Ardent Property Management, Inc

We received your Better Business Complaint, I have spoken with [redacted] and gathered all the information and communication she has had with you see attached.
We did receive your 30 Day Notice June 3, 2014.  Since your Lease Agreement does not expire until 10/31/2014, the agent working...

forwarded your notice to [redacted]- Regional Manager of Administration.  As soon as [redacted] received it she called the phone number on file and that she used in the past to communicate with you 614-270-3176, which said it was no longer in service.  Please also note that the phone number you put on your Revdex.com Claim is different than that in our system and on your application.  At 5:19pm on 6/3/2014, she emailed you (see attached), as of 3:24pm 6/4/2014 there has been no response to her email.    I also attached email communication between [redacted] and yourself from February 2014 up to current day.  She also met with you at the Leasing Office to address issues and invited you to let her know of any future issues, in which you had done in some instances, again see the emails attached.  The issues you have brought forward have been taken care of or addressed as your complaints came in.
To address your specific issues listed in your Complaint-
To clarify, The Traditions at Worthington Woods which Ardent Communities does manage, is included in the Condo Association managed by Associa Real Property Management, Inc.  They secure contracts and services for the grounds which include but not limited to- landscaping, snow removal, trash removal, parking lot repairs, clubhouse and amenity maintenance and ensuring that all of the condo and apartment owners are following the Community Policies.  Ardent does work closely with Associa RPM to ensure that our residents are taken care of, and in many instances we try to remedy the situation ourselves.
Address Change from 800 to [redacted] Drive-   You applied on 10/23/2013 was filled out by yourself and signed that included at the top with [redacted]- not scratched out, white out, nothing.  States price, deposit ect.  Also, your $50 deposit was deposited that day with the address of [redacted].  The resident you are referring to toured the community and applied on 11/2/2013 several days after you moved in.  I do have the applications that I can attach, however did not with this response as they have your Social Security Number ect on them.  I am more than happy to email them directly to the Columbus Revdex.com and copy you if you would like.
Trash Pick-up-  Service is provided by Rumpke, a completely separate company from Ardent Communities.  When you addressed this in the past, we have addressed it with Rumpke.  We have requested several times that Rumpke adjust the pick up time, as you stated they did change but then went back to early again.  We are not on site at that time, so we would not be aware of exactly what time they pick up the trash.  We communicated with Rumpke several times, even stating that the Worthington City Ordinance prohibits them from picking up that early, their Ordinance states 7am-7pm. Unfortunately, all we can do is continue to communicate with Rumpke as well as Associa RPM and the Board to ensure they change their pick up time.  Every time you have notified either the onsite staff or [redacted] (Regional Manner) regarding the timing of the trash pick-up we have immediately taken action to make the situation better.   No one else has complained about the time of pick up.  [redacted] asked you when you met with her face to face at the Leasing Office back in February that you notify her directly if it becomes an issue again.  There has been no communication since March 7, 2014 regarding the trash pick up.
Landscaping-  We were all over Associa when the grass was not being cut the onsite staff communicated to them and then [redacted] actually stepped in as well.  They got out there and took care of it, and we have not had any complaints since.  I agree that the timeline from April 28th when the complaints came into the Leasing Office to May 8th the day the grass was cut is too long, however we communicated through Associa pressing to get this rectified.
Mailboxes-  Our first move ins at the property were in October, being Brand New!  We install the mailbox kiosk and then the United States Postal Service has to come out and assign the boxes and they then provide us with the keys for each mailbox with a log of what box goes to what home.  This process is started very early in our building process.  Depending on which Post Office is assigned to the Community, depends on how quickly they get it done.  We do apologize however for the inconvenience, some locations will allow the Mail Carrier to deliver all of the mail to the Leasing Office, however this specific Brand would not. 
Snow Removal-  I attached Page 9 of the Association Guidelines that goes over Snow Removal.  Again, Associa holds the contract with the Snow Removal Company.  The snow during the event you are referring to, was more drastic that normal.  The parking lot was plowed but it was not in the timeframe that I am sure you wanted, or that we would expect.  Snow Removal Companies all over Columbus were behind due to the amount of snow.  Even the City of Columbus had several announcements that they would not be getting to side streets or residential neighborhoods for several days until they got the main roads clear.  Per the Association Guidelines, they do remove snow from the streets as well as the walks when it reaches 3 inches.  Ardent Communities does secure Snow Removal Contracts for the sites that are not overlayed with an Association, which includes streets and sidewalks as well at 2.5" of accumulation.  The shovels and salt are at the clubhouse for those residents that wish to do their own sidewalks or if they need to leave home before the snow is removed. 
Ardent Communities including the onsite staff and [redacted] (Regional Manager) have addressed all of the issues you listed in a timely manner.  We would love nothing more than to be able to control the actions of all of our vendors, associations ect, unfortunately we cannot.  I have also attached a copy of your lease and Addendum A Page 5 to show dates and information pertinent to your Lease Agreement.
We strive to provide an excellent living experience for all of our residents.  We have over 3000 residents in the Columbus Market and have built over 40,000 apartments, we receive positive feedback almost daily regarding our communities, staff, living experience ect.   Our Corporate Office handles phone calls, emails daily and handles them with care.  It is important to us to follow up. 
We did receive your letter June 3, 2014, that you will be moving out June 30, 2014.  If you chose to take that course of action, it would be considered a Skip on your Lease Agreement.  We have chosen to respond through the Revdex.com at this point, feel free either to communicate via email, phone or through the Revdex.com.
Sincerely-
Ardent Communities

The entire apartment was cleaned. I had also purchased brand new drip pans for the stove. The individual who completed the walk thru inflated the bill, and made fraudulent claims. I want all of the fraudulent charges removed from the invoice.

This place is horrible!
I am a single mother who works 7-6 mon-fri.
I received a noise complaint, note I haven't even lived here for 3 months, and I have NEVER had a complaint anywhere else, about a week ago.
It stated I was heard at all hours of the night screaming, oh and there was trash infront of my apartment. I received this notice by a note on my garage door. How unprofessional. I have called over 5 times and left 3 voicemails with the office, and guess what NO ONE has called me back. It sickens my to have to continue to pay my rent to a place like this.
The girls who live next door who filed the complaint just don't like me, and Im not sure why, they have confronted me about my dog, because he barked at the cable man! and they work 3rd shift. BOO HOO. maybe you should live a place with no pets!
I am beyond furious and irate, And im doing whatever I can to make sure this place sees this! I will never recommend it to anyone!

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

I see the problem here, your inspector(s) went and inspected the apartment on 2/11 morning before the professional cleaners [redacted] House Cleaning Services (###-###-####) actually went in and cleaned the house on 02/11 in the afternoon/evening hours.
Based on the agreement with your rental office I dropped the keys 02/12 @ about 10:00 AM.
Why did the inspectors went for inspection when I still have not turned the keys in?
Even if they did went and inspected based on the 'move-out-date' noted, why are you sending me a bill based on 'deemed' charges for the work instead of the actual work?
Also, since when is cleaning air-duct become tenants responsibility? As per Ohio's land lord obligations (https://www.ohiobar.org/forpublic/resources/lawfactspamphlets/pages/lawfactspam...⇄ /> "Maintain in good working condition all electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating and air conditioning systems and fixtures and appliances that you have supplied."
I've never seen someone replacing carpet for easy-to-remove spots.
A search on your companies name in Revdex.com.org produce 51 (FIFTY ONE) complaints from old tenants like me:(http://www.Revdex.com.org/centralohio/Business-Reviews/property-management/a...⇄ (http://www.Revdex.com.org/centralohio/Business-Reviews/property-management/arde...⇄ /> A search on your companies name on Attorney General website produce 10 (TEN) complaints from old tenants like me:
(http://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Individuals-and-Families/Consumers/Search-Co...⇄ /> You sending me charges for deemed work and not actual work and all these complaints speaks volume about your company's (mal)practices.
I suggest without further delay remove all the false charges and send me a corrected bill.

Mr. [redacted]-Thank you for giving me an opportunity to review your file and explain the charges.  [redacted] in our Turnover Division stated that you called last week and just ask the total and told her you had it taken care of in a different way.  You could have discussed your file with her and...

disputed any items you were questioning.  Here is what I have found-January 2014 rent not paid + late fee- $790 totalCCOS- your water bill - $620.01 (you had not paid in quite a while)APL- your electric bill- $528..47 (again, you had not paid in quite some time)Paint, Carpet, Cleaning Totals- $344.38If you would like to discuss in more detail, you can contact back through the Revdex.com or contact [redacted] again in our Turnover Division.  I can also attach photos showcasing the condition of your apartment when you vacated as well as ledgers from your electric, water etc.Thank you-[redacted]Ardent Communities

Mr. [redacted]-
Thank you for bringing your complaint forward and giving us an opportunity to look into your complaint. 
I have verified that we had 2 employees working at Fieldstone Trace- the Property Manager was onsite from 9:15am to 7:15pm, and the Leasing Agent was onsite from...

9:15am-8:03pm.  We use ADP to clock in and out so we have records that they were there.  The staff at Fieldstone is very diligent about staying late and accepting rent every month, especially on the 3rd of the month.  I confirmed with [redacted], the Property Manager and she was there, doors unlocked and still accepting rent via phone and in person.  You could have also made payment online up until 11:59pm without the late fee.
In this claim you stated that you were there at 5:45pm, you spoke to [redacted] onsite today and stated 6:02pm. 
Thank you-
Ardent Communities

Our Director of Maintenance has been in your unit as well as the Columbus Board of Health Inspector. It was simply a supply line that had a small leak, no sewage or similar.  The Board of Health did find a very stinky area rug in your bathtub- that was unrelated to the water leaking from the supply line.  The Columbus Board of Health found no issues and stated that we had handled everything seamlessly.  The drywall work was done last week, the Property Manager sent a letter to your door breaking down the schedule of events. 
Our Director of Maintenance is going to reach out to you again today, schedule a final walk through to ensure the drywall work was completed to our standards. 
Thank you-
Ardent Communities

Good Afternoon-We have been attempting to get the actual account number entered by [redacted]- unfortunately we do not have access to the full account and or routing number entered- we can only see the last 4 digits.  Our payment system only works from the information that the resident enters.  At this time, we have not received a full account number back and that being due to security and privacy reasons. In this case, since we are not able to provide the number as requested or able to obtain the full account number to verify that it was a typing error that caused the issue- we will waive the $35 Bank Fee as a one time courtesy. Sincerely-Ardent Communities

Thank you for bringing your complaint forward.  I have reviewed your file and have attached quite a few pictures as well as some documents from your move in as well as from the day your townhome was walked by our Turnover Division. After reviewing the photos, I believe you will quickly see why...

you were charged for damages.  The carpet was brand new when you moved in- installed 7/2013.  We only charged you 80% of the carpet replacement costs, otherwise you were charged for painting, cleaning, oven cleaning and drip pans.  All showcased in the photos attached.  Additional charges were applied for the 1st 3 days of September and the final balance for your water bill. Addendum A Pages 1-5 that you signed at move in explain what we will charge for at move out if not left in similar condition (within normal wear and tear).  If you have further questions or concerns please respond. Thanks-

Ms. [redacted]- Thank you for submitting your complaint for review.  We do have a dispute process that is noted in your Disposition sent by our Turnover Department, however I have reviewed your file and have found the following- The items you were charged for are as...

follows and each is followed by an explanation for the charges- Punchout Paint- $25This is due to the staining on the walls as noted in the pictures- no charges were reflected for marked baseboards or scuffs on walls.  Carpet Replacement- $659.74The carpet was brand new at move in.  The reason for the charge was due to purplish discoloration in multiple locations (looks like bleach stains or similar, and outside of normal wear and tear on the seams- as you will note in the photos attached.  We pro-rated the carpet replacement down to 60% to accommodate for the 2 years you lived at the property.  CCOS Final Water Bill- Final Bill total was $83.29Garage Rent- $300 I have attached your Garage Lease – the lease was signed for the term of October 15, 2015 through October 31, 2016.  I also attached your notice to vacate for [redacted]- no mention of vacating the garage early was listed.  Unfortunately you do have to complete the lease even on a garage- so the $300 is August, September and October Rent including Late Fees.   Feel free to reach out directly to our Turnover Department as well for this.   Thank you- Ardent Communities

Mr. [redacted]-Thank you for bringing your complaint forward and giving Ardent Communities an opportunity to explain the charges further. 
I have reviewed your file as well as your communication with our Turnover Department.  I have attached documents as well as photos...

documenting the condition of your unit upon moving out. I found 1 report/maintenance ticket reporting water leaking from above dated 2/1/2016, and a follow up ticket from 2 weeks later but not mentioning that more water had leaked just to repair laundry door track piece and check for any damage from the water leak on 2/1/2016.The documents I have attached are as follows-
- Turnover Walk Sheet- documenting items that were damaged, dirty etc.
- Copy of your ledger showing line items you were charged for.
- Addendum A Pages 1-5 that you initialed and signed at move in.
To review the items that you were charged for and why-
- Carpet Replacement- you will see on the ledger that you were originally charged $681.30 for replacement, but that was adjusted by our Turnover Department and reduced to $291.98 - 30% of the cost to replace.  The carpet was brand new when you moved in- as was the entire apartment. 
- Clean - C Rating- The attached pictures will showcase the items that determined this grade- if you match up to Addendum A Page 3 C Rated Clean- you will see that 3 more more deficient areas stem a C Clean.  To list 3 that are showcased in the photos- kitchen flooring, kitchen cabinets (items left behind and dirty), shower/bath tub, medicine cabinet and so on.
- Replaced Toilet Seat- added to ledger with labor, removed during dispute.
- CCOS Final Water- added to your ledger, reversed after proof of payment.
- APL Final Electric- added to ledger, reversed after proof of payment.
 
At this time the only items you are being charged for are -
- 30% of the Carpet Replacement- $291.98 - as you can see in the photos the damages to the carpet were that our turnover division documented were not near the area of the water leak from above.  The last 2 photos are those that you provided to us, which show dark stain at the entry point near the water leak location.
- Clean - C Rating- $102.12
Total of - $394.10
Security Deposit Credit-  -$99.00
Total Due- $295.10
 
The charges that are still on your ledger are fair and accurate and are showcased in the photos attached as well.  Upon move in on 12/1/2014, the unit was brand new.  Turnover has issued credits after reviewing the dispute information you provided.  I do understand that no one wants or expects to be charged for any damages upon move out, however we do charge for items that are beyond normal wear and tear which is a hard discussion as everyone has their own thoughts on normal.  Addendum A is part of our Move In/Lease to ensure you understand what we look at, and the charges associated. 
I do hope that this explanation helps, and you feel that this is fair. 
 
Sincerely-
 
Ardent Communities

I do not believe that having parking on a first come first serve basis is good business, I assure you I am not the only complaint.  You never did address the pit bull situation. If your so intent on following policy; why is this allowed? And yes I asked to have parking addressed. But you have done nothing. And [redacted] has gossiped with the supers about our complaints instead of addressing them. With so much professional experience I would expect her to be just that.  Professional.  But she has failed to do so. I find it appalling that you keep someone employed there that would allow us to be harassed and called racist. It's all good to enforce the rules to the ONLY white family in the building, and then accuse US of being racist. I want 2 months rent back so we can move out of this place and put this whole experience behind us.I am a seasoned renter and this is by far the worst place I've ever lived. You've made me and my family feel extremely uncomfortable, and we want out. Consider this our 60 day notice. You choose to enforce only part of your policy on the wrong people.  For charging over 700 dollars a month you'd think you could assign 1 parking spot for each apartment, but no. We pay over 700 a month to have a constant battle. Please don't preach about your policy when you don't follow half of it.  Being a superintendents is a hard job so maybe you should hire someone with experience, professionalism and someone who isn't racist and on a power trip.  Or is that against policy? This issue will never be resolved and we just want out. That's all. Its become more like a prison here. Sorry but giving you MORE money just to have guaranteed parking is out of the question.  You are just robbing people. 
Regards,
Richard Hughes

Ardent Property provided a letter of lease termination, dated 6/3/2014. Ardent Property, specifically [redacted], fabricated a reason for the termination of lease as being due to my unwillingness to allow maintenance  to enter the condo. Email exchanges show the decline of maintenance entry was days after the lease termination notice. Their attempts at requesting that I sign their rendition of a "settlement" is unacceptable. They are attempting to cover their liability for injuries sustained after a faulty shower door fell on me. The only correspondence needed from them is the same letter provided on 6/3/14 with the words "mutual agreement" to the lease termination included. 
 
The $500 gift card was a kind gesture. However, my moving expenses are $465 and $250...total of $715.  I had to miss work in order to accommodate their order to vacate premises, pack and move.  I am still taking pain medication from the incident regarding the shower door. My requests are more than reasonable considering the lack of professionalism from Ardent Property (failure to resolve nuisances from neighbors, failure to properly fix shower door and many other defective items, failure to meet deadlines, and failure to honor their word). They couldn't even follow through with their own plan of placing a lock-box outside of the door prior to my moving out.
 
I will not waive my legal rights regarding a matter that they are solely responsible. This issue is about termination of the lease that they claim to have  justly executed. Therefore, there should be no cause for them to want to reach a "settlement" that was written in the fashion proposed to me last week.  I have no interest in suing Ardent Property as it is time consuming and will cost them far more in the end. However,  they leave me no choice if they will not fully comply with my requests.