Business ProfileforSouthern Dreams Realty

RENTERS BEWARE!!!
My wife and I rented a patio home in ******* Place while learning about neighborhoods in Lexington and selecting our dream home. For 17 months, we were the model tenants who paid our rent in full and on time, while maintaining and leaving the property in immaculate condition. When they withheld $540 of our deposit over fraudulent charges, I provided video proof that negated their lies. They returned another $190, still withholding $350 for "weed control and gutter cleaning". I took them to Small Claims Court. I had pictures and neighbors who testified against them. The judge ordered them to pay $255. Of course, they waited for 30 days, which is their legal right, to pay. Their purpose is to keep as much of your money for as long as possible. Since this ordeal ****** the legitimate realtors I have worked with have told me that they are not surprised. The word is out on Southern Dreams. I wanted to report them to BBB, but of course - they are not members. Don't believe any story about "new management" or positive reviews by their employees and friends. They've been at this for years. There are many fair and reputable property managers in the midlands. Southern Dreams is not counted among them.

Mr. C******, I apologize that you feel your experience with Southern Dreams Realty was not satisfactory. The property management company is only the middle man in any rental transaction and unfortunately our hands are tied in some scenarios. In your particular situation, Southern Dreams Realty fairly assessed damages to your unit. There was a larger deduction made initially and after reviewing the charges, not your video, was able to make a personal recollection of that unit smelling like smoke prior to you moving in. It was 17 months later and was not notated on your move in inspection so the initial findings were that of fault of the tenant. Southern Dreams Realty always strives to be fair to all our tenants and owners, so after discussion it was found that the smoke smell could have potentially been from the previous owner and the funds were returned to you. This had nothing to do with the video that was submitted. We do encourage that all tenants keep initial records, pictures and videos when they move in of the condition of the unit. We are only able to go by documentation that we receive showing evidence of any defects prior to moving in. The remaining charges were directly from a reputable contractor that completed the necessary work. You agreed the gutters were not cleaned out and although you stated you treated for weeds, at the time of your move out inspection, the yard was full of weeds. The courts did not disagree with these findings, but determined that the charges were above average and the reasoning for the return of funds. Also that amount was not all from a return of your security deposit. We also paid the $80 court fee. We only charged you what we were charged from the contractor to complete the work. The judge has the ability to make his own judgement on what he believes the charges should have been. We could not control that on either side. We also did not intentionally keep any funds for an extended period of time. We have an accounting system that must be completed on such transactions and funds must be provided by the owner. We have no reason to keep funds for any period of time. Those funds are not ours and remain in an account that has absolutely no benefit to us at all. Southern Dreams Realty apologizes that you are not satisfied with the outcome of this transaction, but feel that we were fair to both parties and made reasonable charges for repairs that had to be made to get the property back in move in condition. Southern Dreams Realty also paid for a pest control fee because there was a disagreement between you and the owner as to who was responsible. Although your lease agreement states that you are responsible for all pest control service, we wanted to be fair to all parties and made the decision to pay that charge so that neither you or the owner had to pay that fee. Southern Dreams Realty has always put all our clients first and has always tried to make fair and reasonable decisions especially when returning security deposits. Everyone has a different opinion on how that process should be handled and all we can do is use our 15 years of experience and fair practices to determine the right processing of funds. Please feel free to contact us directly with any questions. Thank you for being such a good tenant during your stay with us and we wish you the best.