Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  02/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have been renting from Southern Property Managment LLC for six years and I have had many problems with them making repairs since I have been there. I received an email in December stating there will be a rent increase of $200 beginning next lease term and the renewal lease had to be signed 02/01/2023. I just cannot see paying that with all the work that needs to be done. I had not planned to signed of the property being in such bad shape inside and outside. The outside needs painting , the plumbing needs replacing, the tile and the bathroom ceiling (popcorn) needs to be redone. I have since then moved to a new location and turned in my keys. I then received an email stating I am still responsible for rent until July 15, 2023 and the lights and the water has to remain on. I have never heard of this and has never had to do this before. There is no way I can pay rent at two place and utilities. I do understand I did sign a lease last year but the water and lights? The current place I live states if lease is broken I will only be responsible for one month and deposit. Please help.

  Customer response

  02/15/2023

  I have reached out to Southern Property Management advising them that I have someone to sublease the duplex and for them to let me know what I need to do to make this happen.

  Business response

  02/15/2023

  Hello,
  
  In regards to the complaint from ****** ********, complaint number ********, we respond as follows:

  
  The Complainant’s representations and accusations are inaccurate and unfounded. As a Tenant since May 2017, of a property under our management, she should be fully aware of the terms of her lease.  If she was truly dissatisfied with the condition of the property, then why did she continue to renew her lease for the past 5 years, including the most recent renewal lease she signed last year, which clearly states the lease term expiration of July 15, 2023?  We send out courtesy renewal reminders to our tenants advising them of the renewal deadline.  The purpose of this is to allow the tenant to renew their lease without interruption but if they choose not to renew, we then begin marketing the unit to secure a new tenant for an August move in date.  The letter was sent, but she did not advise us of her intentions of vacating the property, nor did she inquire about the possibility of terminating her lease early. She simply moved out, without warning, and abandoned the property.  Our leases have always had verbiage of what the penalties are for vacating the unit early and if the Tenant would have read her very first lease (or any of her subsequent leases), or just contacted our office and asked, she would have been aware of this information.  Subsequently, we did indicate that she was in a lease through July 15, 2023 on a rental reference we received from another management company. 
  
  
  Further, Complainant’s portrayal of the condition of the property, as well as her accusations regarding our company’s handling of maintenance and repair needs, is totally false. We have always promptly taken care of each and every one of her 15-20 maintenance requests that she has submitted over the years.  The property was in good condition when she took possession of the unit and our company has appropriately handled the maintenance of the property since.
  
  
  In closing, pursuant to the terms of the Complainant’s lease, she is responsible for all rents and all utilities through her lease term.  If she does not uphold her lease agreement, further legal action against her to recoup all money due may be taken. 
  
  
  If you are in need of any supporting documents, we will be very happy to supply her lease agreement and renewal notification letter.  I hope this response serves as affirmative cause to dismiss/close this Complaint, reflecting no wrong-doing on the part of our company.
  
  
  Thank you for your assistance in this matter. We are sorry a Complaint was filed for something that could have easily been handled through our office.

   

  **** ** ******** Office Manager on behalf of ****** **************, Property Manager

  ***** *****r is on vacation but approved the above response)

• Initial Complaint

  12/15/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The dishwasher in our rented home was running pretty bad since we moved in. The property manager explained to me and my roommate that everything in the house was "fully" inspected and cleaned prior to move in. Many of the work orders I've placed since August should have been fixed but were not prior to move in. The dishwasher is one that has had issues but never broken fully, I've been able to drain it by emptying the compartment and letting it run a cycle by itself and it worked after that for about a month. I put in a work order after it started to fill again with stagnant water on the very bottom. I proceeded to try and clean it myself and find out what was going on, low and behold I found glass stuck deep in filter that is below the actual food catching basket. I immediately put in a work order which took almost a week to get fulfilled, which is my responsibility as a renter. They then proceeded to send an email stating its my fault for neglecting the dishwasher, so now I am paying for the cleaning service. The leasing agent **** *******, she stated "I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news but you will need to reimburse the owner for $85 ($42.50 per tenant) of the $101.20 invoice that we received. It appears glass was found in the bottom of the dishwasher causing it not to drain properly. However, the owner will pay for the cleaning tabs this one time. You may purchase these tabs and use them from time to time to keep the dishwasher working in optimal condition." I have grown up with a dishwasher in my parents home, and they taught me better than to leave something broken in a house i am renting let alone willingly letting a dishwasher run with broken glass inside, I was taught to take care of things around a house and respect the property I live in as long as i'm renting from someone.

  Business response

  12/23/2022

  Good Morning,
  
  
  Please be advised the tenants ****** ******* *** ******** ******** moved into this unit on August 5th, 2022.  They returned their Move In Inspection form stating the dishwasher is "in good condition".   On Saturday, November 26th, Daniel Latimer submitted a maintenance request stating the dishwasher was not draining properly.  On November 29th, I dispatched ********** ********* regarding this matter.  We received an invoice from the vendor stating glass was in the bottom of the dishwasher which caused it not to drain properly.  Please note this was tenant caused and of no fault of ours or the owners.  Therefore, the $85 charge was charged back to the tenants.  This was the first and only maintenance request that we received for the dishwasher which was resolved in a timely manner.
  
  
  Please find attached a copy of their Move In Inspection form and the invoice for your reference.  If you need any further information, please let me know.
  
  
  Kind regards,
  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  05/09/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Thursday of last week I went to go look at a one bedroom, one bath apartment on * ***** ** in Statesboro after wards I went to office and put in an application, first of all I was originally made aware in a message sent to me on Zumper from them that their application fee was $50 and they charged me $75, refused to give me a receipt. Then when I got a call back about my application I was told that even with making well more than ×3 the rent amount per month and having a credit score of 625, with no late payments, and my only negative stuff being medical bills that I somehow had "too low credit" to get a one bedroom, one bathroom for $650 a month. When I asked to be explained what made my credit score "too low" I was denied an explanation saying they had sent something in mail and when I asked to speak to a supervisor I was continuously denied requests to speak to one. I should have been made aware of this companies expected credit score prior to putting in an application, they told me they did not have a score that your credit had to be at and then denied me based off of exactly what they said they didn't have criteria to meet for.

  Business response

  05/10/2022

  Our office is disputing this complaint for several reasons.
  
  First, if Zumper is advertising our application fee as $50 this is incorrect, however, we have been unable to find any instance of this.  Perhaps she is referring to an older posting, as our Application Fee increased at the beginning of April 2022.   The complainant inquired about multiple properties in April 2022 and she received the following response to each:
  

  *********************** <*************************> Wed, Apr 20, 2:48 PM
  
  to *********** bcc: spms
  
  Hello,
  
  Thank you for your interest in our property! Please contact our office at the number listed below Monday - Friday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to schedule an appointment to see the property and/or get more information.  Please note we will need to give our current tenants 24 hours’ notice before our arrival. 
  
  We do have an approval process that must be required before leasing a property which includes a $75 non-refundable application fee per adult tenant, we do a credit check, your combined monthly income must be 3x the monthly rental rate, and we do a rental reference check with your current or most recent landlord. Once approved, you would pay a reservation fee equal to 1 months’ rent to reserve the property, which half is nonrefundable.  Upon move in, you would pay your first month’s rent and provide proof of power and water. 
  
  
  
  If you are a student then you will need a parental guarantor.
  
  Best,
  --
  
  *** ********* **
  **********, GA *****
  Phone: *************
  Fax: *************
  E-Mail:  ***********************
  Website:  www.SpmsOnline.net
  
  Also, the application she completed and returned to our office has $75 clearly printed at the top, along with the disclosure that this is a nonrefundable fee (*See the attached standard Application Form as well as the redacted actual application submitted by complainant). Applications are provided with a cover page that further outlines the application requirements in detail.  When a representative from our office called the complainant to cancel one portion of her appointment for a property which had since been rented, she was once again informed of all the qualifications for leasing a property (including the $75 nonrefundable application fee).
  
  Further, she signed her rental application acknowledging that she was "being charged a NON-REFUNDABLE Application Fee of $75.00."  Had the Complainant requested a receipt for her $75 cash payment, one would have been provided.
  
  Additional details regarding this applicant/application are being omitted in accordance with our privacy policies, however, the information contained in the complainant’s account are not consistent with our documentation regarding her “qualifications”.  Generally speaking, “credit” is evaluated, not by a certain score, but from a consideration of negative versus positive accounts, debt to income ratio, and established versus new credit.  Credit is also just one factor considered during the application process, along with employment history, income sufficiency and consistency, and rental history. Ultimately, the owner of the property chose a more qualified applicant.  An Adverse Action Letter along with “A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act” was mailed to the applicant.
  
  Finally, regarding her accusation that she was continually denied access to a supervisor, the Complainant did not provide the office a reasonable amount of time for a supervisor to get in touch with her before submitting her complaint. The office manager was not in the office at the time of the initial phone call to the Complainant informing her of her application denial on Friday, May 6th. The Complainant was provided with the email that all supervisors receive correspondence, but she refused to send an email to that address. The office manager had showings the rest of the day on Friday, and the office is closed on weekends, but the office manager attempted to contact the Complainant on Monday morning (May 9th) and left a voicemail.
  
  In closing, our company acted in accordance and compliance with our standard policies and procedures which are provided to prospects along with the rental application form and are explained to everyone who contacts our office to schedule a showing. The complainant’s application was denied due to factors which are always disclosed.

*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. ↩