Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/15/2025

  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.

  Dear RIO,Per my attorney ***** L. ******, I will not be paying RIO any amount withstanding, as you are in violation of HB19-1170, The Colorado Residential Health and Safety Act, therefore I am not legally required to do so. Per HB19-1170, the legal time permitted for RIO to have remediated my apartment for mold outbreak/exposure associated with dampness per the specifics of this law, has long since ********** is well aware of the toxic and carcinogenic levels of mold currently present in my unit, and have chosen to ignore them and instead played the coward's way out; hiding beyond your grossly unqualified, bungling maintenance man and an asset manager to attempt to push me out of my unit. None of your tactics have worked with this morally courageous Irish Jew. My chutzpah so far is unmatched.I have spent the last four years at *************** watching my life fade away; with terrifying weekly trips to the *** for repeated EKGs, chest X-rays, leg ultrasounds, and being prescribed an all-time high of 12 different medications; for newly-diagnosed Hypertension, tremors, severe heart palpitations with a resting heart rate exceeding 140 bpm, urinary incontinence, losing my entire reproductive capacity, having five formerly-healthy teeth removed and replaced with costly dental implants due to chronic ingestion of Aspergillus Penicillum mold; nearly losing my precious eyesight and needing costly Lasik eye surgery to salvage what is left of it, while brown "eye-spiders" now crawl before every sky I live to see.Fatigue and bone pain have become so severe I have lost all capacity to work and perform most activities of daily living, with unrelenting insomnia, severe mood swings, and pulmonary edema--my thin beautiful legs filling up with 20 extra lbs of fluid and having to take diuretics like a sick old person would. I was still a vibrant beautiful woman when I moved in. The final stages of this level of mold exposure are organ failure and death.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/18/2025

  We received the first complaint from the tenant in writing regarding potential mold concerns on Dec 30th.  On Jan 2nd, we started a mold test in the unit.  On Jan 9th we received the results of that test, and it did show there may be potential mold growth by the radiator. We started remediation on Jan 10th and had the area around the radiator completed by Jan 13th.   After walking the unit on Jan 13th, no other visible mold was seen.
  
  On Jan 19th, the tenant emailed again, claiming there was mold in her bathroom that needed to be remediated.  At that point we reached out to our attorney who advised that unless there is visible mold growth that is also associated with a moisture source, then we dont have to take any remedial action despite the results of a tenant's tests.  There was no visible mold, so we did not remediate.  We did offer to let the tenant move at any point.
  
  On Feb 14th, the tenant received a balance due letter and emailed back stating they would not be paying the balance due and would be moving by the end of the month.  On that same day, we reached out to the tenant and confirmed the move out process.  
  
  Still on Feb 14th, the tenant sent their mold test results, which showed that the mold they are exposed to is due to food. 
  
  On Feb 17th, the tenant emailed stating that she needs more time to get her movers out and will not be moved out by the 28th.
  
  We have addressed the tenants concerns in a timely manner.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/09/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Dear Better Business Bureau,I am writing to file a formal complaint against Rio Real Estate, located in ******, ********, regarding erroneous charges on my tenant account and their failure to address the issue despite repeated attempts to resolve it.Complaint Details:I was informed that my rent for December 2024 would be prorated from December 1 to December 16 for my apartment at *********************************************. However, my tenant portal reflects an incorrect charge that is double my usual rent.After noticing the error, I emailed the building manager at Rio Real Estate, ******** *********, who assured me that the error would be corrected. Despite her assurance, no corrections have been made, and an additional erroneous charge has since been added to my account.I have attempted to resolve this issue multiple times by contacting their office. However, none of their phone lines have been answered, and I have received no follow-up communication.I have reached out multiple times over email, to both the building manager and every email address listed on their website, and I cannot reach anyone who can help resolve this clerical error.Impact:The inaccurate charges on my account have caused undue stress, financial confusion, and inconvenience. Rio Real Estates lack of responsiveness and failure to address the situation in a timely manner demonstrates poor customer service and negligence.I request the following actions from Rio Real Estate:Removal of all erroneous charges from my tenant account.An update to my account reflecting the agreed-upon prorated rent for December 2024.I hope the BBB can assist in facilitating a resolution to this matter. I appreciate your time and attention to my ***************** Information:Name: **** ******** Phone: ************ Email: *********************** Thank you for your assistance. Please let me know if any additional information or documentation is needed to process this complaint.Sincerely,**** ********

  Business Response

  Date: 12/10/2024

  ******** has been corresponding with the tenant and let her know that her Regional Manager would be making corrections to the tenant's ledger. The Regional Asset Manager received an email on 12/09/24, and the ledger has been corrected. (attached). ******** also mentioned to the tenant that the late fees would be reversed, which is evidenced by the attached statement. The Regional Asset Manager also reached out to the tenant this morning 12/10/24, less than 24 hours from receiving the email to correct the ledger. This has been resolved.

   

  Thank you

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/28/2024

  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.

  Company is charging us rent that included a dishwasher. After so many attempts and talking to the city, Rio Real Estate refuses to take fix/replace it. No lawyers have answered my calls either. We have been charged for an apartment that has a dishwasher, but we have not had a working one since a few months after moving in. Its been nearly 2 years. We need help and nobody wants to.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/01/2024

  Thank you for reaching out and letting us know about the dishwasher.  We have had turnover in this portfolio and after some research, we did drop the ball on getting your dishwasher replaced.  Your new property manager has addressed this issue today and we are currently working on getting your dishwasher replaced.  Please do continue to reach out and let us know of any issues that we could assist with and again, we apologize for the inconvenience.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/23/2024

  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.

  One week after moving into my apartment, a leak opened in the living room ceiling on a Sunday evening after a heavy rain. I filed a service request in the portal immediately that night and received no response. Days passed. I emailed the building manager directly, sent messages to the building manager through the portal, called the emergency line, building manager, and main office and not only was unable to get through to anyone but also was unable to leave a message as the automated response told me the voicemail box had 70+ unheard messages and was full. Finally I had to take off work and go down to the main office in person. The person I spoke to at the front desk was very kind and understanding but unfortunately everyone was in meetings and I was told that someone would call me. A maintenance technician did come into the apartment and look at the leak for about 3 seconds to see the exact information that was already available to them in the photos and description of service request I'd submitted. The building manager called that evening to apologize for the delay and give me their direct email but they had no information regarding a timeline to fix the leak. Maintenance told me they would be in the apartment that Friday to fix it. No one came. I continued calling and emailing. No one ever entered the apartment, no one ever called or emailed to tell me any update, and eventually the ticket was closed despite the issue never being addressed. I was also told by maintenance that this issue has been ongoing in this unit and that it leaks EVERY TIME it rains or snows. This weekend it rained for the first time in weeks and (DUH) the leak opened up again, this time much worse. I have once again submitted a ticket, sent emails, and left voice messages. I shouldn't have to file a BBB complaint just to get someone to call me back and I shouldn't have to beg for a waterproof apartment I'm paying thousands of dollars for. I have concerns about mold and electrical safety.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/01/2024

  We are very sorry about the issues this tenant admittedly experienced. We do take them seriously. 
  We did respond to all previous requests, but we didn't do a great job communicating. We didn't need to enter the apartment, but did patch the roof on multiple occasions and had been hopeful that it would solve the problem. 
  We are currently working with the owner and getting bids from multiple roofing contractors to replace the entire roof as patching hasn't worked, and in the meantime, have responded to the mold and electrical concerns. We sent a mold certified technician in who put up a containment and remediated mold found in the ceiling. 
  We have offered to let this tenant out of the lease without penalty and will continue to move the new roof project forward and monitor any potential leaks that may happen again before the roof replacement occurs. re...

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/22/2024

  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.

  I am a commercial tenant in a building near wash park in ******. I practice a psychotherapist and have been leasing almost 3 years. This is an ongoing issue without responsiveness from the company wherein the entire building's a/c system breaks and leaves tenants with offices that feel like saunas. The most recent instance of this happening was a week ago and since then the company has repeatedly sent emails that "we are actively working on fixing it" but in actuality that is far from the truth. Nobody is at the building working on the problem. Less than 2 years ago the entire chiller was replaced after at least 4 months of no a/c. I have sent countless emails and made phone calls and filed a prior complaint. This business makes millions and offers no discount in rent or anything else aside from letting us suffer through the misery of being overheated. I cannot conduct a business of in person therapy when the room is 83 degrees. The repeated solution on their end is "a temporary cooling unit" but that doesn't work as it is far too loud and also ineffective to use during sessions. I would welcome any support from the BBB in getting this urgent matter resolved. I would never recommend anyone rent from this company.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/26/2024

  The chiller for the building went down on April 15th.We dispatched Peak Mechanical to see if a breaker had been tripped. Peak Mechanical reset the breaker and on April 16th and they tried to make a repair but found the second stage of the chiller was  not working.  The chiller is under warranty by Trane and requires specific Trane diagnostic equipment that Trane certified companies have.  We contacted Trane the same day and their scheduling for a service call was 2-3 weeks out.  We contacted 5 other Trane certified companies.   RK Mechanical was able to get us on their schedule April 18th and 19th but only by paying extra to schedule an afterhours emergency call.  They were able to reset circuit one, at that time they reported this repair would have the chiller functioning at 50% capacity.   RK diagnosed that there was a leak in circuit 2 and due to the complexity of this repair they couldnt make the repair at that time.  The earliest RK could get us on their schedule to repair the unit is May 1 and 2nd.     This is faster than Trane would have been out to try to diagnose the problem.  We have followed up with RK Services to see if they can move us up on their schedule, but they are booked out until May 1st and 2nd.
  
  ******** had as a temp chiller that has been provided to other tenants and she reports that it is too loud. So, we found a different temp chiller and delivered it on 4/25.
  
  The last thing we want is for our tenants to be without cooling.  We have had two hvac companies out to try and make this repair since April 15th and we have the repair scheduled for May 1st and May 2nd.
  
  ******** asked us to see if the owners would like to give her a rent concession for this disruption of AC service and we asked, and the ownership team, and they said not at this time. We can ask the ownership team again if this is a possibility after the repair has been completed.
  
  This is a very busy season for HVAC vendors, so scheduling is very difficult, but we are trying our best to get this done as soon as scheduling permits.
  
  Thank you, 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/08/2024

  The a/c in the building is still out of service and this week marks one month where is not operable. The additional cooling unit provided to me turned my waiting room into a sauna at 99 degrees because it requires an outside attachment for the hot air to leave the room so cool air can circulate. This an ongoing problem of negligence on the part of RIO commercial who continues to collect rent without any consolation for the lack of maintenance on building systems. It is egregious and last time this occurred it took them 4 MONTHS to even take measures to rent a chiller in the interim. The fact that is supposedly new equipment makes it even more of a problem because it should not have malfunctioned in the first place. Only after I contacted BBB and the managing partner of RIO commercial did anything start moving forward. And yet, nobody is currently working on the system. The building has at least 50% of its tenants who are behavioral health providers and cannot in good conscience offer mental health services in these conditions. My office is repeatedly reaching temperatures of 85 degrees when outside it is in the low 70s. I am self employed and do not get paid for any time I spend dealing with this issue or writing complaints, making phone calls, etc. I am going to have to move my practice and/or potentially shut it down due to their abject negligence as building management. It is shameful what they are doing and seem to be getting away with given the lack of legal protection for commercial tenants.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/08/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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 dealing with landlord harassment from *******************************. I am a Disabled Housing Choice Voucher recipient, and my mental health center pays for 100 percent of my rent. Myself and ********* have tried to no avail, to explain the Voucher program to ******/***, for two whole years and there is no apparent comprehension; many replies are written in broken English. It is a dereliction of your duties to have someone managing a property who cannot fluently read and write in Englishfull stop. They MUST be able to read and interpret the *** contract, for example. It is illegal and against Fair Housing Practices to hold me responsibile for ********'s portion of the rent, and still ****** erroneously served me with a 10-Day Demand For Rent or Compliance. I submitted a written Disability Accommodation Request that ****** please no longer contact me directly, and send all future contacts to my Housing Resource Specialist. That request was completely ignored and ****** contacted me directly yet again, with a snarky email demanding no more paper checks, or she'd start tearing them up. Again, I don't pay the rent LEAVE ME ALONE ****** you are now in violation of The Americans with Disabilities Act. We have had no heat almost this entire season, and I finally submited a written complaint on November 15th or 16th. No response was received and I had to contact a Health Inspector today, who submitted a complaint. You have 3 days to remedy this, and then 1. The lease clearly states there is no drinking alcohol in ANY common spaces, and yet after multiple complaints, my alcoholic neighbors crowded the stairwells again on July 4th blocking entry. I reported in writing, got nothing back. Until the last month or so, we have had no intereior lighting until 10 pm and the building is pitch black. I have tripped and fallen on several occasions and my DoorDashers have had to deliver in complete darkness. I am working with a housing attorney who will be contacting you shortly.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/08/2023

  Hello, I am considering withdrawing this complaint because I would like to mediate and resolve this amicably with ***. ****** sent me a very nice email and I want to give everyone a chance to work things out. Is that something you could communicate to them? Thank you,

  ******

  Business Response

  Date: 12/13/2023

  Since receiving this complaint, we have been in contact with ****** through her housing provider as requested in her Reasonable Accommodation request. We resolved the heat issue that was brought up that we missed, and we are communicating through her preferred contact. We apologize for any inconvenience or hardship that we may have caused, and we believe we have come to an amicable resolution, and a plan to move forward as confirmed by ***************** second message. 
  
  Thank you. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/23/2023

  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.

  Neighbor smokes cigarettes' in front of doors of apartment **** times a day, all smoke directly enters all residents apartments. Landlord is not taking action.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/24/2023

  We are aware of this complaint; it has been brought to our attention on more than one occasion. On 7/31/2023, the building manager sent this message to all residents: 
  
  Dear Residents,
  
  We have received some recent complaints regarding cigarette smoking in your building.  We ask that you please be respectful of your neighbors in regards to smoking in the building.  If you insist on smoking, please take the necessary steps to ensure that the smoke doesn't permeate into other units. The ******** Clean Air Act requires you be a minimum of 10 feet from any common area door when smoking. This includes apartment doors, laundry rooms, etc. There is absolutely NO smoking permitted anywhere inside the laundry room or otherwise in the building.
  
  We also ask that you dispose of cigarette butts in the appropriate receptacles. Throwing them in a trash can where dryer lint or other garbage may be flammable is hazardous to all residents of the Grove.
  
  Thank you for your cooperation and please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
  
  Thank you,
  
  *********************
  RIO
  
  As of the writing of this reply, we have not been told which tenant or tenants specifically are smoking to address them directly, only that they are below the tenant complaining. The lease says: 
  
  26. SMOKING. Smoking in the Premises is not allowed. If Resident smokes within the Premises,Resident shall be
  responsible for all resulting costs and damages due to Residents smoking. Resident understands and agrees that any damage
  caused by or related to cigarette, pipe, cigar,or other smoking shall not constitute ordinary wear and tear. For example,
  Resident agrees that costs for painting and for removal of smoke odor are not normal wear and tear. Resident shall at all times
  be solely responsible for due care and consideration to ensure that Residents smoking does not disturb, bother, or annoy other
  residents or neighbors.
  
  Our lease doesn't prohibit smoking outside, but it does say that residents need to be responsible of how their smoking impacts neighbors. We have done a recent inspection of all units and have not found any evidence of any lease violations in respect to smoking, which is why we sent the message with the policy to all residents. It is hard to enforce people not smoking outside when our lease doesn't specify that, and we don't know who is doing it.  
  
  Further, on 9/26/2023, I spoke with ***************************, a Tobacco Program Specialist with the ******************************************* for the ************************* on this very issue, and she confirmed we are not violating any ordinance. She received a complaint from the same tenant, and she confirmed "The person that sent the complaint to us just says that people go outside and smoke near everyones front doorways and it gets into their apartment through the windows. They do not point to a specific resident. It seems like it may be more than one person." She offered "tailored resident education programs and quit smoking resources" for our tenants, but otherwise didn't have any recommendations or violations to report. 
  
  We are happy to reach out to whichever neighbors specifically are smoking to cause a nuisance, but we cannot assume who they may be. 
  
  Thanks, 

  *The photo attached to this complaint has been forwarded to the asset manager of this property.

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/30/2023

  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.

  I have been living at a property owned by Rio for over a year. There have been numerous problems for me alone (and Im aware many more, even, for other tenants of the same building). I had submitted maintenance requests through the system that would get deleted without ever being addressed. This included the toilet running excessively and a huge crack in the window letting in cold air in the winter and hot air in the summer. I had to reach out about these through the system multiple times and they were deleted. I only received a response when I had to renew my lease and made getting repairs to these things (both of which should have been repaired promptly) a stipulation of the renewal. The lack of attention to plumbing when I brought up the toilet issue should have been a huge red flag. In December of 2022 on the 23rd, the water went out. They only notified a couple of tenants despite turning it off for the building so we had to notify them ourselves that it was off. There was no water in the building for 6 days and then only cold water. There was nothing done for tenants as far as a place to staywe were told to check with our renters insurance but my insurance informed me that the onus should have been on the property management company and so did not cover anything. Once back in the building, water has been shut off twice again. First at the beginning of January for several hours without prior notice, though maintenance said they had let Rio know, and again on January 29th. There was no communication letting us know when the water shut off for a majority of the day on the 29th or earlier in December. We were told there is yet another plumbing problem so that we cannot use the washers or kitchen sinks. At this point, Ive been instructed by the regional manager to wash my dishes in the bathtub (which obviously didnt work when the water was shut off again) and dont have any timeline or regaining use of the amenities promised in our lease agreements.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/02/2023

  Hello, we recognize that the residents of this building have had a challenging time the past couple of months, and we can empathize with their frustrations. We had a pipe freeze incident that did displace tenants for several days while the water was restored to the building. This freeze cracked over 15 different pipes within the building. This was not due to neglect on the part of the management or ownership, and the loss of use should have been covered by ****************** We are happy to help with this/speak to the insurance company if needed.
  
  We acknowledge that there have been times that the water had to be shut off with no notice in emergency situations when the time it would have taken to notify would have caused further damage to the building. This is a very old building with very old plumbing (****). We know that it is less than ideal, but is occasionally necessary. In almost all cases when this happens, it is at the plumbers discretion and they have to do it immediately, even before notifying the manager. In our lease, it states: Landlord may temporarily turn off equipment and interrupt utilities to the Premises or Property or temporarily take any additional action reasonably necessary, in Landlords sole and absolute discretion, to effect the repair or perform the maintenance, and to avoid damage to property, the Premises, or the community without any liability to Resident whatsoever.
  
  The most recent incident that left this tenant without a kitchen sink for a couple of days was due to a crumbling drain line underneath the building. The floor in a basement had to be jackhammered to reveal the broken pipe and was a complex issue. The water in her kitchen and laundry room has been restored as of writing this response. I am the Regional Manager, and at no time did I instruct the tenant do her dishes in the bathtub. She told me she would be unable to access water for cooking and I let her know there was water available via her bathroom still. She said she couldnt fit her water filter under the bathroom sink faucet, and I said, specifically, You should be able to get water into a filter from your bathtub, and all other plumbing is working. You have access to water for cooking from your bathroom. To which she replied I cannot do dishes in my bathtub.
  
  We do understand the difficulties that have come up. We believe we have handled them as quickly, and as reasonably as possible while acknowledging that it has been challenging for the residents that live there. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/02/2023

   
  Complaint: 18952868
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  As previously stated, there were maintenance requests put in for a gap in an exterior window frame and the toilet running excessively that were not promptly addressed. When we were recently told to stop using kitchen sinks and the washers until further notice there was no communication sent out by management that these were ready to use again. I had to reach back out to management for updates on whether this was complete which is, again, not a timely response. 
  

  While there may be times plumbing was turned off for necessary reasons, water was turned off one night that I spoke to the maintenance team and they informed myself and several other residents who were also impacted by the shutoff that they had informed the management and thought it was communicated to residents. When our water went out on the 23rd, management was also aware of this but only contacted a few unitsI learned about this from another resident before ever hearing from management. 

  It is 

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

  Business Response

  Date: 02/08/2023

  As mentioned in my original reply, we can empathize with residents frustrations here, especially regarding the emergency water shut offs that have occurred. While sometimes necessary, we understand the impact it has on those living there. This is an old building, and it has seen its fair share of maintenance issues in recent history. We take this seriously and do our best to make sure everything is handled properly; however, our ability is limited based on the following further detail.
  
  I didnt mention in my original reply, but think it is necessary at this time to address the fact that this BBB Complaint is directed to the wrong entity. RIO Real Estate neither owns this property, nor manages the maintenance here. We are responsible for tenant relations, rent collection,and leasing. All building maintenance is handled by a separate company that RIO has little control over. This company is separately contracted by ownership-not through RIO. Looking through our system, we see the requests for both the windows and the toilet running. Each time, they were passed along to the contractor that is hired to handle this, and each time they were closed as completed by them; please see four of six service orders attached.
  
  Despite what rumors may exist amongst building chatter with workers and other residents, we did not receive any notifications prior to the water shut offs mentioned in this complaint. Perhaps the plumbing workers told the maintenance contractor for the building, but the message was not passed along to RIO to share with residents. We have all triple checked to make sure we didnt miss any messages, and we did not.
  
  We can only pass along updates we receive from the contractor that is hired by the owners to manage the maintenance in this building. This BBB complaint is specifically regarding the maintenance of this building, and so we do not believe it should be against RIO Real Estate, as that is not our function here. Our tenants experience is important to us, and we do work together with this company in an attempt to positively impact that,but the issues brought up in this complaint are out of our hands.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/15/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********. As RIO residential is not responsible for maintenance in the building per this response, I would like to have contact information for maintenance requests so that they may be responded to in a timely manner moving forward.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/30/2022

  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.

  The Rio Real Estate Company charged me exorbitant prices for cleaning, which I had spent considerable time doing myself, batteries, which were new, light bulbs which were new, and an old, cracked bathroom sink that had been in that state when I first moved-in. I supplied photographs of the state of the apartment when I moved in two years before, which they conveniently lost.Rio Real Estate installed blinds that did not fix the windows. I got charged for that as well.In all, they charged me $335 and only returned $65 of my deposit.These are slumlords who do not fix the building's many problems, and have stated clearly that they would not fix the front door, which was unsafe and easy for homeless people to get into, and would not fix the intercom, which never worked. Several times I came home at night after work to find homeless people in the building.They raised my rent an outrageous amount, but never did any repairs or upgrades, not even a paint job.Well, now they can claim they have a new bathroom sink for the next tenant (at my expense) and raise the rent even higher.We have had at least FOUR new building managers in the two years I was living there, each worse than the last. Ineffective, overburdened and now, avaricious. I should not have to pay for an old sink that was already damaged when I moved in. Charging me for it is dishonest and greedy.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/03/2022

  Hello *****,
  
  We are sorry that your opinion of us changed over this Security Deposit charge. Based on the bottle of wine you left and nice comments you made regarding the current building manager upon your move-out, as well as the lots of messages to the prior manager thanking her for all she was doing to make your experience renting with us enjoyable, we thought you were happy.
  
  We have pictures of all the items we charged you for,including the sink. We have all the communication from when you moved in regarding the condition of your apartment, although we never received your official Move-In inspection form. Items you messaged us about at move-in include new blinds, new screens, no AC (although mentioned in the ad,) storage,mailbox, and cleanliness. In response, we replaced the blinds, made you screens, provided you a window AC unit!, gave you a $75 credit for cleaning issues, fixed the mailbox and reserved you a storage unit. We had our technician over multiple times within the first week you lived there, and at no point was a cracked sink mentioned by you or the tech. The cracks were very large and with all the other messages regarding the move-in condition, it is very hard to believe that these cracks went unmentioned at all. We would never provide a cracked sink to a new tenant. 100% of the time that would be replaced during the unit turn.
  
  We only charged you for one blind, because it was badly broken. You purchased a paper window shade as a replacement, but that isnt what we use, and doesnt match the rest of the windows. We only charged you for items that were actually needed.
  
  The $70 cleaning charge was for items that were missed by you: baseboards, outlets, windowsills, dust on the ceiling fan, bathtub fixtures, etc. We have pictures of this as well.
  
  I have one message regarding the front door from you where the manager replied that we were sending someone to look into it. It was found to be latching and securing properly, but that sometimes tenants were leaving it unlatched. Unfortunately, we cannot control the activity that happens on the streets in an urban area (or any area for that matter!) and do recognize that the issues with homelessness have increased over the past few years. The callbox hasnt worked in years as they stopped making parts for it and never worked while you lived there, that is correct. We are in the process of having it removed.
  
  Lastly, we know that the rent increases in ****** have been challenging; this is across the area and is based on Market Rates. Over the past 2 years the cost of materials, appliances, supplies, labor, utilities,taxes, insurance, etc all raised significantly, and it would be impossible to keep rents where they were. In the prior 2 years, your rent only increased $15 and believe it or not, the rate we offered you was still under market value.
  
  We appreciated your tenancy, and again are saddened to hear this security deposit charge tainted your prior positive opinion of us.