Complaint Review: Glen Meadow EQUITY RESIDENTIAL - Franklin Massachusetts

We were originally going to move to another one of Equity Residential properties, but that had “rodent issues” (basically squirrels dug into the roof burrowing into the apartment), so because Equity owned “Glen Meadow” we elected to move there as we were informed numerous times by the a leasing consultant that “they don’t tolerate anything” at this complex and they were ‘so sorry’ for what we went through with their sister property. She even, in front of us, while opening up the apartment that we would subsequently lease, conveyed to us, that the woman’s sign on her door across from us *to be careful of her cats because they escape* is “obnoxious” (which it wasn’t… if you aren’t home… and you desire maintenance to know that you have an animal that can quickly leave IF they were to keep the door open) and that her tidy cat empty boxes left near her door where “not acceptable” and that she “loved making calls to individuals” that are going against the rules and regulations of the (lease). WE thought wow, here’s someone who doesn’t tolerate anything and is on top of her game. WE found out very quickly (after the lease was signed ironically) that’s NOT the case.

When we moved in, she conveyed to us that the apartment was vacant for “quite some time”, and that there was all new carpet as that’s the least they could do she stated since she knew the issues we had at Equity’s other apartment complex and she “felt bad” for all the trouble we were experiencing as we were in limbo as to where to go at this point as that complex didn’t have any more 2 beds available. **All new carpeting, but again they must have found mice because we found these in the closets and the dates on them were fairly new. Plus you don’t install new carpet into an apartment and then set up traps (see picture)

after the fact, unless you know you have seen things in the apartment as you were working. At this phase, we were tired of the transfer process, our lease was up at another local complex within days… which was significantly higher in rent, but we perceive now that it deters against certain individuals living there i.e. their dog breeds and the number you could have was 2 versus the 3 here, and larger breeds such as huskies were NOT allowed.

We hadn’t even moved our furniture in, however as you get the keys you would have needed to sign the lease first and PAY THEM, and we heard loud yowling from MULTIPLE dogs and a yapping one which goes against their pet policy with how many you are allowed, but with the yapping one, they were just “babysitting” (convenient story to tell) and the letter we received from the tenants stated the community manager herself KNEW about the 4^th dog. WE have that letter.  We made the leasing office aware of this issue as soon as we received the keys (the yowling). It’s ALL in emails with corresponding dates. We were informed over and over, that this is all going to be corrected and will definitely not be tolerated.

What we have witnessed wholeheartedly was that we were lied to immensely. We can only conclude they worry more about renting out the apartments when they are finished than to evict offenders of the lease who they clearly state IN WRITING they issued multiple lease violations to. But buyer beware of this tidbit of information PRIOR to signing your lease with them. These complexes can and it seems like this place does, ENFORCE the lease and the violations via eviction … ONLY when they desire to-they don’t have to (it looks bad on them if they don’t though), but even if someone is violating the lease multiple times, if (as our lawyer said) the office knows the tenants that are violating the lease, likes them in any capacity, then the one that pays the price is YOU. So if you rent here like we have, they won’t do anything if you hear multiple dogs etc., because your sanity versus what they would have to pay to evict someone is not worth it to them. However don’t pay your rent and see how fast they will evict you. Not monetarily based and looking out just for themselves are they?

In the weeks to follow we attempted to work it out with the neighbors downstairs from us. We bought them a gift card thanking them for trying to work with us. Another card to thank them. But each and every time we brought their dogs yowling to their attention, they stated they “did not know.”  After 5 times of speaking with them and supposedly the office telling them that they need to control their dogs prior to us moving in our furniture, then it was made evident, these tenants didn’t care what they did. These residents were home many of the time, so they did KNOW. The residents stated they haven’t been “scolded” for 2 years that they lived there, but they then also informed us that 1. They didn’t have 3 huskies when moving in and 2. That their apartment has no carpet for specific reasons that don’t need to be written here, and that the yowling echoes even more because of that and 3. Supposedly our apartment was vacant for quite some time. As reiterated, the leasing agent stated that too, and the tenants themselves stated that in a letter to us that they were “used to making noise” because no one lived above them for a long time. Don’t know why it stays vacant for months at a time, but we can conclude to “some” reasons why.

We had continually sent barking footage see YouTube video here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aAk17uwWSU&feature=youtu.be

of just one incident and there were plenty more we have but when you’re taping from a phone and need to send right away, the phone trims the footage. We have full footage for our records and attorney’s, and then the office evidently “decided” to make one formal complaint to them. In retaliation from the tenants, we get a whole array of print outs of “Huskies for Dummies” taped to our outside door, with the owners telling us they feel no need to keep their dogs quiet as they were stating that another neighbor was drunk and that’s WHY the dogs bark to “protect them”. Our dog will bark too if someone is at the door but at the hours these dogs yowl, there’s no way someone is at their door. The dogs bark early in the morning and quite late at night. The office wouldn’t know that because they are NOT here at 6 am. The residents also bang and drill at that time. They state they are “banging and drilling bones”, so that’s always nice, and the hours are what the issue was-that’s all. They didn’t get it. They actually knocked on our door at 6:10 am to tell us they were banging as they forgot they needed to be quiet at those hours. So we were woken up anyway but then just for safekeeping they knocked to tell us they had to make noise at that time. WHO DOES that?

The Franklin Police were called by us because it’s embarrassing to come home to stuff taped to your door about how they’re mad with us yet they were told about their dogs not only by the office prior to us moving in as that’s when we first heard them (after the lease was signed) but by us on numerous occasions. How many times do you give someone before you know they are NOT going to rectify it on their own? WE asked the police to tell them to stop with the papers taped to our door, he looked at the papers and stated it was harassment and that he was charging them with it and filing a report. (See picture attached)

He also went to the office to tell them. WE just got an email asking for the report the end of last week, but the police officer actually went down to the leasing office to tell them because he came back stating they wanted him to check on how many dogs were in there and he stated back, he was at the complex for another reason and couldn’t do a search like that.

The office evidently did a review of their dogs, meets them and states legal action was taken in an email we have. Then they switch their wording after meeting with the dogs “to the farthest extent of the law, action was taken.” Really? The dogs still continue to yowl and we have dates too, and this is all while they have now received the muzzles for their dogs.

The office allows certain individuals to do whatever they desire. WE just moved in, and if you know how costly it is to move you would know it’s not a good thing to move again within 2 months. We have health issues too. But we are told we can move and break lease at no charge but continually were getting asking by the regional manager “when are you leaving?” She asked that 3 times in the course of a week, because we guess actually paying to evict the violators as you’ll see below (they state they see they are violating the lease multiple times), would be too arduous for them and too time consuming as far as money. But Equity Residential owns multiple complexes like Glen Meadow so to them it would not be. Equity is not some small time little landlord.

Just know that we have experienced that they DO everything to get you in including lying stating that things won’t be tolerated in writing, and then when they are being sent video phone footage of the yowling that even the police stated how can the office allow 3+ dogs to those small apartments or even 3 of them (as officers are familiar with the size of the apartments) and believe that huskies and larger breeds wouldn’t cause a nuisance? We will never know.

Doctors have seen the multiple videos. Lawyer has, because that’s the route we have to take at this point, because the office is allowing individuals to violate the lease, plus harass you not only by notes taped to our door so everyone can see yet the leasing consultant that showed us the apartment thought the little cat note that the lady across the hall had was obnoxious, yet this wasn’t, to them calling us names, including homophobes is ludicrous. WE didn’t know they were any sexual orientation because Dean College is nearby and thought they were roommates. But this is the nonsensical rubbish that comes out of their mouths as we walk by or when they are having friends over yelled up to our open windows. We were told they were getting video cameras INSTALLED near their door and that the office allowed it. WE would like to see that, because the police stated that it has to be posted. Since when did following the law make it okay for now management to supposedly allow cameras at their door? WE don’t desire any CONTACT hence why we avoid doing laundry in the complex as their apartment is right near them and we go through the front door. ALL steps the police have told us to take. Funny how the office turns the one that is reporting this into a joke. And we find it strange that the office sees in our footage that we are upstairs shooting the phone down so that lawyers and a judge can see the yowling is coming from them. That is why the video was taken numerous times. The office goes back, and we are not sure if they twist the truth or not to the complaints we state to them but we are yelled at by the tenants downstairs for other things. In our opinion the office staff and regional manager who even the second police officer (we have had two now) had stated have you shown this all to regional because this wouldn’t be tolerated. And we stated yes, he couldn’t understand why it was being allowed. He thinks the management team should be dealing with it, but he stated if they aren’t (and they aren’t because it CONTINUES) then they said call us “each and every time”.  Even the dispatcher stated that she thought it was a coincidence that another individual in another BUILDING across from them complained about their dogs. The office thinks because the police don’t tell them, it’s not an issue. Well late at night the police ARE the only ones available to deal with the issues.

When you move in here – you could clearly get lied to because the leasing consultant’s email about the dogs barking, then her follow up when we were trying to work things out with the tenants was to pass it off to the leasing manager and regional who are more interested in stating yes we know the police filed charges and a report, yes we hear the barking, and we have filed numerous lease violations but how fast can YOU (who has done nothing wrong) get out?  What’s that state to someone? To us, it shows that they will allow anything to go on, admit they see the violations and want you to move out quick so they can re-rent for money and be done with you.

Worst experience we have ever had to deal with. Please read and think twice about what you are getting yourself into because if you don’t have a lawyer that you know that won’t charge outrageous amounts, you will need one in regards to what this place puts you through.

http://i61.tinypic.com/2yx1wsl.jpg

NO manager response is necessary because we already know that nothing to this DAY has been handled correctly. Legal injunction is what had to happen at this stage of the game. Which is the court forcing the company to rectify it. Quite sad that they know what we were put through yet they have more empathy for two individuals violating the lease any chance they get. More interested in seeing when we can go. First they went the legal route then they are working with the violators after meeting their dogs? Crazy.