Preferred Living

The address listed on the Notice to Vacate form that was hand-written by the resident appeared to read as street number "***"The resident moved out 7/27/and a check was cut and set on 8/24/Once contacted by the resident we found out the check was never received as the street number was incorrectWe placed a stop-payment on the original check, and reissued a new check on 11/11/We apologize for the time-delay in reissuing the check the second timeUnfortunately, our accountant was out of the office unexpectedly due to a medical procedure and typically these situations are handled in a much quicker time frame

Hello, I filed a complaint this morning against Preferred Living, a property management company in Worthington OhioI would like to add to my complaintI rented a unit at the Alexander Square complex from August 20th, to August 20th, Upon move out, I was charged for light bulbs and full carpet replacementPer my lease agreement, there is no requirement to replace light bulbs in the procedure for vacating the apartmentIn the procedure of vacating the apartment the lease states “If there are carpet stains, I will be billed based on age or carpet and damaged unable to be removed by a professional cleaning company”There were no marks on the carpet at all upon move outWe kept the carpet very clean, never spilled anything or had a petIf there were any marks or stains, they should have been removed by the cleaning serviceAt move out, I also requested a walk through at the front office; I spoke with Tiffany who I also returned my keys tooShe stated a walk through was not neededWe were also charged for pain in the apartment as well.I contacted the Preferred Living Customer Solutions Center and Spoke with Ashley, she stated that the carpet cleaning was unsuccessful and that the carpet needed replaced in fullTo which I stated that the carpet was spotless upon move outAn argument between the two of us ensued and she hung up on meThis call took place on 9/21/I tried times to call back with no answer, I even contacted the office at Alexander Square and they emailed the Solution Center with my request for a call backThis morning 9/22/15, I called back and spoke to Brooke, who was very nice and courteousI asked that they email me before and after photos of the carpet and the entire unitShe said they will be emailed to my email addressI have no yet received these photosAs for a resolution and desired settlement:I want any deductions from my $deposit to be justifiedI want to see proof carpet cleaning was attempted and unsuccessfulI would like before and after pictures showing that the carpet was cleaned to support any documentation providedI want the light bulb charges removed as well, as that was not included in the procedures for vacating the unit in my signed lease agreementAlso, I believe standard cleaning is also not chargeableWe were charge just for cleaningThe total fees we should owe based on the paint and cleaning etc., should be totalI have also attached the lease agreement and the Move out statement to this emailThank you!

I reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and find the resolution is satisfactory to me When the refund arrives I will consider this matter closed

This company has had a history of accusations A simple web search or a phone call made from former companies who employed Preferred Living will assist in acknowledging their unscrupulous business patternsIn fact, both former apartment complexes, Palmer House and [redacted] , no longer conduct business with Preferred Living due to the company's unethical business practices I do have an small dog of which I kenneled to the laundry/utility room of this suite while I was away during daytime hours The photos provided by this management company do not indicate they were taken from in my former unit Furthermore, I came home DAILY from my place of employment to walk my dog Further investigation into my stay at Palmer House would elicit details from my file indicating at least two phone calls made to the management staff concerning other residents neglecting to clean animal feces from the grounds If this company in good faith, accepts pets under their lease agreements, it should be stated that intimate investigative measures, such as lifting the carpet from the floor of each unit, will be conducted at termination of lease agreementOr the company should not accept animals in the units, period

The response to this complaint is not sufficientThe company did not address many of the issues presentedThey have only replied with “corporate fluff” that has been said on every one of these complaintsPreferred Living did send me pictures, after multiple attempts to get a hold of the companyThe pictures they sent were not sufficientThey were where my furniture was placedThere was no way that there was a wet spot in the apartment with the move-out timing I explained in the complaintThe company did not address this fact in this response or the e-mails I attachedI was not given pictures of the wet spot on the actual carpet before they decided to rip it upThis would be pertinent documentation that would prove that there was a wet stain in the carpet at that timeI know that they didn’t see a wet spot, but even if they did see one in my living room why would the carpet need to be lifted up and ripped out of the two bedrooms?They failed to mention that I complained multiple times about the dog waste in and around the communityThey did not have the cleaning company come out until after I told them my dog got extremely ill, due to the dog waste in the communityThey did not address the fact that the dog waste is so bad it is unsanitaryIf a property becomes unsanitary the responsibility shifts to the landlordThe statement in the response where I asked to speak to the corporate manager and they reached out to me by e-mail but never heard back is a blatant lieI have the e-mails from Ashley, in corporate resolution, telling me that she would not give me anyone else’s information because she was a managerShe also refused to give me a copy of my lease the first time I asked for itI had to send an e-mail to clarify that she was refusing to give me a copy before she would give me a copy.There is no response about the apartment complex ignoring their dog weight limitations in the leaseThis is very inconvenient to many residents currently and was inconvenient to me as well when I resided at the propertyIf they want to talk about not following the lease they signed then they should take their own adviceWhy should a tenant follow a lease when the landlord isn’t? Since my original complaint Preferred Living sent a letter to my employer, that got forwarded to me, stating that they needed to get in contact with me in regards to an important business matterIn the letter they stated they did not have any correct contact information for mePlease keep in mind, that I had received the two original invoices, called them with no return call, and had been in contact by e-mailAll of the e-mails were attached to this complaintOnce again, they gave incorrect informationI called the company Monday 10/23/and left a message regarding the receipt of this letter, with no call backThis morning 12/25/17, I got a final invoice from the company with the water bill taken offThe light bulb charge was not taken off because I could not find the receipt of the replacement light bulbs that I purchasedAt that time, I must have thrown it away not thinking I would have ever needed it.I paid the invoice today 10/25/17, due to the fact that I do not want anything on my creditWhen I went to pay for the invoice it had to be by cashier check or a credit/debit card authorization formIn order to get the form, you have to e-mail or call the companyI e-mailed Ashley at the company, who I had been in communication with, asked for the form and advised I was paying the bill because I do not want my credit affectedAshley responded back stating she just got my voicemail today, that yesterday she was preparing my file to go to their attorneys, and if I didn’t pay the invoice by the EOB tomorrow then my file would be turned over to their attorneysThis company is not following the correct collection guidelinesThere was no reason for her to threaten me with their attorneys when I advised I was paying it todayThis company has no respect for any of their previous or current tenantsI am assuming that this will be the continuing trend in the futureWhen speaking to them they have no empathy for their clients regarding valid disputesThey lie in their responses and discriminate against pet ownersI want everyone to know how bad this company isIf one wishes to search the president and the company online they will find a few articles on the appalling characteristics and practices of this companyNeedless to say, I am not satisfied with this response

I was able to speak with the Regional Manager and I reviewed all emails between you and our onsite managerYou very clearly stated in writing twice that your intentions were to sign a month to month lease and the paperwork was provided to youFor some reason, the paperwork was not received on your end and was not returned to us, although copies were sent outHowever, in lieu of the miscommunication regarding the month to month paperwork, we are willing to waive the lease break fee in the amount of $1,In regards to the carpet, I have been in touch with our maintenance tech, our onsite manager, and the company that replaced the carpetThe "flooding" that occurred was a small amount of water at the back doorThis water was not the cause of the replacementThe carpet damage was in the living room where black ink type stains and tears were found, and there were heavy traffic patterns and quite a bit of debris throughout the downstairsThis is considered beyond wear and tearYou were not billed for the full cost of the downstairs carpet replacementInstead, you were billed a prorated amount based on the carpet being a year old when you moved outAs for the light bulbs, there were a total of bulbs burned out at $5.14/eaI have attached a couple pictures of some of the bulbsDue to file size, upon request, I can send the others in a separate email By removing the lease break fee, your balance is now $Due to researching your concerns, we will extend the payment timeframe to May 31st, You may send in a cashier's check or money order ( we do not accept personal checks on move out balances) or you can request a payment authorization form to use a credit cardPlease let me know how you plan to make your payment so that I can make note of it and/or send you a payment formWe feel at this time Ms [redacted] 's concerns have been resolved If you have any other questions, please feel free to email me any time

The extent of the water in your unit and the carpet damage have been verified by our onsite Maintenance Tech, our Property Manager, and our Regional ManagerWe are confident that the damage to the carpet was not caused by any water damageDue to the nature of the stains and the traffic areas on the carpet, and based on the amount of water in the unit, it is evident the damage being billed was caused by the residentWater damage would not have caused the stains that appearedPreferred Living is willing to set up a payment arrangement with the past resident in order to take care of balance

that was not the condition of the carpet when we leftAlso, if you look closely most of those pictures are showing shadows and not dirtThe carpet was clean when we left and I believe new when we moved inNothing out of the ordinary was done to the carpetHow am I to know if those so called stains in the carpet weren't made after the move by some one else? I will email the pictures of the carpet to the Revdex.comAs for the other charges, I'm fine with thoseBut the fee for the carpet needs to be droppedI want the whole removed from the statement as the carpet was in good order upon move out

I reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and find the resolution is satisfactory to me

The amount the resident paid at move out was the amount the Property Manager provided to himNormally, market rent includes rentable items such as pet rent, garage rent, and storage rent, all of which the resident was paying for during their stayOur accounting staff billed the resident per the guidelines for rentable itemsHowever, the Property Manager failed to include the amount for these items in the total that was given to the residentsBecause the manager did not include this in the written lease buy out, Preferred Living will be making the adjustment and getting a refund out no later than 4/8/We apologize for the discrepancy and have all intentions of making this right

we are not claiming the damage photographed by you was caused by the flood, we are stating that the damage from the flood made the carpet more susceptible to damage because of being wet for a weekAll areas you claim are damaged were under waterHad your company replaced the carpet after the flood, as it should have, none of this would be an issue

Ms [redacted] contacted Preferred Living on 12/4/regarding her move out statementShe immediately stated she was not going to pay for the carpet restoration because she was told at move in we would replace the carpet since she had a crawling babyShe also stated that she was told Preferred Living replaces the carpet every years anywaysIt was explained to Ms [redacted] that the standard life of carpet is years and that it is not to replace the carpet due to a crawling babyShe was advised that the only reason carpet would be replaced prior to years is if it was damaged beyond wear and tear and could not be restoredOur Manager also let Ms [redacted] know that if she had written documentation from our onsite staff that she was promised carpet replacement as she mentioned, we would be more than happy to review itIn addition, each tenant is given a move in condition form upon move in and asked to return within hoursMs [redacted] completed and signed the move in condition form stating that the carpet and all other items listed in her suite were in good condition when she moved in.Ms [redacted] was not refused the name of the CFO for Preferred LivingHowever, our Collections Manager did let her know that the CFO is not available in the office to discuss prior tenant disputesMs [redacted] reached the correct contact, our Collections DeptManager at the Preferred Living Corporate Office, and was given the correct information regarding her concern with the carpetOur Manager offered to send photo documentation and an invoice for the carpet restoration to support the charge, however, Ms [redacted] declinedThe call was disconnected due to profanity and yelling on Ms***’s endAt this time, Preferred Living has settled this dispute to the best of our ability and will provide supporting documentation to the Revdex.com upon request

The past resident contacted Preferred Living via email on 12/19/at 1:13pm with the following:To Whom It May Concern: I have attempted to call your customer service phone number SEVERAL times over the past months under the guidance of both the Palmer House Manager and your previous correspondenceI have left at least voice messagesI have received NOTHING in return aside from the latest threatening notice indicating a pending negative impact on my credit Interestingly enough, after placing a phone call this morning, to the Palmer House, the customer service representative informed me that Palmer House is no longer associated with Preferred Living Palmer House seems to have taken the same corrective disassociation as its sister complex, Chelsea Square Due mostly in part, I'm sure, of the fraudulent practices your company purportsYour company is claiming I owe $for carpet replacement on absolutely no groundsUpon termination of my 14-month lease, of which time I was a model tenant, I exited the apartment without any undo wearDuring the entire final weekend of my lease, I cleaned the apartment thoroughlyWith a witness, we filled wall hanging and window treatment holes to drywall and cleaned, sufficient to the naked eye, including carpetingThe wear to this unit was minimal given the actual time spent in the apartment during the lease termThe lease does not directly state that tenants should have carpets cleaned professionallyThe lease does indicate tenants should leave the premises as it was upon move in, which is impossible given I was the first tenant to occupy the suite in a new apartment complexMy security deposit should have been returned to me, and I called several times as to the status of this deposit I was NEVER previously notified of any problems upon exiting the apartment until receiving a statement indicating I was being held responsible for carpet replacementUpon receding the initial statement I believed it to be mistakenly sent to me, and thus began my initial query into the accusation.Preferred Living will not receive one penny from me, and I'm disgusted in the way in which myself, as well as all current and former tenants speak of your company's reputationPerhaps a short web surf to read the reviews of your company's incompetence would surely offer some well-deserved constructive criticismYou will be receiving a claim report from the Revdex.com of Ohio in the near future This course of action, which has been taken by at least other residents in just the past few months, seems to be directly related to your company's ethics [redacted] ***In response to Ms***'s email, Preferred Living sent the following email back on 12/29/at 12:33pm as our Customer Resolutions office was closed from 12/18/15-12/27/for the holiday:"Hi ***,I apologize if you have been unable to reach anyone in our office by phoneI want to make sure you are calling the correct number as we return calls, if a voice message is left, in the order in which they are received, and typically within the same week the we get the messageOur phone number is ###-###-####You should reach me directly if you call that numberI have thoroughly reviewed your file regarding the carpet replacement as well as your lease policiesOn page 2, #“Care of Suite” in your lease agreement, it states “Guest shall return the Suite in the same condition as existed on the date of move-in, reasonable wear and tear excepted”If you would like a copy of your lease agreement, please let me knowI have attached pictures of the carpet that was taken by our management staff once you moved outDue to file size, I will send a second email with additional pictures of the carpetAs you can see in the pictures, there are several stains, some in each room, that appear to be pet urine stainsThe stains soaked through to the backside of the carpet and to the pad underneathThis is considered beyond wear and tear and resulted in the carpet and pad needing to be replacedThe amount you were billed was prorated based on the age of the carpet, in which the carpet was considered a year and a half old at move outA copy of the invoice for the replacement can be provided upon requestPlease let me know if you have any further questions"An email address was also provided on the move out statement that was originally sent to Ms [redacted] on 6/29/as well as on the collection letters that were mailed to her for convenience in resolving balances due if she was unable to reach our office for any reason by phoneAs stated in our email response to Ms***, the stains on the carpet appeared to be pet urine stains and were soaked through to the pad of the carpet, resulting in replacementThis is not wear and tearMs [redacted] was billed a prorated cost based on the life of the carpet, less 1.5yrs agedAttached are pictures of the carpet taken by our onsite management staff

We
have updated the carpet replacement proration based on an error found on the
form filed by the property manager. The cost was ajusted for just the
carpet in the areas that were an issue and removed the cost for the pad
underneath that was also replacedThe amount now billed
to the past resident is for the
living room, master bedroom, and hallway onlyThe total prorated cost is $An adjusted move out statement was sent to the past resident via email
The
manager, maintenance technician, and the service staff from the cleaning
service we use have each stated that the carpet was not cleanable. Pictures of the carpet were sent directly to the past resident via email. With the suite only
being months old, to experience this type of wear and tear is unusual
In
regards to the light bulbs, we have reviewed the pictures in the past resident's file from
move out and was only able to visibly see lights bulbs that were burned
out in the pictures our staff members tookWithout having a picture of the other bulbs, we reduced the number of bulbs billed to the residentThis adjustment appears on the move out statement that was sent to the past resident via email as well
At
the end of the week, a check will be sent out to the past resident for the amount listed on
the adjusted move out statementThe past resident confirmed via email that the address we have on file is correct

I noticed that the manager if Berkeley has the audacity to request that we vacate before December 15??? This falls right before Christmas, AND WE PAID RENT FOR ENTIRE MONTH!! The unreasonableness of this claim is above and beyond my wildest imagination, we are asked to move out half a month earlier than we have paid, we paid $for apartment, parking garage, that's $800' I have two children who would be burdened with the probability of changing school districts, we paid a non refundable $dog deposit, and the overall burden of moving twice, and at Christmas is unconscionableThis entire scenario blows my mind Far from southern hospitality, I do not understand why I am being targeted and discriminated against, I walked throughout the building this weekend and heard very loud televisions, music, and parties, none of which, I have ever done while living at Berkley, I've had notes on my doort, ,one was redacted, the others are equally frivolous,this is ridiculousI am a friendly person and positive addition to Berkeley HouseWhen I reviewed the Revdex.com reviews I did see that this kind of treatment is not rare, it really is not good for the type of business preferred living is striving to achieve where guests share amenities and managers should be required to demonstrate effective problem solving abilitiesI have not been given a chance to have a rebuttal before assanine assumptions are treated as factsExample I was given a complaint that stated this was third noise violation for having furniture moved and assembled at 5pmWhen I confronted Amber with this, I was told matter of factly that " she came up and witnesses the bangingShe eventually redacted the complaint when I was given opportunity to discussI was told that Berkeley would give me this opportunity if any other incidences aroseNext, I am told another complaint of my t.vand again , there was an audio recording to support this claim, the recording she attempted to play had no sound, she was suppose to email it to me before end of day, I was told by Tiffany it was already sent, instead I was redirected to attorney I have nothing to hide, Berkeley has declined all reasonableness, I am being treated like a bunny in a lions denI am offering this feedback in hopes of helping preferred living by offering first hand advice to issues that I am experiencing as a paying customerOf course, take it or leave it, but taking guests into consideration should be a higher priority to the business your representation

Our Corporate staff responded to Ms***'s email and included photos for the damages she was billed forAlthough we informed her that there were light bulbs out in the suite the same day she moved out - in the kitchen and in each bedroom - and we sent pictures of these areas, we
offered to waive the light bulb charge in good faith if she could provide the recent receipt that she offered for the bulbs she purchasedShe agreed to send a copy of the receipt, however, we have never received itWe also described to her in better detail and provided pictures of why the carpet needed to be replacedSeveral pet urine stains were found throughout the suite, including a wet stain the day our onsite management staff walked the suite, which was the same day Ms*** moved outThese stains are considered beyond wear and tear and are grounds for replacement. Our Corporate staff reviewed the file for the tenant prior to Ms***'s tenancy and found no reason to need to replace the carpet before she moved inIt was explained to Miss *** that per the lease agreement that she signed prior to move in, the pet fee is non-refundable and as outlined in the lease, this fee does not cover any damages caused by a pet that exceeds the security deposit amountMiss *** did sign the lease agreement, therefore, she was aware of this prior to allowing a pet to reside in her suiteIn regards to the pet waste, we made sure to speak with our maintenance staff about doing mandatory daily pick-upsWe also had a company called *** *** come out to do a thorough clean up that weekOur staff put signs up leading out to the dog park about picking up after petsAs it is stated in the lease agreement, it is the responsibility of the pet owners to take care of pet waste within the dog park areaAlthough there is no proof Miss ***'s dog fell ill due to our dog park, our staff did take additional measures to ensure this area was cleanMiss *** mentioned in her email she would be reaching out to a lawyerPer Preferred Living policy, Miss *** was notified that if she chose to contact an attorney, she would need to have them contact our Customer Resolutions Deptdirectly so that we could get them in touch with our attorney as wellMiss *** asked to speak to a Corporate manager's supervisor in which that supervisor did contact her via email and did not hear backPreferred Living did not refuse to discuss the situation with her without an attorney, but simply provided her information on how to proceed if she did choose to obtain an attorney as she mentioned in her emailAt this time, Preferred Living has provided Miss *** all of the requested documentation and photos regarding the charges billed to her after move out

An odor of pet urine cannot be taken in a pictureThe file was reviewed by both the Property Manager and Regional Manager, both of which stand behind the extent of the odor in the suite

We reiterate this matter is in the hands of two attorney's and the courtWe cannot comment further and all documentation will go through the legal systemWe apologize the resident is upset, however, we are doing everything we can for the fairness of the other residents and within the law

As listed on the move out statement mailed to Ms***, the carpet was replaced in her suite upon move out due to pet urine odor throughout the suiteWhen Ms*** contacted our Corporate Office regarding the charge, it was reviewed by the Account Manager, Regional Manager, and Property Manager
for a second timeOur onsite Management team walked her suite after she moved out and described an odor in each room which smelled like pet urineMs*** did have a pet residing in the suiteOnce the file was reviewed, Preferred Living stood firm on the charge as the odor was beyond wear and tear on the unitThe carpet in Ms***'s suite was only years old upon move outFollowing industry standards, in order to remove the pet urine odor, the carpet needed to be replaced

When the applicant came in to view the suite and apply, our sales agent, after being asked, let her know while they were in the model unit that the $hold fee is only refundable should the application be deniedThe applicant later emailed the property manager after having already applied
and been approved, asking about the hold fee because she wanted to cancel the applicationThe property manager explained via email (and quoted the text directly from the application) that the fee is only refundable if the application is denied. The property manager also explained that hold fees secure a specific unit thus taking the unit off of the market and making it unavailable to any other prospectsTherefore, if they cancel after it's been held off the market, they forfeit the hold fee paid