Daleville Town Center

My husband sent in an application online & was charged a $175 fee. Within the next day or so, he received a phone call to set up a time to come by to bring proof of income & discuss a move in date. He had a patstub from his job that he gave them to get a copy of & informed them that he was disabled through the VA & had that income as well. All we were told was that we should get a copy of that to them for income as well bc he was required to make 3 times the monthly rent. He emailed that information to them & still nothing more was said about any further requirements. It was made to sound as if everything was fine. We were even told that the apartment had our name on it so no one could rent it out from under us, so we stopped looking.

Finally we get a phone call stating that we were denied. Something about him supposedly owing money to another apartment complex that had been paid off for years now. Not sure I believe them, considering we went somewhere else very similar in price, apartment size (bigger actually), & amenities & we were approved within 5 minutes. Not to mention this place waived the application fee for him being a Veteran.

I simply don't understand why a fee was charged for him to basically just submit our information online. Especially when the papers we were given stated that application fee was $50/person (over 18...so our 13mo daughter wouldn't count).

Review: On July 28, 2016, I received an email questioning whether I was going to provide a 60 day notice before moving out of my rental unit. I immediately responded to the email that I had been told that I would be required to sign another lease if I chose to remain in my apartment , so I would be vacating my apartment prior to the end of my lease. My apartment was relinquished on 8/8/16. [redacted] stated she would send me a confirmation email that day. She also stated the walk-through on the apartment would be completed on 8/9/16. I received no correspondence until 8/11 when I received an email stating that my account was being turned over to an attorney and I would be charge approximately $400. 00 in attorney fees. I replied to the email and called DTC on 8/12. I also reviewed the lease which did not reflect what I had been verbally told. The lease did state that the lease would go into a month to month lease if another lease was not signed even though I had specifically asked about a month to month and was told that I had to sign a minimum of a 6 month lease if I wanted to remain in the apartment. I understand I am bound to the signed lease. When I spoke with [redacted] on 8/12, she stated that the walk-through had not been performed and that although I had relinquished the apartment on 8/8/16, that DTC would not attempt to secure another tenant for the apartment until the end of the lease on 9/28/16. When I mentioned that the walkthrough had not occurred when I was told and that I was told I would have a confirmation email by 8/9, Ms. [redacted] stated she would do the walkthrough that day. When I said I thought it was supposed to occur within 72 hours, Ms. [redacted] immediately stated that the walkthrough had been completed. When I questioned the inconsistencies of her statements, she stated "someone did the walkthrough but it wasn't me." When I stated I thought that a reasonable attempt was supposed to be made to find another tenant, she was adamant that she could not seek another tenant before 9/28/16. I received an email on 8/13/16 asking when I was going to pay the remainder of the the rent on my lease--dated through 8/14/16. I replied asking for a statement including the amount of the rent through 8/14/16, and today, 8/15/16, I received an email stating that I needed to pay the full amount for August and she would not provide the amount to pay through 8/14/16. When I responded once again that an authentic effort was supposed to be made to find another tenant, Ms. [redacted] responded in her email that DTC has been trying to find a tenant for my apartment since 7/28/16--stark contrast to what she told me her plans were for the apartment on 8/12/16. DTC's business methods are unethical. When applying for the apartment originally, I was given a move-in date on 8/15 and was emailed on 7/20 and told that I would have to change my move in date 8/4 or I would lose the apartment. Everything became very sloppy at that point, as is evidence by the failure of DTC to update the end of lease date to 8/3 instead of 8/14. The misrepresentations for both what was in the lease as well as Ms. [redacted] admitting non-compliance to VA. Code Ann. 55-248.33, 55-248.35 is unethical as well as illegal. If this cannot be resolved, I plan advertise to other former tenants to assess the extent of their unethical practices.Desired Settlement: My desired outcome is to be billed for the remainder of my lease period, through 8/14/16. Ms. [redacted] stated no attempt was going to be made to rent the apartment when she spoke to me on 8/12 and today, 8/15, stated that she had been attempting to rent the until since 7/28. DTC's practices are unethical and should void the automatic month to month renewal of the lease. Leases should not be a "gotcha" contrasting written and verbal information, forcing tenants to pay for rental units they are not living in. My impeccable rental record should be evidence that I followed my lease in good faith.

Business

Response:

This is regarding the complaint that was submitted 8/15/16 ID 11634342. The resident moved into her apartment on 8/4/15. On that day she signed a lease that stated on page 1 of 7, paragraph #3 “Lease term that states the resident gives at least a 60 day written notice of termination or intent to move out as required by paragraph 37.” The resident lease expired on 8/14/16, she gave notice on 7/28/16 that she would not be renewing. A 60 day notice from that email would have been a move out date of 9/27/16. She turned in keys on 8/8/16 which is only a 12 day notice to vacate. Attached is a copy of the lease she signed, the renewal letter and the email from her stating that she would not be renewing. Other residents that have moved from here have had no issue with the lease they signed. If you have any questions, please call us, thanks.[redacted] | Community Director | Daleville Town Center Matrix Residential | [redacted] | [redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.I do not contest that I signed the lease and even though a different message was communicated orally, the written lease is what it is. The only other communication I received was the email, which you can see I responded to immediately. What I am contesting is that I have asked for an amount to pay through the end of my lease and Ms. [redacted] will not provide that amount. She also failed to respond to the fact that she adamantly stated (and I made her repeat and clarify) that she would not attempt to rent out the apartment until after she had charged me the fullest amount of lease that she possibly could (9/28) even though the apartment is vacant. (Ms. [redacted] previously told me that an apartment could not remain vacant for more than two weeks even if a tenant moved out early, forcing me to sign the lease nearly two weeks earlier than what we had previously agreed to. This was not two weeks from the end of someone's lease--but two weeks from when it was vacated.) She then unethically followed up the statement that she would not attempt to find another renter with an email stating she had attempted to find another tenant starting 7/28/16--so that once again the written statement did not align with her verbal statement. I understand that she is under no obligation to make finding another tenant her top priority--but to state that her intention is to ignore Virginia law in order to force me to pay for an apartment I'm not living in, and then to send out a written statement that she has been trying to find a tenant is unethical and is the type of business practice all future tenants need to be made aware of when considering Daleville Town Center. I paid my rent on time the entire time I have been with Daleville Town Center and when I received the email about the 60 day notice, I responded immediately. Ms. [redacted] did not acknowledge my response and has handled every communication so far in an unprofessional manner with threats and lies. (Typical of the communication sent out to tenants while I lived there-- for example, emails were sent out threatening that a $50 fine would be billed to the renters if the renter left their trashcan out by their door beyond the two hour window when trash was being collected; her first communication to me regarding the 60 days was to state that she was going to turn my account over to an attorney the next day.) If she had been willing to have an open dialogue, my only request was that an attempt be made to rent the unit I was no longer living in. She should be held accountable for her statement that she would not comply with Virginia law; she also should be held accountable for refusing to give a "pay-off" amount to the original lease while referring the renter to an attorney and collections when the amount due was less than two weeks overdue. The fact that most renters do not feel they have the ability to hold their lease holder accountable for misrepresentations and unethical behavior does not mean that previous renters are pleased with their treatment.

Regards,

Review: My husband [redacted] and I [redacted] had gone in to rent an apartment at Daleville town center. We had expressed that our credit was not perfect and they said as long as we made 3 times the amount of rent we would be fine, we did and then some. We filled out the application and put 350.00 dollars down. 50.00 was not refundable but 300.00 was.they waited a week to email us to tell us we were not approved. I called to let them know I would be coming by to pick up our 300.00 the next morning so we could find a different place. [redacted] informed me she had deposited my money and I would not receive it for 3 weeks.. I asked why was it deposited before we were approved considering it was a deposit for the apartment. She would not give me an answer. Then very rudely told me the reason we did not get approved was because of our credit. I told her we had explained that in the beginning that we were getting back on track from me being on bed rest during my pregnancy and it had not been a problem. If we had known we never would have applied. We still have not received the check. Which was due at the latest 06/06/14. When I asked for a corporate number none was given. I have asked several times on who to contact for returned funds.. I was then emailed thay they have 45 days to return my 300.00. It was expressed very nicely via email and phone thay that amount of money is not pocket change and getting into a new place relies on it..Desired Settlement: I would like our 300.00 sent immediately. .

Business

Response:

A check was cut on 6/9/14 and the check # was 5018, if you need anything else please let me know.

Property Manager

Daleville, Va 24083

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Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.A check was cut.. but it was for 200.00 dollars not 300.00.. I want the remaining 100.00 dollars sent to me.

Business

Response:

Found a copy of the check for $300. Corporate office cut another check for the remaining $100.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

Regards,

Review: I have a complaint about over 6 weeks with the Daleville Town Center. They have poor, slow response. I am supposed to get a refund back due to not being qualified for the apt. It has been over six weeks and I call and get not answer as to when the refund will be sent. Their corporate office in Richmond NEVER returns a call and the office in Dalevilie is slow or does not return a calls. Please get them know to return my call.Desired Settlement: I want my money.

Business

Response:

His deposit was mailed back to him on 7-16-14