The Grove Apartments

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: This company is using unethical business practices therefore I will pursue this matter legally. I was told if I did not pay the administration fee and first month's rent, there was no agreement, they were aware that Austin did not move in, they never gave us a key to the unitAdditionally, I only paid the $application fee, I did not pay any other fees to move in ...placing an application for an apartment does not obligate one for the duration of the proposed leaseAdditionally, they failed to notify me of such debt until the end of the lease term which violates their own policy
Regards,
*** ***

I am rejecting this response because:
When the leasing office was notified at The Grove Apartments by myself and Orlando on Feb 18, 2017 the leasing agent was the one who completed the 30 day move out form and filled in the date we were asked to vacate the apartment. If the date was not within 30 days that was not our error. We were asked to pay rent in the amount of $979.42 which was paid on March 4, 2017. The keys were turned in on March 15, 2017 to a male in the leasing office. I do have a copy of what was signed and I am unable to upload the documents on Revdex.com website. I lived in the apartment for 3 years and cleaned the apartment before moving into my home, it was my priority to clean the apartment but naturally living in a place for 3 years there would be natural wear and tear.
If the dates or the amount was not correct the leasing office had a fair amount of time to contact myself or Orlando to correct their error.
I would like to clarify that The Grove Apartments never sent us a breakdown of the security deposit was used for cleaning and blinds. We did in fact receive a bill only stating $95.08
I Do have a copy of the "Thirty Day Notice of Intent to Vacate Premises" signed and dated by [redacted] and [redacted] 2/18/17.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

This complaint has been resolved. The payment was found on an inactive account for [redacted], and has been moved to her current account. Additionally, we adjusted this account removing June rent, as this was not communicated properly. As far as the multiple contracts signed, we have explained to the...

complainant that this was due to initial attempts at qualification, and needing a guarantor. Additionally, she signed a contract for the remaining months in this lease period, and the next lease period. She understands this process now, and this concern has been resolved.

On 12/06/2013 [redacted] and, [redacted] paid the Grove $60 to process an application for tenancy at our Valdosta location. Elizabeth and Austin signed leases on 12/9/2013. They chose not to fulfill their legal obligation or choose our Lease-Takeover option, therefore they are still...

responsible to the legal obligation they signed. It should be noted that not taking possession of the apartment does not mitigate the contractual obligation.

Dear Revdex.com, We have received your letter regarding a complaint that was submitted to your office 4/24/2017 with ID 12120438, for billing or collection issues. We would like to formally respond to this letter in detail regarding this previous resident’s complaints....

·         February 18, 2017 the residents in apartment 7112 located at 1[redacted]61 provided a 28 day notice to vacate their apartment home for move-out date of March 17, 2017 ·         California Law along with our lease agreement stipulates that all residents are required to provide a 30 Day Notice of Intent to Vacate; 30 days from the date they provided notice would be March 19, 2017 o   We acknowledged on the form signed by management their move-out date of 3/19/2017 as this would be a valid 30 Day Notice to vacate their apartment o   On our 30 Day notice form that the resident signed along with management it shows a breakdown of their prorated rent for 19 days in the amount of $1094.65 §  We calculated this amount by taking their rental rate of $1786 per month and dividing that by 31 days (days in March) and multiplying that number by the date they are rent responsible through according to California Law, our lease agreement and the date on the notice to vacate which was 3/19/2017 ($1786 rental rate/31 days=$57.61per day, $57.61per day multiplied by 19 days=$1094.65) ·         Residents are responsible for all utilities including their final utility bill o   The residents complaint is that they paid utilities on March 4, 2017 §  The utilities they paid on this date was from the billing period 1/1/2017 – 2/1/2017 in the amount of $66.52 ·         On 3/5/2017 The residents provided our office a check in the amount of $1,037.09, however the amount they owed on this date was $1,161.17 ·         Upon vacating their apartment they were billed $135.00 for a full clean of their apartment and $35.00 for mini blinds o   Apartment was dirty with dust on all blinds, soap sm, dirt on counters, cabinet, baseboards o   Mini blinds were broken; slat in center of blinds was broken and hanging down where door knob is located ·         The residents had a deposit of $199.00 when they moved in which was applied towards their final charges and unpaid balance leaving them a balance owed to our apartment community in the amount of $95.08 ·         We mailed their move-out statement and itemized deposit accounting to the forwarding address they provided to us which stipulates that they owed a balance in the amount of $95.08. On the letter it explains that they have 45 days to make payment or their account would go into collection status. We would like this matter to be resolved with no negative reporting against our business as we have provided the resident with all information pertaining to their account balance in a timely manner. If you have any additional questions please feel free to contact our office and speak with myself.   Sincerely, Krystel Medeiros Community Manager

Good morning,Although we sympathize with [redacted] situation, Fair Housing Law dictates that we must treat all situations with the same policies and procedures. In this case, if a resident or future resident needs to break their lease, they must complete a Lease Takeover. I have attached...

the Lease Takeover Agreement that details this process. This is a task that can still be completed from a distance as we recommend that Craigslist be used as a vehicle to market the Lease Takeover. Once a potential prospect has taken interest, we should be notified and we will complete the sales processes and paperwork required. The only time that the office can find a potential prospect to replace [redacted] is if we hit 100% occupancy for the 15-16 lease term. Unfortunately, I would not count on the Grove being able to offer assistance in the search, but I can guarantee that we will assist with all other aspects of the process.I apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns you may have.Thanks,[redacted]General ManagerThe Grove [redacted]

Thank you for your help. As soon as I told The Groove that I had reported them to the Revdex.com, I got an immediate response. They sent my refund check overnight delivery. So….after almost 4 months, the problem has been solved. Thank you again!!
 
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: I have not been give actual documentation(proof) of the rent adjustment from [redacted] the Grove Apartment representative making this assertion.
Regards,
[redacted]

The debt was removed from Rent Recovery Solutions. The collection agency is sending Ms. [redacted] verification that the debt is non-existent.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received, your complaint...

will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Revdex.com,
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.] I was told I would receive a letter from Rent Recovery Solutions. I have yet to receive one. It has been almost one week. Unless I receive the letter absolving me of all debt and collection activity, I will continue to pursue action.[redacted]
Regards,
[redacted]

This complaint was tricky from day one, because there were children involved. I completely understand the persons complaint, and I did move forward to get rid of the individual. As of today, the person who was being complained about and all of his unauthorized occupants have been asked to leave and...

complied with that request. They are no longer residents here. The last time I spoke with the person who filed this complaint, we decided to transfer him into a new unit with someone who is more like him and I am happy to report, the person was smiling and shook my hand. It took a while, and I am sorry that it came to the point where a Revdex.com complaint was filed, but in the end, the situation is handled.

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business' response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com,
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
Regards,
[redacted]

I have separated out my experiences with the Grove, now called "the verge" into negative and neutral. I unfortunately cannot give a positive review, my experience here has not been good overall.
One positive upside of this place is the common area is quite spacious.
However no matter how much they tout how wonderful this place is and how much 'more you get' they don't seem to want to emphasize that this is wyoming firstly. The pool is only open about 3 months a year at most. The hill leading up here has gotten me stuck on two occasions trying to get to the top when it snowed, and its snows a lot here. The apartments are not in the least soundproof, you can hear everything outside and inside. This causes problems if you and your roommates are working separate schedules.
When I moved into this place the sofa was covered in dog hair, no cleaning of the furniture occurred at the time I moved in, and the furniture was pretty beaten up (not that bad all considering it is students that live in these places !).
Oh yes, and the dogs.
If you don't want to live with dogs, don't move here. Given the lack of soundboarding in the place, you will hear ALL OF THEM. Two floors up I was delighted to hear the sound of three dogs howling at the top of their lungs at various points throughout the day.
I have already commented on the excess of dog feces.
Seems they're more interested in trying to mark a clearly registered car for towing than they are in cleaning up dog [redacted].
They have a gym here, but don't be fooled, is rather small. The treadmills are nice, but the weight machines they have are kind of lacking.
Personally I would suggest trying to add a 1/4 acre indoor pool or a hottub. They could learn from some of the resorts and hotels here in wyoming who seem to recognize that it snows here about 7 months a year.
Oddly enough, the building that houses the staff and owner is apparently a bit more intelligently designed with a sunroom/patio upstairs, the rest of the buildings resemble urban projects or poorly constructed barracks (minus the drill/assembly area underneath).
Some of the buildings were designed intelligently to prevent flooding, however it would seem that it still occurs in some of the lower level units, the ones which have been upraised with stone drainways are positioned a bit too high to prevent rain from splashing into the units when the windows even cracked however.
Each room has a window, however if you expect a panoramic view you can forget it. You are either looking out at a parking lot in most cases or at air conditioning units and the side of the next building.
Oh, and apparently some of the residents get somewhat sensitive about people looking out their own windows in the common area. Apparently this place houses some individuals who are far more mentally unstable than the average 'insane' person, who think that looking out your window means you're looking at them specifically with evil intent.
I won't comment on the local 'culture'.
On the upside, you are in easy walking distance of one of the only real employers in the area (Walmart), which is also the highest paying for student jobs.
Another upside, there is at least free transportation to the major parts of the town. A bus shows up right outside the back gate until 9:22 at night, and downtown, for all the 'excitement' it offers is only a 2 mile walk.
My first year here, individuals were walking around outside blowing off air horns in the middle of the night.
They have a clubhouse with free printing, this is a good thing, however the 'library area', while they won't let you watch the televisions at any level of volume in it because that would disturb the people in it, they play distracting music in it all day long.
This place in all honesty seems more like the environment of a long term pscyh experiment than it does a place to live.
Free coffee however when the machine isn't broken ! :) Which it is. A lot, according to the staff.
I seem to have been here before as well, given I was just issued a notice that I will be moved in with people who's names I recognize, again.
Oh and if you get stuck here: They charge you $500.00 and require a lease takeover. Its not just a months rent to leave, it costs you a months rent AND requires a lease takeover.
I would suggest the two bedrooms. They are insanely expensive, and your utility coverages they tout as being so phenomenal are apparently high for this area and don't account for much, but at least you get a prep area.
Additionally the refrigerator is incredibly small for the 3 person unit I currently inhabit, and cabinet space and pot/pan storage is a bit on the low side for the same reason.
The could do with prep areas in all apartments and pot and pan hangers.
There is however a good washer/dryer and a reliable dishwasher and garbage disposal.
Each room does have a decent sized walkin closet, but don't be fooled by the photos, the actual bedroom size is not very large. On the upside you can rearrange your bed to a position which makes it look larger.
Envision a two bedroom rip off motel room at Day's Inn and cut it to about 40% of the size and you have your room.
Additionally when I have been living here intermittently there has been a very loud humming noise coming through the ceiling vents which was not emanating from our a/c unit.
There is environment control a/c and heating, however it would seem the sensors are placed in each room while the controls are placed in the common area, so if you leave a window open in one room, the other room will be sweltering (according to my roommate).
The oven here broke at one point, because apparently of the design of the oven itself (according to the tech) it took like 3 weeks to replace a simple control unit.
I would also offer up a suggestion of taking another hint from fort collins and trying to cultivate more flowers and trees around the property. The college here does it, so it must be possible.

Cleanliness Issues:
Facility was not cleaned by management prior to move in as required by lease.
Billing Issues:
None of their online or PDF resources list “sending a check” as an option. They only provide ways of using fee-based services.
- CheckFreePay (Walmart) = $4.00 service fee
- Resident Portal = $1.95 per ACH payment
- Resident Portal = 2.95% credit card fee
- Tel- IVR = $14 - $22 per transaction
- Resident eMoney Order = $4.00 per transaction
They do not list that a resident (or guarantor) can mail a check to the office for $0.00.
Nor do they allow residents/guarantors to set up free ACH Bank transfer using their online portal. Most other legitimate businesses allow for such free payments.
I believe they are doing a disservice to the residents (and guarantors) by pushing them to expensive and inconvenient payment options.

I love living here. It’s a great place to be and it’s in a nice area.
I’m new to Wyoming and did not know anyone here. The Grove has really fun, laid back social events like pool parties, Free Food Friday, Taco Tuesday, etc. that are a great way to get to know your neighbors and meet new people, and you can always bring your friends/family along to the social events. They really do an awesome job with putting on cool shindigs, too, especially the DJ they get for the pool parties. The gym is pretty sweet with some nice, new equipment.
I have not had a problem with noisy or rowdy residents either, which is a nice change of pace from the big city I am from. My neighbors are pretty nice and a lot of people have dogs out and about all the time.
The clubhouse has new computers and a printer/copier, TVs, a sweet game room, a bistro where the staff will gladly make you coffee/tea/hot chocolate and where they also host a lot of their social stuff. I love going up to the club house just to relax.
The office staff are super friendly and are always willing to help you with anything, even if it’s just to chat for a bit. They even keep free dog biscuits at the front desk for your puppy pal. The maintenance crew are efficient and nice. I put a work order in and they had it taken care of within the hour.
I love that the Gem City Grand bus route is right outside the complex parking lot, making it easy to get around town.
I only have two complaints: the pool is not heated at all, but it’s still fun to use in the summer. And that some of the residents are not that great at cleaning up after their dogs sometimes. Other than those two minor things, I really do love living here.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: we were told by an employee of this company that the contract was canceled, this is called a verbal agreement. We were told by this employee representing the company not to worry and that the contract was canceled. No deposit was ever given to hold the room. No copy of a contract was ever given to me.
Regards,[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: He infact never did offer to go through my ledger line by line like he claimed and he denied my refund even though I have documentation stating that I was wrongfully charged. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Good morning,Although we sympathize with [redacted] situation, Fair Housing Law dictates that we must treat all situations with the same policies and procedures. In this case, if a resident or future resident needs to break their lease, they must complete a Lease Takeover. I have attached the Lease...

Takeover Agreement that details this process. This is a task that can still be completed from a distance as we recommend that Craigslist be used as a vehicle to market the Lease Takeover. Once a potential prospect has taken interest, we should be notified and we will complete the sales processes and paperwork required. The only time that the office can find a potential prospect to replace [redacted] is if we hit 100% occupancy for the 15-16 lease term. Unfortunately, I would not count on the Grove being able to offer assistance in the search, but I can guarantee that we will assist with all other aspects of the process.I apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns you may have.Thanks,[redacted]General ManagerThe Grove [redacted]

[redacted] 
I am the new GM of the Grove at Greeley. Upon hearing about the filing with the Revdex.com, I reached out to the resident  that filed the complaint and...

have been working diligently on my end to try and provide a solution to her concerns. I have met with her and believe that we have a decent repo ire.  I have printed out a copy of her ledger as well as her utility statements, as she has asked. The additional costs on her ledger are related to pet rent, pet fee and pet related damages, along with the property provided renters insurance, that she elected into. We do give our residents the option to provide their own. There was an additional charge for Key replacements as well as a $165.64 utility usage cost for 9 months total. Our lease agreement states, we will provide a $25 credit per bedroom per month, which has been applied. I have offered to go over her ledger line by line.   I have stayed in constant contact with her and want to work together to make a difficult situation better. And will continue to do so until this issue is resolved.[redacted]
General Manager [redacted]   *  [redacted]   *  [redacted]   *   [redacted] 
[redacted]   *    [redacted]