I moved into this apartment Dec 25 2009.
They required a deposit of $600 plus the weekly rent of $215.
It was just my adult brother, my mother and myself in the unit and are very private people who like to keep quiet.
The unit is furnished with furniture from Thrift Stores.
My brother and myself moved out within the last two weeks.
We provided our required 7 day notice in writing before we moved out.
Also, we cleaned the unit top to bottom and it was in the same condition as when we moved in.
When we turned in the keys to "Hal" (The Landlord), we asked if he wanted to do a walk-through so we could verify what our security deposit refund would be. He said that "wasn't necessary and that he would check out the apartment later."
We called today to verify the amount of our deposit refund and to provide an address to mail the check. He was very irate with us, saying that we owed him about $1,000 in damages----which is completely absurd!
1) These are pay by the week units, even though you sign a lease and provide a security deposit. The units are falling apart (kitchen cabinet doors fall apart, kitchen faucets breakdown and leak continousely, plus a major problem with roaches).
2) He said we "soiled" a couch. Again these are used furnishings he get's from a thrift store, so they are soiled to begin with. In fact we always had bed sheets over the chairs and couches, as we weren't sure how clean they were. Point of Fact, the maintenannce guy "Albert" had to clean the couch in question before we could move in.
3) He mentioned also the "bed cover" was damaged. This is simply impossible, when we moved in we took that and placed it in the closet. We used a $400 feather mattress cover, since the springs in the bed made it extremely uncomfortable to sleep on the mattress.
4) He claimed a lamp was missing. This is an out-right LIE! We never took his used $5 lamps!
5) Hal also claimed that the "blinds" were destroyed. Another Lie. How would we destroy horizontal window blinds and what reason would we have for doing so? The truth is that they are so old, that when we tried to pull up the blinds to get some sunlight in a terribly lighted apartment, they simply fell off and we placed them in the closet. We mentioned numerous times to Hal, if he could fix the blinds---but he never acted on it.
6) Hal then claimed that the doorknob to the bathroom door was broken and it was our fault. It was very loose and again it was another situation, where it was simply wear and tear, not our fault at all.
7) Also to would be renters, you are not given a mailbox! All mail goes to the office. This is probably a violation of some kind with the USPS.
We will not accept Hal Or Ocean Stream Apts (954-522-4400) defrauding us of our deposit.
Do not rent from Hal or Ocean Stream Apartments (954-522-4400) as you will lose you're deposit. I have spoken to ex-tenants, and no one has every gotten a security deposit refunded from him.
See you in court Hal! |