ComplaintsforFour Star Realty & Property Management, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  07/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have been renting at the ****** lofts for over two years and signed a new lease with this company FOURSTAR REALITY in April. I had a pipe burst on June 21st but the systems were down that weekend. I alerted someone the following Monday June 24th and since then they've done non stop construction to my apartment and only put me in a hotel for two days. Also they gave me a relief on rent for $518.68 then the same day hit me with a $189 charge after I paid rent.

  Business response

  07/10/2024

  Our management team spoke with you on 7/9 over the phone and believe your issues to be resolved at this time. Thank you.

  Customer response

  07/10/2024

   
  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.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************

• 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,
  
  *************************

*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. ↩