Southwood Properties

I have experienced lack of professionalism and neglect as a tenant of Southwood Properties. I was to move in my apartment July 14, 2014. When going to look at the apartment, I was met with bugs all over the apartment. When addressing this problem with the general manager, [redacted] he was aware of this issue but still attempted to move me in to this apartment and blamed the tenants above for the issue. After stating that I was not moving into that apartment, I was planned to move to a different apartment, July 15 2014. While moving in I was told by my leasing agent, [redacted] that there was wet paint under the bedroom's window. Also, the bedroom's carpet was filthy and smelled of smoke. I was told by the general manager that it will be no problem to replace the carpet. The carpet was not fixed until 2 months after I moved in.When it rained, the window leaked and I immediately placed a work order and was told that the problem will be fixed as soon as possible. After weeks of calling to get the problem fixed and no one coming to fix it, I start seeing mold in the area where there was fresh paint when I originally moved in. Not only was there mold but the wall was starting to rot. I have contacted the maintenance as well as the front office many times and I have been told that the problem will be fixed. Still, 4 months later, the leak has not been fixed as well as I have mold and water damage on my personal property as well. When informing the General Manager of this he did not try to replace the property nor was the problem urgent enough for it to be fixed.I have constantly called, left messages, sent picture via email to the General Manager of the leak and the molded property. When I receive calls from the company they tell me that someone will be in to fix the issue but no one comes to fix it. The last time someone came to look at the issue, they placed the plastic for noodles in my window seal with the window up so the water can run out the window but still the issue is not fixed. I feel that I have been neglected as a tenant. But still locked into staying here because of the leasing agreement.Desired SettlementI would like my deposit back of [redacted] the months rent that I have paid [redacted]4(months)= [redacted] replacement of the molded end table [redacted] replacement of the water damaged mirror [redacted] and foremost the ability to break the lease without penaltyTotal= [redacted]Business Response We would be happy to refund Ms. [redacted]'s deposit of [redacted] We would also be happy to let Ms. [redacted] out of her lease without penalty provided she takes advantage of this opportunity within the time period for which she has already paid rent. If she moves out before and has paid rent for days she did not use, then we will gladly refund her the difference. I also would like to apologize for our inability to fix her problem in a timely manner. We had trouble locating the problem at first, but we feel as if we have solved the issue at this time. As for personal property, Ms. [redacted] signed a lease agreement with the understanding that we were not responsible for personal property. Since we were not neglectful in our response to her problem and she resided at the property, we do not feel a refund for rent paid while she used the apartment is appropriate.

Landlord has not refunded full balance of security deposit as agreed upon.I paid $400 security deposit at the beginning of the lease. The lease expired 9/30/2013, I gave 30 days written notice in advance, all rents were paid in full and on-time,I left the apartment clean and undamaged, returned all keys, remotes, and satellite equipment as required by the lease.On 9/30/13 the final walk-thru was conducted with myself present, [redacted] and another employee. A video was taken at that time by a Southwood Properties employee as well as a review of the original move-in check list and all pre-existing deficiencies were reviewed, I clearly stated at that time the only deduction I would agreed to was the carpet cleaning fee as per the lease agreement. On 10/29/13 I went to the management office to inquire as to the status of my deposit refund. I was informed [redacted] had not processed the paperwork but that he would be in the next day, then the information would be sent to the accountant and a check would be issued the following week.I asked [redacted] to hold the check at the office for pick-up. On 11/07/13 I returned to the office and was informed the check had been mailed by mistake. We agreed to wait a few more days to see if it was returned to the office. I requested a copy of the settlement statement and upon seeing I was being charged for $200 in "damages" I protested this and asked for an explanation. I was told we could review the video but [redacted] made all decisions. We ([redacted], myself and [redacted]) attempted to view the video however due to a technical issue the video could not be retrieved or viewed.I returned to the office on 11/15/13 and met with [redacted], after arguing with him over the deductions for items that were noted on the move-in check list he agreed to refund the additional $200. I stated I still had not received the original check of $165. He said he would have a check ready for me on 11/18/13. I returned to the office on 11/18/13 but the check was only for $200 and not $365. I was told [redacted] had not re-issued the "lost"check and he was out of the office. I called the office on 11/27/13 , 12/03/13 and again on 12/04/13. I left messages for [redacted] each time either on voice mail or with the receptionist. I have not received a return phone call from anyone at Southwood Properties. I am still owed $165 of my security deposit which by law I should have received within 30 days of the expiration of the lease or on 10/30/13. My calls are being ignored and my money is not being returned.Desired SettlementThe balance of my security deposit $165.Business Response Dear Ms. [redacted], I wish to apologize if our management has no returned your calls. As I explained to you in our meeting, we have no problem refunding the balance of $165.00. We had written this check on or about 10/30/13 and sent it to the last known address. Somehow this check is lost in the postal system and has not been returned to us. You agreed to wait a few days to allow this check to return. It has not returned or been cashed to date. Therefore I will be happy to provide you with another on Monday 12/09/13.

Southwood properties has unfairly taken [redacted] of my security deposit.My complaint has to do with how much money was deducted from my security deposit. On June 29th I moved out of an apartment located on [redacted] On this date I did a walk through with the leasing agent and the maintenance man. At this walk through both the leasing agent and the maintenance man stated that my apartment was in great shape, that what they saw was normal wear and tear. I asked what I would be charged out of my security deposit and the leasing agent told me it would be what was needed for cleaning the carpets. When I received my deposit refund, however, there were two amounts deducted, [redacted] for cleaning the carpets, which I expected, and [redacted] for "cleaning the apartment," which I was not expecting. I followed up to ask what the [redacted] was for and was informed that this is what they charge for cleaning and that some additional measures were needed to clean the grout on the tiles. My problem is that this is directly in contrast to what the two people who actually did the walk through of my apartment informed me. I have friends who have lived in other apartments in this complex who moved out and was only charged the costs of cleaning the carpets. Furthermore, when I moved in to the apartment, this is what the leasing agent informed me, that carpet cleaning is all that they deduct if the apartment is in good shape. I lived in the apartment for 1.5 years and took excellent care of it, as was confirmed at my walk through.Desired SettlementI would like to have the [redacted] refunded to me that was deducted from my deposit.Business Response Contact Name and Title: [redacted] Managing MemberContact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXXContact Email: [redacted]@hotmail.comDear Mr. [redacted], I will research the walk through report and find out who conducted this with you. I will interview them to confirm your statement. If confirmed, then I will issue a refund for the amount you say is in question. If I cannot confirm your statements, then I will look at the video of your apartment at move-out to make sure this company can substantiate the charges. If we can, then I would like to invite you to the office to view this video of the apartment's condition at move-out so that we can hopefully reach a fair conclusion to this matter. If after viewing the video, I cannot substantiate a charge then the company will gladly refund any unsubstantiated charge.Best Regards, [redacted]Managing MemberSouthwood Properties, LLCConsumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)Interviewing those who did the walk through and checking the video of the apartment, I think, is a good path forward to see whether or not the charge of [redacted] for cleaning is an appropriate amount to deduct from my deposit.

Southwood Property failed to properly repair a major leak from the water room that shared a wall with my apartment resulting in toxic mold exposure.I have been a tenant for five months at [redacted], managed by Southwood Properties. Over the course of the last two months I have been exposed to high levels of mold posing severe health problems since I am allergic to mold and of course Mycotoxins produced from mold. I had informed maintenance almost three months prior to vacancy, that I had discovered the wall I shared with the water room was wet along with about 15 sq ft of carpet along said east wall. I had also informed maintenance that there was a leak under the bathroom sink. Maintenance arrived to remedy the problem and that is when he discovered the substantial leak and water damage in the wall. I was advised to "put a towel on it" and that he would fix the problem, damages and adhere to the leak in the bathroom. I assumed he had done as he had said since he was adequately informed of the issue and I had no other part in it. Then on March 20th 2014 I had become increasingly ill an developed a rash and hives. I knew that I was allergic to mold asks the odor was undeniable. My fiancé, [redacted] was aware of my past issues with the leaks and checked under the carpet since it had been lifted when it swelled with water destroying the carpet and undid the corners. [redacted] discovered the mold under the carpet and when he went to touch the wall it caved in instantly. He then, upon further investigation realized the leak under the bathroom sink had been untouched causing further mold growth. In light of health reasons I had to vacate the premise and get rid of furniture and clothing. I called Southwood Property, April 3rd 2014 to disclose my discoveries and my need to terminate the lease. I also informed [redacted] of the evidence an pictures I had taken and he said he would not be able to terminate my lease. It is an uninhabitable apartment and I had given notice of the problems and maintenance was poor resulting in tee unhealthy living situation. I need to be let go of the lease ASAP.Desired SettlementTermination of lease without liability.Business Response I will need a few days to check the validity of your request. All of our leases have a clause that would allow you to terminate your lease agreement if you supply us with a statement from your doctor that supports your claim the airborne particles such as mold are causing you health problems. To my knowledge no such statement has been supplied. In the absence of this statement, I will need to check call logs, maintenance work orders, your pictures ( if supplied), and interview maintenance techs to make a fair decision. Thank you in advance for you patience as we will let you know of our decision shortly.

Suspected Meth Lab issue was handled by asking tenet to tear down meth lab and please do not cook meth again. Packets of Crystal found constantly.The former manager, and current owner posted a paper outside on a door of a tenet near the laundry room saying they had a complaint of a meth lab in operation inside the apartment. They simply asked that they not do it again and to please tear it down because it is a health violation. No police were called, and if a lab was in operation the building is now a health hazard. Either way they always allow known drug users/dealers to live on premises. Little plastic packets of crystal always appear on the ground in the grass or sidewalk on the building's property near the same laundry room as tenet accused of operating a meth lab. My dog has approached these items several times, which if he had ingested them he could have died. The dog is a living creature but I own him and legally had he died that would have been damage to my personal property. I notified the same former Manager of this situation and he said that was weird and he would look into it, he was shortly fired thereafter. I have spoke about this to the new manager and maintenance manager but they just tried to change the conversation and lied saying no dealing or labs are up here. They even said that they didn't care if that was the case or not because as they said what is done is done. Even though I saw the paper posted talking about the lab, they claimed it never happened. Desired SettlementThat they be reviewed and have this matter looked in to immediately! I am a Untied States Army vet with health problems and can not afford another health issue due to a meth lab. I do not want my dog to die due to the negligence and indifference of the Owner/operator. This is one issue amongst many, but it seemed to be the worst I have experienced here yet.Business Response Thank you for your concern and your service to this country. All members of our staff are instructed to report incidents or complaints of drug activity immediately to management. We then inform our PAR officer with the Springfield Police of the criminal activity for their distribution to the proper authorities. This was done in your case as well as all other cases that management is aware of. We immediately terminate all members of our staff who are involved or neglectful in any way with criminal activity. This has been done in your instance as well as all other instances the company is aware of. We enter all of the apartments every three months to change filters in the furnace and check for other health hazards. We just completed this check again last week. We found no evidence of a meth lab at your location that this time. You as well are responsible to report any criminal activity to the Springfield Police whenever you see it. This means any empty bags of meth that you find on the ground. The company will assist you in reporting these incidents as well. The best time to get immediate action is to report the crime to the company or the authorities when the crime is in progress. We have someone answer the phone 24 hours a day to help in the process. The company hires [redacted] to patrol the site of an evening to further help in finding and stopping criminal activity. Cooperation with the company and the police would appear to be the most effective way to quickly handle the matter. Lastly, any time that you feel that your health is in jeopardy, the company will gladly let you out of your lease and you have already signed an addendum to the lease authorizing this action by you and the company. Feel free to exercise this option at any time.To sum up, you have a lot of options to choose from to resolve your issue with Southwood Properties, LLC. What is of concern to the company is your allegation that there was very little activity to resolve drug issues by the staff of this company. We have proof that we responded in a manner that is in compliance of the laws of the land. You also acted to state things publicly about this company without proof of any kid. Do you have proof that you made an effort to contact the Police of suspected criminal activity? Your efforts to publicly make this company look bad to others without proof is also against the law. Please refrain from doing so. I am demanding the Revdex.com to remove this complaint from Southwood Properties, LLC record with your company as it has no basis.Final Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)The owner is lying and his remark about feeling free to say something truthful is plain unprofessional. He is trying to steer the conversation away from him harassing a black man with false claim of a meth lab he fabricated! No one can verify the drug activity regarding the meth lab because one never existed Southwood Properties made it all up. That is why the police weren't called, that is why nothing happened. Do not believe his claims. [redacted] has the paper sent to him about tearing it down. Unless I am mistaken about who wrote it, Summer who works there had her signature and name at the bottom. [redacted] saw the paper and can verify the claim. If any record of this was kept by Southwood I am sure they have since destroyed it. How many more times and ways can I say it: He and/or his employee/s fabricated the claim themselves. There is no record with the police because he already knew one did not exist in Apartment ** at 1750 [redacted] Street. Back to the filter change, they did leave a notice one week prior setting they would go through * building in a matter of two days. Four days went by and they never arrived at my place. So no they didn't even follow or abide by what they posted. Now he is saying if you don't like it here leave and I have to give up my 300 dollar deposit in full just to get out of this situation he claims. That is a very unprofessional attitude and the reputation they have earned is a well deserved one. [redacted] is an antagonist and former employees have told me they believe he embezzles money. He sits on rent checks for weeks, his records and file keeping are shoddy at best, and they lose rent checks at times and just charge your account and never say anything. I am sick of the harassment by this company. Final Business Response Again, we are already cooperating with the Spfld. Police Dept. Again, no one seems to be able to verify your claims on drug activity. I have no knowlegde of any paper stating what you claim about a meth lab. Possibly, the manager that we terminated may have knowledge that the company does not. The companies policy is and alwayys has been that it will not tolerate any criminal activity whatsoever. To sum up, the Spfld. Police Dept. is fully aware and investigating your claim. When changing filters, we post a notice in all of the laundry rooms at least a week in advance to giving everyone a chaqnce to prepare and not be surprised. If you chose, you can request that your filter be changed by appointmet only as long as you make arrangements to do so within the week. You can also post a note on your door informing us that we need to contact you before entering. Again, this has to be done within a week of our normal filter change day. As well, you are welcome to terminate your lease at any time you feel that something on the property is harmful to your health or your pets. Lastly, feel free to say anything truthful about our company that you want.

Southwood properties misrepresented my lease, refused to provide me air conditioning, fix the drain when I complained they kicked me out + took my depI received my first job offer out of college in Springfield MO. I went looking for apartments 2 weeks before I was to begin my job and quickly found one with Southwood Properties. I toured the apartment at the ambassador and agreed on a 6 month lease for $559 a month with a garage. I paid the application fee and left a deposit. When I returned (two days before I was to start my new job) the price had mysteriously been raised to $609 a month and I no longer had a garage. I protested and quickly demanded my deposit and application fee (I wanted the application fee because we agreed on 559 before I paid it). I was told the application fee was not refundable (even after they acknowledged that they had quoted me the wrong price). Being a recent graduate I did not have the money to go put another deposit down (because they would not refund my deposit) and was forced to take the lease. This was only the start of my troubles with SouthwoodAbout two months into my lease my air conditioner quit working and produced very little cold air (during the middle of summer). I continually submitted numerous complaints to Southwood but to no avail. I spent six weeks without an air conditioner. After continuously complaining they finally installed one, with the installation of the new air conditioner I was also issuer a letter saying I needed to be out of my apartment in 13 days. When my mother called Southwood the owner ([redacted]) admitted that it was illegal to kick someone out with only 13 days' notice and allowed me to stay another month. At the end of my lease the bathroom tub was clogged and would not drain water. I continued issuing complaints but no one at southwood would come unclog the drain and spent 3 weeks unable to shower. After moving out Southwood never called to issue me a walk through on my apartment and kept my whole deposit. I even had a separate deposit on my gate opener of 30 dollars that they have not refunded. Desired SettlementI am seeking original agreed upon price for the apartment a refund of $250 + $250 for not having air conditioning for 6 weeks and $100 for not being able to shower in my own apartment for 3 weeks a total of $600. Business Response Dear Mr. [redacted], On 03/13/13 you stated on your application that you wished for a 6 month lease and when you arrived to consummate the lease, you changed the term to a month to month lease. Our rates vary due to the length of the lease. The rates at the time were $559.00 for 1 year, $574.00 for 6 months, and $609.00 a month for anything less than that. You were well aware, according to your application, of the 6 month rate and could have a refund of your deposit within the 3 day limit for this type of refund. To my knowledge no such demand for a refund was made. When you signed the application, you agrred that your application fee was not refundable regardless of the outcome of the application. I am sure this is customary within the industry. I will acknowledge that your air conditioning troubles were not fixed as quickly as we would have liked because of the nature of the problem. we did however neglect the problem. We installed a backup unit until we could resolve your issue and we left it there once your issue was resolved as a backup against further problems. As for the drain problem, once we determined that we did not have the equipment to resolve the problen, then we hired [redacted] to resolve the issue for Mr. [redacted]. Again, to my knowledge, the repair was made with no further problems. We did not renew Mr. [redacted]'s lease agreement as they wanted because we never recieved the original lease back from his cosigner. Mrs. [redacted] called and asked if she came to Springfield and resolved our outstanding issues on the paperwork, would the company reconsider and allow her boy to stay in the apartment. I told her that we would if she was willing to get the lease papaers in order and if Mr. [redacted] was properly taking care of the apartment. On the day of the appointment, Mrs. [redacted] called and cancelled and indicated her son would vacate by the end of the month. As for Mr. [redacted]'s deposit, Missouri law allows landlords to take 30 days to process a refund. That 30 day period ens on 09/30/13. I am mailing this deposit reconciliation today to the address listed on the compliant unless notified otherwise. Since Mr. [redacted] was aware of our rental rates prior to move-in, and he was only inconvienced for a short time in the afternoon on his air conditioning due to an overcharge of the system, and we did fix his tub drain, the company feels that $100.00 plus his deposit refund after damages and cleaning would be a fair settlement. I hope this helps Mr. [redacted] feel better about his stay in one of Springfield's most sought after apartment communities. Final Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)The keys were returned to [redacted], the secretary, on August 30, 2013. I requested and received a hand written receipt from him (unfortunately during the move I have misplaced it but will am sure it will pop up at some point)Other issues Southwood scapegoated and refused to answer;1. Why they kept majority of my deposit without allowing me a (legally required) walk through2. Deceitfully changing the price of my lease 3. Trying to (illegally) kick me out with 13 days' notice4. 5-6 weeks of no air conditioning5. Over 3 weeks of not being able to use my showerThanks Revdex.com for your help during this stressful situation!Final Business Response Revdex.com Comment - Revdex.com called the owner of the company and he states he offered a $100.00 refund and the consumer declined. A deposit was returned to the consumer by 9/30/13. He states that the consumer did not return the keys and a remote to the gates for parking, and if the consumer would return those items he would refund the amount for those.