Ardent Property Management, Inc

Good Morning-I understand your situation and frustration, as these situations are the same for us as a company.  As stated in our original response, this is something that happens rarely in accordance to our policy.  This policy is very common in the industry, especially in the Columbus market.  Things happen that are out of peoples control, ie, loss of job, closing falling through on a home purchase, next apartment condo; etc not ready or falls through- there are many instances where someone needs to stay put even once they have put in their notice.  Sounds like your Daughter would have benefited from this policy as well if where she lived offered it.  The offer is still out there to avoid paying $2000 per month to opt for the garden style apartment on a month to month basis until you find something that is suitable or a condo becomes available at Hartford Village.  I know it is moving twice and smaller than you need, however it would be a temporary solution for you to ease the financial side for you.  We do apologize and our Condo Staff notified you as soon as they found out.

Thank you for responding and confirming that this was your home.  First of all I would like to clear the fact that we did release you...

from your lease with simply paying through a 30 day notice.  Your Move Out was processed and was sent to your forwarding address in New York.  You will notice on that the total due was $1714.94, less the check for $643.24 = $1071.70 and there is no mention on any of your paperwork or ledger regarding you being charged for a range hood.  I have attached some documents for your review.  This balance stems from the following breakdown:Unit Damage Specific Charges$305.00 for painting- this is from painted accent walls, decals, etc$124.88 (20% of the 1st floor carpet)- this stems from accent wall color paint on the carpet, spots, stains in dining, bleach spots by the bathrooms and laundry, stains in the master bedroom$50.00 for general cleaning- mainly bathrooms$97.36 for a broken window in the back bedroom__________$577.24 TotalOther charges- $76.43- Final Water Bill$321.27- Final Electric Bill$839.00- November 2013 Rent____________$1236.70 TotalLess $99 DepositLess Check # $643.24Total Due Still- $1071.70We received a judgement from the Franklin County Municipal Court of Columbus Ohio on 7/29/2014.  I hope this helps you, again if you have any questions regarding this please let me know and I will be happy to assist in any way I can.Thank you-[redacted]Ardent Communities

You seriously closed this with no resolution from the property management company?

Ms. [redacted]- Thank you for letting us know that you had not yet received your Disposition.  It was mailed out on 3/4/2015 to your forwarding address you provided.  Unfortunately there are some monies owed- your past due water and electric bills (electric was actually turned...

off by the electric company when you turned the keys in) were forwarded to us in the total of $724.08 ($566.19- Electric & $157.89- Water), as well as the rest of your garage lease as well.  If you have not received your Disposition to this date (3/16/2015), please let me know and I would be happy to send it electronically or also sent it registered mail.Thank you-[redacted]Ardent Communities

I also have documentation that the carpets were not as bad as the company is making them out to be. I have admitted that I owe and will gladly pay the water bill and the $25.00 for paint. I was told by the representative of the company I had to give ALL the keys to the property back, so I had no access to the rental unit. I will also reach out directly to the company per the move out form with this response

First of all it doesn't seem you keep track of verbal communications.  After moving out and receiving the final statement we called several times and asked for pictures of damages and a more detailed description of the problem areas and we were told that we could not be provided them.  Seems as though nobody at Albany Landings is on the same page and if I am able to be provided pictures now I don't understand why I was not able to be provided them after move out.  After reviewing the pictures I do see nail holes but all look very minuscule.  The picture of the shower looks pretty clean to me and I am not seeing ANY discoloration in the carpet.  Nothing I am seeing constitutes over $400 of charges.  I think we can all agree that is excessive.  This is part of the reason we asked to have a walk through at the end of our lease and were told that we could not be present when the apartment was being reviewed.  The turnover department called me back and I paid my balance AFTER I reported to the Revdex.com.  It's a shame that the only way to get a response from the company is to report to the Revdex.com but I'm willing to do that and the public should know the run around and unprofessional nature of Albany Landings.Yes, I did get my paper with the number to call for payment but when you are at work and don't have the paper with you, you expect that the company you are paying can point you in the right direction without giving you the run around.

The letter that was sent in response to your Attorney was an accurate timeline of our communication and actions taken to address and remedy your situation.  We have work order, invoices as well as email communication, Revdex.com Communication and communication in writing from the Property matching the timeline provided to your Attorney.  
 
Please specific in the dates you are disputing and we will provide the supporting documents.  
 
The leak was fixed the same evening you called the request in, water was extracted the same night and before giving time for work to be completed you had already filed this Revdex.com Claim.  Your initial report of the toilet overflowing was on 5/5/14 and you filed the claim on 5/7/14.  We had to leave the drywall open so the[redacted] of Columbus Code Inspector that came out twice per your request could verify all was dry, ect.  Which both times they were out they found nothing wrong to report on.
 
 
Thank you- 
 
Ardent Communities

We have received your Complaint through the Revdex.com and I have personally taken time to review your file and photos.  The photos do showcase there were stains in multiple rooms that stemmed the...

entire carpet requiring replacement.  However, we only charged you for 40% of the carpet replacement even though the carpet was brand new when you moved in.  No notes were made on your Move In Condition Form stating that there were any stains on the carpet etc. I do feel that the attached photos and documents support the charges.  If you have further questions please feel free to respond accordingly.  As far as the dispute you submitted, it was not the security deposit that was applied, you were given a $72 credit off of the Paint Charge. Again, feel free to reach out as you feel necessary. Thanks-  [redacted] Director of Sales & Marketing Ardent Communities

Thank you for bringing your complaint to our attention- you are correct that Ardent Communities no longer manages the unit you resided in.  It is managed by the Property Owner through their own Management Company.  I have confirmed with our Accounting Department that your Security Deposit...

was forwarded to the Unit Owner as our standard practice entails.  Unfortunately you will need to contact the Management Company that currently manages your unit- this complaint will need to be filed under their company name if you need the assistance of the Revdex.com to get a result. Sincerely- Ardent Communities

Ms. [redacted]-
Again, we do apologize and are sympathetic to the situation.  In Property Management/Leasing- many things can happen that would affect a unit being ready for a new tenant.  Someone could not move out on time, the owner could sell or take back the management of his unit, a natural disaster or fire etc or even a maintenance issue.  In this instance the communication took place within 2 days of you applying.  Again, I state that Ardent Communities did not have knowledge of the intent to sell the property by the owner when our Leasing Agent met with you.We notified you as soon as we got an email from the owner. There was not a signed lease agreement in place, just an application and partial security deposit, which was refunded to you immediately.
I reviewed the facts with our Condo Division Manager and the Regional Manager you spoke to as well.  This communication is also coming from a Regional Manager who is responsible for handling Revdex.com Complaints.  Unfortunately we do not have a condo that is at the same price point. 
Thank you-
Jeff [redacted]
Ardent Communities

After final review by Ardent Communities we did find that the charges were fair and valid and the photos showcased the damages.  The previous resident has since paid the balance in full to satisfy the ledger, please see attached.
 
Thank you-
Ardent Communities

Good afternoon-Just to follow up on this- we were able to get the Condo Association to replace the lock- the keys are verified to work!

Just to confirm your information- was the lease in solely your name under [redacted] and address of [redacted]?Thank you-

To address your concerns-
1- Your move out date was 2/11/14, and I have verified with the Property Manager that you did indeed turn in the keys on 2/11/14 with no comment about still needing to clean ect.  Our office staff personally walked the unit after you turned in your keys too, and stated that it was a disaster as the pictures reflect.  [redacted] has a set procedure that she follows when someone turns in keys on paper as well as in our Property Management System to notify Turnover of your vacating.  This would not have taken place had she not received your keys.  Turnover also verfies the number of keys the office has when they walk the unit and it was documented that the keys were there.  Turnover will not walk a home, unless the keys are present and then home has been relinquished by the resident.
2- The duct work being cleaned and charged to you is in response to the VERY STRONG Cigarette Odor in the apartment.  This is not something that is common or required in between residents.  It is done only on an as needed basis, usually stemming from pet odor or smoke odor. 
3-  Carpet replacement- we first cleaned the carpet which was unsuccessful so we then proceeded to replace the carpet.
Unfortunately reviewing the pictures does show that you had damage much beyond normal wear and tear in your home, that required more attention.  Please take time to look at the pictures and review Addendum A Pages 1-5 to note that you did sign/initial that you were responsible for damages to the home.

Ms. [redacted]-
To explain these charges again - painting- Addendum A specifically states what you will be charged if the damages fall in that category- you left curtain rods up with anchors in the wall, crates hanging on the wall in closets, and other holes, scuffs and marks on the walls.  Hence the charge for a C Paint in accordance with the Schedule on Addendum A Page 1.- this charge will remain $377.00
The carpet at $517.13 which is 40% of the total charge as previously stated.  The sealing of the floors is solely due to the pet urine, there fore if there was not pet urine we would not have needed to seal the floors. 
I do believe that the photos show the damages that are being charged for and do show that it is beyond normal wear and tear. 
I have made an adjustment to offer you a settlement at $1000 to complete this. 
Thank you-
Ardent Communities

Although I appreciate the timely response, the response in itself is brushing my concerns under the rug. Since my complaint was posted, I was also approached by one of the resident managers who was completely made aware of the situation by someone in the front office. This tells me that not only are your attempts to end the unprofessional actions not working, but that my business is being spread around town like a wildfire. As a property manager, [redacted]'s job shouldn't be to gossip to other residents or maintenance.

Ms. [redacted] and Ardent Communities has come to a mutual agreement to resolve her complaint.  Sincerely-Jeffrey F[redacted]Ardent Communities

Thank you for bringing your complaint forward.  I have reviewed your file and have found the following regarding your application- thankfully the onsite staff made notes that included dates and what was discussed with you-  here is the timeline of communication-02/09/2015- toured
02/13/2015-applied with requested move in date of 3/4/2015- credit
score under the required for $99 deposit, approved with 1 month deposit
02/14/2015- ran $50 – let her know we needed paystubs, discharge
papers and waiting on rental verification
02/16/2015- left message about paystubs and rental verification
02/17/2015- received lease buy out info that she received from BRG
02/17/2015- left message about 1 month
deposit – called back and spoke with – she said she would let us know
03/01/2015- spoke with- she said she would call us back on
Wednesday.
03/04/2015- did not hear from her so left message about getting her
moved in ASAP
Last note reads “left several messages-no response”  She NEVER called us
about application, move in so forfeited $50 deposit.
The property has not heard from you since March 1, 2015.  We do have a minimum credit score to qualify for the $99 deposit.  Unfortunately you did not qualify, but were approved with a 1 month deposit.  This is a very standard deposit in the rental community.  If you do or do not wish to move forward, all you have to do is let the onsite staff know.  When they did not hear back from you regarding your approval, they forfeited your $50 deposit as stated on our application packet.  I hope that this helps explain what happened, any further questions please let me know-Thank you-
[redacted]Ardent Communities

We have attempted to resolve the issues you are having on numerous occasions over the past several weeks.  It is very clear that we are not able to satisfy all of your requirements, unfortunately due to our Lease Agreement that every...

resident signs, and acknowledges prior to move in we are not able to accommodate your requests in full. 
Per your last email communication you stated that these were your terms-This
is a final request:
 1)
Full reimbursement of moving expenses in the amount of $465.00 
 2)
Return of full deposit in the amount of $750.00
3)
Revision of termination of lease notice that specifies the reason and clarifies
it is with mutual agreement
As of today, we offered to meet the requests that you had regarding moving costs and the Mutual Release.  Your deposit can not be returned until you had completely moved out and we inspected the unit per Addendum A Pages 1-5 of your Lease.  The inspection is now complete and your unit was in good condition and we are returning your deposit in full, however this was not possible prior to you moving out. 
As previously stated we are willing to cover your moving costs, however the Mutual Release would need to be executed prior to us releasing the funds.
Please let us know how you would like to proceed.
Thank you-

Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention.  I have reviewed your file as well as the pictures taken by our Turnover Department of the items you addressed.  I have attached your Unit Condition Form showing what items you were charged for and what items were the responsibility of...

the owner as well as the price paid to the vendor for completing the work.  I also attached the actual walk form , your Move In Condition Form, Addendum A Pages 1-5 that you initialed and signed at time of move in reviewing the associated charges for damages beyond normal wear and tear, and a snapshot of your ledger again showing the items you were responsible for.  Paint- B Rating- we charged you $109 of $275.  This was due to 37 nail holes, curtain rod being left in place as well as the black marks on the walls as seen in the pictures attached. Carpet- Restorative Clean- $268.75- as you can see in the pictures the black stains in the carpet including the black outline around where your area rug was.  The carpet was brand new when you moved in.  Carpet Cleaning is not something that we do on renewals, unless it is offered as a renewal incentive.  Carpet Cleaning during your stay is your responsibility, unless offered as an incentive/concession.  Clean- $57.00- If you review the attached pictures you will see the items that we based this charge on- including the oven, floors, etc 4 Drip Pans- $17.20- you will see an attached picture of the drip pans that were beyond just cleaning, stemming the replacement. Final Electric Bill- $70.02. Unfortunately after reviewing your file as well as the photos of the damages to your unit, the charges seem very fair and legitimate.  I do apologize that you feel differently, however normal wear and tear is expected when a tenant moves out, but the items we charged for were beyond that.  We provide you with Addendum A Pages 1-5 at time of Move In so that you understand what we look at upon your move out.  If you have further questions or concerns please let me know and I can explain anything you need further.