San Diego Residential Property Management

It has been over 6 years since we parted ways with SDRPM, so this isn't a knee-jerk review. Although Bob Davie seems like a very pleasant man, he is totally incapable of handling any tenant issues where he needs to enforce the contract. He is too nice, however, very timid when any problematic issues arise. Sharyn, on the other hand, is capable and has bailed out her husband a few times. Only when she stepped in was there any resolution.

We had a tenant that asked for a one-month extension of their lease as their new home was being built and was delayed. We agreed to the one-month extension with the understanding that we would absolutely NOT extend beyond the one-month time period. A few weeks later, the tenant asked for another extension and rather than tell the tenant "no", Bob tried to convince us to extend the lease because he felt sorry for them. Since it was the middle of summer and we wanted to re-rent the home before school started, we were adamant that the tenants leave as planned. Bob delayed in letting the tenants know this, which led them to believe that they could stay longer. I then asked Bob to serve a 30-day vacate notice to the tenant. He pooh-poohed on this as well. In the meantime, SDRPM was trying to show the home to prospective new tenants. Bob never kept us apprised of what was happening until weeks later when he mentioned that when his agent, Julie, was showing the home, "the family (tenants)... stay at the house and kind of wander around with the leasing agent as she's showing" (direct quote from Bob). He also mentioned that there was a pungent smell of curry that prospective tenants complained about when leaving the property. Bob did nothing to deter the tenants from following the agent around (it is in the contract that the tenants would make reasonable effort to not be around when showing the property) or to try and alleviate the pungent odor. After much effort on our part, the tenants finally vacated. We asked Bob to take any costs to get rid of the odor from the tenant's security deposit. The tenants argued that the curry smell was like any other food smell such as lasagna and threatened to sue for racial bias. At that point it seemed like Bob did everything possible to bend over backwards to cater to the ex-tenant telling us that the tenant had a good chance to win a lawsuit if we forced them to pay for getting the curry smell out of our home. The following is a cut directly out of their email to us.

"1) Based upon emails from the tenant, it is our belief that they will intend to use as their defense (if this were to end up in court), cultural discrimination. As you are aware any "alleged discrimination" by a landlord will not be seen favorably by a court.
2) Based on Bob's discussions with several "ad hoc" attorney's, unlike physical damage, it is very difficult, if not impossible to prove the an odor AND assign monetary damages.
3) Most civil courts, as well as small claims courts in our jurisdiction are exceptionally tenant friendly. If this ends up going legal, your job will be to PROVE specific monetary damages caused by the tenants negligence.
4) A court will likely operate on the premise that as a landlord there are inherent costs of doing business. It is our feeling that the costs associated with removal of odor might be considered by a court as a landlord responsibility and an inherent "cost of doing business"."

I contacted my own attorney and did a fair amount of research and was told that the above points were not valid and that the odor was above "normal" wear and tear and that courts sided favorably for the landlord. It was just another attempt by Bob to avoid any conflict and try and come off as the "nice guy.", rather than do his job which he was paid for.

I finally had to send a "demand" email to Bob to get him to do what any reputable property management company would do - enforce the contract. We ended up charging the tenants over $4,200 for damages and we were never contested.

In addition to the above, Bob took several days to reply to emails and often conflicted himself in his emails.

Here an excerpt from one of his emails stating that the rent we had been receiving was above market.

"Yes, the current rent of $4295 is very close to the rental comps, which came back at about $4350. This is usually an indication that we have enjoyed a rental amount that has been somewhat greater than the "market" rent over this past 10 months!"

If the market comps were $4,350 and we were charging $4,295, doesn't that mean that we were charging BELOW market value. Bob was trying to persuade us to LOWER our rent. My first reaction was, "we are actually paying him for this advice?" Any other smart property manager would recommend that we INCREASE the rent, thus making more profit, not giving our money away.

There were several other concerns we had with Bob that made us question his abilities and competencies.

Once again, we sympathize with the tenants with regard to their frustration However, we prepared and provided a 1/page response to the tenants original complaint outlining the contractual process regulating the move-out process that both parties (tenant and landlord) agreed to and are bound by As supporting evidence, SDRPM provided four separate pieces of documentation that clearly refutes the claims made by the tenantTherefore, based upon the initial detailed response to the original complaint as well as the supporting documentation, SDRPM is considering this matter concluded

Although we are sympathetic to the concerns of the tenant regarding the disposition of the security deposit and understand that each person who has ever rented expects to receive 100% of their security deposit back once they have vacated a residence, it is important to point out that a tenant has an obligation to return a property in the same condition it was in when it was accepted, less wear and tearIn addition, tenants have an obligation to abide by the lease agreement in which they signedNot only was Ms [redacted] quoted the estimated pricing in advance for each service performed, she also called and spoke to each vendorThe tenants lease agreement clearly states the following in section 29: TENANT'S OBLIGATIONS UPON VACATING PREMISES: AUpon termination of this Agreement, Tenant shall: (i) give Landlord all copies of all keys or opening devices to Premises, including any common areas; (ii) vacate and surrender Premises to Landlord, empty of all persons; (iii) vacate any/all parking and/or storage space; (iv) clean and deliver Premises, as specified in paragraph C below, to Landlord in the same condition as referenced in paragraph 10; (v) remove all debris; (vi) give written notice to Landlord of Tenant's forwarding address; and (vii) proof Professional Truck Mount Steam Carpet Cleaning; Window Cleaning: House Cleaning **All by Landlord Approved Vendors** The house was cleaned by professionals prior to Ms [redacted] ’s move in, and she was told by way of (1) the signed lease and (2) subsequent move-out emails and (3) during the pre-move out walk through, that she was required to return the house in the same condition and that cleaning, windows and carpets would need to be cleaned by management preferred vendors The tenants, [redacted] and [redacted] Ha occupied the subject rental from 11/through 2/Prior to their move in, the interior of the home was professionally cleaned, windows cleaned (inside and out including screens and tracks) and all the carpeted surfaces were professionally cleaned, including the stairs & hallwaysReceipts are attachedKingdom Cleaning: cleaned the home two years ago, again a year and a half ago, and again at ***’s move-out, so Kingdom Cleaning is the most qualified to comment on the accusations of the tenantConfirmed by the attached invoices, Kingdom cleaned this home 7/for $and again 11/for $Most recently Kingdom cleaned the home after [redacted] moved out 3/and they charge only $Clearly Ms [redacted] was not over charged and the fact that she did some “pre” cleaning was accounted for in the chargesAs a result, we do not agree to refund $as demanded by the tenantWe have sent Ms [redacted] ’s accusations to [redacted] , owner of Kingdom Cleaning and here is her response: From: [redacted] Sent: Thursday, March 23, 7:PM To: [redacted] < [redacted] @sandiegorpm.com> Subject: Re: Need your response to tenant email - Bristol Ridge Terr Hello [redacted] , [redacted] contacted me via phone several timesShe insisted I come out to clean her home for one hour only after asking me for an hourly rateI told her that I needed to see the home first before I agreed to one hourI told her if more work needed to be done and it was left undone by her at move out, that SDRPM would have to hire me to come out again and finish the workHer statement in the email below is untrue Best Regards, [redacted] , Kingdom Cleaning DOMINGO WINDOW WASHING: The home is to have windows washed by a professional company, a vendor approved by the management companyIf Ms [redacted] intended to have the windows cleaned by a vendor other than our preferred company, then she would have needed to submit this vendor to us for pre-approval and provide proof of serviceShe did none of thisStating that she cleaned the windows on the inside by herself is not acceptable per the lease agreementThis does not constitute “professional window cleaning”Again, per the lease, communication in multiple exit emails and two walk throughs, we do not agree to refund any money for window cleaningMANGO SERVICES (Carpet Cleaning) I have confirmed in my records that Mango cleaned this home 7/for $and again 11/for $Most recently Mango cleaned the home after [redacted] moved out 3/and the charge was $ [redacted] claims Mango quoted her $Since the home had been cleaned in July and we were charged $and needed to be cleaned again just months later, Mango extended a discount of $Ms [redacted] claims the stairs were not cleaned prior to her move inThe invoice states that the stairs were “NO CHARGE”, not that the stairs were not cleanedThe tenant indicates in the complaint that “I should just have SDRPM schedule the carpet cleaning because they would most likely charge me again, even if I cleaned the carpets myself”, is a gross mischaracterization of the conversation that actually took place Shortly after we were in receipt of the Revdex.com complaint we interviewed each vendor to determine their perspective and in the case of the carpet cleaner (who is an independent contractor), what he was indicating is that due to the language of the lease agreement, if the tenant simply went down to the local grocery store and rented a “Rug Doctor”, because this is not considered a “professional”, we would likely be required (due to the signed lease agreement) to hire a professional company anywayPlease see the response from [redacted] at Mango (below)In order to settle this matter, he is willing to refund the tenant $He will send a check to the SDRPM management office and we will pass the funds on to the tenantMs [redacted] has been notified that the $refund is forthcomingFrom: [redacted] Sent: Saturday, March 25, 1:AM To: [redacted] < [redacted] @sandiegorpm.com> Subject: Re: Need your response to tenant email - Bristol Ridge Terrace Hi [redacted] and [redacted] , Below are my comments to [redacted] 's email: Prior to cleaning there was no smell of curry or body odor Completely untrue - [redacted] 's comments regarding SDRPM charging twice for the required work Per my telephone conversation with Ms [redacted] , we discussed the number of areas that required cleaning She stated a total of four areas which would be $- there was no mention of stairs included in this job [redacted] stating that I said SDRPM was notorious for "charging renters for undue charges" is completely falseSDRPM has been one of the most honest and upstanding property management companies we have had the pleasure of doing business with for over years In the interest of maintaining our relationship with SDRPM, we would be happy to resolve the situation by refunding Ms [redacted] the $she feels she is due We feel there was a miscommunication regarding the stairs and would like to resolve the situationSincerely, [redacted] MANGO SERVICES MAINTENANCE CHARGES: The following email was sent to the tenant in response to her complaint: From: [redacted] < [redacted] @sandiegorpm.com> Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 8:PM To: [redacted] Cc: Tommy Ha; [redacted] ***; [redacted] Subject: FW: Security Deposit Reconciliation - [redacted] / Ha [Bristol Ridge Terrace] Hello ***, I can appreciate your eagerness to get additional money returned from your deposit, however it’s important to accurately and fairly state detailsThe attached invoice was an invoice from years ago that was sent to you as an estimate onlyEvery email sent to you reiterated that it was an estimate onlyAdditionally, the invoice does NOT say that the stairs were not cleaned, but it says that they were “no charge”Honestly, why would anyone clean the carpeting in a house and not clean the stairs? Again as I stated previously, I simply charge whatever the vendor sends meDid you speak with [redacted] at Mango Services and did he promise a flat $160? If he did, then I am happy to contact him and ask for a refund to pass along to you of $Please adviseI have already explained in my last email how maintenance is charged when we have to pay a handyman to handle maintenance that was tenant responsibilityIt is not just replacement of a light bulb, replacement of door stops, or putting in a filter, etc The cost includes the materials AND labor time involvedSpecifically light bulbs are more expensive than people realizeOne bulb can easily be $or $and each fixture has its own specialty bulb that our handymen don’t carry on their trucksThat means the time to go to Home Depot with the listYou state that lightbulbs were not discussed with youPlease see the attached final move out walk through, which you signedThe light bulb replacement was noted on the actual Move Out form (page attached – bottom right) and the deduction worksheet (page attached)According to the estimate that was provided, as you pasted below, the carpeting should have cost Carpets: $per room, $per hallway and $per step (Truck mounted system and includes pre-spot treatment, deodorizer, and conditioning) An average staircase is steps - $45, hallway $and areas at $= $I am happy to refund you $15, unless you advise me that [redacted] quoted a flat $for carpets, then I’ll be happy to refund $after confirming with himPlease advise Regards, [redacted] Property Manager IN SUMMARY: In order to assist in preserving high quality standards for each of our rental properties and as a standard operating policy, we do not agree to have individual tenants take responsibility for cleaning the residence and our lease agreement specifically states that upon vacating, tenants are responsible to provide proof of “professional carpet cleaning, window cleaning and interior house cleaning, all by landlord approved vendors” Although we have no doubt that the tenants cleaned the interior themselves somewhat prior to their actual move out date, the interior still required professional attention During the pre-move out process (two weeks prior to the final move out), the tenants received quotes (estimates) on the costs of cleaning, both from SDRPM as well as from the specific vendors for windows, carpets and interior cleaningIt is important to note that these are NOT fixed price quotes simply because most of these industries charge based upon a time and material basis The better the condition of the residence typically reduces the amount of time and material needed by the various vendors The point is that the tenants did indeed receive estimated costs from multiple sources prior to their move out with the express purpose of not “surprising” them at the back endIn closing, we respectfully dispute the assertions brought forth by the tenants and have provided what we believe to be several pieces of evidence to prove otherwise The costs associated with the window washing, maintenance and the interior cleaning remain unchanged, however, the carpet cleaner is willing to provide a $reimbursement which will be mailed to the tenants’ forwarding address once we are in receipt of the funds from the vendorAll supporting documents are attached and I would be happy to go over each one of them over the phone if you believe that to be necessarySincerely, [redacted] Broker, San Diego Residential Property Mgmt

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
I will accept the 40$ refund from Mango Carpet cleaning and will consider that matter resolved once I receive the refund.The vendors SDRPM contacted will of course take their side because that is who they do business with so I am not going to go back and forth regarding the emails from the vendorsThe entire home had an unpleasant odor to it when we moved in, which suggests that the home was not cleaned as thoroughly as it could have beenThe curry odor came from all the kitchen drawers which also indicated that they were not cleaned thoroughlyWe had to bleach all the cupboards and refrigerator before we moved our stuff in so I am shocked at the charges we got at our move out considering the home smelled and looked greatMy questions have still not been addressed regarding the following issues:-40$ charge for light bulbWe would have replaced the bulb ourselves if we knew it would cost us 40$It was discussed in our final walk through that we would not be charged for any light bulbsI can bring over a 5$ light bulb to the office in exchange for 35$ if necessary. Home Cleaning and Window washing: Why were we charged for cleaning of the cabinets, oven and refrigerator which were already clean? I don't think the home required hours of cleaning servicesI may not be a professional window cleaner but I greatly reduced the amount of dirt and effort that needed to be put into cleaning the windows. Just because you operate the same way at every move out, does not make it rightIf you see that the tenants have put a great effort into maintaining and cleaning a unit, than maybe you shouldn't charge them for the same services a "bad" tenant would have to payAs a home owner, I know what is fair to charge tenants and I do not believe SDRPM was fair to us.
Regards,
*** ***

Applied for an available property through the companies website on FridayI was told that the application would be processed on Monday (as they do not process applications over the weekends) and that I should hear back on Tuesday if it was approved or notI called the personal cell phone (on his business card) of the owner "Bob" multiple times on Tuesday evening after not hearing from them and left multiple voicemails (phone was never answered or voicemails were never returned)After failed attempts to call the owner/main point of contact, I tried calling the actual business to try to reach himI was informed that the application was still being processed and that I should head back the following dayI called back on Wednesday about an hour before the business had closed for the day and was told that they were presenting all of the applications to the property owner and that they should have a decision made by ThursdayI called on Thursday evening again an hour before closing after not hearing from them all day and was told that another applicant was approved and would be coming in with the deposit on Friday morningHowever, if they don't put in the deposit then it would be available for other applicantsIt is now Friday afternoon and I just received and email from the company saying that the property was offered to another applicant and that my application fee would be refundedI wasted a whole week of property hunting waiting to hear from them just to find out that they gave the property to another applicant and still have to find a new place to liveI'm very disappointed in the professionalism and communication of the owner and the company as a wholeI highly recommend not applying for housing through this company if you are looking for a new home

Once again, we sympathize with the tenants with regard to their frustration.  However, we prepared and provided a 2 1/2 page response to the tenants original complaint outlining the contractual process regulating the move-out process that both parties (tenant and landlord) agreed to and are bound by.   As supporting evidence, SDRPM provided four separate pieces of documentation that clearly refutes the claims made by the tenant. Therefore, based upon the initial detailed response to the original complaint as well as the supporting documentation, SDRPM is considering this matter concluded.

Although we are sympathetic to the concerns of the tenant regarding the disposition of the security deposit and understand that each person who has ever rented expects to receive 100% of their security deposit back once they have vacated a residence, it is important to point out that a tenant has an...

obligation to return a property in the same condition it was in when it was accepted, less normal wear and tear. In addition, tenants have an obligation to abide by the lease agreement in which they signed. Not only was Ms. [redacted] quoted the estimated pricing in advance for each service performed, she also called and spoke to each vendor. The tenants lease agreement clearly states the following in section 29: 29. TENANT'S OBLIGATIONS UPON VACATING PREMISES: A. Upon termination of this Agreement, Tenant shall: (i) give Landlord all copies of all keys or opening devices to Premises, including any common areas; (ii) vacate and surrender Premises to Landlord, empty of all persons; (iii) vacate any/all parking and/or storage space; (iv) clean and deliver Premises, as specified in paragraph C below, to Landlord in the same condition as referenced in paragraph 10; (v) remove all debris; (vi) give written notice to Landlord of Tenant's forwarding address; and (vii) proof Professional Truck Mount Steam Carpet Cleaning; Window Cleaning: House Cleaning **All by Landlord Approved Vendors**.   The house was cleaned by professionals prior to Ms. [redacted]’s move in, and she was told by way of (1) the signed lease and (2) subsequent move-out emails and (3) during the pre-move out walk through, that she was required to return the house in the same condition and that cleaning, windows and carpets would need to be cleaned by management preferred vendors.   The tenants, [redacted] and [redacted] Ha occupied the subject rental from 11/2015 through 2/2017. Prior to their move in, the interior of the home was professionally cleaned, windows cleaned (inside and out including screens and tracks) and all the carpeted surfaces were professionally cleaned, including the stairs & hallways. Receipts are attached. Kingdom Cleaning: cleaned the home two years ago, again a year and a half ago, and again at [redacted]’s move-out, so Kingdom Cleaning is the most qualified to comment on the accusations of the tenant. Confirmed by the attached invoices, Kingdom cleaned this home 7/2015 for $475 and again 11/2015 for $475. Most recently Kingdom cleaned the home after [redacted] moved out 3/2017 and they charge only $230. Clearly Ms [redacted] was not over charged and the fact that she did some “pre” cleaning was accounted for in the charges. As a result, we do not agree to refund $100 as demanded by the tenant. We have sent Ms. [redacted]’s accusations to [redacted], owner of Kingdom Cleaning and here is her response: From: [redacted] Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2017 7:04 PM To: [redacted] <[redacted]@sandiegorpm.com> Subject: Re: Need your response to tenant email - Bristol Ridge Terr Hello [redacted],  [redacted] contacted me via phone several times. She insisted I come out to clean her home for one hour only after asking me for an hourly rate. I told her that I needed to see the home first before I agreed to one hour. I told her if more work needed to be done and it was left undone by her at move out, that SDRPM would have to hire me to come out again and finish the work. Her statement in the email below is untrue.  Best Regards,  [redacted], Kingdom Cleaning DOMINGO WINDOW WASHING: The home is to have windows washed by a professional company, a vendor approved by the management company. If Ms. [redacted] intended to have the windows cleaned by a vendor other than our preferred company, then she would have needed to submit this vendor to us for pre-approval and provide proof of service. She did none of this. Stating that she cleaned the windows on the inside by herself is not acceptable per the lease agreement. This does not constitute “professional window cleaning”. Again, per the lease, communication in multiple exit emails and two walk throughs, we do not agree to refund any money for window cleaning. MANGO SERVICES (Carpet Cleaning) I have confirmed in my records that Mango cleaned this home 7/2015 for $205 and again 11/2015 for $160. Most recently Mango cleaned the home after [redacted] moved out 3/2017 and the charge was $200. [redacted] claims Mango quoted her $160. Since the home had been cleaned in July 2015 and we were charged $205 and needed to be cleaned again just 4 months later, Mango extended a discount of $45. Ms. [redacted] claims the stairs were not cleaned prior to her move in. The invoice states that the stairs were “NO CHARGE”, not that the stairs were not cleaned. The tenant indicates in the complaint that “I should just have SDRPM schedule the carpet cleaning because they would most likely charge me again, even if I cleaned the carpets myself”, is a gross mischaracterization of the conversation that actually took place.  Shortly after we were in receipt of the Revdex.com complaint we interviewed each vendor to determine their perspective and in the case of the carpet cleaner (who is an independent contractor), what he was indicating is that due to the language of the lease agreement, if the tenant simply went down to the local grocery store and rented a “Rug Doctor”, because this is not considered a “professional”, we would likely be required (due to the signed lease agreement) to hire a professional company anyway. Please see the response from [redacted] at Mango (below). In order to settle this matter, he is willing to refund the tenant $40. He will send a check to the SDRPM management office and we will pass the funds on to the tenant. Ms. [redacted] has been notified that the $40 refund is forthcoming. From: [redacted] Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2017 1:01 AM To: [redacted] <[redacted]@sandiegorpm.com> Subject: Re: Need your response to tenant email - Bristol Ridge Terrace Hi [redacted] and [redacted], Below are my comments to [redacted]'s email: 1.  Prior to cleaning there was no smell of curry or body odor. 2.  Completely untrue - [redacted]'s comments regarding SDRPM charging twice for the required work.  Per my telephone conversation with Ms. [redacted], we discussed the number of areas that required cleaning.  She stated a total of four areas which would be $160 - there was no mention of stairs included in this job. 3.  [redacted] stating that I said SDRPM was notorious for "charging renters for undue charges" is completely false. SDRPM has been one of the most honest and upstanding property management companies we have had the pleasure of doing business with for over 5 years.  In the interest of maintaining our relationship with SDRPM, we would be happy to resolve the situation by refunding Ms. [redacted] the $40 she feels she is due.  We feel there was a miscommunication regarding the stairs and would like to resolve the situation. Sincerely, [redacted] MANGO SERVICES MAINTENANCE CHARGES: The following email was sent to the tenant in response to her complaint: From: [redacted] <[redacted]@sandiegorpm.com> Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2017 8:52 PM To: [redacted] Cc: Tommy Ha; [redacted]; [redacted] Subject: FW: Security Deposit Reconciliation - [redacted] / Ha [Bristol Ridge Terrace] Hello [redacted], I can appreciate your eagerness to get additional money returned from your deposit, however it’s important to accurately and fairly state details. The attached invoice was an invoice from 1.5 years ago that was sent to you as an estimate only. Every email sent to you reiterated that it was an estimate only. Additionally, the invoice does NOT say that the stairs were not cleaned, but it says that they were “no charge”. Honestly, why would anyone clean the carpeting in a house and not clean the stairs? Again as I stated previously, I simply charge whatever the vendor sends me. Did you speak with [redacted] at Mango Services and did he promise a flat $160? If he did, then I am happy to contact him and ask for a refund to pass along to you of $40. Please advise. I have already explained in my last email how maintenance is charged when we have to pay a handyman to handle maintenance that was tenant responsibility. It is not just replacement of a light bulb, replacement of door stops, or putting in a filter, etc….. The cost includes the materials AND labor time involved. Specifically light bulbs are more expensive than people realize. One bulb can easily be $7 or $8 and each fixture has its own specialty bulb that our handymen don’t carry on their trucks. That means the time to go to Home Depot with the list. You state that lightbulbs were not discussed with you. Please see the attached final move out walk through, which you signed. The light bulb replacement was noted on the actual Move Out form (page 4 attached – bottom right) and the deduction worksheet (page 6 attached). According to the estimate that was provided, as you pasted below, the carpeting should have cost Carpets: $40 per room, $20 per hallway and $3 per step (Truck mounted system and includes pre-spot treatment, deodorizer, and conditioning) An average staircase is 15 steps - $45, hallway $20 and 3 areas at $40 = $185. I am happy to refund you $15, unless you advise me that [redacted] quoted a flat $160 for carpets, then I’ll be happy to refund $40 after confirming with him. Please advise.  Regards, [redacted] Property Manager IN SUMMARY: In order to assist in preserving high quality standards for each of our rental properties and as a standard operating policy, we do not agree to have individual tenants take responsibility for cleaning the residence and our lease agreement specifically states that upon vacating, tenants are responsible to provide proof of “professional carpet cleaning, window cleaning and interior house cleaning, all by landlord approved vendors”.  Although we have no doubt that the tenants cleaned the interior themselves somewhat prior to their actual move out date, the interior still required professional attention.  During the pre-move out process (two weeks prior to the final move out), the tenants received quotes (estimates) on the costs of cleaning, both from SDRPM as well as from the specific vendors for windows, carpets and interior cleaning. It is important to note that these are NOT fixed price quotes simply because most of these industries charge based upon a time and material basis.  The better the condition of the residence typically reduces the amount of time and material needed by the various vendors.  The point is that the tenants did indeed receive estimated costs from multiple sources prior to their move out with the express purpose of not “surprising” them at the back end. In closing, we respectfully dispute the assertions brought forth by the tenants and have provided what we believe to be several pieces of evidence to prove otherwise.  The costs associated with the window washing, maintenance and the interior cleaning remain unchanged, however, the carpet cleaner is willing to provide a $40 reimbursement which will be mailed to the tenants’ forwarding address once we are in receipt of the funds from the vendor. All supporting documents are attached and I would be happy to go over each one of them over the phone if you believe that to be necessary. Sincerely, [redacted] Broker, San Diego Residential Property Mgmt.