Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/31/2022

  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.

  This property management company has failed to maintain the property as promised in their contract, it's become an eyesore. They need to finish the job. I've contacted them about this (as well as other maintenance issues- water filter maintenance etc.)- and received no response. I either get excuses, or told that a contractor will contact me (which they never have). It's beyond ridiculous at this point. I've contacted the owners of the property- no response. I've contacted NEPA multiple times hoping they will resolve the issue internally to no avail. I have spoken to the landscaper, plumber, and other tenants to confirm that the fault is with the management company not the vendors. I have not retained a lawyer. And I do not owe them money, I'm in good standing. I just want them to do their job (as promised), and I have no assurance that they won't continue taking advantage of the situation, which is why I'm reaching out to you for help. My lease is attached so you can see that they are obligated to maintain the property (lawn, landscaping, water, sewage etc.). I certainly hope you can help me resolve this. Thank you so much for all your hard work, if you need anything else from me please let me know ***************************** ************

  Business Response

  Date: 09/19/2022

  September 9, 2022 

  Dear *** *******: 
  

  I am in receipt of your letter dated September 1, 2022 regarding Complaint ID 17803996; Shannon Logan. 
  

  We're gathering the e-mails between our office and *** ***** regarding her complaints. 
  

  Please allow me just a few days to get everything assembled, dictate my response and forward it to your office. 
  

  I thank you in advance. 
  

  Sincerely, 
  Thomas *. W******, Broker, CEO 

  Business Response

  Date: 10/05/2022

  September 21, 2022 
  Dear *** *******: 
  Per my letter to you earlier this month and in response to your letter dated September 1, 2022, enclosed please find correspondence between NEPA Management Associates (NEPA) and *** ******* ***** regarding her complaint about a sulfur smell in her water, the weeds and our lack of attention to her matters. 
  I assure you the enclosed e-mails speak for themselves. Even though *** ***** has claimed that she received "no response", that is simply not true. With her regards to contacting the owners of the property – no response, that also is not true. As a matter of fact, our office handled *** *****'s phone calls to both my office, including my personal line and Anna Snook, Manager Long Term and Corporate Rental Department, from this tenant, dozens of e-mails from *** ***** (enclosed), and dozens of texts from *** *****. Every communication was in fact replied to and acted on per the terms of her lease and our Management Agreement between our office and *** ***** ******* and **** ***** *******. 
  As for the owners (***** & ***** *******), we have no idea how she got the owners telephone number and mailing address. To that I have a concern. I have enclosed our signed Management Agreement. problem solved 
  Unfortunately, she tried to have in directly through the owners, which the Nazaire's have contracted with NEPA to handle such issues. *** ***** simply didn't follow protocol. 
  You will see also where *** ***** attempted to charge our owners for her time and the vendor she used because we weren't acting in "as fast" a manner as she wished. 
  I must make note that a sulfur smell in water is not uncommon, nor does it make it undrinkable whatsoever. If we would have known there was a water purifier at the duplex, we would have advised our owner to do an annual inspection. You will see one email where Anna Snook, Manager Long Term and Corporate Rental Department, actually asked her if she wanted us to bring her a case of water which we would have happily done, at no charge. Instead we received e-mails stating *** ***** was retaining council, which we actually would have preferred she did. 
  In our business, the most valuable asset we have is the tenant. The average tenure of our tenants in our management program (approximately 90+ units) is over 3 years. We value our tenants and their experience that they have during their tenure, which is why tenants continue with us. Secondly, the property is a duplex and I'm sending you the problems they are having with *** *****. 
  I think if you look back through our records, you will see that the number of complaints that we have had with BBB over the 30+ years we've been in business is minimal at best. We have had the pleasure of managing thousands of tenants throughout that time, a lot of them buying homes from our sister company, ****** ***** *** ******* Real Estate. 
  While this tenant is certainly obnoxious to deal with, condescending and simply doesn't listen, *** ***** is a good tenant and pays her rent timely and in full each month. NEPA Management's job is to ensure that our owners receive their rent in a prompt manner. Therefore, she is a value to us at NEPA Management Associates as well as is 
  our owner. 
  We may in fact, lose this account because of *** ***** which will hurt us financially and put the burden of operating the duplex where she lives back in the hands of our owner which I'm sure is not what they expected either. 
  As for lawn care, mowing is all our contractors are required to do. The tenant could have easily pulled "the weeds" just like you or me do at our own homes. The sumac tree photo would tell me that that "weed" has been there for years. 
  Based on that, I really don't have too much more to say. The e-mails will serve as our response. 
  In closing, I've enclosed a sample of our Long Term Management Agreement that we have with M/M *******, who has the last say in what we can and cannot do without their written permission. We have certain ceilings in what work we can and cannot do. I believe *** ***** provided with you a copy of her signed lease agreement. 
  Thank you. 
  Sincerely, 
  Thomas *. W******, CEO
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/05/2022

  [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:
  
  This business has a track record on **** and ****** of mistreating their tenants and owners. They have received multiple one star complaints on both platforms and have lost court cases against former tenants for similar matters. So, the claim that this is out of the ordinary is not true. 

  
  

  Again, NEPA management violated their lease terms by not providing a habitable dwelling. As they stated, they were not even aware there was a water filter on the property, and they have been managing the property for several years. Water filter maintenance and upkeep is the management company's duty. Also, the maintenance of the landscaping is in the lease. Tenants do not have to pull weeds, as they suggested. That is landscaping, and it is outlined in the lease as the management company/landlord's duty. The owners of this property were paying NEPA to perform landscaping duties, not the tenant. 

  
  

  As for our communications, I have always been professional and courteous. ******************* left her tenants without clean drinking water for over 24 hours because she claimed she had "no control" over the plumber. I had to perform the repair myself, and ******************* agreed to reimburse me for the plumber. When I submitted the invoice from the plumber, she went back on her word and refused to reimburse, claiming that the water filter maintenance was my responsibility (even though the water filter isn't even in my apartment, nor is providing clean drinking water my responsibility). The owners of the property had to repeatedly ask NEPA to reimburse me for the repair, and they finally did on September 8th. Note, the repair was performed on August 10th. 

  
  

  My invoice for billable hours was acknowledged by the CEO Thomas W************, the email from him is attached. They did not deny that I did the work or that **** approved the work. 

  
  

  Finally, they violated the lease terms a third time by performing an inspection without giving 24-hour notice. While it isn't against the law, this is a violation of the terms of the lease which state the property manager/landlord is to provide 24 hours notice before inspections. They then proceeded to manufacture complaints about dog toys being in the yard in order to build a case against us as tenants. We feel this was retaliatory. 

  
  

  To recap....I do have a right to seek legal counsel when I feel my rights are being violated, and I informed them of that. I also have a legal right to contact the owners of the property directly. I have a right to invoice contractors for billable hours. And I have a right to perform repairs and deduct from rent or receive a reimbursement if the management company fails to do their job-- which is what happened.

  
  

  They have already lost the account because of the way they treated both the property owners and myself. I was notified by NEPA that they are being terminated as of November 1st. The fact that they are complaining about a loss of revenue when they were neglecting their duties while still taking payments from the owners of this property is in very poor taste. If anyone reading this would like to research this company's track record, I suggest looking at ****** reviews as well as their **** rating to get a more accurate view of how they handle their accounts. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************