My complaint is primarily regarding the company that manages The Village at Lindsay Park. The property management company, AMC LLC, utilizes ambiguous language in their rental agreements in an effort to extract unexpected fees from both current and former tenants. These blatantly unethical practices were so appalling to me that I felt a review was necessary.
Problem 1: Prior to the expiration of my lease, I decided to stay two more months beyond the initial term of the lease. There was a month-to-month fee clearly stated on the first page of the lease and--while I thought the fee was excessive at $100 per month--I agreed to it when I signed the rental agreement. However, in addition to adding the month-to-month fee, the management attempted to raise my monthly rent to market rate. Since the renewal notice that the management was supposed to provide two months prior to the expiration of my lease was never given to me (in spite of the fact that I either called or visited the office on three occasions to discuss), I was not informed of the increase to market rate until my lease actually expired. Had I know this bit of information, I would have chosen to give my required (by management) 60 day notice two months prior to the expiration of my lease. Instead, I had to argue with the management and point out to them that there is no clause in the lease that states that the rent will increase to market rate IN ADDITION TO the month-to-month fee upon expiration of the lease. I also pointed out to them that, per their own lease, they were required to provide me with a 30 day written notice before increasing my rent. Fortunately, they capitulated and did not raise my rent to market rate, but this initial attempt to squeeze money out of me for no reason made me realize I was dealing with a less-than-ethical company.
Problem 2: Prior to moving out, I cleaned the apartment thoroughly. I cleaned all counter tops, cabinets, appliances, fixtures, etc., mopped all linoleum floors, and vacuumed all carpets. The apartment was spotless with no damage whatsoever--it was in as good of condition as it had been when I first moved in. Rather than scheduling to be present at the move-out inspection, I opted to take pictures of the apartment to document its condition. Six weeks later, I received a bill in the mailbox of my new address (titled "Collection Letter") for over $300 (including the final water bill). I was charged $150.00 for painting the unit, $80.00 for cleaning it, and $50.00 for shampooing of the carpets. None of these services were actually necessary. Management attempted to explain that this was "standard" despite the fact that—at no point when my leasing agent was going over the lease initially—did she mention that I would be expected to automatically pay for $280.00 worth of unnecessary services after moving out. There is a Damage and Cleaning Addendum to the lease that states that such charges will be applicable IF there is damage above normal wear and tear OR additional cleaning is necessary. However, neither of these conditions were met: there were no damages to the apartment, and no further cleaning of the apartment was necessary. The apartment was in pristine condition and could have been rented out the day after I left. Needless to say, I’m disputing the bill sent to me. I’m horrified to realize that I’ve done business with a property management company of such low integrity and ethical standards. I’ve rented quite a few apartments across the southwest over the years, but I’ve never witnessed a company stoop so low.
The Village at Lindsay Park Reviews
My complaint is primarily regarding the company that manages The Village at Lindsay Park. The property management company, AMC LLC, utilizes ambiguous language in their rental agreements in an effort to extract unexpected fees from both current and former tenants. These blatantly unethical practices were so appalling to me that I felt a review was necessary.
Problem 1: Prior to the expiration of my lease, I decided to stay two more months beyond the initial term of the lease. There was a month-to-month fee clearly stated on the first page of the lease and--while I thought the fee was excessive at $100 per month--I agreed to it when I signed the rental agreement. However, in addition to adding the month-to-month fee, the management attempted to raise my monthly rent to market rate. Since the renewal notice that the management was supposed to provide two months prior to the expiration of my lease was never given to me (in spite of the fact that I either called or visited the office on three occasions to discuss), I was not informed of the increase to market rate until my lease actually expired. Had I know this bit of information, I would have chosen to give my required (by management) 60 day notice two months prior to the expiration of my lease. Instead, I had to argue with the management and point out to them that there is no clause in the lease that states that the rent will increase to market rate IN ADDITION TO the month-to-month fee upon expiration of the lease. I also pointed out to them that, per their own lease, they were required to provide me with a 30 day written notice before increasing my rent. Fortunately, they capitulated and did not raise my rent to market rate, but this initial attempt to squeeze money out of me for no reason made me realize I was dealing with a less-than-ethical company.
Problem 2: Prior to moving out, I cleaned the apartment thoroughly. I cleaned all counter tops, cabinets, appliances, fixtures, etc., mopped all linoleum floors, and vacuumed all carpets. The apartment was spotless with no damage whatsoever--it was in as good of condition as it had been when I first moved in. Rather than scheduling to be present at the move-out inspection, I opted to take pictures of the apartment to document its condition. Six weeks later, I received a bill in the mailbox of my new address (titled "Collection Letter") for over $300 (including the final water bill). I was charged $150.00 for painting the unit, $80.00 for cleaning it, and $50.00 for shampooing of the carpets. None of these services were actually necessary. Management attempted to explain that this was "standard" despite the fact that—at no point when my leasing agent was going over the lease initially—did she mention that I would be expected to automatically pay for $280.00 worth of unnecessary services after moving out. There is a Damage and Cleaning Addendum to the lease that states that such charges will be applicable IF there is damage above normal wear and tear OR additional cleaning is necessary. However, neither of these conditions were met: there were no damages to the apartment, and no further cleaning of the apartment was necessary. The apartment was in pristine condition and could have been rented out the day after I left. Needless to say, I’m disputing the bill sent to me. I’m horrified to realize that I’ve done business with a property management company of such low integrity and ethical standards. I’ve rented quite a few apartments across the southwest over the years, but I’ve never witnessed a company stoop so low.