Complaint Review: American Residential Communities

I moved into this community in March 2010 when I purchased a mobile home with cash. Not only was I on time with rent for the duration of the time lived there, I often paid multiple months ahead.

During the time I lived there, the community went through multiple managers (2-3 a year), had a constant stray cat problem, and torn up roads. However, I received zero violations while I lived there, and lived there for for a year after my lease expired, renting the lot on a month-to-month basis.

When it was time for me to move (in late March 2012), I decided to sign my trailer over to the community rather than attempt to sell it. Money was tight when I moved, and they hit me with a clause in the lease (one sentence in the 11 page lease) that you had to give 30 day notice to vacate the property, even if you you are on a month-to-month basis. 

I decided to simply let management to take the final month of lot rent out of my deposit. As far as I knew, I was level with the community. Between April 2012 and January 2013, they had not contacted me either by phone or mail. I had assumed that they accepted the trailer (I signed the title over to them when I moved) and had a zero balance with them. 

When I attempted to get an apartment with a new landlord in January 2013, the landlord contacted ARC to verify my rental history. The assistant manager (Drew) told the prospective landlord that I had left without paying the final month's rent, that my move out-date had jumped six weeks from April 1, 2012 to May 15, 2012, and that after my deposit was used, I had still owed $87, which ARC had written off as bad debt.

As I stated, ARC had not contacted me in any form after I vacated the community. This was the first I heard of it. Between January 25, 2013 and January 29, 2013, I had contacted ARC approximately ten times to rectify the situation. I even offered to pay off the $87 which had previously been written off just to get a positive reference for my prospective landlord. They would not work with me at all.

I finally went to ARC Northland Mobile Home Community's Office to speak with the manager in person. That's when she dropped a whole new bombshell on me. Since the community decided to demolish the property sometime between October 2012 and January 2013, they threatened to charge me the demolition fee ($2500), even though, to my knowledge (since they had not contacted me) they accepted and signed the title to the property.

Now, the $87 that "I owe them," even though it had been written off, may be $2587. But they don't know the exact amount because they are waiting to hear back from the district office regarding my title, which had been boxed up and sent to storage at the regional office at the end of 2012. 

I have the number for the district office (913 341 - 1711), and have been leaving two voice mails a day for the district manager in an attempt to rectify the situation, just to get the answering machine every time I call.

This situation is threatening my living situation. I am unable to get an apartment because ARC refuses to verify my rental history due to an negligible amount that has been written off, an amount that I even offered to pay, and are threatening to charge me $2500 for the demolition of a trailer that was in their ownership at the time of demolition (the assistant manager stated that the demolition company refuses to do a demolition unless ARC shows proof of ownership of the trailer, so I think it is safe to assume that they accepted and signed the title).

I'm just trying to move on with my life, but ARC is attempting to nickle and dime me for charges that I should not be legally responsible for and is roadblocking my attempt to get an apartment.