Complaints

This profile includes complaints for AvalonBay Communities, Inc.'s headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  AvalonBay Communities, Inc.

  4040 Wilson Blvd Ste 100 Arlington, VA 22203-4434

  
• 

  AvalonBay Communities, Inc.

  14240 Alta Oaks Dr Rockville, MD 20850-7414

  
• 

  AvalonBay Communities, Inc.

  15717 Winners Dr North Potomac, MD 20878-5372

  
• 

  AvalonBay Communities, Inc.

  2 Mountainview Ter Danbury, CT 06810-4163

• 

  Avalon Bay Communities

  1000 Central Ave Matawan, NJ 07747-1061

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:08/29/2022

  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.

  May 10, 2022: I noticed water dripping from the ceiling into my **** and school books and on the floor. Notified emergency maintenance and was told there wasn’t anything they could do, as the pipes were leaking and needed to find a way out. Contractors were sent out to repair the drywall. July 21,2022: The roof started leaking again. Was told the same thing, however, it ended up stopping prior to maintenance stopping in.They ended up cutting a hole in the side of the wall to try to find out what is going on. August 19, 2022: water is leaking out the walls from the floor causing puddles in the hallway, bathroom, and dining room.maintenance vacuumed up the water, cut out carpet. August 29,2022: water leaked from the floors/walls again from the bathroom, dining room, and hallway. They brought a dehumidifier to remove the water. I was told my the maintenance supervisor that this is normal for a first floor unit. I expressed that I had lived in first floors before and this has never happened. I also reached out to the others in the community who do not have this issue. They are not fixing the issue at hand which results in water coming out four times already with no fix!

  Business Response

  Date: 09/11/2022

  September 11, 2022 

  Dear *** ******: 
  

  I have received the aforementioned complaint filed by **** **** and have reviewed the account in its entirety with Avalon *** *****. 
  

  First, I would like to apologize to **** **** for any inconvenience that this may have caused.  
  

  Upon review of the account, it appears that this was a timing issue where we had not processed the payments that **** **** had provided to the leasing office at move in, until after we had processed the final statement of deposit. We apologize that this  was not completed timely and created incorrect statements being sent out to **** ****. We do strive for perfection but  sometimes fall short. 
  

  On August 30, 2022, we processed two payments for $2,915.00 and $1,285.32. On August 31, 2022, we refunded a total of  $3,854.68 which consisted of the security deposit and payment less the five days of rent for the time the apartment was  occupied. No additional charges were billed. As of today, this should be resolved however, if **** **** has not received the  refund of $3,854.68, they should contact the Customer Care Center at 1-877-282-6246 and someone will be happy to assist. 
  

  On behalf of AvalonBay, I would like to thank **** **** for their residency and wish them the best in their future endeavors. Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions. 
  

  Yours truly, 
  

  Jennifer W***** 
  Loss Mitigation and Support Specialist  
  AvalonBay Customer Care Center

  Business Response

  Date: 09/18/2022

  September 18, 2022 
  

  Dear *** ******: 
  

  I have received the aforementioned complaint filed by *** ******* and have shared her concerns with the management staff of Avalon at ********* ******. 
  I have confirmed with the management staff of Avalon at ********* ****** that we do show the tickets entered for the  leak concerns. We also show that each incident our maintenance team responded promptly, investigated, and scheduled  repairs accordingly and timely.  
  

  We do believe the leaks are being caused by a clogged HVAC line which could stem from any apartment above *** *******’s so while the leaks are in the same place in her apartment, it doesn’t necessarily mean the same apartment is  causing them. The management team has modified their process when turning vacant apartments to include checking and  if needed unclogging the HVAC lines to minimize this from happening going forward.  
  

  The management staff will contact the residents above her to request access to check and unclog the HVAC if needed to  hopefully prevent this situation from continuing. Since the requests were completed and handled timely, the management  staff does not feel any refunds or credits are owed.  
  
  On behalf of AvalonBay, I would like to thank *** ******* for her residency. 
  

  Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions. 
  

  Yours truly, 
  

  Jennifer W***** 
  Loss Mitigation and Support Specialist  
  AvalonBay Customer Care Center 
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/24/2022

  Type:Billing 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.

  Recently, my family moved away from an Avalon property in *****/Westford Massachusetts after just under 3 years of living at the property. On moving out of the property, we were offered a clean sweep option provided by Avalon's partner ******* ******** ***. We chose to go with another option to clean the apartment. The first red flags were that on the 1st of July at 2PM, we had a scheduled pre-check. No maintenance showed up. When we spoke with an associate we were told maintenance would reach out if anything beyond basic wear and tear required attention, maintenance would reach out after the inspection (done July 14th). No one reached out. We assumed we were all squared away. We moved out of the apartment on July 14th. I noticed a water bill came up on my account, but in the first week of August we got back the security deposit back minus the water bills which was expected. There was an additional note added with the security deposit mentioning that we did not select the clean sweep option but included a line item of $160. The way the memo read and with the security deposit back, it looked almost like a generic statement just mentioning that I rejected that clean sweep option. Two weeks later, we got a note from Avalon saying I owed them $160 and they would send a bill which we did not authorize to collections if it was not paid. When I asked for details they told me I was charged for ******* ******** for a cleaning; the exact cleaning I did not authorize. The money was not taken off the security deposit, it was a direct invoice to me for something I did not authorize. I asked Avalon for clarifying details with an itemized list of services and they said it was just for cleaning without a full breakdown of the reason why the cleaning done was not up-to-snuff; there was no itemization provided. The bill will be paid by the end of the week to avoid collections only. We feel we are being charged for services we did not agree to. Cancel or refund, please.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/18/2022

  September 18, 2022 
  

  Dear *** ******: 
  

  I have received the aforementioned complaint filed by *** ****** and have reviewed his account with the  management staff of Avalon *****. 
  

  I have confirmed that additional cleaning was found necessary to restore the apartment back to move in  ready condition as stated in sections 49 and 50 of the lease agreement. The management staff of Avalon ***** was agreed as a customer service gesture to waive the cleaning charges and refund the $160.00. 
  

  *** ****** can expect a check in the amount of $160.00 in the next 7-10 business days to the forwarding  address he provided. 
  

  On behalf of AvalonBay, I would like to thank *** ****** for his residency. 
  

  Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions. 
  

  Yours truly, 
  

  Jennifer W***** 
  Loss Mitigation and Support Specialist  
  AvalonBay Customer Care Center 
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/22/2022

  Type:Customer Service 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.

  Executed a lease with Avalon Bay at their ****************** location in NJ 2 months - scheduled to move in this Friday, 8/26. I am scheduled to move into Apt 455, but noticed on their website another unit - *** - is currently running a promotion for $110 off per month for the first 13 months ($1,430 off for the lease). I called initially and asked if I could get the same deal since I had not moved in yet, rightfully so, they said no because my lease for that unit was already signed. I then asked for a transfer to that unit (which I am allowed prior to move-in), they initially argued that I was not allowed a transfer, but after pushing back further, they agreed that I am eligible for a transfer up till move-in. They claimed that since I executed my lease 2 months ago, they would transfer me to the other unit, but without concessions. I believe this to be illegal. I am allowed a transfer to any unit (downgrade/upgrade), up until move-in date. Why would I not be entitled to the deal/promotion for the new unit I'm transferring too? I am speaking to legal counsel because I believe this to be an illegal practice, but I'm trying to see if someone at Avalon Corporate can reason here. I believe the leadership at the ****************** location needs to be reprimanded. They are nickel-and-diming and I will take this to court if need be. I am entitled to the deal as advertised on the website up until move-in.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/26/2022

  September 26, 2022 
  

  Dear *** ******: 
  

  I have received the aforementioned complaint filed by *** ******* and have shared his concerns with the management staff of Avalon ********** *******. 
  *** *******’s lease reflects the correct amount that he was quoted along with all other prospects for his specific apartment  on the day that he applied and leased with us. Rates are subject to change at any time and are based off of the fair market  value at that current time. 
  

  After *** *******’s had signed a lease, he asked us to offer him promotional pricing that was being offered on a different  apartment which we advised that we could not do. If we had of offered him the promotional pricing after executing his  lease agreement, we would have violated the Fair Housing Act but offering him special treatment that was not offered to  all other customers during the time that *** ******* signed his lease. In addition, each apartment is priced according to  unique factors such as location, view (positive or negative), date available, etc.  
  

  We apologize that *** ******* is not satisfied with our decision and we hope he understands why we had to make the  decision that was made. 
  

  On behalf of AvalonBay, I would like to thank *** ******* for his continued residency. 
  

  Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions. 
  

  Yours truly, 
  Jennifer W***** 
  Loss Mitigation and Support Specialist  
  AvalonBay Customer Care Center 
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/20/2022

  Type:Customer Service 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.

  I signed a lease agreement electronically with Avalon Bay for their **************** community on July 18. I paid the security deposit and rent for the rest of the month in two separate cashier's checks directly to the leasing office on move-in day which was July 19. Due to various reasons, the leasing office allowed me to end the lease on July 23 without any further obligations and told me that the security deposit and remaining of my rent will be sent back to me. However, on August 8, I received an email from their Prior Resident Department  claiming that there is unpaid rent for the five days of my lease. Further, the account statement attached failed to reflect the security deposit and rent I paid on the move-in day. I immediately wrote a dispute email to clarify that I have already paid the rent and the security deposit. The fore-mentioned email was sent to their Prior Resident Department and Resident Recovery Department on August 9 and August 12 respectively. It's been over 21 days since my move-out day, and I've never received any response from either of the departments. I am seeking immediate restitution of my security deposit and the remaining of my rent.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/18/2022

  September 11, 2022 
  

  Dear *** ******: 

  I have received the aforementioned complaint filed by **** **** and have reviewed the account in its entirety with Avalon *** *****. 
  

  First, I would like to apologize to **** **** for any inconvenience that this may have caused.  
  

  Upon review of the account, it appears that this was a timing issue where we had not processed the payments that **** **** had provided to the leasing office at move in, until after we had processed the final statement of deposit. We apologize that this  was not completed timely and created incorrect statements being sent out to **** ****. We do strive for perfection but  sometimes fall short. 
  

  On August 30, 2022, we processed two payments for $2,915.00 and $1,285.32. On August 31, 2022, we refunded a total of  $3,854.68 which consisted of the security deposit and payment less the five days of rent for the time the apartment was  occupied. No additional charges were billed. As of today, this should be resolved however, if **** **** has not received the  refund of $3,854.68, they should contact the Customer Care Center at 1-877-282-6246 and someone will be happy to assist. 
  

  On behalf of AvalonBay, I would like to thank **** **** for their residency and wish them the best in their future endeavors. Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions. 
  

  Yours truly, 
  Jennifer W***** 
  Loss Mitigation and Support Specialist  
  AvalonBay Customer Care Center 
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/18/2022

  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.

  I moved out of a apartment in their **** ****** property on 6/9/2022. I was issued my returned deposit with a statement date of 6/28/2022. The returned security deposit included an itemized list of all deductions along with it. The letter also stated this was a final breakdown of all final charges. On 7/29/2022 I received a voicemail from their recovery department stating my security deposit has been processed. Since 7/29/2022, their recovery department has been calling my 3-4 times a day. I spoke with one of the representatives and told her that I had already received my final statement that included my returned security deposit. She said they only issued that due to state timing requirements and that I now owe them money. They have not provided me with any kind of breakdown for what I am being charged for. They are well outside the required 21 days since they processed the security deposit on 7/29/2022. They have been constantly calling my phone multiple times a day. They are aware they are outside the CA timing requirements but do not seem to care.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/18/2022

  September 18, 2022 

  Dear *** ******: 
  

  I have received the aforementioned complaint filed by *** ***** and have reviewed his account in its  entirety with Avalon ***** *****. 
  

  First, California requires a landlord to process the final statement of deposit activity within 21 days from  move out. Although we prefer to have all the final bills when we process the final statement, it is not  required by the law and is not always possible. 
  

  Sections 49 and 50 of the lease agreement that *** ***** signed on May 25, 2021, explains that the apartment must be returned to us in the same condition as it was received less normal wear and tear.  Carpet replacement, painting, and apartment cleaning are not considered normal wear and tear. I have  enclosed a copy of these sections from your convenient review. 
  

  *** ***** did receive a refund of $1,031.04 that was processed on June 28, 2022, prior to the final  invoices being received. On July 13, 2022, we sent a second Statement of Deposit Activity with the  balance of $1,096.00 for damages at the time of move out. The charges consisted of five hours for  painting at $25.20 per hour done internally, totaling $126.00, $180.00 to clean the apartment, $85.00 to  power scrub the resilient floor, and $705.00 for carpet replacement which was all necessary to restore the  apartment back to move in ready condition as stated in the lease agreement. 
  

  As of today, *** ***** has an outstanding balance of $1,096.00. He can go online and pay the balance in  full using his Avalon Access account or can contact our Resident Recovery team at 1-855-282-4100 to  settle his account. 
  

  On behalf of AvalonBay, I would like to thank Mr. Perry for his residency.
  

  Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions. 
  

  Yours truly, 
  

  Jennifer W***** 
  Loss Mitigation and Support Specialist  
  AvalonBay Customer Care Center 
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/04/2022

  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.

  The property (**********************) has a roach infestation - they continue to send *****, as I and many others complain about roaches in our apartments; however, according to the few people working with ***** that have serviced my apartment specifically, the issue is much larger than them simply coming in to individual apartments as requested because the actual grounds here are the problem. I have an allergy to roaches as well as an autoimmune disorder and they will not take care of the much larger issue at hand or let me out of my lease without paying additional rent/fines for breaking the lease early which I am sure after months of this issue going unresolved is illegal in the state of California. I have been having ***** come regularly since February with no improvement as they need to continue to come back because the whole property needs to be treated and it's being neglected. This is unsanitary and unsafe for both my daughter and myself given my health issues that are being exasperated by the problem. Working from home I am consistently in an environment that is pushing my health. I maintain an extraordinarily clean home because of my immunodeficiency, the fact that it still has pests is unacceptable.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/14/2022

  August 14, 2022 
  Dear *** ******: 
  I have received the aforementioned complaint filed by *** ******* and have reviewed her account in its  entirety with ***** ***** *****. 
  We appreciate *** *******’s desire to have this matter reviewed via the Better Business Bureau,  however, Mr. Mark A*****, Sales and Service Supervisor of ***** ***** ***** is currently assisting ***  ******* with this issue. *** ******* should continue to work with Mr. A***** to resolve this situation. 
  On behalf of AvalonBay, I would like to thank *** ******* for her continued residency. Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions. 
  

  Yours truly, 
  

  Jennifer W***** 
  Loss Mitigation and Support Specialist  
  AvalonBay Customer Care Center 
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/16/2022

  [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 is my second complaint - they "passed it off" to the community itself which did not fix the problem. I have been battling since February with the complex on the roach problem in the community - which they are not handling appropriately and has since taken a huge toll my allergies , now in the heat wave the apartment has become unsafe for my child to sleep in her bedroom at night as there is only one small AC that barely cools the 1/3 of the living room. The neighbor has a dealer/addict squatting in their apartment, the room mate felt so unsafe that they moved out. I have a 5 year old daughter, how am I supposed to feel safe in this apartment given the sanitation issue, the inadequate climate control, and the fact that I have a criminal next door, which police have arrested and released only for him to return. They need to let me out of this lease and they need to be forced to treat ALL units and the grounds for the roach infestation that goes beyond my building. I have spoken to many tenants that are dealing with the same issue in terms of cockroaches. The safety of my child is my priority and I do not feel like I can stay in my own home as of present. I am looking at suing and withholding rent. I have uploaded my last complaint which was totally unsatisfactory in terms of resolution - more lack thereof. I have also filed complaint with the health department and intend to continue to be aggressive until I am allowed to leave with no penalty or repercussion.

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

  Business Response

  Date: 10/16/2022

  October 16, 2022 
  Dear *** ******: 
  I have received the rejection filed by *** ******* to our original response and have shared her concerns  with the management staff of ***** ***** *****. 
  *** ******* has not contacted the community regarding any further issues since September 16, 2022. I  have enclosed a copy of the email communication between her and the management staff regarding this  issue. The pest control vendor has been treated three times since February 2022 and she renewed her lease  in June 2022. The last time her apartment was treated was in September and the pest control vendor did a  follow up inspection and confirmed there was no activity after treatment. 
  *** ******* did file a complaint with the city and the City Inspector did come out to investigate and  found no sign of activity.  
  Ms., Katie B*******, Community Manager did offer to allow *** ******* out of her lease with a 30-day  notice and no penalty. I have confirmed that this offer is still valid however it will expire on November 15, 2022. If she would like to submit her notice to vacate, she must do that in writing to the leasing office  of ***** ***** *****. 
  On behalf of AvalonBay, I would like to thank *** ******* for her residency.
  Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions. 
  Yours truly, 
  Jennifer W***** 
  Loss Mitigation and Support Specialist  
  AvalonBay Customer Care Center