My husband and I rented a townhouse from this company beginning November. On October 30, 30 days before our lease was due to automatically renew for an entire year, we went into the offices and there we hand wrote a note requesting a lease extention of 6 months, as per the instructions given to us by their secretary. About a week later I recieved letter in the mail regarding our renewal. Thinking it was just an acceptance of our 6 month extention, I just filed it away.
The beginning of March I hand delivered our notice to vacate. A few days later, I recieved a confirmation letter from Valerie the property manager, acknowledging our notice to vacate, stating our current lease term would expire at noon on May 31.
During the whole move out process I begin to meet resistance from the company with regards to setting up a time for me to be present at the move out inspection, as is my right. They refused to give me a specific time, instead telling me I could just wait inside the empty house until they showed up. Even after explaining to them that I was also in the Real Estate industry, a realtor myself, I still was offered no courtesy, professional or otherwise.
Realizing that I was not getting any cooperation from the company I then filed a report with the Better Business Bureau online. It was only after being notified of my complaint to the BBB that I was contacted by an Operations Manager at Crown, informing me that they were now willing to set up a time to re-inspect the property this time with me in attendance.
The initial inspection claimed that we owed $870.00 in damages. After the property was inspected with me there, the charges dropped to $25.00 for a coke stain on one mini blind.
In addition to the resistance I met during the move out inspection process, we received a letter from them stating that our lease did not expire at the end of May, but at the end of November referring to a letter dated October 25. I checked back in my file and pulled out the letter that I had yet to open. Sure enough, I opened it to see that the letter was indeed dated October 25th. However, the postmark on the envelope was November 1, the day AFTER we had initially gone in and presented our request for a 6 month extention. An obvious attempt to defraud us.
Then in July we recieved a bill from them in the amount of $7,289.10, showing that they were also keeping our deposit of $1590.00. Realizing the scam that was taking place, I retained an attorney and filed a civil suit.
On Feburary 25, our civil suit was heard in the Magistrate Court of Fulton County, State of Georgia. During the trial, the owner and head broker of Crown told several lies. The first being that every attempt was made to allow me to be present at the move out inspection. I provided documentation to the court showing my complaint to the BBB which showed that I was not given my right to be in attendance. The second lie he told was that we never provided them with a forwarding address before the initial move out on May 31st. Again I provided the court with documentation showing that I faxed my new address, on Crown's own form, and my fax reciept showed it was faxed on May 9 and the transmittal was indeed successful.
With regards to the lease ending date. I was able to provide to the courts a copy of Crown's response to the BBB complaint, showing that the owner of the company acknowledged that we did request the extention, he tried to contact the owner, and since the owner didn't respond, our lease automatically renewed.
The judge saw through all of the lies and double talk presented by Crown and dismissed their counter claim against us, and ruled in our favor. Crown has to return my deposit to me, minus the $25.00 for the blind. The judge also commended me on my professionalism.
Had I not sued this company they would have tried to bring suit against us, and ruin our credit. They had also reported to the credit bureas that we owed a balance to them, which lowered our credit scores.
Also, the lease this company uses is very one sided, on the side of the Company.
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