I H@TE my property managers ***UPDATED***

[MMEand1]

The property owner e-mailed me at home and asked me what some of the problems were. I e-mailed her back and let her know what was going on. She then e-mailed me back and said that she was unaware of anything that was going on. She also said that she would make some phone calls on Monday and let me know what she finds out. Hopefully this will all work out!
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We are renting and having quite a rough time with our property manager. We call over and over again and he never responds back to the messages we leave. We have had an issue with the fridge for over 3 weeks now (running up our electricity bill) and he tells us that we can just buy our own, but put the one that is in the house in the garage as long as it stays plugged in. We had an electrician tell us the first day that we could not plug in the freezer/fridge in the garage because the plug was not rated for that and it could start a fire in the house. We told this to the property mgr and he said that he spoke to the electrician and was told that there was nothing wrong with the plug and that we could use it to plug in the fridge. I called the electrician tonight and he told me that the property mgr never spoke to him.

We have had nothing but problems with this guy and we are here for another 11 months!! He told us that he has gone over an above for us even lowering the monthly rent for us. I told him that I knew nothing about a lower rent and that we never even asked for the rent to be lowered. The amount that was listed the first day we saw the house is what we are paying. He called me a liar and told me I was being rude to me.

I told him that there was no communication and that all we wanted was to be able to discuss some things with him. He stated that we have never called him. I told him we could subpoena the phone records to prove otherwise. He told me to do it. It's a cell, so all I had to do was pull up the website and get proof that we have called him dozens of times.

I just don't know what to do. Is it possible to get out of the lease? Can we contact the home owner directly and deal with her instead of the property mgr? Should I just go sit up at the realtors office until I can speak with him directly instead of having a little pi$$ing match on the phone? I have already e-mailed his boss and she insists that he is a great team member, so no help there.

Any ideas? I am just sick over all this crap!

[bubbaray]

I don't have any tips for you, but wanted to send you hugs!

[elephantmeg]

If you can get to the owner I would! Sounds horrible!

[tarabenet]

No more phone calls. Put it in writing, mail it certified, return receipt requested. Everyting you've put here, with any supporting info. Be very clear about what you want from him, because you know this guy isn't going to try to "guess" in your favor.

Meanwhile, look around for a local tenants association. Find out from them what you need to do. It probably involves filing a written copy of the letter you send him, along with paying some dues.

As far as getting out of the lease, I would expect this guy to be a total jerk about it. If your lease is anything like the standard Texas lease, for instnce, you can expect to have to give written notice and probably continue to pay rent until he leases the place again. You are really clear about his complete lack of motivation to lease it, right?

On the other side of things, if you are not above blackmail, look around for things not up to code, things that could get him in legal trouble, and then agree not to report him in exchange for being let out of the lease. Not legal, and not terribly secure, but it's an option. I definitely would not threaten something like that and try to stay, though, because after all, we are talking about a creepy @-hole dude with a key to your home. (shudder) I'm really not in favor of this route, but my stepdaughters used it to get out of their lease when their duplex was broken into one day. They realized the front door was a hollow-core interior passage door that anyone could have kicked through. Even thought the burglars kicked it *down* rather than kicking through it, they held it over the landlord/manager to geet them out of that lease. We were so relieved to get them out of that neighbohood!

Good luck with it all. Just remember you need to be very official about all this. Don't expect him to act like a nice guy or even to bother to do what is right just because he should. Spell out your expectations very clearly.

[elliput]

We have had nothing but problems with this guy and we are here for another 11 months!! He told us that he has gone over an above for us even lowering the monthly rent for us. I told him that I knew nothing about a lower rent and that we never even asked for the rent to be lowered. The amount that was listed the first day we saw the house is what we are paying. He called me a liar and told me I was being rude to me.

As someone who has been on both sides of the renter/owner relationship, this sends up a huge red flag to me. The first thing that came to mind was that the property manager is lying to either you or the owner about the contracted rental rate.

As a rental property owner, I would appreciate the tenants contacting me if they thought the property manager was not acting in either parties best interest, but I would expect that due diligence was done on the part of the tenant first and lots of documentation.

[gatorsmom]

Does it spell out in the lease what ammenities are included in the monthly rent? I mean like, washer and dryer, water usage is included, etc.? Because if you are suppose to be provided a refrigerator and he's not providing one, he's in breach of contract and you can stop paying rent until he provides one. That should get the owner's attention. I too, am guessing that he is saying he lowered your rent but is pocketing the difference. Do you have copies of your checks you used to pay your rent to prove that you paid the full amount?

The other thing I"d look for in the lease is what typically occurs when something breaks down. For example, if the disposal breaks, is the tenant responsible for paying the first $50 for the repair and the owner the rest?

As the other posters said, you need to write letters specifically stating your complaints and send them certified. Everything should be documented. I would even document your converstaions with him. Include the date and time and who said what. The reason I say this is that Texas is a pro-landlord state meaning it's much easier to be a crappy landlord than a crappy tenant. So, to win in court (if it ever goes there), you have to be really prepared.

Honestly, I'd see a lawyer. They can tell you all the tricks of how not to pay your rent but be legally protected from eviction. There are ways to do it, like not paying rent until you are served notice then paying partial rent, or something to that effect. Normally I would not advocate using the system this way, but I've been on both sides of the fence while living in Texas and I've been horrified to see how landlords can get away with treating their tenants.

Big hugs. Let us know how things go.

[Pluddle]

I've rented many, many houses and apartments and I have had everything from stand-up owners to fall-down drunks yelling on my front porch. KNOW YOUR STATE TENTANT LAWS. They ARE in your favor. In my state, they owner has to respond/fix a major problem w/in 24 hours and 48 hours for non-critical items. If they DO NOT respond/fix, you can fix it yourself and deduct it out of the months rent. Also, if they do not live up to the lease, you can break it without penalty. This is IN MY STATE'S TENANT LAWS. I've learned mine inside out. Below are some links for you to find your state's laws.

Chin up and big hugs - I've been through this. It's really tough, but you'll see it through. Best of luck!

Websites:
http://www.rentlaw.com/
http://www.hud.gov/renting/tenantrights.cfm
http://www.nolo.com/resource.cfm/catID/31250834-6A2E-4970-9EDD4DAF221A0C7E/104/138/
*** http://www.nolo.com/article.cfm/ObjectID/F7E7C415-8893-4C68-9F9D9173D25977B8/catID/31250834-6A2E-4970-9EDD4DAF221A0C7E/104/138/ART/ (this article was written for you!)

[nfowife]

In addition to the measures above, contact your local JAG office/legal office at the base where you are. They can step in and advocate for you in these situations.

[LBW]

We are renting and having quite a rough time with our property manager. We call over and over again and he never responds back to the messages we leave. We have had an issue with the fridge for over 3 weeks now (running up our electricity bill) and he tells us that we can just buy our own, but put the one that is in the house in the garage as long as it stays plugged in. We had an electrician tell us the first day that we could not plug in the freezer/fridge in the garage because the plug was not rated for that and it could start a fire in the house. We told this to the property mgr and he said that he spoke to the electrician and was told that there was nothing wrong with the plug and that we could use it to plug in the fridge. I called the electrician tonight and he told me that the property mgr never spoke to him.

I'd just move the fridge to the garage, but I wouldn't plug it in.


We have had nothing but problems with this guy and we are here for another 11 months!! He told us that he has gone over an above for us even lowering the monthly rent for us. I told him that I knew nothing about a lower rent and that we never even asked for the rent to be lowered. The amount that was listed the first day we saw the house is what we are paying. He called me a liar and told me I was being rude to me.

If you are paying the amount you agreed to, and the amount that was advertised, I'd let this go. There's no point in arguing about it.


I told him that there was no communication and that all we wanted was to be able to discuss some things with him. He stated that we have never called him. I told him we could subpoena the phone records to prove otherwise. He told me to do it. It's a cell, so all I had to do was pull up the website and get proof that we have called him dozens of times.

If there are other things you need to discuss with him, write a letter and send it signature confirmation. If you don't get a response, send a second letter and send a copy to the manager at the realtor's office.

[Pluddle]

In addition to the measures above, contact your local JAG office/legal office at the base where you are. They can step in and advocate for you in these situations.
Ah, if you're military, you have a lot of options. You have the might of the US govn't on your side and Texans love the military. JAG is one of them, but I suggest starting with Fleet and Family Services and Military One Source first. If those don't work, tell your chain of command. They CAN help. But as was suggested above, Document! Document! Document! That will CYA in most situations. GOOD LUCK! You have my sympathy and support.

Fleet and Family Services: https://www.nffsp.org/skins/nffsp/display.aspx?ModuleID=8cde2e88-3052-448c-893d-d0b4b14b31c4&CategoryID=0f98cc9e-d381-43fa-9167-b9f261c814d1&ObjectID=9cf21eef-6313-4606-aec7-bad6d8d32b7c
Military One Source: http://www.militaryonesource.com/skins/MOS/display.aspx?ModuleID=ae74eaa3-d1b6-4dbd-b23e-354880172094&Mode=User&action=issue&CatID=a0060a3e-80a7-4c40-bed6-fb5e721d5e26&ObjectID=02f19d3d-71e7-43c6-8949-bc6351340181

[MMEand1]

Thanks to all! I have an appointment with legal tomorrow. My supervision scheduled the meeting for me and told me to refrain from speaking with the property mgrs until after I met with legal. Will update...
MP

[bubbaray]

Good luck!

[tarabenet]

Thanks to all! I have an appointment with legal tomorrow. My supervision scheduled the meeting for me and told me to refrain from speaking with the property mgrs until after I met with legal. Will update...
MP

Great! Go get 'em!

[MMEand1]

Well, I talked to my lawyer and she said that I should contact the owner of the property and let them know what is going on. The owner may not even know anything about the lack of customer service.

I put in an e-mail to the property owner because I could not get in touch with her by phone. I am waiting to hear from her. I am hoping that she will not call the property manager and talk to him before she calls us...