Poor quality material is put into most of these homes as its more about finishing the home quickly. Have had multiple folks with issues with the vinyl flooring coming up in my development. Also had issue with the foundation with rain seeping in during heavy rain storms. Started renovating my master shower and found that the floor is like an island with a 2 inch trench/gap around it with an inch + of standing water. They don't water proof the shower enclosure properly. Due to the standing water we had mold starting to develop on the insulation in the wall that is the exterior wall of the house. Just overall poor quality workmanship. PLEASE BE EXTRA VIGILANT when building a house with Highland Home read more

I built my home ground up and have no complaints. The few small issues that did arise were handled quickly through warranty.

This builder deserves NEGATIVE stars as they are the absolute WORST! We went into contract with them in 2022, and from the very beginning, things went downhill. Within 3 months after it was poured, the foundation started to crack everywhere so badly we had ants coming up in 2 places. Our driveway started cracking 2 months after it was poured with water, mud, and rust flowing up through the cracks. The tile work was terrible, and they used NO spacers in the kitchen backsplash or the 2 showers, and all of the tile work was full of uneven and protruding Tiles, as well as cracks appearing in the grout in both of the showers. The walls weren't straight. The painters didn't take off wall plates before painting. The brand new floor was never covered after installation, resulting in paint speckles everywhere. We had 2 separate in-wall floods due to bad plumbing, that flooded the garage and 2 bedrooms, which caused the rugs and under-pads to require replacement, as well as some of the baseboard and sheetrock. There were pits and holes in the concrete floors of the entryway, garage, and lanai. There were gaps in every corner of the baseboard as well as under and around all of the doors leading outside, including the garage door. Our entryway light was badly off-center. In the kitchen, one electric plate was actually grouted TO the tile backsplash. Our front yard continually flooded due to zero water drainage management - they did NOT install any culverts under anyone's driveways to properly channel water. The concrete around the base of the house began to crumble...all of this occurred before we even closed! Their "preferred lender" wouldn't give us a rate lock passed 3 months and would run a hard credit inquiry every 3 months which dinged our credit and repeatedly caused us to get a worse rate every 3 months. Not only should you walk away from this terrible builder.. You should RUN. They are the worst and do not deserve to be in business. read more

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We closed on our home in Summercrest, Ocala Florida on 11/9/2024 and since then we've had numerous warranty issues, most handle well by field staff. Flooring was without a doubt our most serious issue as the flooring we were shown in their showroom was not the flooring they installed. (See picture). The flooring we got is the cheapest, least durable floor on the market. Sales and field staff have been great, but we've reached out to higher ups and have gotten zero response. What was supposed to be our dream home is turning out to be a nightmare. I believe our floor we need replacing in less than a year. This was a classic case of Bait and Switch. (See picture of what they showed us and what they installed.) Hoping that Highland Homes does the right thing and replaces the floor at no cost to us but still a great inconvenience. Sincerely, Dissatisfied home buyers.... PS: We previously recommended Highland Homes and they have sold 3 homes because of the referral, that is no longer the case as we will NOT be recommending Highland Homes to anyone. read more

Highland Homes = Lies, Deceit, Ignoring, Delays, No Quality Control, Hidden Defects. Short review. I purchased this house fully completed in September of 2022. It has been a nightmare and leaking water since I purchased it. Highland Homes Florida Clayton has not repaired the siding and flashing issues.. I have had 4 different home inspection companies look at the house in just over a year. When I reported the water coming into my house to warranty in Sept 2022 and several times after. I was told "It will dry on its own" "Its wind driven rain" "We will put a tent over your house when it rains" Warranty rep laughed and mocked me. And Highland blames things like hurricaine. If house was built correctly storms would not be a issues. My previous new homes did not leak. But repairs, inspections and time showed these were just lies, lies, lies During my second walkthrough I was being lied to when repairs found in the first walkthrough were identified and in my home inspection report. Warranty is terrible to deal with. They don't want to fix anything, If it will cost them any money. Warranty issues submitted are either never addressed or take weeks and months of contacting warranty to get it fixed. They blame contractors at times and several contractors told me they would have started months ago. It should NOT take 6 months for a guy with a ladder and caulk to show up. Highland has contractors available to close their selling homes! This is my third new house and I work in the business. This is the worst builder I have seen. A few issues this house has or had: Leaking House when it rains James Hardie Siding not installed to manufacturer's specs. Some pieces are splitting, no starter strip used. Improper flashing around the house. Possibly worse in corners causing water intrusion. A hole in garage ceiling from highland allowing the house to leak for 15 months Garage floor is cracking badly. Had some cracks when I closed. Builder refused to fix it before closing. Rear Lanai cement is cracking Ridge vent on the roof was missing end caps, its dented, was unsealed in many places leaking water into the attic and on the ceiling. now mold in the attic from months of waiting for repair. The floors in baths had to be screwed down properly due to popping noise The 2 bath tubs did not have support clips and was bending and creaking (took 11 months to fix and should of taken 2 weeks) The HVAC unit in closet was unsealed in the back ...wide open to blow air HVAC outside condenser unit was leaning outside badly Soffit Gaps Unsealed Damaged window screens Water trapped in window sills Possible lack of insulation behind some walls. Light switch gets hot. Some Cabinets in kitchen had only 2 screws attaching them to wall Some cabinets have cracks and splits on interior Bent garage door panels with open gaps Gaps in framing in the attic. Can see light coming in between the rafters. Loft floor has a loud scraping sound on and off. Sliding door track was unlevel. The door was not closing right. Screen door would be gapped open HVAC had no clean out pipe. Now the installed pipe jams the closet door from opening easily.. Rusted hot water heater panels. Unsealed exterior penetrations. Popping off siding. Improper siding flashing Unsealed, no molding, open wall hidden behind the stove. Bad or messed up wall texture. Bathroom closet door rubbing the wall. Hard to open and close. A high hump in the bathroom floor (like a speed bump) caused me to trip. Bathroom folding door rubs wall Toilets had flush issues or water holding issues A recent timeline On October 5th 2023 Warranty was at my house with the siding company. They were supposed to start the following week. So I delayed my vacation. They never started On November 1st 2023 The team consisting of managers, who ignored my house being built properly, showed up to look over the siding and leak areas November 29th more managers and a water intrusion company and the same siding company from October showed up. Someone damaged the paint on the kitchen cabinet. Still no repairs, updates or responses to communication attempts. No actions other than words. Over 15 months since I closed. read more

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DO NOT buy a Highland Home. My house is two years old and leaks water around the front windows of my home. I made a claim all they did was put CHEAP caulking in the window gaps they cut too short to begin with. Then when you try to get them back out here to fix the original issues and say sorry make a homeowner insurance claim. Houses are built fast and in a hurry with beer cans all over the house when being constructed. STAY AWAY! read more

Do NOT buy a home from this company or do business with any subcontractors employed by this company. You WILL get poor craftsmanship with windows that do not open or close properly, sinking foundations with cracks and leaks throughout, the lowest grade appliances poorly installed. Any attempt to honor their warranties or resolve these issues will be met with deaf ears. RUN RUN RUN AWAY from this TERRRRRRIBLE builder!!!! read more

Every time I cut my lawn, I'm reminded of the poor job Highland Homes did installing it. Much of the lawn is beautiful as it was installed properly, and I have taken good care of it. However, large sections of the lawn were not installed properly. During my attempts to fix these sections, I found rocks and construction debris, including foundation sand and cinderblock pieces, form stakes, plastic wrap, and even a spray paint can buried near the surface of the lawn that prevented sod growth. I also have the opportunity to reflect upon the fact that HH missed several opportunities to fix the lawn. Their efforts included sending out an employee to assess the problem who admitted that he did not examine the entire lawn and that he "wasn't a lawn guy." I was also told to wait for "spring rains," (!?!?! Which spring rains?) because apparently that was going to solve the original installation problems. I received emailed written information about how to take care of my lawn, though I've taken care of lawns in FL and MI, both personally and as a lawn care service owner for more than thirty years. I was told that I waited too long (six months) to request a re-sodding of the areas of the lawn that were never viable since they were installed improperly. Finally, my requests were simply ignored. Nothing will fix the lawn except a removal of the non-viable sod that was installed, a proper leveling and replacement of soil that will promote growth, and new sod. While HH got some things right in the construction of our home, the lawn installation was not one of them. That disappointing performance was only second to HH's refusal to fix the problem they created and third to their claim that customer satisfaction is a company priority. read more

Don't do yourselves an injustice by contracting with Highland Homes of Ocala, FL like we did. However, if you do, make 100% sure all punch list items are corrected to your satisfaction before you close or you can chalk-up any adequate fix. Since closing quite some time ago, we still have construction issues that have not been corrected. And, most that have been "fixed" were done very haphazardly and must be readdressed. Highland Homes hires numerous workers that have a knack for making a bigger mess while trying to correct the smallest problem. You will regret choosing Highland Homes of Ocala, FL as a builder. read more

We came to Florida right after hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico. We have been saving to buy a house for the past 4 years and for us every dollar counts.  We have been very excited and we felt happy about Highland Homes up to two weeks ago.The sales person Grace had been such a nice sales lady at the beginning, but when we most needed her she became absent. She has not even called us these past two weeks because she doesn't want to face the mess that she caused in our lives. We had put money for this house in December. They told us that it would be done for April at the most May. We were ok if there was going to be a time extension for them to finish.  Months passed and we saw our house get built pretty fast. They had a construction manager which was not efficient and apparently sales did not follow up with them. They locked our rate in April for 60 days. The company changed the construction manager and the new construction manager had to take over hundreds of houses that were left unfinished by the previous construction manager. They scheduled our first walkthrough last week June 21, then they postponed for June 23 and then they postponed it for June 27 because the house still needed  paint touch ups. Sales did not have any communication with the construction manager to tell them which houses they had to prioritize since their interest rate lock was almost due. They had to extend our rate until June 24. When I contacted Shawn, the construction manager, he informed me that because of the sales team's negligence, incompetence and their lack of communication as a company the house was not going to be ready for the walkthrough. The mortgage banker which was preselected by Highland Homes contacts us to tell us that they will be charging us $1,500 extra at closing to extend our rate till Tuesday June 28. We went to the walkthrough June 27, and the house just had some paint issues. The construction manager went on a rant against the company in front of us and our realtor telling us about the internal issues that they are having as a company. He even told us that no one closes unless he signs the papers and that the house was not ready to be closed on. We explained to him our situation which the sales department had not had the decency of informing him and he complied to give the order for closing. Highlands Sales incompetence and lack of communication cost us an extra $1,500. That if we do not pay they will increase our locked interest rate from 4.1 to 5. We believe it should be costed by the company instead of us. Until now, the sales lady Grace has not called us and she just sends another lady to call who shuts us down and does not want to take responsibility either. Shawn the construction manager told us that we should not pay it because Highland Homes has paid the penalty in all the other cases. Why aren't they offering to pay the penalty to us? We should not have to pay a penalty because of just paint touch ups, because of their constant mistakes, competition of power and lack of communication. We are not rich. I'm a migrant teacher that works hard for the money and was hoping have an exciting closing date at Hunter's Crossing in Lakeland Florida. Today we are closing and it's a bittersweet moment. The impact that a good customer service can have in someone buying a home is so important! The lack of professionalism and empathy that the Highland Home team has is very alarming. We were so looking forward to take the picture in front of our house with the sign that said Highland Homes. Definitely not happening and definitely will continue to give bad reviews everywhere I can. If you are buying with them in the Lakeland area stay on top of them basically daily. Do not accept, "We will be informing you. We will be calling you to give you updates." BECAUSE YOU WILL BE SURPRISED! read more

Disappointed over and over again at the poor craftsmanship that was put into these homes. Highland homes bills cheap and I wish I had gone with another homebuilder. read more

My toilet sit was broken when I moved in and it took 2 weeks to get a new one, my tile started peeling out in the master batroom withing a week. My garage door doesn't close (continuing to think is blocked but is not). My grass is dead and they won't replace because they did a half job on the sprinklers. They didn't instal one to save money and time, it took 4 weeks for them to install the sprinkler that was missing. Front door is not shut down properly so bugs crawl into the house. Garage door is very har to close (not aligned propery). My plants in front of the house weren't put in correctly like the other houses. read more

If your looking to buy a home with highland homes, look elsewhere. I will never recommend this builder to anyone. We moved into our new construction home in April of 2022. The very first walk through we noticed our the house was very hot and couldn't go past 78 degrees. Our construction manager said he would have that fixed and it was just a leak in the attic. So a few days later we moved in. Within a month or two we noticed our ac would not hold temperature. Ac was set to 76 degrees and the temperature would read 80! Mold build up in the garage from the ac unit working so hard and building up moisture.So we went and told our warranty agent (Jared). We went back and forth several times about this ac problem. Come to find out, multiple homes in my division have the same issue. We found out when the homes were built the units installed for the homes are undersized. We had an ac unit that would be good enough for a condo (2 ton). Mind you, we have 1700sq ft with 14ft ceilings. Well, after several attempts with highland homes and the Ac company Strada we got no where and no one was willing to take responsibility for this. Almost a year later, dealing with uncomfortable living conditions, my wife and I decided to buy a new ac unit, the correct size. Let me say that once more, we had to buy a new ac for our BRAND NEW home! Not even a full year. Besides the ac problem, the paint they use is horrible. I can't even clean my walls without taking paint off the wall. We paid cash for our home so they made sure to skip us to the front of the line of about 12 people just so they could get the sale. Also the grass they calmed they were going to put in never got installed. Highland homes states they install Saint Augustine grass but of course that's not what they provided. Instead we have some crap grass that doesn't even grow. The grout work in the bathrooms were horrible. Had to redo that as well. Don't see us living in this home to much longer. At least the next person to live in our home will have everything done correctly because of me, not the builder. Sad to say I don't see the homes lasting 10-15 years. They hire anyone to do work for them. Not professionals! read more

So highland homes did right by me and repaired my roof. Even though I have yet to here from them.

Sarah Brown the Community Sales Manager was very rude and didn't even bother trying to help us. She didn't greet us and let us know she's be with a customer for very long, we sat for 20 minutes not knowing what to do. We drove very far to see some homes, only for her to raise her voice at us and not speak to us at all. read more

I am having a new Riverton Floor Plan home built by Highland Homes in the Fairway Oaks subdivision of Imperial Lakes located in Mulberry Florida. I will be completing my review of Highland Homes once they are completely finished with the house. So far the process has been frustratingly slow. I'm hoping the pace picks up now that construction has begun though. I'll also be doing a complete blog on Highland Homes VS KB Homes. I am in the unique position to compare the two companies and their process and product as I had KB build my last home 4 years ago. I will post a link to the blog in this review once the home is finished comparing the two companies from start to finish and laying out the whole process so that it can be used as a tool for new construction home buyers in the Polk County Area. I'll reserve judgment on Highland Homes until everything is wrapped up and then post the complete review and pertinent links here. ...TO BE CONTINUED. read more

We live in a Highland home and experiencing Hurricane Irma proved the quality of your homes. We came through the storm safe and no major damage. Thank you for building us a strong home. read more

My husband is an 8-year paramedic and Highland Homes is in the process of building income restricted townhomes, for families with an income no higher than $52,000 a year. At first everything seemed like such a great opportunity, "too good to be true." We started our approval process and everyone seemed so nice and helpful, especially Jennifer who works for Highland Homes. I without any hesitation gave them whatever information needed to qualify for this process. During our approval process, we were told that we qualified so we went ahead and put down the required $500 deposit, while patiently waiting for the homes to be built. During this waiting process the construction manager, who was supposed to reach out to us for the next step in the process, was fired and we then had to reach out to view the townhome with the new manager. During this timeframe of two months of waiting, we stayed in contact with the mortgage company who continued to request more information from us. Again without hesitation we provided everything that was asked of us. We started this process in June and now in September we could clearly see that we would not qualify so we wrote a letter telling Highland Homes that, along with a thank you for their time. Jennifer at Highland Homes then told me that we would not qualify for our deposit back because we are cancelling instead of the mortgage company disqualifying us. So after contacting the mortgage company again, they sent a letter to Jennifer explaining that since hours could not be verified exactly in EMS, we would not qualify. So now we get our cancellation notice from Highland Homes stating that "since we were disqualified after the 45 day mark, from the initial signing of the contracts" they are keeping our deposit. A week prior to all of this Jennifer told me in front of my entire family, not to be discouraged that if we do not qualify, we will still get our deposit back. However, now that it is time for Highland Homes to return the money they are pulling every card to keep it. Instead of this company doing the right thing and returning our deposit, seeing that we were waiting on the decision from the mortgage company, they are going to keep our money in the mist of our family having to evacuate for the hurricane. This company is not out to help income restricted familes, this company is out for themselves. Stay clear! read more

HH advertised for a home that was in the process of being built in Ocala, FL. The house had been built but there were no cabinets, no tile, no flooring, no paint, etc. We were willing to put a contract on it and wanted to make a couple of changes to the flooring and the cabinets, but the builder would not allow it. I was even willing to pay extra to make the changes. Additionally, the seller's representative was very rude and condescending. She told me that I could paint the cabinets the color that I wanted. She is a poor representative for this company. Additionally, we were lied to about the house. The initial person that we made contact with told us that the buyer backed out of the house, the second person we talked to told us that it was supposed to be a model, and then the last person (the rude and condescending one) told us that it was a Spec house. The first person we made contact with told us that they never did Spec houses. I will never do business with this company. And the company should think about getting rid of Sherri in Ocala as she is definately not an asset to their company!!! read more

We Purchased our Home on June of 2015, we have only been in the home for 2 years going on 3 now. We went with Highland Homes to built our home, we were highly recommended, we were told that there constructions is much better than Southern Homes or Maronda Homes. After Hurricane Irma, our home suffered some damages a lot of the shingles on our roof came off by Chunks, We had water coming through our Master Bedroom ceiling, and also water coming through our master bathroom ceiling and window and also coming through our walking closet. We were happy that no one got injured due to this storm. We contacted Highland Homes due to the fact that the shingles we had installed by Highland Homes is under a 30 year warranty. I'm told that the warranty doesn't cover hurricane damages, I was also told to contact my insurance company and the roofing manufacture company which their name is Certain Teed Shingles Roofing and to also put a claim. I looked up this manufacture company and they have so many complaints in regards to the shingles and a Class action lawsuit back on 2005 or 2009. We looked up information on these shingles, it has a Cellophane strip apparently this strip should sealed with sunlight within 3 weeks or a month, (the glue strip is heated by sun exposure is a factor in protecting roof shingles from wind-damage and blow-off). in our case you can tell that the shingles never sealed or glued. So we are now giving the run around like a hot potatoes. read more

We had a house built by Highland Homes and moved in May 2014. One of the options was a side door on the garage for which we paid an extra $650. This side door has leaked since day one any time there is rain. Highland Homes tried caulking Dry Lock Paint, concrete caulk under the thresh hold plus adding cement twice on the outside by the wall. The garage leaks just like nothing was ever done, from the corner wall and under the door down towards the front of the garage.. We have no use of one side of our garage during rainy season. We realized that Highland Homes was only guessing and had no clue how to fix this problem. I just told them to stop. We asked for an independent contractor to come out but just got the same old people. We tried to tell them that that something was wrong with the concrete under the threshold last summer but were told absolutely not. Maintenance has taken more pictures of our side door then probably any other garage in the state. We were told all side garage doors leak. Then why did you offer this option and take our $650? We don't have a smart phone so for the 10th set of pictures we took we were laughed at because they weren't big enough. The builder has sprayed the side door umpteen times to see where the water comes in but I guess that didn't help. We even contacted the state and were told that this was not a structural issue? So why is water coming ?. Highland Homes should be taking pictures of two frustrated senior citizens. After 14 months with no result we should get our money back for the side door. read more