Neighborhood Properties, Inc.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
It appears that Neighborhood Properties is trying to justify their actions taken against us by submitting the move-out report.  However, what they have not dis-closed to the Revdex.com is our original move-in report and inspection.  
When our family moved in to this town home, it was filthy and there was already a severe mold issue in most all the windows that was brought to their attention, but never resolved.  The tenant that was in the home before us had a black dog, the town home was covered in black dog hair, which I had emailed the original property manager about very soon after we moved in.  Her name is [redacted] and she has since left this company to work for another property management company.  
We moved into a dirty town home with dog hair and mold throughout.  It was clear that it was not professionally cleaned or painted.  In the shower stall, there was even dog hair around the top of the surrounding walls, as if someone took a [redacted] and 
used one cloth for every room, including the floor.  When we moved out, the assistant manager [redacted] told us in an email that "overall, the apartment looked good", and so we patiently waited for 45 days for our deposit.  
It is extremely difficult to comprehend why a company would take $400.00 out of a security deposit for "painting of all walls in the apartment" for normal wear and tear such as a few handprints.  I can assure you that the walls were in move-in condition, at the very least better than when we moved in, through date stamped pictures which I will be faxing and emailing to the Revdex.com offices.  The town home was left in much cleaner condition than when we moved in (again, pictures to be sent), which is why we find it completely absurd that Neighborhood Properties take another $160 of our money for a "cleaning of the entire apartment."  
We will be faxing AND mailing (certified) all copies of emails between us ([redacted] and [redacted] and [redacted].  We have pictures of the entire apartment when we moved in and when we moved out, you will see that the cleaning charges are ridiculous.  It has been my impression that this company has trained very young and inexperienced young adults to go into apartments upon move-out and make "dirt" remarks in every comment box, assuring that Neighborhood Properties have every "right" to keep money from tenants.  
This company owes us $560.00 of our hard earned money and we will spend a couple thousand dollars in court if needed to prove that what they claim is false.  This no longer is a matter of money, rather a matter of principle.  We moved out of the area, but it was supposed to be temporary.  We have two teenagers that will be attending [redacted] and we had every intention of moving back to the area, but since Neighborhood Properties dominates such a large section of the rentals around [redacted] we will not allow our children to rent from them.  We will also tell our story to family and friends.  
[redacted]

Review: Our family rented from Neighborhood Properties for a year. We had an issue with mold around all of the window sills that was never resolved. When we moved in, the apartment was filthy; there was black dog hair everywhere. We were never late with our rent. We gave them 30 days notice when we found another house to rent. The assistant property manager, [redacted], didn't give us a specific move-out sheet, telling us to leave it as good as we found it. However, we cleaned it thoroughly and filled nail holes, re-painted where necessary, etc. Originally we gave $1100.00 as a security deposit. After we had moved out, after 45 days, we got a check for only $540.00 and a letter saying that Neighborhood Properties had kept $400.00 of our money for "painting of all walls in the apartment" and another $160.00 for "cleaning of the entire apartment", although we cleaned it very well. When we left, it was in much better shape than when we moved in. We have several pictures and have gone back and forth with this [redacted] but he says that the owner, [redacted] (of Charlottesville, Va) refuses to look at our facts. In an email, they told us that the "walls were dirty because you have three kids" and "at the height of your dog, that's where we found dirt on the walls." When we reminded them that we had no dog, they came back and changed their story, saying they mixed our file up with someone else's. We strongly feel that we have been robbed of $560.00 of our hard earned money, that they conduct unethical business practices, and that no matter what condition we left the place, they had planned to take our money all along. Most property management companies will consider "normal wear and tear", not this company. They will take as much of your money as they can and lie to you.Desired Settlement: We would like to be refunded the $560.00 that they un-ethically took from us.

Business

Response:

[redacted]

Thank you for notifying us of the consumer complaint #[redacted]. Neighborhood Properties strives to provide quality customer service to our residents and any feedback is appreciated.

We reviewed the move out information and the charges. The condition of the apartment was found as follows at the move out inspection:

Living room, dining & halls

Walls/ceiling – dust on walls near ceiling/sanding needed where spackle was put on thick, hand prints

Floor/carpet – scratches on floor

Dirty baseboards and dirty switch plate

Kitchen

Walls/ceiling/floor – dirty

Counter tops/tile – dirty

Cabinets/closets – dirty, pumpkin seeds in cabinets

Oven/stove – dirty

Hood/fan/lights – no power

Refrigerator – dirty/rust looking on front.

Windows/doors/screens – crack in 2 slats in blinds for slider

Bedrooms

Walls/ceiling - #1 nail hole/nail pop in ceiling. #2 dust on baseboard/dirty trim.

Floor/carpet - #1 spots and scratches/dirty. #2 dirty #3 dirty

Lights/mirrors – #3 dirty.

Drapes/rods/blinds - #2 Blinds broken.

Windows/tracks/screens - #1 mold around frame. #2 Mold around frame. #3 Mold around frame.

Closets/doors/shelves - #2 Dirty – glass. #3 Dirty

Bathrooms

Walls/ceiling –

Floor – #2 dirty

Cabinets/mirrors – #1 dirty

Sink – #1 missing plug. #2 dirty mirror/soap sm.

Tub/shower – #2 soap sm

Lights/vent fan – no power

Toilets – #1 dirty/black spot

Windows/doors – #1 door knob loose

Heat/AC - dirty intake vent and ceiling vent

Balcony/deck/patio – not broom swept – egg shell

Comments

Green paint on railing going up the stairs

Cobwebs at the top of the stairs by ceiling.

We took into consideration the resident’s notes from the move in inspection form; however, given the condition of the apartment at move out, further cleaning was still required beyond what they had originally noted and painting was required. Therefore, the charges are justified and our company will not be making any adjustments to the charges.

In regard to the mold, depending on the temperature that the residents set their air conditioning, often times in older houses with single pane windows, condensation may form on the windows and if this water is not wiped up, this could lead to mold.

Resident’s expectations often differ significantly from move-in to move-out. When we assess an apartment’s condition and any related charges we strive to be consistent and fair. Our goal is to meet or exceed our new resident’s expectations, and hold the prior resident to that standard of returning the apartment clean and in good condition.

Thank you for your time,

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

It appears that Neighborhood Properties is trying to justify their actions taken against us by submitting the move-out report. However, what they have not dis-closed to the Revdex.com is our original move-in report and inspection.

When our family moved in to this town home, it was filthy and there was already a severe mold issue in most all the windows that was brought to their attention, but never resolved. The tenant that was in the home before us had a black dog, the town home was covered in black dog hair, which I had emailed the original property manager about very soon after we moved in. Her name is [redacted] and she has since left this company to work for another property management company.

We moved into a dirty town home with dog hair and mold throughout. It was clear that it was not professionally cleaned or painted. In the shower stall, there was even dog hair around the top of the surrounding walls, as if someone took a [redacted] and

used one cloth for every room, including the floor. When we moved out, the assistant manager [redacted] told us in an email that "overall, the apartment looked good", and so we patiently waited for 45 days for our deposit.

It is extremely difficult to comprehend why a company would take $400.00 out of a security deposit for "painting of all walls in the apartment" for normal wear and tear such as a few handprints. I can assure you that the walls were in move-in condition, at the very least better than when we moved in, through date stamped pictures which I will be faxing and emailing to the Revdex.com offices. The town home was left in much cleaner condition than when we moved in (again, pictures to be sent), which is why we find it completely absurd that Neighborhood Properties take another $160 of our money for a "cleaning of the entire apartment."

We will be faxing AND mailing (certified) all copies of emails between us ([redacted] and [redacted] and [redacted]. We have pictures of the entire apartment when we moved in and when we moved out, you will see that the cleaning charges are ridiculous. It has been my impression that this company has trained very young and inexperienced young adults to go into apartments upon move-out and make "dirt" remarks in every comment box, assuring that Neighborhood Properties have every "right" to keep money from tenants.

This company owes us $560.00 of our hard earned money and we will spend a couple thousand dollars in court if needed to prove that what they claim is false. This no longer is a matter of money, rather a matter of principle. We moved out of the area, but it was supposed to be temporary. We have two teenagers that will be attending [redacted] and we had every intention of moving back to the area, but since Neighborhood Properties dominates such a large section of the rentals around [redacted] we will not allow our children to rent from them. We will also tell our story to family and friends.