Rambo Holdings Robert Stark trying to rip individuals in our house off because we are university students, scamming money Ottawa, Ontario
6 people reside in the unit that is rented out to us by Robert Stark. He has tried to get away with many things throughout the year because we are university students and we do not know exactly what we are doing. There are several things he has done to us, however the reason I am reporting him is because:
He was charging me $50.00 per month for parking at the residence he was renting out to me from September 2009-end of April 2010. When I started paying him for park he took first and last month. I notified Robert at the beginning of March that I would no longer need parking for April because I was moving out on April 1 2010. I asked him if I could have my $50.00 back. He said, I just wont cash your cheque. However, the cheque was already cashed because it was 1st and last month.
So then I notified him of this and he said he would bring me a cheque for $50.00. He came by the house various times saying "Oh I forgot" and just kept avoiding giving me the cheque. He then came in for a house inspection at the end of March and my door frame was broken as well I had a hole in my door from having a deadbolt installed and he stated that I would have to repair this and everything would be good, he even told me to charge him for the parts for the door latch, and I chose not to just to be nice. He was then supposed to come back on the 7th of April 2010, after I had moved out, and he did not. He came back a week after this and said everything was good with my door, I however wasnt there and he told my roomate (who he was suposed to leave the cheque with) that he cannot give me my parking cheque because the door knob on my door has a lock ok on it and he did not want a lock on the door handle.
The door handle that was on the door is the door handle that has always been on the door, I have never replaced it, it has been that way since I moved in. I emailed him and he told me that the handle that was on there when i moved in did not have a lock, which it did, I never changed it. Anyway, I was at the house to visit one day so I decided to fix it for him just to save the argument and so I could get my money back from him. He went back to the house on the 20th to check if the door handle was fixed and it was. He then told my roomate he could not give me my cheque because the window in my room was cracked.
The Crack on the window has always been there, it was there when I moved in. It was there the first time he came for the inspection, and the second time, and he happened to notice it on the third time, and decided to with-hold my money from me until I fix it. He then told me my roomate was a witness of my cracking the window, I contacted my roomate and he said this is untrue he never said he was a witness to anything. Robert also told my roomate that if I fail to fix the window he is also going to make me paint my room back to white as well --> When Robert came for the 1st inspection he said to everyone that we could keep our rooms painted the way they are unless the new tenants did not want it that way. I fully agreed and told him I would paint my room to white if he wanted. He stated it wasnt neccesary.
As of now, Robert says he will not return my money for parking, unless I do something about the window that I did not break. And even if I did fix it he would probably find something else. Fact is the window wasnt broken by me, even if it was he came for the inspection he told me a list of things I needed to fix, I did it and then I moved out. He kept adding and adding things on. Thing is the parking thing is unrelated to the damages to the house, I should have received my 50.00 at the beginning March and I did not. He has nothing to hold against anyone else if they chose not to repair anything. He did not make us put down a damage deposit in the beginning and he never gave us a checklist at the beginning to tell him what was already damaged.
We also requested receipts from him and he keeps making excuses like "sorry I was too busy".
Robert seems to try to avoid many things yet he expects us to get things for him done right away. Also this is one of many times where he has tried to scam us from money and rip us off because we are university students and he thinks we do not know anything. He has tried charging us for damage that is due to wear and tear and not actually from us, He has charged my roomate labour after my roomate helped him bring in a mirror and helped him install it, he also charged us for the cocking and kept the can of it. He attempted to get us to shovel his parking lot beside the house (the one which I pay $50.00 for per month), and which he charges other people from the city to park there as well and he expected me to shovel the driveway in the winter. Also at the beginning of the year he attempted to charge me $100.00 for parking even though when we signed the lease a couple months before hand he told me it was $50.00. I argued with him and when I told him that I do not want parking he said fine $50.00 Ill make a deal with you, he said $50.00 but do not tell anyone else in the house. And he charged the other guy living with us $75.00 because he said to my friend "you werent an original tenant.", Which he took over the lease from one of the original tenant.
Robert is also cheap when it comes to repairs. There is a back fire exit that when we moved in he told us "you cannot use these stairs". However we found out by law he had to have them fixed and he just did not want to pay to fix them so we got him in trouble and he had to build new ones. His house is also falling apart, The supporting beam in the basement is not even semented in, you can wiggle it around and even take it out if you wanted to which I deem unsafe. I have tried to call the city about it but they did not seem to care.
Robert would also schedule open houses for people to come and see the house and he would notify us 2-4 hours in advance. Sometimes he would call at 10:00am and say Open house at 2pm. He would always show up at our house unexpected, never gave a notice of 24 hours. Sometimes if we did not answer he would just walk right in with his key.
Robert has tried to scam us and get away with so many things throughout the year of our lease and we have never been able to do anything about it. I am hoping something can be done, and most importantly I hope to get my parking money back. We also placed a deposit on the keys for $60.00 at the beginning of the year and he cashed the cheque right away, it was suposed to be a deposit, only to be cashed if we did not return the keys. I just wish something could be done about all this.
Thank You
1 Updates & Rebuttals
anonymous
Ottawa,Ontario,
United States of America
Rebuttal to Ryan Driscoll
#2REBUTTAL Individual responds
Sat, November 27, 2010
Ryan Driscoll was one of 6 Tenants leasing a house in the Byward Market, from May 1, 2009 to April 30, 2010.
In September 2009, Ryan approached the Landlord to arrange for parking for his recently acquired vehicle. He was told the monthly parking charge was $75.00. No parking was included in the Lease. After much arguement from Ryan, the Landlord agreed to reduce it to $50.00 per month and allowed in good will, 1/2 of September for free - Ryan started paying October 1, 2009.
In October, the Landlord was called to fix a toilet and noticed that contrary to the stipulations in the Lease, without any notice or prior permission, Ryan had painted his 3 rooms and 1 bathroom, in a canary yellow colour. Furthermore, he changed the door handle of his bedroom to a keyed door handle. When asked why he did this, his excuse was, " he did not read the Lease", which he had signed. He said he would supply the Landlord with a key, which he never did.
In January 2010, the Landlord gave "Written Notice" to the Tenants,who had decided to leave at the termination of their Lease, that there will be showings to new prospective Tenants. During these showings, Ryan's door was always locked and since no one else had a key, the landlord was denied access.
In March 2010, Ryan informed the Landlord that he may be moving out early and no longer needed parking. With permission from the Tenants, the landlord inspected the house and found Ryan's bedroom door and door frame smashed. It was explained by his roommates, that Ryan lost his keys one night and broke down the door. Also noted was one of his window glass panes was taped over, which revealed after the tape was removed, that the glass was cracked. Ryan reluctantly admitted to the damaged door and frame but not the broken window glass. At his insistence, Ryan undertook to do an amateur repair job of the damages, which was not to the Landlord's satisfaction.
With regards to parking, Ryan was reinbursed, by cheque, for $50 dated April 4, 2010, prior to his leaving.
In conclusion, Ryan Driscoll was obviousloy not a model Tenant. The Landlord was very lenient and allowed many of Ryan's excuses and explanations for his actions. Surprisingly, for someone who is being financed by the Canadian Military, Ryan showed a total lack of responsibility and disregard for rules and regulations. Out of the 6 Tenants leasing the house, Ryan was the only one the Landlord had any problems with.
Ryan should examine his own conscience and adjust his attitude rather than to expect others to shoulder his shortcomings.