ComplaintsforOMNI Management, INC

• Initial Complaint

  03/12/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  While renting one of their properties, I had some maintenance issues that were never addressed fully or at all. I finally had to leave because my ************ just did not feel safe living there anymore. There was always mold/mildew issues reoccurring in the upstairs ****************** wall. They would attempt to fix the ventilation, but never replaced or upgraded it. I was scrubbing mold off the *************** still the month I moved out. The fence on the property was falling over in several ********* was afraid we, or one of my pets might get hurt or escape. I had to prop the fence up with wood, concrete blocks & a garden shed. The range/oven was the original one put in the late 90's. It was rusted in several areas inside & was extremely hard to clean without taking the finish off. I was fearful to use the oven because the hot temperatures combined with the rust could have been toxic to the food being cooked. The digital controls on it stopped working too. All the surrounding units ovens had been replaced except mine. The window screens were also the original one's, so they were in poor shape from sun damage & weather. I had to tape them to keep insects out. When I moved in, the unit still had it's original carpet from the late 90's as well. The landlord at the time I moved in had said they probably should have replaced it before I moved in due to the previous owner having pets locked in the house urinating on it, but were able to get the stains out. They said it definitely should be replaced before I moved out or when i did. The living room area carpet was thinning & was bunched up in areas. I also had to make several noise complaints. When I got out, I called several times to set up a walk through and they wouldn't come and do one, yet they could come by on a monthly basis for an inspection. Once I moved out, they replaced the fence. Someone from their office later called me & asked where they could send my cleaning deposit back to me, but I never got it.

  

  Business response

  04/04/2023

  As there were so many different points to the customer's complaint, I feel it prudent to response WITHIN the body of the original complaint. 

  Customers Statement of the Problem:
  

  While renting one of their properties, I had some maintenance issues that were never addressed fully or at all.

  
  WE HAVE AN ONLINE MAINTENANCE REQUEST SYSTEM AND THERE WERE NO OUTSTANDING WORK ORDERS AT THE **** OF MOVE OUT. IF THERE WERE ITEMS THAT NEEDED ATTENTION, WE WOULD HAVE GLADLY MADE REPAIRS.
  

  I finally had to leave because my daughter & I just did not feel safe living there anymore.
  

  IMPLYING THAT THE LACK OF SAFETY HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT IS UNREASONABLE.  THE PROPERTY IS ADJACENT TO AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND WE HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF ANY THREATENING ACTIVITIES IN THE VICITY.  WE DO PERFORM REGULAR PERIODIC INSPECTIONS BUT ONLY TWICE PER YEAR.  ONLY WHEN TENANT VIOLATIONS ARE DOCUMENTED AND NOTICES OF VIOLATION SENT, ARE MORE FREQUENT INSPECTIONS DONE, UNTIL THE ISSUE PROVEN TO BE RESOLVED.
  

  There was always mold/mildew issues reoccurring in the upstairs bathroom & hallway wall. They would attempt to fix the ventilation, but never replaced or upgraded it. I was scrubbing mold off the walls & ceiling still the month I moved out.
  

  IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE TENANT TO NOTIFY MANAGEMENT IF FURTHER ATTENTION, IS NECESSARY.  WE PERFORMED EXTENSIVE REMEDIATION AND TOOK APPROPRIATE CORRECTIVE ****************** AND MILDEW WAS WATCHED FOR AT FOLLOWING SEMI-ANNUAL INSPECTIONS AND THERE WAS NONE PRESENT AT THE **** OF OUR INSPECTIONS.  THE HOME HAS BEEN FREE FROM ORGANIC GROWTH FROM TENANT'S MOVE-OUT AND BEYOND.
  

  The fence on the property was falling over in several areas & I was afraid we, or one of my pets might get hurt or escape. I had to prop the fence up with wood, concrete blocks & a garden shed. The range/oven was the original one put in the late 90's.It was rusted in several areas inside & was extremely hard to clean without taking the finish off. I was fearful to use the oven because the hot temperatures combined with the rust could have been toxic to the food being cooked. The digital controls on it stopped working too. All the surrounding units ovens had been replaced except mine. The window screens were also the original one's, so they were in poor shape from sun damage & weather. I had to tape them to keep insects out. When I moved in, the unit still had it's original carpet from the late 90's as well.
  

  THIS IS PART OF A DUPLEX BUILT IN THE 1990S AND AS PREVIOUSLY STATED, ANY REQUESTS FOR MAINTENANCE WOULD HAVE NEEDED TO GO THROUGH THE PROPER CHANNELS OF OUR ONLINE SYSTEM.  SINCE THIS PROPERTY IS A DUPLEX, OWNED BY A DIFFERENT LANDLORD THAN HER NEIBHBORS, MENTIONING ALL SURROUNDING OVENS BEING REPLACED WOULD BE IRRELEVANT.  JUST BECAUSE ONE HOME HAS SOMETHING, IT IS NOT CAUSE FOR ALL HOMES ON A STREET TO HAVE THE SAME.  WE PROMPTLY ATTENDED TO ANY/ALL MAINTENANCE REQUESTS.  FURTHERMORE,THIS PARTICULAR OWNER IS ALWAYS WILLING/HAPPY TO DO WHATEVER IS NECESSARY AT A PROPERTY.  NEVER WAS A STOVE REQUESTED DURING THE **** WE MANAGED THE PROPERTY, WHILE ************ WAS A TENANT.  

  
  The landlord at the time I moved in had said they probably should have replaced it before I moved in due to the previous owner having pets locked in the house urinating on it, but were able to get the stains out. They said it definitely should be replaced before I moved out or when i did. The living room area carpet was thinning & was bunched up in areas.
  

  THE SUPPOSED COMMENTS MADE BY ANOTHER PARTY (PAST MANAGEMENT) WERE NOT IN ANY WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION.  AS ************ STATED, THE CAR*** WAS CLEANED PRIOR TO HER MOVE-IN.  ****** LAW ORS ****** ALLOWS FOR LANDLORD TO DEDUCT THE COST OF CAR*** CLEANING FROM TENANT'S SECURITY DEPOSIT.  AT MOVE-OUT THE CAR***S WERE HORRIBLY SOILED FROM HER DOGS.  RESPECTFULLY BUT SPEAKING HONESTLY SINCE IT IS RELEVANT AND THE TENANT BROUGHT UP HER CAR***, PICTURES COULD NOT CAPTURE THE STENCH LEFT BEHIND BY HER ANIMALS.  THE CAR*** CLEANING VENDOR DOCUMENTED AS FOLLOWS:LARGE VOLUME OF [CURRENTLY EXISTING] MOISTURE BY *** DAMAGED [*** URINE] DETECTED BY HYDRO SENSOR.  ODOR BY *** DAMAGE AND WET DOG DETECTED BASO TREATMENT REQUIRED INCLUDES TURBO-VAC-MUST BE APPLIED TWO DAY PRIOR TO CLEAN [MULTIPLE DAY JOB].  WE CHARGED THE TENANT JUST 74% OF THE CAR*** CLEANING WHICH SURROUNDED THE *** URINE AND ODORS.  ALL REASONABLE AND ALLOWED.  
  

  I also had to make several noise complaints. When I got out, I called several times to set up a walk through and they wouldn't come and do one, yet they could come by on a monthly basis for an inspection. Once I moved out, they replaced the fence. Someone from their office later called me & asked where they could send my cleaning deposit back to me, but I never got it.
  

  THE TENANT IS CORRECT THAT SHE WAS NEVER SENT BACK HER DEPOSIT.  SHE WAS HOWEVER SENT A DETAILED SECURITY DEPOSIT RECONCILIATION WITH REQUEST FOR PAYMENT OF REMAINING BALANCE DUE, ALL WITHIN THE **** REQUIRED BY LAW, TO THE FORWARDING ADDRESS ON FILE.  HER MOVE-OUT CAME DURING THE ***** MORRETORIUM.  BECAUSE OF THIS, THERE WERE A FEW ALTERED PROCESSES.  FOR EXAMPLE, WE DID NOT DO IN-PERSON MOVE-OUT WALK THROUGHS (NOR DID WE DO IN-PERSON MOVE-IN WALKS).  ANOTHER CONSTRAINT OF ***** INCLUDED THE COLLECTIONS PROCESS.  AFTER MOVE-OUT AND MAILING HER DEPOSIT RECONCILIATION, WE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE FORMAL COLLECTION ACTIONS.  THIS DID NOT MEAN THE BALANCED WAS NOT OWED BUT WE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO PERSUE PAYMENT VIA COLLECTIONS. 

  
  AFTER MOVE-OUT, AT NO **** HAVE WE RECEIVED ANY COMMUNICATION FROM ************ NO PHONE CALLS, NO EMAILS,NOTHING VIA MAIL, NO TEXTS.  IT WAS NOT UNTIL WE SENT HER BALANCE OWED TO A COLLECTION COMPANY FOR PAYMENT THAT SHE LODGED THIS COMPLAINT.  I FEEL THE TENANT HAS MISCONSTRUED THE SITUATION AND THIS IS RETALITORY FOR OUR EFFORTS TO MAKE THE LANDLORD WHOLE. 

  
  WE HAVE ACTED FAIRLY,ETHICALLY AND PRUDENTLY IN HOW WE HANDLED MS. ***** TENANCY & MOVE-OUT.  AS WITH EACH OF OUR PROPERTIES, WE TAKE GOOD CARE OF THE PREMISES AND MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO EFFECTIVELY SERVE BOTH TENANT AND LANDLORD.  WE WISH ************ AND HER DAUGHTER ALL THE BEST, BUT WE WOULD APPRECIATE HER PAYING HER BALANCE DUE. AFTERWHICH, THE COLLECTION COMPANY WOULD REPORT THE **** AS PAID.  

  Customer response

  04/12/2023

   
  Complaint: 19587448
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I stand by my complaint that issues were not taken care of that were brought to the attention of their management company. After the property was purchased, ************** set up a time for us to meet in person at the property. She met both my daughter and I and we spoke in the dining room of the unit. At the end of the conversation, ************** asked if there were any issues that I needed taken of on the property. I said yes, and told her about 4 items. The first item was the ventilation issue in the upstairs bathroom causing excessive moisture and mold/mildew. The second item was that the oven needed to be replaced. The third item was the carpet pad was never replaced before we moved in and that the previous renters had large animals locked in the unit soiling it. The fourth item was the fence that was rotting and falling over. She then stated she would see what she could do about having these items taken care of. So no, there was no online submission, but a verbal submission. They did call us soon after that to schedule a time to try and take care of the ventilation problem. There was no attempt made to address the other three items though. 

  When I moved out of the unit at the end of February, it was left in move in ready condition. I had 3 other people help me clean from ceiling to floor. Every light fixture, cabinet, blind slat and appliance. I then rented a ***************** machine and cleaned every room, closet and the stairs. There were no stains on the carpet and the unit smelled clean and fresh. Obviously someone felt the same, or they would not have called two weeks later to give me my deposit back. Then to my surprise, I received a quote on carpet cleaning, treating for pet damage, carpet repair and maintenance over a month after I moved out. I called and left a message with Omni Management stating that it had been over a month since I moved out and was told I was getting a refund. It did not seem fair or make sense to say I owe them money now. I also stated that if the pet damage was so far down into the sub floor, it is because the previous tenants pet damage must have been reconstituted by the deep carpet cleaning that I did before I left because there were no stains or odor when I moved out. Also in the carpet cleaning break down it stated there was pet damage to the sub floor upstairs as well, but my pets never were allowed in the upstairs area of the unit. We even had a pet gate at the bottom of the stairs to keep them out. I did not hear back from Omni after I left the message. I did engage in phone correspondence several times after I moved out. That is how I knew to pay a last months rent and that I was was informed I was getting my deposit back. I feel Omni Management has not behaved ethically because they are trying to charge me for maintenance that was brought to their attention prior to moving out. 

  I am willing to let them keep my deposit for things I was not able to do like clean the outside of the three second story windows and replacing light bulbs that weren't the same shade of white/matching. I feel the rest is their responsibility because it is maintenance and they should withdraw the further charges from collections. 

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

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