A house was rented in Raleigh, North Carolina from Megas Consulting June 1 through May 31st by 4 students who worked and went to school. All rent was paid every month. When the lease was up and it came time to move out, the students asked for a date that a rental rep from Megas could come to the house after all cleaning was done, so the rep could see the house and know everything was ready for their next tenants. The idea was that it would be a good way to show them everything was in order or if not, to reach an agreement on what would be deducted from the deposit. No one from Megas ever returned their calls.
Lisa the homeowner and a Megas representative, was advised in person after a court date on May 19 that the boys were hiring professional cleaning and furniture removal services May 28th and May 29th to be sure all moveout requirements would be met. She seemed appreciative of the efforts. However, instead of waiting until after the work was done, she arrived several days BEFORE the cleanup date she was given, while the boys were actually in the process of moving. There were boxes, furniture, and papers still to be removed, and she declared the place a mess.
The boys were in court with Megas Consulting, because Megas filed papers saying they had not paid rent and that an additional $3425 was owed for something called daily litter pickup. This court action stemmed from a time in April when the boys got behind in their yard work and outside cleanup. The city rendered the property owners a mowing / cleanup fine of $175 and charged $254 for sending 2 men to the boys rental house and also to another Megas property nearby. The total time spent was between 1 -2 hours. The city took before and after digital dated photos to show exactly when they were there and what was completed so there would be no confusion.
Megas Consulting, however, sent the boys a bill on May 2 saying Megas had hired their own people to the work and showed a labor fee of $750 on one bill and $975 on another bill for a total of $1725. The boys asked for itemized receipts to help understand exactly what what work was done and when, but never received a response.instead, Megas Consulting filed a small claims action against the boys. The case was filed in Wake County with a trial date of May 19. Along with claiming the boys owed rent and late fees, Megas was also now claiming the boys owed $3425 instead of the original $1725 that was just billed to the boys 2 weeks earlier on May 2.
On May 19 the judge heard Megas Consulting's claim against the boys. The Megas rep Lisa began by saying they were nice boys, then went on about the claim. The boys in the meantime had brought all canceled checks for the past 12 months, as well as their transcripts to show they are A and B students. They had information about their jobs and community work. They also brought the dated photos they received from the city of Raleigh, which showed what was done and when. The city also included a note in the email explaining the bill to Megas for the $254 involved 2 properties, not just theirs. The boys hoped to talk with the judge to understand what portion of the $429 they needed to pay since 2 separate locations were involved, but in less than 15 minutes, the judge had reviewed the information she was given and dismissed Megas Consulting's case against them. She also made it clear she was ready to go on to the next case and everyone else had to leave.
It has now been 10 weeks since the house was left spotless, everyone moved out (proper notice - although not required in the lease - was given) and Megas Consulting has yet to refun any of the total $2500 deposit to the 4 boys - $625 per person. Megas Consulting has kept the entire $2500. The new tenants moved in barely hours after the last boy moved out and when asked, said the house was in move-in condition.
The boys called Megas in mid-June to ask about the deposit and were told they had 30 days to return the money or by June 30. A fax was sent July 1st and a confirmation was received, then a package with receipts for all the cleaning and furniture removal done was sent and signed for by Lisa Eustathiou at Megas. More phone messages were left in July and August and still no deposit refund nor a letter stating why they have kept it. Our families aren't wealthy. We've worked 2 and 3 jobs at a time and the boys have helped with jobs and scholarship money. There's a saying that if people don't return your calls they either don't have an answer or they don't care. We don't know why it's taking so long, but it feels as if this is their response to losing their court case. We, however, feel ripped off. Claiming we owed them money when we didn't, and inflating a bill of $429 (which also wasn't all due by the boys) to a whopping $3425 - pretty much speaks for itself.
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