Meadow Brook Apartments

We are in receipt of complaint #*** concerning issues the residents experienced with their apartmentWe spent
several hours repairing issues left behind by the construction company that built and installed the appliances and
counter tops
There was an issue with the large islands that
caused them to become detached from the braces and warp due to an
obvious design flaw affecting some of the countertops but not allWe attempted a repair on our own which did not last
Since our completion of their initial service request we heard nothing else about warping of the countertop or the issue
they had adjusting the refrigerator shelvingImmediately after receiving this complaint, we called the contractor who
gave us a better solution to the problem which seems to have worked
As for the refrigerator; we purchased Kenmore elite appliances in an attempt to purchase quality appliancesWe also
attempted to look at the fridge after receiving this complaint since we knew nothing of their issueThe roommate, who
was there when we performed all the service requests to date, explained that they attempted to adjust the shelves and
thought they may have broken the shelf frustrating them terriblyHe said it did not crack and we did not have to look at
it at this time
The paving was contracted last fall when the initial contract was signedInitial estimate of completion was to be May
We were at the mercy of both the rain and their scheduleThe promise of an early summer installation of the
final surface of asphalt and painting of the lines became a September installationIt was completed the first week of
September and lines were painted Unfortunately t was well off schedule and caused everyone headaches, but well out
of our control
*** ** ***, Manager
Meadow Brook Apartments

Review: I rented a ground level apartment in a brand new building, beginning July 1. As I began to move my property into the apartment, it was found that the sliding glass door did not lock. Upon inspection, many other issues were found. I expressed my concern via email to [redacted] through their website. I got no response. I then called the office, and left three voice mails that were not returned. I was scheduled out of state for work, so I spoke with the leasing agent and left her my husband's phone number to try to recify the issues. This did not happen. I finally spoke with the property manager on July 16, 2014. He directed me to place my requests in writing, which I did, and emailed them to him July 16, 2014. The property manager promised I would be informed by him by July 18, 2014; his response came July 31, 2014. I had to take a day off of work for my repairs to be made, as I know no one and was not comfortable having strangers in my home to work. I finally moved into my apartment July 23, 2014. I requested a refund in rent and for my missed day of work.In my brand new apartment, the door did not lock, there was no hot water, the grass was knee high, new cabinets were chipped, light bulbs were blown out, there were dirty hand prints every where, there is an unpatched area of plumbing in the bathroom, it is evident where there is no paint on walls, the door is dented and the door jam is also dented. I was told I should have had a check in/out form to record this. That form was never given to me, and the property manager is blaming me that these items were not addressed in a timely manner. I believe they should have been addressed before the unit was ever rented.Desired Settlement: I requested $1046.79 for a day taken off work and a rent refund as I could not stay in a ground level unit with a door that did not lock. The property manager claims to have investigated the situation, but did not contact me for further information, and had denied my refund.

Business

Response:

I am in receipt of your letter detailing the complaint from a resident and continued request for

compensation.

This Resident moved into one of our brand new units on July 1, 2014. These units were completed in

mid June when the construction company had them cleaned and inspected by the local officials who

performed a thorough inspection prior to issuing occupancy permits. Leasing showed actual units to

traffic and took applications on specific units. ~

At the time of signing the lease the resident was given instruction and forms for reporting defects on a

move in inspection form, instructions for submitting service requests and a list of emergency contact

numbers for emergency service requests.

There was no phone call or communication from the resident to our on-site office, or our on-site

maintenance team leading us to believe there were any issues with her apartment. It was not until we

received a call from our corporate office that we knew there were any issues at all.

Once the on-site leasing office received the call from corporate, they assumed it was about her move in

total since at the time of signing she was very argumentative over the calculation of total amount due at

signing. Our leasing consultant made a phone call, took the first service request from the resident and

was told that maintenance is not allowed to enter without her or her husband being present.

That morning the work order was received, our maintenance supervisor reached out to gain access to

the unit and perform the requests. He was told they cannot be there during working hours. He

explained his working hours of 8:30 AM — 5:00 PM and the husband agreed to contact him when he was

going to be around during working hours to give him access.

Several days went by, and follow up calls were made to attempt to schedule this service but nothing

could be arranged. On July 9,2014 at 1:20 PM, maintenance noted that “tenant will call back to set

appointment”. Finally on July 15, 2014 maintenance was able to set a date with the resident for Friday

July 18, 2014 when the resident said “she would be home and in and out all day”.

-

The total service request took One Hour and Fifteen minutes, included lubing the sliding door and

adjusting the latch due to building settlement. Leaving six light bulbs with resident due to the high

amount of failure of the new bulbs installed during construction, repairing chips in the cabinet from

construction and testing the dishwasher which ran well but long. Resident asked about a light that was

“dim” and was told it was a fixture with one bulb only but she could put in a brighter light if she

preferred.

If this work order had been brought to our attention on the day of move in, our team would have

completed it and avoided this situation. We attempt to complete all service requests within a 24-48

hour timeframe, but respect people’s choice to be present. However since this situation, we have

mandated that all requests that require the resident be present must, they must be able to be

scheduled within 48 hours.

In summary, her unit was a newly constructed unit that was built and inspected to code prior to her

occupancy. Adjustments often are required and minor repairs needed once they become occupied and

building settling begins. A better job of pre-move in punch could have been performed by our leasing

agent and maintenance team. However a concession based on her deliberate delay in reporting work

requests, and her delay in allowing access to complete the request, is not warranted. We made all

repairs, mostly cosmetic and minor, requested within an hour and a half of being allowed to begin.

Outside items were addressed as construction allowed. Grass was cut once deemed safe to cut by the

landscaping who planted it and pavement was contracted prior to construction and performed as soon

as weather and scheduled allowed the contracted company to complete properly.

Review: We have had nothing but problems with our apartment since we moved in, it a brand new building!!! Our hot water tank leaked, we finally got that fixed, it took a few times, they did a horrible, sloppy paint job, they were here several times fixing the walls and touching up, our dishwasher wasnt installed properly either. They just had it sat under the counter, not even attached to the counter. My counter top on my island still isnt attached properly, it coming off the cabinet part of the island, my shelves in my cheap refridgerator colapse and now I have a crack inside my refridgerator that I am worried that its going to affect the sealing of my refridgerator door. The parking lot is full of pot holes, and is just nasty. There are no parking lines in the parking lot and everyone parks all goofy and if I come home late at night sometimes there arent places to park! I pay ALOT of money to live here!!!! I know I am not they only ones with problems!! Almost all the neighbors have had major issues!! Everything cant be perfect, but this building was slapped together,a nd we didnt realize alot of issues until after we signed on the dotted lines!!! My main issue is my counter top, I have called several times and still not fixed! I do not feel I should be held responsible for the refridgerator, they bought the cheapest apliances they could get!!! How does this Revdex.com work? Do I get a return email about what action will be taken? What do I do if I get treated differently by this company because I turned them in? Thanks, Sean A. SteinhiserDesired Settlement: I want my refridgerator look at to make sure that the crack that was caused by the cheap shelf falling apart is going to function properly.I would like my counter top fixed properly, I also want the parking lot black topped, and lines paint for guidance to make enough places to park!

Business

Response:

We are in receipt of complaint #[redacted] concerning issues the residents experienced with their apartment. We spent

several hours repairing issues left behind by the construction company that built and installed the appliances and

counter tops.

There was an issue with the large islands that caused them to become detached from the braces and warp due to an

obvious design flaw affecting some of the countertops but not all. We attempted a repair on our own which did not last.

Since our completion of their initial service request we heard nothing else about warping of the countertop or the issue

they had adjusting the refrigerator shelving. Immediately after receiving this complaint, we called the contractor who

gave us a better solution to the problem which seems to have worked.

As for the refrigerator; we purchased Kenmore elite appliances in an attempt to purchase quality appliances. We also

attempted to look at the fridge after receiving this complaint since we knew nothing of their issue. The roommate, who

was there when we performed all the service requests to date, explained that they attempted to adjust the shelves and

thought they may have broken the shelf frustrating them terribly. He said it did not crack and we did not have to look at

it at this time.

The paving was contracted last fall when the initial contract was signed. Initial estimate of completion was to be May

2014. We were at the mercy of both the rain and their schedule. The promise of an early summer installation of the

final surface of asphalt and painting of the lines became a September installation. It was completed the first week of

September and lines were painted Unfortunately t was well off schedule and caused everyone headaches, but well out

of our control.

[redacted], Manager

Meadow Brook Apartments

Review: After moving into an apartment managed by [redacted] - Meadow Brook Apartments in Butler PA, with my boyfriend on June 16, 2014 we noticed a few things that either needed fixed or were not to code.1. The entrance into the plan is absolutely atrocious. The pot holes when we first moved in were small. Now they are like craters, ranging from 6" to 10" deep, and they are not avoidable. I addressed the issue with the manager and he said, " It will be fixed." Here I come to find out...not until NEXT JUNE! So with the winter coming it is only going to get worse. For the amount of money we pay each month, $850 to be exact, they can't even put gravel in them... a $200 fix.2. The top pane of our window was broke when we first moved in. I told the secretary that day and she had stated that a couple were broken but they were ordered. A month later still no new window, so I went back to put in another maintenance request. The main manager said "Oh it may have went to our Pittsburgh location, but it has been ordered." That was on July 23, 2014... and here we are STILL NO WINDOW. If my window is not fixed by winter, they will be compensating me for my heating bills....3. Finally, they decided that in the ceiling of the underpass to go to the back apartments, that they would put little heaters, next to electrical, gas, and pipes...to "keep they from freezing". There is an access panel, but these heaters are not made for this application and only have a knob you turn to regulate the temp...enclosed next to ELECTRICAL, GAS AND WATER LINES. After a few of the residence making phone calls to the code enforcement, nothing has been done. The management can not even fix pot holes, and you really think they are going to go out in the middle of winter and regulate these heaters... good luck with that. It's sad that the maintenance guy that was putting them in even said these are not legal, but he was just doing what he was told.I just want the issues resolved... and nothing happens to my car or apartment.Desired Settlement: Fix the pot holes, even if it is just gravel for now, because it is late in the season for paving. But keep up with the holes...refilling them if they get deep again.Replace the heaters with heat tape, or something that is for that application...I really do not want my apartment to burn down....Just give me a new window like you said you would TWO MONTHS AGO!

Business

Response:

We are in receipt of complaint reference number [redacted] concerning issues the residents experienced with their apartment.

This resident’s window pane has been cracked since just before she moved in. The windows are custom to the new buildings and were ordered

in June. We have received and attempted to put in a new pane from our only authorized supplier and it came in to small. They have reached

out to us and said that they have the new window pane in again on Wednesday 9.17.14 and we will be making another attempt to replace this

on Friday the 19’s of September once it is delivered.

As for the entrance and potholes that litter the property. We have been fighting them since construction began a year and a half ago. On

several occasions prior to this resident moving in, we had a loader come through and distribute a mixture of B gravel and Sand. We also, on our

own, have purchased and installed a smaller gravel mix along with sand in an attempt to fill these holes while we wait for the paving to be

completed. Some of the worse ones we used several packages of cold patch on. With the base gone from construction the gravel that did not

wash out from the rain was compacted into the dirt sometimes making the potholes bigger. It was very irritating for our residents and

management team all summer. The paving was contracted last fall when the initial contract was signed. We were given an Initial estimate of

completion date of be May 2014. We were at the mercy of both the rain and the contractor’s schedule. The promise of an early summer

installation of the final surface of asphalt and painting of the lines became a September installation, It was completed the first week of

September and lines were painted. Unfortunately it was well off schedule and caused everyone headaches, but well out of our control.

As for the breezeway heaters; Last winter we experienced several weeks of below zero weather. During construction and testing the

contractor, architect and building inspector noticed a few flaws that could cause water lines and sprinkler lines to freeze. Since many of the

codes dealing with the sprinkler installation are new to our township and county modifications and potential issues are dealt with as they are

discovered. The architect suggested and enforcement agreed that an automatic heater be installed in the breezeway bulkhead that houses

only water lines and sprinkler lines just in case we get another winter like we had that can burst the new sprinkler line materials and water

lines. These are installed and have been inspected by both tha architect and enforcement officials prior to giving us occupancy permits. Some

patch work remained when the last building was filling in and this is where I would assume the resident saw what she thought to be gas lines.

There are no gas lines in the areas as this resident suspects as all gas lines drop in from the attic through the interior walls into the utility rooms.

All issues this resident has shown concern within this letter have been addressed and will be completed by September 19, 2014 so long as the

new pane of glass we receive fits properly.