I received the dispute letter regarding the property at [redacted] This is in regard to a roommate change on the lease Our policy when doing a roommate all money has to be received from the in-coming and the lease signed and everything completed on them before any money can be released I understand that they have been calling for several months about this and it was explained each time that everything had not been completed I have checked with the bookkeeper after reviewing the entire file and as of January all the paper work had been completed The money that we had been waiting on was not received until the end of November and guarantor form received in January to complete this lease We will have the checks available by next Friday February 13th to be mailed or picked up in our office by both tenants I do apologize that this response has taken so long to be sent to you By copy of this letter by email to the [redacted] I am asking that she please contact the office to let me know if they would like to stop by the office next Friday to pick up the checks or if they wish to have them mailed I do have a mailing address for [redacted] , however, I do not have a forwarding address or phone number for [redacted] to notify her of this [redacted] , I do apologize that you have not received the money before now or given correct information in our office Looking at the ledger you spoke with *** most of the time and she is no longer employed with our office so I had to discuss with several other employees and our bookkeeper to get the correct information before contacting you Again if you could please call the office and speak with me on how you wish to receive the money next week Thanking you both in advance,Thank you.Sincerely, [redacted] ***cc: [redacted] by email
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 Pulling weeds does not cost $and I personally viewed an entire landscaping team mowing and trimming about a week after my move-out day (the day that my hired gardeners completed the landscaping)I believe that Townside simply wanted the yard mowed again and to charge me for the serviceI firmly request to be refunded for the full $charged In addition, Townside stated that they do not prey on college studentsThey may not think so, but many points in their standard leas agreement are unethical, unfair, or predatoryI firmly request that Townside evaluate the following points in it's contract (page numbers as marked in my personal lease agreement) On Page 1, agreement states that tenant must pay a 10% late fee of the total rent if rent is not received by the fifth of the monthIn this case, even if rent is mistakenly short by $5, tenant must pay a fee many times that amountI find this unethicalIt's exactly what happened to meI did not catch my rent check going out the month that my rent went up, and Townside charged me a fee that was more than the rent discrepancy On Page 2, agreement states that Townside will perform various services upon move-out (carpet cleaning, fumigation, etc.) and charge the deposit whether the home needs it or not and whether the tenant already has this done or notTenant has no say in how his/her deposit money is spent or into the vendors chosenThis is a serious conflict of interest On Page 2, agreement states that no undergraduate students are allowed to occupy the homeIs this even legal? It seems discriminatory Page 3, agreement states that property manager may enter residence at any time to repair, inspect, show the property, etcOn several occasions, my wife came home to find notes on the kitchen counter that work was performed, the front door unlocked, cigarette butts on the porch, etcTenants should have more respect and protection than this agreement provides On Page 3, agreement states that renewal notifications are sent in November with an answer required in December to renew the leaseIn our case, we moved in at the end of October and were immediately told we needed to renew by the end of the yearI understand Blacksburg is a college town, but that is ridiculous On Page of Least Addendum A, lessee is expected to agree to be bound by the "Housing Information Booklet" which is described as "part of this lease." However, at no time prior was I provided with said bookletIt was instead attached to the agreement as tiny, 2-inch tall screenshots that were (literally) impossible to read On Page of Least Addendum A,point states that all disputes must be submitted in writingThis was problematicI received no responses to my written disputes until I badgered Townside and went to the Revdex.comIn addition, never being able to have a conversation means never truly being able to understand whether Townside is being honest or not On Page of the Standard Vacating Checklist, it states that to be present at the vacating inspection, you must make a request in writing at least days priorThe truth is that Townside does not want anyone at this inspection, which is why they set the 30-day requirementpeople with busy lives don't review the vacating checklist more than days prior to moving outThis needs to be adjusted to be more reasonableThe person conducting the move-out inspection is the person deciding what to do with the lessee's deposit moneyIt is unethical to not provide an easy way for the lessee to attend that inspection I will consider this matter closed when the above points are reviewed, adjusted to be more fair and balanced, and I receive written proof of such action Regards, [redacted]
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, 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,
*** ***
I am in receipt of the second letter that has been sent to your office As stated in the previous letter the charges against the security deposit are beyond wear and tear and thus the reason *** *** and *** *** have been charged The lease for the tenants ran from 07/23/to 07/22/ I have attached a copy of the mopictures that were taken the day before the lease started you will find those pictures attached and dated with the date of 7-22-and also the time of day those pictures were taken I have attached a copy of the pictures of the unit dated 7-23-and time of day those pictures were taken You will see that pictures were taken the day before the lease started and the day after the lease ended to prove documentation of the property of how the unit was handed over to the tenants and how the unit was handed back over to Townside Attached is also a copy of the Condition report that was given to the tenants when receiving keys to the unit On the report you will see the writing in the blue is what the inspector noticed in the unit and the writing in the black is what the tenants wrote that they found wrong in the unit The information that was given by the tenants was noted on the condition report and would not have been charged to the tenants at move-out As what was put on the report was wear and tear Nowhere on the report was it mentioned that blinds, doorstops, window screens, blown light bulbs, drip pans for the stove, dirty AC filter and broken/cracked microwave door needed to be addressed The tenant stated in his letter that he called into the office days after moto make changes to the condition report You will see on the top of the condition report that we provided the report to them on the 23rd of July, the day the lease started and then highlighted that the report needed to be returned to the office within days including the day the report was given The report was returned on the 5th day, July 27, By law no one is allowed to add to the condition report any damage after it has been received Therefore resulting in the damage that the tenant stated he called in days after move-in I have provided to you a copy of three additional pictures showing the front door to the microwave You will see the pictures dated 7-22-time 8:24am that he front of the microwave door is not cracked and that all lines up the way a microwave door is to look I have then provided you two additional pictures dated 7-23-showing the cracked front door and handle Therefore resulting in the charge for the new microwave This charge will remain on the account against the security deposit
I believe that it was well addressed in the first letter to your office concerning the repair and maintenance of the HVAC unit The A/C not working is not an emergency as outlined in our lease Concerning the board that was put in the unit to hold the hot water heater this was done so that the tenants would have not had to go the entire weekend with no hot water This was fixed the following week by the contractors and at no time was the tenants charged for any of the work that was completed I will add to this at no time was it discussed with the office of health issues that the tenant had while living in the unit If the unit was as awful as the tenants stated that should have been addressed on the condition report and you will see that was not done If Townside was so horrible to deal with and if the stay was so bad then why did the tenants choose to renew the lease for a second term
The charges against the security deposit will stand at this time
The tenant stated that it is the lease that they would like to enter arbitration as indicated as the next step in the lease agreement This language is not is our lease and Townside does not agree for this to be the next step
Thank you
Sincerely,
*** ** *** ***
Enclosures: pictures, condition report, invoices and a copy of the lease, lease Addendum A and standard vacating check list
I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
Regards,
*** ***
The crack in the microwave, indicated even in the grainy printed out photo sent to me (which I scanned and zoomed, then forwarded to Townside via email), is not the separation of the door, but is damage at the corner of the handle previous to our move-in, which is indicated in the post move out photo, which was taken from much closer up than the pre move in photo aforementioned. I requested Townside zoom in the digital copy and send it via the email address provided; when they do so, I will happily highlight the obvious pre-existing damage. However, I have not received that to date. As repeated in several correspondences with Townside, I called the maintenance director immediately upon noticing the damage, approximately days after move-in, asking that she amend the condition report and send a copy to our address, which she failed to do. I also called the maintenance department head during our multiple (as admitted) periods without climate control, notifying her of my chronic illness, which causes severe dehydration and other symptoms which require a controlled climate. I also called her regarding the water heater, which was not fixed until the following day, and was left running into the garage ceiling after the initial worker came, looked, and left; when they came the following day to repair the damage, a sheet of plywood was hastily nailed to the water damaged floor beneath the new heater, despite other workers warning that it was not up to code; no follow up was ever done, and we have photographs of this shoddy work (which nevertheless remained) on move out day, several months later. After a few weeks of repeated calls, a maintenance worker called to say that he was coming over to inspect the damage in the garage, but never showed up. I was present at the home the entire day, and I would like to add that multiple workers entered our home throughout our stay, with or without notification (in fact, one worker entered the home while my wife was home alone and in the shower, which made her extremely uncomfortable, so Townside cannot say they failed to do the maintenance out of unwavering respect for our request for contact prior to maintenance); I called the following day to let the maintenance department know that they were a no show. Three months later, I called to complain because nothing was ever done by the maintenance department. The fact is that the maintenance department is paid to follow through on such issues, and we paid them to do so each month (as stipulated in our lease); our lease stipulates that we notify Townside immediately of needed repairs, but it does not suggest we hold hands or nag the maintenance department to get the jobs followed through to completion in a timely manner. On multiple occasions, including the switch damage during garage repairs, workers caused damage to the home, which we promptly reported to the maintenance head via phone, trusting that said damages would be noted, like the microwave should have been upon notification: For another example, the HVAC crew punched a hole in the water heater access door with the doorstop Lastly, I did not receive any pre move in photographs of undamaged screens or blinds, so there is no evidence that we damaged said screens or blinds during our tenancy. The condition report, if anything, is evidence of a less than thorough pre move in inspection, as we already had to add several damages to the list (as the document clearly shows our handwriting on the vast majority of listed pre move in damages), missing some because of the sheer number of existing issues in the home. As tenants, we had reasonable expectations for our rent, such as timely and complete repairs, as well as a staff receptive (rather than combative) when notified of tenant issues. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and Townside repeatedly fell short of our reasonable expectations. We were willing to let these repeated issues go, however, after receiving the letters, lists, and photographs, along with undue charges Townside is trying to get to fix up a decrepit rental, we are completely unwilling to pay for damages we did not cause nor contribute to. To be clear, we stand firm in refuting the charges for the microwave, garage door switch, screens, and blinds, until or unless original, digital photos are provided as evidence that the damage occurred during our stay or at our hands. Without such evidence, we would like to enter arbitration, as indicated as the next step in our lease agreement, during which we are willing and able to provide evidence of the issues above, including photos, video, phone record of calls made to Townside over the course of our two year tenancy, as well as testimony from both my wife and myself, both of whom witnessed the conditions and lack of attention to repairs on the part of Townside firsthand
The tenants vacated the unit at the end of the lease on July 22, a move out inspection was conducted on July 23, The inspector made note that the microwave had a cracked door front and also the handle had a crack The inspector reviewed the condition report that was
turned in by the tenants after moand nothing was noted on that report of a broken handle or cracked door front, the picture that was taken of the microwave the day before the tenant moved in also did not show any crack on the door of the microwave Those pictures were sent to the tenant and was mentioned of the crack that is on every microwave where the door open and shuts The unexplained charges on the security deposit was for damages to the unit beyond wear and tear which includes, bulbs, doorstops, blinds, drop pans, ac filter along with the control panel for the garage door that was broken during the tenants stay at the unit These charges are valid as it is stated in the lease that all working light bulbs, blinds, door stopsetc., are the responsibility of the tenants if such items are not listed on the condition report that is turned into the office by the tenants Carpet cleaning is stated in the lease paper work that all carpet will be cleaned before and after a lease and will be a charge against the tenant’s security deposit This was a standard carpet cleaning and nothing stated that the carpets were cleaned due to pre-existing stains
Regarding the HVAC system an emergency no heat call came in the office on 3-25-and the system was fixed with a cost to the owner of $ A call for no AC came into the office on 4-14-and the contractor was sent to the unit and fixed the problem with a cost to the owner of $ A call was placed with our office on 9-12-that the hot water heater was leaking the contractor was sent and was fixed the same day with the assistance of another contractor the cost to the owner was $at the same time the tenants indicated to the contractor that the AC unit was making a noise The contractor called the office and received permission to look at the system while still at the unit The outdoor unit was still in working condition, however, was indicated that it could break at any time The office requested to have a quote for a replacement system after contacting the owner and receiving approval the company ordered a new HVAC system and that was installed 10-15-at a cost to the owner of 4, At no time was the tenant without heat, there were several days that the AC was not in working condition, however, it is stated in our lease that AC is not an emergency As stated in the lease documents compensation is not given to tenants for malfunctions or interruptions in equipment or amenities provided to them The leak from the hot water heater did cause some damage to the ceiling in the garage below and a work order was wrote to the contractor to fix that ceiling with the stipulation from the tenant that they receive a phone call before entering the unit and that the tenant wanted to be home when the repair was to completed The contractor called the tenant with no return phone call, therefore that work order was pushed to back of the call list for that contractor The tenant called the office later to complain that the work had not been completed and it was discussed with them that they had failed to contact the contractor to schedule a time and we can have it fixed immediately if the contractor can enter without them being at home, therefore, the ceiling was then fixed
The tenants have sent in a dispute letter for the charges against the security deposit and that letter was addressed by the inspector on September 9, and with that letter the tenants were provided copies of the pictures that were taken as damage documentation along with all invoices charged against the security deposit and the letter indicated that all charges against the deposit were valid charges and those charges will remain against the security deposit
Thank you
Sincerely,
*** ** *** ***
Please find attached a copy of the invoice that you have requested Pursuant to our telephone conversation, the guarantors with the original lease was *** *** for *** *** and *** *** for *** *** At the signing of the first lease term with our office *** and *** were not married and both had to have a guarantor Before signing the renewal lease *** *** mailed a letter to our office stating that she would not agree to be the Guarantor for another lease term When the second lease term ended 7-22-and the letter for the security deposit was sent we did included *** *** in the letter Mrs*** then called in to make sure that we did receive her letter upon looking in the file that letter was found and given to the book keeper I talked with Mrs*** and explained to her that we would not be changing the letter and did put an X thru her name and explained to her that if court papers were filed that only *** ***, *** *** and *** *** would be including in filing for judgment Mrs*** explained to me that she decided to do this before the renewal lease was signed for the fact that at that time *** and *** were now married and she no longer has any contact with her daughter and did not want to take the responsibility since all contact with her family had stopped since the marriage
As stated in the first letter the charge for the garage panel charge will stand as a charge against the security deposit Should you need any other information please let me know Thanking you in advance, ***
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.
Regards,
[redacted]
As previously asserted, the pre move in picture of the microwave, though
taken from several feet away, does in fact show the crack that begins
near the glass and extends toward the handle, then up around the bottom
portion of the handle, which is not pictured at all in the angle of the
pre move in image. I have attached the original, as provided in
Townside's prior message, with this crack highlighted, along with a
highlighted picture of the crack as zoomed in on the Preview function of
my laptop, along with a highlighted, zoomed in post move out picture.
Once more, the damage to the microwave was done prior to our move-in
date, and Townside's provided evidence bears that out.
Townside would like to portray us as having treated the place poorly,
and that simply is not so; I can attach a letter from the listing [redacted] agent, complimenting our upkeep of the home mere months before our move out date, and also mentioning longstanding damages in the home. Unfortunately, I could not attach the letter here, as the pictures took up the provided space. Their business, however, mismanaged the
property, and the employees have repeatedly been rude and combative,
even when I called upon notification of the damages and costs, as
instructed in their initial contact regarding these purported damages,
to voice "questions and concerns." In fact, the front desk employee
hung up on me when I read the sentence in the letter that invited me to
do so.
I also received a letter from Townside in the mail
(that was not included in their prior Revdex.com response) admitting to the sub
code fix, when the worker nailed down plywood beneath the water heater
against the advice of other workers present, who insisted that they
repair did not meet code. The excuse given in the Townside response was
that it was done so we "had water over the weekend," but that does not
explain why the substandard repair was left in place for the following
months leading up to our vacation of the address, nor does it explain
why the garage ceiling was left unrepaired for three months, despite
repeated calls to maintenance. I can also provide pictures of both the
incomplete plywood and garage repairs, taken on the day we vacated the
address. The fact is that Townside repeatedly made substandard repairs
to avoid higher costs, and by Townside's admission, we experienced
multiple HVAC repairs and eventual replacement, burst water heaters that
should have been replaced long before we moved in (since tell-tale
brown stains were apparent beneath the appliance on move in day), and
shoddy materials, all of which characterized our tenancy at the
address. In fact, we suspect that our lease was not renewed because we
followed the lease's guidelines and reported repairs promptly and
insisted that the maintenance department and other employees followed
through, despite their efforts otherwise. We were even charged 78
dollars for someone to light the pilot on the gas fireplace, after I was
advised to report the issue online after calling maintenance once more,
despite lack of instructions in our lease addendum (the only instance
in which a gas fireplace is mentioned tells us nothing about the process
of lighting the pilot). We had repeated problems with the maintenance
head, as she was combative and slow to follow through on necessary
repairs, and was unsympathetic when we went without climate control,
sometimes for weeks, despite my detailing my chronic illness and the
symptoms I was suffering during a hot summer week without air
conditioning; I bought a window unit to minimize these symptoms while
the owner made up their mind about whether to repair the decrepit unit
once more or finally replace it. In fact, the maintenance head told me
that cost was the main concern holding up that repair, as I called her
repeatedly to get the issue resolved. Despite our repeated issues, we
never received any reduction in our monthly costs, despite the
substandard living conditions, and now Townside is trying to subsidize
the resolution of longstanding filth and damage at their unrentable and
unsellable unit by over charging us for damages not caused by us. The
condition report upon move in was highly incomplete and it is now clear
that it was intentionally so. I can produce phone records from the two
years we were tenants with Townside, which show more than 100 calls,
most of which pertained to maintenance issues. Townside has still
failed to prove that we caused any damages to the home, and the only
charges we accept are the charges for cleaning and missing lightbulbs.
All other charges are unwarranted and fraudulent, and will not be paid
by us.
Townside has also repeatedly failed to address the fact
that they are illegally attempting to notify and collect from
guarantors, one of whom did not qualify as such during our first lease
term, and the other of whom did not sign as guarantor for the duration
of our second lease, dated April 26 2013, since we were married as of
October 2012, and our income should have been considered jointly after
that date, as stipulated by Townside.
Upon reviewing the second
term lease, I see that the language re: arbitration does not appear.
Accordingly, if Townside fails to resolve these issues according to the
evidence and per our request, we will seek further advisement and move
our complaint to the next legal step.
Best,
[redacted],
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.
Regards,
[redacted]
Townside's previous response finally addresses one of the guarantors, though we fail to see what personal familial matters have to do with the matter at hand, and the actions of the company's representative has opened the path to additional libel issues, should we choose to pursue them along with the matters of business at hand. I have forwarded a longer response, which addresses all areas of my complaint in detail, along with photographs, to Townside, because too little space is afforded herein.
Best,
[redacted] [redacted]
I received the dispute letter regarding the property at [redacted] This is in regard to a roommate change on the lease. Our policy when...
doing a roommate all money has to be received from the in-coming and the lease signed and everything completed on them before any money can be released. I understand that they have been calling for several months about this and it was explained each time that everything had not been completed. I have checked with the bookkeeper after reviewing the entire file and as of January all the paper work had been completed. The money that we had been waiting on was not received until the end of November and guarantor form received in January to complete this lease. We will have the checks available by next Friday February 13th to be mailed or picked up in our office by both tenants. I do apologize that this response has taken so long to be sent to you. By copy of this letter by email to the [redacted] I am asking that she please contact the office to let me know if they would like to stop by the office next Friday to pick up the checks or if they wish to have them mailed. I do have a mailing address for [redacted], however, I do not have a forwarding address or phone number for [redacted] to notify her of this. [redacted], I do apologize that you have not received the money before now or given correct information in our office. Looking at the ledger you spoke with [redacted] most of the time and she is no longer employed with our office so I had to discuss with several other employees and our bookkeeper to get the correct information before contacting you. Again if you could please call the office and speak with me on how you wish to receive the money next week. Thanking you both in advance,Thank you.Sincerely,[redacted]cc: [redacted] by email
Beware, they are out for themselves and NOT to serve you to the best of their ability. They could if they tried, but it is clear to me that they do not want to take the time to provide a good service. On many many occasions I have encountered one or many of the following attributes...
- failure to communicate
- lies
- tardiness
- retaliatory actions
- aggression
- lack of effort
- blatant ignorance
- greed
- [redacted], whom is the only great part of Townside.
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.
Pulling weeds does not cost $75 and I personally viewed an entire landscaping team mowing and trimming about a week after my move-out day (the day that my hired gardeners completed the landscaping). I believe that Townside simply wanted the yard mowed again and to charge me for the service. I firmly request to be refunded for the full $75 charged.
In addition, Townside stated that they do not prey on college students. They may not think so, but many points in their standard leas agreement are unethical, unfair, or predatory. I firmly request that Townside evaluate the following points in it's contract (page numbers as marked in my personal lease agreement).
On Page 1, agreement states that tenant must pay a 10% late fee of the total rent if rent is not received by the fifth of the month. In this case, even if rent is mistakenly short by $5, tenant must pay a fee many times that amount. I find this unethical. It's exactly what happened to me. I did not catch my rent check going out the month that my rent went up, and Townside charged me a fee that was more than the rent discrepancy.
On Page 2, agreement states that Townside will perform various services upon move-out (carpet cleaning, fumigation, etc.) and charge the deposit whether the home needs it or not and whether the tenant already has this done or not. Tenant has no say in how his/her deposit money is spent or into the vendors chosen. This is a serious conflict of interest.
On Page 2, agreement states that no undergraduate students are allowed to occupy the home. Is this even legal? It seems discriminatory.
Page 3, agreement states that property manager may enter residence at any time to repair, inspect, show the property, etc. On several occasions, my wife came home to find notes on the kitchen counter that work was performed, the front door unlocked, cigarette butts on the porch, etc. Tenants should have more respect and protection than this agreement provides.
On Page 3, agreement states that renewal notifications are sent in November with an answer required in December to renew the lease. In our case, we moved in at the end of October and were immediately told we needed to renew by the end of the year. I understand Blacksburg is a college town, but that is ridiculous.
On Page 4 of Least Addendum A, lessee is expected to agree to be bound by the "Housing Information Booklet" which is described as "part of this lease." However, at no time prior was I provided with said booklet. It was instead attached to the agreement as tiny, 2-inch tall screenshots that were (literally) impossible to read.
On Page 4 of Least Addendum A,point 21 states that all disputes must be submitted in writing. This was problematic. I received no responses to my written disputes until I badgered Townside and went to the Revdex.com. In addition, never being able to have a conversation means never truly being able to understand whether Townside is being honest or not.
On Page 3 of the Standard Vacating Checklist, it states that to be present at the vacating inspection, you must make a request in writing at least 30 days prior. The truth is that Townside does not want anyone at this inspection, which is why they set the 30-day requirement. Normal people with busy lives don't review the vacating checklist more than 30 days prior to moving out. This needs to be adjusted to be more reasonable. The person conducting the move-out inspection is the person deciding what to do with the lessee's deposit money. It is unethical to not provide an easy way for the lessee to attend that inspection.
I will consider this matter closed when the above points are reviewed, adjusted to be more fair and balanced, and I receive written proof of such action.
We manage over 600 properties and have been in business since 1982. It is the obligation of all Lessees to read the lease documents before signing. We go out of our way to encourage that and even will point out certain details for the tenants. We make extraordinary efforts to have...
our documents plain, easy to understand English rather than in legal ease so Lessees can understand both parties' obligations. The unit that the tenants rented was rented with the understanding of a no pet policy. This is the owner’s choice to have that restriction on the unit. The tenant did go back and forth with the office staff to push to have a pet added to the lease. It was the tenant’s suggestion to pay the high pet deposit as to cover any damage that may be caused to the carpet by the pet and then the owner would have the additional money to cover for carpet replacement. It also was the suggestion of the tenant to pay the additional high pet rent monthly. Again this property was a no pet policy and the tenant wanted do whatever necessary to make this happen. The dispute over the late fee was answered through email on Monday August 11, 2014 and a copy has been sent to him along with all the other documentation answering his security deposit dispute. The late fee was a result of the increase in rent to add the pet, the tenant had made arrangements with his bank to send a rent check to our office each month. The late fee resulted as a failure on the tenant’s part to contact his bank to have that automatic rent increase. All monetary complaints are contractual and fully spelled out in the lease documents, therefore a result in not waiving the late fee.
The cleaning charges are a result of items that were not cleaned by the company that the tenant hired. The inspector made an effort to contact the cleaning company that was used with no return phone call. Therefore, resulted in having to call one of our cleaners to complete the cleaning to have the unit ready for the next tenant to move into the unit. Concerning the carpet cleaning it is stated in our lease paper work that this is an automatic deduction from the security deposit. Townside has an independent contractor that cleans carpet in all of our units when changing tenants. This was explained to the tenant before moving out, it was not that we were not allowing him to do the carpet cleaning we were saving him from paying twice. It was also explained to the tenant that the contractor does charge by the unit size but by each room that he cleans which includes additional charges for stairs and hallways.
This service was performed on the unit by the same contractor before the tenant moved in the unit. The tenant has sent a dispute letter to our office and [redacted] in our office has responded to that dispute explaining why the charges were against the security deposit and that those charges would still stand.
We take exception to the comment about "preying on local college students."
Thank you.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
I received the dispute letter regarding the property at [redacted] This is in regard to a roommate change on the lease Our policy when doing a roommate all money has to be received from the in-coming and the lease signed and everything completed on them before any money can be released I understand that they have been calling for several months about this and it was explained each time that everything had not been completed I have checked with the bookkeeper after reviewing the entire file and as of January all the paper work had been completed The money that we had been waiting on was not received until the end of November and guarantor form received in January to complete this lease We will have the checks available by next Friday February 13th to be mailed or picked up in our office by both tenants I do apologize that this response has taken so long to be sent to you By copy of this letter by email to the [redacted] I am asking that she please contact the office to let me know if they would like to stop by the office next Friday to pick up the checks or if they wish to have them mailed I do have a mailing address for [redacted] , however, I do not have a forwarding address or phone number for [redacted] to notify her of this [redacted] , I do apologize that you have not received the money before now or given correct information in our office Looking at the ledger you spoke with *** most of the time and she is no longer employed with our office so I had to discuss with several other employees and our bookkeeper to get the correct information before contacting you Again if you could please call the office and speak with me on how you wish to receive the money next week Thanking you both in advance,Thank you.Sincerely, [redacted] ***cc: [redacted] by email
I received this complaint and my leasing manager is in the process of responding Thanks, [redacted] Townside Property Mgmt
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 Pulling weeds does not cost $and I personally viewed an entire landscaping team mowing and trimming about a week after my move-out day (the day that my hired gardeners completed the landscaping)I believe that Townside simply wanted the yard mowed again and to charge me for the serviceI firmly request to be refunded for the full $charged In addition, Townside stated that they do not prey on college studentsThey may not think so, but many points in their standard leas agreement are unethical, unfair, or predatoryI firmly request that Townside evaluate the following points in it's contract (page numbers as marked in my personal lease agreement) On Page 1, agreement states that tenant must pay a 10% late fee of the total rent if rent is not received by the fifth of the monthIn this case, even if rent is mistakenly short by $5, tenant must pay a fee many times that amountI find this unethicalIt's exactly what happened to meI did not catch my rent check going out the month that my rent went up, and Townside charged me a fee that was more than the rent discrepancy On Page 2, agreement states that Townside will perform various services upon move-out (carpet cleaning, fumigation, etc.) and charge the deposit whether the home needs it or not and whether the tenant already has this done or notTenant has no say in how his/her deposit money is spent or into the vendors chosenThis is a serious conflict of interest On Page 2, agreement states that no undergraduate students are allowed to occupy the homeIs this even legal? It seems discriminatory Page 3, agreement states that property manager may enter residence at any time to repair, inspect, show the property, etcOn several occasions, my wife came home to find notes on the kitchen counter that work was performed, the front door unlocked, cigarette butts on the porch, etcTenants should have more respect and protection than this agreement provides On Page 3, agreement states that renewal notifications are sent in November with an answer required in December to renew the leaseIn our case, we moved in at the end of October and were immediately told we needed to renew by the end of the yearI understand Blacksburg is a college town, but that is ridiculous On Page of Least Addendum A, lessee is expected to agree to be bound by the "Housing Information Booklet" which is described as "part of this lease." However, at no time prior was I provided with said bookletIt was instead attached to the agreement as tiny, 2-inch tall screenshots that were (literally) impossible to read On Page of Least Addendum A,point states that all disputes must be submitted in writingThis was problematicI received no responses to my written disputes until I badgered Townside and went to the Revdex.comIn addition, never being able to have a conversation means never truly being able to understand whether Townside is being honest or not On Page of the Standard Vacating Checklist, it states that to be present at the vacating inspection, you must make a request in writing at least days priorThe truth is that Townside does not want anyone at this inspection, which is why they set the 30-day requirementpeople with busy lives don't review the vacating checklist more than days prior to moving outThis needs to be adjusted to be more reasonableThe person conducting the move-out inspection is the person deciding what to do with the lessee's deposit moneyIt is unethical to not provide an easy way for the lessee to attend that inspection I will consider this matter closed when the above points are reviewed, adjusted to be more fair and balanced, and I receive written proof of such action Regards, [redacted]
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, 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,
*** ***
I am in receipt of the second letter that has been sent to your office As stated in the previous letter the charges against the security deposit are beyond wear and tear and thus the reason *** *** and *** *** have been charged The lease for the tenants ran from 07/23/to 07/22/ I have attached a copy of the mopictures that were taken the day before the lease started you will find those pictures attached and dated with the date of 7-22-and also the time of day those pictures were taken I have attached a copy of the pictures of the unit dated 7-23-and time of day those pictures were taken You will see that pictures were taken the day before the lease started and the day after the lease ended to prove documentation of the property of how the unit was handed over to the tenants and how the unit was handed back over to Townside Attached is also a copy of the Condition report that was given to the tenants when receiving keys to the unit On the report you will see the writing in the blue is what the inspector noticed in the unit and the writing in the black is what the tenants wrote that they found wrong in the unit The information that was given by the tenants was noted on the condition report and would not have been charged to the tenants at move-out As what was put on the report was wear and tear Nowhere on the report was it mentioned that blinds, doorstops, window screens, blown light bulbs, drip pans for the stove, dirty AC filter and broken/cracked microwave door needed to be addressed The tenant stated in his letter that he called into the office days after moto make changes to the condition report You will see on the top of the condition report that we provided the report to them on the 23rd of July, the day the lease started and then highlighted that the report needed to be returned to the office within days including the day the report was given The report was returned on the 5th day, July 27, By law no one is allowed to add to the condition report any damage after it has been received Therefore resulting in the damage that the tenant stated he called in days after move-in I have provided to you a copy of three additional pictures showing the front door to the microwave You will see the pictures dated 7-22-time 8:24am that he front of the microwave door is not cracked and that all lines up the way a microwave door is to look I have then provided you two additional pictures dated 7-23-showing the cracked front door and handle Therefore resulting in the charge for the new microwave This charge will remain on the account against the security deposit
I believe that it was well addressed in the first letter to your office concerning the repair and maintenance of the HVAC unit The A/C not working is not an emergency as outlined in our lease Concerning the board that was put in the unit to hold the hot water heater this was done so that the tenants would have not had to go the entire weekend with no hot water This was fixed the following week by the contractors and at no time was the tenants charged for any of the work that was completed I will add to this at no time was it discussed with the office of health issues that the tenant had while living in the unit If the unit was as awful as the tenants stated that should have been addressed on the condition report and you will see that was not done If Townside was so horrible to deal with and if the stay was so bad then why did the tenants choose to renew the lease for a second term
The charges against the security deposit will stand at this time
The tenant stated that it is the lease that they would like to enter arbitration as indicated as the next step in the lease agreement This language is not is our lease and Townside does not agree for this to be the next step
Thank you
Sincerely,
*** ** *** ***
Enclosures: pictures, condition report, invoices and a copy of the lease, lease Addendum A and standard vacating check list
I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
Regards,
*** ***
The crack in the microwave, indicated even in the grainy printed out photo sent to me (which I scanned and zoomed, then forwarded to Townside via email), is not the separation of the door, but is damage at the corner of the handle previous to our move-in, which is indicated in the post move out photo, which was taken from much closer up than the pre move in photo aforementioned. I requested Townside zoom in the digital copy and send it via the email address provided; when they do so, I will happily highlight the obvious pre-existing damage. However, I have not received that to date. As repeated in several correspondences with Townside, I called the maintenance director immediately upon noticing the damage, approximately days after move-in, asking that she amend the condition report and send a copy to our address, which she failed to do. I also called the maintenance department head during our multiple (as admitted) periods without climate control, notifying her of my chronic illness, which causes severe dehydration and other symptoms which require a controlled climate. I also called her regarding the water heater, which was not fixed until the following day, and was left running into the garage ceiling after the initial worker came, looked, and left; when they came the following day to repair the damage, a sheet of plywood was hastily nailed to the water damaged floor beneath the new heater, despite other workers warning that it was not up to code; no follow up was ever done, and we have photographs of this shoddy work (which nevertheless remained) on move out day, several months later. After a few weeks of repeated calls, a maintenance worker called to say that he was coming over to inspect the damage in the garage, but never showed up. I was present at the home the entire day, and I would like to add that multiple workers entered our home throughout our stay, with or without notification (in fact, one worker entered the home while my wife was home alone and in the shower, which made her extremely uncomfortable, so Townside cannot say they failed to do the maintenance out of unwavering respect for our request for contact prior to maintenance); I called the following day to let the maintenance department know that they were a no show. Three months later, I called to complain because nothing was ever done by the maintenance department. The fact is that the maintenance department is paid to follow through on such issues, and we paid them to do so each month (as stipulated in our lease); our lease stipulates that we notify Townside immediately of needed repairs, but it does not suggest we hold hands or nag the maintenance department to get the jobs followed through to completion in a timely manner. On multiple occasions, including the switch damage during garage repairs, workers caused damage to the home, which we promptly reported to the maintenance head via phone, trusting that said damages would be noted, like the microwave should have been upon notification: For another example, the HVAC crew punched a hole in the water heater access door with the doorstop Lastly, I did not receive any pre move in photographs of undamaged screens or blinds, so there is no evidence that we damaged said screens or blinds during our tenancy. The condition report, if anything, is evidence of a less than thorough pre move in inspection, as we already had to add several damages to the list (as the document clearly shows our handwriting on the vast majority of listed pre move in damages), missing some because of the sheer number of existing issues in the home. As tenants, we had reasonable expectations for our rent, such as timely and complete repairs, as well as a staff receptive (rather than combative) when notified of tenant issues. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and Townside repeatedly fell short of our reasonable expectations. We were willing to let these repeated issues go, however, after receiving the letters, lists, and photographs, along with undue charges Townside is trying to get to fix up a decrepit rental, we are completely unwilling to pay for damages we did not cause nor contribute to. To be clear, we stand firm in refuting the charges for the microwave, garage door switch, screens, and blinds, until or unless original, digital photos are provided as evidence that the damage occurred during our stay or at our hands. Without such evidence, we would like to enter arbitration, as indicated as the next step in our lease agreement, during which we are willing and able to provide evidence of the issues above, including photos, video, phone record of calls made to Townside over the course of our two year tenancy, as well as testimony from both my wife and myself, both of whom witnessed the conditions and lack of attention to repairs on the part of Townside firsthand
The tenants vacated the unit at the end of the lease on July 22, a move out inspection was conducted on July 23, The inspector made note that the microwave had a cracked door front and also the handle had a crack The inspector reviewed the condition report that was
turned in by the tenants after moand nothing was noted on that report of a broken handle or cracked door front, the picture that was taken of the microwave the day before the tenant moved in also did not show any crack on the door of the microwave Those pictures were sent to the tenant and was mentioned of the crack that is on every microwave where the door open and shuts The unexplained charges on the security deposit was for damages to the unit beyond wear and tear which includes, bulbs, doorstops, blinds, drop pans, ac filter along with the control panel for the garage door that was broken during the tenants stay at the unit These charges are valid as it is stated in the lease that all working light bulbs, blinds, door stopsetc., are the responsibility of the tenants if such items are not listed on the condition report that is turned into the office by the tenants Carpet cleaning is stated in the lease paper work that all carpet will be cleaned before and after a lease and will be a charge against the tenant’s security deposit This was a standard carpet cleaning and nothing stated that the carpets were cleaned due to pre-existing stains
Regarding the HVAC system an emergency no heat call came in the office on 3-25-and the system was fixed with a cost to the owner of $ A call for no AC came into the office on 4-14-and the contractor was sent to the unit and fixed the problem with a cost to the owner of $ A call was placed with our office on 9-12-that the hot water heater was leaking the contractor was sent and was fixed the same day with the assistance of another contractor the cost to the owner was $at the same time the tenants indicated to the contractor that the AC unit was making a noise The contractor called the office and received permission to look at the system while still at the unit The outdoor unit was still in working condition, however, was indicated that it could break at any time The office requested to have a quote for a replacement system after contacting the owner and receiving approval the company ordered a new HVAC system and that was installed 10-15-at a cost to the owner of 4, At no time was the tenant without heat, there were several days that the AC was not in working condition, however, it is stated in our lease that AC is not an emergency As stated in the lease documents compensation is not given to tenants for malfunctions or interruptions in equipment or amenities provided to them The leak from the hot water heater did cause some damage to the ceiling in the garage below and a work order was wrote to the contractor to fix that ceiling with the stipulation from the tenant that they receive a phone call before entering the unit and that the tenant wanted to be home when the repair was to completed The contractor called the tenant with no return phone call, therefore that work order was pushed to back of the call list for that contractor The tenant called the office later to complain that the work had not been completed and it was discussed with them that they had failed to contact the contractor to schedule a time and we can have it fixed immediately if the contractor can enter without them being at home, therefore, the ceiling was then fixed
The tenants have sent in a dispute letter for the charges against the security deposit and that letter was addressed by the inspector on September 9, and with that letter the tenants were provided copies of the pictures that were taken as damage documentation along with all invoices charged against the security deposit and the letter indicated that all charges against the deposit were valid charges and those charges will remain against the security deposit
Thank you
Sincerely,
*** ** *** ***
Please find attached a copy of the invoice that you have requested Pursuant to our telephone conversation, the guarantors with the original lease was *** *** for *** *** and *** *** for *** *** At the signing of the first lease term with our office *** and *** were not married and both had to have a guarantor Before signing the renewal lease *** *** mailed a letter to our office stating that she would not agree to be the Guarantor for another lease term When the second lease term ended 7-22-and the letter for the security deposit was sent we did included *** *** in the letter Mrs*** then called in to make sure that we did receive her letter upon looking in the file that letter was found and given to the book keeper I talked with Mrs*** and explained to her that we would not be changing the letter and did put an X thru her name and explained to her that if court papers were filed that only *** ***, *** *** and *** *** would be including in filing for judgment Mrs*** explained to me that she decided to do this before the renewal lease was signed for the fact that at that time *** and *** were now married and she no longer has any contact with her daughter and did not want to take the responsibility since all contact with her family had stopped since the marriage
As stated in the first letter the charge for the garage panel charge will stand as a charge against the security deposit Should you need any other information please let me know Thanking you in advance, ***
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.
Regards,
[redacted]
As previously asserted, the pre move in picture of the microwave, though
taken from several feet away, does in fact show the crack that begins
near the glass and extends toward the handle, then up around the bottom
portion of the handle, which is not pictured at all in the angle of the
pre move in image. I have attached the original, as provided in
Townside's prior message, with this crack highlighted, along with a
highlighted picture of the crack as zoomed in on the Preview function of
my laptop, along with a highlighted, zoomed in post move out picture.
Once more, the damage to the microwave was done prior to our move-in
date, and Townside's provided evidence bears that out.
Townside would like to portray us as having treated the place poorly,
and that simply is not so; I can attach a letter from the listing [redacted] agent, complimenting our upkeep of the home mere months before our move out date, and also mentioning longstanding damages in the home. Unfortunately, I could not attach the letter here, as the pictures took up the provided space. Their business, however, mismanaged the
property, and the employees have repeatedly been rude and combative,
even when I called upon notification of the damages and costs, as
instructed in their initial contact regarding these purported damages,
to voice "questions and concerns." In fact, the front desk employee
hung up on me when I read the sentence in the letter that invited me to
do so.
I also received a letter from Townside in the mail
(that was not included in their prior Revdex.com response) admitting to the sub
code fix, when the worker nailed down plywood beneath the water heater
against the advice of other workers present, who insisted that they
repair did not meet code. The excuse given in the Townside response was
that it was done so we "had water over the weekend," but that does not
explain why the substandard repair was left in place for the following
months leading up to our vacation of the address, nor does it explain
why the garage ceiling was left unrepaired for three months, despite
repeated calls to maintenance. I can also provide pictures of both the
incomplete plywood and garage repairs, taken on the day we vacated the
address. The fact is that Townside repeatedly made substandard repairs
to avoid higher costs, and by Townside's admission, we experienced
multiple HVAC repairs and eventual replacement, burst water heaters that
should have been replaced long before we moved in (since tell-tale
brown stains were apparent beneath the appliance on move in day), and
shoddy materials, all of which characterized our tenancy at the
address. In fact, we suspect that our lease was not renewed because we
followed the lease's guidelines and reported repairs promptly and
insisted that the maintenance department and other employees followed
through, despite their efforts otherwise. We were even charged 78
dollars for someone to light the pilot on the gas fireplace, after I was
advised to report the issue online after calling maintenance once more,
despite lack of instructions in our lease addendum (the only instance
in which a gas fireplace is mentioned tells us nothing about the process
of lighting the pilot). We had repeated problems with the maintenance
head, as she was combative and slow to follow through on necessary
repairs, and was unsympathetic when we went without climate control,
sometimes for weeks, despite my detailing my chronic illness and the
symptoms I was suffering during a hot summer week without air
conditioning; I bought a window unit to minimize these symptoms while
the owner made up their mind about whether to repair the decrepit unit
once more or finally replace it. In fact, the maintenance head told me
that cost was the main concern holding up that repair, as I called her
repeatedly to get the issue resolved. Despite our repeated issues, we
never received any reduction in our monthly costs, despite the
substandard living conditions, and now Townside is trying to subsidize
the resolution of longstanding filth and damage at their unrentable and
unsellable unit by over charging us for damages not caused by us. The
condition report upon move in was highly incomplete and it is now clear
that it was intentionally so. I can produce phone records from the two
years we were tenants with Townside, which show more than 100 calls,
most of which pertained to maintenance issues. Townside has still
failed to prove that we caused any damages to the home, and the only
charges we accept are the charges for cleaning and missing lightbulbs.
All other charges are unwarranted and fraudulent, and will not be paid
by us.
Townside has also repeatedly failed to address the fact
that they are illegally attempting to notify and collect from
guarantors, one of whom did not qualify as such during our first lease
term, and the other of whom did not sign as guarantor for the duration
of our second lease, dated April 26 2013, since we were married as of
October 2012, and our income should have been considered jointly after
that date, as stipulated by Townside.
Upon reviewing the second
term lease, I see that the language re: arbitration does not appear.
Accordingly, if Townside fails to resolve these issues according to the
evidence and per our request, we will seek further advisement and move
our complaint to the next legal step.
Best,
[redacted],
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.
Regards,
[redacted]
Townside's previous response finally addresses one of the guarantors, though we fail to see what personal familial matters have to do with the matter at hand, and the actions of the company's representative has opened the path to additional libel issues, should we choose to pursue them along with the matters of business at hand. I have forwarded a longer response, which addresses all areas of my complaint in detail, along with photographs, to Townside, because too little space is afforded herein.
Best,
[redacted] [redacted]
I received the dispute letter regarding the property at [redacted] This is in regard to a roommate change on the lease. Our policy when...
doing a roommate all money has to be received from the in-coming and the lease signed and everything completed on them before any money can be released. I understand that they have been calling for several months about this and it was explained each time that everything had not been completed. I have checked with the bookkeeper after reviewing the entire file and as of January all the paper work had been completed. The money that we had been waiting on was not received until the end of November and guarantor form received in January to complete this lease. We will have the checks available by next Friday February 13th to be mailed or picked up in our office by both tenants. I do apologize that this response has taken so long to be sent to you. By copy of this letter by email to the [redacted] I am asking that she please contact the office to let me know if they would like to stop by the office next Friday to pick up the checks or if they wish to have them mailed. I do have a mailing address for [redacted], however, I do not have a forwarding address or phone number for [redacted] to notify her of this. [redacted], I do apologize that you have not received the money before now or given correct information in our office. Looking at the ledger you spoke with [redacted] most of the time and she is no longer employed with our office so I had to discuss with several other employees and our bookkeeper to get the correct information before contacting you. Again if you could please call the office and speak with me on how you wish to receive the money next week. Thanking you both in advance,Thank you.Sincerely,[redacted]cc: [redacted] by email
Beware, they are out for themselves and NOT to serve you to the best of their ability. They could if they tried, but it is clear to me that they do not want to take the time to provide a good service. On many many occasions I have encountered one or many of the following attributes...
- failure to communicate
- lies
- tardiness
- retaliatory actions
- aggression
- lack of effort
- blatant ignorance
- greed
- [redacted], whom is the only great part of Townside.
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.
Pulling weeds does not cost $75 and I personally viewed an entire landscaping team mowing and trimming about a week after my move-out day (the day that my hired gardeners completed the landscaping). I believe that Townside simply wanted the yard mowed again and to charge me for the service. I firmly request to be refunded for the full $75 charged.
In addition, Townside stated that they do not prey on college students. They may not think so, but many points in their standard leas agreement are unethical, unfair, or predatory. I firmly request that Townside evaluate the following points in it's contract (page numbers as marked in my personal lease agreement).
On Page 1, agreement states that tenant must pay a 10% late fee of the total rent if rent is not received by the fifth of the month. In this case, even if rent is mistakenly short by $5, tenant must pay a fee many times that amount. I find this unethical. It's exactly what happened to me. I did not catch my rent check going out the month that my rent went up, and Townside charged me a fee that was more than the rent discrepancy.
On Page 2, agreement states that Townside will perform various services upon move-out (carpet cleaning, fumigation, etc.) and charge the deposit whether the home needs it or not and whether the tenant already has this done or not. Tenant has no say in how his/her deposit money is spent or into the vendors chosen. This is a serious conflict of interest.
On Page 2, agreement states that no undergraduate students are allowed to occupy the home. Is this even legal? It seems discriminatory.
Page 3, agreement states that property manager may enter residence at any time to repair, inspect, show the property, etc. On several occasions, my wife came home to find notes on the kitchen counter that work was performed, the front door unlocked, cigarette butts on the porch, etc. Tenants should have more respect and protection than this agreement provides.
On Page 3, agreement states that renewal notifications are sent in November with an answer required in December to renew the lease. In our case, we moved in at the end of October and were immediately told we needed to renew by the end of the year. I understand Blacksburg is a college town, but that is ridiculous.
On Page 4 of Least Addendum A, lessee is expected to agree to be bound by the "Housing Information Booklet" which is described as "part of this lease." However, at no time prior was I provided with said booklet. It was instead attached to the agreement as tiny, 2-inch tall screenshots that were (literally) impossible to read.
On Page 4 of Least Addendum A,point 21 states that all disputes must be submitted in writing. This was problematic. I received no responses to my written disputes until I badgered Townside and went to the Revdex.com. In addition, never being able to have a conversation means never truly being able to understand whether Townside is being honest or not.
On Page 3 of the Standard Vacating Checklist, it states that to be present at the vacating inspection, you must make a request in writing at least 30 days prior. The truth is that Townside does not want anyone at this inspection, which is why they set the 30-day requirement. Normal people with busy lives don't review the vacating checklist more than 30 days prior to moving out. This needs to be adjusted to be more reasonable. The person conducting the move-out inspection is the person deciding what to do with the lessee's deposit money. It is unethical to not provide an easy way for the lessee to attend that inspection.
I will consider this matter closed when the above points are reviewed, adjusted to be more fair and balanced, and I receive written proof of such action.
Regards,
[redacted]
We manage over 600 properties and have been in business since 1982. It is the obligation of all Lessees to read the lease documents before signing. We go out of our way to encourage that and even will point out certain details for the tenants. We make extraordinary efforts to have...
our documents plain, easy to understand English rather than in legal ease so Lessees can understand both parties' obligations. The unit that the tenants rented was rented with the understanding of a no pet policy. This is the owner’s choice to have that restriction on the unit. The tenant did go back and forth with the office staff to push to have a pet added to the lease. It was the tenant’s suggestion to pay the high pet deposit as to cover any damage that may be caused to the carpet by the pet and then the owner would have the additional money to cover for carpet replacement. It also was the suggestion of the tenant to pay the additional high pet rent monthly. Again this property was a no pet policy and the tenant wanted do whatever necessary to make this happen. The dispute over the late fee was answered through email on Monday August 11, 2014 and a copy has been sent to him along with all the other documentation answering his security deposit dispute. The late fee was a result of the increase in rent to add the pet, the tenant had made arrangements with his bank to send a rent check to our office each month. The late fee resulted as a failure on the tenant’s part to contact his bank to have that automatic rent increase. All monetary complaints are contractual and fully spelled out in the lease documents, therefore a result in not waiving the late fee.
The cleaning charges are a result of items that were not cleaned by the company that the tenant hired. The inspector made an effort to contact the cleaning company that was used with no return phone call. Therefore, resulted in having to call one of our cleaners to complete the cleaning to have the unit ready for the next tenant to move into the unit. Concerning the carpet cleaning it is stated in our lease paper work that this is an automatic deduction from the security deposit. Townside has an independent contractor that cleans carpet in all of our units when changing tenants. This was explained to the tenant before moving out, it was not that we were not allowing him to do the carpet cleaning we were saving him from paying twice. It was also explained to the tenant that the contractor does charge by the unit size but by each room that he cleans which includes additional charges for stairs and hallways.
This service was performed on the unit by the same contractor before the tenant moved in the unit. The tenant has sent a dispute letter to our office and [redacted] in our office has responded to that dispute explaining why the charges were against the security deposit and that those charges would still stand.
We take exception to the comment about "preying on local college students."
Thank you.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
I received this complaint and my leasing manager is in the process of responding. Thanks, [redacted] Townside Property Mgmt