GBR Real Estate & Investment

As I stated, all rents and deposits collected by GBR Real Estate & Investment Co., Incfrom Mr [redacted] on behalf of the property owner (Mr [redacted] children) were dispersed to court the appointed Trustee, [redacted] , who was assigned to handle the children's affairs Mr [redacted] was still residing in the property at the time our services were terminated, therefore we would never have been involved with any deposit returnI explained this to Mr [redacted] when he and I spoke on the phone and advised him to contact the trustee I also contacted the Trustee, [redacted] , and the estate attorney, [redacted] with [redacted] after my conversation with Mr [redacted] and both assured me they would reach out to him regarding his concernsSincerely, [redacted] ***

As I stated, all rents and deposits collected by GBR Real Estate & Investment Co., Inc. from Mr. [redacted] on behalf of the property owner (Mr. [redacted] children) were dispersed to court the appointed Trustee, [redacted], who was assigned to handle the children's affairs.  Mr. [redacted] was...

still residing in the property at the time our services were terminated, therefore we would never have been involved with any deposit return. I explained this to Mr. [redacted] when he and I spoke on the phone and advised him to contact the trustee.  I also contacted the Trustee, [redacted], and the estate attorney, [redacted] with [redacted] after my conversation with Mr. [redacted] and both assured me they would reach out to him regarding his concerns. Sincerely, [redacted]

I am in receipt of the complaint forwarded by you to our office.  We always strive for excellent customer service and appreciate your efforts at brining this complaint to our attention.
 
I strongly disagree with the accusations made in this complaint.  We are property managers and...

act as agents for the property owners.  If a party is interested one of the properties we represent they may apply for it.  Upon receipt of the application we gather the required references and documentation, then present it to the owner who makes the final decision to approve or deny any applicant.  We have no control as to how many applicants there may be for any property or the timing at which an application may come in.  If we have multiple applicants we present them all to the owner and they choose the one they are most comfortable with based on credit history, income, length of employment, etc..  We do this in a timely manner as it is in all parties best interest to have the property rented quickly.
 
This particular complaint is very confusing as she stated we never got back to her for over two weeks or gave her a reason as to why she was denied.  As evidenced by the attached e-mail from the applicant, she applied for the property on the afternoon of the 9/9/14 and withdrew her application on the morning of 9/12/14.  She was never denied because she informed us she took another property and in her own words stated "you can discard my application".  This took place within 72 hours of her applying, so both the time frame and accusation in the complaint make no sense.  She even apologized for all the work she put us through and thanked us for our time.
 
The only thing that I can think of that she might be referring to in regards to timing is that our staff lets all applicants for a property know when it has been rented, so she most likely received a call from us letting her know that the owner had approved another applicant when the property went off the market.  This is a courtesy to let them know that the property is no longer available to them and to see if they would like to try and present their application towards another property.  As to why this would offend her or be construed as discriminatory when she had already secured another property and withdrew her application also makes no sense.
 
I will ask the staff to check with applicants in the future who withdraw their applications to see if they would like to receive this call or not.
 
As a gesture of good faith we have returned the application fees to the applicant even though we incurred all the expenses of processing the application.  These were mailed to her via check #7575 on 9/30/14, the day we received your letter.
 
I hope this helps to clarify matters.
 
Sincerely,
 
[redacted] [redacted] [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:GBR is responsible for returning our deposit because they accepted our deposit and cashed it. They are responsible for maiking sure we receive our deposit back. I recommend GBR follow up with whom ever to get our deposit back as you already once promised me. WWe expect our full refund of our deposit totalling of $1200.00.

I moved into one of their properties in 2008, [redacted].when I meet the agent to view the home it was no ready. I was told we I was ready to move in everything would be in order! I gave a move in date and nothing was repaired. The microwave door was broken, there was wise hanging from the wall in the kitchen, and graffiti on the doors. I was told all those things would be repaired! That didn't happen. 4-6months into living in the house I noticed the bathroom floor turning black, they sent maintenance out and nothing was done. I begin to have nose bleeds and head aches and called again about the bathroom floor. They sent maintenance out again and they found black mold in the floor and wall I was told I shouldn't be in the home. My daughter pasted out while taking a shower. My son begin to have asthma attacks. I complained and stop paying rent and I was evicted... now I have this on my credit and they continue to rent the home.

Review: I applied for a rental and was advised that we were the 1st applicants when we physically dropped it off at the place of business, and paid the $50 applicant fee. The company took almost two weeks to notify me that there is another applicant they were favoring over us, even though we submitted the application and fees 1st. We provided all the additional documentation within 2 hours of being requested, so it had nothing to do regarding us not complying with the requests. They advised that they gave the owners the application to review along with the other applicants as well. As long as we fell in the guidelines that were required,(good credit, long rental history with no issues, steady jobs etc.) which would have approved the application, the company should not have had any reason to choose another applicant over us other than plain discrimination which is against the law. They could not give me any reason as to why my application was declined, because it was not. They just favored the application they liked most instead. There is a reason for guidelines and they should be followed without any discrimination.Desired Settlement: We would like our application money back. It seems to be a scam. Accept as many persons applications and fees, but never approve or decline an application just choose the strongest applicant. I would also like the company to contact the credit bureau and remove the inquiry that they added to my credit.

Business

Response:

I am in receipt of the complaint forwarded by you to our office. We always strive for excellent customer service and appreciate your efforts at brining this complaint to our attention.

I strongly disagree with the accusations made in this complaint. We are property managers and act as agents for the property owners. If a party is interested one of the properties we represent they may apply for it. Upon receipt of the application we gather the required references and documentation, then present it to the owner who makes the final decision to approve or deny any applicant. We have no control as to how many applicants there may be for any property or the timing at which an application may come in. If we have multiple applicants we present them all to the owner and they choose the one they are most comfortable with based on credit history, income, length of employment, etc.. We do this in a timely manner as it is in all parties best interest to have the property rented quickly.

This particular complaint is very confusing as she stated we never got back to her for over two weeks or gave her a reason as to why she was denied. As evidenced by the attached e-mail from the applicant, she applied for the property on the afternoon of the 9/9/14 and withdrew her application on the morning of 9/12/14. She was never denied because she informed us she took another property and in her own words stated "you can discard my application". This took place within 72 hours of her applying, so both the time frame and accusation in the complaint make no sense. She even apologized for all the work she put us through and thanked us for our time.

The only thing that I can think of that she might be referring to in regards to timing is that our staff lets all applicants for a property know when it has been rented, so she most likely received a call from us letting her know that the owner had approved another applicant when the property went off the market. This is a courtesy to let them know that the property is no longer available to them and to see if they would like to try and present their application towards another property. As to why this would offend her or be construed as discriminatory when she had already secured another property and withdrew her application also makes no sense.

I will ask the staff to check with applicants in the future who withdraw their applications to see if they would like to receive this call or not.

As a gesture of good faith we have returned the application fees to the applicant even though we incurred all the expenses of processing the application. These were mailed to her via check #7575 on 9/30/14, the day we received your letter.

I hope this helps to clarify matters.

Sincerely,