Real Property Management - Phoenix Metro

Review: On Friday, April 3, 2015 I contacted the realtor overseeing the property [redacted] via text message and VM, I received no response. On April 6, 2015 I emailed this realtor in regards to the same property expressing my high level of interest again. We were now in communication. One of my concerns is that I was moving from Nebraska to Arizona; I wanted to clarify that this process could take place via email, which she confirmed via email stating "she can send me the necessary paperwork." On 4/9/2015 my paperwork had already been submitted and I was approved to rent the property. Throughout this process I have been making my intentions very clear that I am excited to be moving into this home. The next step the realtor mentioned is only to send $500 earnest deposit, in a cashier's check, to hold the property. On 4/10/2015, I very firmly and clearly communicated via email that my deposit would be sent at 10:00am CST 4/11/2015. On 4/14/2015 I emailed the realtor to confirm that my money had made it to Arizona safely. I receive a response stating they have not yet received the money and another applicant came in on 4/13/2015 with a deposit and signed lease, so they proceeded with this individual. My money was coming from Nebraska and will take longer than one day to arrive in Arizona. No communication was made on 4/13/2015 that the property had been signed to another applicant; I am still under the impression my money is going to hold the property. The realtor had confirmation on 4/10/2015 that my check was in the mail, no phone call/email was made to confirm that it was in transit before accepting another's money. At no point during our emails did my realtor mention if money was received before mine that it would take precedence.

On 4/14/2015 when I confirmed that my check was sent on 4/11/2015, the realtor claims that at no point had I agreed to sign a lease which is needed to hold the property as well. Nowhere in our email communications did the realtor mention/give me the opportunity to sign a lease. If I am sending money from Nebraska to Arizona, logically I want to sign the lease. I reached out to the manager of Real Property Management on 4/14/2015 and 4/15/2015 expressing my concerns and asking for confirmation that my check was sent back to Nebraska with an expected date/time of delivery. At this point (4/26/2015) I have not heard from management with RPM regarding any of my concerns. Management and the realtor never sent confirmation that my check was placed back in the mail. When I called their office in regards to my check, I was not transferred to management as requested again, but the receptionist put me on hold to seek the answer to my questions.

My realtor (Ms. [redacted]) displayed extremely poor customer service. She has rented this property out from underneath me with no communication of doing so. Following this entire process, nothing positive can be said about Real Property Management, its employees or how management (Ms. [redacted]) handles negative situations.Desired Settlement: I expect my application fee of $50.00 (+tax) to be refunded in full immediately.

I expect Real Property Management to write a letter of apology explaining their process and lack of follow up.

Business

Response:

Real Property Management Phoenix Metro sincerely apologizes for the issues that Ms. [redacted] has dealt with. We will issue a refund for her $50 application fee and mail out to her in the next 24 hours. It is common in today's real estate market to have multiple applications received on an individual property. Since we are agents for the owner of the property, our duty is to find the best possible applicant and secure an executed lease as quickly as we can for the owner. The particular property Ms. [redacted] applied for did have multiple approved applications and thus we had a sense of urgency to receive not only an executed lease from her but an earnest deposit as well. She did mail a check to our office that took several days but we did NOT receive the executed lease back and thus another applicant was selected to execute a lease and put down and earnest deposit for the owner of the property.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait until for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved. One additional comment to RPM - the opportunity to sign a lease was never presented to me, as I would have signed/faxed back immediately to hold the house. This shows lack of customer service and follow up with its employees. However, thank you for your quick follow up and refund.

Regards,

BEWARE THIS COMPANY'S PRACTICES - KNOW YOUR RIGHT UNDER THE [redacted]. It appears a small claims action may be forthcoming in my case. I sent the following demand letter to RPM on November 18, 2014 via fax and mail. To date, no response...
Dear [redacted]:
I am writing regarding Real Property Management’s Deposit Disposition Statement dated November 6, 2014, completed by [redacted] (copy enclosed), wherein my deposit return was reduced by $100. This is allegedly due to:
AC Filter - $25.00
Clean Oven, Fridge, fans - $75.00
While I agree that I did not clean the oven, I did, in fact, clean the refrigerator and fans, as evidenced by the enclosed photos. Further, the AC filter was changed by your own personnel, [redacted], at the September 19, 2014 inspection. Mr. Grayson states in his report (copy enclosed), “I did change the air filter and left and [sic] extra for tenant 20x25…” I left the extra air filter in the laundry room. Therefore, as these alleged damages are clearly nonexistent, I find a $100 reduction of my security deposit to be completely inappropriate, and in fact, contrary to [redacted], which states in part:
“D. Upon termination of the tenancy, property or money held by the landlord as prepaid rent and security may be applied to the payment of all rent, and subject to a landlord's duty to mitigate, all charges as specified in the signed lease agreement, or as provided in this chapter, including the amount of damages which the landlord has suffered by reason of the tenant's noncompliance with section 33-1341. Within fourteen days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays or other legal holidays, after termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession and demand by the tenant the landlord shall provide the tenant an itemized list of all deductions together with the amount due and payable to the tenant, if any. Unless other arrangements are made in writing by the tenant, the landlord shall mail the itemized list and any amount due, by first class mail, to the tenant's last known place of residence.
E. If the landlord fails to comply with subsection D of this section the tenant may recover the property and money due the tenant together with damages in an amount equal to twice the amount wrongfully withheld.
F. This section does not preclude the landlord or tenant from recovering other damages to which the landlord or tenant may be entitled under this chapter.
G. During the term of tenancy the landlord may use refundable security deposits or other refundable deposits in accordance with any applicable provisions of the property management agreement. At the end of tenancy, all refundable deposits shall be refunded to the tenant pursuant to this section.
H. The holder of the landlord's interest in the premises at the time of the termination of the tenancy is bound by this section.” (Emphasis added)
Accordingly, consider this a formal request to produce the amount wrongfully withheld by your company. Because I did not clean the oven, I will consider a refund an additional $75.00 to be reasonable. I will expect the refund no later than close of business on Friday, November 21, 2014, and look forward to an amicable resolution of this matter. If you would like to discuss this matter, you can reach me at (XXX) XXX-XXXX (redacted).
Sincerely,

We are a current leasee with RPM and find no support from any of their staff. In Oct 2012 we called the city of phoenix to turn on the water to our new home and the city said it could not turn on as the water valve on the house would not shut off so I called RPM to have them fix it. They sent someone out and all they did was turn on the water at the meter and said everything was ok. in Aug 2013 our AC went out in a 2 story house and I called in a repair request on a Friday. On Sat. when I didnt hear from them I checked on the repair and was informed that it was a "low" priorty. we were without ac till monday late afternoon. I called them on Oct 21,2013 regarding what is going to happen to my home as my lease is up the end of oct 2013 and was informed that they will no longer be handleing the lease no other information was given. They are a very uncareing company that I would never deal with again.

Review: I have currently been residing in a town home managed by RPM (Real Property Managment) in Phoenix. The service here has been horrible. The residence where I reside is a two story town home. The roof has developed a leak for the third time, from the roof to the first floor. They have yet to completely resolve the issue and as a result there is black mold developing in my bathroom and room where the baby sleeps. In addition to the Poor service in fixing this HORRIBLE safety issue, they have stated we did not pay my Septembers rent when in fact I have! I paid the monthly rent in two separate money orders in which I have both receipts to prove. After sending me a letter stating I have to pay late fees (for rent I have paid), I advised them that I have my money order receipt. After telling them I had the receipts they admitted they had found the rent but refused to take off the late fees. Instead they said if we do not pay the late fees we will be evicted! They stated that we have made too many complaints and work orders (referring to the roof leak that happened 3 times, I have pictures and videos of the leak and mold) and asked us to revoke our complaints we have made against them through the Revdex.com. This has caused me and my roommate an enormous amount of stress and now we have to go to court to prove we paid our rent, which we can because we have the money order receipts, however now I have to miss work and it is effecting my daily life. I am stressed and I am not sure what to do any more. Please help!Desired Settlement: I do not want to stay here any more. It has been a stress on me and my roomate. The on going mold and leaks have effected our health and the health of the baby. They stated we did not pay the rent in which we have and Rpm admitted to finding the rent however they still find the need to take us to court. It is ridiculous! I would like out of the lease legally or I will take this public with channel 3 on your side!

Business

Response:

We have researched the issues that [redacted] has noted. We have spoken to the contractor that works for the complex owner and below are his notes:

The occurrences of the roof leaking has been addressed immediately after

receiving the work orders. The issue is not due to poor workmanship, but rather,

the pigeons nesting on the roof. The nesting materials and feces clog up the

scuppers (roof drains) and consequently, when it rains, the water soaks in and

the combination of the acidic droppings and water cause rapid deterioration of

the roof. Each time she has called, we have responded the same day.

First occurrence: early August 2012

Coordinated all work with Ms. [redacted] Replaced and repaired drywall,

carpet, and padding. All rooftoops were cleared of pigeon droppings and

nesting.

Second occurrence: September 2013

Repaired ceiling, wall, and flooring. Shampooed carpet and treated to

prevent mold. Have not been called back or notified of any other mold or issues

at this time. Ms. [redacted]has my direct line, but I have not been notified that

there are on-going issues.

We are scheduled to go out on a regular basis now to remove all debris from

the rooftops. We are not responsible for their nesting pattern or monsoon rains.

Both of these happened during the monsoon season.

We are trying to reach the tenant to inspect the property by our staff and document the issues noted. Upon this inspection, we can implement a plan to correct any issues as required. We ask the tenant to contact our Maintenance Department immediately to attempt to resolve.

Review: I rented a house from RPM, and signed a one yr lease. I wanted to buy a house but didn't think I would qualify at the time I rented the house from them. 5 months into the lease I checked into what I would need to do to qualify to buy a house and to my surprise I was in better shape than I thought, I called RPM and asked them if I could get out of my lease early as I was in a position to buy a house. I was willing to wait until the lease was up before continuing to look into a house. I received a call from RPM saying that yes I could break the lease early if I paid for the re advertisement fee, this was not a problem for me, so I started the long process into finding a house. I finally found one and was ready to close and move in on September 4 months after I had ask RPM about breaking the lease early. I told them in August that I would be closing in September and and I would be out before the end of September, I had already committed to buying this house and then Real property management told me that I would be responsible for the rent until they re rented the house this was unacceptable to me. As I had already committed to buying a house and would not be able to pay rent and a mortgage payment. At that point I told them to use my security deposit for the re advertisement fee. And re rent the house.

It has been over a month now since I handed the key in. By the way I dropped off the keys to them and emailed them to confirm that they got the keys I got no response from them, one month later I have already moved into my house and I receive a letter from them saying they used my deposit for the rent after I had left. I called the owner of the house and asked him if he was aware that I had moved out and that they have made no attempt to re rent the house yet as we checked online and went to the house to see if they had put a sign up. He was not aware that we had moved out and that the house was empty. After I told him he was not happy, I can understand why, I told he this is unacceptable for the rental company not to have told him and also that they are still trying to charge me for the rent. I told him that if they said no I can not leave early I could have held off 2 to 3 months before looking at houses....this is gross incompetence on the part of the rental company to not info him and to try billing me..I am not going to pay any more money to them and I told the owner this as well, I can't not afford rent and a mortgage payment.. They should have made it more clear about this transaction. Like I said I could have waiting longer before finding and viewing houses to buy. As of today 5 November 2015 they still have made no attempt to re rent the house.Desired Settlement: Not charge me anymore money and re rent the house for the owner, and keep him up to date with his property

Business

Response:

Mr [redacted] rented a property located at [redacted] Ln starting January 9th, 2015. Attached please find a copy of the lease signed. Per paragraph 7 of the lease it clearly states that the "If the Lessee vacates unit prior to the end of this leases, Lessee will be responsible for rents and other fees per this agreement through the end of the lease period, or until the unit is re-rented to a qualified lessee, whichever comes first. If Lessor re-markets the property for rent on behalf of Lessee Lessee agrees to pay a re-advertising fee of $149." Paying the $149 does not release the Lessee from the lease it only covers the cost to re-advertise the property for rent. There is a form that we ask tenants to sign if they do want the property re-advertised for rent that Mr [redacted] failed to sign and return so the property was not advertised prior to him vacating and returning keys on 9/24/15. Unfortunately upon completing the move out inspection the house was not in a condition that we could advertises the property (see attached inspection completed 9/29/15 1252pm). As far as notifying the owner of Mr [redacted] breaking the lease. When Mr [redacted] gave his notice on 8/21/15 the owner was notified that the tenant had given notice to vacate. Then when Mr [redacted] returned keys the owner was notified that keys had been returned by the tenant. Finally an estimate for repairs was mailed to the owner of the property on October 5th. The owner has failed to get the property ready or respond to my office regarding the estimate. Unfortunately, without the owner getting the property ready or releasing Mr [redacted] from the lease our hands are tied in regards to the property. The security deposit was applied to outstanding rents and that money is owed to the owner since the tenant was still in a lease and responsible for the rents until the lease expires or the property re-rents. Because of the condition the property was in at the time of move in we did not penalize Mr [redacted] for any damages from his security deposit.

Consumer

Response:

I spoke to the owner on the day of this complaint, and by his submission His words not mine, he did not know we had moved out and what not aware that we had handed the keys in. If he has made the false statement regarding this matter then I think that's going to have to be between him and rpm, as for all the repairs they have listed was the condition we rented it at, and was told it was an as is condition if rpm will not re rent it due to this then that should not fall back on me, due to this I am not responsible for any more rent payments if he fails to do the repairs and rpm will not re rent it I'm not responsible for any more payment, I had to accept it in this condition and the pictures they supplied were the picture I gave them when I moved in and I complained about it they...so I feel the issue is now on the owner and rpm. And I should not be responsible for any more moneys.....when I left the house inside was cleaner than it was when I moved in as for the trash in the back yard was there when I moved in. As for the BBQ I glad to say that is not mine and it wasn't there when I left but if you want me to take care of that and I have there permission I will pick it up as I need one lol...but in a nut shell I think this is between them and not me..many thanks[redacted]

Business

Response:

Mr [redacted] was the first tenant we had placed in the property. While it was marketed "as is" the owner assured us that certain repairs would be completed. However, the owner failed to take action on those items once the tenant was in place. Now knowing that nothing will be repaired once a tenant is in place we can not risk renting the property again until the needed repairs are done.That being said I agree 100% that the tenant left the property in better condition than he received it in. RPM is not going to pursue any future rents that might be due by Mr [redacted] for breaking the lease. We feel the owner has failed to meet the obligations on the care of the property while Mr [redacted] lived in the property and now after Mr [redacted] has vacated the property. The owner has failed to respond to us despite multiple attempts through a variety of mediums (phone, text, and regular mail). We have even tried contacting known family members of the home owner to try and elicit a response. While we can't refund the security deposit because it is technically owed to the owner we are not willing to pursue any collection attempts against any future rents owed.

Mike always does our inspection we have been at this property goin on 3 years. Mike is always pleasant and helpful. He has a good attitude and is always a delight to talk to.