ComplaintsforSouza10 Real Estate

• Initial Complaint

  03/25/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Our family rented a house through this company. After living there for several/many months, an electrical fire started in an unused outlet. I didn't know it had started since no smoke detector went off and the electrical panel never shut off like it was supposed to do. Our family rented a house with known electrical problems and I felt very unsafe with our family living there. When I told the rental company that we had moved out due to a poor electrical system, they got mad at us. We were then advised that the priority was to have a CLEAN HOUSE upon move out. Nothing was said about our safety. And now we're being told that we must continue paying rent until new tenants move in. So we still have to pay almost 7 months of rent for a house that is unsafe to live in. This house should never have been rented in the first place with having bad electrical. Nothing was said about fixing the electrical. We were emailed that the house would need to be painted and appliances would need to be cleaned. They also were concerned about the plants and general cleanliness. No apologies for electrical fire, just hurry to get new tenants. I just want out of my lease, no more money owed to them, and the electrical to get fixed before someone dies from a house fire started by poor electrical.

  Customer response

  03/27/2024

  We are being charged an early termination fee of $500 and are being made to pay $1837.50 until the house has a new tenant. Before we rented the house, it had sat on the market for 3 months. The attached photo shows that for the room where fire start, there was only a 15 volt circuit in the breaker box for 11 outlets and lights for the stairs. Before we moved out, I started smelling hot electrical wiring in the dining area and quickly unplugged everything. I don't see Souza10 fixing anything before it gets rented out.

  Customer response

  03/28/2024

   
  Complaint: 21476437
  
  I am rejecting this response because: They were informed from us about this issue on March 11, 2024. If anyone had anything plugged into the outlets within a certain room, an electrical fire would have happened. The circuit breaker didn't shut off, which should've happened in any house. I also know that this matter hasn't been fixed, since Souza10 was eager to put this house back on the market immediately. They didn't even wait to receive the keys before listing the house again. There only concern was to make sure that appliances and house were clean, no mention of taking care of any electrical problem. Souza10 doesn't even want to speak to any of the renters of this house, everything is all by email when they want to respond. The lease agreement stated that all repairs would be a service call of $85 and up to $200 that the tenant would have to repair. I didn't see anything that stated otherwise. Now we are on the hook for rent, late fees, and utilities that Souza10 turned on. They have had two weeks to know what is going on. I was also informed that reporting them was a threat, in other words I am threating them when saying that I will report them for what they have done.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

  Customer response

  04/02/2024

  The company does business as Souza10 and Vegas West Homes as well. This is the information that is provided through the banking information when I paid rent.

  Customer response

  04/02/2024

  They do business as both Souza10 and Vegas West Homes according to the bank.

  Business response

  04/05/2024

  Attached here are:
  1) *********************** initial email to us on March 15, 2024 that states "Please read the attached letter in full before asking any questions"
  2) Attachment letter to the email on March 15, 2024
  3) Email notification of Tenant's submission of "Final Move Out Information Collected from **********;B. Cook"on March 16, 2024
  4) Email thread of Move Out Process and all further correspondence regarding their move out from Souza10 to ******************* dated March 20, 2024 through March 29, 2024.
  5) Copy of the fully executed lease agreement between ******************* + family and Souza10 Real Estate.
  6) Move in report completed by *******************
  7) Current Tenant Ledger
  Attached here are:
  1) *********************** initial email to us on March 15, 2024 that states "Please read the attached letter in full before asking any questions"
  2) Attachment letter to the email on March 15, 2024
  3) Email notification of Tenant's submission of "Final Move Out Information Collected from **********;B. Cook"on March 16, 2024
  4) Email thread of Move Out Process and all further correspondence regarding their move out from Souza10 to ******************* dated March 20, 2024 through March 29, 2024.
  5) Copy of the fully executed lease agreement between ******************* + family and Souza10 Real Estate.
  6) Move in report completed by *******************
  7) Current Tenant Ledger
  
  Hello BBB:
  We are not denying Tracys explanation that an electrical fire occurred. However, the crucial aspect of this complaint is that ***** and her family did not notify our property management company of this issue at the time of incident. In fact, we did not learn of their dissatisfaction or the extent of their concern until they had already vacated the home and relocated from Las Vegas, ** to ************, ** based on their letter emailed to us on March 15, 2024.
  As the tenant never provided us the opportunity to rectify the problem at hand at the time of the spontaneous electrical fire, and they even took it upon themselves to replace that same outlet that caught fire (which we assume the husband is not a licensed electrician), we technically could have charged the tenants the full invoice paid to the electrician we hired based on the maintenance section of the lease terms that require the tenant to notify us within 24 hours of occurrence. But no fee has been charged to the tenant regarding this electrical issue. To date,we still have no idea when this incident even occurred. It is the duty of the tenant to report immediately any defect or problem pertaining to plumbing,wiring, or workmanship on the Premises. In plain words: how would we know to fix a problem if we are not told about it? Safety of our tenants is a priority to us and had we been notified immediately of the problem, this would have been resolved promptly and the tenants certainly would not have been responsible for the maintenance service charge on this repair. The tenants reasoning for intentionally withholding maintenance reporting is illogical.  This electrical concern is an essential function of the home and would be excluded from the minor repair charge clause in the lease. Upon discovery of this problem from their move out letter, without delay, we sent Desert Electrical to repair the faulty replacement outlet done by the tenants and check all wiring in the breaker box and the remainder of the house. The licensed electrician found no electrical issues in the home except the faulty miswiring job of the newly replaced outlet completed by the tenant. Luckily, they left the breaker in off position.
  
  The lease clearly states on a yellow sheet on the first page of the document:ALL SERVICE REQUESTS ARE TO BE EMAILED TO ********************************* OR SUBMITTED THROUGH THE ONLINE TENANT PORTAL OPTION. ALL AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY: PLEASE CONTACT ************ FOR ALL AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY ISSUES. Secondly, lease page 4 of 15, Section 9) Security Deposits, paragraph 2 herein: If lease is terminated early for any reason (other than military release) prior to the lease expiration date forth in paragraph 5 (10/24/2023-10/31/2024), the Security Deposit will be used to cover all costs related to early termination to ensure Landlord suffers no financial loss. Tenant will be responsible for rent through end of the lease unless the property is rented prior to that time.Tenant shall be responsible for marketing fees in the amount of $500, as well as any utilities used until a new tenant is found.
  
  The complaint states Souza10 got mad at [them] when they told us about their unexpected move out, which is untrue. We deferred all communication to be in writing for the protection of both parties, as it is proven necessary at a time like this (our email response dated March 21, 2024). At no time during this move out process were we mad.  We have processed their abandoned property/abrupt move out as we would have for any of our rental houses based on the lease clause as mentioned above. Based on their formal submission of their Move Out Notification, we sent the tenant our standard move out email that outlines the expectation of how the property should be returned to us, which includes general cleaning, landscaping, etc. The tenant later changed their plan and wanted to continue to pay the rent until the expiration of their lease; however, we already have taken possession back of the property (and the tenant mailed us their keys and remotes). Therefore, we notified ***** it would be unnecessary for them to continue to pay 6 more months of rent to avoid paying the $500 marketing fee (which is the leasing fee and commission fee the owner pays to re-lease the property) since we could most likely get the home rented well before October 31, 2024.  The disputed amount of $9,190.00 is a random value, as no such charge has been assessed on tenants ledger.Presently, they have a $0 rent balance and we reserve a full 30 days from the date we received the property back to return a Security Deposit Transmittal to them.
  
  Their claim of the electrical fire being deliberately caused by the homeowner/property management company is unjust.  Their claim that they should be free of their lease obligation based on the maintenance issue unreported is also unjust.  As we are fair and ethical, we handle each and every tenant equally to remain honest with our practice of real estate. We are unbiased and follow the lease agreement, NRS codes in real estate, and all state standards.  We have already begun marketing the home for rent, the tenant has paid April rent, and we believe we can get the home leased out no later than end of May 2024.  As soon as a new tenant is secured, the claimant ******************* and her family will be released from their obligation to their current and in-effect lease agreement. Feel free to review all communication attached.
  We respectfully request this complaint by ******************* be denied/cancelled based on the above information provided. 
  
  Thank you
  Souza10 Real Estate
  

  Business response

  04/05/2024

  Attached here are:
  1) *********************** initial email to us on March 15, 2024 that states "Please read the attached letter in full before asking any questions"
  2) Attachment letter to the email on March 15, 2024
  3) Email notification of Tenant's submission of "Final Move Out Information Collected from **********;B. Cook"on March 16, 2024
  4) Email thread of Move Out Process and all further correspondence regarding their move out from Souza10 to ******************* dated March 20, 2024 through March 29, 2024.
  5) Copy of the fully executed lease agreement between ******************* + family and Souza10 Real Estate.
  6) Move in report completed by *******************
  7) Current Tenant Ledger
  Attached here are:
  1) *********************** initial email to us on March 15, 2024 that states "Please read the attached letter in full before asking any questions"
  2) Attachment letter to the email on March 15, 2024
  3) Email notification of Tenant's submission of "Final Move Out Information Collected from **********;B. Cook"on March 16, 2024
  4) Email thread of Move Out Process and all further correspondence regarding their move out from Souza10 to ******************* dated March 20, 2024 through March 29, 2024.
  5) Copy of the fully executed lease agreement between ******************* + family and Souza10 Real Estate.
  6) Move in report completed by *******************
  7) Current Tenant Ledger
  
  Hello BBB:
  We are not denying Tracys explanation that an electrical fire occurred. However, the crucial aspect of this complaint is that ***** and her family did not notify our property management company of this issue at the time of incident. In fact, we did not learn of their dissatisfaction or the extent of their concern until they had already vacated the home and relocated from Las Vegas, ** to ************, ** based on their letter emailed to us on March 15, 2024.
  As the tenant never provided us the opportunity to rectify the problem at hand at the time of the spontaneous electrical fire, and they even took it upon themselves to replace that same outlet that caught fire (which we assume the husband is not a licensed electrician), we technically could have charged the tenants the full invoice paid to the electrician we hired based on the maintenance section of the lease terms that require the tenant to notify us within 24 hours of occurrence. But no fee has been charged to the tenant regarding this electrical issue. To date,we still have no idea when this incident even occurred. It is the duty of the tenant to report immediately any defect or problem pertaining to plumbing,wiring, or workmanship on the Premises. In plain words: how would we know to fix a problem if we are not told about it? Safety of our tenants is a priority to us and had we been notified immediately of the problem, this would have been resolved promptly and the tenants certainly would not have been responsible for the maintenance service charge on this repair. The tenants reasoning for intentionally withholding maintenance reporting is illogical.  This electrical concern is an essential function of the home and would be excluded from the minor repair charge clause in the lease. Upon discovery of this problem from their move out letter, without delay, we sent Desert Electrical to repair the faulty replacement outlet done by the tenants and check all wiring in the breaker box and the remainder of the house. The licensed electrician found no electrical issues in the home except the faulty miswiring job of the newly replaced outlet completed by the tenant. Luckily, they left the breaker in off position.
  
  The lease clearly states on a yellow sheet on the first page of the document:ALL SERVICE REQUESTS ARE TO BE EMAILED TO ********************************* OR SUBMITTED THROUGH THE ONLINE TENANT PORTAL OPTION. ALL AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY: PLEASE CONTACT ************ FOR ALL AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY ISSUES. Secondly, lease page 4 of 15, Section 9) Security Deposits, paragraph 2 herein: If lease is terminated early for any reason (other than military release) prior to the lease expiration date forth in paragraph 5 (10/24/2023-10/31/2024), the Security Deposit will be used to cover all costs related to early termination to ensure Landlord suffers no financial loss. Tenant will be responsible for rent through end of the lease unless the property is rented prior to that time.Tenant shall be responsible for marketing fees in the amount of $500, as well as any utilities used until a new tenant is found.
  
  The complaint states Souza10 got mad at [them] when they told us about their unexpected move out, which is untrue. We deferred all communication to be in writing for the protection of both parties, as it is proven necessary at a time like this (our email response dated March 21, 2024). At no time during this move out process were we mad.  We have processed their abandoned property/abrupt move out as we would have for any of our rental houses based on the lease clause as mentioned above. Based on their formal submission of their Move Out Notification, we sent the tenant our standard move out email that outlines the expectation of how the property should be returned to us, which includes general cleaning, landscaping, etc. The tenant later changed their plan and wanted to continue to pay the rent until the expiration of their lease; however, we already have taken possession back of the property (and the tenant mailed us their keys and remotes). Therefore, we notified ***** it would be unnecessary for them to continue to pay 6 more months of rent to avoid paying the $500 marketing fee (which is the leasing fee and commission fee the owner pays to re-lease the property) since we could most likely get the home rented well before October 31, 2024.  The disputed amount of $9,190.00 is a random value, as no such charge has been assessed on tenants ledger.Presently, they have a $0 rent balance and we reserve a full 30 days from the date we received the property back to return a Security Deposit Transmittal to them.
  
  Their claim of the electrical fire being deliberately caused by the homeowner/property management company is unjust.  Their claim that they should be free of their lease obligation based on the maintenance issue unreported is also unjust.  As we are fair and ethical, we handle each and every tenant equally to remain honest with our practice of real estate. We are unbiased and follow the lease agreement, NRS codes in real estate, and all state standards.  We have already begun marketing the home for rent, the tenant has paid April rent, and we believe we can get the home leased out no later than end of May 2024.  As soon as a new tenant is secured, the claimant ******************* and her family will be released from their obligation to their current and in-effect lease agreement. Feel free to review all communication attached.
  We respectfully request this complaint by ******************* be denied/cancelled based on the above information provided. 
  
  Thank you
  Souza10 Real Estate
  

  Business response

  04/15/2024

  Attached here are:
  1) *********************** initial email to us on March 15, 2024 that states "Please read the attached letter in full before asking any questions"
  2) Attachment letter to the email on March 15, 2024
  3) Email notification of Tenant's submission of "Final Move Out Information Collected from **********;B. Cook" on March 16, 2024
  4) Email thread of Move Out Process and all further correspondence regarding their move out from Souza10 to ******************* dated March 20, 2024 through March 29, 2024.
  5) Copy of the fully executed lease agreement between ******************* + family and Souza10 Real Estate.
  6) Move in report completed by *******************
  7) Current Tenant Ledger
  Attached here are:
  1) *********************** initial email to us on March 15, 2024 that states "Please read the attached letter in full before asking any questions"
  2) Attachment letter to the email on March 15, 2024
  3) Email notification of ******'s submission of "Final Move Out Information Collected from **********;B. Cook" on March 16, 2024
  4) Email thread of Move Out Process and all further correspondence regarding their move out from Souza10 to ******************* dated March 20, 2024 through March 29, 2024.
  5) Copy of the fully executed lease agreement between ******************* + family and Souza10 Real Estate.
  6) Move in report completed by *******************
  7) Current Tenant Ledger
  
  Hello BBB:
  We are not denying Tracys explanation that an electrical fire occurred. However, the crucial aspect of this complaint is that ***** and her family did not notify our property management company of this issue at the time of incident. In fact, we did not learn of their dissatisfaction or the extent of their concern until they had already vacated the home and relocated from Las Vegas, ** to ************, ** based on their letter emailed to us on March 15, 2024.
  As the tenant never provided us the opportunity to rectify the problem at hand at the time of the spontaneous electrical fire, and they even took it upon themselves to replace that same outlet that caught fire (which we assume the husband is not a licensed electrician), we technically could have charged the tenants the full invoice paid to the electrician we hired based on the maintenance section of the lease terms that require the tenant to notify us within 24 hours of occurrence. But no fee has been charged to the tenant regarding this electrical issue. To date, we still have no idea when this incident even occurred. It is the duty of the tenant to report immediately any defect or problem pertaining to plumbing, wiring, or workmanship on the Premises. In plain words: how would we know to fix a problem if we are not told about it? Safety of our tenants is a priority to us and had we been notified immediately of the problem, this would have been resolved promptly and the tenants certainly would not have been responsible for the maintenance service charge on this repair. The tenants reasoning for intentionally withholding maintenance reporting is illogical.  This electrical concern is an essential function of the home and would be excluded from the minor repair charge clause in the lease. Upon discovery of this problem from their move out letter, without delay, we sent Desert Electrical to repair the faulty replacement outlet done by the tenants and check all wiring in the breaker box and the remainder of the house. The licensed electrician found no electrical issues in the home except the faulty miswiring job of the newly replaced outlet completed by the tenant. Luckily, they left the breaker in off position.
  
  

  The lease clearly states on a yellow sheet on the first page of the document: ALL SERVICE REQUESTS ARE TO BE EMAILED TO ********************************* OR SUBMITTED THROUGH THE ONLINE TENANT PORTAL OPTION. ALL AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY: PLEASE CONTACT ************

   FOR ALL AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY ISSUES. Secondly, lease page 4 of 15, Section 9) Security Deposits, paragraph 2 herein: If lease is terminated early for any reason (other than military release) prior to the lease expiration date forth in paragraph 5 (10/24/2023-10/31/2024), the Security Deposit will be used to cover all costs related to early termination to ensure Landlord suffers no financial loss. Tenant will be responsible for rent through end of the lease unless the property is rented prior to that time. Tenant shall be responsible for marketing fees in the amount of $500, as well as any utilities used until a new tenant is found.

  
  
  The complaint states Souza10 got mad at [them] when they told us about their unexpected move out, which is untrue. We deferred all communication to be in writing for the protection of both parties, as it is proven necessary at a time like this (our email response dated March 21, 2024). At no time during this move out process were we mad.  We have processed their abandoned property/abrupt move out as we would have for any of our rental houses based on the lease clause as mentioned above. Based on their formal submission of their Move Out Notification, we sent the tenant our standard move out email that outlines the expectation of how the property should be returned to us, which includes general cleaning, landscaping, etc. The tenant later changed their plan and wanted to continue to pay the rent until the expiration of their lease; however, we already have taken possession back of the property (and the tenant mailed us their keys and remotes). Therefore, we notified ***** it would be unnecessary for them to continue to pay 6 more months of rent to avoid paying the $500 marketing fee (which is the leasing fee and commission fee the owner pays to re-lease the property) since we could most likely get the home rented well before October 31, 2024.  The disputed amount of $9,190.00 is a random value, as no such charge has been assessed on tenants ledger. Presently, they have a $0 rent balance and we reserve a full 30 days from the date we received the property back to return a Security Deposit Transmittal to them.
  
  Their claim of the electrical fire being deliberately caused by the homeowner/property management company is unjust.  Their claim that they should be free of their lease obligation based on the maintenance issue unreported is also unjust.  As we are fair and ethical, we handle each and every tenant equally to remain honest with our practice of real estate.  We are unbiased and follow the lease agreement, NRS codes in real estate, and all state standards.  We have already begun marketing the home for rent, the tenant has paid April rent, and we believe we can get the home leased out no later than end of May 2024.  As soon as a new tenant is secured, the claimant ******************* and her family will be released from their obligation to their current and in-effect lease agreement. Feel free to review all communication attached.
  We respectfully request this complaint by ******************* be denied/cancelled based on the above information provided. 
  
  Thank you
  Souza10 Real Estate

  Customer response

  04/17/2024

  What this company is not reporting is that everything is the after/move out was alredy there. Except for the electrical outlet catching fire and the ceiling in living room falling apart from a roof leak. The move out report photos show damage that was already there, making it look like we damaged the property. The kitchen faucet was already in poor condition. The floor in living room and steps already had damage. There was already a huge stain on the garage floor. We are also being charged for maintenance and repair and are not even being told the charge is on. They are making it look like we destroyed a house that had damage prior to moving. The company told us to take pictures only for our purpose. I would be happy to provide the photos I took as proof of the condition of house at move=in.

  Customer response

  04/17/2024

   
  Complaint: 21476437
  
  I am rejecting this response because damage already existed prior to move-in and the electrical system and roof had pre-existing problems. I should not have to pay to fix the owner's home or do home improvements to live there.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

  Business response

  04/19/2024

  The final security deposit transmittal with refund is attached. They have been refunded $2,525.18 of their security deposit paid.

  The charges on the security deposit are relevant to tenant responsibility per the lease agreement. Just because they never notified us of maintenance issues at the time of occurrence and abandoned the house does not give them any leeway or modification to the lease agreement that both parties are bound by.  There were no charges deducted from the deposit relevant to the electrical issue nor the roofing concern.

  There will be no refund of April rent, as per the lease requires the tenant to provide at least a 30 days notice to vacate, pay for rent and utilities until a new tenant is found, and would be subjected to the $500 marketing fee to re-lease the home.  We have marketed the property as promised and have secured a new tenant to move in May 1, 2024. The $500 marketing fee to re-lease the home goes toward the expenses the owner pays in order to lease the property.

  ******************* is requesting $9000+ and none of which was charged to them.  This monetary demand from them is invalid because they were never charged it.

  This complaint should be deemed invalid.

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