Rocktown Realty

Back in October of we used Moving On Up Home Solutions to help with our moveWe were moving from a tiny basement to a much bigger spaceI had several items at my family's home in another city and Moving On Up even offered to pick these things up and bring them over - saving us time and money!
Everything was handled with care and respect with no damages to my items or home
*** and his team worked with my fiancé and I to place items where requested, saving us time with unloading/unpacking
His friendly crew was punctual, hardworking and got the job done in a reasonable amount of time
After doing much research Moving On Up's rates were certainly fair and competitive - definitely a factor when making our decision
Thank you to *** and his crew for an excellent experience

I had a very positive experience with Moving On Up I did as much research as I could on numerous moving companies in the Victoria area Like anyone else, I was concerned with price as well as aligning with a reputable and trustworthy company They delivered on everything exactly as promised A crew of three arrived minutes early, worked very quickly to load my belongings and drove directly to my new home Once again they were very quick to unload and place everything where I asked them to I was very pleased with the final cost as it was very reasonable Everyone I dealt with, from the owner to the three movers, were respectful, professional and pleasant I have no reservations about recommending Moving on Up to trust with your move

The owner of the property was made aware of the gate and will be addressing this.  It has been repaired in the past and maintenance had reported that it was not latched correctly which caused it to get damaged when we had high winds.  The lease agreement is a contract and a gate in the...

yard that has been damaged is not a reason to break a lease. These residents took this property from another leasee and did take the property as is at that time. We have been working with these tenants to assist them in finding someone to assume their lease. Once a qualified person is found and a lease signed we will then release them from any further obligations.

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
Regards,
[redacted]

Review: I own a townhouse (rental property) located at [redacted], Harrisonburg, VA, [redacted]. It is a fully furnished 4 bedroom, 2 bath, including 2 common areas, kitchen, and patio. I hired Rocktown Realty/Property Management services to rent out rooms, collect rent, and manage all maintenance issues. On my 8/15-9/11 2013 statement, I noticed a charge for 56.77 for furnishings. Rocktown collect 172.89 in management fees that month. I contacted Rocktown, speaking to [redacted], the owner or [redacted] (her sister), and was told the charge was for curtains in a bedroom that a tenant just vacated. I asked why the charged wasnt taken out of his deposit because curtains/fixtures as damages, the tenant was responsible. She said they would check into it but "[redacted]" handled my unit and to speak with him in the future. I did not hear back from her. I contacted [redacted] to follow up, he did not know. I informed [redacted] that the unit was fully furnished and asked him to inspect the room. He assured me that he would. I provided [redacted] with photos evidence of each room/set of curtains. I did not hear back from [redacted]. Again, I followed up requesting a status. He finally responded saying it had been very busy, he would get to it but told me that all 4 rooms were occupied and I should be grateful. Weeks past and still no response. In December, I again inquired and requested [redacted] do an inspection to remedy this outstanding issue by Dec 31, 2013. [redacted] said it would be done. Jan 15, 2014, I sent another email inquiring and insisted the charge be reimbursed to me as it should have been deducted from the tenants security deposit as damages incurred. [redacted] never did an inspection, told me to be thankful for having my unit rented, and he would not reimburse my account because the security deposit had been returned to the tenant months ago. He would not address the reason why the full security deposit was returned as curtains were provided (by me) and new ones were now needed it was due to damage or messing. Moreover, no one in management ([redacted], or [redacted]) can tell me why the curtains had to be replaced. [redacted] would not acknowledge that curtains were provided, provide reasoning why he did not perform an inspection as requested and insisted that Rocktown was not required to perform move out inspection for every tenant. [redacted] informed me that Rocktown would not refund the expense or renew my contract with them as of 7/31/14.Desired Settlement: I believe the 56.77 should be refunded to my account as Rocktown Rental did not perform a move out inspection to determine the condition of the room; yet purchased new curtains to replace damaged or missing curtains that I provided. Although the security deposit has been returned to the tenant nearly 5 months ago, Rocktown Rentals was responsible for ensure the room and furnishings were in good working order and deduct damage fees from the security deposit. They did not. However, Rocktown Rentals did collect 172.89 for that month's management.

Business

Response:

I’m [redacted], principal broker and partial owner of

Rocktown Realty, LLC. [redacted] a Rocktown Realty property manager

initially received your email correspondence, deemed it to be spam, and deleted

it. Upon receiving a second email from the Revdex.com, [redacted]

contacted me. Upon opening the second email I realized that it was not

spam. I apologize for our delay in

responding to your email requests.

[redacted] is an owner of a four bedroom, two bathroom townhouse

at [redacted] located off of [redacted]d near James Madison

University’s campus. This community was

built in 1989. Over the years, particularly the last several years, there has

been an excess of student friendly condos, townhouses, and apartment

communities constructed near the college campus. Unfortunately, this has resulted in a glut of

student friendly communities in the area.

This has resulted in difficulty in securing tenants for the older

properties. Typically at [redacted] we rent one bedroom at a time in order

to fill a unit.

Ms. [redacted] purchased her townhouse unit, [redacted], at [redacted] primarily for a residence for her daughter who was a freshman at JMU.

Ms. [redacted] personally completed minor repairs and decorated the unit. The decorations were geared toward females

and included artwork, mirrors, kitchen cutlery and dishes, television sets in

each bedroom, bathroom knickknacks, blinds, and curtain panels on each

window. (Several windows had 4 curtain

panels on a window.) Ms. [redacted]’s daughter elected not to move into the

townhouse which prompted her to contact us for property management services. We

manage approximately 50 units at [redacted].

Our agreement with Ms. [redacted] states that Rocktown Realty receives 10%

of collected rents for managing the townhouse. Our management services include

securing qualified tenants.

Also as part of our management services we perform a move-in

inspection prior to tenants taking possession of the property and a move-out

inspection once they vacate. We also

perform periodic inspections in order to inspect for damages, unauthorized

individuals living in the townhouse, and to change the HVAC filter and ensure

that the smoke detector batteries are functioning. We note on both the move-in and move-out

inspections not only the condition of the townhouse but also the furniture and

fixtures. Most tenants lease for a one

year period; however, we have begun to accept semester leases in order to fill

bedrooms in this community. Based on the move-out inspection report findings we

contract for repairs and purchase items needed for the townhouse (ex. light

bulbs, mattress pads). Per our

management agreement “Agent shall purchase necessary supplies and pay bills

(provided that the expenditure for any one item does not exceed $300.00 without

Owner’s prior consent”).

If I understand Ms. [redacted]’s complaints she believes that

(1) we purchased curtain panels without her approval and the tenant should have

been charged for the curtain panels and (2) the unit is currently excessively

dirty based on an inspection that she performed on January 20th,

2014, (3) we overcharged management fees.

Our response to Ms. [redacted] in regard to her first complaint

has been that curtain panels, blinds, mattress pads, shower liners and rings

are items that periodically need to be replaced. The dollar amount is such that

we use our professional judgment as to when to replace such items, be it based

on wear and tear or to update the unit appearance. Within the management agreement there is no

language which states that, as the agent for the Owner, that we will conduct an

inventory of items furnished by the owner. As noted earlier in this

correspondence Rocktown does inspect and document as to the condition of the

furniture and fixtures in the unit.

As to her second complaint, as noted earlier in this

correspondence, Rocktown performs periodic inspections. On our last inspection performed in December

2013 we found her unit to be dirty; however, there was no evidence of any

damage. Currently 4 males reside in her

unit. As a property management company we must abide by the lease that we enter

into on behalf of the owner with each tenant.

Our lease states that the “tenant must take good care of the property

and all equipment and fixtures in it”. It also states in the same paragraph

that “Management may, at tenant’s cost, make all repairs and replacements

whenever the need results from tenant negligence, recklessness, illegal

activities, and violations of the provisions of this lease”. Unfortunately, excessive dirtiness and

clutter are not covered in the lease and not considered damages such that a

repair is needed. We as a management company cannot dictate how clean a tenant

keeps a property.

Finally as to her complaint of overcharging of management

fees, I have attached her year-to-date Owner’s Statement which lists management

fees paid as well as rental income received for the period January 1, 2013

through December 31, 2013. Per this statement rental income in the amount of $13,306.68

has been received and $1,328.93 in management fees, (9.99%) has been paid to

Rocktown.

It is unfortunate that Ms. [redacted] feels that we have not

fairly represented her. Based on our

property management agreement with Ms. [redacted] and leases with her tenants we believe that we have fully complied with the terms of the management

agreement and tenant leases.

Sincerely,

[redacted], Principal Broker

Owner, Licensed Salesperson in the Commonwealth of

Virginia

###-###-####

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

[redacted]. – REJECT BUSINESS RESPONSE

2/7/2014

The company’s response did not resolve the issue. Additionally, they did not address the specific issue of the condition (damage) of the curtains which required the curtains to be replaced and why the cost (56.77) was not deducted from the tenant’s security deposit as damages after vacating in Aug/Sep timeframe.

According to [redacted] (via the attached email documentation), the tenant moved out, [redacted] did not conduct a move out inspection and he did not know why the curtains had to be replaced. I provided [redacted] with photos of each room which had been supplied with curtains and inquired why the cost of new curtains had not been deducted from the tenants’ security deposit. Correspondence between [redacted] and me continued through December 2013 in which I insisted he conduct an inspection and provide a resolution to my inquiry. His response was that he would comply by December 31, 2013. He did not. Until I inquired again in the middle of January 2014, [redacted] had not responded as to the reason for the replacement of the curtains or why the full security deposit was refunded.

I believe Mrs. [redacted]s’ is mistaken in her understanding of my complaint. (below)

“If I understand Ms. [redacted]’s complaints she believes that (1) we purchased curtain panels without her approval and the tenant should have been charged for the curtain panels and (2) the unit is currently excessively dirty based on an inspection that she performed on January 20th, 2014, (3) we overcharged management fees.”

My only complaint as filed with the Revdex.com is regarding the reimbursement cost of 56.77 for damaged of missing curtains. As the curtains, were provided by me; yet replaced by Rocktown Rentals due to damages (or missing) caused by the tenant, that expense should have been charged to the tenant (or deducted from his security deposit as damages). At no time was a “move-out” inspection provided (to me) to indicate an inspection was conducted or to identify the reason for replacing the curtains.

My complaint is ONLY about the fact that any costs to replace or repair the damaged curtains caused by the tenant should have been deducted from his security deposit, not charged back to me as “regular maintenance or upkeep to the unit” as [redacted] suggests in his response.

This complaint is NOT about Mrs. [redacted]’s understanding reference of … “obtaining my approval prior to purchasing the curtains, (2) the unit is currently excessively dirty based on an inspection that she performed on January 20th, 2014, or (3) we overcharged management fees.” Nor is it about the 2013 Owner’s statement or that the décor of the townhouse was too girlie or feminine as show in the photos, the curtains were all of neutral color (brown, burgundy, blue, green)

Per the management agreement, “Management may, at tenant’s cost, make all repairs and replacements whenever the need results from tenant negligence, recklessness, illegal activities, and violations of the provisions of this lease”. Since Rocktown Rentals refunded the full security deposit to the tenant without conducting a move-out inspection (as indicated by [redacted]), I believe Rocktown Rentals is responsible for providing a full refund of this charge (56.77) to rectify the damages caused by the tenant. Not performing a move-out inspection was an oversight on their part.

Correspondence:

10/16/13 [redacted] in which she advised me to contact [redacted] for my inquiries

10/16/13 emailed [redacted] with concerns and provided photos of all rooms

10/23/13 no response to date - follow up email to [redacted]

11/13/13 no response to date - follow up email to [redacted]

12/16/13 no response to date - follow up email to [redacted] requesting inspection and resolution by 12/31/13. He responded that he had not gotten to it but would by date requested.

01/15/2014 no respond to date - follow up email to [redacted]

Regards,

Business

Response:

[redacted],

I will send you a check for the curtains. I wish you luck in the future with property management or sales.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

Regards,