Lewis Realty Associates, Inc.

When we booked the home, we knew from the pictures it looked outdated and we were ok with that. However, we were not prepared for what we would actually find when we got to the home. Before arriving we received a text that the power had been out at the home. When we arrived (Sat. afternoon), we found the WIFI was not working and there was no one to contact until Monday morning. We called and left a message for them to contact us about the WIFI. Having access to WIFI was very important to us, becasue one of our party had to work while on vacation. We understand that the storm that caused the WIFI to go out was an act of God, and no one can control that. But this is what we have as issue with. We called Lewis Reality, and left a message advising them that the WIFI didn't work. On Monday someone from Lewis Reality came to check on it, but was unable to repair it. He said he will have to call the cable company. A repairman from the cable company came out on Tuesday, he repaired the land line, but couldn't find the modem for the WIFI. He thought the modem may be in the other unit of the duplex, even though per the cable company guidelines each unit should have its own modem. We called Lewis Reality back, and they sent a young man out to unlock the other side. The cable repair man was able to power fail the modem, and it was fixed. Not sure why the representive from Lewis Reality that came out on Monday didn't know where modem was.
We then took the young man from Lewis Reality on a tour, to show him all the issues we were having with the unit. His excuse for alot of these things
was that's" normal wear and tear" I guess that is the way they try to get out of problems. We ask that he have his boss "[redacted]" call us, we are still waiting for a call. The young man did return that evening with a new toilet seat, and some light bulbs. He said that was all he was authorized
to do. He wasn't able to fix the light in room off the carport where the washer/dryer is located, so we weren't abe to utilize the washer/dryer after dark.
We take two-three vacactions a year on both the East and gulf coast, and always rent condos/duplexes. This is by far the worst one we have ever rented, and the most expensive. One day of our vacation was wasted waiting for the repair men, plus all the issues I have listed below. I don't know about you, but I expect more for $2,000.00 a week.
We have not been offered a partial refund or anything for the issues/problems with the home. I have photos of all the issues below. If you are looking at this place to rent - BEWARE!!!!
The location is fantastic, but the amenities, lack of customer service and poorly maintained property does not make this a good place to rent.
It took 4 days to get someone to finally fix the WIFI for us.
*toilet seat in second bathroom was cracked in half on one side
*light bulbs were out in the laundry room in the garage and on the outside of the home - with no replacement bulbs in the home.
*TV in second bedroom was not working
*microwave did not work
*toaster only toasted on one side of each piece of bread and was held together with some picture wire, crumb tray keep falling off
*90%of the blinds did not have the "wand" to be able to open or close the blinds
*dishes were not clean (awful film on the glasses and food on the silverware we had to wash everything before we used any of it)
*closet door in the first bedroom fell off when we tried to open it
*mattress pad in first bedroom has huge holes and tears in it
*window screens are torn and have holes in them, windows are dirty so you can barely see through some of them
*air vent in the hallway is extremely filthy, needs to be cleaned
*dressers were missing handles and the hangers were all bent out of shape
*coffee maker lid is broken
*dishwasher door will fall to the ground when opened
*light bulbs were out in the laundry room in the garage and on the outside of the home - with no replacement bulbs in the home.
*only had one kitchen sink strainer, it was plastic and it was melted so it was useless
*ceiling fan in first bedroom would work only on one speed, high
*one last note, the check-out instructions ask that we make-up the beds. Now I'm wondering if the bedspreads/comforters are even washed between tendants.

When we booked the home, we knew from the pictures it looked outdated and we were ok with that. However, we were not prepared for what we would actually find when we got to the home. Before arriving we received a text that the power had been out at the home. When we arrived (Sat. afternoon), we found the WIFI was not working and there was no one to contact until Monday morning. We called and left a message for them to contact us about the WIFI. Having access to WIFI was very important to us, becasue one of our party had to work while on vacation. We understand that the storm that caused the WIFI to go out was an act of God, and no one can control that. But this is what we have as issue with. We called Lewis Reality, and left a message advising them that the WIFI didn't work. On Monday someone from Lewis Reality came to check on it, but was unable to repair it. He said he will have to call the cable company. A repairman from the cable company came out on Tuesday, he repaired the land line, but couldn't find the modem for the WIFI. He thought the modem may be in the other unit of the duplex, even though per the cable company guidelines each unit should have its own modem. We called Lewis Reality back, and they sent a young man out to unlock the other side. The cable repair man was able to power fail the modem, and it was fixed. Not sure why the representive from Lewis Reality that came out on Monday didn't know where modem was.
We then took the young man from Lewis Reality on a tour, to show him all the issues we were having with the unit. His excuse for alot of these things
was that's" normal wear and tear" I guess that is the way they try to get out of problems. We ask that he have his boss "[redacted]" call us, we are still waiting for a call. The young man did return that evening with a new toilet seat, and some light bulbs. He said that was all he was authorized
to do. He wasn't able to fix the light in room off the carport where the washer/dryer is located, so we weren't abe to utilize the washer/dryer after dark.
We take two-three vacactions a year on both the East and gulf coast, and always rent condos/duplexes. This is by far the worst one we have ever rented, and the most expensive. One day of our vacation was wasted waiting for the repair men, plus all the issues I have listed below. I don't know about you, but I expect more for $2,000.00 a week.
We have not been offered a partial refund or anything for the issues/problems with the home. I have photos of all the issues below. If you are looking at this place to rent - BEWARE!!!!
The location is fantastic, but the amenities, lack of customer service and poorly maintained property does not make this a good place to rent.
It took 4 days to get someone to finally fix the WIFI for us.
*toilet seat in second bathroom was cracked in half on one side
*light bulbs were out in the laundry room in the garage and on the outside of the home - with no replacement bulbs in the home.
*TV in second bedroom was not working
*microwave did not work
*toaster only toasted on one side of each piece of bread and was held together with some picture wire, crumb tray keep falling off
*90%of the blinds did not have the "wand" to be able to open or close the blinds
*dishes were not clean (awful film on the glasses and food on the silverware we had to wash everything before we used any of it)
*closet door in the first bedroom fell off when we tried to open it
*mattress pad in first bedroom has huge holes and tears in it
*window screens are torn and have holes in them, windows are dirty so you can barely see through some of them
*air vent in the hallway is extremely filthy, needs to be cleaned
*dressers were missing handles and the hangers were all bent out of shape
*coffee maker lid is broken
*dishwasher door will fall to the ground when opened
*light bulbs were out in the laundry room in the garage and on the outside of the home - with no replacement bulbs in the home.
*only had one kitchen sink strainer, it was plastic and it was melted so it was useless
*ceiling fan in first bedroom would work only on one speed, high
*one last note, the check-out instructions ask that we make-up the beds. Now I'm wondering if the bedspreads/comforters are even washed between tendants.","neg-1

We paid a $1,000 security deposit to rent a home from Lewis Realty. Lewis Realty is not refunding our deposit due to damage claims from previous tenanMy Wife and I viewed this home in 01/2014. We liked the home but it had several maintenance issues. Their were holes all throughout the back yard, carpet needed to be cleaned, inside needed to be painted, holes in walls, among many, many more. We were assured before we filled out the application, these matters would be resolved before we moved in. At the time, we were living in Greensboro, NC which is 3 1/2 hours away. On 02/01/2014, we arrived to move into the home we singed a lease but hadn't seen since 01/2014. To our surprise, nothing we had been promised had been fixed. We filled out our move in inspection sheet to the best of our ability. Problem being, there were so many maintenance issues, it's pretty difficult. In 03/2014, my Wife and I wen't to Lewis Realty and expressed our displeasure with the conditions of the home and asked to be let out of the lease so we could find another home in better condition. Again, we were assured issues would be resolved. All that was resolved was sand was used to fill the many holes in the backyard. After living at the residence a year and a half and paying on-time every month, we moved 3 houses down on 08/01/2015 which was through a different company. We received email communication from Lewis Realty that we were being charged for damages that we didn't cause. We replied that what they are stating was false. The owner of the company replied back to an email admitting fault for a few items but still wanted to charge our deposit for the remaining mistakes. We are being charged a cleaning fee when we hired people to move us and clean. If needed, I can get written and notarized statements from the people we used. I also have my former neighbor as a Witness. We also have friends that helped us move in that will be willing to testify about the condition of the home when we moved in. The owner himself stated in an email the home was not in great shape and showed "wear and tear". We were told on many occasions the home owner was not willing to pay for a lot of our repair request. My Wife and I were also told by their maintenance supervisor that many of our request such as having the interior painted or carpets cleaned was not required by law. However, they are now wanting to charge us for those things among many. My Wife and I were told that the last 2 tenants had been evicted due to non-payment and that the homeowner was tired of losing money in this home. The house was also put up for sale shortly after we moved in. We held up our end of the lease and fully expected to get our deposit back. Now we are being told repairs to the home or being made out of our $1000 deposit that should of been mode prior to us moving in. We can supply phone records that show our calls to Lewis Realty along with several witness to the homes condition. I also have email communication from Lewis Realty that shows mistakes were made on their end with regards to post move out inspection along with several other untruths about damage they are stating we caused. Lewis Realty is the company we rented the home from and the same company representing the homeowner in the selling of the house. Desired SettlementWe just wan't our $1,000 deposit back. We caused no damage that wasn't already there to the home. Business Response /[redacted]/Contact Name and Title: [redacted] PresidentContact Phone: 910.328.5211Contact Email: [redacted]@topsailarea.comWe represent the interests of the owner of the rental property.I have clearly discussed this matter with the tenant several times over email yet he does not feel as though he should be responsible for any issues his family created in the property. As he stated I did state the home had wear and tear upon their move in. There is no home that has been lived in that does not show wear and tear in some manner. We do not charge tenants for wear and tear. The owner of the home is liable for wear and tear.The tenant speaks of promises made by my company of cosmetic work to be performed after his move in. That statement is inaccurate. We do not make any promises of any work being performed on a home. Tenants are allowed to view the property in it's current condition. If they would like to rent it we assist them. If they do not they are free to find another property suitable to them. Further more if an agreement to perform work was ever made it would have been reflected in the lease. The lease has a clause that states "Entire Agreement - This agreement contains the entire agreement of the parties and there are no representations, inducements or other provisions other than those expressed in writing. All changes, additions or deletions hereto must be in writing and signed by all parties"When a tenant moves into a property they are asked to complete a move in inspection form that helps to identify and put on record any damages or issues with the home. This is to add another layer of protection so that a security deposit is not deducted wrongly. The tenant completed a move in inspection and returned it to our office several days after move in.Once the tenant had fulfilled the lease term and vacated, my company did a move out inspection. We referred to the original move in inspection form to help ensure that the damages we saw were not already there when the tenant moved in. One of my staff members contacted the tenant to give them an opportunity to put some attention to issues we found rather than us hire a professional and deduct their security deposit. We have no obligation whatsoever to give a tenant an opportunity of such. We did this to be more than fair with the tenant. To this date the tenant has made no attempt to correct any issues. He rather has made threats of lawsuits, complaints to the Revdex.com or other sources in an attempt to force my company to ignore our duties to the owner of the home to the tenant's gain.The move out file was "elevated" to the President of the company. After a very detailed inspection of the move out report, the tenant's move in report , previous tenant's move in/out reports, quarterly inspection reports and several visits to the property a final determination was made.The tenant is correct, there were two oversights by the staff. We originally ASKED NOT CHARGED about replacement of the stove burner drip pans and damage to a bedroom door to be fair to the tenant. After investigating we found that those items did appear on a previous report. Again at this point there was no charge only investigation. After both investigations we found that the tenant:1. Made no attempt to clean the property. Every single room had a layer of black dog hair on the base boards and carpet next to the baseboards. Drawers in the kitchen had food and other debris inside them. The stove and oven did not appear to have ever been cleaned during the tenancy. The counters/sinks were dirty in kitchen and bathrooms. Bath tubs had dirt and sand as well as soap sm. Window sills were dirty. Ceiling fans and ac return vent appear to not have been cleaned during their stay. No evidence of ac filter being changed during their stay. Overall the property was dirty. Again we gave the tenant a chance after departure to correct and he made no attempt. He claims that he paid for a cleaning. If he did he was taken advantage of.2. The carpets were overall very dirty (no doubt because of the dog). There were several stains and tears that were attributed to prior tenancies. These were not attributed to this tenant.3. We found several holes in three of the bedroom doors and scratch marks on the laundry and bathroom door where the tenant apparently locked their dog up unattended.4. A hole in the wall in the garage.None of the above items appeared on any reports or inspections therefore it is attributed to this tenant. There are no items that we have evidence were caused by other people that are being charged to this tenant.We have also asked several times for any evidence the tenant would like to furnish contrary to our findings. The tenant has made no attempt to do so.Again he has made attempts to write derogatory and threatening emails.There also has not been a discussion of the amount of refund to tenants if any. The tenant assumes that he will not be receiving any monies back. That is not an official fact at this point in the process.Consumer Response /[redacted]/ I have all the email communication with Lewis Realty and [redacted]. Nowhere in the email communication was a lawsuit threatened. I did advise them I would be seeking legal counsel and they would be hearing from the Revdex.com and our attorney. Again, no mention of lawsuit. I am also shocked to see that additional damage. Lewis Realty has now added, and I quote " We found several holes in three of the bedroom doors and scratch marks on the laundry and bathroom door where the tenant apparently locked their dog up unattended." In the email communication it was just 2 holes, now they have added scratch marks and an additional hole. This just shows further proof of their inconsistencies. I would also like to focus on another quote from Mr. [redacted]'s response to the complaint, "We have also asked several times for any evidence the tenant would like to furnish contrary to our findings. The tenant has made no attempt to do so." This is a completely dishonest statement. Again, I have all the email communication with Lewis Realty and this ordeal. Nowhere have they asked for proof, not once did they ask for anything. In fact, I've offered my Father, Wife and former neighbor as witnesses to attest these matters. Now for the air filter, We replaced 20x25x1 Ultra Allergen air filters in every 90 days. Still have some from where we purchased at Lowe's. We replaced them the day day we moved in and every 90 days after that. We purchased our 1st box of air filters on 02/01/2014 along with shower heads for both bathrooms (Because there were none when we moved in) and 9 Volt batteries to replace in the smoke alarms because the one's in the home we had just rented were all beeping because they were dead.Finally, when we 1st viewed the home, we returned to the Lewis office. I was with my Wife and Father at the time. We were told that the house would be painted and the carpets would be clean by the time we moved in. This was in January of 2014. We returned to Greensboro, NC. On 02/01 we moved in and nothing had been done that was promised. My Father and Wife can verify what was stated by Lewis Realty. In 03/2014, we visited Lewis Realty and asked to be let out of our lease due to holes everywhere in the yard, inside not painted, carpet in horrible condition and several cosmetic issues. Within a few days the holes in the back yard were filled with sand. Nothing else was done, when asked why nothing else was done we were advised the homeowner was not going to pay. Final Business Response /[redacted]/By law we are required to protect the interest of the owner of the property and follow the NC Security Deposit Act.We have done so and have sent an accounting of the security deposit deductions to the tenant along with the remaining balance after said deductions.These deductions were made after inspecting the move in inspection the tenant furnished and previous inspection documents.If the tenant would have provided any information to the contrary, we would have consider it.We ask that the Revdex.com render their decision concerning this matter as there can be no resolution unless the tenant can provide documents to back up their claims.Thank you.Final Consumer Response /[redacted]/(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)In my email correspondence with the Owner of Lewis Realty, I've clearly offered that information in which I was never taken up on. We did received an accounting of the work Lewis Realty had done to the home along with a check of $355. This check is short $665 of our initial deposit made. However, it was not mailed to us, it was put into a zip locked bag, covered in packaging tape, and stuck to the door of our new residence. If a picture is needed, please let me know. Again, I have witnesses to our initial meeting with Lewis Realty when we first viewed the property and voiced our concerns and promised they would be taken care of, a witness from 03/2014 when we met with them again asking to be let out of our lease because of the condition of the home. All of which is being denied by Lewis Realty. The home was also inspected quarterly by Lewis Realty in which we were never provided a copy of those inspections. I would also like to point out that there has been no consistency with any response from Lewis Realty from this complaint or my email communication. Each response differs from the last in regards to the supposed "damage" we caused. We were great tenants who paid on time each month as part of our agreement with Lewis Realty. We have no problem taking responsibility for the air vents and dog hair but charging us for damage left by previous tenants and inconsistent inspections by employees of Lewis Realty is just wrong. We have now paid $665 to fix the "wear and tear" the owner stated the house showed. I have also discovered during this ordeal that the house is not equipped with a carbon Monoxide alarm that should of been installed in 2013. Prior to my family moving in on 02/01/2014. I would like to formally request a copy of the work order from Lewis Realty that can dispute that claim. I would really hate to find that not only were our maintenance request denied or as the owner states "wear and tear" but that we were also living in an unsafe residence for a year in a half. Again, we caused no damage to the home that wasn't already there before we moved in. I have several witnesses to the condition to the home before and after we moved in. When we arrived in the moving truck on 02/2014 from Greensboro, NC only to find nothing that were told was going to be fixed, was not. That same day when the maintenance supervisor for Lewis realty showed up to turn the water on, I asked about my concerns only to be told the owner wan't pay for it. 3 people including myself were present for that. We have simply been taken advantage of.