FRE Real Estate & Property Management, LLC

I can certainly appreciate your positionYou paid a processing fee and didn't end up leasing a property and that's frustratingI completely understandHowever, what you may not know, is that we pay credit card processing fees whether your card is charged and refunded or just chargedI would hope that you can appreciate that not every applicant will become a tenant and paying processing fees on high dollar credit card transactions that get refunded at a high rate is very expensiveAs such, the only way we can accommodate this service is to charge for it and we go to great lengths to explain this charge in all of our correspondenceIf I'm being perfectly honest, it's not our preferred method of payment for this reason but it's the only way we can offer the convenience of accepting payments via credit card

Unfortunately, due to the competitive nature of rentals, we require a completed application in order to lock an individual into first positionThis process was clearly outlined in our email correspondence as well as on the first page of the rental application and includes all applications for occupants, a security deposit and a signed deposit agreementWhile you started this process, a third party completed it faster and was locked into first positionWe did receive your email, and after looking into the matter, you were 100% right that we failed to initiate the deposit refundUnfortunately, our leasing manager simply forgot to process the refund before heading out of town on vacationWe apologized and the mistake was immediately corrected after we received your emailAt that point, I can certainly appreciate your frustration with the timeline in receiving the funds, but we are at the mercy of the banksWe provided our refund receipt to confirm that the refund had actually been processed.While we do require the deposit up front, the choice to pay that balance with a credit card was your choice and was not a requirementWe clearly explained the processing fee up front (by email, on the processing page, and in the deposit agreement) and do provide other lower cost methods of payment, but you selected that optionAs such, and in accordance with our stated policy, we kept the processing fee to cover the costs associated with credit card payments

Ms [redacted] and Mr [redacted] did apply for a rental property we manage on 6/2/As was told them, our company policy has always been to collect the security deposit up front (which is fully refundable if the prospective tenant is denied for ANY reason) in order to secure first come-first served priority and avoid discrimination issuesContrary to the opinion of Ms [redacted] , every tenant we place goes through this same process and pays the deposit upfrontPlease be aware that this is not just an FRE Policy and is fully endorsed by the Utah Apartment Association as best practices for our industryFurthermore, we FULLY disclose the deposit requirement as well as the non-refundable status of all application fees on the first page of our rental application (please see attached screenshot)We are of course happy to proceed with Ms [redacted] 's and Mr [redacted] 's rental application in accordance with our company policy, but are unfortunately unable to refund itI would also point out that we didn't "steal" anything as all rental applications are submitted online willingly by prospective tenants and all policies are fully disclosed prior to the application being submitted

Hi [redacted] Thanks for your feedback and we are sorry that there was a back up while you were out of townThat can be extremely frustratingRegarding the issue at hand, I hope you can appreciate that not all plumbers are not created equally, and many companies live for "after hours" calls where they can triple their hourly rates and essentially fleece customersAs such, I'm sure you can understand that if it were your money being spent on repairs, you would probably be particular as to which vendor was being used as wellFor this reason, we use a specific list of vendors and clearly outline how maintenance is to be handled in your lease agreementAs you mentioned in your complaint, we have not always managed this property so any knowledge of past issues is an unfair burden to place on usHowever, regarding this issue specifically, we outlined in our welcome letter precisely how maintenance issues are to be handled, and as evidenced by who you called, we explained exactly what to do in the case of emergency maintenance because you contacted the right peopleOur maintenance team got back to you within the hour (which industry standards indicate is a reasonable response time) and you had already taken matters into your own hands - which is in conflict with your lease agreementIn fact, our plumber showed up so quickly that your vendor was in the middle of his repair when he arrivedRyan explained to you that using your own vendor is not allowed under your lease agreement and that those charges are sent to the tenantHowever, because we are reasonable people, we took the issue to the owner on your behalf and agreed to pay half of the chargeUnder the circumstances, this is more than we were obligated to do but we did it anyway because it was the right thing to doTo be clear, we never agreed to pay the entire invoice and will not be reimbursing the remaining totalIn the future, I suggest that you read your lease closely and call to clarify any points that may be unclear

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: It does not clarify that the dollar application will not be processed until the deposit is paidWhen I spoke with Scott on the phone he advised NOTHING had been processed or WILL BE processed until the dollar deposit is put downIF my credit nor background has been even ran a refund should be manageable. I do not want to apply a rental with a company that would make there tenants pay MORE than what the rent is(775) to hold a spot before their application is even processedI would 100% understand a hold to ensure a first come first serve basis and to avoid discrimination like he claimsLike the place I have already found required a dollar deposit to Hold the spot while they run the credit and backgroundContrary to the opinion this is terrible management on the companies behalfOnce again I dont want your rentalI do not want to applyI would like the refund back for the misleading information and the disrespect they showed in emails and on the phoneI never received any correspondence from FRE real estate after they relayed this deposit requirementNothing not even a receipt for the applications like I askedI do not think this is too much to ask of a company that hold supposedly high standards for their customersAlso I spoke with the Utah apartments association they said that is NOT their policy and the company themselves decided on that
Sincerely,
*** ***

Thanks for your feedback and please see the attached screenshotThe screenshot shows that the refund was in fact issued on 7/as promisedI can also confirm that the amount in question was deducted from our bank account on 7/(less the credit card processing fee)I can understand your
frustration with the delay, but we have we remained in constant communication the entire time via email and phoneAlso, as was explained to you on the phone, we DO NOT control how long it takes the credit card company or your bank to process a refundEverything has been processed on our end and you should have your refund shortlyI hope you will update your feedback when the refund hits your account as it seems to me as if we've been pretty honest and transparent

Hi ***-Thanks for sharing your concernsLet me begin by saying that we are very sorry for the inconvenienceAs we've discussed previously, the property owner lives outside of the country and is extremely difficult to get ahold of to make payment arrangementsAfter multiple requests to have him
switch service into our name or set up water service into an autopay account, we finally have service in our names so this will not be an issue moving forwardI understand that none of this is your fault or your problem, but rest assured that your concerns have not fallen on deaf ears and we have responded immediately to reinstate service both times.Totaling every incident, you've only been without water for a few hours over the entire course of your lease agreementWhile admittedly inconvenient, I don't believe that necessitates a credit for your water bill on the remainder of your leaseI will be happy to reach out to the owner however and discuss a rent credit as this has no doubt been a hassle

Unfortunately, due to the competitive nature of rentals, we require a completed application in order to lock an individual into first position. This process was clearly outlined in our email correspondence as well as on the first page of the rental application and includes all applications for...

occupants, a security deposit and a signed deposit agreement. While you started this process, a third party completed it faster and was locked into first position. We did receive your email, and after looking into the matter, you were 100% right that we failed to initiate the deposit refund. Unfortunately, our leasing manager simply forgot to process the refund before heading out of town on vacation. We apologized and the mistake was immediately corrected after we received your email. At that point, I can certainly appreciate your frustration with the timeline in receiving the funds, but we are at the mercy of the banks. We provided our refund receipt to confirm that the refund had actually been processed.While we do require the deposit up front, the choice to pay that balance with a credit card was your choice and was not a requirement. We clearly explained the processing fee up front (by email, on the processing page, and in the deposit agreement) and do provide other lower cost methods of payment, but you selected that option. As such, and in accordance with our stated policy, we kept the processing fee to cover the costs associated with credit card payments.

I can certainly appreciate your position. You paid a processing fee and didn't end up leasing a property and that's frustrating. I completely understand. However, what you may not know, is that we pay credit card processing fees whether your card is charged and refunded or just charged. I would hope that you can appreciate that not every applicant will become a tenant and paying processing fees on high dollar credit card transactions that get refunded at a high rate is very expensive. As such, the only way we can accommodate this service is to charge for it and we go to great lengths to explain this charge in all of our correspondence. If I'm being perfectly honest, it's not our preferred method of payment for this reason but it's the only way we can offer the convenience of accepting payments via credit card.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: We have ended up in a bad situation due to this company's unfair business practices of requiring a deposit prior to confirming us into a rental and then failing to return the deposit so that we can apply with another company in a timely manner. We had more than enough time to put a deposit on another property if FRE had not been holding onto our money for no reason! I can see that this is not the first complaint leveled against this company and I do not understand if they care about public opinion and fair treatment of clients that they continue to do the same things. I do not accept that FRE took money from my fiance and I in seconds and then turns around and blames the credit card company for the return not being timely? A responsible and fair resolution would be for this company to repay the deposit from their own pocket so that the client is not left homeless instead of blaming a 3rd party vendor. 
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Hi [redacted]. Thanks for your feedback and we are sorry that there was a back up while you were out of town. That can be extremely frustrating. Regarding the issue at hand, I hope you can appreciate that not all plumbers are not created equally, and many companies live for "after hours" calls where...

they can triple their hourly rates and essentially fleece customers. As such, I'm sure you can understand that if it were your money being spent on repairs, you would probably be particular as to which vendor was being used as well. For this reason, we use a specific list of vendors and clearly outline how maintenance is to be handled in your lease agreement. As you mentioned in your complaint, we have not always managed this property so any knowledge of past issues is an unfair burden to place on us. However, regarding this issue specifically, we outlined in our welcome letter precisely how maintenance issues are to be handled, and as evidenced by who you called, we explained exactly what to do in the case of emergency maintenance because you contacted the right people. Our maintenance team got back to you within the hour (which industry standards indicate is a reasonable response time) and you had already taken matters into your own hands - which is in conflict with your lease agreement. In fact, our plumber showed up so quickly that your vendor was in the middle of his repair when he arrived. Ryan explained to you that using your own vendor is not allowed under your lease agreement and that those charges are sent to the tenant. However, because we are reasonable people, we took the issue to the owner on your behalf and agreed to pay half of the charge. Under the circumstances, this is more than we were obligated to do but we did it anyway because it was the right thing to do. To be clear, we never agreed to pay the entire invoice and will not be reimbursing the remaining total. In the future, I suggest that you read your lease closely and call to clarify any points that may be unclear.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:  sounds like a scam to me in collecting as many prospective renters fees and deposits as possible before selecting a tenant.   $39.00 application deposit and $100.00 plus in CC fees - quite a haul for nothing.  Wouldn't you agree?I would like to request emails outlining the documentation from me and the prospective tenant that you did end up renting to- from my initial contact submitting my deposit and theirs - please omit their names for privacy issues - please submit all email correspondence to the Revdex.com for review and my review. Thank you for your cooperation.In addition, please include any other interested parties in [redacted] during this timeframe - I am curious as to how many other prospective renters were scammed as well.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Ms. [redacted] and Mr. [redacted] did apply for a rental property we manage on 6/2/2016. As was told them, our company policy has always been to collect the security deposit up front (which is fully refundable if the prospective tenant is denied for ANY reason) in order to secure first come-first...

served priority and avoid discrimination issues. Contrary to the opinion of Ms. [redacted], every tenant we place goes through this same process and pays the deposit upfront. Please be aware that this is not just an FRE Policy and is fully endorsed by the Utah Apartment Association as best practices for our industry. Furthermore, we FULLY disclose the deposit requirement as well as the non-refundable status of all application fees on the first page of our rental application (please see attached screenshot). We are of course happy to proceed with Ms. [redacted]'s and Mr. [redacted]'s rental application in accordance with our company policy, but are unfortunately unable to refund it. I would also point out that we didn't "steal" anything as all rental applications are submitted online willingly by prospective tenants and all policies are fully disclosed prior to the application being submitted.