Heritage Property Management Services Not obtaining required permits and inspections, while charging huge supervision fees Atlanta Georgia
Will our balconies collapse?
In our Georgetown Condo Association in Atlanta, Georgia, about one hundred wooden balconies were demolished and replaced by a contractor (HomeCraft Technologies) with new steel and concrete balconies with only unheard of one-year warranty.
The association paid about $750,000 for this job. Additionally, the HomeCraft did not obtain the permits from the county for about 55 of the 100 balconies and all 100 balconies did not get a County inspection, which is a violation against the County rules and against the contract between the Association and the contractor. The new balconies are built with code violations: on some units the flashing between the building and the balconies is not installed, which caused leaks to the units below and damages to the structure of the buildings.
Paint was peeling within one week after the job was done, which shows extremely poor quality of work. The paint should last for about 7 years according to Ray Engineering report. The bolts and screws are not installed by code. This situation has put the lives of the residents in danger. For a year and a half I wrote to the Board of the Association, to Heritage Property Management Services, Inc. (the management company hired by Georgetown Association) and to the owners, trying to arrange for the contractors to fix these balconies, but all my requests and suggestions were ignored.
Instead of being acknowledged by the Board and Heritage I was harassed, insulted, falsely accused, illegally fined and assessed for a large amount of money.
Instead of asking the contractor to pay the county for permits and obtain county inspections, the Association paid about twenty times more money then the county fees required for the permits and inspections to Heritage for so called supervision.
As a Board Director I feel that the Association should not have paid Heritage. I feel responsible for the Association and I feel I must report these violations to the government. In the beginning of March 2004 I reported to Dekalb Code Enforcement Police about the balconies and at the end of April 2004 Heritage and the Association received a warning notice from the police department about code violations.
Now, seven months after the violation notice, nothing has been done to the balconies and I did not receive any answers to my many letters and emails to Dekalb Code Enforcement Police, Heritage and the rest of the Board about this serious problem but immediately after the violation notice, my husband and I received a letter from Rubin Roy Cobb an attorney full of false accusations and threats. As I found out Rubin Roy Cobb, the self-proclaimed Georgetown Association attorney is a close relative of Gavin Cobb (the President of Heritage).
My husband and I were illegally assessed $75 for this letter!!! In the Association meetings the Board and Heritage falsely blamed me of wrongdoing and attacked my reputation. Most recently they illegally fined me $250 for simply asking the workers to discontinue using the electricity from the outside receptacles of mine unit. By the contract the contractor should provide a generator. Another $250 fine was imposed on me for asking the workers-who were on the balcony which doesn't have the flashing, permit and inspection from the county, didn't speak English, and had no uniform, nor a permit or work order as proof that they should be doing the work. They assessed me, a Board director on duty, in order to scare me and/or to stop me from pursuing these matters.
As we have seen in different states, including Georgia balconies collapse and if our balconies collapse the Association would be held responsible for all personal and property damages. Heritage and the rest of the Board ignoring the Dekalb County, the Permit and Inspection Department, the Code Enforcement Police Department. They demonstrate they can do whatever they wish. How does contractor and Heritage get away with this? Who is involved in a cover-up?
For the safety of the residents of our Association, in my opinion the County must sue and punish company, which ignored to obtain permits and inspections. Additionally, Dekalb County must investigate Heritage Property Management Services, Inc., which manages many properties in Atlanta and is possibly using the system of not obtaining the required permits and inspections from the counties while collecting large amounts of money for so called supervision'.
Jane
Chamblee, Georgia
U.S.A.
CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.
4 Updates & Rebuttals
Ski6299
NA,Georgia,
U.S.A.
Homeowner is Mis-Directing Anger...
#5Consumer Comment
Thu, November 20, 2008
As a homeowner you should better educate yourself. I do not work for Heritage but know of the situation at Georgetown. As a homeowner I would be more angry at the Board of Directors for not doing their job than at the management company.
The company that was hired to do the balconies was selected and hired by the Board and was a friend of one of the Board Members and in order to save a couple of bucks Heritage was in fact NOT hired to supervise the project. I believe members of your Board should be questioned and not let off the hook so easily. My understanding of the situation is limited but if what you are saying is true and I highly doubt that it is, then the county would have sought action against the company.
I suspect you are leaving out a large portion of the story and your anger is directed at the wrong people.
Mike
Atlanta,Georgia,
U.S.A.
Heritage and its employees
#5UPDATE EX-employee responds
Thu, November 20, 2008
For Gene,
Thank you for your baseless attack on my former employer and me. Unfortunately, had you done the research, you would have seen that Heritage was not hired for the supervision of the project stated. Your information, most likely coming from Jane, was and remains incorrect. Your former board president was the owner responsible for the supervision of the project.
Again, this matter, long disputed and will most likely remain disputed; can be easily explained like this. There have been several units sold and re-sold since that time. Each new buyer purchased a home inspection. Each inspection passed when it came to the porches and patios. I would consider this case closed and caution you on personal attacks in the future.
I will admit, my spelling is horrible. So, just for you, I cut and pasted this to word and conducted a spell check.
Have a blessed day.
M. Workman, CAM
Community Association Manager
Formerly with: Heritage Property Management Services, Inc: Midtown Branch Manager
Gene
Atlanta,Georgia,
U.S.A.
Heritage Property Management is dishonest and lazy.
#5Consumer Comment
Thu, August 07, 2008
I totally agree with Jane. Mike, please stop lying and learn to spell.
I owned a condo at Georgetown of Atlanta Condominiums and did spend great deal of time researching all evidence collected and presented by Jane. Everything is true and totally valid. Majority of Board of Directors was working together with Heritage to rip-off honest property owners. Jane was and still is working hard to defend the owner's rights. STAY AWAY FROM HERITAGE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT!
Mike
Atlanta,Georgia,
U.S.A.
Heritage Property Management- Not Responcible
#5Consumer Suggestion
Fri, November 04, 2005
Heritage Property Management Services, Inc., (Heritage) as well as all other Management Companies in the Nation, are bound by contract. They are retained to provide a service of management to the client. In this, the companies are to answer and take direction from the Board of Directors. The Management Company cannot make decisions or authorizations as it pertains to the Association or its members, without Board Approval. With this said, I would like to respond to the accusations posed by your member, "Jane."
The comments written by the Former Board member are not all accurate. First, Heritage Property Management was NOT hired or retained to supervise the construction of the porches, nor were they responsible to obtain permits for the porches in question. That responsibility fell on Home Craft and the Board of Directors because Heritage was not hired to supervise the project. Heritage Construction and Maintenance Services did NOT supervise the above mentioned project. I request that the author of the complaint review her records again.
There were citations issued, based off inspections made by the County. This is a fact and open for review under the Open Records Act at DeKalb County, GA. However, as the author, Jane, failed to reveal, the matter was turned over to the Board of Directors. The Board President held a meeting with the County Inspection Supervisor and the Contractor. The Contractor had the forms to show that permits were requested and paid for. The county did not issue the permits as they, the contractor, had requested. This matter was resolved and a very small fee was paid to have the permits produced. All the construction was inspected prior to Jane's involvement and all permits were obtained. This too is open for inspection at the DeKalb County Court House. The Contractor hired by the Assocaition paid for all the permits and all the fee's pertaining therein. The Association did NOT pay for the permits or pay the County any fines or fee's.
Association fines: Jane was fined by the Board. This is true. The reason is not for what she had stated. Because of privacy, we are not in the position to reveal the meaning, circumstances and evidence for the application of the fine. However, it was a violation that was proven to be committed by Jane. Jane had the opportunity to contest the Violation in a hearing with the Board of Directors, as she had requested. The fine was reviewed by the Associations Attorney and deemed valid. Jane has since made peace on this matter with the Board and Association without any further contest.
Stability of the Porches: The County has been out since the completion of the project. The Porches were deemed secure and safe. The residents can be assured that the porches are safe. Flashing was installed on all the porches. The Associations Board has evidence to show that owners were removing the flashing. In one case, a owner removed flashing on a unit that was not his and then attempted to report that it was not installed. At one unit, the crew was there to re-install removed flashing. The workers were told to leave, thus not allowing the contractors to re-install the flashing. The workers returned twice but were told to leave by the owner. Bolts were removed by the same owner and then shown to inspectors and represented as never being installed. However, they were replaced, only to be removed again and replaced.
This rebuttal is not intended to attack, argue or enter into a verbal debate with the author. It is intended to point out that Heritage Property Management Services, Inc. was NOT retained or hired for the construction of the Porches/ Balconies, decks or any other part of the afore mentioned project. The information in the complaint is false and misleading. Although we were not retained for the work, we have received the majority of the blame and harassment by Jane. We ask, again, that she, Jane, discontinue any further misleading comments and accusations towards this company or its affiliates. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Mike Workman, CAM
Community Association Manager
Heritage Property Management Services, Inc.