REI Property Management, LLC

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/04/10) */ The consumer filed this complaint prematurely while we were still conducting negotiations by phone and emailWe already reached a settlement, but to avoid having this posted publicly they agreed to withdraw the complaintPlease see the attached document confirming their desire to withdraw the complaint

We have been in conversation with the tenant and property owner regarding charges against the tenant's security depositThe property owner has determined that all charges we made based on actual damage to the property, and the tenant was charged according to the actual cost to repair the damageOur office has spoken with the tenant by phone to explain the reason for the charges

I am rejecting this response because: REI contacted me and still did not provide any solid information as to why I did not receive any of my damage deposit back. I spoke with Krista [redacted] and she asked what I would like to happen and I explained everything - she said that she would provide me with the invoices right away and I still have not received anything. Apparently, they cannot locate the video taken at the original move in date that would prove most of the "damages" are not mine. There is something not right about the way REI is choosing to deal with this situation - lack of communication and proof any work was completed.

We are sorry to hear that this customer was not satisfied with our serviceHowever, we respectfully disagree with many of the claims made here.We fulfilled all of the terms agreed to in our contract with the customerOur agent actually provided an additional service beyond what the contract
required, to conduct the move-out with the current tenant, even though we had not been managing the property.We obtained a qualified renter so quickly that the property only had to be shown one time.The customer misunderstood what information would be included on our standard company leaseThey contracted with us for "leasing only", meaning they would take over management once we had moved the tenant into the propertyWe still use our standard lease for this situation, which includes our company contact informationIt is up to the customer to inform the tenant of where to send rent and whom to contact for maintenance after the tenant has moved in.Contrary to the customer's claim, there was no promise of providing funds within three daysOur responsibility was to turn over the tenant's security deposit and leasing documents after the tenant moved in, which we did in a reasonable amount of time.We clearly fulfilled all terms of our contract, including not only placing a qualified tenant, but doing so in a faster-than-average timeThus we do not believe that any refund of our contractual fee is justified

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/24) */
First, we should note that tenants requested to move in earlier than their scheduled lease start date, requiring all parties to scramble and get the property ready for new occupantsNevertheless, the property was made readyWe strongly
disagree with the description given by the tenant regarding the state of the cleanliness of house and carpet
The property had been professionally cleaned, however the oven was not wiped after self-cleaning and the dishwasher did require a cycle with bleachA couple of cabinets may have required a second swipe, but in no way would be described as 'filthy.'
The carpets were professionally cleaned before tenants moved inTenants noted several spots that were not clean, so we called a cleaner to come back for additional treatment and spots were removed
In regards to the water softener, property owner has given permission to reimburse tenants $for salt
No other reimbursement is offered, as the property was cleaned to standard satisfactory condition at the time tenants moved in
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/07/29) */
Good day,
I am responding to the response from REI Property ManagementI have attached photos of the filth to this email and a second one since they would not fit on oneI do have more photos I did not includePlease let me know if you need anymore information
The first photo is illustrates how filthy the entry way floor was when I cleaned itThe paper towels were nasty and smelled like dog urineThe stove photo clearly shows stuck on/burnt foodIf the self clean cycle had been run, that gunk would be grey dust not black burnt chunksYou can see that under/behind the stove was not cleanedThe carpet has many, many spots the ones they came back to clean were in the smaller upstairs bedroom and the carpet was blackI have more photos of the spots/areas that are clearly not clean and smell like dog urine
There was never a scramble for the company to get the property readyThey were fully aware that we wished to move in June 27, or we would look elsewhere for a homeThey readily agreed to this date and offered noon as the time to meet to get our keys
An exert from an email on June 16,
"The property is being professionally cleaned this weekend and carpets are getting done early next weekThis will allow for the current tenants and I to re-evaluate the carpets after the first cleaning to determine if they need to be cleaned again
Thus why I am suggesting Saturday the 27th at noon to allow for all this to happen"
We did a walk through on June 27, and the rep notes kitchen dirty and bath dirty but we never got a copy of the walk through sheet we signedI stated the blinds were dirty, the carpet looked really dirty, etc but the rep was in a hurry to leave and didn't make any more notes
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/08/06) */
The property was professionally cleaned as were the carpetsWe regret that the tenant had to do additional cleaning behind the stove; however one person's interpretation of clean clearly in this case differs from anotherRepresentative was in no way in a 'hurry to leave' and would have spent as much time needed if necessary and actual observations were made during the time of inspection

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/03/03) */
The application form which these prospective tenants signed states that the application fee is non-refundableThere was some confusion around the availability of the home which resulted in these applicants ultimately withdrawing their interest
from this home to rent a different propertyWhile we believe we rightly charged the stated application fee, and our policy of a non-refundable fee is clearly stated, we will agree in this case to refund the applicants fee

Responding to the details raised by the tenant in their complaint:- Agent J.Cexplained that upper level and basement would be paintedThis was done as promisedThe carpet was not installed in the timeframe originally promised to the property owner when he purchased the carpet due to a scheduling
mistake made by the carpet company.- Agent J.C responded promptly to the report of water heater not working, including continual contact with tenants throughout the weekendSince property owner make all decisions on repairs the agent was bound to use vendor selected by property owner -- resulting in some delay due to vendor's scheduleProperty owner made the decision (not agent or REI) to not install a water softener, as that is completely optional.All lease documents were sent to the tenants per our standard procedure, then re-sent again after they requested them.Property owner has approved reimbursing the pro-rated rent paid by the tenants for their early move-in, so our accountant is now processing a payment to them

I am rejecting this response because:
The fact of the matter is, that we went days without hot water, and had to live with moldy, foul scented carpet in all rooms of the townhouseThere was forward momentum with J.Cbut that is due to us (the tenants) remaining persistentThroughout this process, J.Cwas rude, short, and unprofessionalWe were not able to obtain a sense of urgency, and had to "deal with it" until it was fixed. These uninhabitable living conditions made it impossible for use to live in our own houseWe asked for compensation, as we were paying in full for everything to be in full working conditionAll we received was $each. We also understand that it is ultimately up to the property owner for their decision on changes to the house. But when J.Cis rude and unprofessional to the plumbing company, who is now refusing to do work for him in the future, shows a lack of urgency as he is willing to jeopardize customer relationships. The carpet not being installed was also not a fault to the company scheduling. We (tenants) spoke to the carpet company and the customer failed to leave a phone number and address as to where the carpet would be installed. Leaving the carpet company with nowhere to go with itHowever, the painting of the upper level and basement was not completed as promised. As the two bathrooms on the upper level and closets were not touched, or the bathroom in the basement. As for the documents, the office took their sweet timeAgain, there was no sense or urgency as it took several weeks and two requests to obtain the leases and supporting documentsWithout having these documents, it made us practically motionless as we technically had no proof of residency, as we contacted an attorney

*** and *** viewed the property before submitting their application -- during their showing, they were fully aware of the condition of the carpets and advised would be professionally cleanedThey chose to move forward with submitting an application.Previous tenant was (widowed) single women, who
left the condo with absolutely no damage, carpets professionally cleaned and overall cleanliness above anything that could have been asked. Yet *** and (more specifically) ***, were never satisfied -- to the point that no option was left, other than to encourage them to have the carpets cleaned (again), and at their own expense. When it was time for them to vacate, they purposely did not have the carpets cleaned, as was required by the move-out instructions and the lease agreement -- Commercial Steam Team was hired (and REI discount applied) to clean the 1BR condo at minimal cost and deducted from their security deposit

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/12/12) */
We are sorry to hear of the maintenance issues at this property. Our property manager has attempted to respond to each issue raised by the tenant, but the owner has not responded in a timely way. We do not own the property, but are simply agents...

for the owner, and as such we must get approval from the owner for any work to be done. We have relayed to the owner the urgency of resolving these issues, and as of today each of these items is being addressed. The owner has assured us that they will provide resolution promptly.

I am rejecting this response because:
 I am rejecting this response because:Not ONE of REI Property’s responses, is any way, shape nor form, connected to our complaints of their service.  The leasing agent offered to provide the move-out inspection at our first meeting before any other work had begun, or whether it was leased on 1st or the 10th showing is irrelevant.  Our basic complaint is during the entire process, there was a lack of timely communication and many things that we had to check up on, review and correct, for REI.  We had to draw their attention to the fact that our listing was not even listed on their own website; lease contracts were continually sent multiple times with errors that we had to point out for correction; emails/texts/messages went unanswered for days, and over a week regarding important details like:  if the tenant has signed the lease, can we please have a copy of it?  Only to receive and find multiple errors.  We submitted over to the Office manager 30+ emails detailing the lack of responses, and exhibiting our increasing frustration with REI and how every step of the process was initiated and/or corrected due to our direct involvement.  Providing a fee-based service in which the customer has to baby-sit the entire process to ensure accuracy and completion, is an unsatisfactory service. Nothing was misunderstood on our behalf. The entire fee based service is what REI failed at. A compiled zip drive has been attached giving a snapshot of SOME of the issues. REI has been more prompt in responding to our public Revdex.com complaints, than responding to our customer inquiries, questions and complaints via  email, phone calls, voicemails and texts. This example alone, sums up perfectly our negative experience with REI.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/04/10) */
The consumer filed this complaint prematurely while we were still conducting negotiations by phone and email. We already reached a settlement, but to avoid having this posted publicly they agreed to withdraw the complaint. Please see the...

attached document confirming their desire to withdraw the complaint.

I am rejecting this response because: REI contacted me and still did not provide any solid information as to why I did not receive any of my damage deposit back. I spoke with Krista [redacted] and she asked what I would like to happen and I explained everything - she said that she would provide me with the invoices right away and I still have not received anything. Apparently, they cannot locate the video taken at the original move in date that would prove most of the "damages" are not mine. There is something not right about the way REI is choosing to deal with this situation - lack of communication and proof any work was completed.

We have been in conversation with the tenant and property owner regarding charges against the tenant's security deposit. The property owner has determined that all charges we made based on actual damage to the property, and the tenant was charged according to the actual cost to repair the...

damage. Our office has spoken with the tenant by phone to explain the reason for the charges.

Our office manager has spoken with the consumer numerous times before and after this complaint was filed. We supplied all invoices for work done that was charged against the security deposit to the consumer on February 6. We have given a full and complete explanation for all charges made against the deposit, and provided full evidence of amounts charged. We believe we have fully responded to all requests of the consumer to the best of our ability.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/08/06) */
The property manager in charge of this property offered this response:
I am very sorry and I apologize that I did not respond to the repair request for several days. It was not intentional and I have taken care of the repair. The microwave...

is being replaced on Friday August 7th.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/08/10) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/12/03) */
The $175 requested by the tenant has already been returned to her, and she acknowledged receipt.
She was charged $1000 for significant damage to the hardwood floor. We have attached here photos that show the floor just before we moved in,...

having recently been refinished - theses are labeled "Before". We have also included photos that show the damage caused to the floor, photographed immediately after she moved out - these are labeled "After". We are clearly within the bounds of state law to withhold the cost of repairing the floor damage from her security deposit, and given the expense to the property owner for this work, we will not be refunding anything further to the tenant.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/12/04) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
REI gives the impression that the hardwood floors were in good to excellent condition when I moved into the house. The fact is the wood flooring in the house was, and is, obviously quite old. As a consequence, I made no effort, nor had any reason to believe it would be necessary to make an effort, to document the floor's age and condition when I occupied the house. The moment I moved in, I covered the area where REI claims damage has occurred with a large, thick rug. This large rug covered the living room floor for the duration of my tenancy. My furniture was placed on the edge of the room, yet still on the large area rug that covered my living room floor as you can see in the attached photos I submit today. The owner's photo, taken before I moved into the house, shows a room without any rug covering the floor and also shows a wood table placed directly over the area where REI now wrongly claims I caused the damage. Notably, nothing in any photograph provided to me clearly shows the condition of the floor prior to my move into the house and there is no reason to believe the scratches REI claims to have recently repaired were not already existing at the time I moved in. Most importantly, if the damage REI is now claiming was so apparent, REI had an obligation to bring it to my attention during our final walk-through of the property (which occurred on October 29, 2014). Not a single mention of this alleged "damage" was made during that walk-through (which is done precisely for the purpose of detecting and discussing potential damage that would require repairs--as, indeed, was the case involving the carpeting in the upstairs bedroom) nor did it occur even 24 to 48 hours later.
In fact, just days before the final walk-through, I had paid to have the upstairs carpet professionally cleaned. During the walk-through, REI's representative mentioned that there was a stain that, in her opinion, required additional cleaning. I fully agreed. Based on her advice and recommendation, I paid for a second, extremely expensive carpet cleaning. The point being, if I caused any damage for which I was responsible, I took care of it.
There was never any mention of damage to any portion of the wood flooring during our final walk-through.
I am renewing my request that REI return the $1,000 wrongfully withheld from my security deposit. It is simply wrong for REI to come back to me 72 hours after the final walk through - on the very day that I no longer held possession of the property - and declare that they discovered extensive damage to the hardwood floor. Had such damage occurred, it was incumbent upon REI to bring it to my attention during the final walk-through which took place in the bright light of day, blinds opened and with the room completely empty.
What REI is doing to me and no doubt to others is entirely unacceptable.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2014/12/12) */
As noted in the lease signed by the tenant, the property owner ultimately is responsible for decisions and disposition of security deposit funds. The property owner remains steadfast in their decision that the tenant damaged the floor and thus must be charged the cost of repair -- therefore they will not agree to release the funds withheld.