Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  09/01/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I rented *************************************** Property Management from 6-9-23 to 6-30-24. On 6-21-24, ************************* called and informed me that Excel mistakenly started my move out and removed my belongings. I had not vacated the premises and did not receive a 24-hr notice, per the lease. As ****** described, belongings were taken and/or thrown out, haphazardly returned, and/or destroyed. Removal/destruction of tenant property is not allowed by the lease. On 6-28, I vacated the premises. After calling/emailing, Excel offered $200 for losses, if and only if I signed the statement, I will not pursue any further legal or collection actions against [Ex-Cell] or the owner. I never requested $200 as fair compensation. As I had not received my security deposit, I did not sign.****** agreed to return my security deposit on 7-19 at 12:23 pm, asking Can I please have your forwarding address?. Within 2.5 hours, I provided my mailing address. ****** responded, Please tell me you put a forwarding address in. I mailed your deposit out to 14th as I did not know your address prior. ****** claims to have mailed my deposit to the rental instead of my address provided. She was aware that I was legally unable to access mail at the property. Mail forwarding from the rental was not recommended/required. Most recently (8-6), ************************* emailed, your security deposit was 100% returned Idaho Law requires we have it postmarked 30 Days after the return of your keys and that we mail them to the last known address As you were told I will be more than happy to issue you a new check, but you will have to pay for the $30.00 stop payment fee on the other check I issued to you. This was the first time I had been informed of this information. The lease written and signed by Excel would supersede any less stringent state law. The stop fee is not my responsibility, and it is not specified in the lease. Excel has been uncooperative and shows no intent to return the money legally owed to me.

  Business response

  09/03/2024

  To Whom It May Concern:
  I have attached pictures of the unit when ************************* started to do a move out on the property located at ************************************************************ it looks as though the tenant has vacated the unit it was a simple misunderstanding.  Many tenants leave freezer items, cleaning supplies and garbage behind. In over 15 years we have never had an accusation of entering a unit without proper notice to the tenant.  On June 21, 2024, the unit that she was supposed to do the move out in was next door at ********************************************************************
  
  She touched nothing in the property except for a few cleaning supplies that she assumed were left behind.  After leaving the property she realized what she had done and called ********************* immediately and apologized and returned the cleaning supplies.  ***** stated to ****** it is ok I am out and honestly; I dont even remember what is there.  A few days later ***** then proceeded to say we removed items from freezer and defrosted them and then put them back in THIS NEVER HAPPENED the food that was in the freezer when she took move out pictures was never touched.  To prevent any further problems, we agreed politely to pay for the freezer items to put all behind us.  The items pictured were probably worth less than $100.00 but I offered $200.00 due to the misunderstanding.  
  
  Ex-cells lease doesnt supersede the less stringent state law that requires Ex-cell to post mark all Security Deposits within 30 Days after vacating by regular 1st Class Mail.  She failed to provide us with a forwarding address upon vacating the unit, so it was mailed to her last known address which is the units address.  She didnt put in a forwarding address, so it is somewhere in the hands of the United States ************** as it has not been returned to us.  I have offered for her to pay the stop payment fee of $30.00 and I would re-issue a new check for her.  She also requested the stop payment only a few days after the Security Deposit was mailed out and we have had no further correspondence with her until this complaint.
  

  Customer response

  09/16/2024

  Yes, the benefit of doubt was initially given to Excel.  However, Excel failed to provide full information or accept accountability. During the initial call, ****** admitted to removing my belongings from the property and having to get them back. In addition to the cleaning supplies, Excel left a trash bag on the floor that Excel had used to dispose of my belongings. In this bag was an ice-cube tray from the freezer. This indicated that Excel had, in fact, tampered with freezer items. I noticed evidence of freeze and thaw on items returned to the freezer and the rearrangement of food. Due to this, and Excels lack of transparency, its entire contents were subject to question. (Per previous response, Excel appears to still deny this). Also, the contents of the ice cube tray had thawed, destroyed property that Excel had left in the trash bag, and created a mess on the floor. Excels response of offered $200 due to the misunderstanding acknowledges their error. This was not a good-will gesture. This reimbursement was contingent on the signing of a document releasing Excels liability.
   
  There is no reference of post-marking or mailing of deposits to incorrect addresses in the lease or in applicable state statues (e.g., ***** 6-320&321). Why did Excel request my forwarding address, if not to use it? I provided an address the first time Excel requested it. Instead, Excel claims to have sent the deposit to an address at which they know with certainty I cannot receive it. This does not constitute returned.
   
  Requesting I pay to stop the check is not supported by the lease. I am not responsible for their error. Even without using Excels evaluation of my belongings, the sum of owed money exceeds $2,400. No effort has been made by ***** to rectify their repeated mistakes during this process. It is now over 70 days since the leases termination, and I have not been refunded my deposit, as stipulated by both Idaho law and the lease signed by the myself and Excel.
  

  
  

  Business response

  10/07/2024

  I feel as though I explained our situation, and the cleaning supplies were returned to the unit before she even knew that the few cleaning supplies were missing.   We were more than transparent with her and advised her upfront of the misunderstanding between the two units.  Nothing was removed from her refrigerator that was her trash bag it is apparent in our pictures that the trash bag was present upon entry into the unit.  I was given pictures by her that show the contents of the refrigerator and feel like my offer was more than reasonable reimbursement for her food that was never touched or removed by our employee.  I returned the Security Deposit as required by Idaho Law so when she wanted me to reissue a check initially, she was asked to pay for the stop payment fee.  Since than she has chosen to not communicate with us on the fact that she still did not receive the check mailed out to her for her Security Deposit I will make arrangements to issue a new check once I verify it has not cleared the bank.  It appears that the ***************** has had many issues with lost mail over the past several months.  

   

  Customer response

  10/13/2024

   
  Complaint: 22226940
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The photos provided only depict the unit after Excel wrongfully entered it. There are no before pictures as a basis of comparison, so it cannot be proven that food was not tampered with/removed or that they did not bag and destroy personal items.
  
  As previously established, Excel mailed the security deposit to an address where I do not reside and cannot access mail. ****** stated via email, [The deposit] will be returned to me, and I will forward on to you at the ****** given. Logically, there is no need for me to communicate that I have not received the deposit. I cannot receive the deposit unless Excel mails it to the appropriate address.  To clarify, as of today, 10/13/24, Excel has still not returned the security deposit, as required by the lease authored and signed by Excel and as required by Idaho law (see previous state code references). 
  
  I will not pay the stop check fee, as this is solely resultant of Excels error and is not supported by the lease. I will not consider this issue resolved until Excel returns the security deposit to me. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *****

  Customer response

  10/30/2024

  Excel mailed a security deposit refund to me, postmarked October 22, 2024 (116 days after vacating). I attached the Tenant Move Out Statement, which provides justification for the value returned (itemizes their accounting).
   
  I paid a $1,895 security deposit, an $800 pet deposit, and a $500 cleaning deposit (cleaning deposit non-refundable). The sum of these values is $3,195. These credits to my account are denoted with negative signs in the attached statement.
   
  Excel charged me $500 for cleaning (associated with the non-refundable deposit), $200 for my pet, $179.46 for outstanding *************** and $434.11 for move out repairs. The sum of these values is $1,313.57.  These charges to my account are denoted as positive numbers in the attached statement.
   
  The difference in what I paid (the sum of my various deposits) and what Excel charged me (for cleaning, utilities, and repairs) is $1,881.43. This amount is the value that Excel owed me from my original deposits. 
   
  However, in addition, Excel also owed me $200 for food damage, as discussed several times in this thread. $1,881.43 (the account balance) plus $200 (the food refund owed) is $2,081.43; the check I received should have been for this value.
   
  Instead, Excel charged me for the food refund. They computed $1,881.43 minus $200 and wrote a check for $1,681.43. As you can see, the refund food damage is a positive value, as are the other charges to the account, meaning they are making me pay for this from my deposits. 
   
  I appreciate the partial return. Based on the charges Excel established, Excel owes me $400 due to this accounting error.
  

  
  

  Business response

  11/06/2024

  In reviewing the Move Out statement, we only withheld $200.00 of the $400.00 non-refundable pet deposit crediting her the $200.00 for the food.  In return she was to sign off that she was accepting the $200.00 we offered her for the food reimbursement, and she never signed off on the settlement offer for the food.  We charged her the $200.00 for the food so she was not credited for the non-refundable pet on the Move Out statement and once she signs the settlement letter for the food, we will send her the check for $200.00 for reimbursement of the food.   We have attached a copy of the settlement statement and check that was written to her in July that we are still holding pending her signing off of the settlement.

  Thank You 

   

   

  Customer response

  11/12/2024

   
  Complaint: 22226940
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  In their most recent response, Excel stated that they withheld part of the pet deposit to counteract a food refund charge. This matter has nothing to do with the pet deposit. It is dishonest and nonsensical to intentionally provide a false accounting statement. (Is that even legal?) As Excel openly admits, they will not provide the food refund until I sign a document relinquishing my ability to pursue any further legal or collection actions. As a result of how Excel conducts themselves and their business (see entire discussion thread), I never agreed to sign the document. That does not mean that they do not owe me the money.

  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *****

  Business response

  12/03/2024

  Thank you to the BBB for trying to resolve this issue.  I am reputable company, and her above statement is false I do not owe anybody any money.  Her statement of account was sent out as required by Idaho law and any further discussion on this can be decided with the Kootenai County Court system.  I will not be responding to false statements any longer.

  Thank You 

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  05/02/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  i was evicted & had to move from my apt of 14 years by June 30th in 30 days, with a note taped to my door & no real reason. i turned Ex-Cell into the BBB because of the unprofessional way i was treated. ****** would not answer any of my many calls to the business, i left messages, i called the emerg number with no call backs, called & texted her personal cell with no responds, all of which i have records. there was no way for me to pack up an apt, garage, shed, back yard, clean apt & be moved out within 30 days. NOW today, 11 mo later, i receive a letter from a collection agency stating i owe ******* of which is the principa plus interest??? this is not right? what is it for? i know for a fact they totally gutted & remodeled it. i lived with rotten carpet for ************ wouldnt do anything.they even made me pay for new door locks. i was a great renter & come with several wonderful references. i have pictures of how i kept it. i find this letter grossly unjust.thank you,-*****

  Business response

  05/15/2024

  To Whom It May **************** is the 2nd time I have had to respond to this complaint.  As required by Idaho Law we gave her a 30-Day Notice to Vacate due to the owner wanting to renovate the unit.  She was a tenant in the property when my owner purchased the property, and he allowed her to stay at a discounted rental rate for several years.  We did not receive any notification from her about needing additional time to vacate.  She said it wasn't good timing but didn't request additional time.  She didn't return keys to our office as required by her lease agreement, so we had no idea when she had vacated.  We found out that she vacated through other tenants in the building.  We always give our tenants enough time to vacate or collect personal belongings.  As you can see by the pictures most of the items left behind were garbage which cost our owner additional monies to dispose of.  In addition, she painted white walls dark colors which cost the owner of the property additional monies to kilz and paint over as to not bleed through without written permission as required by her lease.  Over the years when she requested maintenance to include new blinds, we always accommodated her.  The previous owner allowed her to replace fixtures etc. and unknown to our owner she was not reimbursed so she took them when she left.  She hung up multi-items in the common areas damaging the walls that we repainted as well at the owner's expense and never charged her back.  Over the years she has never been happy with any rent increase or rules that we have implemented so I am not surprised with the review. On more than one occasion she approached me with the rent increases, and I reduced or didn't increase her rent at all for her but no thank you for that.  We so easily forget the good that people do for us.

  Customer response

  05/18/2024

   
  Complaint: 21658286
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  in reading their response i absolutely can not believe these untruths. 
  first, the letter they taped to my door never said the owner wanted to renivate. it said owner wanted to take over the property.  i called several times to the office, emergency number, Tawneys personal cell & texed with a absolutely no response ever.  I left messages asking them why Im being kicked out and telling them that 30 days is not long enough for me to move an entire apartment a garage, a backyard, and a shed after 14 years of living there.  they never acknowledged I even called.  they say I live there at a discounted rate they raised my rent every year except one.  I didnt return the keys because I had to pay for the new door k**** that they wouldnt replace.  they knew exactly when I vacated because they were there the very next Monday morning according to my neighbors yes, I kept in touch.  I never denied leaving the place in a mess and having to leave a lot of items behind because I didnt have enough room in the truck to take them and I had no time to clean.  as for painting the walls dark, they were painted a long time before Ex-Cell took over the property and I had permission from the owners to paint.  Also what they dont mention is, I got permission from them  over the phone to paint the bedroom, hallway, bathroom and kitchen, a cream color at no labor cost.  and if I didnt have permission, why did they pay for the paint in which I have a check stub.  as for painting over the walls, the neighbors told me they went in and totally gutted the place and remodeled it.  After living in an apartment, for 14 years they wouldve had to repaint, put in new linoleum, totally re-carpet, and fix any where in tear on the place, so for them, blaming this on me is totally unjust.  I also have letters from the past owners of how I kept the place.  they say they always accommodated me. They may have bought new blinds, but those blinds have been in that apartment for years and years as was the carpet that they have pictures of that they would not replace I had to cover the carpet up with rugs.  There was mold in the two downstairs apartments, and they ignored those complaints. It must be coming up the inside walls, because about every two months, I had to clean out my window seals in which I have pictures.  as for hanging things in the common area, I decorated for each holiday since I moved in. They always complemented me on how nice it looked. I did no damage to the walls and any tiny holes I did put in the walls or failed. they only told me I could no longer decorate a few months before they kicked me out.  she says I approached her with the rent increases and she reduced it.  Wow totally untrue as is everything shes told you.  I have letters from the last two owners of the building and other people. I also know they have done this to other renters. I cannot believe a business can tell such lies as they have done to me.  What they are charging me is grossly unfair.  As I said, I do not deny leaving the place in a horrible mess nor do i mind paying for the $300? disposal part, but everything else would have been done to that apartment anyway.  they just want money for rentivation as theyve tried to get from other tenants & failed.

  thank you for yor time
  Sincerely,
  ************************************

  Customer response

  05/18/2024

  thank you for allowin me to add a few things i passed by in their response.

  Ex-Cell: The previous owner allowed her to replace fixtures etc. and unknown to our owner she was not reimbursed so she took them when she left. 

  not true!  the past owners were not to reimburse me at all as these fans were already mine. The ceiling fans that were in the apartment were very old with four blades and wobbled. i put up mine & left theirs there when i left. AGAIN not havin time to hang them back.

  Ex-Cell: She hung up multi-items in the common areas
  damaging the walls that we repainted as well at the owner's expense and never charged her back.

  not true!  yes i decorated the common area with the holidays since i moved in, in which none of the previous owners minded AT ALL, even ****** always said how great it looked up until they had other plans.  the walls needed painted since the day i moved in also.  i left no damage at all. i also have pictures. there was wall damage down stairs by other apts but i reckin thats my fault too?

  Ex-Cell: We so easily forget the good that people do for us

  ive tried so hard to handle this in a Christian ****  its very hard to do when they absolutely lie about things.  tge 4plex gas turned hands at least 4 times since i moved in & ive NEVER had any problems until Ex-Cell took over.  i was cleanin the laundry room & common area, they stopped that.  they didnt get rid of mold, they didnt mow regularly until the last year, neighbors came & mowed it, my garage leaked for the longest time before they fixed it.  they used hoses to put up a sprinkler system & said if anyone touched them they would be fined. needless to say we couldnt use the outside water. the shed was to be reroofed but never was. my deck leaned bad & didnt fix it until the last year

  this is the worst property mgmt ive ever seen in my 14 years of renting.

  i also cant believe how unprofessional they are & how they try to get money from you when they evict you with no reason after 14 years.

  thank you,

  ************************************

   

• Initial Complaint

  08/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  after 14 years of bein a good loyal renter at the same apt i received a 30day vacate notice on my door sayin owner is taking possession of property. i called their office several times leavin messages with no call back.i called the emergency number explainin i needed more time. with no answers. i called ****** personal cell with no answer & texted her 5 times askin whats goin on, explainin 30 days wasnt long enough to do all this, with absolutely no replies at ALL. my husband worked out of state which left me with ************** up over 20 years of life by myself. needless to say she left me no time to clean & we had to leave ******************* behind. i feel she handled this in a very unprofessional dishonest way. i thought i had a perty good repore with Ex-************** since i was never ever late on rent in 14 years & made sure everthing was kept up.i asked for knew door k**** a few months before because ihad no keys forthe back ********** said id have to pay for that myself.this is totally unacceptable & not right to do **** to people.i also have very good ******************* references from other landlords

  Business response

  08/17/2023

  To Whom It May ************** required by ***** Law we gave her a 30-Day Notice to Vacate due to the owner wanting to renovate the unit.  She was a tenant in the property when my owner purchased the property, and he allowed her to stay at a discounted rental rate for several years.  We did not receive any notification from her about needing additional time to vacate.  She said it wasn't good timing but didn't request additional time.  She didn't return keys to our office as required by her lease agreement, so we had no idea when she had vacated.  We found out that she vacated through other tenants in the building.  We always give our tenants enough time to vacate or collect personal belongings.  As you can see by the pictures most of the items left behind were garbage which cost our owner additional monies to dispose of.  Over the years when she requested maintenance to include new blinds, we always accommodated her.  The previous owner allowed her to replace ************. and unknown to our owner she was not reimbursed so she took them when she left.  Over the years she has never been happy with any rent increase or rules that we have implemented so I am not surprised with the review.  The unit needed renovations and in order to do what was required she needed to vacate.  

  Customer response

  08/18/2023

   
  Complaint: 20428165
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Yes, i had to leave stuff behind and left the place in a mess because 30 days was not enough time & their statement that i never requested more time is false. had they answered the phone, called me back or responded to my texts we could have discussed this. 

  i also attached pictures if how i kept my apt. i was very neat & took care if things. ****** took many pictures of my place & always said it was the nicest one there. 

  allowed me to stay at a dicounted rate??? they raised my rent $280 at one time. as for the new blinds, they did replace all of them except the kitchen which i wasnt going to complain about. they also new i lived with horrible carpet but wasnt going to replace it until i moved out is what i was told.

  they say they didnt know when i left?also not true, neighbors told me they were there that Monday after we moved out on Sat Jy 1st. 

  im almost 64 & havin to do all this by myself in 30 days was almost impossible. 

  they did not give me extra time because they would NOT respond to any phone call never called me back. I called her personal cell phone she never called me back nor responded to any texts. 

  I didnt return the keys as the door k**** were purchased by me because they wouldnt pay for them had no keys for the back door, and the front door k*** was loose.

  The new ceiling fans that i had put up were also purchased by me not the previous owner. i left their ceiling fans but didnt have time to hang them as I said before. 

  i was informed that they ************** the place to remodel, raising rents & couldnt do that with me there.

  i do not deny as to the shape i had to leave my apt, with only 30 days to vacate i had no way of cleaning, time for a sale or dispoin of things in that timeline

  if Ex-Cell or ****** wod have had a professional communication with me, i would have maybe had more time & could have cleaned. but they evidently didnt want to give me more time or they would have responded to my many calls. they just wanted me out so they could rentovate as they said in their response. too bad they choose to respond now after i went to the BBB

  i also will continue to respond with any more untruths they have to say about me.

  thank you,

  ************************************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩