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:11/07/2023

  Type:Product 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.

  Altman Management company is attempting to change the contents of our lease, mid lease without the consent of the lease holders.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/22/2023

  December 20, 2023 

   

  Dear *** *******:
  

   

  I represent Altman Management Company (“Altman”), the property manager for The ****** Apartments in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania (the “Community”), in connection with the complaint filed with your office by ********* ********. This letter constitutes my clients’ response
  to the complaint.
  

   

  Background
  The ****** is a rental community located in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. *** ******** resides in an apartment in the community pursuant to a written lease.

  
  Altman was established in 1948 as a family-owned construction company. Currently, it manages and operates approximately 80 multi-family communities, serving thousands of residents, in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Altman takes great care in selecting properties that are conveniently located near major thoroughfares and retail centers, while also offering a host of amenities that reflect the lifestyle of its residents.

  
  Through the years, Altman has earned a solid reputation in the industry as a company that thrives during challenging times, making decisions that result in continued growth and resident satisfaction. Altman’s commitment to quality is evident at every Altman community. At each community, there is a dedicated team that includes a community manager, leasing consultant, and well-trained service technicians, each of whom is committed to superior customer service. This is seen in Altman’s staff’s pleasant personalities, proactive approach, and timely response to the needs of every resident, and is borne out by the satisfaction of its residents. Its communities consistently achieve high retention rates by providing exceptional resident service under all
  circumstances, exceeding residents’ expectations at every opportunity.

  
  As indicia of its commitment to the multi-family housing industry, and the residents who reside there, Altman is a member of all of the major industry associations covering Altman’s geographical footprint. These include: The ******** Apartment Association, the ************ Apartment Association, the *** ****** Apartment Association, the Institute of **** ****** **********, and others. Altman is not only a member of these associations, but its employees are actively involved in them, regularly holding board and leadership positions, and participating in education and other events. Through its membership in these industry groups, Altman ensures that its employees are always in tune with the industry trends and the needs of the renting
  population. In fact, Altman has received multiple awards from these associations, including being recognized by **** as an Accredited Management Organization. This highly regarded designation assures that Altman meets ****’s high criteria of stability, experience, integrity, and ethics.
  

   

  Response to Complaint
  *** ******** has alleged that Altman is changing the terms of his Lease without his consent. His complaint relates to a policy that Altman enacted regarding parking at the Community. *** ******** is mistaken, and the allegations in his Complaint have no merit.
  

   

  *** ******** signed a Pennsylvania Residential Lease Agreement (the “Lease”) with Altman, as managing agent for the owner, on or about April 26, 2023 for the apartment known and numbered as ** **** ********* ******, #***, Wynnewood, PA ***** (the “Apartment”). The term of the Lease is one year and began on May 1, 2023.

   

  In his Complaint *** ******** suggests that his lease provides him two parking spots at the Community free of charge. He is wrong. While it is true that when *** ******** moved into the Community, there was no charge for parking, his Lease does not guarantee free parking. He also alleges in his Complaint that he is now limited to the use of only one parking space. First, *** ********’s Lease does not provide for a certain number of parking spaces. Second, Altman has always had the ability to limit parking to areas it designates.
  Relevant to *** ********’s Complaint, the Lease states, in pertinent part, the following:
  Paragraph 6.(b): Resident acknowledges that there exist "Common Areas" in and about the community. "Common Areas," for the purposes of this
  Lease, shall mean all of the common facilities now or hereafter under, over, in, or adjacent to the Building in which the Leased Unit is located
  and all other Buildings in the apartment complex designated and intended for use by all residents in common with the Landlord and each other. The
  "Common Areas" include, but are not limited to, front, side, and back yards, parking lots, exterior walls of the Building(s), exterior window
  casements of the Building(s), stairwells, laundry facilities, storage areas, attics, roofs, and roof ridge lines.

  Paragraph 6.(b).
  Unless otherwise provided in this Lease, the designated storage and parking areas in the development may be used by Resident at no cost, but
  only as Landlord may from time to time direct for the common convenience of all Residents. . . . Landlord shall be entitled to discontinue providing storage and parking areas at any time . . . .
  Paragraph 19.
  PARKING: This Community: [ X ] DOES [ ] DOES NOT have off-street parking. Cars are parked on the lots with the permission of the Landlord.
  Parking on the property is a privilege, not a right, and subject to the  following conditions:

  Rules and Regulations.
  Cars are parked on the lots with the permission of the Landlord. Parking on the property is a privilege, not a right, and subject to the following
  conditions:
  * * *
  If a resident has more than two (2) vehicles, Management reserves the right to designate the parking area where the additional vehicle(s) may be
  parked.
  Parking Addendum.

  Due to parking issues that arose at the Community, and to best serve all of the residents, the owner of the Community determined in late 2023 that it had to enact a parking policy. The purpose of the policy was to ensure that each apartment had a designated parking space. By letter dated October 30, 2023, Altman notified the residents at the Community of the new parking policy that would take effect on December 1, 2023. The policy (1) assessed a new parking fee, and (2) limited designated parking spaces to one per apartment. The notice also advised resident that they could park in an adjoining lot between the hours of 4:00 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. Mondays through Fridays and all day on Saturdays and Sundays (free of charge).
  

   

  Contrary to *** ********’s contentions, the new policy did not change the terms of his Lease; nor did it constitute a violation of his Lease. The Lease provisions cited above make clear that the owner of the Community was entitled to enact the new parking policy. Specifically, read together, the Lease provisions make clear that:
  - Parking at the Community is allowed “in common” with all other residents; 

  - Parking can be taken away, or otherwise regulated, including assessing a charge for parking;
  - *** ******** has no legal or contractual right or reasonable (in light of the above-cited Lease provisions) expectation of free parking or the ability to park in any particular area in the Community; and
  - Parking is a privilege that can be taken away.
  

   

  Altman and its staff take pride in their communities and value their residents, hoping that each has a positive living experience. They do their best to be responsive and respectful to their residents and make decisions that best serve the resident community as a whole. Unfortunately, as I am sure you can appreciate, every decision that a management company or owner makes will not satisfy everyone.
  

   

  In short, *** ********’s allegations are simply not accurate, and his Complaint is not warranted. The new parking policy does not constitute a breach of *** ********’s Lease or any rights he may have thereunder. Thus, there does not appear to be anything more for your office to do in this case. Of course, if you have any questions or require any additional information, please contact me.
  

   

  Very truly yours,

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/01/2023

  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.

  My daughter moved to ******. Following college and obtained a lease thru ****** ******, LLC. We paid this company 1st, last mo. & security deposit. We hold bank records on this. ******* moved out in OCT. 23 and the NEW Leasing Co.- Altman Mgmnt,LLC is claiming they have NO RECORDS of paying last mo. And are seeking this payment. They are holding the security deposit as collateral until this unpaid balance is paid! $2700 was paid the beg of this lease to ****** ******. Altman took over this leasing business and claims no records from ******. This is not the issue with the tenants! We have plenty of emails and bank statements pertaining to this property payment. We want our security deposit back and no further payments made to Altman Mgmnt. Co., LLC! 

  Business Response

  Date: 11/01/2023

  Unfortunately, we don't have any record of *********************************** or his daughter ******* living at the Landings apartments in NJ.  Additionally, we have no idea who ****** ****** LLC is.  

  Are you sure it's not a different property in Philadelphia or a different management company?  

   

  *****************************
  HR Director
  Altman Management Company, LLC
  240 New York Drive, Suite 1
  Ft. Washington, PA  19034
  
  ***************************************
  
  C: ************
  P: ************
  F:************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/19/2023

  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.

  Altman management bought the ******* Building in Wilmington, DE, from **** property management, without any notice to tenants. Altman refuses to stand by any promotions that were offered by ****. I brought all these issues to *** *****, Altman property manager for ******* Building, and the only reply from her is misleading information. These issue were brought up prior to the new lease signing. I never signed the lease because the issues were never addressed and now my rent is raised with the new lease and *** ***** refuses to acknowledge any issues or come to any agreement. My apartment still smells like mildew from the air condition leak, which Altman never changed the filter so it leaked all over my closet and was never properly cleaned so my apartment smells like mildew. I am seeking to reevaluate the lease or some credit due to all the issues that were overlooked.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/02/2023

  In speaking with ***************** (Community Manager of *******) she states that she has explained to ******************** that Altman Management does not have any obligation to honor any agreement between ******************** and **** Managment with regards to furniture withing his apartment.

  ***************** also mentioned that repairs to ************************ Air Conditioner have been completed. Should ******************** still have any outstanding repairs needed within his apartment he can email me directly using my email address below a maintenance request and I will see that the necessary repairs are completed timely.

  Thank you, *************************

  ***********************@altmanco.com 

  Business Response

  Date: 10/04/2023

  In speaking with ***************** (Community Manager of *******) she states that she has explained to ******************** that Altman Management does not have any obligation to honor any agreement between ******************** and Yada Managment with regards to furniture withing his apartment.

  ***************** also mentioned that repairs to ************************ Air Conditioner have been completed. Should ******************** still have any outstanding repairs needed within his apartment he can email me directly using my email address below a maintenance request and I will see that the necessary repairs are completed timely.

  Thank you, *************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/05/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  ***************** has a habit of misleading and fabricating information to fit 'her narrative.'  ***************** fails tonrealize the evidence I have accumlated against the ******* property management.  

  - mandatory monthly extermination hasn't been done on 2 different occasions. Always after complaints to ******************  Most recently this month, October, retaliation for filing the BBB complaint.

  - air condition leak isn't properly fixed and my apartment smells like mildew dating back 3 months ago.

  - ***************** has entered my apartment without prior notice which is a lease violation.

  - Move in special promotions wasn't honored, being a boxspring set, which is false advertisement. 

  - ***************** refuses to come to any type of agreement regarding any maintenance issues,  promotions and lease agreement prior to signing.

  Regards,
  
  *************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/05/2023

  Everything issue is fixable but ********************* credibility is always in question since Altman property management took over.  Majority of issues regarding maintenance, extermination and etc aren't completed out of spite,  which is very unprofessional especially when appropriate notice is always given.