Picket Fence Realty

Picket Fence withheld rental deposit money without authority to do so. We were not in a binding contract agreeing to their requirements. We moved into a rental property in August of 2013 and signed a 1 year lease. Picket fence agreed to professionally clean carpets and the rental unit. My wife has asthma. They agreed to this and we signed the lease. When we attempted to move in, neither the carpets or unit was clean. We spent several hundred dollars on carpet cleaning, supplies, and other items so we could move in. We were never reimbursed for any money we spent out of pocket ($400-500).Our lease expired in 2014, but we stayed in the unit for another year. When we gave notice to move out we explained the amount of money we had spent to live there. Typically it would take multiple calls, emails to get any maintenance done on the property. We would have to spend our own money because of the horrible response time from Picket Fence.Long story short, we moved out in August of 2015. Picket Fence withheld money from our deposit so they can clean the carpets (which were in much better shape then when we moved in). To fix a very old microwave that cracked from steam from stove (not any type of abuse). A mirror that fell of the door (not from abuse), and also cleaning services.Again, we never agreed to this process when we moved in, we were not under a contract when we moved out.We want full reimbursement for the money we spent and/or our full deposit returned.Desired SettlementWe want full reimbursement for the money we spent to move in and/or our full deposit returned.Business Response The Friend family moved into the home on 8/15/2013. They had previous knowledge that the owner had cats since the owners were still living there at the time they viewed it, however decided to rent it. The owners did clean the carpet prior to the tenants moving in. However, due to the allergy problem the tenant decided that they would reclean the carpets because of their allergies.Under the terms of the original lease, after the initial term, the lease converted to a month to month lease with the same binding terms and conditions. Upon their move out it was discovered that the microwave was broken, the mirror was broken and the home and carpets needed cleaned. We were never notified of the mirror and microwave being broken until that point. The owner demanded that they be reimbursed for the damages and lack of cleanings by the tenant, therefore the monies were withheld from their security deposit.Consumer Response Our move in was based on a clean rental. The rental was not clean, because the owner ended up sick. Picket Fence is lying and they know it. The carpets were a mess. We ONLY signed the lease because we were promised a professional cleaning.The terms Picket is referring to were not disclosed when we originally moved in. We never agreed to the move out terms.The owner can pay the cost or the rental company...that is the way it is supposed to be. This is normal wear and tear. Speaking of, both parties were very slow in fixing issues at the rental.If this isn't resolved, we will be going to small claims court.Final Business Response As I stated before, the owners demanded that the tenants be held accountable for these charges therefore the monies were withheld from their security deposit.

Basically, I signed a lease with PFR under false pretenses. This property was disgusting when I moved in & I had to clean EVERYTHING myself.(I have documentation of every) In April I received a lease thru email from PFR. The lease stated that this property was listed at $895 a month. When I read over the lease I realized that this wasn't the amount that was posted on their website nor was it the same price as they had it posted on [redacted] I emailed PFR back to let them know that there was an error in the lease agreement. When I finally got a reply back PFR stated that it was an error on their end & that they would fix it. (I didn't sign the $895 lease). PFR eventually sent me another lease agreement that had the corrected lease amount $850. (I signed that lease). As it got closer to the date I was supposed to move in, I noticed that the tenants were still in the property & hadn't moved out yet. My lease was supposed to start May 1st which was on a Sunday & I was told that I would be able to pick the keys up that Friday (April 29,2016). When I called to make sure I was still able to pick the keys up on April 29th, I was told that technically the tenant can stay in the property until Saturday 12am April 30th & that they would be cleaning up until then. I was VERY upset by this because I was lead to believe that I would be able to pick the keys up that Friday so that I could start moving in. Since the tenants were still moving their belonging out early Sunday morning (May 1st) around 12am (I drove past to see if they had moved completely out) I called PFR to let them know that I wanted to push back my move-in date. I was told by PFR on April 29th that the tenant would be completely moved out, walls painted & carpets professionally cleaned. I KNEW that that wasn't going to be true because they were still moving out. So, I pushed my move-in date back (May 14, 2016) so that PFR could make sure everything was ready for me to move in. This meant I had to sign a new lease. When I received that new lease (thru email) the same mistake happened again! The new lease stated that the property was $895. I emailed PFR back & stated that this was the second time this had happened! So, on May 14th I went & picked the keys up & came by to check the place out before I moved my stuff in. When I walked in EVERYTHING was disgusting!! Nothing was cleaned, trash was still in cabinets, light bulbs were out, windows were filthy, the walls were NOT painted over, there were marker/ink & fingernail polish marks all over the place, & the carpets were NOT professionally cleaned! So, I called PFR to let them know that the place was VERY nasty & no one returned my call. I had to call a couple of friends to help me clean up & I had to call a carpet cleaning company to get the carpets professionally cleaned. I have pictures of the before & after! It was a HUGE difference & the company that cleaned my carpet stated that the carpets COULD NOT have been professionally cleaned! It took my friends & I until 12am to get the place cleaned & I picked the keys up around 1:30pm that day. I had to purchase more cleaning supplies, I had to PAY to get the carpets cleaned ALL BEFORE I COULD MOVE IN! When I called PFR to let them know that I had to clean & get the carpets professionally clean they told me that I should have talked to them before I had any of that done. I told them that they were closed (I left a message) & I had movers moving my stuff in that next morning. I was NEVER reimbursed & was told that I wouldn't be. Soon after that my water heater went out (due to it being installed INCORRECTLY)-per [redacted] Energy (I have pictures) I was told that it was installed incorrectly & that it was a fire hazard. I was without hot water from (May 29th-June 6th) over a week! I called PFR on May 29th & left a message. I also dropped off a maintence form (because I didn't have any emergency contact info)I was told by PFR on June 3rd that I would have hot water & still didn't get it until June 6th. I requested to either be let out of my lease or get 1 month free of rent & was told that that wasn't possible.Desired SettlementSince I had to clean this entire property, pay to get the carpets professionally cleaned, throw away left behind trash, replace light bulbs & be without hot water for over a week, I would like to either get my deposit back or have a month of rent waived. All of these issues are apart of the "move-out procedures" which are apart of the lease agreement. The property was not properly inspected after the previous tenant moved out, if this took place, all of these issues would have been properly addressed. This was the worst experience I've EVER had with a rental company & plan to buy a home after this tramatizing experience. A NEW tenant should NEVER have to clean a place their moving into, if their working with a legit rental company! I was told that I couldn't get any type of discount on my rent nor will I be reimbursed for getting the carpets professionally cleaned (which was NEVER done by the previous tenants). I'm sure that PFR kept the previous tenants deposit, but I see NO SIGNS of what they did with it in the property! I will make sure that EVERY site I can put a complaint in on about this company gets done ASAP! Again, worst rental experience ever!Business Response In regards to the complaint filed by [redacted] on 06/08/2016, case number XXXXXXXX.It had been brought my attention that Ms. [redacted] had filed a complaint against Picket Fence Realty and using misrepresented facts. My name is [redacted] I run the office at Picket Fence Realty and would like to address some of the misrepresentation/false claims made by Ms. [redacted] as I have been her primary point of contact since she approached our company seeking information and desire to view some of our rental properties back on March 19, 2016. First let me acknowledge, there was a clerical error on the first draft of the lease I had sent to Ms. [redacted], however, it was a draft and I do ask each prospective tenant to review and make request for any changes every time I send a lease. On her application Ms. [redacted] listed the price as $895.00, I was also under the understanding the listing was at $895.00 but later discover it to be actually listed at $850.00. When it was it was brought to my attention, I quickly revised the draft, apologized to Ms. [redacted], and resent the new page to reflect the change. The first few misrepresentation by Ms. [redacted] of the facts begins, "as it got closer to the date I was supposed to move in..." Ms. [redacted] was fully aware that the property had current tenants who were under lease at prior to the signing of the lease and taking possession of the property. We scheduled a viewing for Ms. [redacted] with the cooperation of vacating tenants so Ms. [redacted] would be able to see the property before any decisions were made. The previous tenants were in fact home at the time of the viewing. Ms. [redacted] had been told repeatedly (primarily over the phone) that the old tenants had the right under their current lease to be in the home until Saturday night, April 30, 2016; Ms. [redacted] was not to move in prior to the beginning of her lease term which states May, 01, 2016. I had previously arranged for Ms. [redacted] to pick up the keys on Friday, April 29, 2016 as she was moving in on a Sunday and our office is closed during the weekend. She was reminded again, not to take possession of the home until Sunday, May 1, 2016. On April 26, 2016, I received an email concerning the carpet cleaning. Ms. [redacted] stated, "That she would not be moving into wet carpet....and was planning to move in on Saturday and Sunday" even though she had been told repeatedly she could not move in early. I reminded her again, attached a copy of the move out instructions that I sent to the old tenants, so she would know the expectation, I reminded her of the move-in inspection form and offered the choice to choose another move in date or proceed as planned. She then agreed to change the date. I revised the lease again, sent over a new draft to be signed. The same rent amount error appeared, it was brought to my attention and I corrected it and apologized again. On April 27, 2016, Ms. [redacted] asked if she could have her deposit refunded. At that point, Picket Fence Realty had a signed lease dated on April 1,2016 so we had not been advertising the property with the understanding that Ms. [redacted] was taking the property. The decision not to return her deposit was made in fairness to the homeowner because she simply changed her mind. She then requested a meeting with [redacted] in person, unfortunately, he was called away and was unable to be in the office the day she came in but did speak with her and reiterate his decision over the phone. She was very angry and rude and stormed out of the office. A day or two later she came back to the office and apologized for her behavior and wanted to proceed with the move into [redacted]. It is my understanding that the old tenants did vacate as agreed prior to May 1, 2016, the carpets were professionally cleaned and the home was cleaned as we agreed. Just after the old tenants vacated, [redacted] went over to the property to inspect and found a leak. He immediately took action and called a vendor for repairs. Ms. [redacted] did take possession of the home and then began to complain about its condition. She filled out a move-in inspection form and returned it to our office. We had informed Ms. [redacted] as a courtesy that we had found a leak and vendors were currently working on it and we didn't expect any delays for her move in. She agreed and thank me for the update. She took it upon herself without authorization or approval to have the carpets re-cleaned after she moved in. On June 3, 2016 [redacted], the home owners, and I all visited [redacted] for an inspection. Ms. [redacted] aggressively cornered the homeowners and began to rant about the condition of this property. The homeowner graciously attempted several times to offer ways in which to resolve some of these complaints and made every attempt to compromise with Ms. [redacted]. Ms. [redacted] would not accept anything offered, instead insisted that she did not want anyone one in her home to fix anything. Ms. [redacted] only wished to be released from the lease and refunded. After some discussion with the homeowners, the decision was made to allow Ms. [redacted] to forfeit the lease under certain conditions. Ms. [redacted] then requested that she be reimbursed for the unauthorized carpet cleaning. We did not reimburse her for obvious reasons. In addition, Ms. [redacted] signed a Utilities agreement stating she would transfer all utilities into her name with 24 hours of after the beginning date of her lease. Which she did not comply. She stated that she had gone for a period of time without hot water, later we discovered she had never turned the gas on in her name. I am unaware of any documented equipment malfunction of the hot water heater. Picket Fence Realty, the homeowners and I have made every attempt to pacify, amend and address every complaint and concern Ms. [redacted] has bombarded us with the upmost professionalism and courtesy expected. In my opinion, Ms. [redacted]'s true motives have been exposed in her last few emails, where she continues to make repeated requested to be allow to live rent free. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact my anytime. Additional information, emails, etc. can be provided upon request. Respectfully, [redacted]XXX-XXX-XXXX cellXXX-XXX-XXXX work [redacted]@gmail.com Consumer Response I've NEVER asked to live rent free!! I have a job & I am a Disabled Veteran. I am FULLY capable of paying rent. When I first inquired about PFR it was for [redacted] Ct, which WAS listed at $895 (& that's why $895 was on my application) It seems as though [redacted] did not switch my application information over to the new property that I had accepted, after I found out that another person was approved for that particular property. I then told PFR ([redacted]) that I would like to see the other available property across the street. When I finally viewed the property, the tenant was home & was very nice to let me view the property. While doing the walk thru,[redacted] ASSURED me that the property would be cleaned & all repairs would be done prier to moving in. NOTHING was done when I moved in. Fast forward: I emailed PFR to schedule a meeting with [redacted], when I went up there the next day, he had "just left". [redacted] called [redacted] so that I could talk to him over the phone & he told me that I couldn't get out of my lease "just because I want to" I expressed to him all the problems I had been experiencing with PFR (in which I hadn't even moved in yet) & he stated that I signed a lease & couldn't get out of it. I walked out of the office (while he was still talking) & stated that I would be calling a lawyer. After I left I realized that I needed to go back (WENT BACK THAT SAME DAY) & apologized for walking out of the room while he was still talking & I DID apologize to [redacted] even though she was the reason for my frustration. I was never aggressive towards anyone! Rude, I'll except only because I did walk out the room. If you read PFR response to my complaint you can tell that they are contradicting a lot of what they've said. I NEVER "cornered" the owners. How can you corner anyone when you're outside? I told the owners the truth about PFR & how the property looked when I moved in & they stated that they had no idea any of this had been going on. They ONLY came up with ONE proposal which was to have the property cleaned, which I declined because I had already done it when I moved in. They didn't have multiple proposals like [redacted] stated in her response. If needed, I have pictures, emails etc. In closing, I have proof of everything I've stated in my complaint. PRF is trying to make it seem like I'm the bad guy when all errors have been on their end, from the beginning. PFR needs to redo their lease agreement if they aren't going to stick to it. A NEW tenant shouldn't have to move into a NASTY property & have to clean everything. I'm sure they wouldn't have moved their families into this property the way it looked! If only the shoe were on the other foot.