**PLEASE BEWARE, THE MANAGEMENT COMPANY WILL OVERCHARGE YOU AT MOVEOUT**…read moreI am writing to warn other residents and prospective residents, please beware of the management company at the time of moveout. Due to our Autopay settings, we overpaid our final month's rent by approximately $2,100. We paid for the entire month of September when we were only there for three days. This money was sent by accident and should never have been debited from our bank account. My husband and I promptly requested the money be returned. It is not legal for the management company to keep money that they received by mistake. The management company has refused to return the money in full, instead charging us an exorbitant fee for carpet replacement, to which we did not consent.
At the time of moveout, I acted in good faith and paid $300 to have the apartment professionally cleaned, including professional carpet cleaning. The apartment was pristine, and the carpet was in excellent condition except for two small stains (see pictures below). Therefore, I was shocked to receive a surprise bill for $726 to replace carpet. I am disputing this charge. When I contacted the office, they said that they received a quote to repair the carpet, which included $49 and $69 ($118 total) for spot dying and patching the carpet. Rather than repairing the carpet, the management company chose to replace the entire carpet as preference, charging me $726. Over $700 for two tiny stains is excessive and, I would argue, very unfair, as there is a viable option to repair the carpet for approximately $120. Yes, the company is entitled to bill us for **reasonable** repairs. At this point, the only fee which I would find acceptable is the price they were quoted to repair the carpet.
The company insists that replacing, rather than repairing, the carpet is better for new residents. Let me ask the reader then, would you be happy to be receiving a surprise bill of hundreds or thousands of dollars at moveout? Would you live comfortably knowing that any tiny, accidental stain can ruin your budget and cost you the vacation or new purchase you were saving up for? For most of us, $700 is a lot of money. Even if you can pay, feeling as if you have been taken advantage of, and charged an excessive amount of money when a simple repair is all that is required, is terrible. The managers, Lauren and Nicole, had no empathy that I felt my money was taken without my consent. My only resort is to file a case with the Indiana small claims court, which I will do.
My husband and I have lived in many apartments over the years, as we have moved for schooling and work. This type of exorbitant surprise bill is NOT NORMAL. I wonder how many other people have been billed this way? I wonder how many people thought they had no other option than to pay these inflated bills? I can understand if you are worried that the company will ruin your rental history if you refuse to pay. We finally were able to transition from renting to buying our first home, which is why I feel that I can stand up for myself against this company. However, the entire experience has caused us a great deal of stress and anxiety, consuming time better spent with our baby daughter. I am sharing this to warn others to hopefully save them this burden that I experienced.