ComplaintsforEast Coast Real Estate Group LLC

• Initial Complaint

  04/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  April 29, 2024 Better Business Bureau Re: Complaint Against East Coast Real Estate Group (ECREG) - Failure to Return Security Deposit and Management Fees Dear BBB, I am writing to file a complaint against ECREG for their failure to return my security deposit, reserve fee and management fees after I properly terminated our agreement. On January 23, 2024, I provided written notice to ECREG of my intention to terminate our agreement, effective April 22, 2023. This notification was in accordance with the 60-day notice clause stipulated in our agreement. I followed up with them again on March 4, 2024, to confirm receipt of the notice. Despite my adherence to the termination clause, I have not received my security deposit, internet collected from security deposit, or reserve fee. I would also like to request to keep the reminder of my management fee for the unused portion of the agreement. I have contacted [Rental Property Company Name] on multiple occasions to inquire about the status of my refund, but they have been unresponsive. I request the BBB to intervene in this matter and help me recover the following: * Security deposit of [$1800 plus interest collected to date * Management fee *Reserve fee

  

  Business response

  04/30/2024

  Ms *****,

  Good evening. We believe that there is some confusion at the moment. We reviewed our records and see that Brooke is communicating with you via email. However I'd be happy to explain what's going on, on our end. Once the management agreement ends, we have 60 days to get your account fully closed out. As of our last day of management is the last day that we are managing the property and resident for you, which was on 4/22/2024. Off-boarding occurs within 60 days after the last day of management, to give our accounting time to get everything closed out. Our accounting dept will get your account professionally closed out very soon. I believe that they are waiting for your final payment to get your account closed out with us. You have a $925 balance for the early termination fees and we currently have $500 in your account. Can you please make a contribution to payoff the remaining fees, so our accounting dept can expedite the closing of your account out?

  Customer response

  05/01/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because this was not communicated during either emails that I have had with Brooke. I've asked several times about off boarding process and was told it wasn't her job. Brooke just informed me yesterday about my balance. I assumed (because not otherwise told even asking several times) that my balance owed would have been deducted from the $2300 they are currently holding. Today, I still haven't been told who or where to send any additonal payment. 

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

  

  Business response

  05/01/2024

  ********,

  Hey good evening and thank you for your response back. We have provided additional training today, to the associate that you were speaking too. We would be happy to close out your account within 24 hours. We just need your early termination fees paid in the amount of $425, before we can close everything on the account on our side. We believe that all documents were provided to you already and we are in the process of sending you the security deposit. Please let us know if you have any other questions. 

  Customer response

  05/06/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I disagree with the company withholding a $945 fee upon early termination. The early termination resulted from a lack of communication on their part. 
  
  
  Sincerely,
  ******** *****

  

  Business response

  05/09/2024

  Ms *****, we understand that you want out of the contract with no fees. However there are fees associated with breaking the contract early, in the contract that you signed. 

• Initial Complaint

  11/22/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 11/11/2023, my family and I woke up to an electrical fire within the microwave. The electrical fire disabled the entire electric panel. Currently we have been without an operational stove for 10 days and are unaware of the magnitude of the electrical problem. Upon our move in on 9/15/2023, we made ECREG aware that there looked to have been a previous electrical fire in the kitchen. This was confirmed by the electrician on 9/26/2023 who said there was evidence of a fire and the home needs a surge protector. I shared this with the management team and they reassured me that there had never been a fire and the home was up to code. There are also multiple outlets that do not work. Fast forward to 11/11/2023. ECREG allows investors to go through their Home Warranty even in emergency situations such as this. The electrician assigned has missed both scheduled appointments and refuses to answer or return phone calls. Karl the maintenance manager has been purposefully ignoring my calls and Dawn the property manager has taken my expressed grievances personal and has also been ignoring my calls. I have requested to have my concerns escalated to upper management multiple times and I am being denied their contact information. There have been other maintenance concerns but this is the most urgent and no one seems to be taking it seriously. I have 2 small children and I am concerned for their safety.

  

  Business response

  11/27/2023

  *****,

  Thank you for sharing your opinions. While we do know that some of your statements are not accurate in nature, we are not going to debate those online.
  
  Maintenance Request Line: 240-397-5686 ext 3 is open 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week, 365 Days A Year 
  
  Yes the investor has a Home Warranty on the property and they do utilize licensed and insured technicians.
  
  Based on conversation with the team, I believe they are in the process of ordering a new microwave and going to install additional surge protectors.
  
  Karl also mentioned that at this time, you are in agreement with the plan. If that is not the case, please let him know.
  

  
  

  Customer response

  12/03/2023

  Mr. ******* accused me of making false statements but he failed to mention that he has never contacted me once to address any of my statements/concerns so how would he know if they are false? He also failed to mention that an Electrician confirmed that the fire was due to a power surge. Please refer to the attached. Surge protectors were added and Karl has made me aware that the microwave will be replaced. 
  

  Although I wasn’t please with Karl not being forthcoming with what was going on from the beginning, which was the cause for a lot of the confusion. Karl has been extremely pleasant and acknowledged my concerns and frustrations and did not seem to take it personal. He also explained the reasons for the unanswered phone calls on his part. I have not heard from upper management regarding my concerns and Brook has not followed up with me once to return my calls or confirm that I am satisfied with the outcome. 

• Initial Complaint

  09/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In regards to complaint # ********. I moved out of my rental home on June 30, 2023 and was present when the walk through inspection was completed (with no issues noted). East coast has refused to return my security deposit or notify me as to why they are withholding it. There are also misc charges that appear on my online payment portal that they refuse to tell me what they are in regards to. My attorney wrote them at the end of august requesting a return of my security deposit but they have ignore that request as well.

  

  Business response

  09/20/2023

  The Owner of the Property was / is handling the security deposit.The investor sent the security deposit disposition to you via certified mail and it was attempted to be delivered. Can you verify your updated mailing address for us please? Aslo do you have his contact information or would like us to share it with you?

  Customer response

  09/21/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because I have not gotten an explanation for the misc charges on my acct. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* *******

• Initial Complaint

  12/01/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  East Coast Real Estate Group (ECREG) was hired as the property management company for my property located at *****************., Hagertown, MD 21740. ECREG hired a contractor to convert the attic to a bedroom to City code. On June 6, 2022 $8,500 was paid to ECREG to complete the work. On September 9, 2022, I found out from the City the work was NOT done to code and without a permit. Furthermore, the scope of work performed by ECREG failed several City inspection. After several months of delay, ECREG was able to get the attic to pass City code inspections. Without my knowledge and agreement, ECREG submitted to me an invoice for $5,625.36 today (December 1, 2022) for electrical work done in the attic. In addition, ECREG has done this kind of behavior where ECREG performs work involving thousands of dollars without my knowledge and consent. I have sent many emails and made many calls for several months to resolve my dissatisfactions with ECREG; however, ultimately I had to terminate my contracts with ECREG on November 15, 2022.

  

  Business response

  12/12/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/12/02) */ ******, ECREG did not submit a $5,625.36 invoice to you. The vendor whom you have worked with multiple times on different projects and have direct communication with... submitted an invoice to you. We never received an estimate for this work, never approved the work to be completed and did not send you that invoice. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/12/02) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) As illustrated in the attached, a Kathryn emailed me and ECREG the invoice. The invoice wasn't addressed to me by name. I'm not familiar with a Kathryn and ECREG was addressed on the email. Furthermore, ECREG hired the contractor for the job. In addition, the contractor has submitted all their invoices for this project to ECREG. I make payments directly to ECREG and ECREG pays the contractor. Also, ECREG charges me 10% of the contractor's invoices as they hired the contractor. Once again, I had no knowledge of these charges and most certainly didn't approve these charges. More importantly, ECREG has not responded to the email (contractor) expressing their position shared with BBB. Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/12/07) */ ******, I understand what you're saying sir. However this is going to end up on the vendor and his lack of a change order. I didn't respond to the email, because I personally explained this in person to the owner of the company, in our office when he requested payment just minutes after sending that email. It wasn't approved by us, so we wouldn't be paying for it on your behalf. The vendor admitted to me, that no one approved the work, so he understood when I didn't pay him for the work on you behalf. Consumer Response /* (2000, 11, 2022/12/09) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) Thanks for the clarification.

• Initial Complaint

  11/22/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am never been so dissatisfied with property management services. The expenses have been ridiculously high. I would consider it a management function to be sure there is adequate heat in the winter, to not let the pipes freeze. But not only was that not done, I was charged a horrendous amount of $3,131.74 to have the pipes fixed upon freezing due to their inaction. Upon review of transactions I discovered that ECREG had been skimming the rent receipts, claiming they are for "other services", totaling $5,280.40 from the four most current leases. All income from by property is rent, whatever name or type of service you give it. And another disappointment, ECREG has retained the last tenant's security deposit even though they caused 13,000 plus of damages to my property. For the current tenant, they have been providing owners statements to me reflecting gross rent of $640, yet the actual monthly rent being collected is $815. They were fraudulently skimming $185 a month for 8 months. They also collected up front charges from this tenant of $1,194, all kept from themselves, and not disclosed to me until I terminated their services. None of this is allowed per our property management agreement. I requested the company pay me this, which they refused with bogus reasons.

  

  Business response

  12/15/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2022/12/02) */ ******, There are several inaccurate and false accusation in this complaint. The heat was turned on for you after the resident vacated. All money received from a resident is not rent. The addition monthly fees are clearly outlined for the tenants in their lease. Our pet guarantee program is, order of funds distribution and other details are explained in our Property Management agreement. We wish you the best in obtaining the balance owed by the tenant. We would have liked to assist you in that process, however we are separating our working relationship. Consumer Response /* (3000, 9, 2022/12/05) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I do not agree that they had the right to collect money from my tenants for living in my property and not consider it rent. Rent is money paid for the use of property. Giving it different names does not change that. They knew I was expecting to receive 90% of the collections from the tenants, as we agreed their fee was 10% of all collections. There is no "pet guarantee program" explained in our property management agreement. Our agreement was included with the complaint. They claimed they "turned on the heat", but they apparently did not confirm it was sufficient and working property, as expected from them. I do not agree there were any inaccurate or false accusations in this complaint. Business Response /* (1000, 17, 2022/12/15) */ ******, We and I have tried to explain this to you multiple times, so this will be my last communication on the matters. Whether you agree or not with any fees accessed to a residents ledger, it doesn't change our legal authority and right to charge additional fees as outlined in the the lease and PM agreement. Both our lease and PM agreement have been reviewed by multiple attorneys and are compliant with local regulations.

• Initial Complaint

  10/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I'm the owner of a townhouse located at ****************** Frederick, MD, and East Cost Real Estate Group is the agency managing the property. On August 16, 2022 I received an email about a refrigerator not working properly. I purchased a new refrigerator the same day and it was delivered to the resident on August 20, 2022. On September 14, 2022 I received the owner statement for the period of 08/10/22 to 09/13/22 with $302.4 (274.94 + 10%) charge related to maintenance call for the refrigerator. Surprisedly on October 12, 2022 I received the owner statement for the period of 09/14/22 to 10/11/22 with a charge of $220 (200 +10%) related to the same maintenance request on the refrigerator back in August. After contacting the agency about the $220 on October, the manager told me that they rented a mini fridge for 4 days in August to put in the townhouse for the tenant. Why charging me on October for a repair expense that occurred in August? Also, I don't understand why the agency had made the decision to rent an appliance to put in my house without informing me. The agency did not inform me that the tenant was in need of a refrigerator ASAP, neither that they were planing to rent a mini fridge. I had a backup refrigerator sitting in my garage I could have simply put it in the house. Not knowing the emergency of the situation, I decided to buy a new refrigerator to avoid any further issues down the line. In my opinion the agency did not communicate with me correctly and they overcharged me for this maintenance request. I ended up paying $524 to the agency and $992 for the new fridge.

  

  Business response

  11/02/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/10/28) */ ******, Hey good evening and thank you for reaching out to us. As we previously discussed there was 2 separate bills and 2 separate vendors that were sent to your home. When we received the call that the fridge was not working, we dispatched someone who attempted to fix the fridge. They had time and labor driving to the home and trying to fix it. Then when they notified us that the fridge was unable to be repaired, they still billed for their time on site. We sent a separate vendor out to drop off a mini fridge, so your tenants had a working fridge of some sort for the time being. The work order was submitted by the tenant on 8/14 and we had a vendor there on 8/16 to look at the fridge. With the new fridge arriving on 8/20, that was almost a week without a working fridge for your tenant. You knew that the fridge was not working and we needed to get them a fridge as soon as possible, so they had a functioning fridge. We of course wish the vendor could have fixed the fridge the first time and saved you some money. As far as when the billing happened, we cannot control when invoices are completed or submitted to our office. We simply bill them when we receive the invoices. Most of our vendors that we use trust us, so they bill us at net 30 days and payment is not due at the time of service. I hope this helps to clear things up! Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/10/31) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I completely understand your point; however, you should have tried to secure my approval before renting the refrigerator. Based on the property management rental agreement I signed, "Agent agree to secure the prior approval of the owner on all expenditures estimated to be in excess of $500 for any one item" . The cost of sending 2 vendors to resolve the issue of the refrigerator was $522.43; therefore, my approval was required. As you can see on the attached screenshot of the email from the Vice President, the agency acknowledged a mistake was made by not informing me about the need of renting a mini fridge. Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/11/01) */ ******, Hey good evening ma'am and thank you for reaching out again. I understand your frustration, but these were 2 separate bills and 2 separate vendors. We ask all of our vendors that if a repair is going to be more than $500 to get us an estimate, so we can send to the landlord to review. Since that was not what occurred, there was no estimate. Per our agreement we are authorized to handle repairs for your property and there was not one item over $500 in this scenario. Agent's Authority: Owner agrees to be responsible for the expenses associated with and hereby gives Agent the exclusive authority to make, contract, and/or supervise repairs, alterations, and/or decorations to Property; to purchase supplies and pay bills therefore; Agent agrees to secure the prior approval of the Owner on all expenditures estimated to be in excess of $500 for any one item

• Initial Complaint

  03/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Recently, I found a townhome online I would like to rent and scheduled a showing. I drove over an hour to self tour the home. I decided I really liked the townhome and to apply with East Coast Real Estate Group LLC. I paid the application fee, pet screening fee, and deposit of $500 which I was told in writing would go towards my move in fees. The welcome letter I received outlined fees to be paid and that I would receive a lease via email after the $500 deposit was made. After making the deposit, East Coast Real Estate Group LLC said they would not send me a lease until I paid all move in fees first. Then they said after they take my money that I would have to wait 24 business hours to get the lease. I told them I cannot pay $3,798 without seeing a rental agreement. The refused to provide a lease as the welcome letter indicated and stole my $500 deposit as they will not return it. Now I have nowhere to live and was lied to. I want my money back for the $500 deposit. If BBB is unable to assist, I will file a claim in court. In summary, I am out of $500 and nowhere to live. My move in date was supposed to be March 31st and I had hope to see and sign the lease the same day I paid the remaining fees. I will never consider business with this company again.

  

  Business response

  04/07/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/03/25) */ We received your complaint and have spoken to you numerous times outside of here. You were approved for the home and we offered to provide you with the lease in the office, as Rhi our Property Manager emailed you about. We agreed to refund your $500 holding fee and we mailed that check out on 3/18/2022. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/03/30) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Rhi and Megan stated the lease would take 24 hours to generate and that I would not receive a lease after payment was made in full. I expressed that verbally and in writing that I did not feel comfortable paying $3,798.07 up front with no lease agreement. I was told verbally and in writing that it is against your company policy to issue a lease until all funds are received and that I had to wait 24 business hours or so for a lease to be created. I have yet to receive a check and was initially told a check was cut on March 17th. The claim in writing the check was mailed out, however, I never received a dime of my money back. I called the post office to see if anything was returned or on hold and they have not received any check in the mail on my behalf from East Coast Real Estate Group LLC. I will be filing a complaint with the District Court of Maryland for my refund. I did not go through with this company or continue paying the rest of move in fees as it felt like a scam since I was expected to pay money with no lease or meeting anybody in person. Business Response /* (4000, 10, 2022/03/31) */ Thank you for sharing the copy of the sample lease that we sent you. I reviewed all of our emails with you and we did offer for you to come into the office and sign the lease. Which was exactly what you wanted. Your $500 has been refunded and we issued you a check back for the holding fee, that you put down on that property. Tracking # is ********************

• Initial Complaint

  02/20/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am a tenant with this LLC and I do not pay for water it is provided by the LLC. I have been without water in my home. The first time it lasted about two weeks but then it happened again about a month or two later. The second time around it has lasted for a month and 3 weeks and is still on going currently. The second time around I was informed by the plumber that it was due to frozen pipes and they needed to warm them in order for the water to return. The began warming the pipes and i was instructed to water about an hour or two before water would return. The water only returned to the kitchen but has not returned to the bathroom for a month and three weeks and currently. My landlord has informed me that it's because it is cold in the home and it won't thaw till it warms. A plumber was sent out again and he has stated that the house adjacent to our townhouse needed fuel and the heat from there would help heat the house and that he would contact the land about getting it fueled. He said that it was an emergency situation which meant they could come out the same day and put the fuel. I had contacted the landlord a couple days later and she had informed me that the plumber didn't mention the fuel but said I needed to warm my house to have the water return. Three days later i was contacted to see if we had water and i had let the landlord know that we wouldn't get it until fuel was in the adjacent home to which she responded that she was trying to find a fuel company currently. She hadn't gotten back to me so i reached out a couple days later and she stated rang she would put the fuel in once the new tenants moved which would be a week from that point. I decided to involve the health department and they called my LLC and was informed the fuel would be put in Friday. Friday came and still no fuel to warm the house. Now it's warmer out and the pipes still have not thawed but water is now leaking from my kitchen ceiling now which is under the bathroom. LLC was contacted.

  

  Business response

  03/07/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/02/25) */ Thank you for reaching out to us. I reviewed all communication between us and yourself and a lot of the timelines aren't matching up. The home next door had a new resident move in, almost a month ago. So we aren't understanding how that would be affecting your water. As they have had heat this entire time. We spoke to the plumber who fixed the no water issue and he confirmed that the water is now working to all areas of your home. While we wish your water could have been fixed in less 24 hours, we did get multiple plumbers and even a well company to come out and look at it right away. We will reach out to you, regarding the new water leak that you mentioned to help you, put in a work order to get that repaired asap. Any communication that you sent directly to the landlord, wouldn't have come to us. So we wouldn't be aware of anything that wasn't communicated to us.

• Initial Complaint

  11/12/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  With all the damage East Coast real estate group LLC has done to my houses ,my tenants and me (owner), I have to warm anyone who is looking for property management :this company is the worst! It just there to damage your life! Normal property management company should have the experience, skill and the knowledge on how to manage properties, but East Coast has None! They did the opposite of managing! They are just there to ruin your houses and your life . They are just a" company "who using property managing as title to gain access of your money and your properties ,and have the power over your tenants, just for their own using. I will list a short version of the problem they have below : 1, Not knowing how to do property management : not knowing how to check a house properly and not giving any report to the owner when they first took over the house under their so-call management. they report nothing to me , not even see a leak damage inside. 2, Not deposit money to the owner (me) for 3 months long , Until I warn my tenants stop paying them .Well, As a real estate investor like myself :not showing continue income from 2 of my properties will create a problem on borrowing a loan from the bank . 3, lying to me and my tenants ,passing false info to both. Almost destroyed the trust I have built with my 2 decent tenants for over 4 years. 4, signing illegal lease agreement with one of my tenant without telling me (the owner) , I did not known anything about the lease: not the rent amount; not the term of it, and my signature is not on it .That is illegal. 5, delay the roof fixing work for 3 months long, during this 3 months my house has experience another heavy storm which is creating more damage to the house . I have to decide have the whole roof replaced which is cost me much more money. I have to stop their illegal activity and ask for refund and compensation, I will explain more on the upload files due to the word limitation of this page.

  

  Business response

  11/29/2021

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/11/14) */ *******, Your review of our company and what actually occurred are not even close to accurate. We did 0 damage to your homes, tenants or yourself. We did exactly what we discussed and agreed upon. I am going to respond back to your statements in the order that you mentioned them. 1. This is not accurate at all. We handled all of your money, the tenants money and got all of the completed repairs that your properties needed. Then we sent you what you had left in your bank account, along with a year to date statement of all transactions that occurred over the last 3 months. That is how long we were working together. 2. You had 2 large repairs that were coming up. Since our relationship just started, we were applying your rent to the almost $7,000 roof bills that you had coming up. One was a roof repair and the other was an entire roof replacement. You were also sent monthly statements each month, that showed a breakdown of your bank account balances and all income/expenses for your properties. So there was no problems with accounting or using your money. 3. We never lied to anyone, including yourself or your tenants. We did exactly what you asked us to do. 4. In our Property Management Agreement, you gave us permission to execute lease renewals on behalf of yourself. That was one of the reasons that you came to us. You told me that you didn't want to be the bad guy for raising the tenants rent. 5. We did not delay the roof repairs, we would have no reason to do this. Unfortunately you had an insurance adjuster involved with both properties and a contractor who was doing the work. We do not control these companies and their timelines. The insurance adjuster took most of the time to be able to go see the properties. In your comment about having to replace the roof, you were told that by the insurance adjuster, which we didn't cause the damage on your roof. I honestly believe that you just hired our company because you are out of the country and needed help to get these repairs done. If you would like to discuss anything further, please email the office and we would happy to clear up any misunderstandings! Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2021/11/17) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I do not accept this response .With so many unclear details on this case , I think is better for the BBB's mediation and binding arbitration services to help resolve the complex situations. And I will provide necessary info for the case when I can talk to the third part instead of East Coast .since there are many.

*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. ↩