All Forum Posts by: Katrina Cabral

@Bob B. Thank you for your response. Summit Asset Group, here in California, sold us the property. I’ve been told that they were selling properties as rehabbed when all they did was put lipstick on it. We bought it sight unseen. I would love to hire an attorney tomorrow but that’s easier said than done - no one has a good attorney they are willing to recommend and I’ve had a hard time finding one and I’m nervous about hiring someone without a recommendation. And from reading other posts on the forum it sounds like it’s nothing but an uphill battle trying to prove wrongdoing by a PM and would likely cost more than you can recover. That’s probably why these guys are so brazen. 

I’ll file a complaint with them. I hope it will spare someone else from experiencing the same thing . What makes this all the more disheartening is that they’ve done all of this to me knowing that I’m battling stage four cancer right now. I don’t have the energy to deal with this and so I’ve contacted a realtor in the area to try to sell the place. I want to fire them immediately but im scared to because I don’t know the laws in GA and im afraid to expose my family to the liability. 

@Joel Owens Thank you for your quick reply. The house is in a good neighborhood and a gated community. Rock Creek in Rex GA.  Yes, I think there was a fair amount of lipstick. Thank you for recommending rocket lawyer. I’ll check them out. Does it make sense that my PM won’t share any info about my tenants? I would like to see the background check. It seems like they were victims of my PM as well but I can’t be certain. As far as I know, they’re partners in crime. I asked my tenants to send me their rent tomorrow on the first when the rent is due and they said they paid it on Friday.(!) Seems suspicious. 

I forgot to mention that the PM has refused to share the tenant background check with me, citing privacy laws. Does this make sense? If I take over and manage my own property then how will I pursue if they don't pay rent if I don't have any of their info?

Here are a few other concerning things that my PM has done:

Won't show me any evidence that the tenant acquired the personal property insurance they were supposed to get.

Won't send me copies of the keys. 

Won't provide my tenant with a phone number to the PM firm, all communication between PM and tenant has to be through email.

The PM didn't do a walk through with the tenant - they just handed them the keys and left.

Refused to list the property for rent while it was being cleaned after the previous tenants moved out. Waited until it was all finished to list it. Then they only listed it for brief period of about a week. 

Took the listing down before they even had a commitment from an applicant including a deposit. 

Didn't share the candidate info with me before renting it. 

Ignored email requests from me for over two months. 

It seems that I've been fleeced by my new PM: They evicted my tenants, then they charged me a great deal of money to re re-hab the property. They charged me to have the place cleaned before it was listed, etc.. When they eventually listed it, the took the listing down after a very brief period, (about a week). They only had two applicants. The people who rented it did so sight unseen. The first time she saw it was the night she got the keys. The PM didn't even do a walk through, just handed her the keys and took off. She said the place was uninhabitable. The toilet was full of human waste and wouldn't flush. She spent the next two weeks cleaning it herself before they could move in. It seems like my PM never ever intended to rent this place out. It seems like they made their money after gouging me for work they never did and wanted to just leave the place vacant and drive me bankrupt. Every month since the tenant moved in, the PM has been charging me outrageous fees for every thing under the sun:

1) They wanted over $700 for clean the ducts. I found someone else for less than half that and they used them. 

2) A plumber charged me $260 to unclog the kitchen sink, the tub, and rebuild the shower faucet. The tenant told me that he only changed a rubber ring on the shower valve and didn't need to unclog any drains. So the plumber and the PM are lying about what work is being done. 

3)An HVAC repair service for $200 to change the HVAC filter and change the limit switch. I asked the PM what is a limit switch and he just said he "didn't know". (!) I asked for the name and number of the HVAC repair person and it took two months to get. 

4)I keep asking for copies of invoices and can't get them. 

5) I have been asking for their address and to meet them in person - and they keep dodging me. They only list a PO Box on their website. 

This guy is a legitimate real estate agent doing PM work on the side. His name is Hayes Moody and the name of the Property Management Company is Druid Hills Capital, or DHC in Atlanta. It feels like there is no recourse and no way to get restitution. Seems a shame to let these guys get away with this. Can anyone suggest the name of a good Real Estate Attorney in GA? What recourse do I have?

Bob B. I tried to PM you but it didn’t work. 

Update: I spoke with the tenants and it sounds as if they are victims here as well. They rented the place sight unseen. The place was a mess and she described it as uninhabitable. The toilet in the hall bath was full of human waste and wouldn't flush. It sounds like my PM never intended on renting it but then our tenants came along. She asked if she could be let out of the lease. She's not eager to move 'again' but said that the place has a lot of 'issues' and the PM is not great. It seems as if the PM has been charging me for a lot of things that have not been not done - including a thorough cleaning of the place before it was listed. The place has fallen in to disrepair - tenant said something 'large' is living in the attic and there is a visible hole to the attic from the outside. I asked the tenant about the plumber that was there most recently and 'claimed' to have unclogged the sink, the bathtub, and the hall way bathroom sink as well as having to rebuild the shower valve. The tenant said that all he did was replace a rubber ring on the shower valve. I spoke with the plumber and he has a bad case of amnesia - couldn't remember the house or the job nor my PM. He installed a new faucet poorly and didn't connect the drain to the sink so it leaked into the cabinet below. A new plumber charged me $95 to correct the problem. So, I have a scam artist for a PM and a crew of disreputable contractors working for him billing me for lots of things not delivered. My PM is happy to cut ties if I want to - as someone said he has already made a boatload of money so of course he's happy to run. Is there no recourse for this kind of rip off? Should I mention his company here? 

So, here is my dilemma: I have a tenant that wants to leave a PM ready to bail. I am not local. 

What would you do? 

Keep it and repair it and rent it again - housing prices are going up 'finally'. 

If so, do I manage it myself. How/where do I list it for rent?

How do I repair it - I have a guy Miguel who is going to give me an estimate tomorrow.

Should I sell it and if so then how? Repaired, as is, use Roofstock, or an agent? It's in a nice a gated community, Rock Creek in Rex Ga. a neighborhood where 85% are residents. 

If I keep it, and decide to get a new PM then I need recommendations. I use Yelp but so far have not had good luck with PM's - my first was bad and this second one has been worse. I can't figure out how to use Burbz to find a good PM. Would people please share their PM recommendations? How do I verify a good PM? 

Can anyone in the central GA area can recommend a good lawyer? My property is just south of Atlanta. 

Any advice or guidance you can offer will be very much appreciated. 

Back again. First, I want to congratulate all of you for your establishment, participation, and contributions to this community!!  You people are amazing and you are my salvation and I'm so very grateful to have landed here . . . even though I wish it had been under better circumstances. I'm still doing detective work and trying to figure out if my PM is crooked or if the contractors they hired are also in on the gig of ripping me off. I have a call in to the plumber that was responsible for the bogus bill. I definitely need to fire my PM. Not sure if I can mention their name on this forum or if that's against the rules. 

The property is located in Rex, Georgia - it is near Morrow in Clayton County - just south of Atlanta - where 675 & 75 intercept - in the Rock Creek gated community. I'm happy to provide the address unless that's inadvisable on a public forum. A HUGE thank you to those that have offered to drive by and to help . . . who are you guys . . . Saints?!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I may take you up on your offer. I think that there is a lot of damage to the exterior of the home and I was going to fly out to do a visual inspection. I would be so grateful if someone would take a look and let me know how bad it is. 

I should put in a plug for Drain-O-Might plumbing owned by Wendell. He's so honest and helpful. He gave my tenant suggestions over the phone to help him fix his own problem! Wow! 

I joined Burbz.com - still working out how to use it. 

I will file a complaint with the State Real Estate Dept once I get all this sorted out. 

I will begin private messaging those that suggested I do. 

Thank you for your patience, this is not my full time job and so I'm juggling/struggling to keep my head above water with this. THANK YOU again to each and everyone of you who responded!! Your help is priceless!! THANK YOU!!

Thank you LOADS everyone!!

Ok. Took a deep breath....interesting dream. Got it. I called the tenants and ... ding, ding, ding.... Ray had the winning guess....turns out that many of the previous plumbing repairs were ‘never’ actually done, (just fabricated by the plumber). Property manager has volunteered to let me out of our agreement with no charge now that he thinks I’m in town and want to meet. But now I’m property managing a place in Georgia while I’m in California. Jury is still out on the tenants. Crossing my fingers they’re good people and just simply victims in all of this. The good news is I found a really honest plumber  

Question: the property manager won’t share the background check with me. He said it’s against the law. Privacy laws. Is that true? I feel like I need that if I’m going to manage it myself in case they stop paying rent and skip town. 

Does anyone have a good attorney they can recommend in GA? 

I need urgent help. I signed up with a new property management and they evicted the old tenant. They have been doing sketchy things ever since. The only listed the property for about a week before taking the listing down, because they had serious interest in it. Turns out they were unable to collect a deposit from the interested party and so had to go with the only other applicant, a family of five with twin five year old boys and a seven year old boy in a three bedroom house. As soon as they moved in they wanted the carpets replaced, saying her son had asthma and then the ducts needed to be cleaned. Property manager claimed it is typically $700 to clean ducts but my homework said it should be half that. Then the plumber went in and could not repair the clog in the toilet and had to replace the toilet and all the faucets in the house!! Then another plumbing repair two sinks clogged and the bathtub clogged. Today the mirror fell off the wall in the bathroom and shattered and the sink in the hall bath is draining into under the sink. They have only been in there four months. I told the property management not to spend any more money on repairs unless they get my approval but they keep sending people out without my approval and I keep getting stuck footing the bill. This seems like I'm being scammed. The tenants have signed a lease agreement that stated they are required to purchase personal liability insurance and failure is an incurable breach of the lease. I have asked for proof that they did and got nothing. I asked my property manager if I could meet them at their office and asked for their address, because all of their business materials only list a PO Box, and can't get them to give me their address. I'm in California. I need someone to help me file for an eviction, hoping that I can use the excuse that they did not obtain  the insurance. This is my first and only rental. I'm feeling so screwed. PLEASE HELP ME!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!! THIS IS A NIGHTMARE!!