Keystone Property Management

Never do Business with these scam artists! They are corrupt slum lords and will literally do anything to steal your money. You have been warned.I was under no lease or contract with this company, as my previous land lord sold the house we occupied and management switch hands to this company. I had heard all of the complaints locally, so we decided it was in our best interest to vacate the property. Key Stone sent me a letter stating that we needed to come in an sign a new lease for our place. Seeing as we had no lease with them, we decided to move out. We sent a certified letter stating our intent, asking for the return of our deposit, and also stating that we were leaving a $450 brand new glass top stove in unit, as we no longer needed or wanted it. This stove we had purchased and replaces the old crappy one with. Having never heard word back from them, we moved out. I tried repeatedly to contact them regarding our deposit, to no avail. When they finally did make contact with me, it was to say I had to go to court for not paying rent and moving out without notifying. I called them furious, as I had clearly send a certified letter stating out intent...the whole purpose of the certified letter. They decided to drop the court case, but told me they were keeping the deposit money and that we still owed them rent for the last month, as they somehow did not receive my letter until 1 month after we moved out. Very likely story. I have never heard back from them nor received a letter stating how or why we owe them money and not the other way around. Then randomly today I receive a call from a debt collector saying that they are trying to collect a debt from Keystone. These people are crooks, corrupt as can be, literal thieves, and by far the most worthless [redacted] ss I have ever had the displeasure of having to deal with. Oh yea, by the way. My neighbors continued to live with them as management for another 2-3 months after we vacated. Repeated requests were made for appliance failures and problems around the house. Keystone's response was" well its in your unit and we are not responsible for alliances or other problems". Keystone wanted them to pay out of their own pocket for repairs to appliances and house issues that were clearly supposed to be taken care of by the "property management" company. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY. THEY ARE SCAM ARTISTS AND THIEVES. Desired SettlementI want my deposit money back, as I clearly stated my intent to move out and I had no lease with your company. I want you to drop the collection, as I do not owe you money, again, as I did not have a lease with your company. As I currently see it, your company owes me $750 for the deposit and $450 for the stove I graciously left in the unit. Business Response Keystone Property Management (KPM) began managing this property December 5, 2013. The tenant did not pay rent for December 2013 and January 2014. In accordance with KPM policy, KPM filed for Summary Ejectment for non-payment of rent on January 16, 2014. On January 21, 2014 Keystone received a certified letter from the tenant stating that they had moved out on December 10, 2013. On January 24, 2014 Keystone received a package from the tenant with the keys to the property. Keystone dismissed the Summary Ejectment proceedings since possession had been turned over at this point.The tenant's ledger balance included unpaid rent for December 2013 and January 2014 prorated rent through the 24th, plus court costs associated with filing the Summary Ejectment. In accordance with KPM policy and NC State Laws, the Security Deposit was applied to the rent balance owed, and the remaining balance of rent and court costs was sent to the collection agency.Keystone Property Management complies with all North Carolina Laws.The tenant broke his lease, and did not notify management until after moving out. The first correspondence that KPM received from the tenant was the certified letter received on January 21, 2014. KPM has no knowledge of any agreement between the landlord and the tenant concerning the stove. At this time, the tenant's ledger and the balance reported to the collection agency remain unchanged, as KPM has followed all applicable laws, procedures, and policies.Consumer Response Again, I did not have a lease with you. My lease was voided when the owner sold the house and new property management company took over, hence why you asked me to come in and sign a lease. If you wanted money from me, the proper way to address that would be to contact me directly, not notify a 3rd party collection agency. Final Business Response Keystone employees are not attorneys, but it is KPM's understanding is that when a property is sold, the lease transfers with the property. KPM has contacted the NC Real Estate Commission (NCREC) for verification of this issue, and the NCREC opinion was the same. KPM requests new tenants come in and sign a new lease when a property has changed hands, so that KPM can obtain current tenant contact information and update KPM records. KPM does not require this, nor does KPM require that the tenant extend any terms of the lease, the intent is simply to have current information and current records.When the tenant spoke to the KPM Rental Manager, the tenant was informed that they would be responsible for the balance of rent due and the court filing costs that had been incurred. In accordance with NC laws, the tenant was mailed a copy of their Security Deposit Disposition Statement, which reflected the balance due after the Security Deposit was applied. The tenant did not contact KPM for any payment arrangement, so following KPM procedure, the file was submitted for collection with a collection agency.