Long text incoming:
A while ago we got a tenant group chat going in our building to discuss issues about our property management company (which is Peak Living FYI). We’ve been dealing with pure incompetence from our property management who cannot, or will not, do their job properly in the most basic of respects.
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Our elevator has been down for almost a year now. They CLAIM that they are awaiting some kind of permit to be approved by the city, however this is public knowledge. After reviewing the city’s and SCDI portal’s, we were not able to find any evidence of a permit with regards to our elevator (something that typically takes only about 2 weeks according to SCDI). We have at least one person in this building with a physical disability that has to climb multiple flights of stairs to their home.
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Packages are left unsecured in the mail room, there’s no security cameras nor any secure locker. So someone in our building has been repeatedly stealing packages from tenants. However, our lease states that they have no obligation to provide security, very cool!
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Shared laundry facility’s are not given routine maintenance, requiring driers to cycle more than once for a single load. Mind you, each cycle costs $3.50!, and they’ve done nothing about our maintenance requests.
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Just this morning, multiple residents woke up to a massive utility bill from Conservice. Apparently since Peak took over the building last year, they never properly transferred over the utilities – meaning those who moved in post property takeover, weren’t being charged. Now myself and others are facing a $2K back pay charge for utilities. But it doesn’t end there, people were being charged a ridiculous $175 flat fee for utilities via the apartment’s portal. But now that Conservice has suddenly appeared in everyone’s email, our actual utilities have been around $75!. Our property manager responded to just one of our tenants with a promise to make-good by honoring the difference but they have yet to communicate anything and everyone’s left wondering what the hell is going on with their bills and if we’re getting ripped off. It really appears as if they did not intend for this information to get out there. So now we have to incur even more debt in our lives via a payment plan for this back pay, because these people cannot do their jobs. And because you’re required to pay utilities assuming its not included as part of your total rent charge, there’s nothing we can do. We now i have to pay hundreds of dollars a month in backpay on top of our overpriced utility charge for who knows how long now.
What pisses me off is what little means we have to do anything about this. One of our tenants has been communicating with the Tenant’s Union but unfortunately they are too busy to help us in any direct way, and basically just telling us to hand them a letter of complaint. Lease contracts are so unbelievably biased in favor of the landlord that allows them to skirt pretty much any responsibility as long as you have hot water and heating, and there’s no immediate life threatening issues (ie mold, lead, etc.). But you, the tenant, are completely required to pay up when rent and bills are due no matter what! Otherwise, they’re able to tell you to go kick rocks.
Us tenants are trying to organize so that this company at the very least, can do their fucking job. But unfortunately we have no real strong means of forcing their hands. I’m so fed up with how these companies are able to rip you off and fuck you over with little to no consequences while everyone else is left holding the bag. If you’re in a similar position, please organize!
submitted by /u/markyymark13
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