Rimco Properties Inc

We are writing in response to the complaint concerning water damage In the resident’s apartment
The extent of damage reported by the resident Is exaggerated, as was the response time on our part,
We did end up digging up around the exterior of the building, and putting in a new drainage
systemWe
did not want the resident to have to wait for this repair, so we suggested she move to another
apartment, and we would pick up the mover’s expense
Also, we did not require her to sign a one year lease, as she stated - we gave her a lease from August
1st, the time of her move, until April 30th, which would have been the time period for her original lease
agreement
We will riot consider any further compensation for her move, because we.assigned her an apartment
that has been upgraded with a new kitchen and other itemsThe charge for this type of unit is
$per month, over the cost olan un-remodeled apartmentWe are not charging her the additional
$per month Therefore, she is being compensated in this manner, as well as payingfor her move
We feel we have been more than fair with the resident and tried to satisfy her demandsIt is unusual
for us not to resolve issues amicably with residents, but we cannot seem to end the requests not only
for monetary compensation but other demands from her
It is our mission to make our residents happy and comfortable, and hope they enjoy their stay with us

Although they were correct in one matter, being that they did eventually move my lease end date to 4/30/2015; that is the only truth in their response. I have every email communication, as well as pictures and notes left by them to prove everything in my original statement. 
However, at this point I want nothing from them, as even their promise to add a microwave hood to my kitchen (as I had just given away my microwave with the prior move), as gone unfulfilled. I have worked with my employer and my vendors with PGH offices, to take Chestnut Ridge Apartments off of their preferred lists, and moved to their do not rent lists. We hire at least 100 new out-of-state associates every year.
I appreciate the assistance of the Revdex.com, but now am just waiting the few months til I move out and will be posting all of my images and their response to social networking and the apartment guide networks.
Thank you
Regards,
[redacted]

Review: I have tried to gain access to past detailed account information according to my account with Rimco properties.I also tried to get those information from the collection agency they deal with. I was told that Rimco would not communicate with me and I could not receive my detailed documents as requested. This has delayed me settling a debt. I've also tried contacting someone from Rimco on several occasions with no response.Desired Settlement: I would like detailed account of where my payments were applied.

Business

Response:

Review: I have numerous complaints about Chestnut Ridge, so I'll start with the big ones. We moved in on 6/14/2013. Since then, we have gotten water in our apartment on three separate occasions. In late June, it rained heavily. Our bedroom got flooded. Water started coming in near the window. I alerted Chestnut Ridge about this, and they simply told me "We checked it out, we didn't find any water" despite obviously not checking since it was still wet. By the time they came out again several days later, it actually did dry up on its own. I was told that they installed a French Drain to prevent this from happening in the future. On 7/10 (not even two weeks later), it rained again, and it flooded again on a much larger scale, causing water damage to our bedroom furniture and rendering that bedroom useless. Despite reporting it right away, it took until 7/16 before our carpeting was replaced. Fast forward to 1/8, and our apartment was flooded again on a very large scale. Our bedroom, kitchen, living room, bathroom, and entrance way all got wet, furniture was damaged again, and we were very inconvenienced. Despite being a large company and having more than enough resources to fix this in a swift manner, Chestnut Ridge waited until 1/17 to finally replace the carpeting and flooring. Our baseboard in the kitchen and bedroom was ripped out due to moisture on 1/10, and it is now 1/24 and it still has not been replaced. Chestnut Ridge staff and management has been inconsiderate, slow, and unresponsive through this entire ordeal. Despite calling into the leasing office and sending several e-mails to their property manager, [redacted], nobody could tell us when it would be fixed or why it was taking so long. As of this morning, nobody is even scheduled yet to replace our baseboards, even though it's been a full 2 weeks since they were removed. Every time we inquire, they just state they are "waiting to hear from contractors" to schedule it. This is unacceptable service and we deserve better.Desired Settlement: Our apartment has been mostly out of commission since 1/8. It is 1/24 and it is still not completely resolved. We believe it would be fair to have our entire rent from this month credited, both for the amount of time we were inconvenienced throughout this entire ordeal (and damage to our furniture) and for the lack of empathy, consideration, and attentiveness from the staff. Our rent each month is $1290.00 (plus $50 for water/sewage and $10 for trash). A $1290.00 credit is fair.

Business

Response:

We are responding to the letter concerning the complaint at Chestnut Ridge Apartments.

This incident is in regard to frozen water pipes which leaked - due to another resident turning their heat off during the extreme cold weather several weeks ago.

We feel we have been more than generous in giving the resident reimbursement money for rent, and pending utility bills. We also agreed to other demands that the resident made, in order to try and resolve the issue. ( Lease amendments, etc.)

The statement made by the resident referring to the staff at Chestnut Ridge being "inconsiderate, slow and unresponsive" are totally false. His phone calls, email and personal visits were responded to immediately. He was also given accurate information on completion dates for service work.

The Property Manager's mother passed away during this period, and through the week that she was unavailable due to bereavement- I personally responded to the residents requests - and have copies of emails, and other paperwork as proof.

It was unfortunate that this incident occurred, but we feel it was handled in a timely manner, and with as little inconvenience as possible.

We have been property owners and manager’s for many years, and take pride in our customer service and offering a quality product. Chestnut Ridge is an "A" property, with hundreds of satisfied residents, who renew their leases year after year and refer their friends to our property.

We feel confident that the situation was handled fairly.

Sincerely,

RIMCO PROPERTIES/Chestnut Ridge Apts.

VP Multifamily Operations

Consumer

Response:

I don't believe Chestnut Ridge did enough to prevent situations like this from occurring. They sent out notices to all tenants to keep their heat above 60 degrees after the damage was already done when they should have sent this notification prior to cold weather striking. No tenant should have their apartment flooded multiple times within a one year leasing period. As for [redacted]'s statement that my phone calls and emails were responded to immediately, this is completely false. I have several emails that were never responded to and several phone calls to maintenance that were never returned. I would like to see all this evidence that [redacted] has compiled that refutes these claims. I was told false commitments by management on several occasions. I placed a call on Monday 1/13 to the leasing office and spoke with Anthony and he told me the carpeting will likely be done on Wednesday 1/15, but he would have someone call me the following day to confirm. I never received a call the next day and had to call the leasing office again only to be told it "might not be until Friday or sometime the following week." I also made several calls to Rimco Properties at ###-###-#### and never received a call back despite leaving my contact information in a voicemail multiple times. I called on Tuesday 1/14 and twice on Wednesday 1/15 and only after the third call did I finally receive an email response from [redacted].

Another thing worth noting is that apartment [redacted] was also equally damaged by the flooding and reported the problem on the same day as us. However, their apartment was completely fixed (new flooring and carpeting placed) by 1/14. At that point, my maintenance was not even scheduled yet. Why does Chestnut Ridge play favorites with regards to resolving tenant issues? I would expect if anything that my issue would take priority since this was the third time in less than a year (and second major flooding) that I've had water in my apartment over issues completely out of my control.

I also reported to the leasing office on 1/24 that my apartment was completely filled with paint fumes despite my apartment not being painted. It was overwhelming to the point that I could not remain in my apartment for more than an hour at a time without getting lightheaded and being forced to stand outside for awhile. I was told by the girl at the front desk (her name escapes me) that she would send maintenance over to investigate and nobody ever arrived. I was also met with a very poor attitude from [redacted] who overheard my complaint and proceeded to rudely tell me "they're just paint fumes, they're harmless". Aside from this being completely untrue, it's also very rude to dismiss a completely valid complaint from a paying tenant. After nobody from maintenance arrived within a few hours, I called at 4:47 PM to report the issue again, and was told again that maintenance would be over and they would properly ventilate the apartment being painted to alleviate the fumes. This also was never done and I was never called back.

I also sent an email again to [redacted] on Monday 2/3 2:49 PM concerning paint fumes once again enveloping my apartment and asked if the apartment being painted was being properly ventilated. I also asked when I should bring my electric bill in for reimbursement, and as of 6 PM on 2/5 I have still not received a response.

On the topic of unanswered emails, I also sent an email to [redacted] on 1/15 at 12:52 PM asking for elaboration on specific concerns regarding the email she sent me earlier that day, and that email was ignored. I had to send another email to her on 1/16 at 3:34 PM before she finally had the courtesy to respond. I have many more examples of emails I sent to [redacted] and to [redacted] that were ignored which I can provide if you would like, along with many calls I made to ###-###-#### (chestnut ridge's main number) that were never returned. If [redacted] happens to have actual recorded calls handy, then that would solidify my claims that Chestnut Ridge gave me false commitments and were generally disorganized and unhelpful. My claims are completely valid and I feel that compensation for one month of rent is appropriate given that my bedroom set was damaged and my apartment was not fully functional from 1/8 through 1/25, which is a considerable amount of time.

Regards,

Review: I have lived at the Chestnut Ridge Apartments for over a year now. In May of this year, I moved into a 2BR/2BA remodeled unit. Six weeks after moving in, the carpeting in my master bedroom was wet. I reported it, but thought it was drying so didn't think much of it. Early the next week, it was still wet, & a large black spot had developed in the carpeting. I again reported it & was left a note stating that there was a slight discoloration on the baseboard, no signs of mold. Nothing in that room had been moved to investigate. By this time I could smell the mold in the room. I moved the side table & cat bed that had been along the outside wall & discovered a wall & baseboards covered in mold, carpeting that was still damp, & water damage on the walls at least 6-12" up the wall. I brought someone from the office over to look at it, so it would not be dismissed again. That Friday the carpeting guys came in and removed the padding from along the wall. We had more rain over the weekend and it was wet again. I could no longer handle the smell & what it was doing to my lungs & sinus cavities, so I moved as many of my belongings to the other bedroom. I could not seal off the room as the door did not fully close. It was eventually discovered that the drains put in to prevent this from happening had roots growing through them and that Verizon had drilled a hole through it as well. Knowing the amount of work that would need to be done, I offered to move into another apartment. They would not have one available for 3+ weeks. So I had to stay in that moldy apartment for several weeks, living in less than 1BR/1BA, but still paying my full rent. I was offered 2 different apartments. One I was told was almost fully remodeled right across the drive. They offered to pay to have someone move me. I had to do all the packing. When the other apartment was open, they discovered it wasn't remodeled at all and in bad shape and I took the other unit. Now they expect me to sign another full year lease from now.Desired Settlement: There has been no compensation for having to pay for all of my moving supplies, the time I had to miss from work to move, my time to pack and unpack all of my belongings, the fact that I was paying for a 2BR/2BA and living in a 1BR/1BA, the headboard & table destroyed by water & mold, nor for the ill effects to my health. The only reason I stayed here at all, was because I could not get in any where else quickly enough. I would like a free months rent to cover my 6 weeks and my lease up 5/1/15.

Business

Response:

We are writing in response to the complaint concerning water damage In the resident’s apartment.