Hamel Real Estate Bill Hamel, William Hamel Scam Property Management, Does Not Return Security Deposit, Ignore Court Orders, Ignores calls Albany, New York
Stay away from Bill Hamel... he's dishonest and will "yes" you to death without ever meaning a word he says. If you do HAVE to work with him, make sure you get everything documented on paper.
I've been fighting to get my money back (which he agreed to and I have written proof) for over a month after he falsely advertised an apartment online and on the phone. He has a glossy website for the Albany Real Estate market and I mistakenly trusted him to move in without seeing the place. He claimed it was in great condition, had a washer & dryer and a dishwasher. Instead, it had a dishwasher that was broken for a year and no W&D, not even W&D hookups! It was also filthy - covered in dust/dirt, with a prior tenant's gross furniture still in the unit when I moved in.... another surprise. The pictures were about 5+ years old on his website.
After 5 days of complaining, he decided I was too much of a nuisance. Bill Hamel agreed (in writing) to have me move out and he promised to return my deposit less the 5 days I spent in the apartment. Like another complaint here, he offered to transfer me to another apartment but I rejected that offer and wanted my cash back instead.
For 4 months, I was told the cash was on its way. He claimed it had been mailed several times, never actually meaning it. He knew I was located in Albany for a short period of time and he was obviously trying to wait me out. Fortunately, I kept escalating my issue and sued him in Small Claims Court.
I then ended up spending 2+ months chasing Bill for the security deposit after the court ruled in my favor. He constantly ignored my calls, would hang up if he picked up, or would promise me it's "in the mail" - this guy is a joke and he has no ethics.
After 6 months of dealing with Bill, I involved a lawyer, contacted the Better Business Bureau, and had the Albany Small Claims court rule in my favor. I received my 2 month security deposit ($1600) back only after I filed a report with the Albany Police Department following the court ruling.
Do yourself a favor and avoid this man!
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Ripped off
United States of AmericaAlso ripped off by Hamel
#3Consumer Comment
Mon, August 20, 2012
Great, I got involved with Hamel Real Estate too, and now from reading reviews and my interactions with him, looks like I will be looking at small claims court in the near future. He has added so much aggravation to my life in the short amount of time that I have dealt with him. I am willing to devote time so that this does not happen to another person. Time to get the word out.
AggrievedTenant
Albany,New York,
United States of America
Typical behavior from Bill Hamel
#3Consumer Comment
Tue, August 14, 2012
I was ripped off by Bill Hamel as well and I'm in the process of suing him and Hamel Real Estate.
You can read my RipOff Report posting below:
http://www.ripoffreport.com/hamel-real-estate/real-estate-services/hamel-real-estate-bill-hamel-F1027.htm
Bill Hamel is a rental property manager in Albany NY. I moved over 300 miles to Albany in 2009 to attend graduate school. I found Hamel Real Estate on Craigslist and rented an apartment through them, I should have known something was wrong immediately when they made me compete with a renter and pay for half a months rent before I moved into the apartment in addition 1st month's rent or the security deposit.
After living in the apartment for a year and discovering mold, Bill Hamel, recommended another apartment that he was managing and rolled my security deposit over into the new place, sight unseen. To his credit, it was an improvement.
The problems didn't occur until my lease was up in the Spring of 2012. After graduation, I decided not to renew my lease and rent month-to-month. One month into our monthly agreement Hamel terminated the lease and gave me less than 1 calendar month to move as required by New York Real Property Law for all rentals outside of New York
City. Furthermore, because the move out date was for a partial month Hamel demanded a full month's rent. I responded that I could move out of the residence before the beginning of the month and Hamel whined that I needed to give him 1 months notice even though he just terminated the lease and he would keep my security deposit as ransom.
Hamel is a scam artist and had no intent of returning my $1725 security deposit. My only alternative is small claims court.
http://www.ripoffreport.com/hamel-real-estate/real-estate-services/hamel-real-estate-bill-hamel-F1027.htm