Great Richmond Rentals

DO NOT RENT FROM THIS BUSINESS. Great Richmond Rentals, a.k.a. KRS Holdings, is by far the most incompetent and unethical company I've ever had the displeasure of renting from. Over the course of the 3 years I've lived in one of their properties, the company has failed to fix maintenance problems, lost checks, applied our checks to the wrong lease, and repeatedly inaccurately charged late and pet fees, all culminating in a court case where they tried to sue us for several thousand dollars they thought we owed them that was literally all due to their own errors.
When I moved in, one of my roommates had been on the previous lease, but we signed a new lease and she was the only previous tenant who still lived there. Again, we had signed a new lease and paid a new security deposit. The apartment was flea infested when I moved in; for months I called and tried to get them to come out, and it took me sending pictures of literally 50+ dead fleas I had collected in a bowl and threatening to take them to court to sue for the rent I had paid to live in an unlivable apartment to get them to bring in an exterminator. They then applied our security deposit to the charges for the exterminator and for ripping out some of the flea infested carpet (I ripped the carpet out with permission myself, the charges were for finishing the hardwood underneath)--charges that should have been covered by the previous lease's security deposit, which they did not return to the previous tenants (aka my roommate), so logically they would have used their deposit to do these things, right?
That was only the beginning. I would guess that 50% of the time, we would get notices that we hadn't paid rent when we had. I would call, and they would say someone would get back to me, and no one would. I frequently had to go into the office and talk to someone to get it straightened out; the problem was almost always that they had applied our checks to the previous lease. I would be told the problem was resolved. We would continue to get letters that we owed late fees; included on these letters were monthly "pet charges." The previous tenants had a dog, but we had only a bearded dragon, to which the pet fees did not apply (I asked them, and checked the lease). No matter how many times we told them we did not have a pet, they would continue to attempt to charge the pet fees.
I moved in in 2013. Fast forward to Fall 2015. We receive a summons to appear in court for money owed to KRS Holdings (Great Richmond Rentals--they are the same company.) This was without warning, without a call from anyone at the office, after talking to them very frequently and being told that the incorrect charges were fixed, our checks were found and applied to the right lease, we don't owe any money, ETC. The money we "owed" included the security deposit that they had incorrectly applied to the previous lease! This was something I had spoken both on the phone and in person to the company about. I was told it had been handled, and that the mistake (THEIR mistake) had been fixed, and here I was with a summons and attempted eviction for something I had been told was taken care of. Included in the roughly $3000 that we "owed" were the bogus pet fees, late fee charges (one or two were valid charges that we had paid, but many were from instances when they had incorrectly applied our checks that were on time. They applied the late fee payments that we HAD made, because if we were late then of course we paid pay the fees, to the old lease again), the security deposit, and "unpaid" rent.
I had to go in to the office and physically point out to them where in their books they had incorrectly applied checks and bring evidence of cashed checks they said they hadn't received. I still can't believe that it went this far, and they actually tried to take us to court over issues that we had resolved with them several times. At the end of it, they agreed that we did not owe them anything, and the case was dropped before the date. However, I have no confidence that this will not come back to bite me in the [redacted] later in life. I plan to get something in writing from the office that they will not come after us for anything once we move out this summer.
This doesn't even get into the problems we had with the apartment itself that went unresolved, including the homeless man who lived in our parking lot, whose food trash led to a rat problem, which went unresolved for months. Including the terrible construction done adding a deck and moving our door; there are visible gaps around the door, and the door itself will blow open if you don't lock the deadbolt. While they were doing the work, people would show up unannounced to do things like paint the door--I literally opened my door into someone painting it as I was leaving for work. They are required to give notice should they be coming to do work on the property. This is already an incredibly long winded review so I won't get into any more of the property specific problems, but know that their property maintenance is at the same level as their account management.
Just this month, our rent checks were applied again to the old lease. I called and one person told me that they had not received them at all, and considering that none of our checks had been cashed I assumed they had somehow lost them between the walk from the drop box to the office. Calling back, turns out the checks were applied to the old lease again. Seriously, almost 3 years later, same problem.
I hope I have dissuaded you from renting with this company. In spite of all of the problems with it, I love this apartment, but I am unwilling to continue to deal with this leasing company. It has been a constant headache, and they have outright lied about fixing problems over and over again. I don't understand how a company can be so incredibly, infuriatingly incompetent.

Review: Despite paying my rent promptly and in accordance with our lease agreement, I have received a "Notice of Default" every month, with the exception of December, since beginning to rent from KRS Holdings in November of 2015. I have addressed the issue with the assigned landlord multiple times and have been told that the file clerk is new. I have asked him to ensure that we do not receive these letters unnecessarily anymore.

The "Notice of Default" threatens legal action that is unnecessary and anxiety inducing.Desired Settlement: I am requesting that KRS Holdings cease their practice of sending Notice of Default letters unnecessarily.

Business

Response:

Thank you Revdex.com for assisting this resident. Our firm's mission is to create wonderful experiences for both our clients, as well as their tenants. Whenever an experience does not meet these expectations we will strive to improve the situation. In this case, the owner of the property provided concessions to the tenant. At this time the concession amount does not reconcile with the amount of rent paid. In speaking with the manager that is working with the the owner, the belief is that a resolution should occur by the close of April. Hopefully this will minimize the generation of an additional default letter.I hope this information provides better clarity to why the letter have been generated, and the actions that are occurring that should reduce the risk of recurrence. Thanks

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this response does not address the facts of the matter.For example, the very latest Notice of Default was received strictly due to an alleged non-payment of pet rent in the amount of $19.00. The letter went on to state that if the pet rent was not paid within 5 business days then my right to possession would be forfeited and the landlord could deem the possession unlawful and require my wife, two children, and me to vacate and deliver possession of the premises. This letter was sent despite paying $1,814 which covers both rent in the amount of $1,795 and pet rent in the amount of $19.00.I have attached a photo of the Notice of Default dated 04/08/2016.The business is misrepresenting the facts of the matter. The owner did provide hotel and food concessions to my family upon delivering a rental unit that was infested with bed bugs. I am not concerned with how the business conducts their internal accounting. The business should not be sending unwarranted legal correspondence when rent is paid in full and on time in accordance with the lease.

Regards,

I rented an apartment through grr for a year and it was one of the worst experiences I've ever had. The company sneaks in a $150 admin fee into your first month not including the $50 application fee which is already high. The apartment had no electricity in half due for the first two weeks due to faulty wiring. Was told it would be a quick fix upon moving but took weeks. Had numerous roof leaks in many rooms which ruined furniture and had the bathroom ceiling collapse. The management told me that they would get right on it but took weeks to get results. The security door did not lock properly so homeless would sleep inside the building and a neighbor was almost raped because of this. The company only acted to fix the problem because a police complaint was filed. Upon the joyous days of move out the company did everything in their power to keep my deposit despite having had the apartment immaculately cleaned and even repaired damage that was there before I had moved in. Still the company tried to keep my deposit only got it partially back after threatening lawsuit. If you are on the fence about renting from them because you feel like it's a good deal, don't you will end up spending more because you live in a post apocalyptic apartment with a company that does not care about you in the slightest. If it was possible to give a negative star rating I would, just stay away from GRR and KRS holdings.

Review: The rental property advertised that the rental property would include water sewage and trash which was ideal for me giving my situation. Once I paid money to have my application filed for the property I was approved. When signing my lease I notified the rep that it mentioned nothing in the lease about any utilities being included after advertising it would be and I have proof of the advertising. After several phone calls about the issue I was told by a rep. Named craige at great richmond rental he said he would honor the advertising if I could furnish him with proof of such advertising. I attempted to give mr. Craige the proof at that time he stated in a very rude manner that he would not be a man of his word and honor it because he spoke to someone and they informed me this was an error on theit behalf. However this shouldn't change the fact that this is what was advertised online. I am frustrated with dealing with this offer about this matter and would like someone from the Revdex.com to handle and resolve this issue immediately. I will be attachING a copy of the advertisement along with my complaint. ThanksDesired Settlement: I would like to have them honor their advertisement and provide water sewage and trash for the term of the signed lease agreement.

Business

Response:

I hope all is well. I wanted to follow up on complaint [redacted]. I thought our firm had already responded. Mr. [redacted], the tenant, has been a tenant at the property for multiple years, and has been a tenant at another property the firm has managed as well.We do not have record of advertising in the manner of the claim. In addition, Mr. [redacted] had lived in unit 1 before moving to unit 3. He clearly understood the manner in which the property was metered.Mr. [redacted] understands that the Revdex.com is a wonderful avenue for which to communicate. I will forward an email generated in August in which he had sent additional complaints to the Revdex.com. I will also forward a legacy lease from his prior tenancy in the building. Please let me know if this information is helpful.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer and/or response 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.

Review: On May 10, 2014 my son, [redacted] and I showed up at [redacted] pursuant to an open house invitation on [redacted]. We did the walk-through and I informed the agent, [redacted] that I was interested. In return for a cash receipt, I gave [redacted] a total of $201.00 as a deposit. Over the next several days I completed an application form for myself and my 2 sons at $20.00 each and was notified within the last several days that we had been approved. On May 20, 2014, I received via email attachment what I was told by [redacted] was a "draft copy" of the intended lease. We were supposed to look it over and make the necessary corrections so that we could schedule a meeting to sign the final lease.

On Wednesday, May 21, 2014, I contacted [redacted] and I informed him that the lease contract was so totally one-sided and onerous that we needed to change several of the paragraphs in the lease to conform to more realistic terms as are commonly in place in typical residential leases of this type.

[redacted] informed me that nothing could be changed and that this lease was now final. I informed [redacted] that without several changes we would not be in a position to proceed. 10 minutes later I received a call from a supervisor named [redacted] who attempted to salvage the lease. [redacted] offered nothing new and simply attempted to intimidate me into signing the contract. When I objected and asked for his supervisor's name, he informed me that he was his own supervisor. I then requested a full refund of my deposit and was told that since I had "changed my mind" I was forfeiting the deposit. I told [redacted] in no uncertain terms that I would avail myself of any and all options to be reimbursed the deposit and the application fees since I never changed my mind. Such allegation would only prevail if I had been told that the supposed real estate agent, [redacted],

of [redacted] was in fact an agent of [redacted] and if I had had an opportunity to review a draft lease, approve it in general terms and then pay the deposit with full disclosure available to me.

Specific items that I challenged were the need to give notice 120 days before the end of the lease or else it automatically renews for an entire year and an automatic 4% increase in the monthly rent. No month-to-month option. 60 -75 days might be appropriate, 120 days is onerous. I am further authorizing [redacted] to charge an administrative fee of $150.00 to be deducted from the amount of the deposit. Tenant is automatically responsible for broken windows caused by storms, etc. These terms go on endlessly and It border on insanity.Desired Settlement: I am sure that I am not the first victim of this apparent scam. Additionally, while attempting to follow up by telephone with [redacted] without any success for several days I contacted [redacted] and was initially told by the firm's "processor" that [redacted] did not work for them but for Great Richmond Rentals and that there was no relationship between them. Only when I told her that I was holding a business card identifying [redacted] as an agent for her company did she agree to make a call. [redacted] called me 10 minutes later.

I would urge you to launch a thorough investigation into these two companies for misrepresentation, misfeasance, malfeasance, and fraud. I ask that I be reimbursed for the $201.00 deposit and the $60.00 total in application fees obtained fraudulently under this bait-and-switch arrangement.

Consumer

Response:

The customer let our office know that the business has resolved this issue directly with the customer

Review: I went to pay my rent yesterday, and the note on the door said office is closed due to weather. It is a building with several apts so u need a key to enter main door. Which I couldn't enter because it was locked. I didn't realize the drop box was on the other side of the building because I have never used it before. Until the new management took over I've always paid online. When I did move in I was given an access card but it was only mentioned to me that it was access to use the gym after hours. I've never used the gym therefore I never had a use for the card. I've paid my rent on the 5th. Before it was never considered late. I purchased money order around 4pm yesterday. I think as a courtesy they should forgive my late charge since I did go to office to pay my rent. It was the 5th and I've paid on the 5th before was never a problem. Also I've never paid my rent late, I have however complained to office twice about the noise coming from upstairs and next door, upstairs the floor squeaks they said its because it's hard wood floor. The next door neighbor plays loud music at 7 am mon thru fri. Which I've also complained about. Plus I hear gun shots. I didn't know what kind of place this was before moving in. I am trying to get out of my lease. Plus when signing the lease is when I was told you only get 1 tag for your car. So you have to park second car off property. Plus that's when I was informed I had to pay a water bill. I was staying in a hotel so I was desperate for a place to stay so I took it. Thank you for any assistance you can give me.Desired Settlement: I don't think I should have to pay a late fee since I went to the office to pay my rent and they were closed due to the weather. Plus rent has never been late. I have been living there since sept. 2014.

Business

Response:

Thank you so much for alerting us this concern from the resident. Our goal is to satisfy our owners and their residents. In this case, the owner cannot provide the resident a concession. We're sorry that this decision was not favorable to the resident. As the intermediary, we must follow the owner's directive in this matter.If there are any additional question, please do not hesitate to ask.[redacted]

Review: The company in question has broken their own lease agreement. The lease states that tv and radio are to be kept at an acceptable level at all times especially after 8pm. My neighbor in [redacted] is extremely loud and disrespectful on a regular basis. His music& television are played at volume whereas his is audible over that of my own. I sit 7' away from my television and 16' away from the wall we share. He throws things at the wall we share, mostly darts. He slams cabinets and his door hard enough that my wall shakes, I cannot hang things on that wall for this reason. I have reported this behavior to both the management company and the police when it is late enough to violate the county ordinance. This has been going on since before 1/1/14. It is my understanding that when someone is in breach of lease they have 21 days to remedy and if still non-compliant an additional 30 days to vacate for a total of 51 days a deadline that has long passed. When I contact the agent to see what progress is being made i'm told it has not been enough time for them to legally evict him. When I asked if I needed to bring this to the attention to the Revdex.com I was hung up on.

Also, I have had a bedbug infestation since december 2013. I contacted the management company the week before christmas and was told no one would be able to come out until after the first of the year. After the first of the year I called to see when someone would be coming and I was told there was no work order on file. They have sent a man claiming to be an exterminator and he has sprayed some kind of chemical a couple times and the bugs go away for a few days but they always return and are still here along with the roaches that come thru the wall from [redacted] My wife is allergic to the bed bugs and gets huge red whelps when bitten.Desired Settlement: Most importantly, I want out of my lease without penalty. Also I feel some form of refund is in order due to the stress and hassle, medical bills from my wife's allergy, and the fact that all my belongings have bedbugs and must be PROFESSIONALLY treated or discarded.

Business

Response:

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We need to respectfully disagree that [redacted] has broken the lease, but can agree that the next door neighbor is not compliant with their lease. Noise violations in Chesterfield can be misdemeanors, so we would encourage a two point approach. The first is the civil approach, which our firm is continuing to follow. This process as somewhat arduous, but we will continue to try to resolve the noise violation. The second approach is to please call the police when this violation occurs. This loud noise is against the law, and cannot be tolerated. I realize that this approach takes time to resolve, and appreciate the tenant's patience. In addition, we may be able to transfer the tenant. We will reach out to the tenant to discuss.

The owner uses a licensed professional pest control company to handle treatment programs. The company treat apartments on a monthly basis. We will make sure this apartment is schedule for the next treatment, which happens to be next week.

Our goal is to resolve these problems and make the tenant happy.

Thanks

Review: On February 19th 2014 I did a walk through at [redacted] with [redacted]. The house was advertised at $750 per month with all electric for the utilities.(Central heat/air). I have a picture of the posting. I also have [redacted] on video pointing out the area where the oil heat used to work referring to it as the old oil system that no longer works. He showed me the touch screen keypad on the way out the door advising that it was for the heat as well as air conditioning. I paid $200 on the spot to hold the house, then returned at 5:30 pm the same day with my deposit and first months rent.There were a few things that needed to be repaired and cleaned before I was to move then including crown molding missing in the master bedroom in the front of the house, a broken fixture in the sunroom, and the cabinet door in the bathroom was missing completely. I texted [redacted] several times to make sure this work was completed, the only response I got was "I forward it to maintenance" I moved in March 8th 2014. None of the requested work was done. I also found out the heat did not work. I filed a emergency request and was told by [redacted] the maintenance man about 20 minutes later when he called that he would call me back when he was on the way. Three hours later he called back saying maintenance would come the next day to fix the heat due to a fire emergency, meaning I had to spend my first night in my house with no heat. After advising he would come first thing early in the morning I wasn't contacted until after 11am. [redacted] said that the oil to electric conversion had never been completed in the first place, and I did not have electric heat, only oil. I called [redacted] several times and sent several text messages furious that I was given incorrect information that led me to sign my lease. He called me back he stated that it wasn't something he would have any control over and "how would I know that the electricity was not working and it was oil heat". This is unacceptable. I explained to him as a leasing agent you should know correct information about the property that you are offering tenants. He deflected all ownership and told me I had to wait until Monday morning and call the office. He called me back less than an hour(without me requesting it) later telling me that he had called a few people and the only offer the rental office had given him was to pay 300 dollars to fill the oil tank enough to give me enough heat for the rest of the winter in the house. After that I would start being responsible for oil for heat for the rest of my two year lease. The other option presented was to void my lease and refund all my money given to the company. This is not an acceptable selection of choices. At no point should I be required to pay for oil during this lease because that's not what was agreed upon. Voiding my lease is not acceptable due to the fact that refunding my money from the leasing company does not refund the money I spent with several other companies. I paid deposits for several service transfers, Closed other accounts early, paid moving truck/worker expenses. In short, I invested to much money in this move to have to take a loss due to false information.Desired Settlement: There are a few acceptable solutions to this problem for me, I order from most to least preferred.

A. Great Richmond rentals pays for the heat for the rest of this season, and finds a way to convert the house to electric over the summer before the next winter, while I continue my lease.

B. Great Richmond rentals pays the all the oil in the lease until it's completion and allows me to shorten it to one year to allow me time to find a new home acceptable to move to.

C. Great Richmond rentals pays all oil for the duration of my two year lease, except for $30 to compensate for the amount of my electricity bill that would have been for heat if my home had been properly fixed, not to start until October 2014.

Business

Response:

Thank you so much for bringing this matter to our attention. Our goal is to try and make our tenants and owners incredibly happy with our services. Unfortunately, [redacted] is not a happy tenant. Upon move in to the property, we did not advise [redacted] that the HVAC was a hybrid system. The system is designed to be fueled by oil when temperatures reach a certain temperature. Our company was unaware of this function. We offered [redacted] $300 and the option to move out at her leisure. During the same period the owner was gracious to change the HVAC system to only use electric as the fuel source, an investment worth approximately a few thousand dollars. In addition, we have communicated on a regular basis with [redacted] advising her of the improvements being made to her home.

The owner have been incredibly accommodating and [redacted] extremely fortunate to serve clients such as these. While the tenant has had a choppy first month, hopefully the tenant will enjoy the remainder of her lease.

Thanks

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the 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.

The rental office had presented a solution that the owner offered as if they have given it to me. This is incorrect, This inconvenience was so severe, and was taking so long to resolve, the owner decided to come meet me in person to help resolve the problem, being as over a week had passed with no resolution, or new home to move into. [redacted], owner advised me they had advised [redacted] repeatedly to always tell tenants about the need for oil in this home. This was not done, and there had been a cycle of tenants not being able to stay in the home. The owners are spending a substantial amount of money to convert the house to being fully electric, but this is being done to compensate for a problem [redacted] created by incorrectly advertising the property. There is a picture of the posting, and how the home was advertised I kept for my records. The response to the Revdex.com acknowledged I had a "rough first month", But now they are not taking responsibility for it. [redacted] the president of the company said to my face verbatim "We screwed up". The lack of response I am getting in regards to getting closure for this situation is inappropriate. I was originally offered $300 to compensate for all of the transfer fees and moving fees I had to pay to get into the house, this was offered so I would not have to pay the cost twice once they found me an appropriate home that was not heated by oil. [redacted] sent me an email 3/20/2014 with a resolution guarantee that her and her husband were going to take care of converting the house to electric to compensate for the company's advertising. They also had to use another company for my repairs because non of the correct repairs were done by [redacted]. I sent work orders before I moved in to [redacted] and called to try to get work done. I was told my requests were forwarded to maintenance, but once moved in, no work was done, and I had to clean the house because that was not done. When I called to check on the orders, they had no records of them, though I have copies of several messages I sent before moving in. Appropriate heat JUST started pumping through my vents on 03/23. [redacted] had not done anything to compensate me for the issue they created, in fact the response seems like they are taking credit for [redacted] spending money like they fixed the problem. I asked for the company to acknowledge this issue by waiving my rent for the first month and allowing me to continue with regular rent for the remainder of the lease. [redacted]' response was that they could not ask the owners to sacrifice a month of rent because of how much money they would be spending. My request was not for the owners to resolve it, this was directed at [redacted], the source of the issue. She offered to send me an $[redacted] check from the company. This is absurd, the company thinks its a good business practice to compensate me the equivalent of 4 days of trouble? My rent is $750 per month, which prorated is $25 per day. I was living out of boxes not knowing if I was going to stay in this home because no solution was presented to me for well over 4 days. I altered my request trying to be reasonable and let them know that at the bare minimum they could compensate me for the 11 days into my lease that it took for me to get the written response from [redacted]. Even though it was really 12 days. I asked them to compensate me $275 for the trouble for April's rent. & I have not been receiving a response it has been over a week I have emailed twice and left several voicemails for [redacted] after the response was sent to the Revdex.com they have been giving me radio silence after telling you they were actively communicating with me to resolve this issue. The owner has communicated much more than the company that caused the problem and I was asking for the company to present a resolution not to hide behind what the owner did to resolve that problem they created. I left messages explaining I'm not trying to be difficult but as a company they were at fault and I just want to be able to move forward with my lease as Normal. It is however unjust for the company to feel as if I should still be responsible for a full month's rent after acknowleding to me and to Revdex.com that because of incorrect information I had a rough first month. This needs to be acknowledged they need to compensate for it, and then I would have no problem moving forward to try to enjoy the rest of my lease which is what I have told them as well. At this point it does not seem as if they are trying to be as cooperative as they have depicted themselves to be with you. I just want this taken care of so I can move forward. This was a really bad experience for someone moving into their first house the house. To reiterate the offer that I want from the company it is either for them to waive my entire month's rent from the company's pocket not the owners as they did not do anything wrong, or the next acceptable solution would be for them to prorate my rent for 11 days discounting $275, then moving forward my rent would be the normal rate of $750.

Regards,

Review: My son and two roommates moved into an apartment rented by Great Richmond Rentals (GRR) on 1 August 2011. The condition of the apartment was terrible. It was filthy, there was old furniture from the previous tenant still in the apartment, open ceiling tiles, and a broken deck. Additionally there was a gas leak in the apartment and the gas company ([redacted] ( I can't remember which) came to the apartment and fixed the leak that was coming from the stove. When the boys moved out on 31 July 2013 the apartment was cleaned and in better condition then when they moved in. A deposit of $1,395 was given at time of lease signing. After move out GRR returned only $419 claiming that had to clean the apartment, repaint two rooms, and repair a broken window. Any painting would have come under normal wear and tear and as I stated earlier, the apartment was cleaned and mopped and in better condition than it was at move in. I and another parent have contacted GRR and [redacted] (who I believe own GRR) requesting a full refund of the security deposit, even supplying pictures of the terrible condition of the apartment at move in. Our requests were promptly dismissed.Desired Settlement: As the lease calls for a $150 service fee to be deducted from the security deposit and the $50 deduction for a broken window is valid, we request an additional refund of $776. ($1395-$150-$50).

Business

Response:

Thank you for contacting us concerning the return of the security deposit of this tenant. Our firm has record of responding to at least one set of parents on multiple occasions concerning the return of the security deposit. There are also multiple email trails communicating with the operations manager about the return of the security deposit. To state we promptly dismissed the requests is simply not accurate. While the parents are upset about the damage charges received for the apartment, we believe the owner of the property was extremely fair with the return of the security deposit. There are over 100 pictures of potential charges, as well as a video displaying damages. The pictures and photos on record completely contradict the claim. While the owner had charges amounting to $825 to the tenant's liability, over [redacted] of repairs were required to make the apartment ready for move in.

In response to the concern related to the gas stove, federal regulations require the city of [redacted] to check the stove for accurate gas function. Any adjustments that need to be made are required of the landlord. This law was placed into effect several years ago.

We believe these tenants were treated very fairly with the return of the security deposit. The fact that the tenants do not agree with this decision is extremely disappointing.

[redacted] for your review. Please do not hesitate to ask any additional questions.

Thanks

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

I would to see the pictures and videos presented by the owner for two reasons. First to examine the pictures for validity and second to see if any or all of these pictures represent the condition of the apartment at the time of move in.

I would just like to warn everyone-STAY CLEAR OF THIS COMPANY!-- 4 years later I get a bill from an attorneys office in regards to a debt with KRS holdings/Great Richmond Rentals - I have not heard a word or received any correspondence from this company. keep in mind my phone number has been the same for 9 years, I also had my mail forwarded to the home I purchased when I moved out of the house I rented from this company. below is an email I sent the manager Craig W[redacted] almost 4 years ago expressing my concerns!
Dear Craig,
I hope this email finds you well, I hope you understand my frustration as well. Both my fiancé and I have contacted your office numerous times and left voicemails for 2 issues…
One – we have bought a house and are going to be closing on January 10, 2013. I already sent you an email informing that we would be moved out by January 15th 2013 and that we would like to go about this the right way… I would like to make sure there will be another renter going in after we leave… I have been told by Jamie he has spoken with you about this and that yall were contacting the owner to see if yall would put up for sale vs. leasing again…. That was 2 weeks ago.. I contacted him again since I haven’t heard back from you or him… he then told me that someone was going to be coming out to look at the house to inform the owner how much it would cost to turn it and put back on the market .. that was Monday… I still haven’t heard anything back… it is now December 5th … I am very concerned that all of this won’t be taken care of by the time I leave.
Two - We have had numerous issues with maintenance since we have lived in this house. There have been numerous things that have gone wrong with the house that we have called and requested to be fixed and have been given the run around each and every time and/ or has taken up to 4 months to get fixed. We are still waiting to hear back on the leaks in both showers, the sewer pipe that has been open in our basement since moved in and also our dishwasher was supposed to be replaced no later than thanksgiving… like I said we have called and called and left voicemails since the receptionist always tells us no one is in to take our call and that someone would get back to us.
The manner in which the aforementioned has been handled by your office I feel like I have no other recourse than to contact my attorney for legal counsel and also contact HUD for guidance on how to resolve these issues, and will do so if I haven’t heard back in 24 hours regarding my issues- I have read my contract and the Early Termination Clause specifically states that all I would be responsible is for one month’s rent and not liable for any other rent while Great Richmond Rentals re-rents the house.
Thank you,
**his response.......
[redacted],
Thanks for email and we understand your concern. Since you are breaking your lease you would be responsible for the one month break free as you stated in your email. The leasing agents are all aware that you are leaving and we have begun to aggressively market the property so that we can have a smooth transition for the property owner. We will of course give you twenty four hour notice when we have someone that would like to take a look at the property.
Brian, the maintenance coordinator has mentioned that he has reached out and has not received a response. He is looking to set up a time to look at the property to see what might need to be done to have a renter in as quickly as possible. Can you please send me the best number to reach you.
Again, we understand your concern but please know that we are working as quickly as possible to ensure a smooth transition between renters. Please reply back if you have any additional questions.
[redacted] my response back....
Craig,
I was unaware marketing was being done on the house, I have been checking to see if I saw any listings and haven’t seen anything, it also would have been nice if someone could have called to let me know.. since I’ve been calling nonstop and have just been told over and over someone would call me or [redacted] back… Brian may have told you he contacted me and/or [redacted].. but our phone numbers are still the same no voicemails or missed calls on our phones, and again our numbers have also been left with the messages we have left with the receptionist. This is where my frustration comes from…. No one in your office is ever on the same page- which causes confusion. Again our numbers are ###-###-#### and ###-###-####.. I just hope that all of this is resolved and settled before our move out date… I feel the way we have been treated during the duration of this lease has been very unprofessional. If things keep going the way they have been I will contact HUD and an attorney like I mentioned before, I feel like I have no choice.
Thank you for your understanding,

[redacted] keep in mind.. I never heard anything else from this company until.............
[redacted],
We only received a partial payment for rent and would be sending out a late notice as well as applying a fee today. Just wanted to know if everything was okay for the month of January. I know you guys were heading out around the fifteenth of the month please just stop by in the office and drop your key off. Thanks,
Craig W[redacted]
my response......
Craig,
I’m sorry I’m a little confused on what we still owe and why we would be getting a late fee? We paid pro-rated amount of 475.00 since our last day is the 15th. I also included 130.00 to cover the admin fee that was taken out of our deposit.
Due to the unprofessionalism both [redacted] and I have encountered during the duration of our lease we will not be paying 950.00 upfront for the breaking lease fee and then wait 30+ days for our deposit to be refunded. We have no guarantee we will get back our deposit based on past experience i.e., -we have called over and over in regards to the problems we have with the house and the problems have either been ignored or have taken an excessive amount of time to be fixed. Several of these issues are health hazards as follows: 2 leaks in both bathrooms, upstairs drain clogged, Waste pipe in basement has open exposure, and the plumbing is backing up and human waste is coming back through shower drains. Lastly we have been without a dishwasher since before Thanksgiving and I was told we would have a new one or the current one would fixed before Thanksgiving. Your records will show we have reported each issue and have been told they would be fixed. We have waited on a call to let us know when these issues would be resolved and have never heard anything. We have called and were told someone will call us back to schedule and again no call back from office to schedule. I have a 7 month old and we will be checking for any evidence of mold .
We have also been waiting for the agent to come and take pictures of the house so the house can be marketed to find a new renter, it’s been 3 weeks and that still hasn’t been done.. we finally called on 1/3/13 and was told James would be there yesterday 1/7/13 . [redacted] took an unpaid day off of work and waited for him to come… he never came nor answered the phone- we have also had people come up and knock on our door asking details about the house. We have adv[redacted]d them to contact the number on the sign in the front yard and have been told that no one answers nor returns their voicemail or either the mailbox is full.
We are very upset that none of these issues have been addressed nor have we heard anything back from your office until now with your email When there is an issue with great Richmond rentals wanting more money, you are quick to contact us. I have told your office before, due to the unprofessionalism and issues with maintenance, if the issues weren’t resolved I would contact HUD , and that is exactly what I will do since great Richmond rentals have filed to comply.
Thank you,
[redacted],
Hope all is well. Just wanted to touch base with you to see if you would be bringing in the keys sometime this week so that the owner can get in the house and do any necessary cleaning or work to the property. The reason that the rent is not prorated is that rent is charged for the full month you would either need to stay in there the full month or just lose out for the rest of the month, we do not prorate the month if you are breaking your lease. As far as the break fee it can come out of the security deposit but if there are damages the security deposit will not be there to cover that. I am sorry if you feel that there was a lack of communication and would be more than happy to discuss that with you when you come in to the office to drop your keys off.
Thanks,
[redacted] if you notice.... my concerns were NEVER addressed . The only thing they care about is when they're getting paid. I went and spoke with this man when I dropped my keys off. I was told I didn't owe anything. Never heard a word again.... that is... until now almost 4 years later I get a bill from an attorneys office!!!!!! STAY CLEAR PEOPLE! you will regret renting from this very unprofessional company!!!!!!

Placing tenants in the property sseing to be a strong point., but performing the maintainence in the apartment is your weakness , For me, I have no newly painted walls, a broken stove, a stove vent that does not work, the shower handle is broken and doesnot give proper water pressure. I put a work order and it takes more than 3 weeks to get a response and it is still not fixed. I need a plumber not a general handyman. Most of the tenants living in the unit are drug users, dealers, and it smells like durty wet dogs. Its very embarrassing to recommend anybody.

I really hope this is read by a future tenant and by CRAIG and his staff. CRAIG is so disrespectful and uncaring it's ridiculous. I moved to [redacted] over a year ago and I've had problems with bugs, things not being fixed, no air conditioner, water damage by a busted water heater upstairs which of course trickled to destroy my things downstairs, molded fridge to where I couldn't buy groceries for almost 3 weeks! Then when I kept calling they took their sweet time coming. It was so bad the guy told the office it was just sticker residue, which was ridiculous and he knew it because when I came back home from work it was a green bottle of mildew remover on my counter but I was treated by the office as if I was lying about the mold. When my upstairs neighbors water heater busted, I called the Office 4x for emergency help and even threatened to call the police because the water was so overwhelming from my closet and bathroom that I was afraid of the apartment floooding. This female (and I use this term loosely) just shrugged me off and first said someone will look at it tomorrow then later said she will let them know because they are off today, lady seriously? It took TWO other neighbors to call in because water was leaking into their apartment too. My air conditioner didn't work and was replaced almost THREE weeks later without the proper sealing so bugs, centipedes, little frogs and spiders entered as they pleased. I promise I'm not making this up when I said frogs. Its a lot of them in the grassy areas behind the complex so imagine my nerves when I seen something hopping in the dark or low light, not very happy I assure you. I've called so much that one lady actually huffed on the phone and knew my name saying "Is This Ms. H[redacted]?" before I stated it so imagine how many times I had to call and was still unsuccessful getting things done. The list goes on and on with what's so wrong with this company that you might be reading for days. So to give you my latest encounter, I called to inform I'm terminating my lease in March 2016 and this [redacted] CRAIG had the nerve to say, "We'll that's great!" I asked what do you mean 'that's great' but he then rambled on as if he didn't hear me then hung up like the coward he is when I asked a 2nd time. I don't understand why he even has a job. So FYI Beware!

Review: I rented a townhouse from [redacted] and signed my lease on August 15, 2012. Greater Richmond rentals required that I submit a $1300 deposit due to the fact that I owed on a previous apartment. The apartment was mediocre to say the least but I was in desperate need of an apartment so I went with the first place that approved me. I received a letter from Greater Richmond rentals in June saying that if I was to renew my lease the rent would go up to $670 from $650. I immediately sent them a letter that they confirmed they received on June 21, 2013 saying I wasn’t interested in living there any longer. The letter they sent me said I had to be out by August 1, 2013 which was less than a year but I was glad to leave the roach invested apartment as fast as I could. On August 15, 2013 I called Greater Richmond rentals to inquire about my $1300 deposit and was told to call back and speak with a man by the name of [redacted] was very unprofessional over the phone and started saying how I owed rent and probably wouldn’t see my deposit back. I paid over each month on my rent that left me a $100 credit so that my last rent was only $550 which I understood I owed. That still leaves $750 of my deposit which they said it went towards repairs and breaking my lease because I didn’t give them a 120 day notice of moving out. I never received a hard copy of my lease which every time I called to ask for it I received the run around. I went into the office to get a itemized statement of all the charges listed they charged $150 for cleaning my refrigerator when it had bugs living in it prior to me moving in among other outrageous things. I then proceed to ask for a walk through of my old apartment I was given a time and date to meet a supervisor there and no one showed up. When I called to see where the supervisor was I was told he had a emergency and couldn’t come also the receptionist hung up on me without scheduling another appointment. My old apartment had the shades open and I looked through the window to see that the walls hadn’t been painted or the carpet wasn’t replaced which is things they charged me for on my itemized statement. On top of them keeping my full deposit they are still charging me $651 in addition for other things they claimed they did in the apartment. I have yet to get any contact from them I did all the reaching out to Greater Richmond rentals.Desired Settlement: I would like to avoid going to small claims court and just would like a letter saying paid in full. I don't want any money back or have to owe them any more money. I just want to break even and move on with my life.

Business

Response:

Thank you for allowing us to respond to this tenant's concern. One of our goals as a property management company is to make sure our owners provide a good product for the tenant, and the tenant follows the rules set out in the lease. In researching our maintenance log, there is no record of any pest problem. If the tenant had sent in a work order, the owner would have provided pest control service. According to our log, the owner made several repairs, on a timely basis, upon the request of this tenant throughout the duration of the lease.

The tenant provided a notice to vacate 40 days prior to moving out. The lease clearly states, and was initialed by the tenant, that a 120 day notice to vacate is required. If the tenant was a few days late we could ask the owner for some flexibility. 55 days late is not acceptable to the owner. Therefore we have to enforce the cancellation fee of one month.

The tenant claimed that the rent was overpaid on a regular basis. The reason the tenant payments were greater than the rent charge was because the tenant got behind in rent last year. After we filed for eviction, the owner decided to work with the tenant. The tenant did pay much better after the Writ For Possession was received. Again, the [redacted] worked consistently with this tenant. A ledger balance is attached to substantiate our stance. In addition, the [redacted] does not plan to sue the tenant for the outstanding balance at this time, which is 651.23.

We are sorry that the tenant put themselves into this uncomfortable position. We are willing to assist in any way we are able. However, the owner has been very supportive and has complied with the lease.

Please let us know if there are any additional questions.

Thanks

Review: I rented a 2 bedroom apartment from this company in February of 2015. In April of 2015 I reported a leak in my bathroom ceiling. Despite the numerous service requests that were put in for repair of the ceiling it was never fixed. The ceiling was swollen with water like a balloon. A few weeks later we started to notice large sized rodent droppings around the house. One evening I was coming home from work and we found a small puppy sized rat dead on the kitchen floor from the D Con I had put down. When we contacted maintenance they supposedly sent someone out to place traps, even though we could not find where the traps were set. In May of 2012 my children and I started to become sick. My 9 year old daughter's breathing started to worsen and my infant had constant stomach viruses as did I. Finally when the bathroom ceiling started to fall in and mold began to develop on the walls and I made it known I would be contacting a lawyer, maintenance finally came and addressed the issue. Despite the rodent and mold issues, I was told by a representative named [redacted] in the leasing department that it did not make it uninhabitable despite the rodent issues and my children becoming sick. She was very rude and informed me she can not relate to me because she pays for her own repairs and works 12 hours a day to pay them. When I informed [redacted] of the rodent issues, [redacted] stated that I acted as if they were breeding the rats. The rat issue was never resolved.This made me feel like I was unworthy of good property maintenance and customer service because of my credit issues. I was released from the lease WITHOUT PENALTY and moved out on June 5th. When I went to move my almost brand new sofa, I noticed numerous rat droppings underneath the sofa and holes at the bottom where they had begun to nest. I informed [redacted] in maintenance of the problem and he dismissed it as if it was no big deal. This company preys on people with bad credit charging large deposits and providing slum lord mainteDesired Settlement: At this time, I am requesting that my sofa be replaced and I also would like an apology from [redacted] in the Leasing and Compliance department.

Business

Response:

We are sorry that this tenant has had a poor experience in the apartment community. Also, we apologize if an employee communicated in a manner that was unacceptable. Our goal is always to provide great customer service to our owners and residents. In this case, we were able to convince the owner to release the tenant from the lease without any penalty. In addition we are trying to secure another home for the tenant. The owner of the apartment community is not open to purchasing additional furniture, but would consider paying the deductible for the renter's insurance claim. Hopefully we can help this tenant find her next home.Thanks

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

I am waiting on the owner's response in reference to an apartment in [redacted]. I expect to receive an answer by Friday June 26, 2015 per one of the agents.

Regards,

Review: There are several issues that I have contacted Great Richmond Rentals (KRS holdings) about with regard to the premise at [redacted] Richmond va that I rent and Great Richmond Rentals services as the [redacted] for. The air conditioning not working is the main concern at this point, but other issues have been sent over to Great Richmond Rentals, including a sewage issue in which the owner of the house has in text message acknowledged is an issue that will cost $4k to fix, but hasn't made an effort of the last year and a half to get fixed - this issue causes the smell of raw sewage to permeate throughout the house causing nausea and discomfort. This has been an issue since I moved into the house over 1 year ago. As for the AC issue, the AC was reported as being broken on May 28, 2013 to Great Richmond Rental and the home owner directly. over this last week, without AC, the temperature in the house has increased to a sweltering 90+ degrees. Nobody has returned any of my phone calls regarding this matter. A maintenance resource was sent out unannounced on May 30, 2013, but said the unit couldn't be fixed, thus the need for the owner to provide the "go ahead" to replace the Unit parts had to be secured. I have also attempted to end the lease, but neither the emails I have sent, nor the phone calls placed to Great Richmond Rentals have been returned. I don't know what else to do, please help me. The company Great Richmond Rentals has me in a bad position and they are doing nothing to fix the issues. I can't live in sewage in a house with no AC. Also, due to the AC being broken, the refrigerator has begun to leak water into the kitchen. There is a big puddle of water that keeps collecting in the kitchen, but nobody has come to fix this issue either. Please Please help me. I can't stand to go through this much longer. I do not believe I should have to pay rent for the days the AC was out, I can tally that value and submit later if needed.Thanks,[redacted]Tenant of GRRDesired Settlement: I would like to have my rent to be less for every day I have not had AC. I went out to purchase a $325 portable AC from Lowes that I can not afford, but didn't have any choice as Great Richmond Rentals will not fix the issue. I want the AC to be fixed ASAP. I want to be allowed to get out of the lease, with my deposit returned to me so I can go on with my life. Great Richmond Rentals is an organization that believes they can bully tenants because I don't own the house and they have a contract.

Business

Response:

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.

Review: This company is borderline fraud. I believe we were baited by the agent Kelly E. We looked at a property on their website [redacted] that stated a 3 bedroom 1.5 bath townhouse for 795, and included with in the rent were water, sewer, and gas. When we sat down to sign the lease we were then told that those 3 things weren't included and we were apologized to by him. We were told that the trash pickup was from a private company and was included with the association fee, but we soon found out about a week later that it wasn't included either. We signed a lease for a property that was ready to move in and that was in excellent condition. This was also not the case. The day we received our keys we were told they had replaced the carpet. We walked in to a home that had dirty old carpet from the previous tenant, and there was trash around the boarders of all the rooms upstairs from the previous. Then it took them 4 days to replace the carpet after we were told ours went to another tenant. We were told that the house was cable ready, which was also incorrect, it took us a week to get someone to do a full install of the wiring, which we had to pay for. The hot water didn't work in the downstairs bathroom, there was trash in all of the vents, the light in the pantry didn't work and someone had drawn all over the door upstairs. We soon found out that our refrigerator didn't work because all of our food that we bought almost went bad but we had to put it into the freezer, which was as cold as a regular fridge. I have called and have tried to satisfy the situation myself, but no one calls me back, and when they do its never their fault it is your fault, hey make you feel like it was your job to go in and fix their problems. We have been there for only 2 weeks and haven't even been able to cook a proper meal for our. family. They advertise that their properties aren't fixer-uppers, but this is not the case.Desired Settlement: I would like a refund from the time I moved in until they fix the water, lights, and fridge in that house. We paid a prorated amount for November for a ready to move in trash included in the association fee home. And that what we deserve.

Business

Response:

Thank you so much for contacting us about this tenant's concerns. Our goal is to always create great experiences for both: 1.) the owners of the properties that are managed by KRS Holdings and 2.) the tenants that live in the properties. We truly believe our owners wish to provide great experiences for the residents as well. This particular owner will be meeting next month for a review. The resident's concerns will be communicated at that time, as well as the resident's concession request. In the mean time, a request to the owner to make any outstanding repairs will be made.Thank you Revdex.com for allowing KRS Holdings to uphold our corporate mission to make a positive difference in the lives that we touch.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's offer. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved. If the company does not perform as promised I can get back to you at: [redacted]

Regards,

Review: In our experience, Great Richmond Rentals has proven itself to be an incompetent property management company with little to no interest in providing its tenants with reasonable or professional care and our disappointments reach back to the beginning of our lease.

Due to issues and maintenance required on the house we allowed our move-in date to be pushed back farther than expected at the last moment. On the day we finally moved in we saw cockroaches. We saw them in several rooms, including the kitchen, on all surfaces including the ceiling. We immediately contacted GRR, but they only sent in their own maintenance man with store-grade spray to spot treat the kitchen. It had no effect. Cockroaches were everywhere, in every room. They were in our refrigerator, freezer, bathrooms, bedrooms, etc. They were even collecting in our clothing. We continued to contact GRR and the owner afterwards, but to no avail. It took two written copies of a maintenance request letter and a visit to their office to get a serious scheduled extermination appointment.

However, we will never know whether or not they planned to bring in a professional or another of their maintenance men because whomever we spoke with to make the appointment failed to record the appointment. When no one showed up and we called GRR, no one knew of the scheduled appointment and the maintenance department did not have a work order for it. Someone was scheduled to come in the following day, but lo and behold it was nothing more than the maintenance man with the store-grade spray again.

We have continued to call. We get redirected repeatedly and sent in circles and/or to a voicemail. No one at this property management company can help us, apparently. No one at this property management company can record appointments. No one at this property management company can answer a phone. Their level of incompetence and deliberate ignorance is astounding.

This week we called [redacted] and they were kind enough to do a free walk-through inspection. The infestation is bad, so bad that the recommendation from [redacted] was to do 12 monthly treatments as opposed to their typical bi-monthly or quarterly treatments. [redacted] called the owner; the owner deflected them immediately to GRR. GRR did not pick up the phone. There are still cockroaches in our fridge. We can’t have food at the house. We’re afraid to unpack our clothes and live in our house.

No one has called us back.Desired Settlement: Adjusted rent until job is finished.

Business

Response:

Thank you so much for contacting us. [redacted] is always committed to making a positive difference in both our owner's lives and the tenant's lives. The move in date we have for the tenants was 8/20. We have scheduled the pest control around the tenants' schedule. This includes the fact that the tenants need to prepare the home in a way that allows the pest control to occur. The maintenance technicians have been to the property on 08/20, 9/12, and 9/17. We have held a conference call with the owner and the tenant. I believe both parties understand that the solution is a treatment process. [redacted] is willing to coordinate additional visits and treatments. The tenant can always use the tenant portal for this request 24 hours/day. The great thing about the portal is that the request is in writing and is received by the maintenance team.

The owner is not willing to buy crates for the tenants' pets, but is willing to continue to assist with pest control.

Hopefully this response clarifies the owner's commitment, as well as [redacted] commitment to pest control at this property.

Thanks

Review: I have currently just signed a lease with KRS holdings/great Richmond rentals. We haven't moved in due to black mold in the house and a number of maintenance issues.Desired Settlement: I only want my money back and my contract cancelled without hurting my credit score I will not be moving my family into a mold infested home.

Business

Response:

Thank you for notifying us of this tenant's claim. KRS Holdings was extremely concerned for the well being of the tenant, and received an immediate authorization from the owner of the property to conduct a mold test. This mold test was conducted by a third party mold specialist. The lab reports did not substantiate the tenant's claim. The tenant terminated the lease. Currently, the owner is not pursing any additional legal action against the tenant. KRS Holdings is currently attempting to lease the property to another qualified tenant.

Please alert us to any additional questions.

Thanks

Review: I found a rental property through Great Richmond Rental and signed a lease to move in 7/1/13. I could not move into the house on 7/1/13 because the owner of the property still resided in the home. I then had to wait almost 2 weeks to move into the house because the owner was still moving his things out. We did not officially move in the home until 7/15/13. Great Richmond Rentals is refusing to prorate our rent for the 15 we were not in the home. And to be quite honest, the owner still has items in the attic and the shed in the back! I have been very patient with both the Owner and Great Richmond Rentals on the issue and feel it is only fair to have the rent prorated the entire 15 days we were not in the home. Again, I signed a lease to move in on 7/1/13 and that was not done. That is a verbal agreement that was broken by Great Richmond Rentals. I also paid $1810.00 for 1st months rent and deposit and they refused to give the money back when we did not move in. This company is horrible. You can never contact them by phone and they just give you a complete run around. They never return phone calls. The owner did not even know we were moving until we showed up at his home 7/1/13. I even took off work to move in 7/1/13 and was not able to. The home has water damage and the dishwasher does not work. The manager of the company talks down to me, like I am beneath him. His name is [redacted].Desired Settlement: I am asking Great Richmond Rentals to prorate the bill 15 days for the month of August and reimbursement for the day I took off work.

Business

Response:

Thank you for alerting KRS Holdings about your move in problems. We agree with 100% that the property should have been ready for move in at the time your lease began. Our goal as a professional property management company is to act as an intermediary between the owner and the tenant. We want to provide both parties an incredible experience. With that being said, our policy is to communicate with the owner on a regular basis concerning move in's. In addition, a property condition assessment is provided to the owner. There are times with residents do not move out on a timely basis. While this is unacceptable, our duty is to try to resolve these difficult and stressful situations.

In this specific case, we were able to get a 10 day concession accepted by the owner. In addition, we were able to get the owner to install new carpet, which was an item noted on our property condition assessment.

This tenant has a right to be frustrated. We can ask the owner for additional concessions, but are not optimistic the owner will provide any.

We truly believe the owner wants the tenant to have a great experience in this home. We are committed to trying to satisfy both parties.

Thanks

Review: At the suggestion of a GRR maintenance employee, I put in a maintenance requests to observe the water pressure in the basement (a structural issue), as it was effecting a washing machine that I own. This maintenance employee informed me that that were water pressure issues in the house, as it is very old, and that I should call to have it checked out.

Weeks later, a maintenance employee came out (different from the one discussed above) to look at the water pressure. I let him in but was not present during inspection. In this time, he decided that there was a mechanical issue with the washing machine itself, and took it upon himself to replace the washing machine's timer. This was not discussed with me, and the fact that it is something that I would pay for, or how much it would cost, was also not discussed with me. I did not consent to any mechanical work on my washing machine, but rather only to inspect the basement's water pressure.

The timer did not even fix the problem, and a week or so after this, I called again informing GRR that the water pressure was never checked out and requested another visit to come fix what I originally requested. A new (different from the previous two) maintenance employee showed up, and determined that the water pressure was okay, but did not know what was wrong. He left having done no work.

Around this time, I received a bill in the mail from GRR declaring a debt of $78.00 for washing machine maintenance. I called, and it was explained to me that because I owned the washing machine, it was my responsibility. I explained that I never asked for this service (indeed, can maintenance just show up at any time and fix whatever they want and bill me for it) and that they are unable to produce any burden of proof that I even requested this service. I had a very difficult time getting anyone past the secretary on the phone - and the one time I did, he told me he would "look into it and get back to me", which he never did - and was eventually told that I would need to sue them if I wanted to not pay the charge.

I paid the fee on January 05, 2015, in fear of late charges being assessed - and, with an inability to acquire counsel (I am a full-time student), I am not able to afford the $78.00, let alone any additional charges.

However, I maintain that this charge is deceptive, as it was never discussed with me and just quietly showed up on my account weeks later. Had it been discussed with me, I would have declined the service, as I do not have the extra money to pay for it. On top of all of this, their "fix" did not even work and I still do not have a working washing machine.Desired Settlement: As mentioned above, I paid the maintenance fee to avoid any further fees. However, as this charge was deceptive, I would like a $78.00 credit to be applied to my next rent cycle, due February 01, 2015.

I would also like an agreement to be signed by both parties that states maintenance work will not be completed if I am to be charged without explicit and signed consent from me (Alex Wilhelm) about all work to be done and all charges to be assessed. The house is very old, and as such maintenance visits frequently, and I would like to prevent this from happening again, as I cannot always be present when maintenance visits to handle requests.

Business

Response:

“The business responded to this complaint but asked that its response not be published.”

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the 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.

While I appreciate the company responding to me in a timely fashion, I would like to respond to a few claims that were made in the company letter.1) Yes, technicians came out twice. Each visit was from a different employee. The reason I had to call the second time was because the first employee did not look at what I asked for, and instead fixed something that I did not express any discontent with. I briefly spoke with the first employee - I was studying for [redacted] final exams in my room for the duration his visit. I let him in, and knew he went to [redacted] for a part, but did not spend any actual time conversing with him. I was very clear with the second guy (although I did not yet know I would be charged for the first visit, I was displeased that the problem was not fixed the first time) and he actually checked out the water pressure, as was my initial request.If I called for the company to service an electrical outlet next to my TV (i.e., my TV does not work due to the electrical outlet near it), it seems ludicrous to me that someone would pull apart my TV and begin working on it. This is the same sort of situation. The only reason I mentioned the washer in my call was so that they had a reference point for when they inspected the water pressure, as that was what was most noticeably affected. 2) I was never, ever, ever alerted to any charges being made for the first maintenance visit. It was also never verified with me that a) they were even mailing an invoice, or b) that I ever received it. It came as a surprise in the mail one day, and I immediately called the company. So yes, it was absolutely 100% added to the account without notifying the tenant. If you can provide physical proof that this is not the case (read: not a "supervisor claim"), then I would be thrilled to look at it. If not, the burden of proof lies on the company to come up with some sort of evidence that I either requested this service or that I knew that I would be charged.I have been a loyal, respectful, and responsible tenant - that has never made a late payment - for multiple years now; I am not sure why the company seems to think that I am simply trying to weasel my way out of a charge. At best, maintenance was taking short cuts and did not properly communicate; at worst, it was a deceptive action by the company.I genuinely like all of the maintenance staff I have worked with and am not seeking to get anyone in trouble. However, I do expect a reasonable effort to be made in verifying services that I am responsible for - and since no effort was made in this situation, I am seeking a refund or credit on the $78.00 I have paid.

Regards,

Business

Response:

“The business responded to this complaint but asked that its response not be published.”

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's offer. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID[redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved. If the company does not perform as promised I can get back to you at: [redacted]

Regards,