Mill Creek Management & Real Estate Sales, Inc.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/11/02) */
Contact Name and Title: *** ***-Owner
Contact Phone: XXX XXX-XXXX ext***
Contact Email: ***@millcreekmgt.com
Our application fee is $per adult/married couple*** *** paid $for his personal application and
$for his roommates application-not $for himself
In speaking with our receptionist who dealt with *** he did not ask any questions about our requirementsHad he asked he would have been advised that we were looking for a credit score of or above, income times the rental amount and good landlord history
He and the roommate were second in line for an apartment but it was rented to the first applicantHe then came in and stated that he was in a hurry and applied for another apartment which is when we collected his application fees and supporting documents
Due to credit reasons his application was not approved and it was explained to himHe stated he was aware of his creditHe was told that we would supply him with a copy of his credit report but he did not want one
We used his $application fee with the cost of the credit report and in office processing timeThee is no refund dueI will mail him a receipt today explaining the charges
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/11/03) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
at the time that I paid the $60, I asked what the requirements wereas I told the office manager, I know what my score and the score of my fiance arewe're trying to fix thatbut I was never told upfront what the true requirements werehad I been told, I would've never bothered anyone with applying
and in regards to the receipt, I was denied a receipt by staffthe state of CA renter laws state they are entitled to out-of-pocket expenses onlysince the personnel and their time in the office are covered by the services the provideand they are there whether my application is there or not
I'm due a refund of the funds not used for out-of-pocket expenses, under CA State Renter Lawsi provided a copy of the guide I'm quoting to the office manager, *** ***
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2015/11/04) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
the gal at the front desk, ***, it was friday afternoon, I was returning a key from looking at apt *** of *** *** on *** in *** I asked her, because I didn't want to waste my moneyare there any "special" requirements before I spend this money? she told me, just the standard stuff, we check to make sure you ***'t have any evictionsI said OK and paid the feenothing led me to believe that my credit report was going to be held against meyou are right, I didn't want to waste my time or moneyI was looking for a place for myself and my fianceI ***'t have the luxury of wasting time or moneynot in this economy
yes, your application does specify a "non-refundable" feebut that is not in line with CA Renting LawsI'd have your attorney check that againthe CA Dept of Consumer affairs gives sample applications for rentingthey all include a lower half page receipt for the rental company to fill out and give to the potential rentereven those do not give the rental company leeway to cover costs within their officedoing it the way you are, you are breaking the law and putting distrust between your company and the general publicyou make it seem that you are profiting from the rejection of applications, and that is why the law doesn't allow extra for your internal costsunfortunately for you, the law currently sides with the renter, or potential renter as a protection from such actions
the only reason situations like this have not been pursued is because of the small amount of money involvedbut, despite how this turns out between you and I, someone will eventually take these principals to small claims and set a clear precedent to affirm the current lawsif there isn't one alreadyI haven't looked into that
in my personal opinion, although it doesn't matter here, it's morally wrong to not be clear and upfront in writing before any contract is executedif Mill Creek were my company, and I had such policies to use credit scores as a determining factor in renting a property, then I would put that in writing on the applicationjust about anyone with a credit card these days is getting their scores for free and should know where they standas I have multiple cards, I always know where I stand
as I've said before, and even stated to the gal who called me with the bad news from your office, the negative credit on my report was oldand my attempts to get it removed have so far failedbut no leeway was given to my explanationslol, even a bank would have some compassionI felt the whole experience was a ripofffrom my point, I got my name pulled through the mud, I was turned down for a step that was to be beneficial in my life, I applied to places within my means, I applied to places that I felt were a proper and safe place to be, and to make matters worse, I paid Mill Creek for itso I paid you to do this to methat's funny
I haven't made up my mind whether I will pursue this further or notbut from my point of view, I think it was wrong for many reasonsas I've explained in part here
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/11/04) */
Who did you ask about our requirements? Everyone states you did not ask and there is no reason why they wouldn't tell you our requirementsWe do not want to waste your time and money nor ours
The application that you filled out states that there is a $"non-refundable" application fee for each credit fileYou knew that we would be running your credit report so if you had a concern because you already knew what your score was you should have addressed it with the staff, but you did not
I apologize that you were not given the requested receipt but it was mailed to you as I stated in my previous response
The law states I am entitled to the cost of the report and also the reasonable value of time spent obtaining the credit report, verifying information given, and review of all documentsAll funds were used

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/01/06) */
Contact Name and Title: *** ***-Owner
Contact Phone: ***
Contact Email: ***@millcreekmgt.com
Each month, this owner receives a financial statement from our company showing all income and all expenses paidIf a repair
is done, the paid bill is attached to her statementIf it is a repair that should be charged to the tenant it is noted on the bill and the tenant is billed for the repairThere are no mystery charges-she is receiving the bills as they are paidPer the terms of the management contract-which she signed-repairs under $do not need prior approvalThe repairs that are over this amount had been approved by her
We were paying the HOA dues but due to the large past due amount prior to our management we were advised by the HOA company that we could no longer make the monthly payments unless the entire balance was paid offWe advised the owner of this as she stated she would take care of the monthly HOA payments
To recap-any bill over $has been approved prior to work being doneEvery bill that has been paid has been sent to the owner along with her monthly financial statementThere are no mystery billsIf the tenant caused the repair the tenant would be charged for the repair
We have asked this owner to send funds to cover two unpaid billsOne is to replace a garage door spring which was worn out-not damaged by the tenantWe also have an unpaid plumbing bill that is owner responsibility to pay-not tenant'sThis bill is for the supply lines to the hot water heater which began leaking on the weekendThis is not anything that the tenant caused to happen-they were simply worn out at the connectionThis bill is now over months old and we still are unable to pay the vendor as the owner has not submitted funds to usThe owner can see where "every cent went" by looking at her monthly statements as it is all explained to her