On Top of the World Communities

The management of this place in Clearwater has become terrible... Their rules and requirements change minute by minute and their handling of the day to day operations is terrible.

I can't even give this place ONE STAR. We made an appointment to visit OTW, Ocala and had to cancel SIX DAYS IN ADVANCE.They "say" they told us that they need SEVEN days for cancellation or they would charge our credit card $ 249.00, which is TOTALLY unreasonable. In fact they DID receive 7 days notice through our real estate agent. And they DID charge our card!! They are a PRESSURE COMPANY, STAY AWAY!!!! STAY AWAY !!!!

Went in person and sales person never told us the land would be leased. Made the prices look competitive when in fact they aren't because you don't own the land (in many areas of the community). Tried to revisit research online with chat agent and she dropped out of the conversation when I mentioned the map was confusing. Feels as if they have had too easy of a time selling and all have forgotten who the customer is

New built, sewer backed up on first day, 3 breaks and 6' collapsed.Things that had to be repaired or replaced, range hood, microwave, garbage disposal , cabinet doors and drawers, closet door, flooding in lanai, uneven floors, floor tile, separation crack between garage and wall and more. Spent months waiting for things to be done and now hiring a building inspector to come in and find all the problems.

July 2019After moving in discovered all windows were sealed shut. Realtor never mentioned it. Just said screens were in garage. Water main has broken 3 times,twice due to live oak tree stupidly planted(not by us) over pipes. Also tree roots damaged sprinkler pipe,had to repair ourselves,only repaired main water line pipe. Anything after meter they will repair but not before meter. OTOW refused to remove tree even when we offered to remove & plant another tree at our expense. When maintenance trims hedges,etc.,they leave a mess instead of blowing off all debris. Maintenance was much better when first moved here in 2005. Skylights are now responsibility of homeowner even if the roof shingles were not installed properly around them. We are our late 80's,too overwhelming to move so we're stuck here.

The complaints are: "Assessments go up with each new owner." That is the same with any home anywhere that was previously owned for a long period of time. New ownership is the standard time when new assessments are commonly done."A lot of old people..." Well, yeah, it a 55+ community. Did he expect a bunch of teeny boppers?"Oak trees aren't trimmed; I get mold..." The oak trees greatly benefit the neighborhood ambiance. I would rather power wash my house once or twice a year than chop back the oaks."Exterior maintenance is not up to my standard." The level of maintenance has reached an equilibrium between inadequate and too costly. They could raise standards and raise fees or you could supplement the maintenance to bring it up to your standard.In doing a fair amount of research so far, with attached Villa Condos starting in the low $80's to $120's, I find them to be a good value. These homes are a great choice for those who are getting up in years and concerned about maintaining a home if their partner dies, for singles, or for those who are not able to do much maintenance themselves. Compared to the options in a similar price range, including the HOA fee of $350 to $424 (depending on whether water/sewer are paid separately), such as mobile/manufactured home parks, or stand alone subdivision homes, these seem to me to be a great value.

There are many important facts that they don't or perhaps won't cover during your " interview." One fact is that even though the listing tells you that your taxes are a certain amount, you will find that the property is re assessed each time that the property is sold, and while your neighbor may be paying $400.00 a year, when they reassess your property after you buy, yours will be significantly higher than your neighbors. Another thing that they don't tell you is that if there are gutters on your house, they will not clean them. They claim that they were not installed by Top Of The World, and therefore are entirely your responsibility. The huge oak trees in front of each villa drop leave and twigs 24/7, and most people here have undertaken the job of raking their own lawns because the maintenance services are few and far between, and at best pitiful for the H.O.A. that you're paying. You need an approval for anything and everything that you do outside, and are responsible for maintaining / replacing all exterior light fixtures, as well as paying to keep it lit and irrigated. You are permitted no more than 2 hanging plants ( pending approval ) and two lawn ornaments ( not to exceed 16" in height ) You are responsible for weeding all flower beds, whether created by yourself, or the former owners. Most of the people here are old and cranky, and will report you for any infraction of the rules. They wave at you with one hand and stab you with the other. At any rate, if you do decide to look here, ask lots of questions, no matter how ridiculous you might think they sound. Good Luck !

We were sold a home under fraudulent circumstances and will be starting a lawsuit. the OTOW agent and sellers agent told us repairs were done when none had been done. was told done up to code receipts and assurances were made. We were from out of town and trusted them to close with P of Atty. I now do not trust anyone involved with the sale of the home. My dog came down sick after 2 visits to the dog park and had to go to the vets. BUYER BEWARE