Complaint Review: Laura Chong - bakersfield California

I would like to take the opportunity to address the claims made within this report. I have been in the property management industry since 2009 and have been blessed with having responsible and honest tenants in the majority of my properties, which have included up to 120 properties at any given time. Unfortunately, in this industry, you will likely have experiences with tenants who just don't want to pay their rent. This is one of those cases.

The property referenced in this report is located in Taft, CA and was rented from me in December of 2011. I have already proven that each and every accusation made by this renter was unfounded, and have further provided documents and receipts to the Better Business Bureau which in turn found that each accusation was false and that I conducted myself in a completely fair and equitable manner in this event. The case was closed on October 15, 2012, and proof of the case can be viewed on the BBB website referencing case #89034976.

I would like to take this opportunity to address the specifics in this case. The tenant initially applied for rental of one of my properies on December 1, 2011. After viewing the property, the tenant wanted to rent and immediately occupy the residence. The agreement was for the tenant, her boyfriend and one child to live on the premises, however, as I later visited the property to check on numerous repairs I discovered that an additional adult occupant and a Pit Bull were occupying the premises. The initial deposit required for this property was $600, but after the tenant told me her situation, I lowered the deposit to $500. Upon move in, the tenant could only provide $450 and promised to pay the remainder with the next months rent, but never did.

The tenant claims there was no water heater in the property. This is untrue. There was a water heater, however the tenant said it was dripping and I sent over a repair man within a day of her complaint and it was repaired and fully functional. I have provided receipts and testimony from the repair man in regard to this with the previously referenced BBB case.

The tenant then claimed the heater was leaking gas and called the Gas Company to come out and check the unit. The Gas Company found no gas leaks but advised that the unit was old. They did not turn off the gas, and with this information I personally purchased a new heater fro the home and had it installed within three days of her compalint. Again, these receipts and testimony can be verified through the BBB case referenced.

She further compalined that she ruined three vacuum cleaners due to staples all over the carpet. I checked the carpet for issues after I had her evicted and found that the only area the carpet had staples was along the edges, in the tack strips as is the case in any carpet installation.

The tenant claimed that the roof leaked. I sent my repair man to the property to repair the area to which she had stated the leak was within four days of her complaint. The repair man stated that the area did need repair and completed the repairs the same day. Again, proof of these repairs can be found in the BBB case as referenced.

I subsequently addressed each and every complaint made by the tenant, to include clogged drains, wiring issues and every other issue she found. I responded to every complaint and provided immediate attention but she was never satisfied. Proof of all the repairs can be found in the BBB case.

As far as her claim that I had been "sued" for $6,400.00, this statement is another attempt to defame my character. The judgement to which she refers had nothing to do with renters or my business, and was in fact the result of a credit card debt that I incurred due to personal reasons, and have since paid in full.

The truth of the matter in this case was that it appears as though the tenant was trying to constantly find issues in order to justify her not paying her rent. She only paid rent for the months of December 2011 and January2012, and stopped paying thereafter, even though she remained in the property until May 8, 2012, departing the premises only after eviction procedings were nearly complete. Rather than have an eviction on her record, she gave the keys to the property to the paralegal to hand over to me so that I would dismiss the case. This in itself was the hallmark of a seasoned professional.

I did not promptly respond to this post because I did not know it existed until a potential client and a tenant advised me of its existence this year.

Fortunately, most renters are reputable and honest, but there are always going to be a few who try to manipulate the system.