As with most landlords, I was required to submit a security deposit prior to leasing equal to one month's rent. As a good tenant that took care of my apartment, I expected to get this deposit back upon moving out. Lobos took some fees out, as I expected, for my final two months' water and sewage fees (rather than sending a separate bill), as well as a couple bullshit maintenance items for $20 or so (technically a ripoff in itself, but an expected one) and $75 for carpet cleaning.
However, they also charged me $600 for bedbug extermination, consuming my entire security deposit. In fact, they sent me an invoice for theremaining balance! Now, my contract had said they could charge me for exterminations needed due to the "unclean state" I kept the apartment in (ironically, their agents had specifically told me I was one of their cleaner tenants). Bedbug infestations HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH CLEANLINESS. Bedbugs will live anywhere humans sleep. So I'd call that a "grey area." Technically not covered by the lease, but a really "good" lawyer could probably swing it.
But that's beside the point. I don't travel much. As far as I was concerned, the bedbugs came from elsewhere in the building, and I wasn't responsible for them being there. Additionally, I brought bedbugs to my parents' house when I moved back there from college in the summer (and they were in MY stuff only, indicating they came from Lobos' property, and not vice versa). It didn't cost my parents much more than $600 to get their 3-story house exterminated. Lobos was trying to charge me a similar amount for a 250 square foot studio apartment!
Long story short, I asked Lobos for a copy of their invoice from the exterminator to justify their charges (i.e. how much they actually paid, WHETHER they actually paid, whether they were trying to double up by charging every tenant on the floor the full price for the entire extermination, etc.).
I never heard from them again.
I should've listened to a distant relative who warned me freshman year "When you're looking for apartments, whatever you do, don't rent from Lobos." But their property was in so much better condition that all the ones available for a similar price... at least on the outside.
Lobos Management Reviews
As with most landlords, I was required to submit a security deposit prior to leasing equal to one month's rent. As a good tenant that took care of my apartment, I expected to get this deposit back upon moving out. Lobos took some fees out, as I expected, for my final two months' water and sewage fees (rather than sending a separate bill), as well as a couple bullshit maintenance items for $20 or so (technically a ripoff in itself, but an expected one) and $75 for carpet cleaning.
However, they also charged me $600 for bedbug extermination, consuming my entire security deposit. In fact, they sent me an invoice for theremaining balance! Now, my contract had said they could charge me for exterminations needed due to the "unclean state" I kept the apartment in (ironically, their agents had specifically told me I was one of their cleaner tenants). Bedbug infestations HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH CLEANLINESS. Bedbugs will live anywhere humans sleep. So I'd call that a "grey area." Technically not covered by the lease, but a really "good" lawyer could probably swing it.
But that's beside the point. I don't travel much. As far as I was concerned, the bedbugs came from elsewhere in the building, and I wasn't responsible for them being there. Additionally, I brought bedbugs to my parents' house when I moved back there from college in the summer (and they were in MY stuff only, indicating they came from Lobos' property, and not vice versa). It didn't cost my parents much more than $600 to get their 3-story house exterminated. Lobos was trying to charge me a similar amount for a 250 square foot studio apartment!
Long story short, I asked Lobos for a copy of their invoice from the exterminator to justify their charges (i.e. how much they actually paid, WHETHER they actually paid, whether they were trying to double up by charging every tenant on the floor the full price for the entire extermination, etc.).
I never heard from them again.
I should've listened to a distant relative who warned me freshman year "When you're looking for apartments, whatever you do, don't rent from Lobos." But their property was in so much better condition that all the ones available for a similar price... at least on the outside.