All Forum Posts by: Stephen S.

I am convinced that the management company, et al. is running a rental scam right next to my house. I knew the previous owner and he spared no expense with the house during his years there. Kitchen and baths all new top-to-bottom, new AC & heat. New water heater, etc. But his wife wanted a pool so they sold the house. New REI company tore out everything Johnny had done - right in the dumpster. New cabinets, appliances, everything. Half-assed no-permit contractors were there for weeks replacing it all.

Comparable rents are about $1800./$1900.  House goes up for rent for $2000.  Lots of people come, wait in the driveway, and eventually leave.  I barely pay attention and even I eventually see the pattern.  Finally two beautiful young schools teachers, one with an impossibly cute precocious little daughter, rent the house.  When they move in the garage door opener doesn't work.  The rear French doors are installed wrong and blow open in any wind.  The AC leaks water into the garage.  The management company phone number goes to an answering service who 'calls in work-orders'.  When nothing happens the answer always is "out of our hands - we called in a work-order."  

I fixed a few things for them but most of it continues to deteriorate as the landlord repairs nothing. The garage ceiling falls in, etc.  Eventually the girls take teaching jobs farther away and move out. The same exact contractors come back and half-*** the place enough to paint over the repairs.  Another new AC goes in and maybe some stuff I missed.  They had a big dumpster though. <g>  House goes back up for rent: $2000. Same pattern.  I ask the other side neighbor to watch for it.  Lots of people come, wait in the driveway, and eventually leave. Every time I see them I grin and yell over:  "Are you the new neighbors?  Welcome To The Neighborhood!" and strike up a conversation.  

"No;  we are just trying to rent the place."  

"Really?  Do you mind me asking how much the rent is?"  

Answer:  "$1000.       

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What I believe is going on is that the 'owner' is a senior-partner /  junior-partner investment fund.  People with investable cash sign up as hands-off junior partners - the senior partner manages their investment for them.  All the 'contractors' are either owned by or seriously kicking back to the senior partner - so 'the expenses' are very high.  Which is how the senior partner siphons off all the junior partners' money. <g>  

AND . . . . they also run an rental scam.  While on Zillow and all the rest for $2000.  the senior partner (though someone else) advertises on Craigslist for $1000.  Lost of desperate people call about the CL ad.  I have found through 'columbo style' conversation that what happens is:  the CL ad person says they will meet them at the property to show the house at a certain time.  Say;  noon.  The prospective tenant gets there at 11:45A  By 12:20P they are calling the CL ad number.  The CL guys apologizes and says he running late;  he'll be right there.  Another 20 minutes one calls the other and the CL guys says:  "I am so sorry, I feel really bad, I really thought I could be there but ________________ (happened) so I'm really running behind.  Tell you what, I hate to hold you up any more, we have electronic locks on the doors and inside the house.  So if you want I can just give you the door code, you can check out the place yourself, and then let me know if you want it.  How's that sound?"

"Great"

"OK, what we do is to take a temporary showing deposit of $_________.  It's just a formality.  If you decide to take the house we credit it towards your security deposit.  If you decide against we immediately refund the money - after you re-lock the door.  We can take credit or debit."

The amount various but is generally $500.

As soon as the deposit is available to the scammer the money disappears.  Sometimes a code is texted, sometimes not.  Then when they either wait or the code doesn't work - all they get is voicemail and then later a number-not-in-service message.

I think the owner is the senior partner AND the showing-deposit scammer.  The pattern is that they run the deposit scam for a month or two and grab that money -  and then rent the house to show that they are serious about renting.  Then they treat the tenant like **** until the tenant leaves and it all starts over again.  

What are the questions you ask in your CL ad Steve ?  

I am sorry that you perceive your experience as less than pleasant.  In contrast;  I found the same experience very helpful to me and Mr. Hughs to be a gentleman in all my dealings with him.  

stephen

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This tenant left the house six weeks early and did not pay the last month's rent.  I fully expected the security deposit to show up as a direct deposit to this property's bank account.  When it didn't I asked about the security.

"We returned it to the tenant.  She moved out because she was afraid to live there alone.  That's justified - so we Had to return the security."

"The security deposit is not your money, nor do you have discretion.  I am the landlord and I alone make all decisions.  You owe me the security - send it to me."

"We had to give it to the tenant - we didn't want to get involved in a lawsuit or anything.  She came in to turn in the keys and we gave her a check.  We had to."

"No you didn't:  and I expressly forbid you to do so.  So if you gave the security back to an non-deserving tenant, AND did it without my prior agreement - then You now owe Me the security."

Soon after I was in Europe and busy with other things and it got back-burnered.  Then one day the tenant called me to ask about the security deposit - would I be willing to split it with them?

"I was told you got 100% of the security back."

"No;  we didn't - we were told that you refused to give us Anything back."

At that point I contacted the PM and said:  "What happened to the security deposit on this property?  I never received it."

PM:  We have no forwarding address for the tenant so it's just sitting in our escrow account.

"You have My address - so just send it to me.  The tenant owes me more than the security amount anyway."

"We can't do that."

"Why"

"We need the tenant's permission before we can release the security."

"What if the tenant died?  Or was in prison?  Or moved to a foreign country under an assumed name?  Then what?"

"We wouldn't be able to release the money."

"Ever?"

"I guess not - there's really nothing we can do."

So before I filed in small claims I started researching the PM  (it's a family member run company)  in terms of past legal actions and found that this is what they apparently Always do.  And they seems to have a habit of moving from state to sate to state on a fairly regular basis.  I don't know but it sure seems suspicious.  They seem to need to relocate every so often. <g>

And why not pull this keep-the-security trick?  Most of the time it probably works.  And in the rare event that someone does take them to small claims court - all they have to do is to give up the same exact amount of money that they owed all along.  It's a great scam - hell;  there is zero down-side for them. <g>

That is where I started.  Eff Wreck is an apparently toothless do-nothing agency who apparently only notifies the subject of the complaint that a complaint has been filed.  Or that has been my experience thus far. <g>. 

I was thinking more along the lines of the Attorney General's Office or the like..

This is in regard to a Florida based property management company.  Their basic MO (I have since discovered) is that they never return security deposits.  They tell the landlord that it was required to give the security deposit to the tenants - and they tell the tenants that the landlord refuses to give back the security deposit.  Usually this apparently flies and the PM keeps the security themselves.  When either of the parties sue them they go to court and always lose and always write a check when ordered to.

In NJ if a landlord refuses to give a security deposit back, and/or fails to detail the handling of the security. (Why it wasn't returned, etc.). The landlord is subject to triple damages.  That is: if the landlord loses in court he has to pay 300% of the security deposit to the tenants as 'damages'.

My question for you all now is:  Does Florida have such a penalty scheme in place?  And . . . . . Would it apply to this situation?   

The tenant left the property six weeks early and did not pay the last months rent and there was some slight damage

.  So the tenant is Not entitled to receive the security deposit back in this case.  I have spoken to the ex-tenant and they Did Not receive the security deposit back.  Making the PM thieves AND liars. 

Stephen

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Look at the bright side  (rather than be disappointed)  yhe "bump" at least gets a post back to the top of the queue - where there is a better chance of it being noticed and responded to.

Sorry:  Fairview. <g>  

And I have talked myself Out trying to get anyone in Camden to see the obvious path to revitalizing Camden residentially.

My Plan is this:  Anyone who wants a house which is well underwater with unpaid liens can have clear title to the house under these conditions:

Before they actually receive title - 

1. They repair the house to Section 8 grade rental standards  (which are not high <g>).

2. They agree to Only occupy the house personally for at least five years.

At that point the house is placed into their name.  It becomes their house.  Their title carries a lien for the full amount of the back taxes and previous liens.

3. If all water, sewer, and property taxes are paid, in full and on time, for a period of five years - and the house and property are kept in good repair and appearance - the previous lien amount against the title is forgiven in full.

Well Andre;  here is Your chance to get in on The Camden Renaissance - and . . . . right on the ground floor.

What do you say?  Want to start with me giving you a starter house there? <g>

stephen

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(you)

Camden is actually starting to make a comeback. It's still not good but there is over 3 billion dollars of investments happening around cooper hospital. multiple companies are building headquarters in the city including American water which is the biggest water utility in the US, Subaru, Lockheed Martin, Campbell's soup. That along with Cooper hospital which is now teaming up with Rutgers and Rowan and building medical schools, higher degree nursing schools, huge health sciences facilities. The universities are also planning on expanding. Later this year two developers fr New York and Philadelphia and starting a 1 billion dollar project on the waterfront that includes two brand new glass tower building along with the American water HQ. Another couple years people are going to start pouring into Camden trying to buy while the prices are low. 

That's OK.  They can refuse to provide a Social Security Card and matching photo drivers license all they want.  Just as I will refuse to consider them as a prospective tenant.