INDIANAPOLIS — A housing headache for senior residents living in an adult community on the northeast side. The residents tell WRTV that their rent is increasing and they are drowning in added fees.
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Resident Joyce Williams describes her experience since moving into Walnut Ridge.
"Up and down, up and down, up and down," Williams replied.
Williams has called Walnut Ridge home for eight years.
“You can count on one hand how many times I even had to go to the office to talk to the leasing manager," Williams said.
One of those times was November of last year.
"I was really shaking. My blood pressure went up, everything, ok?" Williams said.
Williams was informed that her rent had increased by $74 on top of other fees.
In a notice provided to Williams, it states that the company does not have to give a resident a lease to increase their rent and that the resident will be notified.
"You going to raise our rent whenever y'all get ready?" Williams said.
Williams says that she still does not have a lease, which brings up a troubling issue for another resident just a few doors down.
"This is the date the company wanted it to be signed. Instead of December 2022, they wanted it to say December 27, 2025. That's right," Cynthia Wells said.
Wells said her lease ended February 28, 2026, after her lease was voided out because the company, Wallick Communities, said it was the wrong lease.
"I'm just here under no lease, and yeah, it does concern me. What can they do? Can they put me out, or if they raise my rent, I can't afford any rent increase, you know, so being without a lease, it just makes you nervous," Wells said.
"Housing costs have increased much faster than incomes in Indiana, which especially hurts older Hoosiers on fixed incomes," Andrew Bradley, with Prosperity Indiana, said.
Bradley said about 63,000 senior renter households earn less than 30% of the state’s median income.
"She's going to tell me, well, corporate doesn't want to hear anything about you all having problems with the utilities or whatever going up because we tried to prepare you guys last year and tell y'all to start saving me because it may be getting ready," Williams said.
WRTV spent the afternoon trying to get answers from Walnut Ridge and the company that owns it, Wallick Communities.
Late Thursday night, WRTV received answers for the following questions:
WRTV: Why are residents seeing an increase?
WALLICK COMMUNITIES: Wallick began a $13 million rehabilitation of Walnut Ridge in the fall of 2025. The rent increases are intended to support improvements to residents’ homes and the apartment community. For context, the average market rate for comparable apartments in Indianapolis is $1,100-$1,400.
WRTV: Residents are showing documents where they are falsely charged with late fees. Can you explain what happened there? Documentation from various residents who have paid their rent by the date and are charged multiple late fees.
WALLICK COMMUNITIES: This varies on a resident-by-resident basis, and we would need to see the documentation. In Ms. Williams’ case, she has not paid the full new rent amount since December.
WRTV: Residents we spoke with say they do not have leases. Why do residents not have leases?
WALLICK COMMUNITIES: This is not correct. All residents have leases that renew automatically month-to-month.
WRTV is still working to get clarity on rate increases, additional fees and leases.
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