I moved into a small 2 bedroom apartment at Emerald Point in March and renewed my lease for another year in February. Now, this place wasn't the greatest (something was always going wrong with the plumbing and AC/heater), but being in the military, and having a little child, the price was right.
In April of after some quite intrusive visits from Ms. Lexi Brown, an Emerald Point agent, regarding our nearly-housebroken pup, we received a notice to pay them $640 BY THE NEXT DAY or we would be evicted. Not knowing any better, we coughed up the money and thought everything was settled. WRONG!
While I was at work the next day, I got called by Military Housing (who, by the way, has nothing to do with housing out in town) stating that Emerald Point had requested an inspection on my apartment. A representative from the Military Housing Office met myself and my military supervisor at my apartment while we waited for Ms. Brown. The inspector took notes and stated that everything was fine... Nothing out of the ordinary and saw no evidence, besides the crate, that we kept a dog in the apartment. Ms. Brown stated to myself and my supervisor that she saw nothing wrong with the apartment (not the same story she gave us the day before) and all we had to do was steam clean the carpet (before our lease ended February). So of course, I thought the stress was finally over. HA!
The NEXT evening, my husband and I decided to take our daughter for a little drive to relax our nerves and try to forget about the horror we just experienced. We got home to find a note from Social Services taped to our door. Okay... So now what? I found out that someone with a very similar complaint to Ms. Brown's had reported us to Social Services for child neglect... All stemming from my dog leaving two poops (TWENTY according to Ms. Brown) on the carpet. My daughter was 11 months old, not yet walking, and never allowed on the floor in the living room as the puppy was getting quite large. After the entire investigation ran its course (6 months later) things turned out in our favor, but it just makes me wonder what kind of twisted person would try to ruin loving, caring, and extremely careful parents?
After seeking some advice from my Legal Officer at work, we (my entire chain-of-command, up to the Commanding Officer, was supporting me by this point) decided that it would be best to get my family and I out of Emerald Point and away from all the harrassment. My command contacted Ms. Connie Simms, the manager, and had worked out a deal to let us break our new lease with ZERO penalty. GREAT! So I went to the rental office at the beginning of April, filled out a request to terminate my lease in 60 days and turned it in to Ms. Simms. We both signed the form stating that my lease would voluntarily end on May 31 and that other than rent for May, I owed them NOTHING. Again, thinking everything was fine and dandy while I should have learned my lesson that these people cannot be trusted.
I went ahead and made copies of the request to terminate my lease, kept one, turned one in to my Legal Officer, and gave one to Military Housing for my file. I stopped the allotment to Emerald Point for my rent of $517. The Military requires at least 30 days in order for an allotment to stop, so we were cutting it a little close. I went to the rental office and let them know that they may still receive rent from me for the month of June. I was told by an agent named Gabby that they would mail me a check to my new address for the $517 overpaid within a week after they receive it... And I believed her!
A week after moving into my new apartment I called Emerald Point to confirm that they received my money. The famous Ms. Brown told me that they got it but their office does not send checks so I would have to wait until the end of June for their management company, PREIT, based in Pennsylvania, to send me a check. Ms. Brown even confirmed my new address. So I waited.
In the meantime, I received a bill from Emerald Point for over $900 for two months rent penalty for breaking my lease, minus my deposit (NOTE: $0 DAMAGES). First of all, I have a form signed by the manager, Ms. Simms, and I that I owe them NOTHING. Secondly, this bill was signed "Connie Simms", but it was not nearly the same signature as the one on the form I watched her sign (and have a copy of). Hmmmmm... So I call the Emerald Point office (again) and ask about the check I never received from them and the bill. I get forwarded to Ms. Brown and was then told by her, "From what I understand, you owe us some money for DAMAGES to the carpeting..." From that statement I was under the impression that they were going to keep my $517 (which they weren't entitled to in the first place) for these "damages" that weren't even on the bill. After I told her that I wasn't billed for any damages and that I have the FORM stating I don't owe them rent, she said, "We need to go ahead and review your file and we'll let you know." Click.
I guess their way of "letting me know" was turning the nine-hundred-something-dollar bill over to a debt collector. Once I got that second bill, I immediately turned to my Legal Officer and told him what had been going on since I left Emerald Point.By this time, it was well into July. He mailed a copy of the signed FORM to terminate my lease to the rental office. Called them and let them know that they had no right to keep my $517 or to request the additional $900 as per the signed request to terminate my lease. Ms. Brown told him to go ahead and disregard the bill and my check would be in the mail. Again with the wishful thinking... I waited and waited.
2 weeks later I stopped by my Legal Office to inform the officer that I still had received nothing. After repeated calls and being given the runaround numerous times by Ms. Brown and Ms. Simms, my Legal Officer contacted PREIT, the management company. He was told by PREIT to confirm my new mailing address (which he did) and the check was in the mail. Finally... Some breakthrough - NOT!
2 weeks and a LOT of tears later, no check. I saw my Legal Officer again, and at this point, he was as frustrated as I was. He called PREIT once more and was told by them that they had issued a check (but they would NOT give him a check number) and that it had NOT cleared as of yet... Probably because I had not received it! He was then told by PREIT that they would issue another and I should receive it in two weeks. That was at the end of July.
This is now March, and I still have not received the money Emerald Point owes me. My Legal Officer has done all he can as he is not allowed to represent me in a court room. I now have two little children and that $517 (that rightfully belongs to ME anyway) is much needed as now my rent is much higher as is the quality of service I receive from the staff here.
I contacted the Better Business Bureau about this, but they gave me a short amount of time to get a copy of the allotment form that gave Emerald Point $517 for the month of June. The military disbursing office could not meet that time frame, so the BBB closed the case.
My experience at Emerald Point was just horrible and I would hope no one ever has to go through what I did. I endured harrassment because I tried to save some money on rent that I needed for my child. I guess I got what I paid for as far as the apartment went, but renters should not feel trapped into something or harrassed, especially by the management.
Pamela
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