Campus Side Apartments

To Whom It May Concern,I would like to respond regrading the letter of complaint.I regret that [redacted] feels the way he does about the lease experienceI am also surprised by his position, as my working relationship with the tenants on the lease was positive and amicable, even during the maintenance issue described below I was in direct contact with the tenants since they initially contacted me about the issueWe immediately responded to the tenants complaintsI remained in continuous contact by text and email and phone with the girls and replied to texts after hours if needed to respond to and monitor the maintenance request through the entire process and after it was resolvedWe had two separate hvac contractors troubleshoot the furnace after the initial inspection from our handyman to inspect for and resolve possible simple issuesWe first send our regular maintenance person to determine the issue because often times it is a simple solution, such as replacing a thermostat or showing the resident how to operate the thermostat, a filter change, or a switch not turned on, etcIn this case, It was unusual as the furnace would operate intermittently so it would would operate normally when inspected or after a repair attempt and then stop working later so it took several attempts to chase down the problemThe tenants reported it was working after a maintenance follow up but then later would report the issue reoccurredThey had heat but the furnace would short cycle so the temperature would not reach the desired 70-degrees and they reported it would maintain around the low 60's when the furnace wasn't operating properly I spoke with [redacted] after he sent an email around the time we learned the furnace issue was intermittent and not resolvedHe requested that I provide and let them use electric space heaters to provide alternative heat while we resolve the issuePlease note that we have a lease directly with the college aged tenants and parents are not co signorsWe directly speak to the tenants for maintenance or other lease related issuesWe encourage and remind our tenants to keep their parents informed and updated of any issues or concernsWe also correspond with parents who engage with us as well with consent from the tenant on the lease agreementThe use of electric heaters are not permitted in the lease because the electricity is in the Landlord's name and included in the rentThe residents are to only use the gas furnace for a heat source to avoid running up a high electricity bill It was not an unsafe condition to use electric space heatersThe electric wiring and components are modern and capable of running those devices They had brand new space heaters provided to them shortly after we realized the problem was intermittentThey did not live in freezing temperatures for months as the complaint implies Part of the reason the issue was not resolved from the first maintenance call to the successful completion of the maintenance issue was the residents continued use of the electric heaters after the initial repair attempts It actually delayed the trouble shooting process because it disguised the intermittent problem as the tenants reported they had consistent heat after the first HVAC contractor visitWhen my maintenance contractor reported they were still using the electric space heaters when he arrived to pick them up, I had followed up again to make sure the furnace was heating the apt properly without the electric heaters running After running the furnace only, we discovered it was still intermittently workingThe contractors had a difficult time troubleshooting and I spent a fortune on replacing various parts and labor and eventually put in a new systemDuring that time they had adequate heat in the apartmentThey continually kept the heat on high temperatures of 78-degrees after being asked to keep the temperature at degrees max per their lease agreementMyself and my maintenance people would break into a sweat whenever we entered the unit to work on a maintenance callI didnt charge for excessive electric bills due to the inconvenience with the heat issue We take pride in resolving maintenance requests quickly and understand how frustrating an ongoing maintenance issue can be for a resident We were very concerned and were focused on resolving the issueThroughout the process the residents were helpful and supportiveThere was no indication of hard feelings or sentiment that we did not care about them or that we were neglecting their needs They stayed positive and said they were comfortable with the space heaters as we all endured the frustration of unsuccessful HVAC service calls When the HVAC was finally resolved, the residents were happy and so was I They were understanding of the process we went through and we were all relieved that it was resolved Regarding move out cleaning and repair charges:We spend a great deal of time and energy thoroughly inspecting apartment units prior to move in and document and have the resident sign off during their move in inspection We provide detailed cleaning upon move in and record property condition of the interior space and furniture When we received the correspondence from [redacted] , we have reviewed the settlement statement charges for accuracyIt was correct, accurate, and fairWe charged for damages and cleaning per the lease agreement.The cleaning charges were charge per flat fee stated in the lease agreement for detailed cleaning and carpet cleaningWe instruct our residents to leave the apartment empty of personal belongings and we will have the apartment professionally cleaned and detailed for the flat rate in the lease agreementThis year, we charged less than the flat fee for apartments that were delivered back to us in moderately clean condition, including this apartment Each tenant was only charged $each out of the $flat fee.The damages were straightforward:The charges were based on real damageAny maintenance and repair related tasks or inspections related to wear and tear are not charged against security depositsThe residents had painted a wall section black and had a hole punched in it during the yearThat was patched during the year and primed and painted with two coats to cover the black paint during the apartment turn over for $total ($per resident) The carpet that was installed just prior to their move in was stained with a red substance near the tv in the living room and the section had to be replaced after steam cleaning was unsuccessfulThat charge was for replacing a section of the room to keep costs down for $total ($per resident)In the bedroom of [redacted] 's daughter, the bed cover was damaged and had to be replaced ($30)In addition, there was dried in food/soda residue on the side of the bed cover, the adjacent wall and the carpet below them that had to be removed or scrubbed out of the surfaces that could not be replacedSome wall sections had several paint tears from pulling adhesive fasteners off the walls during move out or during the lease termPatch and paint for the wall sections was $I hope this letter brings perspective and clarity to this issue.Thank You for Your Time, Paul W***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear belowRegarding the flood issue, we did not offer to go to the store to clean up, but were told via phone call that no one could get to us to help with the situationNaturally, we did go to the store to get supplies as there weren’t many alternatives to remedy the situationWe had to so that all of our goods and home wouldn’t be damaged beyond repairDespite this many of our personal affects were destroyedMy partner and I had to call out of work to deal with said problem, and because it was a holiday weekend we were both let go for doing soThis flooding caused both of us to be without jobs for two months and to lose approximately four thousand dollars in combined wagesThe three hundred dollars that was provided in compensation was credited to payment for our rent and truly in no way covers the loses we have endured from this eventWe were attempting to be amicable with our property manager because we were in a pretty vulnerable position after paying a security deposit and first months rent to move and then very soon after losing our jobs as a result of the flooding Regarding the national grid meter, we were initially told that we wouldn’t have to switch it to our names for “a while” because of the flooding incidentSeveral months after we received in mail addressed to *** that we promptly gave to our property managerShe informed us that the mail was warning notices about shutting off our power because of back payShe asked if we had ever switched the gas and electric into our name but we reminded her that we were told it’d be taken care of at a later date due to the flooding incidentWe were then forced to take the electricity and gas into our names because it was posed in a way that lead us to believe they were going to let our power be turned offNot only that but were told then that we’d have to pay backpay to *** for the time we hadn’t had the account in our nameOnce the account was in our name we started to realize that bill was extremely higher than any estimation we did in regards to usageWe called national grid for insight or advice as to how to find out what the high bills could be coming from and they told us to check our breaker box to see if perhaps there were things drawing power we weren’t aware ofThis is when we discovered that several common space utilities were on our breaker and being charged to our accountThose utilities include the washer and dryer (that are used by all tenants in the house: 10~) as well as several switches labeled with things including “garage”We filed a claim with them to try and correct that as well as contact *** to try and agree on how to move forwardI understand oversights happen, but they’ve since admitted that the owner had knowledge of this and had deals with previous tenants in regards to the common space utilities on that breaker boxWe had no such knowledgeWe in no way rejected their offer, but instead were still trying to figure out a solution via email which they didn’t respond toInstead we received a text message stating that the owner of the home was going to take the utilities back into his nameWe were not threatening with the national grid complaint, but stating that we felt it needed to be there due to our issues of clarity with ***We said we would drop the claim if they allowed us to leave so that they could have the apartment properly and legally usable for a future tenant Regarding the neighbors, they are one of our absolute smallest concerns and to say otherwise cannot be substantiatedYes, they are disrespectful neighbors, but they are not a motivation for wanting to finish our leaseOur prior living situation was above a music venue so we’ve learned to make the best of thingsOur property manager has even indicated that she knows how difficult they are Regarding subletting, we would not in good conscious be able to recommend that someone rents from this company
Regards,
*** ***

Hello, Regarding the flood issue The unit was equipped with a sump pump in the exterior stairwell landing During an historical rain event on Memorial day weekend on Friday night the float was jammed and did not allow the sump to function The tenants reported this to
us Friday evening They explained what happened to the manager and since it was memorial day weekend with our maintenance personal and the manager out of town, they offered to go to the store and purchase some items to clean up the water The receipts added up to about $We reimbursed them $to compensate them for the inconvenience in addition to the costs They seemed grateful and satisfied with our gesture at the time We also paid for a second back up sump pump and had it installed within a couple weeks of the event. Regarding the national grid meter The gas meter is completely dedicated to their unit The electric meter for their unit also provides electricity for the laundry machines and basement lights We normally have it disclosed in the lease and discount the common utilities portion of the lease or have the electric meter in our name and increase the rent to include electricityThe energy use on the meter outside of their unit use for electricity is about $3-a month This was an oversight during this lease signing and we offered to discount the lease by $to more than compensate and they rejected that offer They explained to us they really want to move because they have issues with the neighbors We weren't aware of the neighbor issues until that conversation and have since made efforts to communicate with the neighbors to address their behavior issuesThey continued to attempt to threaten us with the national grid bill complaint to national grid if we wouldn't let them out of their lease so we just put the electric in our name We have asked for copies of the utility bills as well to be able to understand their issue They may have had a balance forward that made their total bill appear large for this month for example They refused to provide us the utility bill. We explained they can sublet their apartment if they do not wish to live thereWe have met our obligations as the landlord and have made every effort to accommodate and resolve any issues raised promptly Up until recently, we have had no indication from them that they were unsatisfied or that any issues brought to our attention were not resolved Their real motivations for wanting to move was disclosed to the manager They will not be released from the lease just because don't like their neighbors or want to live in a friends place instead

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]I'm sorry but he put my friends and I through a tough ordeal in the winterI think the right thing to do would be to give me my security deposit back, especially since we left the place in good shape after we leftOnce again, he didn't try to bring in a licensed heating company to fix the problem right awayHe also is not telling the truth in his response about how we left the place when we moved outIf you check with other tenants I'm sure you'll find out he tries to cheat others out of their security deposits tooPlease give me my back that I deserveAlso my friends should get their deposits back too.
Regards,
*** ***

To Whom It May Concern,I would like to respond regrading the letter of complaint.I regret that [redacted] feels the way he does about the lease experience. I am also surprised by his position, as my working relationship with the tenants on the lease was positive and amicable, even during the...

maintenance issue described below.  I was in direct contact with the tenants since they initially contacted me about the issue. We immediately responded to the tenants complaints. I remained in continuous contact by text and email and phone with the girls and replied to texts after hours if needed to respond to and monitor the maintenance request through the entire process and after it was resolved. We had two separate hvac contractors troubleshoot the furnace after the initial inspection from our handyman to inspect for and resolve possible simple issues. We first send our regular maintenance person to determine the issue because often times it is a simple solution, such as replacing a thermostat or showing the resident how to operate the thermostat, a filter change, or a switch not turned on, etc. In this case, It was unusual as the furnace would operate intermittently so it would would operate normally when inspected or after a repair attempt and then stop working later so it took several attempts to chase down the problem. The tenants reported it was working after a maintenance follow up but then later would report the issue reoccurred. They had heat but the furnace would short cycle so the temperature would not reach the desired 70-72 degrees and they reported it would maintain around the low 60's when the furnace wasn't operating properly.  I spoke with [redacted] after he sent an email around the time we learned the furnace issue was intermittent and not resolved. He requested that I provide and let them use electric space heaters to provide alternative heat while we resolve the issue. Please note that we have a lease directly with the college aged tenants and parents are not co signors. We directly speak to the tenants for maintenance or other lease related issues. We encourage and remind our tenants to keep their parents informed and updated of any issues or concerns. We also correspond with parents who engage with us as well with consent from the tenant on the lease agreement. The use of electric heaters are not permitted in the lease because the electricity is in the Landlord's name and included in the rent. The residents are to only use the gas furnace for a heat source to avoid running up a high electricity bill.  It was not an unsafe condition to use electric space heaters. The electric wiring and components are modern and capable of running those devices.  They had brand new space heaters provided to them shortly after we realized the problem was intermittent. They did not live in freezing temperatures for months as the complaint implies.  Part of the reason the issue was not resolved from the first maintenance call to the successful completion of the maintenance issue was the residents continued use of the electric heaters after the initial repair attempts.  It actually delayed the trouble shooting process because it disguised the intermittent problem as the tenants reported they had consistent heat after the first HVAC contractor visit. When my maintenance contractor reported they were still using the electric space heaters when he arrived to pick them up, I had followed up again to make sure the furnace was heating the apt properly without the electric heaters running.  After running the furnace only, we discovered it was still intermittently working. The contractors had a difficult time troubleshooting and I spent a fortune on replacing various parts and labor and eventually put in a new system. During that time they had adequate heat in the apartment. They continually kept the heat on high temperatures of 78-80 degrees after being asked to keep the temperature at 72 degrees max per their lease agreement. Myself and my maintenance people would break into a sweat whenever we entered the unit to work on a maintenance call. I didnt charge for excessive electric bills due to the inconvenience with the heat issue.  We take pride in resolving maintenance requests quickly and understand how frustrating an ongoing maintenance issue can be for a resident.  We were very concerned and were focused on resolving the issue. Throughout the process the residents were helpful and supportive. There was no indication of hard feelings or sentiment that we did not care about them or that we were neglecting their needs.  They stayed positive and said they were comfortable with the space heaters as we all endured the frustration of unsuccessful HVAC service calls.  When the HVAC was finally resolved, the residents were happy and so was I.  They were understanding of the process we went through and we were all relieved that it was resolved.  Regarding move out cleaning and repair charges:We spend a great deal of time and energy thoroughly inspecting apartment units prior to move in and document and have the resident sign off during their move in inspection.  We provide detailed cleaning upon move in and record property condition of the interior space and furniture.   When we received the correspondence from [redacted], we have reviewed the settlement statement charges for accuracy. It was correct, accurate, and fair. We charged for damages and cleaning per the lease agreement.The cleaning charges were charge per flat fee stated in the lease agreement for detailed cleaning and carpet cleaning. We instruct our residents to leave the apartment empty of personal belongings and we will have the apartment professionally cleaned and detailed for the flat rate in the lease agreement. This year, we charged less than the flat fee for apartments that were delivered back to us in moderately clean condition, including this apartment.  Each tenant was only charged $40 each out of the $65 flat fee.The damages were straightforward:The charges were based on real damage. Any maintenance and repair related tasks or inspections related to wear and tear are not charged against security deposits. The residents had painted a wall section black and had a hole punched in it during the year. That was patched during the year and primed and painted with two coats to cover the black paint during the apartment turn over for $75 total ($25 per resident).  The carpet that was installed just prior to their move in was stained with a red substance near the tv in the living room and the section had to be replaced after steam cleaning was unsuccessful. That charge was for replacing a section of the room to keep costs down for $300 total ($100 per resident). In the bedroom of [redacted]'s daughter, the bed cover was damaged and had to be replaced ($30). In addition, there was dried in food/soda residue on the side of the bed cover, the adjacent wall and the carpet below them that had to be removed or scrubbed out of the surfaces that could not be replaced. Some wall sections had several paint tears from pulling adhesive fasteners off the walls during move out or during the lease term. Patch and paint for the wall sections was $75. I hope this letter brings perspective and clarity to this issue.Thank You for Your Time, Paul W[redacted]