My first apartment occupied by only myself was with Courtney Park Apartments in Fort Collins, CO. When signing my first lease with Courtney Park, and yes I signed 2 leases with them, the representatives in the leasing office were very friendly and helpful... They even changed my carpet for free when they realized that the odor of cat urine from the previous tenants made it impossible to live there.
After I signed my second lease the management changed, or there were new representatives working in the leasing office, and everything went down hill from there. Due to a prior arrangement with UPS and the Courtney Park Leasing Office, any packages delivered to tenants that were not home were immediately forwarded to the leasing office for "safe keeping" until the tenant picked up the package. The leasing office frequently lost packages of mine for days until finally realizing that it is just as easy to read the packages for the correct address rather than assuming that they never saw it.
I decided to move out 4 months into my 2nd lease because I was buying my first house. I gave appropriate notice to the leasing office, 60 days notice, as per the lease I signed; and I agreed to pay a re-let fee of 1 month rent upon the move-out date, also stated in the lease I signed. I signed every appropriate document and paid every appropriate utility charge when I moved out.
But 2 weeks before my move-out date they sent painters into my apartment, WITHOUT WRITTEN NOTICE, to paint the walls for the next tenants. I contacted the leasing office and advised them that I had 2 weeks left in my lease and they were in violation of the lease I signed, and they in turn told me that it was a mistake and "no one would enter the apartment until after the move-out date." One week later I entered my apartment to realize that what remained in my apartment during my move was pushed into the kitchen and the carpets had been cleaned. They had again entered my apartment WITHOUT WRITTEN NOTICE. I went straight to the leasing office to notify them that I am still the tenant of that apartment and they are in violation of the lease I signed once again. The leasing office manager was not in the office at that time so I left a message for her to call me back. I received no return call.
I have now sent 2 letters notifying the leasing office at Courtney Park that I will not pay the re-let fee because of undue entry into my apartment. I choose not to pay, not because I cannot pay, but because I should not have to. They refuse to settle this peacefully and now threaten to send the account to collections and possible further legal action... For $500.00.
Courtney Park Apartments try to convey a sense of unity and friendly business, but I found out that in a college town with rental properties fighting for business... I was the one caught in the game. "Let's see how much money we can get out of this girl... Maybe she won't notice."
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