Yes! Communities

The complainants' security deposit refund check was batched and mailed out March 3rd to the forwarding address she provided at move out. She should be receiving the check any day now. If she doesn't receive it by mid-next week she should email [email protected] and we will void that...

check and then re-issue another one in house to overnight to her. We do apologize for any inconvenience.

The community management been working hard to address all home site violations including dogs, to date the new community management has issued out over ten violations and they plan on following up on them until they are all addressed.  The community management appreciates the...

patience of all residents while they work through the process that they need to follow legally. We understand for many residents the resolution is not happening fast enough but the community and regional management team are working with the appropriate legal teams to get all of the violations resolved as soon as possible. We trust the complainant will be satisfied with the resolution that should be visible within the next couple of weeks.

Attached you will find 2 work orders and 3 invoices from the A/C vendor, [redacted].  The attached invoices show the complainants' A/C coil was replaced on 6/30/2016.  There is other invoice attached from 8/2/2016 where the complainant reported to the community...

management that the A/C was not working. The invoice shows that the A/C vendor came out and tested the system and found it working.  The 3rd invoice from 10/19 shows the A/C was serviced, tested and was working properly after removing trash in the blower. Attached are also two work orders that had been reported to the community management. The complainant had not reported any other issues to the community management until this case was opened.  Work Order #[redacted] was for a leak in back yard. Maintenance rehung sewer line underneath home and installed exterior faucet at home. The complainant had called in on 10/03 and the items were repaired on 10/4. Work Order #[redacted], the complainant reported the A/C was not cooling, the A/C Vendor checked home on 7/11. Since this case was openedand new issues were brought to the community management's attention, the community manager has contacted pest control and left a message to have home sprayed for ants.Unfortunately this issue was not previously reported to the community management.  The community manager also made a work order for mold in hallway,  maintenance will go by today, November 18th to address this issue. Again the community has no record of this issue being previously reported to them.  The complainant's husband, [redacted], had started contacting the A/C vendor directly and requesting them to come out to check on his home. The community maanger spoke to Mr [redacted] in October and told him that he is not to call to the A/C vendor, he needs to report issues to the community and maintenance will go check the unit. If needed maintneance will call the vendor. At that time Mr. [redacted] walked out of the office unhappy.  The community manager has already begun working on these new issues reported through this complaint and they should be resolved shortly. We do hope the complainant will be satisfied with these measures taken to quickly resolve their new concerns. The community management has been working hard to address all maintenance issues reported to them by the complainant as you can see from the attached work orders and invoices.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/04/27) */
Per the Community Living Guidelines this resident read and agreed to prior to moving into [redacted] the resident cannot have a basketball hoop on their lot. The resident was asked to remove the basketball hoop by the current community...

management by April 22nd, the resident went into the community office to discuss the issue with the community manager on April 21st and they came to an agreement that the hoop would be removed by April 25th. As of April 24th the basketball hoop was removed, the complainant was thanked for cooperating with the Community Guidelines and we believe this issue is resolved.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (4200, 8, 2015/04/30) */
Final Business Response /* (4000, 10, 2015/05/05) */
Per the lease agreement attached under Home And Accessories I, it states that basketball goals are not allowed within our communities, the fact that the complainant received a basketball goal as a present and was allowed to keep it against community living guidelines by previous management does not make YES! Communities responsible for reimbursing the complainant for the hoop she had to remove in order to be in compliance with the Community Living Guidelines that she read and agreed to upon moving into the community and/or renewing her lease. The community nor our company are responsible for the cost of the basketball hoop as it is clearly stated in the Community Living Guidelines that they are not allowed on lots within our community.

Unfortunately this was a misunderstanding, the community manager never said that the complainant was 30 days late. What happened was the complainant went to the community office and asked why the community manager came by her home yesterday and told her husband that they were late on their...

payment because she said she was never late and had never been late anywhere at any time.    The community manager informed the complainant that he did not tell her husband he was late, he simply knocked on the door and when her husband answered the community manager asked if they were still planning on making the payment as promised. Her husband said yes and went to get a money order.   While the complainant was at the community office, the community manager did pull up the complainant’s payment  ledger to show her that she had been late 9 times since she had signed the loan agreement. The community manager also tried to explain that whether they paid late or not was irrelevant because they were at that time completely paid up and did not have an outstanding balance.    The regional manager did contact this complainant today per her requested resolution. The regional manager did listen to her full story and tried to smooth things over, however we do not believe that was successful.    This complainant does not have an outstanding balance and we do apologize for any misunderstanding they had with the community manager in regards to late payments or being 30 days past due. We do believe this complaint has been resolved to the best of our ability.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: I feel I have to reject this until I find out the outcome of the walk thru. While I appreciated the call from corporate, the issues with the dogs persist. Their only response is to be patient. Over the weekend I had to stay in my car rather than enter my home because the neighbor's dangerous breed dog was loose again and in my yard. 
Sincerely,
[redacted]

On December 29th, 2017 the community completed a work order to winterize the complainants’ swamp cooler, the maintenance team noticed a small amount water under the home and believed it was due to the swamp cooler leaking. This issue was resolved at that time. The complainant did claim that it was...

his water meter leaking, not the swamp cooler, but the maintenance team went out and investigated the water meter and found no leak and found the water meter to be working as normal. The regional manager did concede and give the complainant a $12 credit because his bill was higher than normal likely due to the swamp cooler leaking slightly.   In regards to the complainant’s concern over his rental increase that took effect on January 1st, 2018. The resident should have received a notice of the increase along with 99 other residents. However, the complainant called when the rent increase hit his invoice and he claimed he never received the notice. At the time, the community did have some issues in their office and they decided couldn’t be sure if the complainant had received the notice or not. Therefore, the regional manager granted the complainant a reprieve on the increase for 2018, so for the remainder of 2018 the complainant will receive a credit on his ledger making the increased rental rate go back down to the 2017 rental rate. Attached is the complainant’s ledger reflecting both the $12 credit for the swamp cooler water leak and the credit for rent so that is the same as his 2017 rental rate.  The community has already gone above and beyond for this resident and no further credits or refund will be made at this time.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/10/07) */
The community manager followed up with the maintenance team about the resident's deck and he said the resident had come into the office a while back to tell us about the gap and he followed them to the home to see what the resident was talking...

about. He told the resident he could attach a 1x4 to close up the gap and the resident was concerned that they might trip on it and that they follow up with him and would let him know if they wanted him to do that. At this time the maintenance team has not heard anything back from the resident's regarding the deck and how they want maintenance to proceed; however, the community manager will be having the maintenance team address the issue with the deck and fix it today, October 7th, 2015.

In regards to the resident's complaint about the grass being mowed. All resident who have grass over or near 6 inches tall gets on the community force mow list. The community does not pick and choose which residents get their lawns force mowed, it is very clear that ALL lawns that are taller than length stated in the [redacted] will be forced mowed. The [redacted] states the condition in which lawns are suppose to be kept, if lawns are not maintained to meet these standards the community will mow a resident's lawn for a fee. No exceptions are made and any resident charged a forced mow fee will have to pay it or potentially face eviction for non-payment, if a resident does not want to incur a force mow fee they need to ensure they keep their lawn to the standards set forth in the YES! [redacted]
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (4200, 13, 2015/10/23) */
[redacted]Document Attached[redacted]
They deck has not been inspected as was stated in the response from Yes! communities.
The policy is clear that the grass will be mowed when it is over 6" tall. They said they do not "pick and choose" which lawns they mow. Why then was our lawn the only lawn mowed on our street. Pictures will be attached to show this.
we understand the policy and have no issue with it. We just don't want to be the only family that it applies to.
These are pictures of my direct neighbors house shortly after the maintenance crew left the block. I will upload more pictures as I take them.
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 14, 2015/10/23) */
Since this report has been filed we have been told we owe $75 more on last months rent. This is despite our calls before paying rent check to see what our total was. We asked what the extra charges were for and they were unable to tell us. We said we are not going to pay without a detailed invoice. They are unwilling to give us an invoice for the charges.
A copy of the rent adjustment along with other photos will be uploaded within hours.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 20, 2015/11/20) */
The deck was repaired on October 7th, 2015. All lawns within the community that are taller than the required maintained height are mowed by the community and those residents are charged force mow fees per the community living guidelines. The $75 on the ledger that the complainant is referring to is there because back in April 2015 when they moved in and were given a promotional concession, the concession issued on their ledger was $100 too much. Therefore the community had to correct that and because the complainant had a -$25 balance adding back on the $100 made their ending balance $75, this was explained to them by the community staff.

The complainant is correct that he was still owed $40.58. We have printed the check and mailed it out Overnight [redacted] to his forwarding address, he should receive the check tomorrow, Friday June 2nd. Tracking number for the check is as follows: [redacted]. We do take responsibility for...

this oversight and we do apologize for any inconvenience it has caused.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/10/26) */
This resident moved out on September 30th, 2015 and the community has up 30 days to return a security deposit refund and lets residents know it will take up to the 30 days for them to receive their refund. The resident's refund is currently...

working its' way through our accounting approval process. We are trying to get the check approved today and printed and then we will ship it out via UPS overnight delivery to the forwarding address this former resident provided the community. The resident should have his refund check by Wednesday, October 28th.

Attached are receipts for both replacing the mirror and for having to replace the flooring, as you can see from the receipts the complainant was charged less than the actual cost of the materials to replace the damages in her home. The complainant has been notified that the portion of her security deposit refund she is receiving has been expedited and will be mailed out today via UPS overnight delivery to the forwarding address she provided this Revdex.com case which is as follows- [redacted] [redacted] We believe this complaint is now resolved.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2015/07/10) */
Attached are pictures the community manager took for proof of the condition in which the house was left in, as well as the move-in and move-out inspection sheets. The community manager took these pictures during the walk through with the...

resident when she turned in her keys. The community manager advised her that the carpet needed to be replaced due to the stains and the odor, she also notified her that she was responsible for the wall repairs and paint as well, due to the stains and holes in the walls. The home was dirty when they walked the home together. There were light fixtures and a smoke detector missing as well. The complainant stated that she was under the impression that every time someone moved out the community changed the carpet and floor, did a full paint and housekeeping automatically and the resident would not be charged for that, that is not the case any destruction or damages to a rental home above and beyond normal wear and tear are deducted from a resident's security deposit per the lease agreement each and every must sign to move into the community.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/06/09) */
The complainant's security refund deposit was mailed out on 5/28/15 via [redacted] to the forwarding address provided at move-out which is the same address the complainant has provided in their contact information on this complaint. To this date we...

have not received the mailed refund check back to our home office so the complainant should be receiving the check any day now. If we do receive the check back we will Overnight [redacted] it to the forwarding address provided by the complainant.

The complainant is refusing to pay late fees per her lease. The community had credited late fees in the past as a courtesy, but the Regional Manager personally told the complainant over the phone that the last time they credited the fess was the only time the community would do so for her going...

forward. Attached you will find the complainant ledger which shows the number of times she has paid late. Attached you will also find letters from the complainant in regards to her late fees, as well as two envelopes from the complainant that are postmarked after the 1st of the month and therefore they did not arrive at the community on or before the 5th of the month which is the date that late fees occur.  Also attached is communication from the regional manager and community management in regards to the complainant's option of setting up Electronic Funds Transfer so that each month the total rent due is taken out of the checking account of the complainant's choice BEFORE the 5th, as long as there are sufficient funds in the account no late fees will occur again. The complainant does not like this option, but unfortunately we are unable to offer payments online or over the phone. The complainant's late fees will not be refunded and if the complainant does not pay the late fees should could face eviction for nonpayment.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/06/09) */
Last week the complainant called the community office stating his A/C was not working properly. The community manager sent maintenance to his home to evaluate the issue. The maintenance men could not get the A/C working so they installed a...

window A/C for the residents' comfort until they could get a HVAC company to come out the following day to look at the A/C unit. [redacted] and [redacted] was called out 6-3-15 to investigate the issue and recommended to replace the unit since it was not in fixable condition. A proposal was signed and submitted by the community manager on 6-4-15 to replace the A/C unit. The community manager spoke with [redacted] and [redacted] yesterday, 6/8/15 in which they have stated that the new unit has been ordered and the installation should be this week. They could not give the community manager a firm day since they are waiting for the A/C unit to arrive. Attached work order showing date of call as well as a copy of approved proposal for replacement of HVAC unit dated 6-4-15. The community manager spoke with [redacted] and [redacted] again this morning, 6/9/15 and they stated that as soon as the unit is received that they will dispatch their technician to come to the community and install. Every effort has been made to make this resident as comfortable as possible until their new unit can be installed.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/06/10) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Not very happy with the lack of communication on the part of the management staff and wasn't pleased with the way facts kept changing. But this morning June 10, [redacted] came by and installed a complete brand new system. It works great. The old air handler was original to the mobile home and was beyond repair.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because they deflected from the main issue of stopping future late fees by setting up an online payment system (free to them) whereby I can pay ontime without being penalized due to snail mail and their office being closed on the late fee date, sometimes.Dear [redacted], Thank you so very much for your quick, efficient, and effective use of technology to help facilitate communication to resolve our issue. Use of technology time stamps actions and communication in real time without being dependent on a third party, such as the US Post Office, to deliver the communication on their delayed schedule.  Therefore, I can receive your correspondence and respond within the 5 -day window given. This is what I am asking of Yes Communities who sometimes gives me less than a 5-day window to respond by US mail. Therefore, please note that the main complaint is their refusal to modernize and use technology to receive a payment – not simply a dispute over late fees. Their antiquated billing system results in late fees that are unjustified. This complaint is not simply a refusal to pay late fees as they have, once again, changed the subject to in an effort to avoid using technology to receive a payment. So, let’s take late fees off the table. That can be addressed in a different forum. I would Yes Communities to address the issue of antiquated billing within an inconsistent timeframe causing late fees. Yes Communities’ use of technology to handle this complaint shows they have all of the technological capability required to establish online payments. However, for an unknown reason, they simply refuse to use free and simple technology to allow tenets to pay their rent. Is it because late fees are profitable and there is no incentive to help residents avoid these fees which are more than twice the industry norm.  If Yes Communities sets up a simple system to receive online payments (which is free) in lieu of being dependent on checks in the mail, that will end the dispute over the many unjustified late fees; making the fee reversal complaint and the late fee issue moot. Unfortunately, as has occurred for 4 years, the request to use technology to receive a payment has fallen upon deaf ears, gotten lost in a sea of irrelevant paperwork, and been deflected by heightening unrelated arguments.  I have been personally attacked, as well. I do not understand this hostile response. Notice how their late billing issue in the original complaint was deflected as well; focusing only my payment’s postmark date -  not their late postmark and other actions which set payments up to be late.  I was even told that I could contact them to find out how much I owe if I need the information on my bill. This is one of my complaints; they put effective billing practices onto me and then reject the way I could effectively pay. I travel domestically and internationally sometimes and snail mail is difficult. While my recent tone is impatient, please rest assured it comes after 4 years of paying fees that follow the same pattern of 1) late billing from Yes Communities, 2) the late fee day fell on a weekend when they are closed and do not receive the payment until they reopen,  3) the late fee occurred when I mailed my check from out of town over a holiday with no Monday mail delivery, and 4) countless ignored requests to set up an account online where I can pay my bill. You can check the log they provided and clearly see this pattern of when late fees occur. They have made no effort to allow tenets to efficiently remit a payment to overcome the barrier of slow mail delivery combined with being closed on the 4th and 5th whereby they are unavailable to receive payments until the 6th or 7th.  I have been told “most of the residents live on site” meaning that they systemically ignore the needs of remote home owners and intend to continue to do so.  In an issue regarding communication, Yes Communities said that they spoke with me over a year ago (see June 7, 2016 letter) clearly explaining multiple options. Two of the 3 options were first communicated in that letter one week ago. So, that information is false. They are attempting to establish a false history of trying to with me on this issue when they have not done so.  Therefore, I request that they provide phone records that show them making a call to my number of record. Any and all phone calls since 2012 would be acceptable. They can provide letters and emails, too. This evidence, or lack thereof, will show that they have never called me to discuss options related to receiving online or phone payments. In reality, multiple correspondences went ignored before I refused to pay the ongoing late fees that resulted from their failure to modernize their payment technology combined with being closed for business on due dates. In a letter dated June 7, 2016, I was told I could have my tenant pay Yes Communities in an effort to remedy the problem. That letter also claims that this was clearly explained to me a year ago – putting the alleged conversation at June of 2015. This conversation never took place and is a perfect example of how they ignore my request to modernize payment collection. They deflect the issue by making-up something where I am at fault.  However, on this issue, I was specifically told in May of 2014 to stop having my tenet pay. Here are excerpts from that email from the property manager:  Wednesday, May 21, 2014 9:56 AM, [redacted] <[redacted]> “We have never overfilled for water and have waived many late fees, this is the reason we will no longer bill renters as you are responsible for the amount due.When my tenant paid, it resulted in double billing, misallocated payments where proof of payment had to be sent, and other clerical issues that made this practice not work. Additionally, Yes Communities combines 3 bills into 1 which would require my tenet to pay a bill (sewage) not required in our residential leasing agreement.  Although not at issue in this complaint, if needed, I can provide proof of financial errors on my account that took multiple and complex actions to correct. This is why giving them permission to have unrestricted access to draft my checking account is unacceptable. Avoiding clerical financial errors is one of the many reasons why submitting online payments would be helpful. Even if they did make data input errors (which they have admitted to in the past in writing), online payments come with proof of payment automatically issued whereby any errors of amount received, lost payments, misallocated payment, and date received would all be clear. That way errors could be easily rectified, payments could be early, and I can pay when traveling. So, after 4 years of me being dismissed, I have to wonder if they do not want to end this late fee billing because it is in their financial interest to charge fees – disproportionately exorbitant fees twice the percentage of the industry norm.  That is a predatory practice. They are familiar with EFT (electronic fund transfers) and that is all they do once they receive a check. So, why wait on the mail given that they often bill late? How come a payment could not be received online – at no cost to them?  ALL of the evidence they presented validates my complaint. Their evidence shows that they would receive their payment prior to the late fee date if online payment technology was used instead of the post office. So, I resubmit my complaint with the hopes of removing the smoke and mirrors and request that they directly address the reason they refuse to modernize and use technology to receive a payment. I continue to face financial injury while my concerns go unaddressed. This is the nature of my complaint. For less time than it took for Yes Communities to scan and submit the paperwork to respond to this complaint, a free account could have been established on [redacted] or another similar service. With this service, I could make my payment online; thus making this dispute moot. The system could be set to bill me, I can pay in real time, the funds can be deposited into their account, and I would not receive a late fee. Again, all of these services could be provided free to them.  Therefore, the extreme resistance to this simple, efficient and effective payment collection procedure indicates that they have motivation to entrap residents into late fees. Why else would they not want this?  Please note how they only focus on defending their right to collect late fees and spent no time addressing my concern about what is causing the late fees. So, I resubmit my complaint without the need for them to address pre-existing late fees.  I believe the evidence presented by Yes Communities adequately illustrates the validity of my complaint that use of online payment technology (that is free and efficient) would avoid me being assessed late fees. The date the envelopes were postmarked would have made the deadline if I paid online. The Monday’s or Tuesdays on the 7th when they received a late payment because the 5th fell on a weekend when they are closed would have been already deposited during their time off.  I have not attached additional documentation because their documentation proves my point – late fees would be avoided if I could pay online. However, I do have more documentation, if needed. In closing, here are excerpts of complaints about Yes Communities by other residents (whom I do not know) that are on a national complaint board. They are not my complaints at this time. I am simply providing background information and additional perspective as to why a simple issue has become so difficult.   Jun 15, 2016“management is rude no help at all. When you call the district manager he is no better I have left messages and he does not respond. I think the corporate office need to investigate.” May 23, 2016“we as renters needed to have a bit of freedom when it comes to our home we always pay on time vut yet have a set of rules that are ridiculous to follow”Dec 14, 2015“Rent goes up every year with no sign of any improvement. When you call the manager of the park she replies there isn't anything I can do.”Aug 17, 2015“WHAT A JOKE THIS COMPANY IS. DON'T EVER, EVER, EVER, BUY OR RENT HERE.”Mar 31, 2012“This place is also owned by Yes Communities. What a joke the Yes Corp. is!the lack of services once you sign the papers and the general attitude of the manager(useless).”Mar 29, 2012I have had numerous issues with the office here especially since the new park manager arrived. Yes! Communities is a joke. They are unwilling to work with you and only want your money. If I had the resources, I would sue them on a national level.November 22, 2013I have never been late on my rent or not paid any bills on time. Then… in a citation, if the violation was not removed then we will face eviction. They want your money ONLY and do not give you the sense that you belong to a community at all.  Again – these are NOT my complaints but simply help put context to my complaint.  [redacted], thank you so much for your time, consideration, and efforts to resolve this issue. Without third party involvement, I am ignored. In summary, I request the following from Yes Communities:1)      Proof of the claim in the June 7, 2016 letter where they informed me a year ago that my renter should pay (which contradicts their 2014 request to not have the renter pay them directly). 2)      Proof of any or all calls made to me at my number of record. This will validate (or invalidate) their claim that they tried to work this out with me.3)      A report of how often Yes Communities issues late fees to tenets who mail in checks? I recall another remote resident being issued a fee during one of my visits. I would also like to know how much revenue they are generating from late fees.4)      A copy of their billing procedure, legal responsibility to make a late fee legitimate, and proof that they followed their own billing policy preceding the times when they gave me a late fee.5)      A list of all tenets in Denver and Frederick, Colorado who have received eviction threats and/or eviction action for fees unrelated to non-payment of rent. Please provide the gender, age and ethnicity of each person to rule out any patterns of targeting certain residents. I make this request because complaints by other residents have been logged claiming certain groups are targeted and railroaded into eviction. I do not live onsite and do not know if this is true. However, seeking eviction instead of setting up an online system that takes 5-10 minutes to establish raises my suspicion. Therefore, I would like to rule out profiling.6)      Most importantly, please provide an explanation of whatever barriers prevent online EFT transfers that are free, take less time than the unhelpful accommodations currently being made, and would resolve this issue. What efforts have been made to implement online or phone payment technology where the renter can remit a payment without giving free reign over their account to Yes Communities who has double billed and made financial errors in the past?
[redacted]

Attached are several months' emails from the community to [redacted] with her monthly statements attached. We have highlighted the dates in which these email were sent, the dates they were sent range from the 25th of the previous month to the 29th. The timeframe in which it would take to mail the rent check from Denver to Frederick is one business day, this resident has had ample time to send her checks to the community so that they arrive well before the 5th of the month which is the deadline to not receive a late free. The community is unable to offer an online payment option at this time, but the resident continues to have the option to sign up for Electronic Funds Transfer if she wished. As previously stated, the community will not be refunding any late fees because they have made it very clear what the payment protocol is at the community.