The following is my opinion based upon my experiences as described below…read more
The costs to get in to the apartment were a deposit of 4,000€, a cleaning fee of 312 €, and the first month's payment (1,360 € rent + 100 € condo fee + 40 € wifi = total of 1,500 €). The agency fee was 1800 €, this did not seem unreasonable as they were to be the property managers through whom rent and other issues were to be managed. Certainly, the owners pay another fee for the management of the property. That being said, I have two cats and requested that they be considered. The agency made it seem that the owners insisted on a higher security deposit in order to allow the cats. Upon meeting the owners, they assured me that they had told the agency that they had no problem allowing the pets and no discussion of any additional fee had taken place.
Upon moving in, I found that there was no key to the post box and no key to throw away the trash (Florence has controlled bins for trash and various recycling). I messaged and emailed at least once a week regarding both of these necessities. After four (4) weeks of wandering the streets with my garbage and recycling, searching for an open bin, they finally secured a control key for me. It took nearly 8 weeks for a key to open my post box. This ONLY occurred because after sending an email listing the many problems with the apartment, they finally contacted the property owners and arranged for them to meet me at the apartment. When I mentioned the post box key to them, they knew nothing about it. They were able to resolve the problem within 2 days! The property owners also seemed surprised at several elements within the home that the agency had not appraised them of.
Of lesser importance, but to explain the lack of quality provided by Apartments Florence SRL, this is an excerpt from an email sent to them:
I hope to address some outstanding issues and to communicate very clearly that things are off to a difficult start in regards to our professional relationship. This will also serve as proof of communication of the state of the apartment for assessment at end of the lease.
After four weeks of repeated requests, I received the means to properly dispose of garbage. We are into the fifth week and I still do not have the means to open the postbox. Fortunately, I was home when the registered letter from the Questura arrived, but that does not negate the need to provide all of the necessary elements of a normal rental.
I have spent many hours cleaning the apartment. I have date/time stamped video of every inch of the apartment and can say without doubt that it was not properly clean upon moving in. Issues include:
* The walls are in a terrible state. They are filthy (sudicio) and damaged in places . I wiped fourteen mosquito corpses from the walls upon arrival.
* Under the beds and under the refrigerator were not clean, there were areas of dried liquid and dirt which I have cleaned.
* The beautiful tile backsplash in the kitchen is not properly sealed where it meets the plastic strip at the bottom, the area is open to water damage which has already occurred behind the faucet and to the right of the sink.
* The pergola in the kitchen and anteroom to the bathroom is separating, creating a place for the growth of bacteria .
*The window in the door leading to the terrace is broken. .
* The outside area under the windows (where clothes should hang) is filthy, including someone's old underwear that they hung out and let fall, this seems like a matter covered by the condominium fee
Within the contract I agreed, and will uphold my part, to pay their stated utility rates which are: Gas 1,50 € x mc / water 4,00 € x mc / electricity 0,60 € x kWh). Having looked at various offers in the free market, comparing three of the most popular companies for gas and electricity, rate ranges were: gas from 0,5311 to 1,05 € x mc and electricity from 0,115 to 0,129 x kWh). As to water, the rates set are best outlined by Publiacqua. I do not take issue necessarily with the prices, as I had no choice but to agree in order to secure the lease. The problem is Apartments Florence SRL's complete lack of transparency. I requested a copy of the statement from the utility companies for my records, showing that what I paid is what the utility actually charge. The agency refused, stating that my payment rates were agreed upon in the contract.
I very much like the apartment and the zone. I recently met the owners of the property who were incredibly helpful and kind. That being said, I am most pleased that the contract has a clause requiring only a three-month written notice in order to terminate the contract, which I have given, cutting my one year lease down to 5 months.