Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/28/2023

  Type:Order 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.

  Today the property owner came by my home to fill out my recertification letter for Section 8. At that time he said he had someone to cut the grass but it will be more on my rent. I asked him how much it would be because I was on a fixed income. He would not tell me the price, and I said I would think about it. He then said he will have someone cut it anyway. While I was gone, I later found out he had the grass cut when I had returned. I then I contacted Section 8 and was told he raised the rent $30. He did this without my consent.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/17/2023

  ******* ****** is a tenant of Foxtrot Properties, LLC and holds a Housing Choice Voucher *******  As part of the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher process, paperwork is filled out each year and submitted to the local Housing Authority for review.  This process normally starts 3-4 months prior to the end of the last Section 8 agreement (covering 12 months at a time).  As part of this process, details about the home and tenant are submitted to the Housing Authority to recertify for the following 12 months. Any change to the contract (increase/decrease in rent, increase/decrease in household size) is reviewed by the local Housing Authority along with a review of the tenant's financial situation (Social Security benefits, SNAP benefits, etc).  Each year when the proposed rent is submitted, the Housing Authority compares the proposed rent to comparable rents in the area.  If the Housing Authority feels that the increase/proposed rent is in line with comparable rents in the area they approve the rent amount.  The tenant's personal situation (including changes in their income/expenses, etc) is recalculated and the Housing Authority decides how much the tenant pays out-of-pocket each month and the remainder is paid by the local Housing Authority. 
  Rental housing prices in our local area have increased significantly, and a proposed rent increase of 5.3% (increasing the requested rent for ******** home from $660 to $695 per month) was submitted in August 2023 which would take effect in December 2023.  The Housing Authority will review the proposed rent and if it is in line with comparable rents for her home it will be approved.  If the Housing Authority reviews the proposed rent and it is higher than comparable rents for her home they will inform the landlord of the max rent that is allowed and the landlord is given the option to reduce to the max rent allowed.

  ******* has experienced difficulty in the past with keeping her yard mowed regularly.  Recently ******* said that she owns 3 non-working mowers but was in the process of trying to get one to work.  My original offer to ******* when she rented the unit in December 2020 was to allow me to include lawn care.  She refused my offer saying that she liked to mow her own yard.  When starting the paperwork for her upcoming renewal, I asked her again to just allow me to take over mowing so she wouldn't have to mess with it anymore and I can be assured that the yard will stay trimmed regularly.  She asked how much it would cost her and I told her that neither one of us would know how much she will pay next year in rent until the Housing Authority completed their review of her personal financial situation.  At that review the Housing Authority would calculate what she would pay out-of-pocket and any difference would be paid by the Housing Authority.  I tried to explain that an increase in my proposed rent does not always translate to her paying more out of pocket.  The Housing Authority reviews each tenant's situation and decides all of that and until that process is complete I never know what change a tenant will experience out of pocket. I estimated that if nothing had changed in her financial situation that the proposed rent increase might amount to around $5-10 increase or so...but I am not in control of that amount and it isn't my role to decide.  Neither the tenant nor the landlord will know until the Housing Authority reviews the proposed rent, compares it to the local housing market, and then reviews the tenant's personal financial situation.
  I include lawn care in most of my Section 8 tenants rent because they generally lack the funds to pay for the lawn to be mowed regularly and often can't afford to maintain mowers, etc.  The only reason I had not included lawn care previously was that she said she wanted to do it herself.  Since I have not been satisfied with her upkeep of the lawn, I told her I would just pay for it out of the new proposed rent I was going to submit to the Housing Authority.  If the proposed 5.3% increase in her total rent is too high the Housing Authority will reject my proposed rent amount and tell me the max rent that can be charged for her unit. No matter what happens to the proposed rent amount and to ******** out-of-pocket amount next year I will continue to include lawn care for *******'s home.  Since I would be paying for lawn care going forward I suggested that she sell her 3 mowers and put the funds to better use for her benefit.  I also said that if she was unsatisfied with the 5.3% proposed rent increase or that lawn care would now be included for her home, she could exercise her right to move at anytime (******* is on a month-to-month contract).

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/24/2023

  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  
  Some of the things that he said in his response are accurate, and some are not. What I included in the complaint was factual. He is also very rude to women and tries to bully them. He's not going to bully me. I've never been disrespectful to him, I try to keep the peace. But when someone is trying to take advantage of me I'm not going to just take it. I cut my own grass and if I don't cut it there is someone else who assists me. My grass was not beyond code like he included in his response. The only time Section 8 was brought up was when I asked him to fill out the paperwork. We did not discuss Section 8 during our conversation. He needs to tell the truth about the situation. In the beginning when I first moved he said he would be the one cutting the grass. Even through I had my equipment I said ok. When I paid the deposit and got the keys he changed his mind. I did not reject him. When he came over and got the letter to fill out the paperwork to my update with section 8 that's when he told me he had a proposition for me. That's when he told me he had someone who could cut the grass. I asked how much it would cost. He did not give me the cost but said the guy would do good and I would like his work. I just want to make it clear that he is not telling the whole truth. I have no reason to lie on him. On various occasions I asked him to do things before he was mandated by authority and he didn't. For example, putting weather stripping on my doors. He still hasn't done this. He now has put screens on the door because it was mandated. He says I always argue because he starts argument in the way he rudely speaks to me concerning situations. When that happens I just shut down. I do not argue with him. However, when I feel he has mistreated me I do state how I feel. I'm not going to allow him to mistreat me. He claims it's an argument when he doesn't want to do what I requested, or I don't do what he wants me to do.

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