WARNING: Before you sign a lease, think twice…read more
In my experience, the owners are extremely unwilling to spend money to properly take care of their residents, and the management turnover has felt like a revolving door. Unfortunately, when serious problems come up, it seems like the residents are the ones left dealing with the consequences.
We pay top dollar for a three-bedroom apartment, likely among the highest rents in the entire complex, and the way management has handled a major plumbing and remediation issue has been incredibly disappointing.
This is especially frustrating because last year we already had to deal with a separate mold/moisture problem involving the ceiling and roof throughout our entire apartment. After going through that, finding ourselves dealing with another significant moisture and mold-related issue has been extremely frustrating.
A plumbing problem that was not our fault resulted in water damage and visible mold in our kitchen. Management never told us what type of mold was found or whether it was ever tested or identified. What was particularly concerning was that some of the workers who came in to clean and remediate the affected area were wearing masks and full protective suits. We were left wondering what exactly they were dealing with and why no one was willing to explain it to us.
We are now living through remediation with our entire kitchen completely inaccessible for "at least a week." A large drying heater/fan has been running continuously, 24/7, creating constant noise, heat and discomfort while using OUR electricity. Our kitchen is sealed off in plastic, there are strong chemical odors from the treatment, and we have no kitchen sink or dishwasher.
When we asked about temporarily staying somewhere else during the remediation, management refused to provide a hotel or Airbnb and instead told us to file a claim with our own renters insurance. I am not willing to pay a deductible or potentially affect my insurance costs or claims history for damage and remediation that we did not cause.
The alternatives offered were a refrigerator, microwave and hot plate to set up in our living/dining area, along with paper plates and plastic utensils. I have a nicely furnished home, and I am certainly not going to put a hot plate on my wood dining table. But what really makes no sense is that if we were to cook on the hot plate, we would have no kitchen sink to wash the dishes in. I can only assume we were expected to wash those dishes in our bathtub. A hot plate, microwave, paper plates and plastic utensils are simply not a substitute for having a functioning kitchen.
We are also dealing with the noise, dust, heat, odors, inconvenience and disruption of having remediation and construction happening in our home. I work from home, which makes the constant noise particularly difficult, and my kids will soon be starting their online college courses from home as well.
What has been most frustrating is the lack of empathy and transparency from management and the owners, particularly when it comes to discussing compensation for the loss of our kitchen and the significant disruption to our home. Instead of simply recognizing the impact this has had on our family, it has felt like we are having to negotiate over every small accommodation as though we somehow caused the problem.
I understand that unexpected repairs happen. What matters is how a property takes care of its residents when they do. In this case, we have felt like the burden has been placed almost entirely on us.
We pay top dollar to live here, and we expected much better consideration and support during a situation that was entirely outside of our control.