Carlton Arms of Winter Haven

THE GOOD:
Nice clean place to live. Very nice buildings well kept landscaping.
THE BAD:
These people are just as bad as it gets when I comes to raising your rent. They will raise it every few months and your pretty much screwed. My dad is renting a 3 bedroom 3 bath and it is almost $ 1400 dollars a month now. He started at around $ 1200 a few years ago. Hell, you can buy a house cheaper than that. They also make you check in at the gate if you haven’t bought a pass to park in there golden parking spots that they prize so much. God forbid you park in an open spot that’s not directly in front of your rental. I visit and I get constant sitations on where I parked my car, Then they threaten to tow or try to fine you. The speed bumps will eventually destroy your shocks because theres one every ten flippin feet it seems. Look into renting at the preserve in lake wales. They are very well priced and easy to deal with. Carlton arms thinks everyone in Winter Haven is rich. The light out front of this place is also a DEATH TRAP! Literally! Be careful pulling out many have died at this light.
Good luck.

Not suitable for everyone. That said they require a load of information on who is living in the paper-​thin walls next to you. I hope that there is a higher degree of safety through vetting tenants. They run on the higher end of comparable rentals, but if you’re in a hurry & can get through paperwork quickly, which they do, then be prepared for price increases each time your lease is up for renewal. Everyone who I’ve“polled” has said the same. Nice, high prices. Very, very dangerous getting out of complex to major road, Cypress Gardens Blvd. Needs a stoplight, desperately. It’s the feel of living in a higher end pensioners «estates» in UK, if you’re familiar. Office & all staff for that matter, couldn’t be more kind, efficient & pleasant. I’m, personally not used to cookie-​cutter look & very poorly constructed buildings. Would never make it in a Category 1 hurricane much less 1992 Category 5 hurricane Andrew.
So choose wisely & weigh options full well before committing to above mentioned & a lot of «rules & regulations». Like military housing on base stateside.

It’s not a bad place to live… its quiet, clean, the grounds are maintained, club house to use for parties & security deposit is low so it’s better than the other places in the area but they could have done better. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone with kids because there is nowhere for the kids to play. Instead of building recreational areas, they build lakes & charge more for so called” lake front properties”, so the kids are usually outside near the roadway & many times running across the street, several times I had to stop! The speed bumps are annoying, screened patios would have been awesome because of the wasps, snakes, lizards etc, so I really can’t enjoy the outside as I would really like to. As for maintenance, they only respond same day if it’s an emergency eg. if A/​C not working, I usually need to call a 2^nd time or they take their sweet time to do repairs, I’ve had to fix a few things myself after I moved in because the person did not do a good job. it might be the best place in the area, but in my opinion it’s just all about making money over the residents being truly comfortable!

Wow. I read the other review and I have to ask, «Are we living in the same place?». I moved here last year and Carlton Arms isn’t as bad as that!
I relocated here from over 1200 miles away and the staff has been nothing but friendly and helpful. I am renting an end unit townhouse and the noise from the neighbors is negligible. This is a family friendly place and there are a lot of kids, but it’s not out of control kid crazy.
Residents DO drive over the posted limit and they tend to blow or roll through stop-​signs. That IS annoying (and dangerous) but, you can’t fix stupid no matter where you go.
The staff replaces AC filters, they pick up the trash twice a week, they spray for insects, accept packages when you are not home and more. At Christmas, they held a massive holiday party complete with tons of food, drinks and a live band. The place was decorated with lights too!
The area is well maintained with seasonal plants, fresh mulch every few months and lots of flowers and trees. The rent includes your trash pick up and they include basic Bright House cable TV. A lot of units have a washer/​dryer in addition to the microwave & dishwasher. There is also two laundry facilities and a workout room with newer equipment.
There are two pools and a tennis court (the tennis court remains locked, kid protection again) I call the front gate and the guys buzz down in their carts to unlock it for me whenever I ask. The front pool is heated and it gets used by the residents all winter.
A large window blind in my bedroom broke and when told, the office took care of it ASAP. I was told that if anything broke… Call. If the AC or fridge or something big wasn’t working, CALL ANYTIME.
I have spent three decades as a sales professional and I know nice… these folks are nice. You can find a cheaper place to rent, but this is a gated (with a real human at the gate) community with very nice amenities. The unit I moved in to was like new, it had been cleaned and prepped so well.
Moving to Florida? Carlton Arms is a good place to start.

Best place to live in Polk County.
They are constantly maintaining the grounds and keeping the place looking nice. The ²⁴⁄₇ gated entrance adds peace of mind. They also patrol through regularly which I think is nice.
Calling the office with an issue usually gets taken care of in the same day.
Overall, great place to live.