Jacksonville Realty, Inc.

the prior tenants were evicted therefore when we moved in, the house was left as the prior tenants left it. This company is holding us responsible.The house we rented which was [redacted], the prior tenants were evicted. There were clear signs of that being that the house was not cleaned. The only thing that looked clean was the carpet. We wrote down the discrepancies on the move in inspection as it states to. Stating there were stains on the wall and etc. We moved on due to the company stating the landlords wanting to sell the house. Which clearly was a way of making us move out. However, now the company is ignoring our inspection paper stating we're responsible for everything. They have sent us a $5000 bill. Which me and my husband believe that it's a way to bill us in order to renovate the home. However, in there on contract it states "tenant's duties upon termination return the Premises, and any appliances or fixtures furnished in connection there with, in the same condition as when Tenant took possession of the Premises." My husband and I took pictures of the home before we moved in, which the pictures are dated. I have emails where I have contacted the property manager and in one of those emails she state "most of the charges could have been taken care of, but your wife wanted to argue with me about the move out responsibilities so I had to order things." This is what one of her correspondence to my husband stated. This company is not professional at all. We also lived on base and if you are not aware. Moving out of base housing is really strict. We received a bill from them, but it was $300. No where near what [redacted] is billing us which is $5000. That is ridiculous. Around [redacted] the company is getting a bad reputation and this is one of the reasons why. Because of the over billing as they like to do. Maybe they just think we will pay the $5000 and shut up about it. The one incident that also is upsetting is that the property manager is not the one that went with us to view the home. The person that went with us was aware of the conditions of the home. For example like the property in the shed that the prior tenants lift. That's something else that we're being billed for. The previous tenants trash. Desired SettlementThe settlement I am seeking is the bogus charges we are being billed. I am willing to pay the rent and the cleaning of the carpet and the small things that were broken, but I will not pay for things that the prior tenants did and left. Also this realty company needs to be on the black list for military members. So that they don't come across this same ordeal as us.Business Response We have met with the person who filed this complaint and we have resolved these issues directly with her. She was only charged for the items she broke and for the cleaning of the home.

To Whom it May Concern,I have made several attempts to reach [redacted] with no return call. It absolutely amazes me that this business can survive with such lack of customer service. Especially over a simple question. On Friday March 11th my husband and I contacted [redacted] to notify her that our heating and air unit was not functioning properly on the house we rent. [redacted] stated she would call a repairman. The repairman contacted us and said he would be out that afternoon. Unfortunately, the repairman got held up on another job and was unable to get to our house until Monday March 14th. At that time the repairman informed my husband and I that the unit we had was shot and the compressor was bad. He would have to get in touch with the real estate agent ([redacted]) and see what they wanted to do. The repairman also told us that the bad unit was why our electric bill was $600 2 months ago and that it was not safe for use so he shut it off at the breaker. On Tuesday March 15th a second repairman arrived for a second opinion and agreed with the first repairman. Now we "wait and see" what the homeowner wants to do. In the meantime while it's 80 degrees during the day temperatures were still dropping into the 30s at night and we have 3 small children (3 and under). We were told that they were "hoping" to have a new unit installed as soon as possible the one company had one in stock and the other company had to order one. Ultimately it was the homeowners decision on what to do. While I understand that Mr. & Mrs [redacted] are stationed overseas and there is a time difference, in my experience when you have a company managing a property for you, the company is responsible for decision making and making sure the property is maintained. Sadly this is not the case with Choice Jacksonville Realty nor is it our first go round with them. In 2015 it took us 5 months to get a new oven. Our new heating and Air unit was finally installed on Thursday March 24th but [redacted] mentioned to my husband that they would give us some type of compensation for our troubles (almost 2 weeks with no heat/air and our electric bill being $600 for 1 month). I have made multiple attempts to contact [redacted] to see what she has in mind for compensation and to find out if this compensation will be taken off April's rent with not even a phone call back to say they are working on it. I figure, and the lawyer in consulted with, we pay $900/month for rent which equals $10800. $10800 divided by 365 days =$29.58/day. $29.58 * 10 days ( 3/14 - the day the first repairman came to 3/24 - the day the new unit was installed) = $295.80. I feel it's fair that we be compensated at least $300! Especially since we had to heat our 1800 sqft home with space heaters during that 10 day period, our most recent electric bill is almost $400 and that doesn't include the use of the space heaters. I am absolutely amazed and appalled that a company can blatantly ignore phone calls and treat one of it's paying customers, who just happens to be disabled with small children like this and think it's acceptable!!!!!!Sincerely[redacted] & [redacted]Richlands, NC XXXXX910/XXX-XXXXCC: [redacted]Revdex.com of Eastern NCDesired Settlementwe pay $900/month for rent which equals $10800. $10800 divided by 365 days =$29.58/day. $29.58 * 10 days ( 3/14 - the day the first repairman came to 3/24 - the day the new unit was installed) = $295.80. I feel it's fair that we be compensated at least $300! Especially since we had to heat our 1800 sqft home with space heaters during that 10 day period, our most recent electric bill is almost $400 and that doesn't include the use of the space heaters.Business Response Contact Name and Title: [redacted]Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXXContact Email: [redacted]@hotmail.comThe decision for a major purchase on a rental property is decided by the home Owner. We, as their agent, notify them of problems & provide them repair estimates/options. And as with most major purchases the vendor receives payment prior to doing the work. Choice Jacksonville Realty does not pay for or loan money for purchases. The homeowner of this property is a member of the Armed Forces & stationed outside the U.S. Time zones did create a communication problem. The new heating/air conditioning system was installed within 8 business days of the 1st report. We strongly believe this is a very reasonable time to cure a problem this costly.Choice Jacksonville Realty offered free use of an additional space heater to assist the tenant during the cold spell but the tenant declined. Tenants told us that they were residing on the lower level of the home, which is approximately 1000 HSF, and the Amish Heater they had was heating the area sufficiently. Tenant states that they incurred a $600 electric bill 2 months prior to reporting the heating problem. Tenant had not reported any increased energy usage prior to 3/11/2016 when they reported the heat pump problem.Tenant states it took 5 months to get a new range. It took a total of 88 days. During that time the 4 burner stovetop was fully functional & the oven, although not reaching the optimal set temperature, was still heating, albeit an inconvenience. Tenant was told by Choice Jacksonville Realty that we would try to work out a few days rent credit with the Owner of the home & advise them if the Owner was agreeable. At this time, no agreement has been reached and Choice will not issue any credits until we have permission from the Owner. While the Owner is not required to issue any type of compensation some do as a show of good faith. If & when the Owner responds the Tenants will be notified.Timeline re: heat pump replacement:3/11/16 Tenant reported the heat pump was not coming on in A/C mode. Choice notified vendor.3/14/16 Vendor notified Choice that units compressor had shorted out, unit was 22 years old & not worth repairing. Vendor does not installnew heat pump units, only repairs them. Choice notified Owner via email of the problem.3/15/16 Owner responded & requested an estimate on a new heat pump. Choice called another heating & air vendor for a estimate. Choice received the estimate, same day, & forwarded estimate to Owner via email. Owner replied back & asked which alternative would get the Tenants up & running quicker. Choice had included this in the email with the estimate & reiterated that fact.3/21/16 Choice requested a decision from the Owner via email & advised them to call the vendor to make a credit card payment so the unit could be installed.3/22/16 Owner advised Choice that the vendor had been called & payment was made.3/24/16 New heat pump unit was installed.

If you can avoid renting from Choice Realty Inc in Jacksonville please do so. They are extremely unprofessional. We rented one of their properties out in Hubert and when it came time to renew the lease or give a 30 days notice, no one in the office knew who I was or the reason I was calling. They cycle through property managers like they're candy, therefore there is no accountability of what was discussed with one manager before you call back a week later and they tell you that person is no longer with the company so they're not responsible for information they gave you. Even though our move-out inspection was impeccable, we took care of all things required from us, they kept our security deposit because we did not stay the full 30 days of our 30 day notice, something no one specified after we asked multiple times, because we knew we would only be there for one week.","neg-1

Ever since my husband and I gave our proper notice for move out, the company has been completely unprofessional.My husband and I had given over 30 days notice to move out of our rental. The real estate company gave us a form to fill out as to special instructions for the showing of what was still our home. The form specifically said that we could not refuse a showing however we could reschedule. We received a call for one of the two showings at 9:30 on a Friday night. I had company from over 400 miles away staying in my home and they wanted us to be able to show the property the following morning between 9-11 am. Respectfully I asked to reschedule and they said that I would have to contact the property management to reschedule, and as you can tell they were not open. I was able to finally get ahold of someone who gave me nothing but attitude and ignored my intructions, but was then able to reschedule. About 2 weeks later I was working late and took my lunch break around 4 pm and saw I had another voice mail stating that someone was showing my home between 3-4pm that evening, and I had special instructions stating that my dog had to be removed from the premise before anyone could enter. I called them back and the house was already shown, with them ignoring the special instructions. Now, my move out inspection was scheduled for April 9, at 9:30am. We failed the inspection due to minor things such as cleaning cabinets and baseboards, as well as yard work and patching. The property manager, I understand was doing her job, however I got aggravated and expressed my anger towards her which I admit was wrong of me. [redacted] the property manager was giving us 2 extra days free of charge to get the home fixed to the management companies standards. She sent us an email stating all that was wrong and needed to be fixed in order to get our full security deposit back. She also she also wrote that she would be back on Friday April 11th to re-inspect. We therefore kept the utilities on per the agreement until Monday morning the 14th so that we would still have them on for the inspection. We had left the keys inside the property the night of April 10th because we could not be present for the inspection on the 11th. We then did not receive an email from [redacted] until Tuesday April 15th with a message from her of all the things we failed to complete, in 1 days time mind you, and she stated that she did not re-inspect until Monday. Now, [redacted] Real Estate on [redacted] in jacksonville wants to charge us a re connect fee for the utilities, and all the things we failed to complete. If we were aware and had been notified by [redacted] that she was not going to be back to [redacted] until the following Monday it would have allowed us an extra 3 days to get the property up to the standards that the management company required. When I tried to express my concerns to them [redacted] the office manager transferred me back to [redacted], whom I didn't wish to speak with and [redacted] spoke over me, blamed us for the miscommunication, and is still not owning up to her faults. I understand that the way I responded to her doing her job was not right of me and I apologize for that. But she did not need to speak over me as though I was a child, and she needed to accept the responsiblity of her part in the lack of communication. Just because my husband and I would not be present for the final inspection did not give her the right to put it off. We were still responsible for the utilities and we no longer lived there. I just think all of it was handled unprofessionally, and it is not right for them to take more money from our deposite for their property managers negligence.Desired SettlementI am accepting full responsibility for the tasks not completed in the home. However if the property manager had done the inspection when she said it would be done the utilities would have still been on. Also, if she had notified us that she would not be back to the property until Monday April 14th we could have had the home 100% ready for inspection. I would want $550-$685 which is the whole security deposit back. I understand that either way we would owe some form to the owner for either repairs or utilities so I want a good chunk back for what could have been completed.Business Response It is in the tenants lease that when they give their notice to vacate, they agree that the home can be shown to prospective new tenants. We do allow the showings to be rescheduled if the time isn\'t convenient. The first showing was rescheduled at the request of the tenant and the 2nd showing was not rescheduled because the tenant did not check her voice mail in a timely manner and therefore did not know the home was scheduled to be shown. Regarding the move out inspection: when the tenant gives their notice to vacate, we provide detailed instructions in writing as to what needs to be done, according to their lease agreement, to pass their move out inspection. We give the tenant a copy of their lease which shows what items they have agreed to do prior to move out. The tenant was at the move out inspection on Wednesday, 4/9/14. They agreed with the property manager that they did not pass their move out inspection. At the move out inspection, the tenants were given a list of items that they did not pass on. These items needed to be done in order to pass the move out inspection. The tenant was told verbally and in writing that their lease requires that the utilities remain on until they were told by the property manager that they passed their move out inspection. The tenants told the property manager they would have the items completed by Friday, 4/11/14. The property manager told the tenants they did not need to be at the re-inspection and no appointment was set to meet the tenants at the property to reinspect. When the property manager reinspected the property on Monday, 4/14/14, there were still items that did not pass inspection and the utilities had been turned off by the tenant. The tenant is upset that we had the utilities turned on so the uncompleted items from the move out inspection could be completed. Again, it is in their lease agreement that the utilities are to remain on until the tenant passes their move out inspection. The property manager made it very clear in the move out instructions, in emails and in person, that the utilities needed to remain on (according to their lease agreement) until they passed their move out inspection. Everything was done according to the lease agreement that the tenant signed when they rented the property. In summary, the tenants did not pass their move out inspection. They were given ample time to get the items completed so they could pass their inspection. They never completed the items and they turned off the utilities prior to passing their move out inspection.

Property manager wasted time and financial resources of tenant unnecessarily.The property manager had 30 days to schedule a cleaning service to attendf to the property and inspect the house before the utilities would be shut off on June 29th (the last day the lease specified the tenant was responsible for the utilities on the property). The property manager waited until the last possible day (June 29th) to have the house cleaned. Teh cleaning company came to the property on the 29th to find the utilities had been shut off that morning. the property manager called the tenant at work and harassed her to have the utilities turned on for one day to allow the cleaning crew to attend to the property on the 29th, which resulted in fines totalling to $70 in addition to the $100 worth of utility bills for the month of June. These fines could have been avoided if the manager had promptly scheduled the cleaning at first notice of vacancy the first week of June, instead of waiting for the last possible day (June 29th) stated in the lease. The manager's action to wait four weeks to schedule the cleaning crew resulted in an unneccassary waste of tenant finances, and put undue stress on the tenant. Harassing the tenant at work, and scheduling the move out inspection intentionally so the tenant could not be present was also disrespectful, unfair to the tenant, and added unneccessary stress to the tenant.Desired SettlementTotal refund of security deposit (one month's rent which is equivalent to $875).Business Response According to this tenants Residential Lease Agreement that was signed by the tenant, the tenant is required to coordinate the cleaning AND keep the utilities on until they pass their move out inspection. Unfortunately, this tenant did not pass the cleaning portion of their move out inspection AND they turned off the utilities before they passed their move out inspection. So the property manager had to have the utilities turned back on and hire a cleaning service. Consumer Response After initially failing the move-out inspection, the property manager agreed to hire a cleaning company and take the fee out of the security deposit because the tenant did not understand why the initial cleaning failed and did not feel capable of meeting the manager's standards. The property manager then proceeded to wait until the last possible date on the tenant's lease to have the house cleaned instead of promptly scheduling a cleaning as she had discussed with the tenant the first week of June. The response also did not address the manager's inappropriate phone call to the tenant during work hours (of which the manager had previously been made aware of). Final Business Response The move out inspection with the tenant was Thursday, June 11th. A work order was sent to the cleaning service on June 11th by the property manager. The cleaning service was unable to get out to the home immediately. When they did go to the home, the water was off. We had to have the water reconnected to do the cleaning. The power company told us the electric was scheduled to be turned off. We made a call to the tenant to see if she could cancel the disconnect so the electric would be on for the cleaning. The tenant was in a lease agreement until June 30, 2015. All of this happened during the month of June 2015. The tenant was supposed to keep the utilities on until she passed her move out inspection. The tenant had the utilities turned off during the month of June 2015 and before she passed her move out inspection.