ComplaintsforRentals America

• Initial Complaint

  11/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  -Misrepresentation of "extensive tenant screening" as advertised on website. After our tenant defaulted, I requested documents provided by tenant. His paystubs were a very simple word document, and no one was able to provide the verification of employment that the company conducted. Upon reviewing the rental application, the address listed was invalid, he used a 17-year old as a reference who was also listed as a resident in the home, and his employer's phone number was not in service. Upon a simple ****** search, we uncovered arrest records. -************************* was asked to verify with the tenant that utilities were transferred to their name, however did not provide proof or confirmation that this was the case. This resulted in over $800 worth of unpaid utility bills. -Owner Luc Marceau accepted to provide reimbursement of rental fees to my wife, so long as we removed social media reviews. We accepted verbally. He said he'd send us the verbal agreement in writing. However upon receiving it, there were undisclosed conditions; such as freeing the company of any liability, releasing of them of any claims, and a non-disclosure agreement. We did not sign it, as it was a mis-representation of what he stated verbally. We did reach out and told *** that there was a gap between the verbal and proposed written agreement, but he simply stated that he wouldn't change anything. Email and copy of document available upon request. -Owner *** Marceau stated that agent *********************** was "one of his younger and less experienced" agents, in response to her making errors and not communicating. -Agent ************************* did not keep copies of mail keys. Causing an added expense, due to the company's negligence. -******************************* advised that the house just "needed cleaning" and a "haul off." But the house was left in terrible condition, with a hole on the door, old urinated mattresses, urine cups, and a large amount of clothing and larger items. -Agent *********************** incorrectly advised my wife and I that we were able to rent to an ***. As a person that was referred to us by a business partner was looking to rent from us via an ***. After advising the *** owner that we could move forward, and giving ***** the direction to draft the lease, she retracted and stated that the business would not be able to service the lease after all.

  

  Business response

  11/27/2023

  De'jan,

  Im very sorry for the frustrations you and ***** experienced with the recent tenant.  Our team takes applicant screening seriously and we followed our standard procedures with this tenant as well.  Unfortunately, they were indeed deceptive and provided fraudulent information to us.  For liability reasons and for the protection of our clients, we do not allow residents to operate home businesses.  I understand that wasnt clearly conveyed by ****** initially though, which I apologize for.

  The lease requires residents to turn utilities on in their name by the start of the lease.  If they fail to do so, then we charge them for any utility expenses incurred during the period they were used.  In this case, the resident told us that they had turned on service.  We were unable confirm that with the utility company though because we are not the account holder or property manager.  For that reason, we recommend that owners have utilities scheduled for turn off within a day or so after the lease start date.  The utility expenses were charged to the resident per the lease terms, but they failed to pay the amount owed and were evicted. 

  Renting a property does involve risk, but we try to reduce those risks through screening, strong lease terms, and inspections.  We also offer various service guarantees to our clients, including our Eviction Protection Guarantee.  Im sorry again for the headache and expense you had with this tenant, but Im glad we were able to cover the legal costs of this eviction under that guarantee.

  Were still happy to provide you with the credit that was offered to earlier, but it would require an agreement to be signed to acknowledge full settlement of the matter as is standard in similar agreements.  Please feel free to contact me anytime if you choose to accept the credit that weve offered.

  Best Regards,

  Luc Marceau
  President,Rentals America

  Customer response

  11/29/2023

  Good Evening, 

  The agreement made verbally, was to exchange a credit for removal of bad reviews on social media.  Note that record exists of your proposal .  Our experience with your company, was one of malpractice, lack of professionalism and deceptive practices. We are willing to accept the ORIGINAL agreement; which was to remove our reviews in exchange for fee credit. However the fact that an NDA was added, and absolving your company of liability without this being verbally disclosed first, is within itself deceptive. We can agree to not take further action, as long your company hasnt caused any damages or reasons for further complaints. And do accept the ORIGINAL agreement; but not the legal stipulations you decided to added without previously disclosing it. 

  

  Business response

  11/30/2023

  De'jan,

  I understand your frustration regarding the outcome with the tenant.  However, there was no malpractice or deception on our part.  Our team worked diligently throughout the process to address the issue. 

  The credit was offered as a matter of customer satisfaction to resolve your concerns and was not due to a failure in our services. We explained to ***** that a settlement agreement would be required to accept the credit and to confirm full satisfaction of the issue.  However, ***** chose not to proceed with accepting the agreement. 

  Im sorry we couldnt satisfy the issue for you, but we certainly made every effort to do so.  We wish you both all the best going forward.

  Customer response

  12/02/2023

  I respectfully stand by deceptive practices. The differing verbiage in the settlement alone, is deceptive and bait and switch.  All of the previous examples. Tenant screening advertised on the website as extensiveincluding income verification and accepting a word document as income is at bare minimum deceptive   Lack of fulfillment of tenant placement guarantee, as company terminated the agreement without valid reason without placing another tenant. Advertising on the website stating that service is guaranteed but upon expression of dissatisfaction; this is not the case. Advertising of great property managers, when the one assigned to us did a poor job. The only resolution we will accept was the original verbal agreement; which does not require for us to absolve the company from liability. Thanks, 

• Initial Complaint

  07/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Requested repair service for broken irrigation pipe in backyard, sprinklers in front yard spraying into the street. Reported Yellow Jackets swarming the flooded areas and nesting inside the exterior walls of the house. First reported incident was 6/6/2023, follow-up was 6/21/2023 and still no service or schedule of service.

  

  Business response

  07/14/2023

  *****,

  Im sorry for the frustrations you described.  Unfortunately, the irrigation system appears to be aging and new leaks develop after repairs are made.  Pest control is typically the responsibility of the resident, but the owner understands the stress caused by the wasps and they have approved treatment.
  

  Thank you for sharing your concerns and allowing us to work through the issues with the homeowner.  The landscapers have been working on the repairs, and we will follow up with the pest control company again regarding the wasps. 

  Im sorry again for the headaches, but we look forward to continuing to work with you and were always available to help.  

• Initial Complaint

  03/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  We were charged a $240 carpet cleaning fee despite providing proof we had the carpets professionally cleaned as was required per the contract.

  

  Business response

  04/05/2023

  *******,
  
  Thank you for talking with us regarding your concerns about the carpet cleaning charges.  We appreciate you allowing us to review the situation and to offer our assistance.  Were glad we were able to work with you and the property owner on a resolution. 
  
  Thank you again and we wish you all the best.
  
  *** Marceau
  President, Rentals America

  Customer response

  04/05/2023

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  10/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Recently, my roommates and I moved out of property under Rental America's management in mid-September. Upon moving out we were overcharged $649 for carpet and house cleaning that was already done because, according to Rental's America, it wasn't 'deep' enough. Photos sent to us to prove what wasn't cleaned were things out of our control like rust and wear-and-tear, a lot present from when we first moved in. We were even charged for small dust in a ceiling light fixture. Before receiving the charges we were led to believe we were only paying $300 for cleaning services. There are photos taken after cleaning to prove that the house was cleaned after we moved out, but we were charged for completed work nonetheless. Some of the photos justifying the $649 charge have been uploaded along with this

  

  Business response

  10/24/2022

  Hello,
  
  We have worked with the owner and resident to resolve the outstanding concerns.  Please feel free to contact us if you have any other questions at all.
  
  Luc Marceau
  President, Rentals America

  Customer response

  10/27/2022

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  The business has performed it's end of the resolution, so I therefore consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  10/07/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  We rented a house in ******** ** through American rentals in 8/21, with a $2200 security deposit. The house was not very clean and they told us we would not be charged for any existing damage or uncleanness. They would not send me the pictures they took before we moved in. We let them know we vacated on 8/22/22. We followed the steps to clean before we left, including having carpets professionally cleaned. The house was significantly cleaner when we left than when we moved it. On 9/15/22 I reached out because we didnt hear back about our security deposit return. On 9/20/22 they said our account was closed out and wed get the refund in our account. They charged us for existing damage to a door frame, for carpet wear (it was professionally cleaned when we left), and for smoking. I have asthma, we have never smoked. The owner switched to a new rental company and they were showing the house between when we left and when our contract ended in 8/31/22. Someone may have smoked in it after we left but we shouldnt be charged for that. (They also charged for the microwave and ****** not being cleaned but Im not disputing that because I dont remember if I did a final cleaning on them or not.) American rental closed our account without allowing us to give feedback or dispute the charges. They no longer manage the house so they are not responding to my requests for help. They said I have to talk to the owner but our contract was with American rental and I believe they should be responsible for fixing this situation.

  

  Business response

  10/18/2022

  Hello,
  
  We have spoken with ******* and resolved the outstanding concerns.  Please feel free to contact us if you have any other questions at all.
  
  Luc Marceau
  President, Rentals America

  Customer response

  10/18/2022

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  The business did an amazing job resolving this car. We are 100% satisfied and so impressed with how they handled this. We greatly appreciate all the effort they took to listen to us and to resolve our concerns. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/09/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Applied for a rental home on 8/4. Was told they were processing another applicant who applied before me and would refund my money. No refund has posted to my card and questions on status of application are vague.

  

  Business response

  08/10/2021

  We're very sorry for any concern regarding the application fee refund.

  The rental application for ************** and his family was submitted the evening of August 4th.  The next day, our team sent a message to ************** to let him know that there was another application submitted before his and we would hold his as a back-up.  On August 9th, we notified ************** that the prior application was approved and we would refund his application fee.  We then issued a refund to his credit card for $165 on that same day.  The refund can take 3-5 days to post to the credit card account, so it may not reflect on the credit card account until later in the week.

  Our team is available and happy to help if there are any other issues or concerns.

   

  Luc Marceau

  President, Rentals America

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

   

  Customer response

  08/10/2021

  I have received emails from different domains regarding this, but none stating when refund will be issued. The different domains makes it unclear who is responsible and processing the refund. Since in the past companies like this have delayed and never refunded the money, I do not consider this resolved until refund is issued.

  

  Business response

  08/10/2021

  The refund is handled through our payment processor, so the domain may reflect RealPage, RealPage Payments, or Propertyware.  The refund was issued yesterday and it should be posted to the credit card account within the next few days. 

  Customer response

  08/11/2021

  Total amount of funds charged was not refunded.

  

  Business response

  08/12/2021

  I have reviewed the refund and confirmed that full amount of application fees paid were credited back to your credit card.  The total amount charged was $165 ($55 per application), which was fully refunded.  I have attached a screenshot reflecting the refund transaction and amount.  

  I called ************** and left a voicemail welcoming a callback to discuss any concerns he has.  ************** only texted back though and chose not to engage in a conversation unless I would send a photo of myself.  

  Our team communicated with ************** throughout the process and we have refunded the full amount as we told him we would.  If there are any other concerns, then we welcome him to contact us to let us know.

  Customer response

  08/12/2021

  I did not receive a call nor did I text back. I am not sure what number they are contacting.

  

  Business response

  08/13/2021

  The call and text were sent to ************, the number given on the BBB complaint.  If you can provide me with details on why you feel the refund is not correct, then I'd be happy to review it again.

  My direct number is ************.

*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. ↩