Bob Harris Agency

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:The outlet cover I was charged for was missing at move in and never there the entire time we lived in that houseThis was noted in before pictures that were sent to the property managerAlso this was shown in Northwest Real Estates Move In Inspection sheet as well the pictures that were posted on the online ad for the house by Northwest Real EstateWe obviously return a house the way we received itAnd we are not going to pay for something that was not there to begin withYou are basically charging me for something so that a new tenant could haveI think its ridiculous and after reading numerous reviews I feel that you felt like you had to charge us for somethingAnd that you are unable to admit wrong doing or faultThis is unprofessional and bad business practicesWe have recommended Northwest to several people in the past and will no longer be doing so nor will we give a good reviewI am upset that you have treated us in such a manner and taken advantage of the fact that you had our money and could decide whether we get it back or notI am disappointed in your lack of knowledge regarding the move in condition of the house and your unwillingness to see that you're wrong and that you are stealing our moneyIf we were responsible for an outlet cover or any damage for that matter we would pay for it and would have noted it at move out I understand that it is a very small fraction of the deposit you withheld but the fact that you are charging us for something that we did not damage makes me furious because I feel like you have stole from us and well as taken advantage of us Regards, [redacted] ***

Thank you for sending your concerns in writingI reviewed the file personally and provided photos, invoices and a response explanation letter regarding your concerns The property management team sends out multiple communications to tenants regarding the move out condition expected for the return of rental properties Your letter is correct that the move out inspection does not require the use of a power washerHowever the expectation is that the exterior will be cleaned, in the move out photos the exterior was not clean, if the contractor used a power washer or scrubbed with a broom, either way the contractor charges for the services provided, when a contractor charges for move out items that are tenant related these are charged back to the tenant We do not create or mandate the invoice types used by our contractors, our contractors work independently and are not our employees When we inspected the sprinkler system it was not working at all, the sprinkler system is expected to be used by tenants during occupancy and returned to landlord in working conditionPlease note the sprinkler system has both a power outlet and a battery inside of the clock When the battery was replaced and the sprinkler heads tested there were broken sprinkler heads which were charged back to the tenants If the sprinkler system would have been operational and testing was able to be done during the move out inspection, the broken sprinkler heads would have still been a tenant charge I apologize that you feel you were given the brush off by our company, that was never our intention, we want to communicate with tenants to address concerns in as much detail as possible We also work very hard to make sure all tenants are aware of the expectations regarding the move out inspection process We take lots and lots of color photos (which were provided) and we try very hard to balance the fair wear and tear on a property with the expectations of our owners to return their property to them in the condition it was provided It is never our intention to upset any of our tenants and I apologize that I did not clearly type my name below the signature block on the letter that was sent to you We have also instituted a 2nd review process for all letters on deposit disputes to have another management member review them before they are sent out I appreciate your honest feedback and have adjusted our letter for future tenants based upon this feedback and our goal to continually improve [redacted] ***

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: I do not agree....I have a record of over twenty seven showing of reference house by the realtors and contractors inspection scheduled by the owners - This house viewing activity went on foe over months with any number of foot traffic by the realtors and the owners as well as contractorsif my security deposit is not fully repaid, I will file a complaint with the Texas State Attorney General, the US Department of Consumer Protection, as well as file a small claims court hearing Regards, [redacted]

Thank you for being one of our outstanding tenants during your tenancy and we appreciate your feedback With managing and completing move-out inspections close to properties, we were elated to find that you had only one item that needed our attention/repair Unfortunately, there was
a broken outlet cover Therefore, we sent our handyman service to replace the outlet cover and were charged $ Per the Texas Property Code and your signed lease, we are allowed to deduct the $from your security deposit ($1,987.50) Therefore, we sent you a complete security deposition which showed the deducted $for a security deposit refund check from our office of $1,977.50.Again, thank you for tenancy and your concern We would be glad to have you as a future tenant if you so desired, and please feel free to contact us again if you still have any further questions/concerns.- *** ***Broker-Owner

Thank you for the note, during the move out process each tenant is given a copy in email and US mail of the move out and showing instructions, in addition we send a follow up notice to the tenant regarding the Confirmation of key turn in which outlines the process for moving out of the house
After move out the tenants notified us that they had concerns about the deposit disposition, we requested them to mail the letter certified to ensure that we receive it - we received their letter dated May 20, we responded to their letter on May 28, We sent them a response letter, a color copy of the entire move out inspection along with a copies of the contractors invoice The lease and the move out instructions clearly state the property must be cleaned, the lease does not require the tenants to use a power washer but some type of cleaning is required - the photos clearly show that the porch area was left in very dirty condition, we had our contractor clean the area with a power washer The tenants were only charged for part of the contractors bill as the rest of the repairs were charged to the owners The other concern was regarding the sprinkler system, the sprinkler system was turned off, the sprinkler systems are installed for the benefit of the tenants to comply with the water requirements in the lease We sent the sprinkler system company to check the system and they found the battery in the system was dead and needed to be replaced, once the battery was replaced the heads were checked and the sprinkler heads that were broken were repaired at the charge to the tenant We will be glad to have another member of our team review their file again based upon this request

Revdex.com - we received the complaint form Mr ***, and sent a response letter on August 31, detailing that the lease requires carpet cleaning as part of the move out process The tenant was reminded on several occasions of the carpet cleaning requirement, I hope this
answers the questions in the complaint letter

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:The outlet cover I was charged for was missing at move in and never there the entire time we lived in that house. This was noted in before pictures that were sent to the property manager. Also this was shown in Northwest Real Estates Move In Inspection sheet as well the pictures that were posted on the online ad for the house by Northwest Real Estate. We obviously return a house the way we received it. And we are not going to pay for something that was not there to begin with. You are basically charging me for something so that a new tenant could have. I think its ridiculous and after reading numerous reviews I feel that you felt like you had to charge us for something. And that you are unable to admit wrong doing or fault. This is unprofessional and bad business practices. We have recommended Northwest to several people in the past and will no longer be doing so nor will we give a good review. I am upset that you have treated us in such a manner and taken advantage of the fact that you had our money and could decide whether we get it back or not. I am disappointed in your lack of knowledge regarding the move in condition of the house and your unwillingness to see that you're wrong and that you are stealing our money. If we were responsible for an outlet cover or any damage for that matter we would pay for it and would have noted it at move out.  I understand that it is a very small fraction of the deposit you withheld but the fact that you are charging us for something that we did not damage makes me furious because I feel like you have stole from us and well as taken advantage of us. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:I will outline my complaint -1. We received a check along with a letter showing deductions.  At the bottom of the letter it states "If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at [redacted]2.  I called [redacted] and asked my questions regarding the breakdown of the deductions, which were listed together in 2 clumps.  I was then told I needed to email my concerns instead. (This felt like the first brush off considering that I had followed the instructions on the letter).3.  The following email thread took place: [Email to NWRE][redacted],There are charges on the letter we received that I have questions about.Haul off couch - no questionHaul off trash - we were very careful to remove all the trash. Do you have photographs of what you hauled off?Remove vines from house - are vines supposed to be considered "shrubs"?  The move out checklist does not specify "vines".Power wash front sidewalk - The move out checklist does not tell us to power wash the sidewalk it states "Walkways , driveways, and patios swept clean"  Highlight swept.  There was nothing on the sidewalk to power wash.  We only parked our vehicles in the garage through the duration of the lease and our lease contract states "When the lease ends, Tenant will surrender the Property in the same condition as when received, normal wear and tear expected."  Highlight normal wear and tear expected.  Please provide photographs of what needed to be power washed on the sidewalk or do not deduct this amount from our deposit.Sprinkler system turned off by tenants - there is not any part in our lease agreement nor the move out checklist that specifies instructions for the sprinkler system.  We should not be penalized for this.Unit inspected and adjusted - this is very vague, what exactly are we being charged for? Someone to look at the property?  What adjustments were made?  Do you have an invoice or breakdown for this?  We paid someone to professionally clean the house separate from paying the carpet cleaning company to steam clean the carpets.I am not cashing the check until these issues are resolved to our satisfaction.[1st reply from [redacted]]Received.  I will submit your email below to my Broker.  Please let me know if I may be of further assistance.[2nd reply from [redacted]]I talked to my Broker this morning.  We are changing the procedures for the Deposit Disputes.  If you would like to dispute the Deposit Disposition, then you will need to send us a certified letter itemizing what you are disputing.  This letter needs to be sent to our office address, our address is in my signature line below.(This felt like the 2nd brush off but I sent the certified letter and  have included it as an attachment for your review.)We received a certified letter in response in which the person responding signed their name but did not include their printed name or title.  The misspellings and run on sentences in this letter felt very unprofessional to start.  I took the time to put my concerns in letter form.  Moreover that concern was the paragraph that began "You [letter stated 'you' not 'your'] letter references the yard being cut and edged at move out ".  No where in my letter did I mention anything about the yard or yard being cut or yard being edged.  Did you even read my letter or did you skim over it?  This was the 3rd brush off and the most insulting.  My question still remains about the sprinkler.  The sprinkler plugged into a power outlet.  Where does a battery come into play?  We would use the sprinkler regularly.  We never once had an issue with it not turning on.  I feel I have already stated this but I will state it again -  My biggest issue is the unprofessional way in which my concerns have been handled.Also, in the business' reply where they state they did not charge us the full amount of the bill:Bill $710Deducted from our deposit $635So $75 was "paid by the owner."  And the invoice they attached is still not a broken down invoice so I am unsure as to how they determined that amount.  Invoice is an email sent from a [redacted] in which he lists what he did and then put a number on it.One last thing - We own a power washer.  Had you specified this we would have power washed the outline under the welcome mat that you classified as very dirty.  Regards,
[redacted]
I am including the other tenant [redacted] [redacted] via CC.

Thank you for sending your concerns in writing. I reviewed the file personally and provided photos, invoices and a response explanation letter regarding your concerns.  The property management team sends out multiple communications to tenants regarding the move out condition expected for the return of rental properties.  Your letter is correct that the move out inspection does not require the use of a power washer. However the expectation is that the exterior will be cleaned, in the move out photos the exterior was not clean, if the contractor used a power washer or scrubbed with a broom, either way the contractor charges for the services provided, when a contractor charges for move out items that are tenant related  these are charged back to the tenant.    We do not create or mandate the invoice types used by our contractors, our contractors work independently and are not our employees.  When we inspected the sprinkler system it was not working at all, the sprinkler system is expected to be used by tenants during occupancy and returned to landlord in working condition. Please note the sprinkler system has both a power outlet and a battery inside of the clock.  When the battery was replaced and the sprinkler heads tested there were broken sprinkler heads which were charged back to the tenants.  If the sprinkler system would have been operational and testing was able to be done during the move out inspection, the broken sprinkler heads would have still been a tenant charge.  I apologize that you feel you were given the brush off by our company, that was never our intention,  we want to communicate with tenants to address concerns in as much detail as possible.  We also work very hard to make sure all tenants are aware of the expectations regarding the move out inspection process.  We take lots and lots of color photos (which were provided) and we try very hard to balance the fair wear and tear on a property with the  expectations of our owners to return their property to them in the condition it was provided.  It is never our intention to upset any of our tenants and I apologize that I did not clearly type my name below the signature block on the letter that was sent to you.  We have also instituted a 2nd review process for all letters on deposit disputes to have another management member review them before they are sent out.   I appreciate your honest feedback and have adjusted our letter for future tenants based upon this feedback and our goal to continually improve. [redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:It does not answer the questions in my complaint. I moved out of the house on Sunday August 9, 2015. I turned the house keys over to Nirthwest Real Estate on the evening o August 10, 2015 at about 4:00 pm. Actually I paid rent up to August 10, 015. The new owners moved in to the house on Tuesday morning of August 11, 2015. I throughly cleaned the entire house and completed the cleaning on August 10, 2015. I have video and still photos to prove the condition of the house. If the owners moved in on Tuesdayand I had the house up until Monday afternoon - when did Northwest real estate had the carpet cleaned? I have ask for the invoice of the company that Northwest real estate claimed cleaned the hous and it has not been forth coming, even while Northwest has asked me for proof of cleaning. I want my $250.00 returned and if the Revdex.com cannot resolved this matter to my satisfaction, I will file a complaint with the Texas State Attorney General as well as the Department of Consumer Protection. My opinion is that Northwest never intended to return my entire Security Deposit although I lived at that Address for over 2 Years. There action is unethical and gouging. I wish to thank the Revdex.com for undertaking to resolve this matter. Again, I am NOT accepting Nortwest RealEstate claims.Septembet 26, 2015.
Regards,
[redacted]

Thank you for the letter, the tenants lease required the carpets to be cleaned at move out and a receipt provided.  The tenant did not comply with his lease, as per our standard operating procedure on every file, if the tenants do not clean the carpets at move our with either have the carpets cleaned or we use an estimated amount of carpet cleaning charges to be compensated to the owner. The funds were provided to the owner,  Northwest Real Estate does not maintain any funds on this account.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: I do not agree....I have a record of over twenty seven showing of reference house by the realtors and contractors inspection scheduled by the owners - This house viewing activity went on foe over 6 months with any number of foot traffic by the realtors and the owners as well as contractors. if my security deposit is not fully repaid, I will file a complaint with the Texas State Attorney General, the US Department of Consumer Protection, as well as  file a small claims court hearing.
Regards,
[redacted]

Unfortunately, this tenant was misinformed about the purpose of the security deposit and were upset when we held them financially responsible for damages and repairs that they caused upon vacating the property.  Per Texas Property Code and signed residential lease, we withheld  $2,162 to...

repair the areas that the tenant was responsible for.  These charges were itemized (see attachment) and were sent to the tenants along with the Move-Out Inspection (See attachment) that we had performed.  We even went so far as to host a 2-hour long meeting with the tenants in our office going over each item (individually) that they disputed.  After our meeting we realized that we did (in fact) make an error and charged them for replacing a mini-blind ($125).    We realized our minor mistake and were willing to reimburse for the mini-blind, but the tenants did not agree and still demanded full refund.  In addition to this security deposit dispute, we also discussed the building and installation of a large wooden deck (by these past tenants) without owner’s permission.  The owner has since received multiple bids (averaging close to $2,000) to properly remove the deck, dispose of the debris, replace the sod, and place the property to its’ original condition.  The owner is planning on doing this work in the future during a potential vacancy as to not disturb the current tenants.      After a couple of months, countless hours of phone conversations, reading and responding to emails, and meeting in person to discuss these issues with both the owner and tenant, the owner has decided to refund an additional $750 to the tenants as a gesture of “good-will” in addition to the $125.  The tenant has not agreed to this and we are at a stand-still.    We are NOT in the business to “steal” any funds and we take the accounting (Tenant’s Security Deposit) responsibility very seriously.  We diligently follow industry-standard procedures for our Move-Out Processes to charge tenants for items that they are responsible for.     We are also not responsible for the charges that a 3rd-party produces to provide make-ready and repair services.   Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to present our side of this issue and we are looking forward to an amicable agreement with the past tenants ([redacted]).     And please let us know if there is anything else that we need to share.   Again, thank you.   Please Click Here to access the Information About Brokerage Services form that I am required to all new prospects by Texas law.   [redacted]   [redacted] Broker-Owner Copernicus Realty, LLC and Northwest Real Estate, LLC USAFA 94 / USAF Retired C: ###-###-#### O: ###-###-####