Built and moved into a brand new house in 2001 and lived in it until June. I received military orders relocating me to another state. Hired C & B Realty to manage property at a rate of 10% of rent per month.
Tenant moved in. Tenant stayed until June. Below you will read three things that took place during the tenant's three year stay.
1. What the original status of the property was.
2. What the tenant did or didn't do.
3. What C & B Realty did or didn't do.
1. We had ordered and laid $3000 worth of grass in the backyard alone and the builder laid sod in the front.
2. (Tenant) Both the front and back yard were contained weeds, bare spots, and trash. Tenant neglected to care for the lawn, therefore, all the grass died. Tenant also had an item in the yard which left a dirt spot the sixe of a small automobile.
3. (C & B) Withheld $100 of tenants $1300 security deposit for grass seeds.
1. Fencing around the property was built when house was built.
2. (Tenant) left board of the fence laying on the ground in backyard.
3. (C & B) Told owner tenant said neighbor's dog jumped on fence and board fell. C & B said, ok, no charge.
1. Kitchen cabinets came new with property.
2. (Tenant) Allowed pet to chew bottom of cabinet and cabinet doors.
3. (C & B) Considered the dog-chewed cabinets... Get this... Fair wear and tear. C & B said, ok, no charge.
1. Bathrooms cleaned with rest of house before turning property over to tenant.
2. (Tenant) Didn't clean bathroom and left urine on the floor behind the toilet.
3. (C & B) said, ok, no charge.
1. New blinds installed throughout entire house same week house was finished and owner's moved in.
2. (Tenant) managed to destroy some of the panels in the blinds.
3. (C & B) yep, you guessed it, C & B said, ok, no charge.
Here's what I believe happened. Once C & B was notified that the tenant was moving out they automatically assumed they were going to market the property, however, I hired a realtor and notified C & B that my realtor would market the property. C & B allowed the tenant to leave with $1200 of her $1300 security deposit. They then called me (because I was out of state and would not see the property for a while) and told me the property was in great condition with the exception of a few stains in the carpet, everything else was fair wear and tear and they kept $100 for grass seeds.
Well, my realtor went by the property, took pictures and sent them to me on a CD. To make a long story short. We have had to hire a company to come in and restore the cabinets. I told the owner of the company that C & B considered the damage to the cabinets fair wear and tear and he told me it looked as though a dog had been chewing on the cabinets and doors. He had no prior knowledge of a pet being in the house. I have spent $3500 so far, with additional funds to be spent once the cabinets are delivered. We had to offer a landscaping allowance of $1000 for the yard.
C & B is not taking responsibility, but I'll tell you what they did take. They took 10% of the rent every month for three years. They took the tenants side even though they were supposed to be working for me.
They took their time when I requested comps from them over a year ago.
I sent them a letter letting them know that they can use me as a referral. Why would I do that, you may ask? So when potential customers call me I can tell them to run from C & B as fast as they can. We have to get smart. If I say they can't use me as a referral, no one will ever ask what I think about them and someone else will get shafted like I did. However, if I get just one call, that will be one more person who knows what they are about.
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