Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  09/24/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On Saturday, September 21st a leak in the hot water heater at our rental unit was discovered and repair request was submitted. Ziprent was notified that the hot water had to be shut off to prevent further damage to the property. Ziprent did not provide any vendors with availability to repair and restore hot water to our property within 24 hours. They were notified that the vendor could not come to our property until Thursday, September 26th and that we were still with out hot water more than 24 hours after the repair request was submitted, Ziprent's solution to this was to look for other vendors that can come sooner and one has still not been provided.

  

  Business response

  09/24/2024

  Hello,

  The tenant notified us that the hot water heater was not working on 9/21. A vendor was approved by the homeowner and the vendor's contact information was sent to the tenant, by us, on 9/22 (the next morning). We told the tenants to schedule an appointment with them. The tenants informed us on 9/23 that the approved vendor cannot visit until 9/26 and asked we get someone else out that can come sooner. We found a plumber that can come sooner (9/24) and the plumber already contacted the tenants and scheduled an appointment for 9/24. Some of the delays here were due to the tenants taking a while to reach out to the approved vendor. We got a vendor available to come out on 9/24 which is a reasonable amount of time to have a plumber out to the property since the issue was reported on 9/21. There is still water in the property, just not hot water. It is extremely hot in ****** right now (where the tenants live) so hot water may not be necessary on a day-to-day basis when it is 90+ degrees fahrenheit outside. We still treat this issue as urgent. We informed the owner of the tenant's complaints and the owner has allowed us to send anyone out that can come **** and provide an allowance of $500 to the plumber to restore hot water ASAP to the property.

  Customer response

  09/24/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

  There was not a delay due to us taking time to call the vendor to schedule. The first email received with an approved vendor was at 8:50am 9/22/2024, I called the vendor at 8:51am 9/22 and was told I could not schedule an appointment due to being a renter and not owner. Ziprent was notified a couple of hours later at 1:25pm that I could not schedule an appointment. I was unable to notify Ziprent that the vendor could not come until
  

  The weather has not been 90+ degrees and this is a completely deceitful statement. The weather has been in the 60s during this time. Expecting tenants to shower in freezing water is completely unreasonable. 
  

  A 24/7 service plumber should have been the first step taken, which is reasonable and within the property managers control, and not considered only after repetitively being contacted. 
  

  Due to the fact that the hot water is now running and it's not worth my time to reject your response I am closing this. Consumers should still know deficient level of care they are receiving when choosing Ziprent as a property manager. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *******

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *******

• Initial Complaint

  08/28/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Dear BBB,I am filing a complaint against Ziprent, the property management company for our property at ******************************************. Ziprent failed to address a critical ** repair, which led to the tenant vacating the property, resulting in significant financial losses for our company, ******************** LLC.Our claim includes:Management Fees: $375.00 A refund of fees paid for services that were not properly rendered.New Tenant Placement Costs: $1,375.00 Compensation for the costs incurred due to the tenants departure, which was caused by Ziprent's mismanagement.Loss of Income for August: $2,750.00 Direct loss of rent due to the ** issue not being fixed, leading to the tenants request for reimbursement and their eventual departure.Totaling $4,500.00.As our paid agent, Ziprent had a fiduciary duty to act in our best interest, yet they failed to manage the property competently. Despite raising these issues, Ziprent offered only a $750 credit, which is inadequate.We seek BBBs assistance to mediate this issue and hold Ziprent accountable for their negligence and failure to fulfill their contractual obligations.Thank you for your attention to this matter.Sincerely,********************************************

  

  Business response

  09/09/2024

  Ziprent has offered the homeowner a full refund of all management fees that they've paid to us because they are unhappy with our services. The delays in response that the owner is complaining about is due to the owner's fault of not utilizing the buttons/technology we have available to our homeowners to expedite the scheduling of having their vendor connect with the tenants.

  We do not believe that we were fully at fault for the delays in getting the ** repaired. We explained to the owner that the use of our buttons in our emails and that should you have used the button to state that you will be using your own vendor, there would have been zero delays. While the tenant may say they are not renewing because of the ** issue, this might not be the only reason. When a tenant decides not to renew, it depends on many factors (rent price, plans to move based on career/wants, etc.). There could be hundreds of reasons a tenant decides not to renew. Again, this is not something we should be entirely blamed for either, even if their sole reason was due to the ** issue. The tenants requesting reimbursement for August and a full deposit refund aren't entitled to it. As a homeowner, you decide how you'd like to proceed with their requests. Vacancy is part of the real estate rental process and will naturally occur.
  Ziprent is not a warranty for all issues that the homeowner experiences with their tenant or their home. We are property managers. Issues arise, and we work to resolve them. The way the tenants feel about the situation or what they're requesting from you isn't something we can control. We did our job as property managers to work through all the issues that came up promptly. We take accountability for some delays in responses, and we're happy to discuss a credit for this.

  Customer response

  09/10/2024

   
  Complaint: 22208099
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The delay was due to Ziprent's unresponsiveness which I have attached as an evidence and they requested that I signed the release of claims when all damages had not been calculated yet.

  Ziprent admitted it was their fault in the attached email, yet they are making false accusations.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********

• Initial Complaint

  07/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  05/13/2024 Ever since I signed my lease with ZIPRENT my tenant rights have been revoked by them. The apartment was inhabitable when I moved in instead of me moving in on 05/13/24 I moved in on July the 2nd the apartment was not ready. Dead rats and rat f**** and pest here on the floor when I wakes in the stove didnt work the toilet still dont work. I was charged by the landlord who is located in ****** A 998$ fee for pest control. My prorated rent was applied to the pest control the landlord stated that it was my fault the landlord stated that I need to fix everything on my own even the plumbing issue I have everything here in writing . I informed ZIPRENT that I will be reaching out to code enforcement. The landlord offered a free lease break move out and or repair with no rent during whatever month . I consented to the second option to have a 3 day notice on my door the next two days I have been getting harassed and pressured by this landlord and this company

  

  Business response

  07/24/2024

  The tenant has claimed that the property is uninhabitable but continues to live in the property rent-free, per owner's approval, until all work orders have been completed. The tenant has been offered a penalty-free lease break if they are unhappy with the condition of the property but has declined this option. The owner has approved any and all repairs requested by the tenant that are habitability related (as required by Ziprent) and we have been actively working on getting all issues resolved as quickly as possible. Most of the delays in getting the work done has been caused by the tenant not scheduling appointments with the vendors in a timely manner. The $998 fee that the tenant notes has been refunded back to the tenants. The 3 day notice that was posted on the front door was a mistake which we've already clarified to the tenant. The owner & Ziprent want to reach an amicable solution with the tenant but have only been threatened with legal action by the tenant instead of working directly with each other to see what else the tenant is looking from the owner or Ziprent to do so that they can be happy and begin paying rent.

  Customer response

  07/24/2024

   
  Complaint: 21984962
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Customer response

  07/30/2024

  I have been very compliant with repairs and my rights are being discriminated against. Lease start *** 13-2024 there were numerous issues and regulations that were not being met. I was offered a rent free lease break or rent free during repairs as the landlord will take it as a loss I was compliant and chose the second option to only receive a 3 days notice that was completely printed and physically put on my front door for everyone to see. Ever since I moved in each time I requested a repair the landlords who is in a different country and is not in the *** keep having excuses. This apartment was never inspected nor cleaned or repaired prior to me moving in. I was charged for repairs and given a refund. But I was still charged and the owner had a nasty attitude when I asked for the money back I had to beg for it back I can post every message and communication to prove that my rights have been discriminated against and still is. These appointments have to a Alr to fit into my schedule as well. Once again I have been very compliant with every repair and schedule times when I can be present. I want to assure I do not have a balance because I consented to only what the landlord said I have no issue paying my rent I will be paying for August and of course I wrote a demand letter and will eventually if I have to if needed get the legal help thats needed. I am willing to get this addressed by a higher authority because this is very stressful and frustrating and I missed in total 4 nights of sleep from this its very depressing I just moved here 

  

  Business response

  07/30/2024

  We have already responded to the complain. Please let us know what other actions are required of us.

  Customer response

  08/03/2024

   
  Complaint: 21984962
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I Am still at risk of my rights and being asked to pay something that I consented to. They are looking for the money and not going off the agreement the 3 days notice was not an accident it was very intentional and physically printed out and put on my door for all neighbors or wherever else to see I will upload that as well. I am being accused of not being compliant with repairs when I have been very compliant I want to assure I have no balance. As i consented to an agreement that I will actually upload here as well I have numerous documentation please let me know if it needs to be uploaded. I feel like my rights are completely at risk. As a tenant. I have only been here since June. Of course I wanted to stay house apartment searching isnt the easiest thing. Its a nice place but you can tell the apartment was never repaired and or inspected after prior tenant and much was needed to be done each request they came an excuse. Only reason the owner offered the 2 offers is because I said I was going to get legal assistance and then he came with the proposal of rent free lease break or repair rent free while he take a loss. I have every document from up until the first conversation. I can have all **** documents uploaded by Monday
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  03/09/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My Girlfriend and I both paid $40 each (total $80) for a rental application fee and received a lease to be signed 04/03/24. We received the lease but had additional questions regarding the lease document and mistakes within the lease. We were given a timeline of 24h to sign the lease and reached out multiple times across the 24h period to get in contact with Ziprent. Unfortunately, they did not respond and our lease requests and after 24h our lease was archived and later rejected.Naturally we were incredibly annoyed and wanted our application fee back because we had lost our lease due to a lack of basic services provided by Ziprent which they charged us for. We requested a refund, but like our application we were completely ghosted. My girlfriend and I then proceed to share our experience on Trustpilot which finally catches the attention of Ziprent who finally responds in the email attached. At the end of the email, Ziprent threatens us by saying they'll only return our rightfully owed deposits if we remove our negative review. This kind of solicitation is an extremely poor business practice and I suspect that their high reviews are a result of bullying negative reviewers away. I'd like our money returned to us as soon as possible and I'd like the BBB to acknowledge this complaint and audit the ratings for this company. In no scenario is it acceptable to withhold refunds to influence the behavior of your customers. This is absolutely shameful.

  

  Business response

  03/10/2024

  We have tried to explain to the customer that our system archives the lease when no action is taken within 24 hours. Unfortunately, the owner chose to move forward with another applicant. We are not the final decision-makers of any property we manage, and we must abide by the owner's final decision. We hold no autonomy over how the owner chooses to proceed, and the owner moved forward with another applicant unfortunately. We tried resolving this with the applicants amicably to explain our leasing process, but unfortunately they are not satisfied with the owner's results. We have asked a couple times to schedule a phone call, but no response to this either. 

  The applicants then submitted reviews that do not truly shed light on our process as we have tried explaining things on our side to clarify this. The application fees are non-refundable, and it is clearly noted on all applications that we provide. However, we were willing to refund the application fees out of courtesy, but we also wanted to meet at a mutual understanding due to the misunderstanding. 

  Customer response

  03/11/2024

   
  Complaint: 21409974
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  There were errors in the lease document and we attempted to contact Ziprent within 10 minutes of receiving the lease document to clarify if an error had been made and to ask follow up questions regarding the lease. Knowing that the lease would be archived in 24 hours, we attempted to contact Ziprent through multiple means within those 24 hours, but were completely ignored by them. We called and sent emails to Ziprent, but they only responded after the 24 hours were complete resulting in our lease getting archived which resulted in the owner moving with another tenant. By this account, the negligence of Ziprent contributed to the dismissal of our lease request. Additionally, the non-responsiveness of Ziprent indicates that they did not perform any service for us after collecting a combine $80 worth of application fees from us. The evidence of these emails are attached to this follow up. 
  
  Ziprent followed up with us after we left a truthful review of our poor experience with them on Trustpilot. A representative from the company (**********************) attempted to solicit us into removing our review claiming that she would only return our application fee once the review was taken down. 
  
  Ziprent claims that they have a non-refundable policy for application fees, but is instead using it as a bargaining chip to fix their reputation which is incredibly unethical and against consumer laws. Additionally, they are refusing to refund us for a service they did not provide.

  Ziprent should return our application fees and the BBB should note that Ziprent is attempting to misrepresent itself online by soliciting reviewers to remove negative reviews. Both acts represent unethical business practices and are violations of the law. Hence we will not comply with their proposed resolution

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************************

• Initial Complaint

  05/31/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We have a situation that involves two separate property management firm and an unlicensed contractor. The parties involved are Ziprent.com, *************, and East Bay Construction and Management (EBC)/******************************* (LP), Owner. The complaint against Ziprent.com and ************* is that they failed to fulfil their obligations as our property manager as outlined in their own advertisement, Mission Statement and ******************* Agreement (PMA) for the building located at ************************************************************* 94109.The complaint against EBC/LP is twofold - #1, they are unlicensed to operate as General Contractors in the *********** despite their advertisement that they are licensed; #2, they have consistently failed to fulfil the written contractual obligations as agreed to. Ziprent.com was obligated to act as our representative in all dealings with EBC/LP, but they failed to do so in a timely and professional manner.Ziprent.com terminated us as their client in an untimely and unjust manner thus causing us irreparable economic and emotional damage. After their termination, we hired *************, but they too terminated us as their client. Prior to the respective terminations, we had a two-year relationship with Ziprent.com and a six week relationship with *************.The terminations by both Ziprent.com and ************* are without any specific basis of misconduct or lack of cooperation on our part. Instead, they both summarily terminated us because all that we have done is to ask them to do what they stated in their own PMA and Mission Statement that they would do. We are now left hanging for weeks and months for promises made but not fulfilled.We dont know whether we have a valid case to bring legal action so we are seeking your counsel in this matter. We are an elderly couple who resides in *******, ** and who in good faith hired and relied on the services of the aforementioned property management firms to manage a small duplex that we

  

  Business response

  06/05/2022

  Hello,

  Please note that this response is from Ziprent. As we are not ************* nor East Bay Construction, we can't respond to the concerns outlined for the third party companies mentioned. Our agreement with the owner allows either party to provide a ************************************* any of our customer relationships, a certain level of trust must exist for us to be able to properly service the property. Furthermore, we must be able to effectively and efficiently communicate with the customer. Throughout the course of us providing services, it became apparent that our communication styles were simply not a good fit. As such, given that the customer's tenant had just moved out, we felt that it was the best time to end our contract so the owner could either hire a new property manager or self manage. 

  It appears that the customer has been having a hard time finding a replacement property manager and seems to place that blame on us. In any case, given that we truly believe in keeping every customer (past and present) as happy as possible, we offered to refund all of the fees collected over the last year ($2280) simply to help them address the issues they are having with finding a new property manager. Subsequent to that, the customer filed this complaint.

  If the customer's goal is to force us to provide ******************** despite our ability to cancel our contract, we are happy to do so with a full legal release. However, we think the best and most appropriate action is for the customer to find an altnerate provider with us refunding any and all fees collected over the last year.

  Customer response

  06/05/2022

   
  Complaint: 17294577
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  1) The reasons stated in the attachment to my response.

  2) This case needs to evaluated by BBB in conjunction with BBB Case #********

      in order to fully understand the gravity of our complaint against Ziprent.

  3) In addition, a BBB case needs to be initiated against East Bay Construction to

      further put all of the pieces of this interrelated matter together.

  4) In addition to filing our complaints with BBB, we have also filed complaint with

      the CA ***** of *********** against Ziprent and *************.

  5) Finally, we have referred the matter over to legal counsel for an evaluation of

      the merits for our complaint against Ziprent, ************* and East Bay Construction.
  

  

  Business response

  06/13/2022

  What is the request by the complaintant? We've already outlined we'll refund all fees paid for the last year.

  As outlined, we are not East Bay Construction or ************* and are not affilitated with them. Our agreement with complaintant gives us the right to terminate our agreement with a 30 day notice which we did in April.

  Note that latest correspondence, and our agreement, with the complaintant is attached. Something to note is that extortion is against the law in the *********** and is a felony. And that the owner has made multiple attempts in writing to receive compensation for issues beyond our control and not related to our services with threats to report us to regulatory bodies. Extortion requires a demand for money along with a threat to disclose information. This has already been shared with the regulatory body (DRE) as well.

  Customer response

  06/15/2022

   
  Complaint: 17294577
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  of the reasons contained in the two attachments.
  

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************

• Initial Complaint

  03/03/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We rented a house through Ziprent. Prior to move in date we presented the photos and raised concerns about lead contamination due to extensive cracked paint in the windows. Our concerns were ignored and we were reassured that there was no knowledge of lead paint. Despite the clear violation of ************* Health and Safety code ******** which states that no more than 10% of the window pint can be chipped due to increased risk of lead contamination. This house was rented to us for **** a month and **** deposit. As soon as we arrived we tested the chipping paint for lead and it was positive. We were advised by Ziprent to move out. Despite having the place in violation of code they are still holding our deposit and rent. They are also not compensating us for storage fees to hold our belongings while we seek alternate housing. They are not compensating us for alternate housing. They performed their own test which also demonstrates the presence of lead in the chipping paint. They have caused unnecessary monetary damages as well as mental stress. I am starting a new job as a surgeon and my wife is taking her pharmacy boards. My wife is also very experienced in toxicology through her work for the poison control center and if it was not for her quick thinking and getting our three year old out of there the situation could have been much worse.

  

  Business response

  03/15/2022

  As we don't own any properties that we rent out, or hold the funds the tenants pay, we can't unilaterally decide to return funds if a tenant requests a refund or moves out. This must be done by the owner. Since filing this complaint, the owner of this property has agreed to return the funds and we are in the process of confirming release language by both parties to sign prior to the return of funds by the owner to the tenant.
  
  Our core task and job is connecting tenants with owners and helping mediate issues between them. We can not make decisions for and on behalf of either side.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩