ComplaintsforHomeRiver Group

• Initial Complaint

  07/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  This started on June 22nd, 2024.My significant other and myself moved from ******* to ******We were told wed be provided a lockbox code by phone call or text upon our move in day of June 22nd, 2024 to receive keys and move in. No code was received and the contact numbers for the property manager *********************** went unanswered.I ended up having to contact the main chat support for the business and they called me and gave me a code which didnt work. I called back and they gave me one that did work.That was resolved by my own doing but its still part of the overall complaint.Since move in we have not been provided keys or access to our mail since move in on June 22nd, 2024.I spoke to ***** on Tuesday July 2nd, 2024 who is a maintenance worker for the company and he told me to file a request for the keys using the company maintenance portal where it says requests will be dispatched within 24 hours unless on a weekend or holiday. I filed the request that day and have not received any communication and the request for service is still pending. We have also reached out via email and phone calls to this property manager *********************** and our original leasing agent *********************** and no one is responding to anything. Today July 8th, ************************************************************* $40 to get a key made and to let me know which mailbox is mine but no timeline was given as to when Id receive the mail key. I have included two pictures, one being the receipt from the *********** and the second being a screenshot of the request for a mail key with every available service window chosen since July 2nd, the third being the message that it would be dispatched within 24 hours.

  

  Business response

  07/11/2024

  I apologize for the delay in getting your mail key to you.  The request came in on 
  July 2nd and the property manager was out of the office on vacation. The key copy was delivered to your front door yesterday after she returned from vacation.  While I understand that was beyond the time you needed the key and you were forced to go to the post office and pay their fee.  Because of this unfortunate situation, I am happy to reimburse you for the $40 fee you paid.
  We will credit that amount to your rental account, you will see that reflected when you pay your August rent.
  Thank you for your understanding
  
  

  Customer response

  07/11/2024

   
  Complaint: 21955984
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Ok, so you claim to take $40 dollars off my rent. That part of the complaint I consider resolved.

  But you completely failed to address the lack of communication which I asked for in part of resolving this complaint. This property manager who was conveniently out of the office on vacation didnt have someone covering for her? Why did no one reach out to give us the lockbox code on the move in day of June 6th, 2024? Why wasnt someone local on call or available? I had to contact your faceless call center for help and felt like a fight to get in to the apartment. Just like it was a fight to get a mailbox key. Also, the mailbox key that was dropped off and wedged in the front door, had ZERO information on it regarding which bank and box was the one we were assigned. I got all that from the POST OFFICE. They were more than helpful and saved us a headache of testing each and every mailbox until it opened the lock. Absolutely unprofessional business practices for a company that seems to have been around for a while. All Im getting from your business response is empty platitudes in the hope that I just go away while you do the absolute bare minimum of customer service.

  I apologize for forgetting to mention in my original complaint that no one is at your local Meridian, ID office when I went there to find a quicker solution in person only to find out no one is there and the building is locked and its appointment only because your employees are still working from home and no one picked up the local numbers I called only to be redirected to the faceless call center where some guy told me a property manager would reach out right away. Never got that call. Fix your local Meridian, ID employees. Maybe a restructuring is necessary to improve your business so this nightmare doesnt happen to others.

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

  

  Business response

  07/16/2024

  We appreciate your feedback, we will discuss improvements internally.
  You should see your refund of the $40 on your account.

  Customer response

  07/16/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is unsatisfactory to me due to their lack of understanding and willingness to actually do anything no matter my complaints and wed continue to go back and forth for all time. I am willing to close this out but I hope there is a way to notate that I am doing so unwillingly based off the lack of sincerity and actions demonstrated by this company. I also am hoping that by taking this route this company does not retaliate against me for frivolous reasons.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************

• Initial Complaint

  06/28/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Since I moved in, in February of 2024, I have had nothing but issues with the rental property and have had even bigger issues trying to get them to do all the repairs. Since I moved in, they have increased the rent twice, but when I need repairs, they are not quick to do any. Currently, the A/C is leaking and hasnt been working for over a week. The estimate that was submitted was denied, and they do not seem to be in any rush to assist me in getting this issue fixed; they had another company call me to do the repairs, and that company is in **, which is not the state that I live in. The stove is unleveled and slides out when I cook this is an issue that I put a ticket in through the portal in February; the lights keep shorting out around the house, and there is a part of the backyard that was dug up and never fixed, but they called to try and charge me to cut the front grass when we had a week-long tornado with horrible rain storm happening. The fireplace was horribly blocked up, and now it is falling apart. This is unacceptable for the amount of money they keep charging. I will be forced to move out because I am starting to get headaches from the antifreeze smell that is consuming the air in the house from the A/C leaking. I cannot live like this in 100-degree weather. It has been two weeks, and there is still no resolution of the next steps when repairs will be completed.

  

  Business response

  07/08/2024

  Please accept the following response on behalf of HomeRiver Group with respect to the complaint filed
  by ***************************:
  
  The Complainant moved into the leased property on February 4th, 2024 and is a party to a binding lease
  agreement, so no rental increases have occured.
  
  As soon as the Complainant notified the manager and/or the maintenance team of any repair issues, all
  items were handled with efficiency as with all of our tenants.
  
  We have a property management agreement in place with our landlords in order to receive written
  approvals on any repairs exceeding $300. Any repair that was made under said limit was taken care of
  promptly. However, any repair exceeding that threshold needs the landlord's approval. The landlord has
  opted to handle those repairs themselves, hence the delays. We do our part in order to quickly submit
  estimates, however we can only abide by the property management agreement.
  
  The current AC issue was dispatched to an HRG vendor, and a subsequent email and an estimate was
  sent to the landlord for an approval. The landlord declined the estimate, and asked for the tenants'
  contact information in order to dispatch their own vendor. At that point, HRG is no longer involved in
  the repair since the owner has said they would handle it.
  
  For all of the foregoing reasons, HRG believes they has maintained excellent communication with
  ***************************, acted in good faith, and followed standard industry protocol throughout the entirety of
  the process.
  
  Please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss any other questions, concerns or if you should require any
  additional information to conclude your investigation of this matter.
  

  Customer response

  07/17/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is okay to me. The repairs were done even though it took too long, and we had to do a lot of going back and forth with the property manager to get any repairs done.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  06/28/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  May 22, 2024 Our apartment complex told us we could transfer our apartment lease to some friends of ours. I was sent a modified application for them to fill out. After a few weeks, no one reached out and when I tried to finalize what needed to be done to finalize the lease, no one would respond. When I finally was able to connect someone, I was told the new people could move in the next day after we moved out so that we wouldnt have to pay July rent. As of June 28, 2024, the company informed us they would need three weeks with the empty apartment before our friends could move in, leaving us responsible for July rent. When I reached out about being told they could move in quickly, the response was to inform me that the request couldnt be completed after the company had told me it could be completed. They took over a month to inform us of this and have yet to contact me to answer my questions.

  

  Business response

  07/03/2024

  Our company policy does not allow for lease takeovers.  We are doing everything we can to help get your friends approved and able to lease the unit so that you will be able to be released early from your current lease agreement without all the penalties.
  We will continue to be in contact with you as we have been for the last couple of weeks.  We are currently working with your friends on they qualifying requirements to be able to lease the unit.
  Thank you for your understanding

  Customer response

  07/03/2024

   
  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

  06/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I paid rent on May 24th for the month of June and set up automatic payments to begin in July. The rent was taken out automatically on June 1st as well as my earlier payment. I have repeatedly asked for a reversal and have been told numerous different stories. I still do not have my extra rent payment reimbursed nor am I getting any replies to recent emails

  

  Business response

  07/11/2024

  The customer mistakenly set up both a one time and auto payment in June which resulted in her account being drafted two months rent.  Our refund process does require a 14 day period to have funds verified in case a dispute was filed with the bank.   We understand this turn around time is not satisfactory to the customer however it is a necessary part of our business process. In the course of resolving this the second month's rent was applied as a credit on the customers account and has subsequently been applied to July rent payment.  This matter is now considered resolved.

  Customer response

  07/11/2024

   
  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

  06/21/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I rented an apartment from HomeRiver Group and my lease expired on 04/20/2024, the lease states a refund from the security deposit will be provided to the tenants within 30 days of the surrender of the property. On 06/05/2024 I emailed the property manager since I had not yet received the deposit refund and I was told there was a problem with my address and I provided them with a different mailing address. On 05/18/2024 I emailed the property manager again as I still had not received the deposit and I was told that it had not been mailed yet for unknown reasons. The original deposit was $1,395 and the refunded amount is $365.54.

  

  Business response

  06/25/2024

  The replacement check was mailed to the forwarding address on 6/21/24.
  That check should arrive sometime this week.
  I apologize for the inconvenience.
  Thank you 

• Initial Complaint

  06/12/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Absolutely do NOT rent from this company, they have no concerns for enforcing their regulations with tenants and you cannot get them on the phone. *********************** is the property manager for the property we are having issues with, I've emailed 3 times and he has chosen to ignore my emails. I finally was given his phone number after calling the company twice and able to get him on the phone. He immediately had an attitude instead of trying to hear out the complaint that I was trying to fill, he acknowledged that he had seen my emails and not responded, he also admitted the current tenants are breaking their lease with the current pet they have, it is listed as a breed not allowed, after getting out multiple times and killing our chicken coop we started looking into the matter. Home River has their pet rules stated on their website and due to their lack of diligence with their tenants we are now out hundreds of dollars in damages. It's already a sad situation and the unprofessionalism from this company is unacceptable.

  

  Business response

  06/14/2024

  Thank you for being an outstanding neighbor to our clients property and bringing your concerns to our attention through the Better Business Bureau. We deeply regret the unfortunate situation you have experienced and apologize for any distress caused.
  First, we are truly sorry for the difficulties you've had in communicating with our property manager, ***********************. While **** has a strong reputation for excellent service, we recognize that even the best employees may need realignment and coaching from time to time. We appreciate your feedback as it allows us to address these issues internally.
  Regarding the lease violation by the current tenants, we understand the distress caused by the unauthorized pet and the subsequent damage to your property. While we manage the property on behalf of a private owner and cannot enforce police actions or criminal penalties, we do have protocols to address lease violations.
  Here is an outline of our process for handling unauthorized pets:
  Notification: We notify the tenant of the violation and provide a timeframe to come into compliance. In this case, the tenants were given 48 hours to remove the unauthorized dog.
  Fines and Notices: If the tenants fail to comply, we issue fines and subsequent notices. Continuous non-compliance can lead to an eviction process, which typically takes ***** days through the courts.
  Eviction Process: Upon approval from the property owner, we can initiate eviction procedures. Unfortunately, due to legal processes, this can be lengthy.
  We have been informed that the tenants have submitted a notice to vacate the property by August 1, 2024. While this will resolve the issue eventually, we understand it does not immediately address the damages you've incurred. We recommend consulting your legal counsel to pursue direct action against the tenants for the damages caused by their pet. We are legally restricted from providing the tenants' personal information but will support the legal process as necessary.
  Once again, we apologize for the inconvenience and distress this situation has caused and thank you for bringing it to our attention so we can begin our internal processes as to this lease violation.
  Best regards,

  Customer response

  06/26/2024

   
  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

  06/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The issue is that my family and I have been renting from HomeRiver Group for the past year and they have never provided us with a new air filter or pest control like they stated In our lease. Thats just a side note the real issue is that we have been attempting to renew our lease but we cant get ahold of anyone that can help. I have talked to 2 people and they have both agreed to reach out the property agent to have her contact us about it but nothing ever happens. I called one a couple days before our current lease ended and have called several times since it ended. They are now trying to charge us a month to month rental lease but we cant afford that and do not want to do month to month so they graciously agreed to not charge us that fee this month but still have not contacted us to renew our lease or tell us that they dont want us to renew. Either way I need to get ahold of them. The property agent is ******************* and we have called and left voicemails for her on several occasions. We have been told that the 2 people we talked to from Home River Group Vinca and ***** that they sent her a request to contact us but still nothing.

  

  Business response

  06/18/2024

  I apologize for the inconvenience this has caused, I have alerted your property manager and they will be in contact with you very soon.
  Thank you for bringing this to my attention.

• Initial Complaint

  06/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I requested a refund for one of two transactions because I had double paid my rent with: A Checking Transaction, and a Credit Transaction. I asked for the quicker of the two transactions to be refunded.Instead of processing the Credit Transaction, which would have been quicker. They deliberately printed a check and never mailed it, when the quicker option would have been to initiate an electronic refund. I believe it is because of discrimination because of what I was wearing in my gmail profile photo. I am a Muslim.I had to go to my bank to demand a refund for the money that they never paid me back, and now because they didn't cancel that check they are harassing me trying to get me to pay double the amount of rent this month and stacking up late fees. I never received the check they claim they sent on 4/18. I want them to cancel that check. Apologize for the poor customer service and discrimination. I am a disabled Veteran and do not appreciate being treated like this. They have been eating at my finances for two months and have been making my life very difficult.

  

  Business response

  06/12/2024

  Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention and giving us the opportunity to review your case. We apologize for any negative feelings or inconvenience this situation may have caused, as that was never our intention.
  After carefully reviewing our records, we found that two payments were submitted on 04/09/24. The first payment, made from a checking account, was returned due to insufficient funds. The second payment, made from a credit card, was successfully processed.
  Upon learning about the additional payment made in error, we initiated a refund for the credit card payment. However, due to the limitations of our financial institution's software, we were unable to refund the amount directly back to the credit card and had to issue a refund check instead. Unfortunately, when the checking account payment was returned, it negated the need for the refund check since only one payment had been successfully received.
  We understand your frustration regarding the check and the subsequent complications. Our records indicate that you spoke with your property manager on 06/11/24. During this discussion, your property manager removed the erroneous charges from your account and waived the late fee immediately upon becoming aware of the situation.
  We hope that this resolution ensures you were not double charged for your rent in April and that the late fee was appropriately waived in good faith. If you have documentation showing that the $849.95 was indeed deducted from your checking account, please provide this to your property manager. They will be able to assist further as needed.
  Again, we apologize for any inconvenience this situation may have caused and for any perception of poor customer service.
  Thank you for allowing us to address this issue. We appreciate your understanding and hope to move forward positively.
  
  

  Customer response

  06/18/2024

   
  Complaint: 21833442
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  you stated in your response that "Unfortunately, when the checking account payment was returned, it negated the need for the refund check since only one payment had been successfully received."  This is where I know that I was being discriminated against, again, someone must have made the choice NOT to cancel that check.  This is WHY I was double charged and this is why my finances have been affected for two months.  I would like to challenge the fact that your credit system is not capable of processing a refund.  I reject that as an outright lie because I paid a HEFTY fee to make sure I could get it refunded if I needed to.  I know this company has a procedure in place to make sure that things like this do not happen.  Again, I am a disabled veteran and this has impacted my finances for over two months now.  Either you have procedures in place and someone did not follow the procedures on purpose, OR you do not have procedures in place.  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  

  Business response

  06/25/2024

  Thank you for your patience as we review your concerns and for giving us the opportunity to clarify the situation further. We understand your frustration and apologize for any inconvenience this situation has caused.
  
  On 04/09/24, you made two payments. The first payment of $849.95 from your account (nickname: ******** *************************-Navy Checking) was returned by your financial institution with the status "Insufficient funds" and "Unauthorized - R10 Customer Advises Originator is Not Known to Receiver and/or Is Not Authorized by Receiver to Debit Receiver's Account." The second payment of $850 from a different account (nickname: ******** *************************-Navy) was successfully processed and made on the same day as the first payment made.
  
  Due to the returned first payment, we initiated a refund for the second payment in error. However, our financial institutions software limitations required us to issue a physical check instead of refunding directly to the credit card. When the checking account payment was returned, the need for the refund check was negated since only one payment had been successfully received as only one charge of rent was charged but 2 payments for this charge were issued.
  
  On 04/18/24, a refund for the $850 payment was processed to be refunded via check, which would have left a balance of $850 on the account. Upon discovering the issue and after you reported it to your property manager, the refund check was voided, reapplying the $850 to your account. Consequently, the property manager waived the late fee, bringing your balance owed back to $0.
  
  We want to assure you that there was no discrimination involved in this process. This situation could have happened to any tenant who made two payments from different accounts on the same day where one payment did not clear. You were not double-charged; rather, two payments were made, with one being returned and not deposited to us.
  
  We acknowledge that the explanation provided initially may not have been clear, and we sincerely apologize for any confusion this has caused. We are committed to improving our communication and ensuring such issues are more effectively handled in the future.
  
  If you have any further documentation or concerns, please do not hesitate to provide them to your property manager, who is ready to assist you.
  
  Thank you for your understanding and for allowing us to address this matter. We value your residency and hope to continue serving you positively.

• Initial Complaint

  06/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  My June rent came back unpaid since I used the wrong checking account. The information where to send payment was very vague and incomplete. It did not provide where to send the payment to and only mentioned it had to be a money order or traveler's cheque. I contacted the number provided in letter, which is to a telemarketing scheme where it says, "if you are over 50, we have a special offer for you." I searched the website for contact information is it goes to a call center where it is not within the US and the first three representatives did not know what to do. One said I didn't balance and didn't owe anything. The other hung up on me after leaving me on hold. The third one said they only have an address in *****. I then proceeded to inquire how can I make it in time to avoid further issues if it is going to an Idaho address? I said will I still have the risk of eviction since it will be a while before payment is received, processed, and posted. They couldn't provide an answer and said that's all she had was that address. I Attempted to reach different phone numbers and emailed the person who emailed the eviction letter several times for a response, which to this day have not receive one. However, I decided to make the payment via the tenant portal again, the payment was received, processed, and posted. I still received an eviction letter via certified mail. Again, I called to asked for the person who sent me that letter, however the receptionist gave me the usual subtle answer that he is not going to take your call by stating he was in a meeting and transferred me to the call center. I was then again transferred another five times with no answers to my inquires. They are charging for a package as well that supposed to provide you with a monthly air filter, which I receive every other month if I am lucky, repairs are extremely difficult to get fixed. The company is very unorganized, unprofessional, selfish, and seem oblivious to all this issues.

  

  Business response

  06/12/2024

  ******, 
  
  Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. Since the rent was paid after the due date, these notices to pay are sent out via certified mail as well as posted on doors to those with a balance. However, they are voided if the rent is paid within the timeline outlined on the notice. Looks like we waived the late fee for you and your account is current, resulting in no further action needed. 

  Customer response

  06/12/2024

   
  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

  06/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Failure to Mow Grass after tenant moved out failure to replace fence which is a City Code Violation and a HOA Violation

  

  Business response

  06/11/2024

  Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We are aware and are working to resolve these issues quickly. 

*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. ↩