The Village at Horsepen

Please see below for our response regarding this matter: The Village at Horsepen appreciates receiving resident feedback, we are committed to customer service and ensuring that we answer all residents questions and concerns professionally and courteouslyThe Village at Horsepen follows a routine procedure at the time of move out for each residentThe apartment homes are inspected and damages, if any, are assessed based on the costs associated with returning the apartment to the condition it was in prior to any resident’s lease termDamage caused by pets is not considered wear and tear, and residents are billed for carpet replacement when necessary based on a prorated life expectancy of five yearsThose charges are in addition to monthly rent and move in fees for pets, as those fees do not cover damages, nor does our lease agreement claim that they cover damagesFor reference, the language written in the Animal Addendum of our lease agreement is as such: “The additional monthly rent and the additional security deposit under this Animal Addendum do not limit residents’ liability for property damages etc.”In terms of carpet replacement, it is our practice to replace all carpet concurrently to eliminate variations in carpet within a home; and also to deliver the same quality product to a future resident that a previous resident experiencedThis resident has settled their balance with the apartment officeThere is no further claim being pursued by our management team against this residentPlease contact me with any additional questions or for more information at [redacted] Sincerely, [redacted]

After speaking with the business the tenant owns for rent as well as a balance due from the original apartment but late fees

Revdex.com: 1st of all I don't owe anything for my previous apartment I owe and waiting for the owner to contact meOne my rent is paid and the is the later fee or the water bill that was put in my nameI don't agree with these people at all I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below [Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.] Regards, [redacted] ***

Response from the Village at Horsepen, The Village at Horsepen appreciates receiving resident feedback; we are committed to customer service ensuring that our residents have an enjoyable experience at our apartment communityWhile still following the terms of the lease agreement The letter referenced in the submission to the RevDex.com was determined to be a clerical error, and we have apologized in person to this resident for this errorThis letter was sent to the apartment home on 7/7/because the rent for July was not paid, and the Management Office was notified by the resident via email at 9:30am on 7/8/which stated correct charges per the lease agreement, this corrected statement was sent via email and was also hand delivered to the resident because they had come to the Corporate Office of Gumenick Properties to discuss this notice with the Regional DirectorThe Management office makes every effort to ensure that statements are sent out without clerical errors; however they can occur because they are automatically generated from our property management systemIn the event of an error, the property manager follows the procedure that was used in this instance where it is corrected immediately and redistributedThe resident would not be held accountable for a balance due amount that was incorrect on a statement, and the resident is this specific instance is not being held accountable for the value on the original statement In regards to the settlement desired, the resident is aware of the correct balance due on the accountThe community understands that the resident does not wish to renew the lease in November and will enter a notice to vacate for the apartment home and provide written follow up to the resident regarding thisThe resident will need to continue to work with the property manager at the community to handle items dealing with the apartment home and provide written follow up to the resident regarding thisThe resident will need to continue to work with the property manager at the community to handle items dealing with the apartment home as there is not any malicious intent as has been claimedThe manager has responded to all communication from this resident promptly and courteously Please contact me with any additional questions or for more information at [redacted] Sincerely, [redacted] ***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the offer 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 belowI'm not satisfied with what the Village of Horse pen has statedFirst I didn't know my account was blocked when I went to the residence device to make my payment on 7/5/Upon realizing I contacted *** *** 7/ through email This us when I found out my account was blocked and I couldn't pay my rent At the time I was out of town After having heated back and forth conversations with *** through emails A note was left on my door stating I had days to pay or I would be evicted
I called the Corporate Office the Next Morning and asked to speak with someone or to come to the office to speak with someone the receptionist told me to come over and gave me directions.
I met with ***, she was rude in the beginning stating I showed up unannounced when the receptionist told me to come there and someone could speak with me.
When I arrived I was told the letter I received was an error I was given a different amount and told I should have paid my rent on time.
I tried to make my payment on 7/I was out of town with my jobI had to drive back hours, miss work for the day, & pay for the gas by using the company vehicleThis cost me to lose in pay and spend another for gas
I got told to pay the or be evicted
I don't feel like I should have been hit with a late fee when I wasn't notified of the block and I made contact with *** about this matter.
This is the worst leasing office I ever had to deal with.
This matter isn't resolved.
Regards,
*** ***

Please see below for our response regarding this matter:
" margin: 0px">The Village at Horsepen appreciates receiving resident feedback, we are committed to customer service and ensuring that we answer all residents questions and concerns professionally and courteously.
The Village at Horsepen follows a routine procedure at the time of move out for each residentThe apartment homes are inspected and damages, if any, are assessed based on the costs associated with returning the apartment to the condition it was in prior to any resident’s lease termDamage caused by pets is not considered wear and tear, and residents are billed for carpet replacement when necessary based on a prorated life expectancy of five yearsThose charges are in addition to monthly rent and move in fees for pets, as those fees do not cover damages, nor does our lease agreement claim that they cover damagesFor reference, the language written in the Animal Addendum of our lease agreement is as such: “The additional monthly rent and the additional security deposit under this Animal Addendum do not limit residents’ liability for property damages…etc.”
In terms of carpet replacement, it is our practice to replace all carpet concurrently to eliminate variations in carpet within a home; and also to deliver the same quality product to a future resident that a previous resident experienced
This resident has settled their balance with the apartment officeThere is no further claim being pursued by our management team against this resident
Please contact me with any additional questions or for more information at ***
Sincerely,
*** ***
*** *** ***

After speaking with the business the tenant owns 908.84 for rent as well as a balance due from the original apartment but late fees.

Response from the Village at Horsepen,
The Village at Horsepen appreciates receiving resident feedback;
we are committed to customer service ensuring that our residents have an
enjoyable experience at our apartment community. While still following the
terms of the...

lease agreement.
The letter referenced in the submission to the RevDex.com was determined to be a clerical error, and we have apologized in person
to this resident for this error. This letter was sent to the apartment home on
7/7/2014 because the rent for July was not paid, and the Management Office was
notified by the resident via email at 9:30am on 7/8/2014 which stated correct
charges per the lease agreement, this corrected statement was sent via email
and was also hand delivered to the resident because they had come to the
Corporate Office of Gumenick Properties to discuss this notice with the Regional
Director. The Management office makes every effort to ensure that statements
are sent out without clerical errors; however they can occur because they are
automatically generated from our property management system. In the event of an
error, the property manager follows the procedure that was used in this
instance where it is corrected immediately and redistributed. The resident
would not be held accountable for a balance due amount that was incorrect
on  a statement, and the resident is this
specific instance is not being held accountable for the value on the original statement.
In regards to the settlement desired, the resident is aware
of the correct balance due on the account. The community understands that the
resident does not wish to renew the lease in November and will enter a notice
to vacate for the apartment home and provide written follow up to the resident
regarding this. The resident will need to continue to work with the property
manager at the community to handle items dealing with the apartment home and
provide written follow up to the resident regarding this. The resident will
need to continue to work with the property manager at the community to handle
items dealing with the apartment home as there is not any malicious intent as
has been claimed. The manager has responded to all communication from this
resident promptly and courteously.
Please contact me with any additional questions or for more
information at [redacted].
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
1st of all I don't owe anything for my previous apartment.  I owe 98.84 and  waiting for the owner to contact me. One my rent is paid and the 98.84 is the later fee or the water bill  that was put in my name. I don't agree with these people at all.
I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
[Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.]
Regards,
[redacted]

Please see below for our response regarding this matter: The Village at Horsepen appreciates receiving resident feedback, we are committed to customer service and ensuring that we answer all residents questions and concerns professionally and courteously. The Village at Horsepen follows a...

routine procedure at the time of move out for each resident. The apartment homes are inspected and damages, if any, are assessed based on the costs associated with returning the apartment to the condition it was in prior to any resident’s lease term. Damage caused by pets is not considered normal wear and tear, and residents are billed for carpet replacement when necessary based on a prorated life expectancy of five years. Those charges are in addition to monthly rent and move in fees for pets, as those fees do not cover damages, nor does our lease agreement claim that they cover damages. For reference, the language written in the Animal Addendum of our lease agreement is as such: “The additional monthly rent and the additional security deposit under this Animal Addendum do not limit residents’ liability for property damages…etc.”. In terms of carpet replacement, it is our practice to replace all carpet concurrently to eliminate variations in carpet within a home; and also to deliver the same quality product to a future resident that a previous resident experienced. This resident has settled their balance with the apartment office. There is no further claim being pursued by our management team against this resident. Please contact me with any additional questions or for more information at [redacted] Sincerely, 
[redacted]
[redacted]

Review: 11/1/14, I moved into townhouse [redacted] said this was a nice quiet neighborhood. Not even a day of moving I was dealing with a dog scratching the wall and barking through out the night. I work get up at 4 & 5 to travel to work. I made numerous complaints to [redacted] after the neighbors in 6812 let their dog charge me while at the back of my car and also making me fall up my steps 2 nights later. After the complaints and management not doing anything to rectify the matter. I was then being called a [redacted] That was the final straw.

I arranged a meeting with Corporate Management. My rent was late due to my bank having my overdraft protection set up wrong. On the day this issued occurred. I went to by bank and got a cashiers check as instructed. Management agreed to let me move to [redacted] Also per management my account had to have a zero balance in order to move. My account had a zero balance and I moved. [redacted] said to take my time moving. In the process my father passed. Things were going smoothly til 7/5/14. I was out 9th town with my job. I got online to make my payment. I discovered I could not. I contacted [redacted] through email, there were back and forth Conversations. I was asking about my account being locked. This is when I was Informed my account had a restriction. I asked for the Corporate Managers #, it was about 4th to an hour before I got the number. I called no answer. I emailed [redacted] again. No answer.

Upon my daughter going to my house to check my mail, a letter was left on my door from [redacted] threatening to evict me if I didn't pay 1500. What was really bizarre is I had charges for June. My balance was zero. I would have only owed 851. Where the other 700 came from I got no explanation. Mind you I was told in June my 6810 account had to have a zero balance before moving to 6822.

I feel this is a malicious act on. [redacted] part.

I asked her several times to take my credit card payment she refused. I had no knowledge of me not being able to make my account of online.Desired Settlement: Pay my rent which is 852 and not renew my lease in November. Not to have any dealings with [redacted]

Business

Response:

Response from the Village at Horsepen,

The Village at Horsepen appreciates receiving resident feedback;

we are committed to customer service ensuring that our residents have an

enjoyable experience at our apartment community. While still following the

terms of the lease agreement.

The letter referenced in the submission to the RevDex.com was determined to be a clerical error, and we have apologized in person

to this resident for this error. This letter was sent to the apartment home on

7/7/2014 because the rent for July was not paid, and the Management Office was

notified by the resident via email at 9:30am on 7/8/2014 which stated correct

charges per the lease agreement, this corrected statement was sent via email

and was also hand delivered to the resident because they had come to the

Corporate Office of Gumenick Properties to discuss this notice with the Regional

Director. The Management office makes every effort to ensure that statements

are sent out without clerical errors; however they can occur because they are

automatically generated from our property management system. In the event of an

error, the property manager follows the procedure that was used in this

instance where it is corrected immediately and redistributed. The resident

would not be held accountable for a balance due amount that was incorrect

on a statement, and the resident is this

specific instance is not being held accountable for the value on the original statement.

In regards to the settlement desired, the resident is aware

of the correct balance due on the account. The community understands that the

resident does not wish to renew the lease in November and will enter a notice

to vacate for the apartment home and provide written follow up to the resident

regarding this. The resident will need to continue to work with the property

manager at the community to handle items dealing with the apartment home and

provide written follow up to the resident regarding this. The resident will

need to continue to work with the property manager at the community to handle

items dealing with the apartment home as there is not any malicious intent as

has been claimed. The manager has responded to all communication from this

resident promptly and courteously.

Please contact me with any additional questions or for more

information at [redacted].

Sincerely,

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed below.

I'm not satisfied with what the Village of Horse pen has stated. First I didn't know my account was blocked when I went to the residence device to make my payment on 7/5/14. Upon realizing I contacted [redacted] 7/6 through email. This us when I found out my account was blocked and I couldn't pay my rent. At the time I was out of town. After having heated back and forth conversations with [redacted] through emails. A note was left on my door stating I had 5 days to pay 1500 or I would be evicted.

Review: I have experienced a near identical issue to another complainant that appears on this site. Just over a month ago I vacated my townhouse at the Village and, to my surprise, received a hefty bill for "carpet depreciation" for my unit. After calling the leasing office to better understand this charge, I was even further disheartened by the dismissive treatment I received and the simple repetition of "I'm sorry, this is just our policy." As it turns out, I am being charged for the remaining three years the Village estimates the carpet would have lasted (assuming a five year valuation). Instead of treating this as normal wear and tear, as appears customary in most apartments, the Village chooses to bill this expense to its tenants. Perhaps more troublesome, however, is the way in which this is done. Similar to the past complainant, upon addressing my concerns with the leasing office I was simply told that the carpets had suffered irreparable damage because I had a pet. It is true I had a small dog in the apartment with me for whom I also paid a pet deposit and pet rent EVERY month. It does not seem a stretch of the imagination that these fees should cover the additional wear and tear of having a pet in the apartment. Rather, it seems, these fees are just an additional charge. When I vacated the apartment, there were no visible stains. After my third call to the office, however, I was forwarded images of stains to some apartment that appeared underneath the surface of the carpet. I called to inquire what these were pictures of and was told it was damage to the pad in the living room. As mentioned in previous posts, it does not seem customary to have these replaced altogether, but nonetheless, this is what the Village elected to do, sending the bill my way. Further, the Village elected to have the ENTIRE apartment re-done despite repeated assertions that the damage was only to the living room downstairs. None of this was addressed with me. I just received the bill.Desired Settlement: I would like to see the charges altered to reflect the actual damaged done to the apartment irrespective of whatever standard policy currently encourages the blanket charging for total replacement of the carpets. Since I was repeatedly told that the damage was done to the living room, and since the carpet in the living room is not contiguous with the carpet upstairs, I would like the charges abated in proportion to the square footage of the living room versus the upstairs bedrooms, or, at the very least, the charge decreased by half. I am not entirely convinced that even the downstairs carpet was damaged beyond the ability to clean, but would be satisfied settling the matter in this way. I have already had to remit the outstanding balance to the landlord to prevent future charges and collections, but still feel that an apology and an adjustment are warranted.

Business

Response:

Please see below for our response regarding this matter: The Village at Horsepen appreciates receiving resident feedback, we are committed to customer service and ensuring that we answer all residents questions and concerns professionally and courteously. The Village at Horsepen follows a routine procedure at the time of move out for each resident. The apartment homes are inspected and damages, if any, are assessed based on the costs associated with returning the apartment to the condition it was in prior to any resident’s lease term. Damage caused by pets is not considered normal wear and tear, and residents are billed for carpet replacement when necessary based on a prorated life expectancy of five years. Those charges are in addition to monthly rent and move in fees for pets, as those fees do not cover damages, nor does our lease agreement claim that they cover damages. For reference, the language written in the Animal Addendum of our lease agreement is as such: “The additional monthly rent and the additional security deposit under this Animal Addendum do not limit residents’ liability for property damages…etc.”. In terms of carpet replacement, it is our practice to replace all carpet concurrently to eliminate variations in carpet within a home; and also to deliver the same quality product to a future resident that a previous resident experienced. This resident has settled their balance with the apartment office. There is no further claim being pursued by our management team against this resident. Please contact me with any additional questions or for more information at [redacted] Sincerely,

Review: Upon vacating the housing unit where I resided for one year, I was presented with a $576.00 charge to replace the carpeting throughout the entire apartment to repair alleged pet damage. Upon contacting the community manager, I was told there was only two areas of pet damage. The first was confined to a corner of the upstairs master bedroom and the second was a larger area in the corner of the downstairs living room. According to the explanation I received, the undamaged carpeting in the second bedroom, the hallway, the stairs, and the remainder of the master bedroom and living room also required replacement because of these two small areas of damage. The community manager offered two main justifications for replacing the carpeting throughout the entire unit. First, I was told me that the pad beneath the carpet had also been damaged, and a professional repair required replacement of the entire pad and not just the damaged section of the pad. I called multiple retail carpet stores to confirm this assertion, and I was uniformly told that this is untrue. Instead, the industry practice is to replace only the damaged section of pad with a new pad. Second, I was told the two areas with localized damage could not be repaired because the patch from a new carpet would not match the surrounding older carpet. This may be true, but the choice is not between a new-carpet patch and replacing carpeting throughout the entire unit. The third option – the one rejected as impossible by The Village at Horsepen – is the fair and reasonable repair. Under this option, the entire downstairs carpeting is replaced (a already questionable repair that I will accept for the sake of resolving my complaint). An undamaged section from the downstairs flooring – and most of the downstairs flooring is undamaged even according to the Village's estimation – is used to repair the localized damage in the upstairs master bedroom. The upstairs carpet is cleaned as required by the lease. This option even addresses the Village's concern about any slight color discrepancy between the two carpets; a laminate flooring in the entryway separates the new downstairs carpet from the year-old carpet, masking any inconsequential color discrepancy between the different lots of same-colored carpet. In sum, the Village at Horsepen unnecessarily initiated improper and excessive repairs at my expense when the cost could have been easily mitigated through other reasonable repairs.Desired Settlement: I would like a partial refund of the money that reflects the repairs that The Village at Horsepen should have made. This charges should have been as follows: -The depreciated value of the downstairs carpet. -The cost of patching the upstairs carpet. -The cost of cleaning the upstairs carpet. The refund should consist of the amount above and beyond the cost of these three items.

Business

Response:

September 18, 2013

The Revdex.com 720 Moorefeild Park Drive Suite 300 Richmond, VA 23236

[redacted],

RE: [redacted]-The Village at Horsepen

We are writing in response to The Revdex.com's Complaint Information letter stating that [redacted] is requesting The Village at Horsepen, Richmond, VA to refund $[redacted] for unnecessarily replacing sections of carpet that were not pet damaged in his apartment home.

[redacted] claims The Village at Horsepen should have taken a section of the undamaged carpet from the downstairs of his townhome to replace the section of damaged carpet upstairs.

Unfortunately when there is pet damage to carpeting, we replace the entire townhomes' carpet and pad. The pet damage in [redacted] townhome was extensive, meaning animal urine was saturated on the backing of the carpet, through the pad and contaminating the sub floor as shown on the attached photos. Also in the attached photos are other pet damage areas on the carpets.

We do not replace sections of the carpet due to the potential of differences in the carpet color, texture, and style because we would not have knowledge from which role of carpeting this townhome's carpet was cut from.

Please take a moment to read the attached copy of [redacted] subsection [redacted] where it states: "All carpets will be professionally cleaned by the Landlord Managing Agent upon move-out. The following amounts will be withheld automatically from the security deposit: 1 bedroom-$60; 2-bedroom-$65; 3-bedroom -$75. Additional charges will be addedfor bum stains, stains, pet orders andpet stains in carpet ".

Also in the Lease Agreement: page 3, section 10, subsection [redacted] Residents also must be current in rental payments; mustsurrenderpossession oftheDwellingUnit ingoodcondition, withtheexception ofreasonablewearandtear; and must pay for all damages or assessments for damages made by the Landlord against the Resident in accordance with theDamageAddendum, otherprovisions ofthisLeaseAgreement, orasLandlordshallseefit ".

I have enclosed a copy of the original lease signed by [redacted] photos of the damages, a letter written from [redacted] to The Village as well as a Move-out Statement provided to [redacted] and the invoice that was sent to us for the carpet replacement.

Please contact me at [redacted] if further information is required.

Sincerely,

[redacted] Enclosures