Complaints

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/22/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On July 7, 2024, I requested that the keyless entry lock to my apartment be repaired as it was not working properly all the time. A technician contacted me to do the repair, and I was not available at the time he said was convenient, so I allowed him to do the work with only my wife present. He had already received orders to replace the lock with a new one and was only onsite for five minutes. The original lock was a keyless entry lock ($119) that was advertised with the apartment and was replaced with a cumbersome keyed lock ($16.97). I have contacted Green Keys multiple times to replace the lock with one similar to the original, and they simply don't respond. I was able to get the technician to respond, and I asked him why no attempt was made to repair the lock, and he said that the work request was for the lock to be converted back to a keyed lock. I have requested that three different keyless community locks on this property be repaired due to various reasons, and all have been fixed-none have been replaced. My lock appears to be the only lock-community or individual residence-to have been replaced with a keyed lock. I believe that this was done in retaliation for past complaints I've made against this company. As things stand now, I have multiple open work requests dating back to April 2024 that Green Keys continues to ignore. They appear to only respond to requests that they want to, even though I pay full rent to live here. You may find pictures of my former lock and the current one here.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/03/2024

  The Complainant's request to have the door lock changed to a functioning lock has been completed and was done in a timely manner.

  We replaced the problematic lock with one that functions.  That is our responsibility under Oregon law. This work order has been completed. As evidence, see attached work order marked "Work Done."

  Selection of the style of an exterior lock is the decision of the property owner, not the tenant.

  Respectfully,

  *******************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/09/2024

   
  Complaint: 22027227
  
  I am rejecting this response because: The apartment was originally advertised as having keyless entry and that's what I agreed to pay for at the agreed upon price. Now I do not have keyless entry even though I continue to pay for it and I want the apartment returned to its original state. 

  Any conscientious management company would be able to look at the pictures that have been submitted and see that this is most certainly not completed work. It is once again an example of Green Keys doing the absolute bare minimum-or less in many cases-in order to attempt to say that by law they have done their job.

  It is worth noting two things about the picture of a work order submitted by Green Keys-

  First, in its response, Green Keys says that it is the choice of the owner and not the tenant which locks are to be used, yet their work order has a place where it asks if this repair was owner approved and Green Keys' form says "No". That leads me to believe that Green Keys made the choice to replace the more expensive and convenient lock with a much cheaper version that now requires me to carry a key. 

  Secondly, on the work order form that Green Keys submitted, one can see in the upper right corner that there are six open work requests from this tenant (me). These work requests have been open for months and Green Keys simply will not respond, even though it continues to collect full rent payments from me.

  I have reached out to Green Keys multiple times requesting that this lock be replaced with one similar to the original and they have not responded. There was no reason whatsoever to replace this lock as previously multiple locks of this type have been repaired on this property instead of being replaced. In my opinion, this is retaliation on the part of Green Keys for previous complaints submitted by me. Currently, no other tenants at this property appear to have a keyed lock. Some are a different style, but all except for mine are keyless.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/01/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Starting in October 2023 we were notified by Green Keys that a contractor would be showing up to do some siding repairs in two days in what was portrayed to be a 'pardon our dust' sort of trifle. In actuality and with foreknowledge, this was a projected long-term (3 month) undertaking comprised of relentless daily beatings on every wall and roof. Bathtub tiles were knocked out, a light fixture and multiple art frames falling and shattering plus all windows were dislodged from their frames, after which rain water flowed into our apartment. Their response was that no one else had complained but this isn't true-two other tenants moved out of the building as a direct result of the massive construction project that happened here. Green Keys verbally offered to let me out of my lease (pointless since I've been on a month-to-month lease for years so I'm released from my lease on the first of every month). Damage was done to the inside of my apartment during the construction project that has never been repaired even though I've continued to pay full rent. I now have multiple work requests open for repair work about which no one at Green Keys will respond. I firmly believe my rent has been raised in retaliation to above what the market will bear. Green Keys justifies this by using a false equivalency (water utility included agreement that was established by the property owner). My rent for a damaged apartment with no balcony or private lawn is now higher than what Green Keys advertises for a unit in my complex that has been freshly rehabbed with no damage and brand new functional balconies and private yards. I have attempted to recoup the rent that I paid for the months that I was not able to fully use my apartment to no avail as Green **** says they're sorry but they've done all they're going to do. I've attempted to explain that paying rent to them gives me the right to peace, quiet, enjoyment and habitability of my apartment, but Green Keys doesn't seem to agree.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/13/2024

  Green Keys' Response:
  
  In October 2023, the owner of the building hired a contractor to do repairs to the siding on the building in which this particular tenant resides. The work was done by a licensed contractor and conscientious crew. As the project progressed, the contractor discovered some dry rot beneath the siding. This discovery increased the scope of the project, adding several more works to its duration. The dry rot was removed, the windows re-installed correctly with proper flashing, and new trim was added around the windows.
  
  See Exhibit A and B to see the during and after photos of the project, which enhanced the buildings safety and durability. Construction noise stopped in January 2024, with the exception of March 6 to 8, when a new roof was installed (a flat, rolled roof).
  
  Before and during this construction project, Green Keys kept tenants up to date with progress. See Exhibit C to see *************** request for specific information to add to one of several broadcast emails sent to tenants of both buildings at 8220 to **************
  
  In addition, Green Keys granted a rent concession of $564.00 (40% of rent) to the Complainant in December 2023 as consideration for the inconvenience posed by the exterior work. See Exhibit E to see they were charged only $846 (60% of rent) in December. As an additional concession, Green Keys provided free quarters so that laundry was free for all residents during the construction period.
  
  The assertion that there were relentless daily beatings on every wall and roof is false. Only the exterior walls were impacted by the installation of new siding, the roofing project took only a few days, and the crew worked only during regular business hours. Per City of Portland regulations on construction noise (Code section 18.10.060), construction noise is permissible from 7 am to 6 pm Monday through Saturday.
  
  As soon as the tenants reported to Green Keys that the exterior work was creating interior damages, Green Keys notified the leader of the construction crew. The crew leader spoke with the tenants and offered to repair the light fixture. The tenants declined, stating that they did not want to allow anyone to enter for health reasons. See Exhibit F to see the crew leaders request for the Complainants contact information.
  
  Green Keys tried to coordinate the repair of the bathtub tiles and adjust the interior window trim, but access was denied by the tenants. Multiple attempts were made to perform these repairs, but access was repeatedly denied. By contrast, a tenant in another unit in that same building did allow access, and the necessary repairs were completed.
  
  Since it was clear that the tenants were unhappy with their living situation, Green Keys offered to release them from their lease. The tenants declined and said they wished to stay.
  
  The recent rent increase was within legal limits and justified by higher utility costs. Unlike other units in the building, the Complainant is not required to pay his fair share of the buildings water-sewer bill. If the Complainant desires to move to a vacant unit in the same complex that has a balcony, private lawn, or any other features, all he needs to do is request a transfer by applying for the vacant unit.
  
  Green **** strongly agrees that every tenant has the right to peace, quiet enjoyment and habitability. Green Keys will continue to try to schedule the necessary repairs in the hope that the tenants will eventually decide to grant access.

  Note: If the 5 attached exhibits do not go through, let me know how to submit them. I can be reached at ************ or by email at **********************.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/20/2024

   
  Complaint: 21790363
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The attachments that Green Keys attempted to upload are not available in this complaint but instead were uploaded to a separate complaint against Green Keys. 

  
  To be clear, access to my apartment has never been denied to any contractor when properly scheduled. The "Exhibit F" referred to in Green Keys' response has nothing to do with the repair of a broken light; rather it references a separate problem also stemming from the massive construction project of multiple windows that leaked water into my apartment over the course of an entire weekend, and my text interactions with said crew leader ******* are attached here labeled "Texts with ******* 1 & 2". We have had contractors in the apartment to unclog a bathroom sink, install a new wax ring on the toilet, repair the refrigerator multiple times, replace the stove, replace a broken thermostat, and access the attic through our apartment to install insulation. It's precisely this type of manipulation of facts and misrepresentation that have led me to report Green Keys to the BBB.
  
  The contractor who Green ****' claims offered to fix a broken light fixture in fact offered to clean up the broken glass from a light that was knocked down during a roof repair and he was told it would be cleaned up by inhabitants. Further, my right to privacy was breached when Green Keys approved the contractor knocking on my front door.

  
  My experience with Green Keys is that they attempt to do the barest minimum-in some cases even asking tenants to do the work themselves (i.e. spreading salt on sidewalks and the driveway during an ice storm as the owner of the property refused to do so or attending laundry room cleanup and maintenance). Green ****' assertion that they have made multiple attempts to make repairs and have been denied access to the apartment is absurd. Green Keys claims in its response that it will continue to attempt to make repairs but I still have multiple work requests dating back to May 19 to which there is still no response. It is unclear how Green Keys intends to do these repairs when they will not respond to work requests. It's worth noting that while Green Keys ignores my requests for repairs, I continue to be charged full rent.

  
  My assertion of daily beatings on the building are true. While the roof repair did in fact last a few days, we lost the full use of our apartment during the three months of the entire scope of the construction project. The beating on the walls of our apartment was relentless. Green Keys was furnished with multiple videos taken from inside our apartment that show the pictures on our walls bouncing off the walls because they were being hammered on nonstop. My wife was no longer able to work from home because she could not even attend Zoom meetings due to not being able to be heard over the noise. After talking with the contractors multiple times (before they were told to stop talking to me), it was clear that this project was planned in advance and the contractors knew that they would be there for months. Green Keys has claimed in multiple emails/texts that they were not notified of the extent of the project and that it was "owner led", then in other emails/texts refer to the project in terms of Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3. They did in fact know the extent of the project. The tenants were simply expected to deal with it. 

  
  Regarding Green Keys' claims of how hard they have worked to communicate with tenants and how they have given multiple concessions, not a single thing was done by Green Keys on their own without being poked and prodded to do it first. Broadcast emails on the part of Green Keys were at my direction and insistence, not on their own.

  
  Green Keys' accusation that I do not pay a fair share of the water bill is incorrect and slanderous. The property owner and the previous management company set up the way my water bill was to be paid and I have paid it that way ever since. Green Keys has been provided with this documentation although it does not prevent them from attempting to overcharge me multiple times per year. While the recent rent increase to make my rent above market value may have been legal, I believe it to be morally reprehensible and retaliatory given the fact that my apartment has not been updated since I've lived here (four and a half years) and damaged on top of that.

  
   Regarding Green Keys' assertion that I can simply apply to move to a different apartment, this is no solution. My apartment does in fact have a completely unusable balcony that was built during the massive construction project. It does not have a door that I can access it as it was built under a kitchen window, and Green Keys claims that the property owner has run out of money to put in a door. I believe this to be retaliatory also. I've attached the pictures of the unusable balcony here listed at "Balcony 1 & 2".

  
  Green ****' claim that it believes every tenant has the right to peace, quiet enjoyment and habitability does not have the ring of truth to it as we had none of those for three months straight. Another important note is the fact that Green Keys failed to respond to a key point in my complaint against them, and that is that while Green Keys claimed that no one else complained about the construction project here, in fact two tenants moved out as a direct result of said project. It is not a mistake that Green Keys did not comment on this and it is another indication of the communication style that Green Keys uses. When a subject is introduced that is difficult for Green Keys to explain, they have an established track record of using either misdirection and misinformation or simply ignoring the issue altogether.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/03/2024

  In October 2023, the owner of the building hired a contractor to do repairs to the siding on the building in which this particular tenant resides. The work was done by a licensed contractor and conscientious crew. As the project progressed, the contractor discovered some dry rot beneath the siding. This discovery increased the scope of the project, adding several more works to its duration. The dry rot was removed, the windows re-installed correctly with proper flashing, and new trim was added around the windows.
  
  See Exhibit A and B to see the during and after photos of the project, which enhanced the buildings safety and durability. Construction noise stopped in January 2024, with the exception of March 6 to 8, when a new roof was installed (a flat, rolled roof).
  
  Before and during this construction project, Green Keys kept tenants up to date with progress. See Exhibit C to see *************** request for specific information to add to one of several broadcast emails sent to tenants of both buildings at 8220 to **************
  
  In addition, Green Keys granted a rent concession of $564.00 (40% of rent) to the Complainant in December 2023 as consideration for the inconvenience posed by the exterior work. They were charged only $846 (60% of rent) in December. As an additional concession, Green Keys provided free quarters so that laundry was free for all residents during the construction period.
  
  The assertion that there were relentless daily beatings on every wall and roof is false. Only the exterior walls were impacted by the installation of new siding, the roofing project took only a few days, and the crew worked only during regular business hours. Per City of Portland regulations on construction noise (Code section 18.10.060), construction noise is permissible from 7 am to 6 pm Monday through Saturday.
  
  As soon as the tenants reported to Green Keys that the exterior work was creating interior damages, Green Keys notified the leader of the construction crew. The crew leader spoke with the tenants and offered to repair the light fixture. The tenants declined, stating that they did not want to allow anyone to enter for health reasons.
  
  Green Keys tried to coordinate the repair of the bathtub tiles and adjust the interior window trim, but access was denied by the tenants. Multiple attempts were made to perform these repairs, but access was repeatedly denied. By contrast, a tenant in another unit in that same building did allow access, and the necessary repairs were completed.
  
  Since it was clear that the tenants were unhappy with their living situation, Green Keys offered to release them from their lease. The tenants declined and said they wished to stay.
  
  The recent rent increase was within legal limits and justified by higher utility costs. Unlike other units in the building, the Complainant is not required to pay his fair share of the buildings water-sewer bill. If the Complainant desires to move to a vacant unit in the same complex that has a balcony, private lawn, or any other features, all he needs to do is request a transfer by applying for the vacant unit.
  
  Green **** strongly agrees that every tenant has the right to peace, quiet enjoyment and habitability. Green Keys will continue to try to schedule the necessary repairs in the hope that the tenants will eventually decide to grant access.

  
  Response to the ****************** response:

  Green Keys is prepared to gather affidavits from to prove that the Complainant denied access and prevented repairs from being done.
  
  Green Keys hired an attorney to respond to ****************** complaint. Attached is the letter that was sent, along with a copy of the email from **************** acknowledging receipt of the letter.
  
  Due in part to the difficulty of managing **************************************** will no longer be managing the multiplex building at 8220 to *************, effective 8/15/2024. Green Keys has notified the owner in writing of this termination date.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/09/2024

   
  Complaint: 21790363
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  It is unclear why Green Keys does not simply submit affidavits that show work was prevented from being done instead of talking about them.

  It is unclear who Green Keys will produce these affidavits from-certainly no one who has ever been in contact with me. If contractors have truly been in contact with me and were denied access to the property, there will surely be a paper trail to show this. As mentioned earlier in this complaint, over the time that I have lived here, multiple contractors have done work inside the apartment with no problem from me. I earlier submitted a text interaction with one of these contractors that shows how very easy it is to work with me. There is no reason for me to request repairs to be done and then deny contractors access to the apartment.

  It is unclear the value of Green Keys submission of a letter from an attorney and my acknowledgement of its receipt. A letter from an attorney does not absolve Green Keys from doing the job they are paid to do.

  It is unclear the value of Green Keys saying they will no longer be managing this complex after 8/15/24. This does not absolve Green Keys of the responsibilities that they were hired to do and have received full rent payments from me to do.

  Green Keys stated in its original response that they would continue to reach out to me to attempt to do the repairs that were made necessary by damage done by contractors hired to do work at this property. That was many weeks ago and I still have not heard anything from Green Keys about any such repairs. I have multiple work requests dating back to April 2024 that Green Keys has never responded to. 

  The apartment that I live in is in far worse shape than it was when I moved in, due to damage done by multiple contractors, even as Green Keys has continued to steadily raise the rent and ignore work requests from me to repair the apartment.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************