Run away! We moved in 8/31/2024; these pictures of our "newly renovated" unit tell a different story from the ones on Zillow. [Not sure how to attach images here, if no images please see Google Maps for Arbol Grande for posted images - also try Facebook with #ArbolGrandeOlympia]
Venture Real Estate Group took our money for an 8/23/24 move-in date they couldn't meet because the unit wasn't ready & termites were found. We weren't allowed to move in until 8/31/2024, and even now, much is unfinished. Despite this, the landlord hasn't offered a refund for the time we couldn't occupy the apartment. The landlord didn't tell us that termites were found; the construction worker inadvertently mentioned it when I asked about a series of holes in the wall. Landlord just kept saying the delay was due to the inability to locate bathroom doors.
2.5 months later, living in these conditions, we asked why we're paying so much rent for this mess. The landlord, Andy Langsford, shrugged and said, "Well, you signed the lease."
True, but our walkthrough happened mid-chaos, making it impossible to see what the unit would look like finished. Contractors were not only working in our apartment but also using it as a base for work in other apartments: workbench, buckets, tools & equipment in the living & dining rooms; paint, caulk, brushes & rollers in the refrigerator; tools & materials on the counters; cloths hanging over cabinets; construction supplies & trash in the laundry closet, storage shed, patio, & bathtubs; table saw & materials on the patio; doors leaned against walls for painting, etc. We were shown staged photos on Zillow as representations.
Cleaning was next to nil. We wiped construction dust from walls, cleaned window tracks, the patio, refrigerator, floors, bathroom fixtures, etc. Our boxes stayed packed & stacked because contractors occupied the space, so the only area mopped was a narrow track from the kitchen to the door.
Despite the Zillow photos of white kitchen cabinets, we were left with the old, filthy brown ones. The cabinets & drawers are sticky & grimy from years of neglect & that sticky grime transfers to our dishes, which means ingestion of that grime. Langsford refuses to replace, refinish, or clean them. Instead, after months of requests, he installed knobs without cleaning the grime from the wood. When we asked why they won't clean them, we were told, "It'll ruin the wood." The wood is already ruined! Kitchen & bathroom cabinets are falling apart, literally separating on the edges with gaps to the horror below. The interior of the cabinets & drawers were also left filthy, as were parts of the refrigerator & freezer.
Cabinets are falling off the walls, and a mirror fell, injuring my son. The bathroom ceilings have holes around the light/fan fixtures (the holes were cut too large), which Langsford says are "cosmetic" & "no risk of pests." There are spider webs in the fixtures! Are those not pests?
At $1,845/month (plus utilities), we expect basic repairs.
Outside, a fire hazard was left as is until code enforcement intervened.
The rat urine/blood/fur on top of the cabinets was left & the equally bad under the kitchen sink was hidden with boards rather than cleaned. Clear evidence of RATS and they didn't clean it up, they left the mess and hid it under boards!!
Their LinkedIn philosophy, "Renovate, Sell, Rinse, Repeat," apparently skipped "renovate" for our unit. Did they not inspect this place before renting it, or was the mess deliberately left for tenants? Sagging ceiling and beams creak horribly whenever upstairs neighbors walk.
No pest control program exists even though the pests are aplenty. Lawn care is hit & miss; they say bi-weekly, but it's happened twice since we've been here.
It's NOT a smoke-free property even though it's advertised as such. Cigarette & marijuana smoke wafts in our front & back windows regularly. People are seen on the property smoking, including workers.
We submitted a 7-page list of problems to management. There's much more to say, but space here is limited.
Run, don't walk, in the other direction.
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