ComplaintsforRent Appeal, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  08/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Bank statements and social security number were sent per this business request. Once they received it, they cut off communication with me. I am concerned that they have taken my personal information and sold it or are using it in a way to scam me. Business cannot go dark when they take such personal information.

  

  Business response

  08/27/2024

  **********************,
  
  I reviewed all of the communication between you and our property manager, and its clear there was a misunderstanding. Ive attached the email chain here.
  
  Please allow me to address each of your concerns from this claim:
  
  1. Bank statements and social security number were sent per this business request.
  
  We did not request that information and have a strict policy against emailing or storing confidential information. We use a third-party company, Findigs (***********************), to conduct the entire application process. Findigs lets you connect your bank account or upload bank statements to verify income. 
  
  When you emailed our property manager to ask if you could upload bank statements, she said you certainly could. Since you had already begun that process with Findigs, she assumed you were asking if you could upload them to your Findigs portal. You never asked if you could send them via email, and she did not ask you to email those items.
  
  2. Once they received it, they cut off communication with me.
  
  That's not what happened. Our property manager did respond a few days later and apologized for not responding sooner because she was out of the office. You didnt clarify that you were sending this information directly to her, so she wasnt looking for it. Again, emailing this information isnt our process, and she doesnt handle applications. Thats an entirely different department. Reading your emails, it seems you were asking her procedural questions, and she was giving you quick answers. She could have been more comprehensive in her responses. However, we have made the application process as transparent as possible, and all of this information was provided on our website and in your Findigs portal. 
  
  3. I am concerned that they have taken my personal information and sold it or are using it in a way to scam me.
  
  In my sixteen years in business, I have never scammed anyone or sold personal information, and I wont begin now. When my property manager realized what happened, she assured you she would protect and delete your information. She clearly explained what had happened, so I doubt this is your genuine concern.
  
  4. Business cannot go dark when they take such personal information.
  
  I agree with this statement. It just doesnt apply in this situation. We did not take anything from you, and as far as I can tell, there was no follow-up phone call or email to anyone else in our organization. 
  
  Its clear from your email signature line that you prefer to conduct business by email rather than phone. Email allows one to consider ones words carefully and accurately. If you are discussing policy or need to relay a message to a group, its the obvious choice. However, I still prefer phone calls when you need to have a conversation that cant be done in person. Hearing a voices inflection, tone, and tenor lets you discern essential details and meanings otherwise lost in translation. 

  Case in point: I fear this meticulously written response may come off calloused and cold, which isnt my intention. Im willing to bet that if we could speak business owner to business owner, we would find much in common. We may even discover an opportunity to improve how we conduct business or ways we could help each other. Id welcome that conversation.
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  12/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Let me first start by saying I did not seek this company out. My previous property management company downsized and sold off some rental agreements to lighten their own load. My property was one of the. With that, the only rental agreement in place was from the previous company which Rent Appeal was supposed to still uphold. They did not. On multiple occasions, I reached out to the company to resolve the issue and all they would do is back peddle. This is the reason I choose to leave as soon as my new tenant was in place. The issue: Rent Appeal has charged a monthly fee $50, for the delivery of air filter (A/C package) that was to be charged to the tenant. This was to keep the ** unit in optimal working condition, however, told to me from the previous tenant, new filters were not always delivered. Total for the year $50x12=$600. Another big part of me reaching out to them was their inconsistent charges. I was charged on separate line items to rekey, make new keys, then change a broken lock on the same door. I have yet to receive a response. I was charged 2x within a warranty period to fix the same washing machine. Total $250. I was told I needed to replace the microwave because it was not working although the move out checklist showed it was in working condition. Then once I got a new tenant in place, I was charged 2x (again different line items) to clean the property and "make ready". Total $255.45. I have multiple monthly statements that show I had a balance that would forward to the next month but the following statement magically did not show the balance forward. I have more than a dozen email to both this company, the property manager *********************, front desk *********************, the maintenance coordinator ********, the previous managers- Atl Area Property Magt, and probably 50 or more text message exchanges requesting a call, email, response, clarification, follow up, etc. I am requesting help from the BBB to bring justice and help me resolve my issues! PLEASE HELP!

  

  Business response

  12/20/2023

  Our team has already handled this entire situation. To summarize the request to refund $600: The previous tenant paid for a Resident Benefit Package that included filters, pest control, etc. The $600 was never billed to the owner of the property and if the filters were not delivered it would have been the tenant's responsibility to let us know so we can correct it. As far as our records go, those were delivered as scheduled. Regardless, that $600 has nothing to do with the complainant and will not be refunded. That was an agreement between the tenant and property manager and the fees were never charged or paid by the complainant. The $250 for warranty work was already refunded to the owner by the vendor directly. We have confirmed that this money was received. The complainant is requesting a refund for $255.45 for make-ready repairs.The contract authorizes us to make repairs under $300 without authorization. We made our repairs so a new tenant could move in and will not be refunding this cost. To summarize, the refund received was the $250 from the warranty vendor. The other requested refunds are not owed. 

  Customer response

  12/20/2023

   
  Complaint: 21007599
  
  I am rejecting this response because they are failing to tell the whole truth. I waited for months for a refund from the vendor that was supposed to be sent to me. I asked for confirmation on more than one occasion which was not provided. Only Due to my persistence from Sept to now Dec did they finally agree to cash the vendor check themselves and then make a direct deposit to me, which is what I requested from the beginning. In addition, I just received a call from **** yesterday, December 19, 2023. Finally getting back to me on an email that I sent November 9, 2023. in the email, I detailed everything that I would like to happen and requested a response. I followed up on more than 10 occasions text/email and also a number of phone calls since November 9. I understand she said she was on maternity leave but her coworkers told me that she was back to weeks ago. No, just because you are gone doesnt mean that your coworkers do not take equal responsibility in making sure accounts and communication continue. I dont know what to believe. We went line by line and discuss things such as The two documented cleaning fees That should have been taken out of the tenants security deposit, but was billed to me amongst others. I directed her to the last portion of my email specifically annotating what a remedy would be to make me whole. And by the way, it is much less than my original request. She agreed that it is a small amount and has promised to get back with me by this Friday 12/22/23 after speaking with the broker. I am ver fair! And Before I close out this complaint with the Better Business Bureau, I would like to give the company an opportunity to work with me and rectify this situation.
  Sincerely,
  
  Santwaun ********

• Initial Complaint

  10/31/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company forcing unwanted fees to be paid as well as a renewal fee when this is my first lease with them. The company took over the property from another company. My lease with them ended. So I had to start a new lease with Rent Appeal and they're charging a renewal fee, when this is a new lease. They are making me pay ***** for something I never got a real break down. This company is not going off the landlord tenant laws. I'm reporting because they need to be aware of the laws

  

  Business response

  11/27/2023

  We have already negotiated with this tenant and have offered a one-time waiver of these fees since she is a new tenant to us.

• Initial Complaint

  04/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I applied for a property listed by rent appeal at ********************************************************************. Rent Appeal collected a $75 application fee from my both my wife and I ($150 total). They were nearly impossible to contact all week (I tried calling several times). **** at rent appeal informed me that they had received 7 applications for the property. My application was denied and we were told there were 5 applications submitted before our application was submitted and 7 submitted total. It seems unethical to collect these large application fees from so many applicants for one property knowing that so many will inevitably be denied. There is no warning on the rent appeal application site saying they have already had a number of applications on a property. I could not reach anyone from the company to discuss questions regarding the application until after my application was denied by ****. I had questions regarding which bureau to unfreeze my credit with for their credit check and where to send an employment verification letter. I was forwarded to **** who did not return my calls or answer my questions until after my application was already denied. They said the application fee is nonrefundable when I requested a refund. It seems highly unethical to collect so many large application fees for a single listing. If every other application paid a similar fee they would have collected over a thousand dollars in application fees for this listing knowing that all but the first applicant would get nothing out of it. After taking these large fees I wasn't able to get any answers to my questions regarding the online application over the course of a week prior to the application being denied. Our application was submitted on 4/1/22 and denied on 4/8/22. When my wife and I checked during the week the listing was still up on 4/6/22 even after having received 7 applications for the listing.

  

  Business response

  04/18/2022

  ****************,
  
  
  I went back through the communications between my leasing agent and yourself. First, and foremost, I would like to apologize for the lack of effective communication. I will take responsibility for that and Ive already taken action to correct the issue.
  
  Im happy to refund your $150.00 in application fees because of our poor communication with you.
  
  However, I would like you to understand our process, because weve put a lot of effort into making the leasing process as fair and ethical as we can.
  
  I understand that $75.00 per application seems high. But, we lose money on every application that we process. I know thats hard to believe, but it takes multiple hours over multiple days to verify income, residential history, background, and every other detail. Add that to the subscription for the third-party processing and it costs well over $100 to process a single application. Thats why we have our no-refunds policy on applications.
  
  We accept the first qualified applications in the order they are completed. That process usually takes 3 or 4 days per group of applications. And, despite our efforts to list the application qualifications as clearly as possible, between 50-60% of applications are denied for qualification reasons. So, yes, unfortunately, we have to accept multiple applications for each property in order to get a single approval. 
  
  In this case, there was a group of 3 applicants that applied, then a group of 2, and then you and your wife, all within a few days. (See the attached screenshot)
  
  The first group was declined due to insufficient income. We couldnt verify income for the second group and asked them for additional information. So, we moved to you and your wife. 
  
  We reached out to your current landlord who notified us that your lease ends on 5/31/22 and you have not provided a 60-day notice, effectively extending your lease. Our qualifications (https://www.rentappeal.com/tenants/future-tenants/application-guidelines/) state that you cannot be in default of a current lease. Ending your lease without providing the required written notice would place you in default. This is the reason we had to decline your application and move on to the next one.
  
  Again, Im sorry that information was not communicated to you. Looking at the text exchanges, I understand how you came to the conclusion that your application was never given a fair chance, and that we were merely seeking to collect application fees. Some companies may conduct themselves in that manner, but I strongly believe you get back what you give. I really do try to treat everyone the way I would like to be treated. And, Im truly sorry that we missed an opportunity to serve you.
  
  Please look for your refund in the next few days.
  
  As a side note, it is our policy to keep your application on file for **************************************************** if youre able to obtain a letter from your landlord that you are vacating on good terms, we are happy to apply your application toward leasing another property.
  
  Thanks,
  
  ******** Whaley 
  Broker/Owner
  Rent Appeal, Inc.

  Customer response

  04/20/2022

   
  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,
  
  ***********************

*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. ↩