ComplaintsforSuperior Property Management, Inc

• Initial Complaint

  11/22/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  It pains me to write this, but I am left with no alternative. I want payment of $1722.50 for Sept rent for properties that Superior Property Management used to manage in Syracuse on ******** Avenue and ***** Street. I have all validation needed. I have a long string of texts and emails promising me settlement after the company communicated they would cease operations via a September 15 email. These string of communications include many promises of payment via ******, *******, then check. Then I got a string of excuses and things simply did not add up. I was patient and understanding, only to now be simply ignored. I did get a check for $722.50 a couple of weeks ago, $1000 short, only to be told the check should not have been sent, that after a communication promising me payment. The check subsequently bounced after being given some excuse about a "system glitch", which doesn't add up. Frankly I have learned things that should raise lots of other questions. After 13 years of doing business one would think I would be treated better. I am also concerned about how a colleague of mine who I referred their way was also treated, which is only complicating things and raising many more questions and concerns. I have tried everything to resolve this and now seek your support. There should be absolutely no doubt about the validity of my claim. Thank you.

  Business response

  12/09/2022

  Please see attached the year end statement sent to **** **** a few days ago, this is the updated and final statement.  let me know if you need anymore information. thank you.  

  Customer response

  12/09/2022

  Better Business Bureau:  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. I find it too convenient that all of a sudden yesterday I get statements making adjustments going back as much as 3 years. I also possess specific emails and texts that will shed light on the truth in this matter that I will be prepared to share with you. I adamantly reject this response and hold firm in my original position and will continue to very aggressively pursue this matter. I can also tell you I am not the only injured party as an owner who entrusted this firm only to be let down in a significant manner.  I also believe there needs to be a full audit of the books and investigation conducted on this company's business practices. Such an investigation I am sure will produce lots of interesting findings.  These texts and emails also contain a string of excuses and broken promises that never added up. One communication I have makes an admission of business practices that one can say is more than questionable to put it mildly. You are trying to tell me that all of a sudden the firm goes back 3 years and conveniently makes adjustments? Really? Why did they not send me timely statements all along? In addition to an adjustment going all the way back to 2019, I also first got a June, 2022 statement out of the blue. Where was that the entire time? I also have been reviewing whatever statements I did get (some months are still missing) and find there are billings for work I never authorized.  No wonder this firm was so adamant in pushing me into collecting my own rent, a ridiculous premise given my time constraints and distance, where I found out via the new firm that these tenants did what they wanted and dictated the terms on how they paid rent to the property management firm, not the other way around. There is now a firm hand in place, professionally done, with rents coming on time with everything recorded in real time on the portal. Not waiting weeks for split payments via ****** and *******. For months I suspected something was wrong, and unfortunately I was correct in my suspicion. All the years I dealt with this firm only to find the trust was misplaced is very troubling indeed.   Attached is my September, 2021 statement. I am owed $1722.50. I stand firm on my position and reject the response. There is a lot more than shoddy bookkeeping going on here. I am also glad to share the string of all communications to backup my assertions if needed.   Regards,  **** ****

  Business response

  03/15/2023

  Superior Property Management did in fact send a check to Mr. ****. This was in error and it was communicated to Mr **** that the check was stopped. The check in question did not "bounce". It clearly is stamped "stopped". Our position on this matter has been and still is that the fee once relayed to us what that fee is would be paid to Mr. ****.  Mr **** was aware that one of the owners had health concerns and issues starting back in 2019. The health issues were controllable and didn't appear to affect conducting business as usual until a major decline came to be in June of 2022. One of the major issues was high stress and we had to assess exactly what was the cause and do whatever possible to deter as much stress as possible. In August of 2022 a decision was made that the PM services needed to be ended immediately.  Due to this and trying to close down the part of the business that was our main income for 23 years proved to be very difficult. Mr **** knows we are literally a mom & pop shop. He also knows we no longer had office help for the past couple years.  Mr **** was given as much notice as possible that we needed to end the PM services. Unfortunately, his concerns were only about himself. We begged for his patience while we did everything as fast of possible, out of courtesy we offered to keep maintaining his properties if he could collect the rents until he found a new suitable property management company. He even asked one of the owners of SPM the thoughts on who he currently has as his PM company before he hired them.  Unfortunately Mr **** did not show patience for our situation and became quite aggressive as well. There were communications to Mr **** stating the funds would be sent, that part is solely on SPM. We take full responsibility for not being more clear in our communication that we needed to go through his file more to be sure all work completed at his properties was invoiced and paid in full.   The reason we had to take extra time to close Mr ****'s file out is because there were many times we held back invoices in order to help Mr **** to pay his bills.  In the past 13 years Superior Property Management spent countless hours in which most were not billed for to give Mr **** the opportunity to get above water with his properties. When Mr **** came to our company he was in major disarray with the then 3 properties he owned. Anytime Mr **** needed major work done on his properties the owners of Superior Property Management would spread the amount due out in monthly payments and sometimes it would be 6 months until our company was fully paid back. Our company never required any interest or extra payments for spreading the payments out. In doing this the owners of SPM had to put their own needs aside but did not mind doing so because our intentions were always to help the client.  However, providing that extra service to Mr **** also meant making sure our company put aside invoices for other work performed at Mr ****'s properties to charge at a later date. These invoices would be on top of any major repairs which was for regular monthly maintenance , lawn care etc that was needed. There were many times in the 13 years of the companies relationship with Mr **** that regular maintenance invoices weren't able to be charged for until the large expenses were paid off first.  SPM did anything we could to assist Mr **** as best possible with his properties and occasionally even when it came to his personal situations.  Several major issues arose in 2022 with his ***** st property. For example, the second floor kitchen faucet had leaked slowly into the sink base and under the flooring, it caused major mold and mildew to occur. Mr **** always told us to do what was needed to make sure the properties & tenants were taken care of and he just asked if we could make sure he gets enough funds to pay the properties monthly bills. Once again Mr **** did not have the money available to have this work paid for up front. Therefore as always, SPM spread the payments out as best as possible to assist Mr ****. The invoice for this work performed was sent in April 2022, however it was for the labor work completed only. Mr **** had asked for help with the large bill and was advised we would charge the other part for material at a later date as to once again assist him as best possible. In the next 5 months ***** st had several sewage back ups in the basement and major blockages in the exterior stack. Each time our company went and cleared the blockages and cleared the basement immediately, only charging the bare minimum for such work and several times holding back on charging until the income was available. There were a few times a big machine was needed to clear the blockages in which our company paid for up front and planned to charge Mr **** once he had funds to do so.  With the health issues going on along with closing out the property management end of the company it had caused the owners to unintentionally forget to charge for those invoices until the year end statement (12/22/21 to 9/21/22) was performed and Mr ****s entire file was processed for closing. Mr **** in fact had negative balances carrying over each month, however Mr **** was sent money each month. As stated above, SPM did this many times for Mr **** throughout our 13 year relationship. There was never a concern brought up from Mr **** regarding being paid back for work performed. Mr **** always thanked us for being so good to him and his properties/tenants. Now that our company is no longer providing services to Mr **** he is stating we should not be compensated for work performed.   The work that was performed can be proven in several ways including photos. SPM by all rights should at least be paid the $700.00 for sewage services/clean up/sanitization and deodorizing performed in 2022 and the materials bought for the kitchen flooring/mold/mildew/faucet/lines work in which that amount is $1084.00. Mr **** is seeking a payment of $1722.50 from SPM. SPM is seeking compensation for work performed that totals $1784.00 Although full compensation is what SPM would prefer we are more than willing to have a fair negotiation process to hopefully satisfy both Mr **** and SPM.  

  Customer response

  03/21/2023

  Better Business Bureau:  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and I categorically reject this response. Let me briefly summarize:First, the check. This assertion of bouncing vs. stopping is a ridiculous one. In fact, to add insult to injury, I was charged a fee when the check was returned. And regarding the assertion that they needed time to review my account, then why send the check out in the first place? I also have a communication with the excuse that “there was a glitch with ********”. I called their support team, there were no technical when the check was issued. Second, health concerns. Any decent human would empathize with any such concerns as I did. But it does not take away from the ultimate responsibility in running a business and obligation to one’s clients. So, when I read that my concerns were only about myself, my response is, I beg your pardon? Excuse me? Well, to be blunt, how dare you.  Their business obligation does not go away. It’s called responsibility to running a business and to life.  Yes, in the early days of the relationship, the ******* did clean up a mess that I had with my properties. I had a trust in them that ultimately was betrayed. Going back about 3 years ago, rent payments became a lot slower to come my way. Sometimes I had to wait until the 10th or as late as the 15th of each month to get the prior month’s rent which was supposedly already collected. I had to literally beg for it every month and found it getting split up. That should have been a sign something was wrong. I even felt sorry for them, actually entrusting them with a referral to a colleague of mine here on Long Island from whom they took exponentially more money then I am owed and did almost none of the work they agreed to from what I understand. Talk about betrayal of trust. Third, holding back invoices. My position is that there were times over the years payments would get spread out. That said, it made me very nervous to get a text from Ms. ****** telling me how they “moved thousands of dollars around” to pay me over time.  Where exactly could that money have come from? Other clients? I know my colleague is out a lot of money. I would NEVER have agreed to such actions. And is it any wonder they were begging me to collect the rent myself when they sent notice the firm was being closed? Why, because what was really going on would be uncovered as my new property manager has discovered? What was discovered turned out to be a house of cards that quickly collapsed. I need to add I have communications from the ******* begging me to collect rent on my own after they communicated their firm’s closure. I live a few hundred miles away and that makes no sense whatsoever. Once my new property manager got engaged, we found the tenants were literally dictating terms on when they would pay every month. ***** ****** at one point sent me a nasty email regarding eviction notices being sent telling me I should be ashamed of myself. I am a property owner, not a charity. I will always do the right thing by people and make sure they don’t live in the wrong sorts of conditions, but in turn the obligation is to pay rent on time, and that was not happening at all for quite a long time with a string of excuses. Its interesting how my new property management firm suddenly now is collecting rent on time from all tenants like clockwork every month. Everything is online in real time, professionally done. What a difference. Now let’s talk about additional damages. My new property manager has found shoddy work done, as well work done with out a proper permit from the city which may cost me a lot of money. And water bills never paid well over $1000. My figure is no longer $1729, we are assessing what the real damages are, and it will be much higher. They can show all the photos in the world, that proves nothing. And by the way, I did pay for sewage cleanup along the way, a figure my new property manager thought was outrageous given what she saw. Maybe one could think this is a he said / she said scenario, but I have the facts on my side. This is the last thing I wanted. Again, I am sorry for ******* health concerns, but responsibility to a business and to their clients is what it is. I am looking at happened to my colleague with anger and embarrassment with what happened to him. I referred him with misplaced trust. How dare these assertions be made. If they want to talk settlement, I will listen. But I wont be the one cutting any checks. I am the one who sustained damage and will vigorously fight for what is right and demand to be compensated. The unfortunate next step appears to be court. If they want to avoid that, they know where to find me in advance of the court date. Thank you. **** ****

  Business response

  04/04/2023

   Superior Property Management has always been willing to pay for the stopped check fee but can not do so until we are given the amount that was charged for the fee. Our company is elated knowing Mr ****** new management company is doing a great service for him and we hope that continues for as long as he does business. As far as the accusations against our company in this newest response we would like nothing more than to full force defend our company and owners, however unfortunately time is not on our side due to the health issues becoming worse. Due to these events Superior Property Management Inc would like to present an offer of $1000.00 to Mr **** plus the stopped check fee, again we would need to know the amount for said fee. This amount would be sent in certified funds via certified mail to the address our company has on file for Mr **** unless otherwise stated by Mr ****. If this amount is satisfactory to Mr **** then Superior Property Management would ask that Mr **** agree to end any and all current and future damages seeked by him against Superior Property Management Inc. and it's owners, ***** ****** and ***** ****** ****** to include but not limited to monetary damages upon acceptance of the above offer and that once the funds are received that Mr **** closes the BBB complaint as well. If accepted by Mr **** our company asks to be allowed 30 days from the date of acceptance to send the amount to Mr ****.   If this offer is not acceptable we ask that Mr **** respond at his earliest convenience with a counter offer.  Thank you.     

  Customer response

  04/12/2023

  Better Business Bureau:  In response to the offer presented by Superior Property Management: Since the initial filing of a suit in small claims court, more damages have been found that include unpaid water bills and plumbing work that needed to be fixed. Hence, the amount of damages I am now claiming is $4100. The hearing is set for May 11 at 1:30 pm in Syracuse. In the end, if there can be a settlement and avoid going to court and trial, there is no argument that time can be better spent provided there is a reasonable settlement. That said, I will make a counter offer. I will settle for the original amount claimed of $1729.50 given the additional damages found. I will ask for it to be made via certified funds. In addition - I have one caveat. I will also ask that Superior Property Management settle the open matter with my friend and colleague **** *******. **** sold me the insurance on the properties I own and inquired about investing in Syracuse.   I referred **** to ***** and ***** and put my trust in Superior Property Management to take care of him, only to have that trust betrayed. I value my relationship with ****, he also puts his trust in my word. He has encountered damages a lot more significant than those I had. I value my trust and relationship with **** a lot more than I do the monies owed to me. While one could question why I make this a caveat, well, to me this is a matter of principle. This situation needs to be fixed and made right.   To conclude, I won't disagree that avoiding a courtroom in a public setting in regards to this situation is in everyone's best interest. Again, I will say I am saddened that it came down to this, but we need to do what is right. I will anticipate a response to this offer as soon as possible. If we can come to an agreement, then I will take steps to take the case off the calendar and close the BBB case so we can move on.  Thank you.   **** ****

  Business response

  04/19/2023

  Several years ago Superior Property Management offered to try collecting water payments from the tenant of the single family home and pay the water bills for both properties from rents/payments received by tenants as a favor for Mr **** after the water was shut off at both of his properties several years back for non payment. This was not, nor ever a paid service by Mr **** to superior property management because it was a favor and if there wasn't funds available to pay the bills or the bills weren't received we were not to be held liable.. Mr **** was advised to go online to check his water bill accounts each quarter just in case neither of us received a paper bill in the mail which happened very often. He was advised since this was a favor and added work load to superior property management he would need to still do his due diligence to be sure the bills were paid. The properties are owned in full by the client and the bills are in the clients name, therefore the liability in regards to any bills associated with them such as utilities falls solely onto the person(s) that hold interest in the properties. Superior Property Management was the management company and does not nor has ever held interest in Mr ****'s properties. Superior Property Management is not responsible to pay for someone elses utilities. As far as any plumbing work that superior performed at Mr ****'s properties there was a kitchen faucet replaced in 2022, several years back 2 toilets were replaced and for about 8 years the sewer stack and line has been a major issue. Mr **** has always been advised of the issue with the line backing up and that he really needed to address the situation before the line would no longer be able to be cleared. Mr **** always advised he didn't have the funds to repair the issue for good and asked superior property management to continue clearing the lines when needed. This past June the last major plumbing backup that occurred while superior property management was managing the properties was the worse one to occur. Superior Property Management had to call a sewer service to come snake the line with a bigger snake than what superior property management had. The sewer service companies snake got caught in the line and broke in the line which then resulted in the sewer company calling another sewer company to come with an excavator to get the snake freed up. The second sewer company then used a large hydro jet truck to open up the line not only to fully clear the line but also to allow the line to be cameraed in order to know exactly where the issue was. After cameraing the line it was found that the main issue was on the cities side but unfortunately because of the fact that Mr ****'s sanitary line is clay, the city requires the line to be replaced to an updated material per NYS codes before the city will repair their side. ALL of this was fully explained to Mr **** on the phone and once again his response was he didn't have the funds to repair it for good. Mr **** asked superior to please do their best to spread out the cost of that days events to help with his finances. Superior Property Management held off (to be charged later when funds were available)charging for 2 of the 3 services performed for that situation as they did for many years prior when major expenses arose. Superior Property Management did not cause any plumbing issues and only had done what needed to be done in order to protect the integrity of the home and the safety & health of the tenants. Mr **** essentially wants to disregard paying superior property management for services performed and instead seeks superior property management to pay him for an on going problem that he has been fully advised of for many years needed to be addressed. To date there is still an issue with Mr ****'s sewer line causing fecal matter and stagnant water to stand in the basement which can cause health issues for the tenants.  For the record, superior property management not once asked for Mr **** to send funds to them after the final year end statement was sent showing a negative balance. The company had simply shown that after all expenses that were held off to help Mr **** were inputted there was no money due to Mr ****. Instead of moving forward, Mr **** says thank you to superior property management for going above and beyond the management duties for 13 years by bringing a lawsuit against Superior Property Management seeking money in which are not due to him.  Superior Property Management rejects Mr ****'s latest offer. Superior Property Management's offer of $1000.00 certified funds sent to Mr **** within 30 days from acceptance and all current and future damages sought by Mr **** to be dismissed upon acceptance is what superior property management is still offering and will be voided as of noon on may 1, 2023.   

  Customer response

  04/23/2023

  Better Business Bureau: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and while I am NOT satisfied with the response, I will agree to settle. Please see my response.   Regards, **** **** ---------------I do not intend to get into a battle over the past and a lot of irrelevant nonsense in the responses I have received. Frankly a lot of what was said in this and past responses is simply not true and irrelevant, but enough is enough. What happened or did not happen in the past does not justify the end result. That said, worse yet,  with all the past details being outlined about my relationship with Superior Property Management, I see NOTHING in response that talks about my comments in my latest response about what Superior Property Manager did to my good friend and colleague **** ******* given my referral to them. Why? Because the betrayal in my trust in handling his affairs in the purchase and management of properties he bought through them and had them manage for him is true? What, no defense about that? . That outrages me more than anything else. Look at yourselves in the mirror and make this right with my good friend and colleague. He is fighting his own battle,  but I am both embarrassed and outraged over this and want this to be noted. That said, I will reluctantly accept the offer the ******* have made of $1000 to settle. From my standpoint, consider this a gift.  I too have too many other issues I need to devote attention to. I was very ready to come into court on May 11 full guns blazing with witnesses and the facts on my side.  I discussed this with both my family and **** ******* and we are in agreement. But this does not mean I retract anything I said, and there is no change in the position. But I will release the ******* upon payment for any other issues upon this payment so we can all move on. That said, I urge the ******* to make things right with Mr. *******. My interactions will end once I receive the $1000 offer, which must be via certified funds. And I would ask it to be in my possession by May 1 at the latest. I will also mandate that the ******* stay out of the affairs of my current tenants at these properties.  Once that happens, I will remove the small claims case from the calendar and close this BBB case. No one wanted this, and no one thinks it is fun to put this in the public eye. But what was right is right. But I will agree to move forward and move on given personal and family considerations.  Please advise if there is anything else needed. Thank you.   **** ****

*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. ↩