ComplaintsforHometeam Properties Management, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  01/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I received an email from hometeam properties on 1/26 accusing me of having an unregistered cat living with me for the entirety of my lease, they promptly charged me $3200 of pet fees with retro charges for the past 7 months I’ve lived here. They claim to have “pictures of the two cats” as I do have one on my lease. I watch another cat on the occasion but he is not mine and he does not live in the apartment. Upon reviewing my lease I see that having any pet in the apartment without written permission is not allowed and I can be fined 100$ plus 10$ each day the were in the apartment so if I were to be fined for this reason it would be acceptable but I cannot accept back charges for the past 7 months for a cat that I don’t have. I will provide proof in whatever way is asked of me

  Customer response

  04/06/2023

  *********7 ***** ***** CID# *********7 MarkerHT CBUS MGMT, LLC
  Inbox
  
  ***** ******
  1:16 PM (26 minutes ago)
  to me
  
  Has been resolved please cancel the complaint.  ***** feels he filed in Jan & is just  now receiving emails from the BBB now.  He feels he was forced to resolve with them himself after 3 mons of waiting.
  
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  10/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I was to co-signor and paid the security deposit for a 2 year lease with Hometeam Properties at *** * ********* **** ******** ***** At the end of the lease, Hometeam has erroneously and inaccurately withheld a portion of the security deposit. I am seeking your assistance in resolving. I provided a detailed response for each disputed item to Hometeam. I have tried in good faith to resolve this with the business, however they fail to respond in any meaningful way to any elements of my itemized dispute. I have shared photographic and video evidence from our initial apartment tour, move in and move out to assert the condition of the unit before and after our lease. Our initial security deposit was $2700. Hometeam withheld $1675 withheld from our deposit return. $1425 is still owed to us as we agreed to a deduction of $250 for where removal of command strips chipped paint off of a wall. Additionally we invested $375 AC unit for the apartment (authorization to do this was received from Hometeam and receipts were provided) but are only seeking the $1425 due from the security deposit.

  Business response

  11/02/2022

  We issued the refund and consider the matter closed. Thank you *****. 

  Customer response

  11/03/2022

  
  Dear Better Business Bureau:

  While my receipt of the mailed refund is still pending, I accept the business's response to resolve this complaint.
  
  I appreciated how quickly and efficiently this inquiry was resolved once it was brought to the business leadership team’s attention. 

• Initial Complaint

  10/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Our sons leased the rental unit at 1442 Highland Street from Hometeam Properties, and at the end of the lease were charged excessive and unwarranted fees totaling $725(!) against the original security deposit ($2700).

  They were charged for stains in the carpet and chips in the wall that existed at move-in (2 pictures are attached - exhibit A and B, but there are more), as well as standard wear-and-tear items like dusty baseboard, "tub has minimal items like grime that needs to be cleaned", and living room floor is "unswept", etc.

  One parent went down specifically to clean the apartment 2 weeks before move-out and the boys followed up the weekend before move-out to be sure the apartment was clean for inspection. Further, the charges were listed by a random room # without any supporting evidence (exhibit C), and they were unable to provide us with a layout that correlated to the numbers so that each lessor could submit a dispute within the 15-day deadline as required.

  Upon requesting a layout with corresponding room numbers, we were sent a document with four different floor plans that still provided no clue as to how they assigned charges to rooms (exhibit D).

  Therefore, a single dispute form was submitted (exhibit E). 

  Business response

  11/07/2022

  Hello, I have attached a variety of move out pictures of 1442 Highland. The photo's I have attached are dated 7/27/22 and show that the unit was not adequately cleaned and it took a great deal of man hours to get this unit ready for the next tenants. While some wear and tear is expected it is the responsibility of the tenant to return the unit clean and free from damage. In addition to a dirty unit, dirty appliances, dirty floors, showers, and sinks, there was also some damage to furniture pieces, and walls. 

  I apologize for the delay in getting back to you, however we have experienced some personnel changes and we have been trying to recover the passwords for this account.  

  Please let me know if you have trouble viewing any of the attachments or require any additional explanation.

   

  Thank you,

  Joni King

   

   

   

   

  Customer response

  11/14/2022

  I am rejecting this response because: 

  1. The business only provided a single photo (not the variety they claimed in response) of a dirty microwave which could have been from any of their numerous units. We stand by our claim that the unit had been cleaned and that these charges are unacceptable.
  2. They are now asserting that there was damage to furniture pieces which was never detailed in original refund letter. 
  3. Most importantly, they claim that the delay in responding is due to a lost password to the BBB account. However, I have been reaching out to this business since the beginning of September and cc'ing their move-out team on every correspondence.

  In summary,

  • On 8/31 we received a letter outlining $725 against the security deposit for the property. In addition to our belief that the charges are either excessive or unwarranted (based on standard wear-and-tear and pre-existing damages), the charges were listed by room, without a layout to allow us to delineate which charges corresponded to a particular student (e.g. where are rooms 1, 2, 3, and 4 located?). I immediately called their offices to express my concerns and request a copy of the corresponding layout so the dispute forms could be submitted, by student, as indicated on the form. As a response to my request, we received a document with 4 different layouts, without an indication of which represented the 1442 property, and further did not correlate rooms to those on the charge list.
  • On 9/5 I followed up on my request for the apartment layout/corresponding rooms so that each student could submit their dispute form.
  • On 9/13, having not received a response to my 9/5 follow-up email, and not wanting to miss the deadline to submit a dispute, a joint form on behalf of all was submitted.
  • On 9/14 we received an email indicating the dispute had been received and was under review.
  • On 9/19 I followed up asking for the status of the review and was advised that the dispute had been forwarded to Ms. Burger.
  • On 9/20 I followed up with an email to Ms. B (and cc'd the move-out team) requesting status and expected timeframe for review, but did not receive a response.
  • On 10/3 I again followed up with Ms. B (and cc'd the move-out team) requesting a status and expected timeframe. Did not receive a response.
  • On 10/6 I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau of Central Ohio and was informed that the complaint was sent to the business.
  • On 11/3 I emailed Ms. B (and cc'd move-out team) incredulous that we had not received a response since submitting the dispute and advising that the lack of response has left us no recourse but to proceed to small claims court.
  • On 11/3 I followed up with BBB and was told they had emailed the business 3 times and followed up with a phone call on 10/14 without response.I was told that if they did not respond by 11/8 they would be referred for possible suspension of their BBB accreditation.
  • On 11/8 I followed up with BBB and was told they did not deal with 3rd party vendors and to submit proof of standing to keep complaint open. I replied by uploading proof of standing.
    

• Initial Complaint

  09/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Parking... I was never given a parking pass as requested ( several times) was told everything was fine and given spots to park have received tickets and the apartment actually have had.my car towed twice. Management never answer the phone to address problems

  Business response

  09/08/2022

  *****, we are in receipt of your complaint, however we do have the proper documentation to showcase that we have contacted yourself and your co-signer, along with the rest of the property several times about parking. We understand the importance that parking has with our residents, and therefore we send out ample reminders about purchasing a parking pass, along with when towing will be turned on. We have confirmed several emails dating back to August 15th and then almost everyday afterwards that were regarding parking sent to your email on file. Our ability to provide you with a pass is only possible once the proper forms are turned in via those emails and your Appfolio account. If you have any further questions, please stop by our main office - or give us a call at (614) 291-2600

   

  Thank you,

  - Hometeam Properties

• Initial Complaint

  09/01/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This is what my issue is/what I would like the money back for and what I think is pertinent to my desired settlement: my security deposit: $600; my pet deposit: $200; in February 2022, I signed an addendum takeover stating I would take over a current tenant's lease in August 2022; in the lease I signed an addendum for, it states that the pet deposit is non-refundable and that the security deposit is forfeit if a lease takeover is done; however, Hometeam Properties cancelled my addendum all together and I was told over the phone by Tony on July 12th that he had gotten it oked by his boss and I would be receiving both my security and pet deposits back; when they cancelled my lease completely, the tenant I had found to take over for myself signed an addendum taking over for the tenant I was originally taking over for; I never signed anything allowing him to take over a lease from me because my lease no longer exists. They took away my access to the tenant portal so all I have copies of are the original lease, the original addendum, a picture of the payment confirmation from my deposits, and copies of all emails (everything attached is the redacted version--and the full lease only has the signatures of the original/current tenant and their cosigner, I never got one with my signature--but I have the originals as well if necessary). I will be posting a much more in depth review for this company but this complaint is what I need settled.

  Business response

  09/07/2022

  ******, we are in receipt in your complaint and are sorry to hear about the issues you encountered during your lease takeover. After researching your account, we did discover that you were aware upon signing that typically both the security deposit and the pet deposit fees are non-refundable upon taking over any lease. In our leasing contract (which you had taken over), it is stated that if the full leasing term (12 months) is not met (which in this case, yours was not), then the security deposit is forfeited due to needing to the cost of finding new residents, preparing the unit for move-in, admin fees, etc. Now because of the circumstances and our ongoing conversations, our accounting department has opted and is willing to provide you back with half of your security deposit as a gesture of good faith. Please reach out to our main office at (614) 291-2600 so we can work to facilitate this with you. 
  
  Thank you, 

  Hometeam Properties 

  Customer response

  09/16/2022

  I am rejecting the response because:
  
  1. Your point that there was a cost for “finding a new resident, preparing the unit for move-in, admin fees, etc.” is not valid because I found the new resident, there was no lag in move-in for that tenant (and any slow downs with contracts were in part because your company took literal months to get back to us), and you are already keeping the previous tenant’s security deposit for breaking their lease (as well as the new tenant’s payments) for the other supposed costs. Therefore, you are in no way providing “good faith” by offering only half of my deposit instead of BOTH my pet and security deposits.
  
  2. I never signed a lease take over agreement. Your company cancelled my contract completely.
  
  This is a statement I submitted after my initial complaint that I am unsure was able to be added but just in case I haven’t previously made it clear:
  
  Because your company cancelled my contract completely, it is as if the contract never existed. 
  
  Because it is as if the contract never existed, all language (the language you all have been continually quoting) in said contract is null and void.
  
  Because all language is null and void and it is as if that contract never existed, your company is unjustly keeping the money they took for my original contract. (The money in this case being both my security deposit and my pet deposit which total $800 though none of your emails have ever addressed my pet deposit despite me asking multiple times about it.) 
  
  I never signed anything pertaining to a “lease takeover” relating to my own contract. I never signed anything cancelling my contract. Your company cancelled it of its own volition and created a new contract with someone else completely. 
  
  As an added note: I will not be calling or answering any calls from your company because I received verbal confirmation in July that it was ok-ed for me to get BOTH my pet and security deposits back; however, you are now ignoring that statement completely.
  
  Lastly, I want it noted that after attempting contact for a month on this issue, it took me emailing every hour on the hour to finally receive a response.
  
  

  Business response

  09/26/2022

  Thank you for your response. Our official resolutuion is to provide you back with the non-refundable pet deposit as a gesture of good faith. However, we will not be able to provide back the security deposit put down on this address for the following reasons.

  1. After signing the lease takeover agreement from the original tenant, you immediately acquire the original lease and all guidelines set forth, specifically:

  "2.5 SUBLET/TRANSFER OF LEASE/REMOVAL OF LEASE: If Lessee wants to be completely removed from the lease (such as the case with a transfer), Lessee must have found a replacement approved by the Lessor and Lessees, if applicable, in writing. The replacement must have paid all applicable administrative fees and turned in all forms (application, application fee, security deposit, cosigner forms and/or last month's rent). The security deposit of the person being removed from lease is forfeited. Lessee understands if any additional roommate added to the lease, rental price may be subjected to change. Lessee understands that all lease/roommate changes MUST be completed by May 1, 2021 at the latest for the 2021-2022 lease term. I understand changes to the lease will not be permitted after this time and any changing of Lessees will be arranged by Lessor after September 1, 2021. Copies of any sublet contacts, including all contact information for the person subleasing, will be dropped off to the office." 

  2. Once you acquired this lease and agreed to signing over your own personal security deposit if the lease was taken over, we then received email communication from you on 6/12/2022, stating: 

  " Good afternoon!
  
  My name is ****** ****** and my lease at 3** **** Ave is supposed to start on ****, **, 2022; however, I was hoping to have Da**** H***** take over my lease. His email is (redacted)  and his phone number is (redacted). Could you tell me what steps I need to take to make this happen?
  Hope your week is starting well!
  All the best"

  Once this message was received, we began the lease takeover process for you to transfer your newly acquired lease to the new tenant mentioned above. 
  

  This is why we are unable to provide the security deposit back because it is agreed upon by both tenant and property management company that if a tenant needs to transfer a lease (before or after residing in the residence) they forfeit any security deposit paid to cover maintenance and administration cost.

  Our team is open and able to provide you with your pet deposit returned as a gesture of good faith. We will be reaching out shortly over email to work with you to provide that final resolution.

  Thank you,

  - Hometeam Properties

  Customer response

  09/27/2022

  Thank you for your response; however, I am rejecting the response because you are completely ignoring the fact that (because your company chose to void my contract completely) I NEVER signed a lease take over agreement for ****** to take over the lease that I originally took over for ****** (which is where the quoted language your latest response holds came from).
  Yes, I sent that email you also quoted in your latest response. However, the lease takeover process was never completed on my end. I never officially signed anything agreeing to allow ****** to take over my lease. Instead, your company chose to cancel my lease completely and instead have ****** take over ******’s lease. 
  As stated in my previous message (and in other messages sent to your company):

  
  Because your company canceled my contract completely, it is as if the contract never existed. 
  
  Because it is as if the contract never existed, all language (the language you all have been continually quoting) in said contract is null and void.
  
  Because all language is null and void and it is as if that contract never existed, your company is unjustly keeping the money they took for my original contract. (The money in this case being both my security deposit and my pet deposit which total $800.) Therefore, even the offer of my pet deposit by itself being returned is not in “good faith” because you would still be unjustly keeping my security deposit.
  
  I never signed anything pertaining to a “lease takeover” relating to my own contract. I never signed anything canceling my contract. Your company canceled it of its own volition and created a new contract with someone else completely. 
  
  As an added note: I will not be calling or answering any calls from your company because I received verbal confirmation in July that it was ok-ed for me to get BOTH my pet and security deposits back; however, you are now ignoring that statement completely. And to expand on this because I received an email from you today to personal email, I will not be responding to any emails from your company until this has been resolved through the BBB.

• Initial Complaint

  07/13/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Description: I re-leased my apartment in March of this year (I moved out on March 11th, 2022), and just received a water bill yesterday from August of 2021 until MAY of this year since their "meter was broken" for nearly 10 months, demanding payment immediately and texts threatening to send me to collections and "affect my credit score" over a $139 water bill when I didn't live in the unit for 2.5 months' worth of that bill accruing. So I called immediately and spoke to someone who stated that they would "figure out" my portion of the water bill owed and get back to me. She never did. The next day I received ANOTHER threatening text regarding the same water bill from August until May. I called AGAIN and got the same scripted "Well, I wasn't the one you spoke to so I'm not sure who told you that." I asked for an exact accounting, month by month, of actual usage because I did not want to overpay nor did I want to pay for usage while I was not even residing there. They refused to give me that because "all I would see is the city's bills and Hometeam already did the math." I still have no way to verify whether the revised amount is actually the amount that I owed because of their refusal to share the detailed accounting with me. The fact that I was threatened with a lawsuit over a $139 bill which I did not owe in full and for which they demanded immediate payment with no notice is not only illegal, but also indicative of the fact that they do not care about their lessees, and only about making money - and they don't care where it comes from, which is why they attempted to overcharge me and not hold their CURRENT tenant liable for the 2.5 months of usage while I did not reside there, until I called and made them "fix" it. I ended up paying $111.42 towards the bill, but again, have no way to verify that was the actual amount owed due to their refusal to share the detailed accounting with me.

  Business response

  08/05/2022

  Hello, we are in receipt of your complaint and while apologize for the misunderstandings that these water charges can sometimes create, Hometeam Properties can assure you that our due-diligence has been done to ensure all of our tenants are consistently billed properly and on-time.  In this situation, when water meter readings are performed by our 3rd party provider (Guardian) and they are unable to read the meter fully, base water charges are only applied to your ledger along with a note stating that due to the meter malfunction there will be back payments applied to your ledger once the meter is fixed. We then are able to connect with the city of Columbus through their invoices and determine the exact usage throughout the whole building, and then equally split back payments to tenants based on usage. Our accounting team was in contact with you about these charges and were able to adjust and display exactly why the charges were the amount that they were, which roommate was responsible for which amounts, and we are able to again provide further paperwork on the charges if needed. We assure you these charges were not made maliciously and are clearly communicated from Hometeam to the very best of our abilities. If you have any further questions or feedback, please reach out to our main office at (614) 291-2600

• Initial Complaint

  05/12/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Spoke with one member of HomeTeam and asked "I would like to move in end of July to early August. Probably August 4th at the latest." He responded, "Great! Here are some units to check out..." and the unit I was interested in (**** * **** **) was listed as one of these options. With this information, I proceed to go on a tour of the apt I was interested in. There was no mention of move in day and I did not ask as I thought the end of July/early August still held. I then, before sending the deposit asked (just to be certain move in was what I was originally told) Randi (management) "What is the earliest move in day?" To which she responded "We will start move-ins around the 6/7th of August." I took some time to think about this as it was not what I had originally heard and decided that this would still be an okay date to move in as orientation for school started on August 8th and I needed to be moved in prior to that start date. I then responded one day later "But I would for sure be able to move in on the 6th?" To which she replied "You can request that date when move-in packets go out, it is based on first come first serve, to where you will need to make sure you fill out the form as soon as you get it." With the available information I assumed this was 6th vs 7th is when I needed to fill out the move-in packet with. With the information given to me, I submitted the holding fee which turns into the security deposit of first month's rent on May 9th. On May 10th, I was given the lease which said something completely different than what I was told by either Randi or the other person I had been talking to: August 19th. I then texted Randi "It says in the least that the lessee can occupy from 8/19/22 to 7/31/23. I just want to make sure that this should be 8/6 or 8/7?" To which, I was told no it was August 19. I was never given this information and would not have submitted the fee had I known. I requested a refund because I was misinformed and they have refused.

  Business response

  06/09/2022

  We are in receipt of your BBB complaint and although we regret your experience did not meet your expectations, we adamantly refute your claims of misinformation. We received your inquiry of interest on 4/16/2022. Our leasing agent informed you of possible units and it was determined the interest lied with (**** ** ****). A tour was conducted and 60+ text messages followed with clear and concise direction regarding our leasing process and procedures. Each time a question was asked, our leasing agent responded and in a timely manner. Often times, within the hour if not minutes. On 5/4/2022 you stated you would turn in an application and the co-signor application will follow. That same day our leasing agents activated your "online portal" in which payments are made among other things. The following day on 5/5/2022 you asked a question about the move-in date; in which our leasing agent replied: "August, as our current residents don't vacate their units until July 31st." You had a follow-up question about "what is the earliest" you could move in. To which our leasing agent stated; "August 6th or 7th and that all requests were first-come, first-serve." Clear direction was given regarding the process of how to request an early move-in. Consistent questions by you and answers by our agent proceeded thereafter and on 5/9/2022 a non-refundable holding payment of $885 was made by you. On 5/10/2022 your lease was sent to you for execution. That same day you inquired about the "lease starting on 8/19/2022 and should it be 8/6 or 8/7. Within minutes our leasing agent responded the move-in packages go out in June and you can make your request for an early move-in then. The agent further explained that all leases start on the same date of 8/19/2022 and in order to be considered for early move-in you needed to complete the form as previously informed. The policies and procedures were clearly outlined and all questions were timely answered. On 5/12/2022 our agent let you know a unit was identified and a move-in was possible to accommodate your requests of 8/6 or 8/7. This was done out of good faith and was made possible by the determination of our leasing agent to accommodate your needs. Our leasing agents followed up and you informed them you were no longer interested in leasing one of our units. At that time, our leasing agent informed you the deposit/fee would be forfeited. Several attempts to communicate were made thereafter to no avail. On 5/24/2022 our Director of Operations also reached out to via email and phone to further discuss the matter. We are open to dialogue and await your response. However, at this point, we feel strongly that our leasing agents followed proper protocol and procedures and a refund is not warranted.

  Customer response

  06/17/2022

  I accept the business's response to resolve this complaint per resolution that was agreed upon with Director of Operations.
  

• Initial Complaint

  11/24/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Hometeam properties has failed to return my security deposit of $2100 to me. They have ignored all my attempts to get into context with them. It is now 3 months late

  Business response

  12/03/2021

  Hometeam Properties did not have a security deposit return form for this unit, which means the tenants did not agree for the check to be written to one person, nor did we have a forwarding address.  The first check was written to all three tenants and mailed to the old address on file, but since the tenants did not set up the forwarding address with the post office, it did not reach them.  Attached is a copy of the old voided check, with proof that it was mailed on 8/27/2021.  We have since then spoke to the tenants and received consent from all of them to whom the check would be addressed to, as well as, the mailing address.  All tenants have been notified that the check will be mailed on 12/3/2021, which is copied herein.

• Initial Complaint

  11/22/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I toured an apartment Friday, November 19th, with Hometeam Properties. I was given a price of 625 for the unit. I even had the employee who gave the tour clarify the price was 625. On Monday, November the 22nd, I went into the office with my security deposit to sign the lease. They tell me it will be 875 a month. When I explained that this was not the price, I was initially told they refused to negotiate. They tell me they can get me into a smaller unrenovated unit for 700, but they will not budge on the price despite admitting they told me 625 when I toured the unit. This is a bait and switch tactic and is false marketing.

  Business response

  12/07/2021

  Hometeam Properties would first and foremost like to apologize for providing you misinformation as that was not our intention at all.  Unfortunately, the price indicated was not for that particular unit.   We have many units we rent and unfortunately one of our agents read off the wrong line for that particular unit.  We completely understand your frustration and strive to ensure you have the best housing experience.  We are able to provide you with other housing options that fit your needs, as well as honor the current price the tenant is paying.

• Initial Complaint

  10/18/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Failed to put the premises in a fit and habitable condition Denied tenants possession of premises at start of leasehold Failed to deliver apartment/premises in a safe and sanitary condition Failed to deliver a secure apartment Considering the global pandemic and rise of Covid-19 variants, the unsanitary conditions are of special concern. Including but not limited to the following defects: ? Food stuck on the kitchen ceiling ? Scuffed walls ? Broken and non-functional locks to TWO EXTERIOR DOORS ? Dead bugs in cabinets; on floors; in bathrooms; on carpet ? Dirty carpet ? Dusty windowsills; blinds; furniture ? Dirty toilets ? Filthy bathrooms ? Thick pile of lint in clothes dryer ? Dirty cabinets ? Weeds in patio area ? Unsanitary conditions throughout apartment ? Failure to sanitize apartment with Selectrocide or other disinfectant as advertised on Hometeam Properties website ? Drywall tape peeling off the bedroom ceiling ? Brown Smoke stains on door trim ? Bathroom vent need empty

  Business response

  11/23/2021

  Hometeam Properties representatives directly went to the tenant's unit at the time of move in.  Services were offered such as cleaning, maintenance, and paint and the tenant stated that they were good.  All maintenance work orders have been addressed and completed.  Hometeam Properties representatives stressed that if they needed anything further to not hesitate to reach out directly at ###-###-####.

*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. ↩