M daughter is a college student in Boston, and is renting a 2 b/r apartment near school with a roommate. They signed a lease in Sept 09. It is apparently run by KEW Management Company. It is an apartment bldg with 4 floors.
Since the moved in, they have had many problems with various things in the apartment. Some examples are: The sliding doors to the balcony do not work properly, and leave a large gap where cold air comes in. This has kept their heating bill quite high. The stove does not work properly, and the bathroom door needed repair. Also, an issue that concerned me was the intercom and lock did not work at the main front door downstairs, so the tenants are forced to leave the FRONT DOOR unlocked. SHe was told when signing the lease back in June, along with giving them 1 month security, last months rent, first months rent-AND 1 months rent for the realtors fee-that these repairs would be made before move in date of Sept 1. The BIGGEST issue is her front door. Apparently the prior tenants installed a second lock on their apartment door. They said (according to the other tenant on her floor) they did this due to the main front door being broken so long, it was for their safety. The management company forcably removed this second lock & broke the door when the prior tenant left. It now does not lock at all, and doesnt even close properly. My daughter didnt share all this with me so I wouldnt worry-but after visiting her last week and seeing all this I was FURIOUS. She showed me letters she has sent to the management company, along with a log of messages she has left on their voicemail (they never answer the phone & have a PO Box as their address). I told her to call a repair company & have the front door to her apartment fixed & deduct it from the rent-which $270. Per month! She said her lease states repairs must be made by the management company & can not be done privately & deducted from rent. I just wrote a letter with her to this company (wanting to write) if repairs arent made within 3 bus. Days of receipt of ths letter, you are going to Bostons Landlord/Tenant court. The only problem is you cant send a return recpt confirmation sign. Required letter to a PO box! So we are writing: since we cant send this signature required-you have 7 days to make repairs... We also CC: d the courts.
I think it is terrible that this company can sleep at night knowing there is a bldg full of young college students living in this apartment with NO safety! I am giving them 1 wk to make repairs, and then i will call a company & deduct it from the rent. If we have to fight it court for the security back, so be it!
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