Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/09/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I lived at *********************** (a Dolben Company) from ********* and had a generally positive experience, even referring my in-laws to move into the community in May 2024. As part of the referral program, I was promised a $1,000 credit, which I have yet to receive.For the past eight months, I have followed up multiple times, only to be reassured that the check is in the mail. More recently, my emails have gone unanswered. Since I have now moved out, it seems as though this commitment has simply been forgotten. This has been a frustrating experience, and as a result, the rest of my family will also be leaving the community.Throughout my time at **********, I encountered ongoing issues with accounting, despite multiple changes in management. I was incorrectly charged several non-compliance fees despite having my renters insurance up to date. These billing inconsistencies made it difficult to keep track of charges and payments.During my residency, I changed units three times, including once due to harassment from a neighbor. I do appreciate that ********************* assisted me in resolving that situation and facilitated the transition. Additionally, I want to acknowledge that the maintenance team was consistently reliable and helpful.I would appreciate a response regarding my referral credit. Please let me know how this can be resolved.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/12/2025

  Confirming the $1,000 referral fee is in the bill pay system for the former resident, Max. Max, failed to note in the complaint the fact there was a balance on the residential account since 1/6/2023. We do not pay out referral fees unless the resident has a $0 balance. Additionally, the fee is never a credit on the account but rather sent to residents via a check. The balance was finally cured upon move-out as the deposits on hand were applied to open balances. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/13/2025

   
  Complaint: 22918239
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  Sincerely,
  

  I appreciate your response. However, this is the first timeafter numerous follow-upsthat Ive been informed the referral credit was not received due to a balance on my account. What ********************** has failed to acknowledge is the multiple emails I sent over the years regarding this balance and how no one could fully explain it.
  
  
  Between noncompliance fees, electricity bill discrepancies caused by an error on Dolbens part (providing the wrong meter number when I moved in), and wrongful prorations, it was nearly impossible to track my account balance. Ultimately, Breakwater issued a $700 adjustment, but to this day, I have no clarity on what it covered, as no one took the time to explain. I also mentioned this in my initial complaint.
  
  
  Attached are emails I previously sent to management requesting clarification on these various issues. In the end, my deposit was used to settle the remaining balance, and the referral credit was never provided.
  
  
  Now that my account balance is $0, will you be mailing a check for the referral credit?
  
  
  Looking forward to your response.
  
  *** ******* *****

  Business Response

  Date: 02/20/2025

  Good morning attached please find four items regarding this claim. For full transparency the resident statement for each apartment home has been attached; Max lived in 514, 142, and 410. Additionally, attached please find proof of payment for the $1,000 referral check.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/20/2025

  Good afternoon attached please find four items regarding this claim. For full transparency, the resident statement for each apartment home has been attached; Max lived in 514, 142, and 410.  Additionally, attached please find proof of payment for the $1,000 referral check.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/24/2025

   
  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. I have received the promised $1000 referral credit. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *** ******* *****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/14/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This business is continuously charging me a non-compliance fee for insurance. I have provided the leasing agents with my insurance information and listed them as an interested party. The leasing agents at Pine Valley in Elkton, Md, Christina ****** and Kristin *******, refuse to call and verify my insurance. I also contact the regional office and left 3 messages for Mr. *. ******. He has not emailed or called me back. I have CC’d him on several emails to my local office. He has not once responded regarding this matter.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/27/2024

  Good morning Ms. ******,
  
  I wanted to let you know that we have obtained the declarations page from your insurance provider. The necessary adjustment for the insurance non-compliance charges have been credited to your rental account. We were having an issue responding back on the Better Business Bureau site, so I apologize for the delay in response.
  
  Best Regards,

   

  Kristin *******

  Property Manager

  Pine Valley Apartments

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/27/2024

  
  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

  Date:01/17/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  1. On 12/21/2023, Tenant 44973 on Floor 1 hit and totaled my paid-off, parked Hyundai Accent SE 2018 outside of building 44973. 2. Between the dates of 12/24/23 to 1/1/24, the maintenance man demanded access to my apartment at roughly 9 pm without any prior notice. 3. In the week of 1/1/24, Shelia, the Property Manager, provided a delayed response regarding the new portal setup and incorrect resident information causing registration issues. I was able to process my monthly automatic payment withdrawal before Shelia reached out to "address" the matter; therefore there was no need for an additional email from Shelia, as the payment had been posted. 4. On 1/12/24, Shelia posted an “unauthorized pet fee” ($55) to my account without allowing sufficient time to provide the necessary information for adding my pet to the lease; communication that was also included Week of 1/1/24. I also want to express my discomfort with the lack of acknowledgment and remedy from the Property Manager following the total loss of my parked car. Additionally, the discomfort I feel and experience daily living as a single woman with a Maintenance man who can enter at his will with no notice and no understanding from Management.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/25/2024

  To whom it may concern:

  We have spoken with Ms. ****** regarding these issues.  Here are the items we discussed.

  1. We notified Ms. ****** that another resident struck her car.  The other resident is at fault and remained on the scene to exchange information with Ms. ******.  The gentlemen's insurance company will reimburse Ms. ****** for damages.

  2.  Per the lease agreement, we are able to access apartments in the event of a maintenance emergency.  We apologize to Ms. ****** that the apartment below her was taking on water stemming from Ms. ******'s apartment.  We needed to gain access to Ms. ******'s apartment to stop the water intrusion.

  3. Our resident portal system was changed and there were issues associated with the transition that have since been resolved. 

  4. Ms. ****** got a dog and was charged our standard monthly pet fee of $55 for a dog.

  We apologize that Ms. ******'s car was damaged in the accident.  As indicated to Ms. ****** and mentioned above, Settler's Landing is not responsible for the accident, and she should seek financial compensation from his insurance company.  

  Thanks

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/07/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I moved out of my apartment at the end of September 2022. Two days after moving out, I realized that I had left one of the closets full. My lease was up October 2. I called on September 30 and left a voice message requesting them to call back and that I had left one of the closets full. The closet had all my winter cloths in it along with tools. I called back a few days later and they said they had cleaned the apartment out. I asked to come grab my belongings from that closet. The Dolben company stated that they had thrown away my belongings. How does one throw away someone's belongings without contacting them first? I could understand if it was junk but it was all cloths and tools in perfect condition. I've attached just some of the items that I left in that closet. All together I had belongings in that closet in excess of $3,000

  Business Response

  Date: 12/13/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/11/11) */ The resident returned his keys and stated he vacated the apartment, legally delivering possession of the apartment back to management. He was moved out of our system Saturday, October 1st, per his notice to vacate date. Any personal items left in the apartment are legally considered abandoned property, per Maryland law and the resident's signed lease. It is our practice and our right to discard any items left in the apartment to prepare the unit for the next resident scheduled to move in. The items left in the apartment were discarded Wednesday, October 5th, during our cleaning process. The resident's claim that he contacted us on September 30th to ask if he left items in his apartment is false as he had not even vacated as of that date. He claims he left a voicemail, which is also inaccurate as we do not have a voicemail system. We have a 24 hour call service who records all calls; there is no record of the resident calling on that date. On October 7th at 12:16 AM, a week after his vacate date, he contacted us for the first time via email, asking if he left any items in the apartment. Our office opens at 9:30 AM and before I had the opportunity to respond to his email, he called, on a recorded call, asking about his items. We informed him the items left in his apartment had been discarded. After he expressed his dissatisfaction, we also explained to him Maryland law and his lease agreement both state any personal property left in a vacated apartment is considered abandoned property. He asked us why we did not contact him to let him know about the items, and I explained we are not required to do so. Abandoned property is left in vacated apartments often and there is no requirement for us to contact the residents to inform them of the items they abandoned. At that point, the resident threatened to file a lawsuit against us if we did not reimburse him for the items, to which I recommended he contact our attorney if he wanted to pursue legal action or had questions regarding his lease or the state law. On October 10th, I received an email from him letting me know he was not satisfied with the outcome of his phone call with our attorney and, again, threatened legal action. I responded to him reminding him of the terms in his lease and the law and told him we were not going to reimburse him for the items he abandoned in the apartment when he vacated. He responded, again, demanding reimbursement. I responded and said if he needed anything further, he would need to contact our attorney. We will not be reimbursing the resident for the items he neglected to remove from the apartment prior to vacating; therefore, abandoning the property per Maryland law and his signed lease agreement. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/11/14) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Nowhere in Maryland law nor the lease gives the property the right to discard any items left behind. It's common law duty for the property to to notify the resident of personal belongings left behind to give the resident the opportunity to gather said belongings. Consumer Response /* (3000, 9, 2022/11/14) */ I would like to request mediation or binding arbitration. Business Response /* (4000, 11, 2022/11/17) */ While we understand you may be frustrated with the situation, we acted in accordance with your lease and Dolben's move out procedures. Therefore, we ask that you immediately cease and desist from harassing us with emails, hostile/false online comments, etc. In addition, any further questions or concerns need to be directed to our legal counsel, The Law Office of Richard ** ******* whom you may email at **********@gmail.com.