ComplaintsforFour Star Realty & Property Management, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  05/05/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Please see the email attached that was sent in January. Four Star Realty did address the security deposit being mailed to the residence address that was vacated rather than the permanent address on fi le. That check was reissued and has been cashed by ******** (my daughter) and ******* (her roommate). Four Star Realty ignored the remainder of the complaint and claim.The apartment rented has historical flooding problems for which ****************** required a notice in the unit regarding"subject to flooding". We were told by Four Star Realty's representative and believed it to be true that this was due to the proximity to *************. The problem is a recurring issue with the neighborhood and should not be charged to the tenants.

  Business response

  05/14/2024

  ****, Thank you for reaching out regarding the deposit. We contacted the residents on 1/14/2024 after the security deposit was "returned to sender". We then reissued the check per their response. We apologize for missing your email about the charges during the lease period as we believed this was reconciled with our reach out and response to the residents, as to where to send the check. We have since responded to your email. The floodplain in ******* does not have to do with stoppages inside of a toilet which is why those charges do stand. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance. Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  03/21/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Four Star Realty has shown up to my apartment on multiple occasions, with tours set up that they neglect to tell me about. Even worse, *** come home to my apartment with muddy footprints, and after calling them to ask them to stop showing up randomly, they hung up. I am afraid to have headphones in my apartment, and they can show up at any time. I got in touch with the attorneys general office, and theyve been wonderful. After complaining several times, they finally start calling. I did not resign my lease and they tour my apartment up to 4 times a week. I cant count on how many times theyve shown my apartment, aggressively coming in, ruining my privacy. Furthermore, we were charged over 600$ because Four Star refused to change out our non-working trash cans. Thankfully, I got 200$ off my rent because the city mandated they do so. They have made it so I cannot do remote work at my apartment, as I cant have them walking in when Im on private business meetings. I would get fired if somebody saw someone walking through my apartment. I am so saddened by there bullying. They mistreat us so much, its terrible.

  Business response

  03/22/2024

  ******,
  
  Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback; however, we find that your claims in this complaint are not accurate and issues we have previously discussed on multiple occasions. We have taken the time to review each of your complaints.
  
  We have had 1 tour that had an issue with us failing to notify you. This was caused by a last-minute rescheduling by the prospect, and one of our newer agents, who rescheduled the tour, failed to remove the notification **** from the tour leading to the confusion. We offered a very sincere apology and have ensured that this has not happened again. There have been no other occasions in which Four Star arrived for an unannounced to tour.
  
  This is the first time you have mentioned coming home to muddy footprints in your unit. This is an odd claim as you have confirmed that you will be present for all tours. We have spoken to our current showing agents who also don't recall a time you weren't home for a tour we have conducted. Regardless, we have taken the time to review proper showing practices with our agents when adverse weather causes potential for mud to be tracked in to avoid this happening to any of our tenants as the mud season is quickly approaching.
  
  We reviewed our full touring calendar,and since we started showing your unit in December, we have only booked 10 tours with multiple cancellations. In March we toured only twice and even rescheduled two more tours that were booked on the day that you stated you had interviews. We will continue to try to work with you as needed to limit our very brief tours from negatively impacting you. Your claim that we have toured your unit 4 times in a week is not accurate though as we have not toured more than twice in the same week. 
  
  If you review your ledger, you will find that there was never a $600 charge for trash. You have been billed back 4 times for trash citations. This occurred due to two instances where the *************** cited the tenants of your building for not properly securing trash per their regulations, both of which were charged back to you at $20. You were then billed a $100 and $50 fee for two other citations against the building by the *************** due to improper trash usage by the tenants. There was a $200 credit added to your account due to our accounting team not prorating the fee across all units. An error they caught and corrected in real time causing no impact on you besides charging your account correctly. This credit had nothing to do with a mandate by the ***************. While reviewing your ledger we looked for any other charges that you may be referring to but we found no errors or other charges besides your original move in charges and recurring monthly charges that have been billed accurately. If you wish to come into our office to review your ledger with our team we would be happy to sit down with you to get everyone on the same page.
  
  We do not believe we have mis-treated you in any way. We did make 1 mistake with the tour that wasn't notified for which we owned up to, apologized for, and have prevented it from happening again. We have always been very respectful with our communications to you. We will continue to show you respect when discussing any matter in your unit but will not stand for misleading or blatantly inaccurate information regarding your experience while renting from us. 
  
  Your desired resolution of having no further contact from us is unfortunately not plausible. We will need to contact you to inform you of future tours along with coordinating any future maintenance repairs or emergencies. We are happy to limit our contact with you to only imperative matters but cutting all communication is not a beneficial resolution for either party and will only result in further issues. 
  
  We are sorry for the inconveniences you have experienced during your tenancy, and it is our goal to provide you with a positive experience for the remainder of your lease. We will continue to take action to limit our overall impact on you while ******** this unit for the following term and fingers crossed it leases soon so we can stop touring all together!
  
  Sincerely,
  Four Star Realty
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Four Star is the worst business in Boulder by a large margin. I have been trying to get them to remove ice/snow outside of my unit for weeks and they have lied to me multiple times saying that they were going to get it removed. I pay a $75 grounds fee every month and the property manager must be pocketing that cash every month because NOTHING EVER GETS DONE. In the lease agreement, they agreed to remove snow, and other debris that appears from bad weather. Knowing this, I called them 2 weeks ago asking for them to clean out the snow and ice because my roommates have fallen multiple times and its extremely dangerous, and I pay a fee every month for them to do it so I shouldn't even have to ask them in the first place. After being ghosted by the property manager once, I had to call 4star over and over before she finally decided to call me back. She said 4 days ago that she would get someone out to remove the snow and ice.....well guess what???? ITS STILL HERE. 4 star is actively breaking their end of the lease agreement and have decided to let the ice melt for weeks instead of doing what they have promised me through the lease agreement. So, 4star, if you are reading this: when I slip and crack my head open I will sending you the hospital bill.OH!! I cant forget to mention THAT A COMPLETE STRANGER LET HIMSELF INTO MY APARTMENT WITHOUT ANY SORT OF NOTICE FROM 4STAR. Again, if that happens one more time and I suffer a heart attack, I will be sending 4star the hospital and therapy bills:)

  Business response

  03/06/2024

  We appreciate you reaching out, and would like to apologize for any issues with snow removal. Our team has responded promptly and taken necessary measures to ensure the situation is resolved. We understand the inconvenience this *** have caused and sincerely apologize for any issues you've experienced. Moving forward, we are committed to maintaining a high standard and will be vigilant in addressing any similar issues that *** arise. If you have any further concerns or if there's anything else you'd like to discuss, please do not hesitate to reach out. 

• Initial Complaint

  01/17/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  My issue is with an apartment complex owned by Four Star Reality. The past few months we have struggled to get out lives back in order after I had lost my job from being sick. We pay our rent every single month. Never once have we just not paid it. We have to take a little from each weekly check to make enough just to pay rent but we can't pay until the end of the month. 4 months now and it was never a problem until last month.Yeah, they would post the 10 day notice on the door after the 10th of the month but we always had rent paid in that 10 day window. The managers worked with us and now are pretending like we are worthless scum bag. This isn't a joke to us. We neglect every other bill so we have a place to live and now they're trying to take that away too. Dec. 2023 they decide they are going to evict us. Without warning, without even a 10 day notice for demand. Which is the law mind you. Here's how it happened. The 10th comes and we didn't get a 10 day notice so we thought everything was good. Management goes on Christmas break for two whole weeks making it impossible for us to pay in person until January. So what do they do? They purposely skip the 10 day notice and move right to the eviction summons. It is required by law for tenants to receive that summons no later that 24 hrs after its filed with the court. So that there is enough time for the defendant to file an answer. That paperwork was filed before Christmas and I never got a copy of it until AFTER Christmas on Dec. 28th informing me I had court THE NEXT DAY!! Illegal. I had no time to even try to respond. They didn't serve me right, they handled SO MANY things inappropriately throughout this whole situation and somehow they keep getting away with it. I have done nothing wrong. My rent is paid every month. I have everything I owe to pay them right now but they are kicking out anyway which is NOT what was told to the judge. I am working with attorneys as we speak, and am fighting this to the fullest.

  Business response

  01/18/2024

  Hi ****,
  
  Thank you for your statement regarding this matter.  Our goal is not to treat anyone poorly nor to kick anyone out without a due process.  Unfortunately, at this time, your December and January rent have remained unpaid.  A *************************************************************************** we would have to file eviction.  Payment was not made, so we followed the process of filing eviction.  Rent was still not paid through the court date at the end of December and the court made the decision to ***** us possession of the unit if your rent was not paid by 1/18/24.  Unfortunately, no payment has been made and we are continuing with the courts decision unless a full payment can be made.  There was a full month of time prior to the court date to pay December's rent, and it was left unpaid.  
  
  If you have a plan for an aggressive payment plan, please reach out to *********************** at ************************************* with a proposed payment plan.  If it can be aggressive enough to pay off the two months of past due rent, we can discuss stopping the sheriff.  
  
  Thank you,
  Four Star Realty

  Customer response

  01/19/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********. I am still disheartened a bit over this... the fact that I can't get the help I need, one simple request that I know is able to be done, which is to work with me on my due date. The lease specifically states modification of due dates is something that's possible in order to make it easier for tenant to pay rent. That's all I've been asking for. So I I'm still pretty frustrated over that, but I am also very grateful that a payment plan was set in place to assist in the eviction process so I don't have to stress about being homeless tomorrow. That much I am very grateful for. So thank you. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  01/16/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  We have had multiple instances of Fourstar not pulling permits and completing necessary work on time to our unit to make it habitable. The city issued said violations 13 months ago and they have still not been resolved. The result of these issues not being addressed have been large growths of mold and mildew that have not been properly remediated in a timely matter. We have proved allergy tests and doctors notes but fourstar still believes our unit is habitable when the property manager has not been out to the property since we have lived here. They have clearly violated the warranty of habitability but will not release us from the lease or fix any of the issues.

  Business response

  01/24/2024

  *****, we have been responsive to all of your questions and concerns. We have conducted air sampling mold tests, and hired licensed and insured professionals on all of the work we have performed. We have also cooperated with the *************** at every step of the way. Please let ** know your desired outcome for the situation.
  
  Thank you, ***************************, Director of the ******* Region

  Customer response

  01/24/2024

   
  Complaint: 21154776
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Within the same week of RMB (************************) air sampling we hired our own mold investigation and they recommended immediate remediation with further investigation to find the source of the mold, while RMB said everything was fine. We also found that the level of humidity is also above the habitable range due to the lack of ventilation which confirms our concerns about the warranty of habitability. We notified you of the lack of ventilation in November 2022 and as of 1/24/2024 it has still not been resolved.

  I have attached the report we received from them and look forward to hearing how you will resolve this matter. 

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

  Business response

  01/31/2024

  Hi *****,
  
  We are happy to continue any conversations. We do believe we properly mitigated your concerns, and have been a willing partner to the ability you are allowing. The city has confirmed there are no habitability issues during their walk throughs. Please let ** know if there is something specific you are seeking.
  
  Thank you,

  *******, Director of the ******* Region

  Customer response

  01/31/2024

   
  Complaint: 21154776
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I have spoken with the city and confirmed that during the city walkthrough the code enforcement officer can not and will not make any reports of mold found or humidity levels. In the reports I attached earlier we have factual evidence that our unit is uninhabitable due to the humidity levels which are directly caused by the lack of ventilation. The city issued code violations for this exact issue at the beginning of 2023 and they have still not been resolved. We have made multiple requests to be able to leave the premises based on the warranty of habitability but we have been denied multiple times and threatened with eviction. 
  

  And just today we were threatened with another eviction notice if we withhold the 600 dollars it took to perform our own mold investigation. Based on the report our property manager had ************************ to remediate the issues found in that report. We have asked multiple times for reimbursement and have been denied. 

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

  Business response

  02/09/2024

  Thank you for your response. Again, we have been responsive to all emails and inquiries. We will continue to promptly respond to any questions or issues. 

  Customer response

  02/09/2024

   
  Complaint: 21154776
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  if responding to are inquiries means taking over a year to repair code violation then you would be correct but as of today we are living in hazardous mold conditions and your remediation attempts have not been thorough in solving our habitability issues. You have denied our requests for alternative housing or be able to break the lease, and threatening us with eviction for following the warranty of habitability. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  12/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My upstairs neighbors are in violation of their lease and have been for several months.*** given the office multiple attempts to rectify the situation and theyve done nothing to resolve the issue. They are disrupting my life and causing needless pain and suffering to me. The tenants need to be evicted immediately.

  Business response

  12/07/2023

  Hello *****, Thank you for reaching out.  We have been in touch with your upstairs neighbors to work on ways to be quieter.  Unfortunately, there will always be some noise heard in apartment living.  ****, our regional manager, had been talking to you, but you stated that the management company was not doing enough and there was no reason for us to continue to assist.  We are more than happy to continue that conversation to help find a solution.  Unfortunately, there is only so much we can do about general noise of upstairs neighbors, but for anything egregious, we would like to help as offered in the past.
  
  Thank you,
  The Copperleaf Team

• Initial Complaint

  12/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Four Star Realty acquired ************************ recently, and since then our dumpster area has become a health hazard. There are open bags of trash and rotting food on the ground blocking access to the dumpsters. We have also witnessed children playing in the trash and eating the trash.

  Business response

  12/05/2023

  Hello *****,
  In regards to the trash build-up, this was one item that Four Star wanted to tackle from the first day.  We have taken two main steps to mitigate the trash building up in the trash corrals.  The first step was to contact Republic Trash to ensure we had the amount of proper pickups each week.  Republic comes every week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  They do come at the end of the day as we are near the end of the route, but our property manager watches for the truck.  If she does not see it come at the end of the day on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, she does call to ensure they are still coming out.  If there was a delay, they will pick up the trash the following morning.  We also hired a maintenance team of two who have duties that include keeping an eye on the trash corrals to ensure there is not trash building up.  
  
  Unfortunately, we cannot stop residents from throwing trash into the corrals and not into the dumpster.  We have steps in place to mitigate the issue.  I have attached images of the corral's current condition.  We will continue to implement any steps to mitigate this issues.
  
  Thank you,
  Four Star Realty

• Initial Complaint

  11/01/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  They never did a walk through, and they charged me for stuff. That was not damaged and for an unclean department. And cleaning common areas like a laundry room and hallways that were not part of my list and damages for things that were not damaged. I mentioned after people had already moved into the apartment.

  Business response

  11/07/2023

  ******, We complete a move out inspection via a third party company DBA ***** Home Inspection.  Per the lease agreement we professionally clean the unit upon move out and we do not charge back the residents for any common area cleaning costs.  The common areas are cleaned weekly and paid for by the ownership group, not the residents.  We also provide the resident the option to have the unit professionally cleaned as long as the receipt and proof of cleaning is completed before the move out date.  Upon move out, we needed to replace the garbage disposal and 84 inch blinds in the apartment due to damage from the residents' tenancy.  The total bill for the materials and labor was $495, of which we only charged $247.50.  Please contact ************************************* if you would like to discuss the reconciliation process in greater detail. 

  Customer response

  11/13/2023

  So they say don't charge the The resident. I talked to him. And they are willing to give me half of my money back. But terrorism pictures that they did not show you. He did not say that the place was not clean before I moved in. I sent them all of those pictures. They're not giving me credit for me cleaning the apartment before I move  in. The sad thing  is the knew the apartment wasn't clean before I moved in. All I'm asking for is all of my deposit back because I clean it when I moved in and when I move out.  And they didn't do a way threw with me either time per my lease.

  Business response

  11/21/2023

  In an effort to reach an amicable resolution for both parties we waived all charges with the exception of the cleaning charge but did offer to reduce that charge by $50. A professional cleaning is required at the resident's expense at move out, per the Four Star lease. The unit was cleaned prior to move-in and the pictures the resident submitted do not illustrate a dirty apartment.  I have attached a photo of the oven that the resident produced stating it was not cleaned at all.  After turning thousands of units over the last decade, it is obvious the resident is not sure what they are looking at - the stove was clearly deep cleaned and there are 1 or 2 permanent stains in the oven which they are mistakenly identifying as the unit not being cleaned at all.  Our proposed figures return 80% of the security deposit to which the resident rejected. 

  Customer response

  12/03/2023

  This is  the photo I sent them when I move in to the apartment. And the $50 doesn't even include $60 That they charged me when They sent someone to clean the apartment after  I moved  in and they didn't even clean  the apartment because i already did. It had already been 10days and a holiday.  And here's another email where they say they're going to give $247.  Extra . All I'm asking for is what mine. Had the apartment been cleaned when I moved in I wouldnt be asking for my deposit back. But I had to clean it. Then got charge a fee of 60 to have some come out to clean it after it should have been done before I move in. I ask for them to a walk through when I move in and out and they said no to send pictures both time and I for move pictures from the and still have provided them.

• Initial Complaint

  09/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Four Star Realty requires that tenants pay $25/month for valet trash services (this is in addition to traditional apartment complex trash fees for dumpsters). The $25 monthly payment is billed by Four Star and is paid through Conservice, a utility billing agency. Per our lease agreement, Valet Living is supposed to pick up trash left outside residents' doors every night after 7:00 pm, Sunday-Thursday nights. Valet Living does not adhere to this schedule. Over our 3 years of tenancy at this Four Star complex, we have generously estimated that residents' trash is picked up 3 out of 5 times when left out Sunday-Thursday evenings. When not picked up, the trash sits in the hallway and creates unpleasant smells and attracts pests.When contacted on 21Aug2023 to obtain a partial refund in response to the poor service, Valet Living stated that service and associated fees should be addressed with property management (Four Star). Four Star was then contacted to obtain a partial refund, as the valet trash services we are promised in our lease agreement are not being performed as written.Four Star was allegedly in contact with Valet Living on or before 29Aug2023 to improve trash services. We were told a new "tracking system" had been implemented to ensure trash would be picked up per the agreed upon schedule. The next evening, Wednesday, 30Aug2023, we left trash out for pickup. The next morning, the trash was still there. This was brought to the attention of Four Star and Valet Living, and I have not received a response from either corporation.We requested a $400 refund (2/5 of the $1000 in payments we've made over the past 3 years) and to opt out of valet trash, as we end up taking it out ourselves anyway. We have been told by Four Star that they cannot be held accountable for trash services they are required to provide per our lease agreement, that we must continue to pay for these services we do not receive, and that we cannot opt out of valet trash pickup.

  Business response

  09/07/2023

  *****, We acknowledge your frustration with the valet trash service. Four Star inherited the contract with ***** Services when we took over the management of the *************** and kept it in place as it was a service that tenants seemed to enjoy. Upon receiving your recent feedback, we reached out to the District Manager of ***** Services to discuss the tracking systems and ways to improve the service. ****** has since attempted to contact you with no response quite yet, and is eager to discuss a resolution. Please feel free to reach out if issues persists, but we believe we are working toward a resolution at this time.

  Customer response

  09/07/2023

   
  Complaint: 20557038
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The mentioned representative from Valet Living has been copied on all correspondence between myself and Four Star regarding this matter. The representative has made no effort to contact me individually or reply to any of the emails in the message thread regarding this matter. 

  Additionally, Four Star informed us that they had been in contact with Valet Living regarding this matter, and that Valet Living had implemented a "tracking system" to improve their services (as communicated to us on 29Aug2023). The next night we left trash out for pickup (Wednesday, 30Aug2023, a weeknight on which Valet Living is scheduled to collect trash), the trash was not collected. Four Star has also mentioned that there have been complaints made by other residents, so it is clear that this is an ongoing issue.

  Further, Four Star has not acknowledged our request for reimbursement or billing adjustment going forward.

  I have attached a copy of the email correspondence for the review of BBB. I'd like to call specific attention to the email from the representative for Four Star, received on 29Aug2023 at 9:50 am, detailing the "tracking system". You can also find in the email sent on 31Aug2023 at 8:59 am where I notified management of the failed trash pickup the night of 30Aug2023. The BBB may also note that the support contact email address for Valet Living is copied on all correspondence, with no reply beyond directing me to the district manager.

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

  Business response

  09/14/2023

  Four Star continues to monitor ***** Services to ensure they are servicing the property and fulfilling the terms of our contract with them. We do have record of recent email correspondence on 9/12/23 from *****************************, of ****** Services, to ***************************** email of record recapping a recent conversation they had including an offer of a gift card to assist in resetting expecations. At this time we feel that this issue has been resolved.

  Customer response

  09/15/2023

   
  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. However, it is incredibly disappointing that Four Star would not take the initiative to hold themselves accountable for the services they provide. Also, it was disingenuous of Four Star to claim that I had been contacted by ***** Living and I had not responded, when they knew I had not. I was only contacted after I provided the email evidence to the BBB that no contact had been made. 

  I am extremely dissatisfied with Four Star as a company. This resolution came about from the kindness and professionalism of the mentioned Valet Living representative. Four Star had no role in the resolution of this complaint, other than obstruct and deflect my attempts to hold them accountable.

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

• Initial Complaint

  08/03/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Junction apartments in ****************** which is under Four Star Reality is not allowing my daughter and her two friends out of their lease, even after multiple failures to communicate, return phone calls or clearly going over the lease. With students of this age, with no experience or understanding, a meeting or phone call is required to go over the lease aspects. The guarantor agreement was not signed by the parents and no communication was returned when one of the leasee's parents when they called and emailed to cancel the lease and let them know that they would not be leasing the unit they offered after they offered a unit the girls were not interested in. The Junction apartments stated the parents did not let them know they weren't interested in A9 or A7 when in fact the parent called multiple times with no response that very day they looked at the units. Instead of admitting that they miscommunicated and mislead the girls or did not do due dilegence, they allowed the girls to sign the lease under false pretenses. I asked my daughter several times if it was the lease she was signing or something else and she promised/told me that it wasn't the lease, it was the intention to sign the lease, not the actual lease. She was obviously told this by one of the people at Junction apartments. Either **** or *******, both of which refused to answer emails or return phone calls from us requesting they cancel the lease. This behavior. enabled **** and ******* to say that they did not cacel in time and hold them to the second lease which was not the right unit and without parents being communicated with or signing the guarantor agreement. The girls were not informed of the unit change/availability BEFORE they signed the lease. They signed the lease first. Junction did not have a second floor unit available. We want out of the lease, with little or no penalty. Based on reviews on yelp, we are not the first to experience this lack of professionalism and youth targeting.

  Business response

  08/04/2023

  Hello and thank you for your note.  There was a meeting with the asset manager and leasing manager as well as two of the future residents and their mothers after the clerical error was found.  The unit singed for on the lease was A7 which is a ground floor unit.  During this meeting, two other units were provided as options to move into instead of A7.  The meeting ended with the future residents going to see where those other units were and they were to come back to the office to inform management of which unit they preferred so a new lease could be sent out.  Both of the other units provided were on the second floor.  The future residents never came back into the office to inform us of which unit they would prefer.  After some time had passed, an email was received by management requesting the lease to be cancelled, which was not an option prior.  We continued to offer a non-first floor unit, yet it is not accepted.  We did describe other options to relieve responsibility of the lease agreement, but the only response back to management is to void the lease agreement.  We are continuing to offer a second floor unit but have yet to get a response back if they would prefer to stay in unit A7 or move to A9 (second floor unit). All floorplans offered have been the same, it is just the floor that the unit is on that differs.  
  
  Cheers, Four Star

  Customer response

  08/05/2023

   
  Complaint: 20420398
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  At this point, because management will not answer phone calls or return phone calls regarding this issue, I would like to look at other options outlined in the lease agreement for canceling or last resort breaking the lease agreement. The other parties involved were responsible for this issue and my daughter (the third leasee) and myself were not brought into this fight until much much later. 

  Regardless of whether or not there was a bait and switch scenario going on or not, there was a lot of confusion on both parties part about what was happening. The agent (junction apartments) claim they did not hear back from the residents on which apartment they wanted. The residents (again only 2 of the 3) claimed they called and left two voicemails and had an extensive email thread going where they asked to back out of the lease. ******** law says any contract can be voided within three days of signing. The girls signed the lease on July 19th and the voicemails and emails were July 21st from my knowledge. This would void this contract. 

  Another point is that in the lease on page 10, number 34, item B States: 

   

  B. A Lease Guarantee Agreement is required under the terms of this Lease: Yes

  
  If required, all Lease Guarantee Agreements need to be returned within 3 business days from the Agents drafting
  of this Lease. If the Lease Guarantee Agreement(s) is not received by the deadline date above, Agent at Agents
  option may void the Lease at Agents discretion. Failure to return the completed Lease Guarantee Agreement(s)
  by the deadline stated above does not automatically terminate this Lease Agreement. Resident must receive
  written notification from the Agent that the Lease has been terminated for the termination to occur. Resident will
  be charged 100% of one Months Rent and Resident will forfeit all application fee(s), holding fee(s) and *******
  Money. Resident will be responsible for all Rent payments until the Premises has been re-leased and any costs
  associated with the re-leasing of the property. Execution of this Lease by Agent is contingent upon verification,
  approval and acceptance of applicants rental and employment references.

  I have not signed a guarantee agreement and the other two parents have stated they have not either. The Junction apartments will not have guaranteed statements and thus no way to get the rent for the apartment. The girls can't pay themselves and we will refuse to pay. The best thing for their business that Junction apartments can do is rent the unit to someone else and cut ties with this lease. It clearly states in this paragraph that a guarantor is required for the lease to be valid. We should have gotten a written notice form the agent that the lease was void because no guarantors signed the agreement. Instead they refuse to void the lease. It has been two weeks and the lease clearly says three days *** to have all documents signed. 

  The other option I see, if the agent is going to play hard ball and not void the lease even though there are no guarantors is to look at subletting the apartment. In the lease the language states that the agent needs to approve subletting and HELP us sublet the apartment. This should be possible since there is a waitlist on their website for all three bedroom apartments. I will pay the $500 and sublease the apartment, although really no matter what, Junction is making money in this situation so they should just open the apartment up and rent it to someone they will get the money from. Here is the section from the lease agreement. 

  6. Assignment/Lease Transfer/Release.
  A. Resident shall not assign this Lease, or sublet any portion of the Premises, for any part or
  the full term of this Lease without the prior written consent of Agent, which may be withheld in Agents
  reasonable discretion. If Resident assigns this Lease or subleases the Premises without Agents prior
  written consent, such assignment or sublease shall be void and shall be a material default of this Lease.
  B. Agent agrees to allow Resident to assign or sublease Residents interest in this Lease,
  provided Agent approves the terms of the assignment and/or sublease, in Agents reasonable discretion.
  Agent is under no obligation to allow the assignment or sublease of the Lease for any reason, if the
  assignment or sublease is not in the best interest of the Owner. If the Premises is re-leased under the terms
  set forth in this paragraph, Resident shall be responsible for Rent and all other obligations under this
  Lease until the commencement of a new lease. Agent, at Agents discretion, may require a commercially
  reasonable time period between Residents move-out and the commencement of a new lease in order to
  prepare the Premises for the replacement Resident (the Turnover Period). Resident shall be responsible
  for the Rent payments and all other obligations under this Lease during the Turnover Period. All other
  costs associated with re-leasing the Premises, as stated above, are the responsibility of the Resident.
  Resident shall be responsible for paying any rental promotion or rent concessions necessary to re-lease
  the Premises.
  C. If the parties to this Lease are changed at the request of the Resident and agreed to by the
  Agent, this Lease shall be subject to a $500.00 Lease Change fee paid by the Resident. This fee paid by
  the Resident must be paid prior to adding or subtracting any party from this Lease. A Resident Lease
  Transfer may be allowed when a Resident wishes to vacate the Premises prior to the end of the Lease
  term or a new Resident is added to the Lease by both incoming and outgoing Residents executing a Lease
  Transfer Addendum to the Lease provided by the Agent. Additionally, a Resident re-leasing the Premises
  who received a rent promotion at move in, in exchange for a full lease term, must refund the full amount
  of the promotion given prior to Agent executing a lease with new Resident.
  D. In the event Resident gives Agent 30 days written notice of Residents intent to vacate
  the Premises, requests Agent to re-market the Premises for lease and pays an administrative releasing fee
  paid equal to 100% of one months rent (Re-Leasing Fee), Agent shall commence efforts to re-lease the
  Premises. Resident also agrees to pay all other expenses associated with the marketing or re-leasing of the
  Premises, including but not limited to advertising, carpet cleaning, re-keying, move out deep cleaning, all
  necessary repairs and transfer of utilities. The Re-Leasing Fee, which is neither a lease cancellation fee
  nor a lease buyout fee, does not release Resident from continued liability under said terms of this Lease.
  Rather, the Re-Leasing Fee is intended to cover Agents time, effort and expense in finding and
  processing a replacement tenant. Regardless of paying the Re-Leasing Fee, Tenant shall not be released
  from liability under the Lease until a new lease is signed for the Premises, a new security deposit has been
  paid, all associated leasing documents have been completed, and all monies owed have been collected.

   

  The agent was given plenty of notice by email and voicemail that the girls wished to vacate the unit. There should be no recovery fees/cleaning fees due to the fact they never moved in, and no money should be paid for the "transition" period since the apartment will be rented and moved into quickly and again, the agent is not losing any money. 

  Lastly, in number 7 of the same section: 

  7. Move-In Requirements. Resident must have all paperwork completed and payments made and
  turned in to Agent, as required, including if applicable, Lease Guarantee before Resident will be given
  possession of the property. Resident must have a zero-balance owing on their account with Agent before
  they can receive keys on the first day of their Lease, or sublease to their Premises. Keys will not be
  tendered until all paperwork is received and there is a zero balance on Residents account.

  Again, not all the paperwork has been completed and I am sure they got the deposit from us and the other tenants. That is $2700 in their pocket already and they will get $500 more if they allow us to sublet. Best case scenario, because the paperwork is not signed and the guarantors notes are not signed, this lease is void. Second best case scenario is we get moving on subletting the apartment to someone on the waiting list. 

  Regardless, it is time to move forward. I am not interested in anything but voiding this lease or subletting the apartment. The Junction apartments will not communicate with us and refuse to return phone calls, so it is hard to resolve conflict when one party refuses to come to the table. The tenants will not be moving into the apartment and the parents will not be signing the guarantors agreements. I would appreciate a phone call regarding these options I have laid out and I would appreciate it if **** and ******* (***************************** is the agent on the lease) would behave in a way that we can move forward for all parties involved and be professional and compassionate when doing so. 

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

  Business response

  08/14/2023

  Hello ********,

  In your last meeting with the property manager, it was offered to waive the re-marketing fee equal to one month's rent.  There was an addendum sent and pending signature from the lease signees detailing that we were waiting the re-marketing fee.  Since then, we have been actively marketing your unit on our website to assist in finding a relet for the unit.  We have had two applicants apply to date, but have not been able to pass our screening criteria.  We are continuing to market the unit on your behalf and will continue to work on finding a relet to take over the signed lease agreement.  I understand that you are only interested in voiding the lease agreement, but as we have said each time, that is not the case.  We attempted to remedy damages by offering a transfer, which was denied.  We are continuing to remedy damages by waiving the re-marketing fee and marketing the unit on our website to better the chances of finding a relet.  As there is a signed lease agreement, we are continuing within the confines of the lease agreement.
  
  We are actively working to reassign the lease, which is the relet process.  The other mentioned note of the lease change is if you found someone to take over the lease and we transferred names on the lease agreement.  Again, we are actively working on this as the re-marketing fee was waived.
  
  Though the Guarantor Form has yet to be signed, the lease is still a legally binding contract.  
  
  We have continued to communicate through this process and have worked within the lease agreement to assist in the predicament you are in.  We have met in person multiple times.  **** and ******* have behaved in a way to assist in moving forward, yet the only responses are continued requests to void the lease agreement.  Each staff member has been professional in the remedy of this issue for you, and we will continue that professionalism.  We are hopeful that we will find a relet for your unit in the coming days as we near the start of school.  
  
  It was mentioned that the lease signees have already signed elsewhere, and we will continue to actively market and relet the unit.  
  
  Regards, Four Star

  Customer response

  08/27/2023

   
  Complaint: 20420398
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  There was a meeting that took place between a newer employee at the leasing office and the three applicants and their parents. It was agreed at this meeting that Junction apartments would waive the reletting fees and actively market the unit. An addendum was sent that did not follow the exact agreement of the meeting, so following the advice of our attorney, the girls did not sign the addendum, instead they sent an email they signed that they agreed to Junction apartments waiving the reletting fee. **** refused to come out of his back office to meet with us, which I view as "unwilling" to meet with clients. He was not on a call when I went in the back to look. ***** was forced to deal with us and promised to do her best to help us out. Her email address she gave us was not correct and we haven't heard from her since. This also does not follow her promise to help us out as best she could. She couldn't even get **** to agree to cross the street to meet with us, we had to go to their other office and he still refused to meet with us. 

  Two applicants have since applied for the apartment and were denied. These potential occupants were found by the mother of one of the girls. It is certainly confusing how they did not meet the applicant qualifications when our girls did. The girls have no jobs, no savings, no guarantor signatures, no rental history and no way to pay rent, yet qualified. How can two other parties not meet their qualifications when our daughters did. Seems fishy. Almost like they are not actively trying to relet the unit. What also is fishy is that their active marketing of the unit does not include putting the unit as available on their website, or offering it to people who call to inquire. The unit in question was only put on the website briefly for about two days and as separate bedrooms to rent, not an entire unit. For the last three weeks, I have been checking every day and the unit is not listed either as a whole unit, nor as separate bedrooms. That does not seem like "actively marketing" to me. I have also had acquaintances call to inquire about the apartment several times and they were told no 3 bedroom apartments were available.  To sum up, Junction apartments have denied two interested parties and have not advertised the unit as available on their website or to callers inquiring. This is not active marketing.

  In the original lease agreement, there are steps outlined to void the lease, which the girls have followed after the reletting effort of Junction apartments was observed as non-existent and futile. The girls signed a request to void the lease according to the agreement and it should be voided after 30 days. 

  We did not mention that we leased elsewhere. This is not factual. 

  Four Star Realty and Junction apartments have done this to countless other young college students looking for a place to live. They have the highest number of active court cases related to issues similar to ours. I suggest that any potential client of theirs go elsewhere to rent or buy property. 

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

  Business response

  09/05/2023

  Hi ********,
  **** has not refused to meet with anyone.  **** was unaware of the meeting.  If you would like to set up a meeting with him, you can simply reply to the last email he sent and set up a time with him.  ***** is the property manager of The Junction and has been trying to help in the reletting process.  The only time that the unit has not been listed online is where the is an active application assigned to the unit that your daughter and friends have leased.  Our screening criteria is preset so that there is no way for our team to intervene and change the outcome of a screening.  Unfortunately, all parties who have applied for the unit have not been able to meet that criteria.  Once that occurs, we put the unit back up on the website.  The unit is currently active on The Junction's website and has been marketed currently.  
  
  The letter requesting to void the lease was received and responded to by **** on the same day.  At this time, the lease is still at the responsibility of the girls until it is relet.  We are actively trying to relet and believe that the girls are as well.  We have worked to mitigate damages multiple times by offering multiple different options for unit several months ago, not charging the relet fee, and working through leads that are potential applicants to take over the lease agreement.  Please believe me when I say that we want this to be over as much as you do.  We do not enjoy having anyone in this situation, but we do have the follow the terms of the lease agreement which outline how to be relieved of the responsibilities.  We do not try to put anyone in this situation and tried to help by finding a different unit than what the girls signed for several months ago.  We will continue to re-market the unit and are hopeful to find someone to take over the lease so the girls are not responsible for their signed lease agreement any longer.
  
  Best Regards,
  Four Star Realty

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