Advocate Property Management LLC

I understand that you want your Security Deposit refund as fast as possible I spoke with ***, the property manager, about your concern She told me she spoke to you yesterday, and informed you that we could not refund your check until we received a "Release of Security Deposit Authorization" from the Condo Board We received that authorization late yesterday, and the check request was submitted shortly thereafter The check request will be entered today The check is printed and mailed by a third party, and can take up to one week to reach you The association does not guarantee your Security Deposit will be returned within calendar days We are working to get it back to you as soon as possible.I also wanted to respond to some of your other concerns First, I was the person who responded to the Facebook inquiry I am sorry, as I did confuse you with another move However, in both the Facebook inquiry, and this Revdex.com complaint, you provided very little information on the specific Association or the affected unit number, which would have helped better identify you, especially because you are a tenant, not the unit owner The Facebook inquiry didn't even have your name You actually posted on Facebook twice Both times, I notified you that we could not "discuss" business issues via FacebookThat is company policyAlthough you stated you had problems when you called in, it does sound like you or your significant other did speak with the property manager, so it appears you did get in touch with someone knowledgeable on the situation You mentioned we did not provide a "witness" on Saturday to observe your move That is not a service provided by the Condo Association, and had nothing to do with our hours of operation I did check into the elevator key It is in the move agreement, but no process has been established with the Condo Board to provide one, so we will be looking into that We have had many successful moves without the key, and it sounds like you completed yours successfully without oneI think that addresses all of your issues Please let me know if I can answer any other questions you may have

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/04/16) */ Contact Name and Title: [redacted] , President Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX Contact Email: [redacted] @AdvocatePM.com Advocate Property Management assumed the management of your community association Nov 1, Due to incomplete data from the prior manager, we were forced to "rebuild" the financial data for manually, a very time consuming processWhile the "rebuild" was in process, our knowledge of each owners account detail was not completeThis resulted in the unfortunate confusion you experienced in our responses to your inquiries In March, statements were sent out to all owners with an open balance on their account in an attempt to insure the accuracy of our newly created booksWe knew this would bring to light any omissions to the data that we had gatheredSeveral owners have contacted us and provided the proof necessary to make the correct adjustments During this process, our Vice President of accounting spoke with you twice in an effort to explain the situation and explain what was necessary to resolve the issueIt is my understanding that sufficient data has been provided to rectify the account, and the balance is now correct Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 7, 2015/04/26) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Although a phone call came in on the same day the Property Management Company's president posted the response, I have, once again, received a phone call stating that the account on a second unit I co-own with my son, and where my son resides, is delinquent The new claim of delinquency came via phone on Friday, April 24thThe accounting employee said "looks like your son is falling behind," to what I replied that I did not believe that was the caseShe claimed it was the December payment (one of the same payments they claimed I had never paid on the first property, and which has been "found")These were payments made while Advocate Property Management was already in charge of the building - I do not believe that blaming the former managers applyIn any case, we agreed that she was going to e-mail me a copy of the ledger for this unit on Friday, and that I would look for proof of payment over the weekend, for any of the payments they claim to be unable to findTwo days later, I have not heard back from them In addition, the accountant informed me on the same day that my own account is now late, because I had stopped the bank draft! I explained to her that my e-mail to Ms [redacted] and Ms [redacted] clearly requested that they "resume the draft for the month of April." This email was sent to them of March 7thAlthough the accountant said they would go ahead and proceed to draft it, this is just adding to the performance failure I have already reported I have yet not received comprehensive statements for either of my units, nor has the Property Management company presented evidence of having corrected and collected on the dues by the neighbor who, in violation of our bi-laws, is being (or has been) allowed to pay $less in association fees than the rest of us Thank you for helping us with the resolution of this claim Final Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 13, 2015/05/08) */ First, I want to start by saying I am sorry you had to go through this reconciliation period with the associationThis is not typically how we start with a new associationI also want to say I did not intend to blame the prior management companyI was just stating a fact that we did not get good records turned over to us, and we are doing our best to try and fill in the missing piecesThe association Board has been working with us to ensure we have the best possible records, and has been supportive of our efforts to rectify the owner accountsFinally, I want to thank you for working with us on both accountsMy understanding is that you have paid the amount in question on the second unit, and we have agreed to refund any amount that may result in a duplicate payment once your reconciliation is completeI don't believe there have been any late fees on either account, and my review of the emails seems to indicate both sides have been cooperating to resolve the issuesI believe both accounts show current and you have been provided ledgersMy Vice President of Accounting has spoken to you several times prior to my last response, has continued to work with you via both phone and email, and will do so until this issue is closedIf you would like to get copies of association records, please request them through the property managerThe association Board ultimately reviews owner requests for records and provides us guidance on what records we can provide youAlso, I am not at liberty to discuss the financial condition of other owners except to say we ensure all unit owners are held responsible for paying their appropriate share of the assessmentsIf I can be of any more assistance, please let me know Sincerely, [redacted] President Advocate Property Management, LLC

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/04/16) */
Contact Name and Title: *** ***, President
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: ***@AdvocatePM.com
Advocate Property Management assumed the management of your community association Nov 1, Due to incomplete data from the
prior manager, we were forced to "rebuild" the financial data for manually, a very time consuming processWhile the "rebuild" was in process, our knowledge of each owners account detail was not completeThis resulted in the unfortunate confusion you experienced in our responses to your inquiries
In March, statements were sent out to all owners with an open balance on their account in an attempt to insure the accuracy of our newly created booksWe knew this would bring to light any omissions to the data that we had gatheredSeveral owners have contacted us and provided the proof necessary to make the correct adjustments
During this process, our Vice President of accounting spoke with you twice in an effort to explain the situation and explain what was necessary to resolve the issueIt is my understanding that sufficient data has been provided to rectify the account, and the balance is now correct
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/04/26) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Although a phone call came in on the same day the Property Management Company's president posted the response, I have, once again, received a phone call stating that the account on a second unit I co-own with my son, and where my son resides, is delinquent
The new claim of delinquency came via phone on Friday, April 24thThe accounting employee said "looks like your son is falling behind," to what I replied that I did not believe that was the caseShe claimed it was the December payment (one of the same payments they claimed I had never paid on the first property, and which has been "found")These were payments made while Advocate Property Management was already in charge of the building - I do not believe that blaming the former managers applyIn any case, we agreed that she was going to e-mail me a copy of the ledger for this unit on Friday, and that I would look for proof of payment over the weekend, for any of the payments they claim to be unable to findTwo days later, I have not heard back from them
In addition, the accountant informed me on the same day that my own account is now late, because I had stopped the bank draft! I explained to her that my e-mail to Ms*** and Ms*** clearly requested that they "resume the draft for the month of April." This email was sent to them of March 7thAlthough the accountant said they would go ahead and proceed to draft it, this is just adding to the performance failure I have already reported
I have yet not received comprehensive statements for either of my units, nor has the Property Management company presented evidence of having corrected and collected on the dues by the neighbor who, in violation of our bi-laws, is being (or has been) allowed to pay $less in association fees than the rest of us
Thank you for helping us with the resolution of this claim
Final Business Response /* (4000, 13, 2015/05/08) */
First, I want to start by saying I am sorry you had to go through this reconciliation period with the associationThis is not typically how we start with a new associationI also want to say I did not intend to blame the prior management companyI was just stating a fact that we did not get good records turned over to us, and we are doing our best to try and fill in the missing piecesThe association Board has been working with us to ensure we have the best possible records, and has been supportive of our efforts to rectify the owner accountsFinally, I want to thank you for working with us on both accountsMy understanding is that you have paid the amount in question on the second unit, and we have agreed to refund any amount that may result in a duplicate payment once your reconciliation is completeI don't believe there have been any late fees on either account, and my review of the emails seems to indicate both sides have been cooperating to resolve the issuesI believe both accounts show current and you have been provided ledgersMy Vice President of Accounting has spoken to you several times prior to my last response, has continued to work with you via both phone and email, and will do so until this issue is closedIf you would like to get copies of association records, please request them through the property managerThe association Board ultimately reviews owner requests for records and provides us guidance on what records we can provide youAlso, I am not at liberty to discuss the financial condition of other owners except to say we ensure all unit owners are held responsible for paying their appropriate share of the assessmentsIf I can be of any more assistance, please let me know
Sincerely,
*** ** ***
President
Advocate Property Management, LLC

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/14) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted], President
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@AdvocatePM.com
This issue has been addressed with the Board of the Association several times over the last few months. [redacted] is...

a homeowner, not a Board Member of the Association. We answer to the Board, which is elected by the homeowners. Therefore, the homeowner complaint should be registered with the Board of the Association, not the Association Management Company through the Revdex.com.
Since this issue continues to come up, I think it is important to address the issue and our efforts to resolve the issue thus far. I will not use exact figures, since this is confidential information of the Association. The issue stems from a 2014 Income Statement that shows net income at the end of the year. For this example, we will say the net income is $10,000. The basic question is "If we have net income of $10,000, why don't we have $10,000 more in our checking account?". The Association pays a monthly loan payment. We have explained to the Board that the Income Statement only shows as an expense the interest portion of the loan payment. The principle portion of the payment is recorded on the 2014 Balance Sheet as a loan principle reduction (not an expense). The principle portion of the loan payments in 2014 exceeded the net income on the Income Statement by a good margin. For this example, we will say the principle portion of the 2014 loan payments was $13,000. The 2014 Balance Sheet would then show a reduction in loan principle of $13,000. However, the Income Statement shows a profit of $10,000. In this example, the bank balance would not have increased by $10,000, but actually, would have decreased by $3,000, since the principle payments exceeded the net income by $3,000. The situation is the same for this Association. The principle payments exceeded the net income by a large sum, resulting in a reduction in the cash in their bank account. They insist the bank account balance should have increased because the net income is so high.

The example above is based on basic accounting principles. The head of our accounting department attended a two hour Board Meeting in an attempt to explain these principles to both the Board and the homeowners. The President of the Board told the Property Manager after the meeting that he still did not understand. I then got involved and spent over an hour on the phone with the Board President using a more detailed example like the one exhibited above to explain these accounting principles. I think it helped a little, but there is still a general lack of understanding regarding how these principles work. Both the head of accounting and I suggested the Board hire an independent auditor to review the financials to verify everything was completed correctly. Many of our Associations hire auditors annually to review our accounting department. We receive very positive reviews from these audits. The Board has thus far declined our suggestion to have an audit completed. We continue to get the same questions regarding this situation, but we have exhausted all reasonable efforts to address their questions.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/07/20) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
The head of the finance department of Advocate Property Management company stated in our meeting, she paid $13,698.0 on the bank loan. She made this statement several times. Also, she said, she would send us a copy of the receipt from the payment to the bank.According to the statement from Itasca Bank & Trust a payment of $2,609.85 was made each month from Jan. 2014 to April 2015. Also Advocate Property Management gave us a copy of an Accrual Accounting System. Please note that the last page of this distributed report is an illustration of a sample association that has assessment income and is making a monthly loan payment. Give us an illustrated table reflecting the VCLA history! According to the VLCA P&L Statement Period 01/01/2014 to 12/31/2014 we collected $87,234.37. We spent $69,393.76. The special assessment was short $4,142.52. Therefore, we had a profit of $13,698.09. Where is the money? I'm faxing a copy of the following documents on 07/20/2015 to the Revdex.com; P&L Statement Period 01/01/2014 to 12/31/2014 * Vendor Histories Vendor Itasca Bank& Trust Starting date:01/01/2014 Ending date:05/31/2015
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/07/20) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted], President
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@AdvocatePM.com
In my first response, I had stated the amount of principle payments in 2014 exceeded the net income, causing a reduction in cash in the bank account. The head of our finance department made the same statement in the meeting when she said "the net income was used to pay the loan". She did not mean we wrote a check for the exact amount of the net income to pay down the loan. She meant the principle portion of the regular monthly payments used to pay the loan in 2014 added up to more than the net income in 2014, and that is why the cash in the bank decreased in 2014. This complaint is due to a lack of understanding of accounting principles by the unit owner. We have attempted unsuccessfully to explain these accounting principles to the Board and the owners. We recommend the use of a professional auditor or accountant hired by the Board to review our accounting and provide feedback to the Board and the owners. That is the standard procedure for resolving these types of issues. We are confident the financials we prepared were prepared correctly. We feel a professional review is the only way we can rectify this situation.
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2015/07/21) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Provide us with an illustrated table reflecting the VLCA history! In this table please show where or what line this $13,698.09 was placed. (P&L Statement Period 01/01/2014 to 12/31/2014)

I understand that you want your Security Deposit refund as fast as possible.  I spoke with [redacted], the property manager, about your concern.  She told me she spoke to you yesterday, and informed you that we could not refund your check until we received a "Release of Security Deposit...

Authorization" from the Condo Board.  We received that authorization late yesterday, and the check request was submitted shortly thereafter.  The check request will be entered today.  The check is printed and mailed by a third party, and can take up to one week to reach you.  The association does not guarantee your Security Deposit will be returned within 12 calendar days.  We are working to get it back to you as soon as possible.I also wanted to respond to some of your other concerns.  First, I was the person who responded to the Facebook inquiry.  I am sorry, as I did confuse you with another move.  However, in both the Facebook inquiry, and this Revdex.com complaint, you provided very little information on the specific Association or the affected unit number, which would have helped better identify you, especially because you are a tenant, not the unit owner.  The Facebook inquiry didn't even have your name.  You actually posted on Facebook twice.  Both times, I notified you that we could not "discuss" business issues via Facebook. That is company policy.Although you stated you had problems when you called in, it does sound like you or your significant other did speak with the property manager, so it appears you did get in touch with someone knowledgeable on the situation.  You mentioned we did not provide a "witness" on Saturday to observe your move.  That is not a service provided by the Condo Association, and had nothing to do with our hours of operation.  I did check into the elevator key.  It is in the move agreement, but no process has been established with the Condo Board to provide one, so we will be looking into that.  We have had many successful moves without the key, and it sounds like you completed yours successfully without one.I think that addresses all of your issues.  Please let me know if I can answer any other questions you may have.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/09/10) */
Contact Name and Title: Dan [redacted], President
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@LangPropertyManagement.com
The association has approved the proposal to complete the work and it has been sent to the vendor for completion. ...

The work should be done in the next five business days. I am requesting from Revdex.com that this complaint be reclassified under Lang Property Management because Advocate Property Management does not manage this association.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 13, 2015/09/24) */
nothing has been done so far
Final Business Response /* (4000, 15, 2015/10/04) */
Contact Name and Title: Dan [redacted], President
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@LangPropertyManagement.com
This repair was completed last week. We apologize it took a while, but repairs have to be approved, quoted, scheduled, and executed. This sometimes takes longer than anticipated.
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 17, 2015/10/05) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/04/16) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted], President
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@AdvocatePM.com
Advocate Property Management assumed the management of your community association Nov 1, 2014. Due to incomplete data...

from the prior manager, we were forced to "rebuild" the financial data for 2014 manually, a very time consuming process. While the "rebuild" was in process, our knowledge of each owners account detail was not complete. This resulted in the unfortunate confusion you experienced in our responses to your inquiries.
In March, statements were sent out to all owners with an open balance on their account in an attempt to insure the accuracy of our newly created books. We knew this would bring to light any omissions to the data that we had gathered. Several owners have contacted us and provided the proof necessary to make the correct adjustments.
During this process, our Vice President of accounting spoke with you twice in an effort to explain the situation and explain what was necessary to resolve the issue. It is my understanding that sufficient data has been provided to rectify the account, and the balance is now correct.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/04/26) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Although a phone call came in on the same day the Property Management Company's president posted the response, I have, once again, received a phone call stating that the account on a second unit I co-own with my son, and where my son resides, is delinquent.
The new claim of delinquency came via phone on Friday, April 24th. The accounting employee said "looks like your son is falling behind," to what I replied that I did not believe that was the case. She claimed it was the December payment (one of the same payments they claimed I had never paid on the first property, and which has been "found"). These were payments made while Advocate Property Management was already in charge of the building - I do not believe that blaming the former managers apply. In any case, we agreed that she was going to e-mail me a copy of the ledger for this unit on Friday, and that I would look for proof of payment over the weekend, for any of the payments they claim to be unable to find. Two days later, I have not heard back from them.
In addition, the accountant informed me on the same day that my own account is now late, because I had stopped the bank draft! I explained to her that my e-mail to Ms. [redacted] and Ms. [redacted] clearly requested that they "resume the draft for the month of April." This email was sent to them of March 7th. Although the accountant said they would go ahead and proceed to draft it, this is just adding to the performance failure I have already reported.
I have yet not received comprehensive statements for either of my units, nor has the Property Management company presented evidence of having corrected and collected on the dues by the neighbor who, in violation of our bi-laws, is being (or has been) allowed to pay $100 less in association fees than the rest of us.
Thank you for helping us with the resolution of this claim.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 13, 2015/05/08) */
First, I want to start by saying I am sorry you had to go through this reconciliation period with the association. This is not typically how we start with a new association. I also want to say I did not intend to blame the prior management company. I was just stating a fact that we did not get good records turned over to us, and we are doing our best to try and fill in the missing pieces. The association Board has been working with us to ensure we have the best possible records, and has been supportive of our efforts to rectify the owner accounts. Finally, I want to thank you for working with us on both accounts. My understanding is that you have paid the amount in question on the second unit, and we have agreed to refund any amount that may result in a duplicate payment once your reconciliation is complete. I don't believe there have been any late fees on either account, and my review of the emails seems to indicate both sides have been cooperating to resolve the issues. I believe both accounts show current and you have been provided ledgers. My Vice President of Accounting has spoken to you several times prior to my last response, has continued to work with you via both phone and email, and will do so until this issue is closed. If you would like to get copies of association records, please request them through the property manager. The association Board ultimately reviews owner requests for records and provides us guidance on what records we can provide you. Also, I am not at liberty to discuss the financial condition of other owners except to say we ensure all unit owners are held responsible for paying their appropriate share of the assessments. If I can be of any more assistance, please let me know.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
President
Advocate Property Management, LLC

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/09/10) */
Contact Name and Title: Dan [redacted], President
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@LangPropertyManagement.com
The association has approved the proposal to complete the work and it has been sent to the vendor for...

completion. The work should be done in the next five business days. I am requesting from Revdex.com that this complaint be reclassified under Lang Property Management because Advocate Property Management does not manage this association.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 13, 2015/09/24) */
nothing has been done so far
Final Business Response /* (4000, 15, 2015/10/04) */
Contact Name and Title: Dan [redacted], President
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@LangPropertyManagement.com
This repair was completed last week. We apologize it took a while, but repairs have to be approved, quoted, scheduled, and executed. This sometimes takes longer than anticipated.
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 17, 2015/10/05) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

I understand that you want your Security Deposit refund as fast as possible.  I spoke with [redacted], the property manager, about your concern.  She told me she spoke to you yesterday, and informed you that we could not refund your check until we received a "Release of Security Deposit...

Authorization" from the Condo Board.  We received that authorization late yesterday, and the check request was submitted shortly thereafter.  The check request will be entered today.  The check is printed and mailed by a third party, and can take up to one week to reach you.  The association does not guarantee your Security Deposit will be returned within 12 calendar days.  We are working to get it back to you as soon as possible.I also wanted to respond to some of your other concerns.  First, I was the person who responded to the Facebook inquiry.  I am sorry, as I did confuse you with another move.  However, in both the Facebook inquiry, and this Revdex.com complaint, you provided very little information on the specific Association or the affected unit number, which would have helped better identify you, especially because you are a tenant, not the unit owner.  The Facebook inquiry didn't even have your name.  You actually posted on Facebook twice.  Both times, I notified you that we could not "discuss" business issues via Facebook. That is company policy.
Although you stated you had problems when you called in, it does sound like you or your significant other did speak with the property manager, so it appears you did get in touch with someone knowledgeable on the situation.  You mentioned we did not provide a "witness" on Saturday to observe your move.  That is not a service provided by the Condo Association, and had nothing to do with our hours of operation.  I did check into the elevator key.  It is in the move agreement, but no process has been established with the Condo Board to provide one, so we will be looking into that.  We have had many successful moves without the key, and it sounds like you completed yours successfully without one.
I think that addresses all of your issues.  Please let me know if I can answer any other questions you may have.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/06/10) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted], Preside
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@advocatepm.com
Owner was refunded remaining balance of his account tonight via ACH. It will be in his account in the morning. The refund...

should have occured between the 15th and the 31st of May, per our standard refund policy. The refund got held up in accounting, but was rectified once brought to my attention. Owner was notified and seemed to be satisfied with that solution.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/06/11) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Process to "close an account" takes way too long (owner's statement of timeline is over 30 days) and there should be no excuse for taking over 60 days to process a return regardless of accounting department moving to another location. Further, I had to make claims with the Revdex.com and Office of the Attorney General to get any attention from Advocate for them to finally process my return. I or any customer of theirs should not have to resort to such claims to get the due attention and customer care we deserve. This is not the first time I have had issues with their business practices. I do not recommend this company.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/06/10) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted], Preside
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@advocatepm.com
Owner was refunded remaining balance of his account tonight via ACH. It will be in his account in the morning. The...

refund should have occured between the 15th and the 31st of May, per our standard refund policy. The refund got held up in accounting, but was rectified once brought to my attention. Owner was notified and seemed to be satisfied with that solution.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/06/11) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Process to "close an account" takes way too long (owner's statement of timeline is over 30 days) and there should be no excuse for taking over 60 days to process a return regardless of accounting department moving to another location. Further, I had to make claims with the Revdex.com and Office of the Attorney General to get any attention from Advocate for them to finally process my return. I or any customer of theirs should not have to resort to such claims to get the due attention and customer care we deserve. This is not the first time I have had issues with their business practices. I do not recommend this company.