to the office with the application fee. We do run a credit and criminal check on every person who rents from Wilken Development Group. We will run the report and if the person qualifies we will contact the tenant and get a new lease typed up.
9) Can I paint my walls in my unit a different color?
No. We paint all the townhomes and apartments before our tenants move in.
10) Why do I have to pay an application fee?
Application fees are required to help cover the cost of the background check and criminal check.
11) Do I have to have a job to move in?
Income is required, but comes in many forms. Some of the acceptable forms of income are: Full-time or part-time work, social security, pensions, child-support, recurring gifts (help from someone not living in the household), and unemployment benefits. At all of our properties residents are required to pay the electric bill, and water & sewer.
12) Can I change or add locks to my front door?
NO. Absolutely not. Your door is keyed so that a master key will open it. This is necessary so we can perform maintenance to the unit as well as safety checks and mandatory requirements. Can I add locks to the inside doors of my apartments? This is a NO as well. The inside apartment door cannot be locked-this is considered a safety hazard. We cannot perform maintenance or safety checks if we cannot access the rooms inside you apartment. If any of the above issues are found residents will be billed for the time it takes maintenance to correct the issue.
13) What do I do if my smoke detector starts to beep?
Safety first! We want you to always know that you can change the battery in your smoke detector (this needs to be done on an annual basis by the tenant) this should be the first step. If that doesn’t work, please call our office and report the issue.
14) How can I pay my rent?
For your convenience we use an automatic electronic payment method.