Vallee Property Management, Brenda K. Adler, Melody S. Main, Renting Apartment Houses Condos In Kennebec County Augusta Gardiner Hallowell Maine no hot water repeatedly after over priced rent increased rent can't shower after work can't wash dishes Hallowell Maine
I lived in my apartment with my husband for one year and alway paid my rent on time. i had a great relationship with my previous landlord and the property manager. They then sold the building to a larger company called Vallee Property Management. I work nights as a CNA and come in contact with many illnesses and diseases so it is very necessarry for me to shower.
This company scheduled a walk through about 1 month after purchase which was fine but i stayed up so i would be awake when they came to view it and they were over 1 hour late and even didn't fix the minor problem I requested which was that the sink leaked a little. They noticed that most of the tenants took out their smoke alarms and scheduled another walk through one week later to ensure they were put back on.
I called to ask what time they would be by so i would be awake. They never showed up or called that day. They insisted they would come the next day. I waited up and again a no show no call. The most frustrating thing of all is the lack of hot water which is why they claimed to have raised the rent, to help with heat and hot water costs. After working an 8 or sometimes 16 hour shift I can't even take a shower in my own home.
I call the office and the cell and their emergency number and the problem usually persists for another 36-72 hours.
The first instance began in the beginning of august for 2 days but i am unsure of the exact date. From friday to monday of labor day weekend (8-29 thru 9-2)there was no hot water and no no answer on any phones not even the emergency line. The problem also arose again this week from 9-22 thru 9-24. I am concerned about not having any heat or hot water consistently this winter.
There was also a letter from the water district of gardiner delivered stating that water supply would be discontinued in the next 10 days becasue of an outstanding water bill. This problem was taken care of in the nick of time. I would move to avoid the hassle but i cannot afford to due to the rent increase. There was never so much as an apology or any rent reduction.
My experience with this relator company has been by far the worst ever and i have rented form some of the worst scum lords around becasue that's all i could afford but i cannot recall more than 1 instance of no hot water and it was taken care of with the hour during this other instance at another place.
If you are considering renting from vallee property management be concerned with going without hot water for long periods of time and being helpless to do anything about it. Their website claim their service to second to none but this is an out right lie. They don't care about their tenants or their tenants' well being. They care only about making money and screwing the little guy. When I finally do move out i will never again rent from them because i am completley unsatisfied with their abilities to provide.
angry tenant
gardiner, Maine
U.S.A.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Anotherpelusoripoff
gardiner,Maine,
U.S.A.
LIE
#4Author of original report
Thu, September 24, 2009
Their entire statement is a bold faced lie. They claim that evicted someone and i'm sure they did but that person was not me. I have lived here for 2+ years and have contined to pay my rent on time, even to the new management company. The new management company I've had no problems with. We ran out of hot water for about 4 hours during the day and thats because they were waiting on an oil delivery truck to get out there. There have been 2 management companies since Vallee and both have been great. I also never received any refund or reduced rent for that period, in the winter i might had, without heat or hot water. i continue to work full time and go to school full time and have no trouble paying my bills. i have held the same CNA job for 3+ years.
Vallee Property Management
Hallowell,Maine,
U.S.A.
Rebuttal
#4REBUTTAL Owner of company
Mon, February 02, 2009
Vallee Property Management, LLC is a successful, professional property management and rental company. We pride ourselves on finding good tenants to fill our rental properties and have very strict criteria which we use to screen our applicants. It's not easy to turn people away, but we have a duty to our clients to find good tenants for them who will pay the rent on time and treat the rental property with respect. If someone does not pay their rent on time or is a problem tenant we initially try to remedy the situation. If the problem tenants do not abide by the terms of their lease, we evict them.
Having said this, the people complaining here were evicted. The primary reason was for non-payment of rent. What they wrote about my property management business on this site is in response to the eviction. They have given a distorted and false version of events in their complaint.
The building they were evicted from was not sold to my company, but to a new owner who hired my company to turn this apartment building into a desirable and profitable rental property. We inherited these tenants when we took over management.
Once hired, we did a walk through and gave the requisite 24-hour notice, as we always do. These particular tenants were extremely difficult to reach as their cell phones did not accept messages and they did not answer the phone when we called. Once we were able to reach them, by posting, we did inspect all of the units and noticed that a majority of them had either removed or disabled their smoke alarms. We arranged to have them all inspected, replaced and/or repaired immediately. We had difficulty scheduling site visits with these tenants as they needed to be present due to the fact they had a pit bull in the unit.
As for the alleged issues of no hot water, these statements are not true. If there was a problem with the hot water, and the tenants called to report the problem, it would have been resolved expeditiously. We pride ourselves on taking care of tenant issues promptly. This issue the tenant exaggerates about is no exception.
Prior to our management of this property, these tenants had been living in a different apartment in the building, which had been condemned by the City due to egress problems. The owner of the building relocated them to a different apartment. He had an agreement with them regarding a grace period for rent. Once the grace period was over, the tenants still did not pay their rent. In addition to not paying rent, they were very inconsiderate; playing loud, obnoxious music all hours of the day and night that could be heard in the other apartments and disturbing other tenants. We had good tenants move out because of these people. In addition to disturbing the others in the building, these people were smokers and left ashes, cigarette butts and debris on the stairs in the hallways and common areas.
In their defense, yes, there was a shut off notice from the local water district. This was because the owner had not paid the water bill. We had no prior knowledge of this and other issues that came up after we took over management. When we got the frantic calls from this building and another that we managed for the same owner, we immediately took care of the situation so that there would be no interruption of the water supply.
People who get evicted are not congenial. They usually have numerous excuses for their failure to honor the terms of the lease agreement, and it is not unusual for them to project the blame for their eviction onto others.
Anotherpelusoripoff
gardiner,Maine,
U.S.A.
update
#4Author of original report
Wed, September 24, 2008
I requested a rent reduction which i am legally entitled to becasue they have withheld services that i am paying for and melanie flat out said no without any explanation.