ComplaintsforSylvan Homes, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  04/01/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On April 1st 2024, we went to pay our rent online and the amount had increased by $35. We have been in a signed lease since July 19th 2023 and this lease does not expire until July 18th 2024. When we called customer service we were told it was a pet fee. However, we paid an initial $250 pet fee at move in and were told there would be no monthly fee. Our lease does not state anywhere that there is an additional $35 per month pet fee. Our lease states that for these 12 months our rent is $1450. However, they are insisting we pay $1485 this month for the pet fee that is not listed in our lease. They continue to transfer us back and forth and eventually cut off their phones so we cannot contact them anymore. We will have no choice but to pay this fee, since we will receive a $145 late fee if our rent is not paid today. We are exploring our legal options at this time.

  

  Business response

  04/03/2024

  ******,

  This charge was reversed on the account yesterday. Please see attached screenshot. 

• Initial Complaint

  03/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Back in January the end of January my freezer went out so I filed a maintenance request for someone to come out. They came out long story short the freezer still was broken. Since it was coming up on lease renewal in February I submitted another maintenance request with a list of everything wrong in the home. My bathroom tub spout has been leaking so I had went out and bought the replacement parts because per the lease I thought it was my responsibility. However when I tried to change the parts it was still leaking. So the property management had sent a plumbing company out to look at the room (why, I dont know) so why he was there I asked for his professional help at fixing the problem. He stated that simply replacing the parts would not stop the leaking that they would have to go behind the wall he then asked me was I buying or renting I stated renting he stated it was not my responsibility and they would need approval from property management. I submitted another ticket 2/15 letting them know it was still leaking and issue was behind the wall. They never contacted me or anything today 3/20 I checked and noticed they closed the maintenance request on 2/19 despite my many calls and emails about the tub still leaking and my high utility bill because of the leak

  

  Business response

  03/26/2024

  K'teya,

  I have asked the vendor coordinator assigned to your work order for more details. I sent him a copy of the water bill that you attached.

  Thank you. 

  Customer response

  03/26/2024

   
  Complaint: 21463651
  
  I am rejecting this response because: it took all of this just for you to finally send someone out here to finally fix something I have been complaining about for months. I file a complaint and ************* within the same week. What about a credit on my rent? My utilities have been on the higher end the past couple months. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  K'*****************

  

  Business response

  03/27/2024

  Yes, we can submit a concession request for you. This would be reviewed by **************** and can take up to 30 days for a decision. Please send your full bills from the past few months with all details please. 

  Customer response

  03/27/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. I also ask that the business please resend a non increase lease renewal agreement as previously agreed upon. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  K'*****************

• Initial Complaint

  03/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I rented a home from this business have them $3100 for a deposit, and also gave them $2000 for first month rent. I was told I had to transfer all utilities before move in date to gain access to the house. I completed that received the key moved in and no hot water for 4 days..... no heat as of yet!!

  

  Business response

  03/26/2024

  Hi April, 

  We are sorry to hear that you have had to deal with a maintenance issue. We were able to do some research on our end and found that Work Order #****** for the **** has been marked as closed and completed.

• Initial Complaint

  03/12/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Sylvan Homes is the rental company that I rent a house from. They refuse to fix the things in the house properly. they say it's my responsibility to fix the things in the house not theirs. The gate was broken since we moved in the house. The company knows that you can't do anything on our end because they're not even a real office. They're remote work only. I pay $1930 a mouth on rent and they refuse to fix the things that are wrong in the house.

  

  Business response

  04/04/2024

  Hi *****,

  All work orders in the account have been closed/completed. Certain items in the home are considered "resident responsibility." This is reflected in the lease that was signed.

• Initial Complaint

  03/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My fianc and I currently rent a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom home from Sylvan Homes for $1500 a month. We placed a maintenance request on February 20th due to a constantly running tub faucet in our master bathroom. We are unable to have our hot water on, otherwise the faucet is running at full force. Even with the hot water off, our water bill has doubled. It has currently been 19 days since this request was filed and our issue has not been resolved. Sylvan Homes has sent by three different maintenance vendors, later today will mark four. Each vendor comes in, assesses the situation and provides Sylvan Homes with an estimate. Each time Sylvan Homes has denied these estimates and so nothing has been resolved. We have tried contacting them dozens of times to resolve this issue. We are constantly being sent to voicemails or put on hold until someone hangs up the phone. No one will get us in contact with anyone of authority that can assist us. We are unable to use our shower in the master bathroom, we cannot use our dishwasher and we can't shower for more than ten minutes because we have to turn our hot water on, which results in coming out of the master bath at full force which depletes the hot water. Then we have to turn it off, wait, turn it back on so the other person can shower next. We are tired and we are angry at the service we have been provided. We are told our situation has been escalated by an email being sent but we have not heard anything back besides "we are working on it". This is unacceptable and makes us incredibly worried about how they would handle potential maintenance requests involving safety hazards. We can't utilize the parts of our home that we specifically chose this place for. This has caused a major disruption to our daily life and the way this situation has been handled by them is unacceptable.

  

  Business response

  03/11/2024

  ****,

  We are sorry to hear that you had to deal with a maintenance issue, but we are happy that our maintenance team was able to get it resolved this past weekend. I will be sending this information provided to our maintenance department to review to improve the bid process going forward. 

  Thank you so much for your patience. 

  Customer response

  03/11/2024

   
  Complaint: 21403755
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Our request to have our tub faucet fixed was not done this past weekend, no one came out until today. That is 21 days we were without use of the entirety of the house we rent. I understand the need to acquire multiple bids but this went on for almost an entire month. The response given on here to this situation is not an acceptable one. This was not a simple mistake or an oversight. Sylvan was completely aware of the situation and chose not to remedy it in a timely manor. There needs to be compensation involved. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  

  Business response

  03/14/2024

  Ayla,

  I have sent all information up the ladder for review by management. Please stand by for further information.

  Thank you for your patience. 

• Initial Complaint

  03/04/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Dec. 11, 2023, a work order was submitted concerning our Frigidaire oven, which the glass imploded while cooking dinner. Pictures were included with the work order. Three weeks later the oven glass was eventually repaired on Dec. 27, 2023. Our household was left without a functional oven on Christmas.Jan. 10, 2024, I was contacted by the collections **** & informed of a $320 chargeback recorded against our account. Upon requesting supportive documentation I was told that is not issued and that collection efforts are conducted solely via phone communication. This development has evoked significant concern as the absence of an invoice &an explanation why the lessee is held accountable for this repair is disconcerting.On Feb 5 2024, I spoke with collections on a recorded ******** was informed the chargeback had been resolved On Feb 19, 2024 at 8:51 PM, I received an email from the Property Manager stating "Our workorder was reviewed & the tenant is responsible for the chargeback." Subsequent to receiving this harassing email close to 9 PM, I notified her of my convo with the collections **** regarding the removal of the chargeback. The Property manager sent me an email the next day stating that the chargeback was removed from our account. However the chargeback continues appear on our account. In the midst of this chargeback issue, I requested over 15x for a copy of our comprehensive account ledger that details the exorbitant service fee incurred when making payments online. Sylvan Homes has maintained that they are unable to supply the account ledger showing rental ****************** fees. Fraudulent activity persists within Sylvan Home as demonstrated by the inability to resolve the chargeback &refusal to provide an account ledger despite my numerous requests. The severe emotional distress caused by Sylvan Homes has gone on long enough, and no family should have to endure the nightmare we have been living in.

  

  Business response

  03/14/2024

  *******,

  The chargeback on your account was completely reversed. The oven situation took longer than expected, because our warranty department found out that your model of oven has a history of reported issues, so we did not want to replace it with the same kind. We had to wait for ****** to get the new one in stock to deliver. We assure you that we did our best to get this to you as soon as we could. 

  Customer response

  03/15/2024

   
  Complaint: 21382253
  
  I am rejecting this response because - The oven has been repaired, however, the ongoing lack of communication with Sylvan Homes persists. It is evident that my previous message to the Better Business Bureau was not fully understood or read in its entirety, as the oven issue is not the sole concern at hand. The chargeback process was a lengthy three-month endeavor.
  
  Currently, there is a late fee of $164 on my account due to my decision to withhold rent payment until the chargeback was resolved. Despite the rent being paid on 03/06/24, the late fee will not be remitted.
  
  Furthermore, repeated requests for a comprehensive account ledger including online rent payments and service fees have been disregarded.
  
  Due to Sylvan Homes' continued refusal to acknowledge and address the distressing situation caused by the oven glass breaking, the harassing collection calls and emails over a three-month period, and the failure to provide the comprehensive account ledger, I am compelled to escalate the matter by contacting local news outlets and seeking legal counsel. 
  
  The fraudulent, unethical, and unprofessional conduct of this company has caused an immense amount of emotional and financial distress on my family. 
  
  I also know that I am not the only tenant who has endured this type of horrific and unacceptable experience with Sylvan Homes.

  

  Business response

  03/19/2024

  Hi *******,

  The late fee was just approved to be waived since the chargeback was removed. This will be taken off of your account by accounting.

  Thank you. 

• Initial Complaint

  03/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  9/21/23 we received an email from ************** regarding work order #******. She wanted a vendor to enter our rental on 9/25 to complete repairs. My husband responded to her email the same day letting her know that we were out of town & the space around the area was not accessible. He told her it would be best to schedule repairs after 10/2. 9/25 ***** replies by saying that she has already notify maintenance of our ******************* have reached out to the vendor to reschedule after 10/2. When ***** reached out to my husband to reschedule, he told her the problem was no longer an issue as it appeared to be working. No need to reschedule. I called Sylvan to make my 10/23 rent payment & was told there was a $150 "violation" fee for the Sept missed service. I disputed this & a research case was open by Sylvan. Every month since then they continue to charge us $150 & they keep telling us the research is still being investigated. 1/25/24 my *********** spoke to ********************* from Renewals. Our lease was coming up for renewal in ******** discussed our renewal options. 2/1/24 my *********** decide to renew our lease. I let **** know & she tells me that our lease cannot be renew until we pay the $150. I explain to her this was disputed back in Oct 2023, and no one seems to help. I forward her the email between ********** husband where ***** tells him she cancelled the service. 2/2 I receive a renewal agreement to sign. I reach out to Nica & ask her if the fee issue has been resolved? She says she has not received any updates for the dispute but would let me know as soon as she did. She reminds me not to forget to sign the lease. I respond back to her on 2/5 asking to clarify since she had told us that we could not renew until the fee was paid. **** replies the next day saying they had considered my ************* could continue with my renewal (my *********** sign the renewal via DOCUSIGN). Between 2/7 & 2/13 I continue to ask Nica for status of the fee. She consistently says there is no update, but she will follow-up to check if there were any results of the dispute. 2/13 **** tells me there is no update yet. She says someone from the committee will contact me once the results were out (this is the last I hear from ****). The next day 2/14 I receive an email from Renewals rep ***************************** telling me they cannot execute my renewal since my account has a balance. She says I have to pay the fee or my renewal would be voided. I respond to her letting her know that **** stated an exception was made for us to continue with our renewal. ******* replies by saying that she had received confirmation from Nica that this was indeed approved by their supervisor. She apologizes for reaching out and says there were no notes indicating this on my account & should have been noted. 2/21 I receive yet another email from Renewals rep ********************** She tells me they have received my signature on my renewal; however, they are not able to execute due to the balance. At this point I am frustrated. I have no idea what is happening. I tell her the same thing I told *******. I send her an email attachment where **** is saying an exception has been made to move forward with my lease. I get no response from ****. 2/29 I receive an auto-email that my renewal has been voided by ********************** I immediate send an email to Renewals with no respond. I call Sylvan & talk to *************************** from Collections. He asks that I forward him all the emails between ************* 3/1 I dont hear from ***** or Renewals. I send another email to Renewals asking for an explanation & requesting to have **** or a manager call me, but no one does. Now they have put me on a month-to-month rental & they have increased my rent by $438.00 the day before my rent is due! This type of treatment from these employees is gross & unethical! They feel entitled & treat people like garbage! We are now considering looking into legal options to come to a conclusion with how we have been treated.

  

  Business response

  03/11/2024

  *********,

  Can you please confirm the property address?

  Customer response

  03/13/2024

  Sylvan is asking for the property address. The address is *****************************************************************************

  I would also like to add that I received an email from ***************************** on 3/2/24 saying that they had conducted research and had concluded that I owed this fee. There was no explanation whatsoever, or factual evidence supporting this claim. The letter was written in a way that made one feel reprimanded.  Additionally, today, 3/13/24 I received another noticed from their collections department asking for the $150.00 and as early as 1:54AM I kept receiving automated emails requesting for me to sign a Residential Lease Agreement. What is happening?? 

  

  Business response

  03/26/2024

  *********,

  Thank you for providing the property address. We were able to locate the account and we analyzed the ledger. It looks like the chargeback fee was completely removed. Your current balance is $0. 

  Customer response

  03/26/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  The waiver was recently removed by Sylvan Homes after I reached out to the BBB. I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory.
  
  *************************************

• Initial Complaint

  02/29/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I moved into this rental in October of 2023. The moment I moved in, I had to submit a number of maintenance requests. The requests were: to fix the front door (3 long screws were missing, causing the door to sag and drag on the floor, as well as a security issue), my 3 year olds bedroom closet door kept falling out of the track, my bedroom door and bathroom door were installed incorrectly and could not close (felt very unsafe as I sleep with my door closed; safety hazard, and my 16 month old son sleeps in my room as well), and the electrical in the hallway has issues-including the light switches themselves are installed incorrectly and the switch plate is protruding and exposed. The guest bathroom has peeling paint from the walls AS WELL AS the bathtub . I believe they used the wrong paint for the tub and you can clearly see the paint chipping and scratching off. After putting in these maintenance requests to have these things fixed (in October), the company refused to fix any of it, stating these issues were As Is. ALL of these things are security and health hazards. I continuously called, emailed, and resubmitted these issues (I have all the proof and pictures to back this up) and they finally (after weeks-into November) they only fixed my bedroom doors (poorly), somewhat fixed the closet door, put a couple long screws INTO the door frame of the front door (not even into the hinges themselves. They refused and still refuse to fix the bathtub paint. My 2 young children can no longer bathe in the tub because they had paint chips all over them and my 16 month old son had them all over him when I pulled him out of the tub. Even though I told Sylvan Homes that this is a safety concern, they ignore me and refuse to call me back and/ or fix the issue. A week ago (its now February) our heat went out and it go down to 59 degrees in my house. My baby boy had RSV and so I called the emergency after hour number that they sent through an email and it was disconnected.

  

  Business response

  03/04/2024

  Hi ********,

  We are sorry to hear that you are unsatisfied with your home. We did review the work orders on the account and see that our maintenance team has closed and completed all orders. The lease that you signed outlines certain things as resident responsibility and you did accept the home in as-is condition. We also see that you are scheduled to move out next month on 04/26/2024. 

  Please let us know if you have any other questions. 

  Thank you. 

  Customer response

  03/04/2024

   
  Complaint: 21367852
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

   

  I did not agree to the home that I am renting to be under such poor management. I had to submit, multiple, requests to get these things fixed. You can see in my maintenance requests that many of the issues that I requested are reasonable things. They were closed NUMEROUS times and I had to keep reopening them. Paint chipping into my children's bath water (see attached photos) are UNACCEPTABLE and are not "AS IS" condition. THIS IS A HEALTH HAZARD. I had to buy a blow up pool to be placed into the bath tub just to give my children a bath. Would you bathe in water with paint peeling and chipping into your bath water?? Also, the closet door was not fixed correctly, the hallway light switch has electrical issues, the front door was NOT fixed correctly, and I have been calling customer service, sending emails, and leaving notes under the tenant portal for these issues to be resolved. How can you say these things are "As Is"? A couple weeks ago, the heat went out in the house. I had a sick baby and the emergency number that you had in an email doesn't exist! You had me wait TWO days before anyone would come and fix anything. The reason why? Because I had to call NONSTOP and demand for someone to come and fix it. You are putting my children at risk. If my children become sick, this is on Sylvan Homes and you better believe I will get my attorney involved. UNACCEPTABLE. Sylvan Homes, you should be ashamed of how awful you treat your tenants. This is why I am leaving. It is not safe for my children to be in this home. I expect the termination fee to be waived. 

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

  

  Business response

  03/05/2024

  ********,

  I have forwarded this to the head of our maintenance department and our asset management group and asked for a response as soon as possible.

  Thank you for your patience. 

  Customer response

  03/05/2024

   
  Complaint: 21367852
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  I am always forwarded to someone who never contacts me. I have been waiting to speak with a supervisor/manager for a couple of weeks now. If you can please, look on my portal at all of the maintenance requests that got "closed" due to As Is condition. Please ask yourself, would you live in these conditions? Especially with children? It's not just the maintenance. It's customer service and the company itself. Every single time I have an issue, I get the "run around". Nobody seems to care. When I moved in, I took pictures of ALL of this issues not agreeing to any of these things being "AS IS" and have been fighting to get some kind of understanding, compassion, recognition on how unacceptable this is. I do not feel safe living in this home, especially with my 2 small children. This does not only need to be routed to the management at maintenance but to also customer service management. No one seems to know what to do or how to do it. 
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************************

  

  Business response

  03/08/2024

  ********,

  I have asked our Senior Resident Advocate to reach out to you today. 

  Customer response

  03/11/2024

   
  Complaint: 21367852
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  

  Although I am satisfied with the termination fee being waived, I am unsatisfied with still being ignored on these issues. Upon moving in, I completed the move in checklist and brought these issues to customer service. Those things that I signed stating I agree with  As Is condition were ignored that I told them this isnt As Is. Those things were submitted in a maintenance request a few times (I.e. the master bedroom door, master bedroom bathroom door, front door, hallway light switch, Daughters closet door, etc..). It took me calling, emailing, and resubmitting the requests. This is not okay. As a tenant paying this amount of rent and not being heard or taken care of is unacceptable. It took me calling customer service numerous times only to be hung up on, submitting a complaint on BBB, and speaking with a senior advocate to finally be heard. Why is that? Please see the attached screen shots of the conversations and maintenance request that I attached. Our heat went out in the middle of the night. I woke up at 4am, freezing with my baby crying for me. It was 59 degrees in this house. The emergency number that Sylvan Homes has posted (which isnt there anymore) doesnt work/disconnected. (Please see attached screenshot of an email on the emergency number) I submitted a request at 4 in the morning only to not hear anything for several hours. I called customer service numerous times and they couldnt give me a timeline. My kids were freezing and my baby boy was very sick. This shouldve been escalated right away. We had to wait until the next day (was 2 days for us) in the afternoon before anyone came. To post that it was taken care of within 24 hours is not true. Things only got taken care of because I called nonstop. I shouldnt have to do that. Im very unhappy and disappointed about how we were treated. Only for someone in public relations to respond to one comment to post that I signed an agreement that the dangers of this house is in my hands? Thats not right. Because its on Sylvan Homes. These things shouldve NEVER been considered As Is. So many issues with this house. Again, the bathtub is still being ignored. I had to buy a blow up pool because its not safe for my kids to bathe in paint chips that you say is As Is Condition. Im so disappointed. As I said, Im satisfied with waiving the early termination fee, as I shouldnt have to pay it. This whole process was a nightmare.
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************************

  

  Business response

  03/12/2024

  ********,

  Our team responded to all of your communication in a very swift manner. The agreement that you signed was to take the home in "as-is condition." Taking the home as-is means that you would not be able to come back and ask for these items to be fixed. This was fully explained in the document provided. This is very common in the single family rental space. Your heat was fixed very quickly, as proven in the work order details provided. It is not humanly possible to be at your residence the very second that something stops working. We have to find a vendor in your area to service the home, which takes a little time. With that being said, we are very sorry that you are unhappy, but we have waived the early termination fee and we wish you well.

  Thank you so much.

  Customer response

  03/12/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************************

• Initial Complaint

  02/28/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We signed a lease with slyvan homes &put down a deposit and a pro-rated 1st months' rent. In the first 5 days the toilets and showers overflowed with sewage. The kitchen sink and dishwasher leaked on the floor and under the house. The water heater is leaking onto open electrical wires and does not get hot. we have repeatably sent Maintenace requests to the realty website and have only had a plumber come out to unclog the outside drain for the city water. They refuse to approve any work inside the house, to resolve the issue. They refuse to approve a water heater that works. We have been unable to shower, use the toilets, do dish's, do laundry for 6 days as of 2/28/24.

  

  Business response

  03/04/2024

  Hi *******,

  After reviewing all of the work orders on the account, it looks like everything has been closed and completed except for #******. This work order is scheduled to be completed today and PLMV is on-site at the property as we speak fixing the issue. 

  Thank your for your patience. 

• Initial Complaint

  02/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I moved into my home on/about 31 Jan 2024 here in *******. Upon arrival to the home many things were not working, broken or dirty. 7 windows had to have the blinds replaced, because they were broken or would not pull down. The sink in the kitchen had the sprayer that was not fully connected to the sink (I am still waiting for that to be fixed). The garbage disposal was not working. They sent someone out to replace the garbage disposal, but still, it does not work. The person who installed it said that the switch which turns it on is not working and an electrician needs to come out. Still waiting on that to be fixed. The dishwasher upon arrival did not work, rust in the bottom and a fork that had been burnt into it somehow. The dishwasher was replaced, but the water does not drain from it and I am still waiting for a plumber to come out to fix that issue. The refrigerator is leaking water from the back and its going under the tiles in the kitchen. Nobody has come out to fix that yet, and it's going to end up causing mold. The toilet in the upstairs spare bathroom does not stop running which is going to cause me money with the water bill. I have been waiting three weeks almost to have these issues fixed and this still has not happened. My lease says that Sylvan will follow the state laws of where the house is located. ******* state laws say that the landlord (Sylvan) has seven days from the time of complaint to fix and address all issues. This is not happening. As an active-duty Soldier this is not something I would expect to have happen when renting. Even if I wasn't military this type of thing should not occur with any type of person. Too much money spent on rent for a house that is not livable. I need these issues corrected immediately, because next step is legal.

  

  Business response

  02/21/2024

  ****,

  There are currently no work orders open under this property address. If you are experiencing issues, please submit a work order under your portal and our maintenance team will begin work on resolving the issue.

  Thank you. 

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩