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:04/23/2025

  Type:Service or Repair 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 am filing a formal complaint against Foundation Property Management, LLC for including lease provisions that violate Tennessee landlord-tenant law and shift unlawful responsibilities onto tenants. These terms appeared in their Resident Acknowledgements addendum for a property at ***********************************, which I reviewed on behalf of my son.1. Tenant Responsibility for All Repairs Under $250 The lease requires tenants to pay for all repairs under $250. This directly violates Tenn. Code ***. 66-28-304(a)(2), which requires landlords to make all repairs and do whatever is necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition.2. Appliance Maintenance and Replacement The lease assigns tenants the responsibility for maintaining and repairing appliances, including ************ and water heaters, regardless of age or wear. This contradicts 66-28-304(a)(4), which makes landlords responsible for these systems unless tenant negligence is involved.3. Fees for Maintenance Requests Foundation may charge fees for submitting repair requests or dispatching contractors. This discourages proper maintenance and may violate *********, which prohibits lease clauses that waive or diminish a landlords legal obligations.4. Pest Control Responsibility The lease places full responsibility for pest infestations on the tenant, including rodents, and includes penalties for violations. This conflicts with Tenn. Code ***. 68-111-102(2).5. Tenant Liability for Mold, Burglary Damage, and Structural Repairs Tenants are made responsible for mold, break-in damage, and climate-related maintenance. These clauses are legally questionable and appear to violate *********, which voids terms that waive the landlords obligations.These practices seem aimed at offloading normal landlord duties onto tenants in a way that is inconsistent with Tennessee law and ethics. Vulnerable renters may not recognize that these provisions are unlawful.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/24/2025

  First of all, this person complaining is not a current resident, nor is anyone in her family a current resident of ours. In response to the above complaint, we would like to dispute these accusations.
  The repairs section refers to minor repairs that the resident could complete themselves. It also refers to if a resident makes changes or repairs on their own, that they will not be compensated. Our mission is to provide a clean, safe home for all of our residents and we will, of course, complete necessary repairs, however, frivolous requests will be the residents responsibility.
  Appliances are typically not supplied in our homes and when they are, they are usually there because they were left by a previous resident and have been cleaned. Because of this, if there are appliances in the home,they are there as a service and not warrantied. This is a case-by-base basis and each resident that is moving into a home that has appliances in it knows beforehand that they are not new or warrantied and have to agree and its in their lease.There is nothing in this section that says that HVAC or water heaters are included. These are not appliances, but something built in to the home. This also does not include dishwashers as they are considered built in. This is clearly spelled out in the lease.
  The section noting that the residents will be charged for service calls when there is no maintenance problem. For example, we dispatch an HVAC contractor and the problem is a dirty filter. The resident will be billed for this service call.
  Pest control is the responsibility of the resident. Usually pest problems are due to cleanliness issues. If the pest control issue is due to a true issue with the home, of course, we will fix it. If the issue is due to food being left out of the home being unclean, the resident is responsible.
  Any other repairs due to break-ins, organic growth, or climate related damage is handled on a case-by-case basis and is determined by what the actual cause of the issue is. If it is determined that this is caused by the resident, they will be charged.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/13/2024

  Type:Order 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 rented this house on March 19, 2024 since Ive lived here. Ive experienced electrical problems mode various problems that the rental company when they do come out, they refuse our do not completely fix the issue. Im currently living with black mold. Im constantly sick. Im always cold, the structure and foundation under the house is all black molded and rotten and the house is barely holding up. Ive seen pictures and work orders just for them to be deferred without even being addressed. Ive had two bullets come through my house within less than one year rental company refuses to fix bullet holes And Im just all around living unsafe and Ive constantly been sick due to breathing and all this black mode please help me

  Business Response

  Date: 12/18/2024

  The resident has never asked us to be let out of the lease. We talked with her today and let her know that if she feels unsafe, she can move. But the BBB does not handle leasing and this is not the proper method to schedule a move out.

  She states she will retract this complaint, as it is not productive or helpful to get what she wants.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/18/2024

  Thank you for reaching out. I have spoke with someone from the office. We are trying to settle this matter. I will contact you soon to let you know how things are going moving forward.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/14/2024

  Type:Order 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 used **************************************************, ****************** (LAI) for housing. This was a Second Chance opportunity along with the use of a HUD-VASH housing voucher (Section 8 for military veterans) issued via the ************************* (***). There have been communication and procrastination issues, a misstep with identifying the correct property and a document missing from the client profile that was sent to Foundation Property Management (FPM) . I went directly to the *** office located at *****************************************. I provided the missing copy of my social security card directly to Ms. **** ******** *************/email: ******************************** at FPM. On August 23, 2024, I was informed that my desired property was no longer available because FPM was no longer managing the property. Then, it was mentioned that an outstanding eviction and an utility bill needed to be cleared prior to proceeding. It was reiterated that these matters were addressed prior to the approval which is why there was the second chance option for the eviction and a utility payment plan provided by ****. I also noted that the desired property (********************************) was back on their website. The listing was removed on August 20, 2024, the day after my leasing application was approved (08/19/24). However, there was a significant increase in the rent from $1325 on 08/06/24 to $2350 on 09/09/24. There has been no further communication with me from my FPM contact, Mr. ***** ***** *************/email: ********************************** Because of this, I reached out to ******* Orange *****, the Congressional Liaison at the ******************************* located at ***************************. At the time of her call, she was informed that ***** was on vacation. Then, he was on sick leave. ******* then asked if someone else from their office would assist during Uriels absence. The response was affirmative but that has yet to happen. This was supposed to be an ASAP placement.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/15/2024

  Our qualifications are clearly spelled out on our website, **************************. We do not approve any applicant with a recent eviction, bankruptcy, etc. In keeping with Fair Housing laws, we cannot approve an applicant as a "second chance" where we would not approve another applicant based on the same qualifications.

  We are not in any way bound to the second chance qualifications of Leasing Angels or any other third part agency. We are not a second chance property management company. We are not affiliated with ************** or any other third party leasing agency. We do accept referrals from them, but again, we have qualifications that must be met. 

  The property on *********************************************** error, as it was undergoing an extensive renovation. When this was noticed, it was corrected by marketing. The applicant would not be approved for this home based on income requirements and the limits of their housing voucher. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/01/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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.

  The issue is a repair completed back in June. Routine maintenance (mailbox was getting loose from the pole). Last Tuesday, *** billed my account for $125, saying it was a (3 month) retroactive charge for repairing damages we caused. I pointed out how that was not the case (wear and tear, not damage), how long this issue had been settled with no mention of this, and that in two other instances that would have incurred a charge - I was informed and had to either accept or reject said charge BEFORE any repair was completed. None of that happened this time, just a bogus charge for something run-of-the-mill that happened months ago. *** will not return my calls, texts or emails regarding this erroneous charge. Its been a week and the only contact Ive received was after the property owner called them to follow up. They wont communicate with us (the tenants) at all. We also learned that they charged the home owner for a new mailbox when one was never installed. Theyre falsifying charges and then deliberately evading the tenants to whom they have a responsibility.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/01/2024

  The lead manager ***** called me today to let me know the charge has finally been removed. It took involving the owner, and I still believe they charged the owner erroneously and wouldve done so for us if Id not followed through and pursued the matter. 

  Business Response

  Date: 10/02/2024

  We agreed yesterday to remove the charge from his account after reviewing photos. Not sure why he waited until the day we agreed to remove the charges to make a complaint. 

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/02/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and I accept their proposed resolution.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ****

  ****************************

  *******, TN 38018

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/07/2024

   
  This is in regards to case #********. The company called me last Tuesday to tell me the charge was removed. It is now Saturday and the erroneous charge is still on my account, and now Im receiving late fee notifications for our rent not being paid. I have contacted the manager and once again am receiving no responses from them.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/07/2024

  It was explained to him that we had submitted the request to accounting to credit his account. 

  He was impatient and reported it again before the ledger had been updated. It is now fixed and the charges have been removed. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/07/2024

   
  Complaint: 22364562
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Their assertion is INCORRECT. I was informed last Tuesday the charge was already taken off - not in the process of being removed. 
  

  After getting a late fee and two overdue notices (because the erroneous charge had still not been properly rectified), I attempted three different methods of contact with FPM - with zero response from them - until I once again involved the BBB and the Property owner.
  

  It was not my impatience; I was assured this matter was settled a week ago. If there was a process involved or extra time needed, ANY FORM OF COMMUNICATION would have been appreciated. That is the the bottom line of courteousness. 
  

  Shirking your responsibilities and foisting the blame onto your customer is just bad business. As is having one of your employees call me to tell me to never report FPM to the BBB again, but thats another matter.

  In the future, simply resolve to COMMUNICATE with the tenants and work to resolve issues so that third parties need not be invoked.  

  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ****

  Business Response

  Date: 10/07/2024

  My apologies, I would like to formally apologize for the response. 

  I instructed the team to tell the resident that we would submit the request to accounting. This is not something that happens immediately. If they did not tell him that it was not going to happen instantaneously, it was communicated incorrectly. Accounting has to make the changes because rent week was last week, they were backed up.  I actually called the resident and made sure that he had my number in case he had further complaints, requests, etc. It is so much easier to communicate through a person than a text system, however, if he would like to continue to communicate through the BBB, we can do that as well. I was simply giving him another venue to resolve any issues that he has since he was having so much trouble reaching a person. I wanted him to have an outlet for communication, as this is not the best way to communicate with a resident. I hope that you accept this resolution since the ledger was corrected and I made sure personally that it was corrected.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/07/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and I accept their proposed resolution.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ****

  ****************************

  *******, TN 38018

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/20/2024

  Type:Service or Repair 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 have been renting from them for 4 months I rented ********************************** I have black and green mold sewer rats possums termites s the windows locked Easter leak under the house with mold sewer rats eating up electricity under house crickets comin up thru tub floors buckling flooring coming up a sewer rat deficated in my bed also owed in it they refuse to fix anything I CABT sleep at night cause I can hear the sewer rats

  Business Response

  Date: 09/04/2024

  The resident has refused to let the *******s in 3 times now. She called code enforcement and the last time we sent a *******, they took code enforcement with them to document that she is refusing the repair. Code then closed the case. The first ******* said that she refused to let him make the repair because she stated that she wants to call the news. We have offered to give her the security deposit back as well as a portion of the rent so that she will move out so that we can make repairs, her refusal to allow repairs is causing further damage to the home. I confirmed that all of the problems are due to the plumbing leak that she refuses to allow us to fix. 

  Due to the resident's refusal to allow repairs, this is being handled through the courts. First court date was yesterday and the follow up will be today and on 9/17.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/26/2024

  Type:Service or Repair 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 move in property ******************************** January 24 2023. Management by a company called rental city in ************. At the time I moved in on section8 and paid a deposit of *******. My rent was ******* My deposit was ******* and my security deposit was ******. Section8 covered my full rent which was ******* so I always a a remaining balance of 1200 in my account... during the time rental city was managing the property. I made several complaints to the company about rats, blinds windows leaking a.c. unit. The holes under the tile the company covered. Mold and wasp infestation. The ceiling fell in after leaking for 10 days before the company came out and it cause my 7 year old son to fall and hit the counter top which cause a black eye big knots and a hospital visit. Section 8 told rental city to fix the problem and failed to do and I also was getting ready to sue for medical bills for my son fall... rental city sold the property and I didn't know until the end of my lease when foundation properties put a note on my door saying they was going to clean my house out in 10 days if I didn't respond. I was getting ready to move out of state during this time. Foundation properties wanted to do a Inspection on the house and I agree. They then changed it and said if they do the Inspection i won't have excess to the property because I didn't want to renew a lease. During my move out I contacted them and I also clean and took pictures of the house the day i left. The Inspection was later that month during that time someone broke in and trashed the house and now foundation properties is charging me for damages that was already done during the previous owners that didn't fix any of the issues and after I moved from the property. Foundation employee ****** connected me months after I've called to talk to someone after getting billed for 600 plus dollars to resolve the situation on July 12 has been ignoring me since I have proof of the money emails and pictures

  Business Response

  Date: 08/26/2024

  Dear ******************,
  
  Thank you for reaching out and sharing your concerns regarding your security deposit refund. We apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced during this process.
  
  We would like to confirm that your refund, in the amount of $1,759.75, has been processed and mailed to the forwarding address you provided. Please allow a few business days for it to arrive. There was some confusion on your ledger due to the recent transfer of this property to our management. 
  
  If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us directly. We value your business and appreciate the opportunity to resolve this matter.
  
  Thank you for your understanding and patience.

  *********************

  Director of Property Management

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/23/2024

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  Beginning May 14, a leak in my living room started back. Ive contacted maintenance everyday since then, and nothing resolved? I have 3 small children and we cant utilize my downstairs area. Water is coming out of the light fixtures and wall and ceiling and Im not sure where its coming from. Soon I will need new flooring due to so much water I have buckets and bowls lined up but its not really doing any justice because they fill up so fast and running over. They seem to not care about the home soon there will be additional work needed to the floors and it will soon set up mold from so much water. I just want this situation resolved and Im not getting anywhere. Keep saying they are searching for a vendor with this big of company I would think they have contactors already for plumbing.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/19/2024

  The resident was notified on two separate occasions that the leak was caused by her washing machine that she furnished when she moved into the home and would need to replace it or have it repaired.

  The home is now being managed by another company. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/22/2024

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  On 2/28/24 I did a move out inspection with a representative of Foundation Property Management. Prior to that date in August 2023 they sent someone to inspect the property. I pointed out all the things that were wrong and needed to be fixed. I was told they would do all that when I moved from the property. On or about 3/1 I was given a bill for damages beyond normal wear and tear. One of the damages being damage to the countertops. $250 replacement. I have proof the countertops were painted over a marble or marble type surface. I used these countertops for two years and over the course of using them the paint began to flake off. I pointed this out at inspection and again at the move out inspection. I did not remodel this home. It is not my fault it was not done correctly and I should not be held liable. Second issue I have is they are charging me $215.00 to paint prep, custom color match the paint and spot paint. Again I did not paint the walls so why am I responsible for a custom color match? The walls fall under normal wear and tear. The ceiling had leaks. I reported this and the roof. I do not feel I should be responsible for any of this. I have pictures and video proving everything. Pictures I am providing show the countertops, the condition of the roof, inside the attic where you can see holes and pictures of the damage inside the home from the condition of the roof. I could not upload all the proof I have. Please reach out so I can provide full proof. Thank you.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/26/2024

  Dear ******************,

  Thank you for your feedback. We are always looking for ways to improve our communication and processes to best serve our valued residents.

  From your complaint, you have three main concerns. 1. Damage to the countertop. You feel that over the course of two years of use, that the damage done to the countertop is not your responsibility. 2. You disagree with cost of the paint to touch up the wall damage that was done, as you feel it falls under normal wear and tear. 3. You feel that the condition of the roof, inside the attic, and ceiling are not your responsibility.

  In reviewing your Resident Damage Invoice, you were charged for the damaged countertop, and the touch up paint for the walls. You were not charged anything in regards to the roof, attic, or ceiling.
  Let me start by saying that light scratches on a countertop are absolutely normal wear and tear. However, the damage sustained to one large area in particular, indicates damage, not normal wear and tear. This is why you were charged to fix the countertop. The majority of the countertops sustained what is considered normal wear and tear. Unfortunately, since a portion of the countertop suffered damage, the entire countertop had to be resurfaced. The cost of this repair was $250.

  Your only other charge on your invoice was for paint prep,materials and labor. The home was left in great condition upon move out. There were numerous spots that had to be repainted and touched up due to your time in the home. The kitchen area had several grease spots that could not be cleaned off of the walls. Some trim areas were scratched and had to be repainted. In an effort to keep costs low, we chose the less expensive route of touching up the existing paint versus, the costly option of repainting the entire home. Repainting the 1890 square foot home at a rate of around $2.40 per sq ft would have easily cost upwards of $4,536. You were charged $215 for paint, prep materials, and labor.  

  Overall, the resident damages that you were responsible for was $465. The remaining balance of your security deposit, $1963.24 was returned to you.

  These charges are more than fair based on the lease agreement that you signed with Foundation.

  We are continuing to improve our processes and we take residents feedback seriously.  If you have any questions, we are happy to discuss any of your concerns further.
  
  Thank you,

  Foundation Property Management Team

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/30/2024

   
  Complaint: 21471932
  
  I am rejecting this response because: as stated before I did not remodel the home. It was done very cheap. They painted over a marble or marble type surface which paint will not adhere to. I used that area more because it was beside the stove. Other areas had the same issue. I reported this to the inspector you sent out in August 2023 and his response was they will take care of it when you move out.  I will never accept this charge of $250.00. 
  Normal wear and tear means you know that you will have to touch up paint when someone moves out. This is also a cheap paint and I did not do the grease spots those bled  through the paint over the course of two years. I am being charged a custom paint fee when I did not choose that paint color. I mentioned the roof and attic because you sent pictures of the spots on the ceiling and made it out to be that is part of the touch up painting.  You are doing math on a new paint job like I need to be grateful this is all you are charging me when it ALL falls under the normal wear and tear clause. 
  I will not accept anything but a refund of my hard earned money that you are taking advantage of. You need better homeowners that actually want to take care of their homes and do things the correct way. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/13/2023

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  First off I would like to talk about when I first moved here there was a brass old sink that started to leak. I put in a request they came to fix it . They had to replace it which I wasn't told that it had to be replaced . Look on the app that shows how much I pay in rent . There was 250 taken from my rent for a replacement that I didn't damage . It was old I'm pretty sure eventually it would have a leak but to make someone pay for something that should've been replaced long before is absurd . Now it's a new situation where my toilet was gargling when the water in the tub was let out . I would flush the toilet and the water was about to overflow. Eventually it was f**** in my tub . A plumber tried a snake and told me there was nothing I could do on my end so contact my landlord . I had to wait the whole weekend and a day before someone came . Eventually when someone came he unclogged the tub in 15 mins and didn't tell me what it was that clogged it . He said he went through the tub drain stopper with a snake . Which is something I couldn't possibly do . I wasn't home in 2 weeks prior to this happening. So I knew it wasn't my fault . Later looking at the invoice they would like to take 225 . Out of my rent . No they didn't tell me how much it would be prior . Or did they even tell me how much it would be to send someone out and to think it's ok to take it out my rent instead of billing me is very inconsiderate. I know this wasn't my fault and nothing was replaced so why am I being charged out of my rent . I feel they try and keep the repair under 250 so the tenants will have to pay for the repairs . They aren't fixing things to last so the tenant will have to call them back . It's the tenants that are paying for the replacements and repairs not the landlord .

  Business Response

  Date: 01/12/2024

  Hello **************,
  I apologize that you are upset regarding the repair charges to your account. I have looked into your ledger and am attaching all transactions from your ledger for your review. The only charge that I see where you were charged for a repair, is on 8-14-23 for the leaking faucet.
  When looking into your account I found that the owner paid for the other repairs that you mentioned in your complaint, for the plumbing issues as well as some electrical issues that you reported as well.

  
  You have an excellent payment history. You pay your rent prior to it being due. This is appreciated. I want to explain that when you pay your rent, before the rent is actually charged to your account, the payment is applied to any balance on the account. Normally this is not an issue, since there are not other charges typically being charged to your account. However, once the repair charge was applied to your account, and you paid your rent before the rent was charged to your account, the system applied that money to the balance on the account. I assure you that no one went into your account and forced that balance to be paid from your rent money. This is simply how the software works.

  
  Now, I can absolutely go in and adjust that after the fact to ensure that your rent money is applied to rent, once the rent charge was applied.  Unfortunately, we will have to continue to do this every month until that balance is paid. In looking at your account today, I see that you paid for the repair charge, so all of your rent money will be applied to rent, once the rent is charged to your account. I hope this explains how that money was allocated by the system, and not by any employee.

  
  Finally, while I can empathize with you, it states in the lease that you signed, that you acknowledge that any minor maintenance issues and repairs in the amount of $250 or less are the residents responsibility. It goes on to note that if a maintenance request is created and that item must be repaired, that will be at the cost of the resident. I understand that not knowing how much something is going to be prior to it being fixed is frustrating. Please keep in mind that we are constantly working to improve our processes to make our resident happy.   Hopefully from this situation we can use it as an example to better our process of maintenance charges with our residents. I appreciate you taking the time to bring this to our attention.

  Thank you,

  Foundation Property Management Team

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/12/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and I accept their proposed resolution.

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

  3822 High bridge act

  *******, ** 38118

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/27/2023

  Type:Service or Repair 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 rented a house from this company from September 2022 through September 2023. It was advertised as $1450.00 a month, which I was told if I only wanted to do a one-year lease, I could only do so by paying an additional $200 a month, totaling $1650.00 a month. In order to rent the house, I was responsible for paying:1. $1,650.00 deposit and 2. $1,650.00 in "rent"- I was told after the fact that this money was not for first month's rent but would be applied to the last month's rent. (So, with these two items, this equals $3300.00 in "credit")When it came time to renew my lease, I was notified that rent would be increased to $1850.00 a month. This was ****** more than original asking price a year ago. I reached out to the company and never heard back, so I submitted my renewal response through the automated system that I would not be renewing my lease. As requested, the house was cleaned, very well- including shampooed carpets- before the inspection. The only thing I knew they'd have issue with was two missing dummy k**** for one of the closets, priced at $5.87/piece for ******** I have owned 3 rental houses myself, but due to a divorce needed to rent a home. I know how people treat homes and I was not going to be like some of the renters I have had myself. It is no question I left that house in significantly better shape than when I moved in. Here's some background information on my time as a renter. Upon moving in, there were more dog urine stains on the master bedroom floor than there were areas of clean carpet (from the previous renter). I spent hours during my time as a renter shampooing those carpets- to the point that all the carpets look brand new. The walls in every room had ****+ "paint touchup" areas that were incredibly obvious, so it goes to show they just touch up paint instead of repainting entire rooms (this will be important when I get to my move out charges). On the sides of the doors, there were areas so wide you could see through they to the outside, feel the air coming through, making very easy access for bugs. I had these repaired. The first day I walked through the house showing my kids their rooms, literally every closet door k*** fell off as soon as i barely pulled to show them their closets. That is no exaggeration. In my walk through videos when I viewed the house, all the door k**** were off too, so it is obvious that this has been an issue that they decided not to truly do something about before renting to the next person. The disposal didn't work, so I had a brand new disposal placed. The only appliance that came with the rental was the dishwasher, which overflowed within 1-2 minutes of use from day one. I was told it was not their responsibility, so I just handwashed all of my dishes for the entirety of my rental and pretended the dishwasher didn't exist. There was no caulking around the toilets, causing them to leak. I had this repaired as well. A tornado came through my town- It was bad, the street over from me had houses completed demolished to the ground. Big trees covering the streets throughout the neighborhood, power and no cell service for days. This company did not contact me, to see if I was alive or if the house had damages or was even standing. A large tree was knocked over into our neighbors yard, which my boyfriend and her sons took turns cleaning up. The trunk was so large there was a giant gaping hole in the ground in my backyard. We pointed this out during a random inspection, and were told the management company would handle it all. The inspector during this visit commented that he saw no concerns with the house and it was obvious we took very good care of it like we owned it ourselves. About a month later, the company sent out 6 guys on a random Saturday morning with no notice to me (I reached out asking why there was no notice, as I am a small woman with two small kids and having 6 guys show up in no standard uniform on a weekend really freaked me out because I had no idea who they were when they came knocking- I never got a response). What did they do? cut some more of the tree down to carry off and just flipped the trunk back into the hole. I had made it known that I had kids and asked for the hole to be filled in to avoid snakes or anything else that could occur. Still, they never came back out. This was just a few months before I moved out.Flash forward to a few days after the "final move out inspection". To my complete surprise, I was being notified that my "move out" damages total cost would be $2,298.45. On the statements provided for this, my $3,300.00 in credits from the rent that was never applied-they just continued to take out rent from my account for the last month and my deposit were not listed, as if they have forgotten about them completely or hoped I would forget about them. So, this totals $2,298.45 in false damage claims + $3,300.00= over $5,000.00 they are trying to keep and get more. The "photos" provided from the inspection showed a ceiling air vent needing to be wiped down, TWO small scuff marks on my son's bedroom wall <2 inches each, some outlines from pictures hung (literally from them resting against the wall, these can be wiped as it is not from any kind of adhesive or anything). Of course, I mentioned I knew 2 dummy door k**** were missing from one closet. There is also one cheap blind that needs replacing and that might be $20.00 at most. I have attached the list they provided me for justifying these prices. ******* is being charged for repainting- and as I mentioned earlier it is clear they just do touch-**** and touch-*** for 2 scuff marks does not equal $*******. I am also being charged a HEAVY clean fee of $250.00, although I left that house in immaculate condition. They are saying this is required whenever "demo" is done- voiding out the fact that the house is so clean now- but I do not believe this should be on my dime since nothing about the house that was caused by me requires said "demo". This entire situation screams fraud and scam, and it is obvious by other complaints that I am not the first renter they've done this to. I have emailed them a response with these concerns. Considering the significance of the charges and exaggeration of damages, I find it prudent to submit a claim here to avoid the "civil fees, wage garnishments, and other" penalties they threatened on their initial email about the damages- and also because any time I have reached out to them with a concern even as a renter, I have never gotten a response.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/29/2023

  Providing link to move out pictures showing condition of walls as the paint is being disputed.  *********************************************

  In regards to the rent increase mentioned.  Our rent increases are based on current market pricing and the decisions made by the owner of the property.  I've also reviewed the communication logs between our team and the resident and see no conversation related to the rent increase.  Additionally, in the year that the resident lived there, they did not open a single ticket to bring any details to our attention for anything mentioned in the very wordy complaint.  In regards to the large storm that came thru the area, we visited our vacant properties, as the properties with tenants have the ability to reach out to us if there are any problems.  The resident could have reached out at any point but did not do so. 

   

  In regards to the move out charges, as you can see from the numerous pictures, ther are more than just 2 scuff marks in one bedroom.  Painting is expensive and we have many residents who move out without getting any charges for paint so it could be avoided with some effort.  The resident did do a great job on the carpets and it looks like they did try to get as much done as possible, but they haven't reached out to our team so we could not discuss any of this with her.   We have numerous methods for communication, text, online chat, email, phone etc.  We have over **** properties and a 4.3 ****** review score that shows we are not a company that is out trying to scam anyone.   We also are willing to work with residents who reach out to us in regards to their repairs.  

  As far as the charges, go, everything on the account appears to have been applied correctly and we will happily submit ledgers to show.  

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/29/2023

   
  Complaint: 20662775
  
  I am rejecting this response because: There is incorrect information provided, the charges are not even close to being reasonable for the exaggerated "damages" the company is STILL trying to reach for, and the balances have not been applied correctly as was claimed on the response by the company. I will provide examples of when I tried to reach out to the company.  I will address the issues below:

  1. Over $5,000 more than justifies a "very wordy complaint" as you put it so professionally.

  2. I have attached the "communication" about the rent increase. You will see the email TO me about lease renewal and increase as well as my response. What is not attached is any response from your company, because I never got one. If you can provide that evidence, please do so. 

  3.  As defined by this contract, normal wear and tear includes: "worn carpets, loose door handles, fading wall paint, lightly scratched glass, and dirty grout"  That's where my "damage" as y'all are calling it falls, minus the two missing door knobs.

  4.  "DAMAGE" as defined under your contract includes: "pet damage (stained and ripped carpet), broken tiles, holes in walls, broken windows, and missing fixtures.

         A. my only damage that falls in this category is the two missing dummy k**** that are priced at $5.87/each at ********

         B. I have reviewed your cost list on the contract, and it says $8.00 for missing knobs, so that cost should be NO MORE than $16.00 TOTAL. I would like the evidence showing that they will cost y'all more than that since you all have listed both an "equipment package" that includes k**** for ****** PLUS ***** for missing k**** under my damage cost list. For your convenience, I have highlighted these parts of the contract and attached them to this response. Please also provide individual pictures of whole walls, numbered, that show damage outside of normal wear and tear as defined in your terms, so that I can add those costs up (it says on your cost list that cost for painting is $150 per wall, so I'll need to see a lot of walls with "DAMAGE", not just normal wear and tear. If it's not obvious, I'll require a detailed explanation of why it is considered "damage" and not normal wear and tear so we can all know this isn't outside of the contractual guidelines for legal purposes). 

  5. There was obvious effort on my part to avoid any move-out damages, so your unprofessional comment is not necessary in this case. I am sorry that you are in charge of reviewing disputes, but it is the company's responsibility to be realistic and transparent. I should not be talked to in any way other than professionally, since you are the seller, and I the consumer. In regards to ******** reviews, you fail to comment on the reviews here on BBB or other websites. The complaints about not applying last months rent, increasing rent, no communication, overcharging for damage, are in the majority. Good comments are so low in numbers it is more likely from an employee than from a real renter, but that not my place to decide. The majority of reviews speak for themselves. On BBB, you are reviewed as 1 star out of 5- which says enough. My point in bringing up the reviews is to discuss how this has obviously occurred to NUMEROUS other people by y'all- not to get your opinion on your "stellar" rating on one search engine.

  6. In response to reaching out to "your team" about discussing repair costs, I have attached my communication efforts. What is not attached is any response from your company, because I have not received any. I even checked my junk folder. Nothing there. 

  7. Please submit me those ledgers, because as someone with a finance degree and simple understanding of basic math, I am perfectly able to add and subtract these things with confidence. I have attached the only "ledger" available to me on the *************** for my rental account. If there is other paper trails, would those not be included? For your convenience, I have notated each charge and payment into months so it should be easy to follow. The total amount in deposit ($1695.00) + rent that was never applied to last month's rent because y'all went ahead charged me rent + an addition ****** ($1695)+ extra payment y'all charged me on 8/27/23 ($******) = a total of $4237.50 unaccounted for and owed to me. 

  8. For the sake of saving time, I attached any RELEVANT contract pages I needed to highlight or notate, since you all have a copy of the contract as well. 

  I look forward to working through these discrepancies together.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Business Response

  Date: 11/09/2023

  Hello ********,
  
  Thank you for your responses. I believe I have an understanding now where there has been some miscommunication. I apologize for this. I have gone through the original complaint as well as your response. I have broken it down into six major concerns.

  1.  The rate of rent for the term of your lease.
  2.  The initial funds paid, and when they were applied to your ledger.
  3.  The work/ improvements you performed at the property.
  4.  The unfortunate storm, and work to clear the debris.
  5.  The move out damages and why they are being charged to you.
  6.  Your ending balance ledger.

  I apologize if I have missed one of your concerns.
  To begin, we offered you a 1 year lease term with a rent rate of $1695, or a 2 year lease term with a rent rate of $1495. You chose the 1 year lease term at $1695. All of our rent rates are determined based off of market rent. We calculate this based off of the comparable homes in the area,similar to basing the value of a home. The information is gathered based on similar properties in the area.

  The funds needed to secure the home were as follows: $1695 1st months rent; $1695 Security Deposit; $125 Lease Admin Fee. This totaled $3,515 you paid in September 2022. Those funds were dispersed as follows: $1695 to pay September 2022 rent; $125 is an administration fee; $1695 deposited in an ESCROW account to be utilized upon move out either given back to you, or used for damages to the property.

  I reviewed all the maintenance requests and tasks submitted for your property during the term of your lease. There are no tickets opened at all with any of the issues that you mentioned. We truly appreciate the fact that you treated this house like a home and took care of the property. The regrettable part is that some of work you did, may have been taken care of by the owner, had we known of the issue. There are defined items listed in the lease that are resident responsibility vs. owner responsibility. There are also exceptions to these. If the carpets were not cleaned when you moved in, we absolutely would have sent someone out to steam clean them at no expense to you. However, we were not made aware of the situation. We were also not notified that the toilet was leaking at the base. Had you let us know, we would have sent out a maintenance technician to take care of it for you, at no charge to you. Especially, if it was installed incorrectly. That is not the residents fault. Our technicians are able to make these types of judgment calls. Cracks in the exterior of the home could not have been caused by you and any cost associated would have been charged to the owner. However, we were not aware of the issue.

  The storm that knocked over a large tree in your neighbors yard is unfortunate. I can say that I lost some mature trees during that storm as well, and the clean-up was not fun. We sent out email, and text communications to all of our residents to remind them to notify us of any issues or damages that were caused by the storm.  We also asked for patience, as we were all working on limited power, and access to communications, but that we were working on restoring normalcy as soon as possible. I double checked that your email was included in this communication and have attached it for your review. At this point, we were unaware that there was an issue at the property, and did not send out any workers to the home. I know that FEMA was sending crews around the various municipalities to address any concerns and work to get normalcy re-established. 

  Your move out damages being charged to you are compiled after the move out inspection. There are rental owner charges and residentsdamages that are determined at this point. There is a list of approximate costs that is included at the end of the lease. As you know, some walls are larger than other walls, so the $150 per wall you mentioned is just a way to give residents an estimate should damages occur. As you know, prices across the country are steadily rising.  

  I have reviewed the scope of work that was sent to you with the itemized list of resident damages. You should not have been charged for the closet doors, ($65) as door k**** are a part of the hardware package that was already charged to your scope. I have removed that charge.  I am also removing the heavy clean from the scope, ($250) as this charge should have gone to the rental owner, not the resident.  From your original complaint,you mentioned there were five to ten or more touch up paint spots on the walls.I have reviewed our pre-move in pictures and compared them to pictures taken upon your move out. You are correct that there are touch up spots on the walls that were there prior to your move in. For this reason, I am reducing the paint cost to $679.5 on the scope. After removing the door knobs, the heavy clean and reducing the interior paint cost, this brings the total for Resident Damages to $1,254.23. I have attached the adjusted scope of work for your convenience.
  Lastly, your ending ledger. I can see how confusing the ledger can be. You made payments to get ahead of your rent charges. By doing this, as soon as the rent was charged on the 1st of the month, your balance was $0.00. When you made payments prior to the charge hitting your account, these funds are noted as a negative, or in other words a credit to your account. Once the charge for rent hit the account, the credit would be applied bringing you to a $0.00 balance. I hope this helps explain how to read the ledger. The platform that we use, Buildium, recently updated how the ledgers are viewed. This has made it much easier to understand the charges and payments to the account.

  Your security deposit was applied to the move out damages charged. However, you had accumulated credits on your account by paying three installments in July of $847.50 and two more installments in August of $847.50.

  I have attached a copy of the ledger with some notes for your review.

  After damages, and your credits and security deposit, you are being issued a check of $2,081.33

  Our accountant is ready to issue this check to you and send it to your forwarding address, or have at our ************** to pick up. Just let us know which you prefer.

  I hope that this explains the charges, how they were applied and some of your concerns. I understand your frustration, and wish that things would have turned out differently. Please let us know if there are any other questions that you may have.