I have signed a new lease in Los Angeles and have been going through hell for the last week. The apartment has had so many shitty repairs that I am nearly tearing my hair out on having to wait on maintenance workers again and again and again! Below is a letter I have prepared spelling out everything that I have gone through in the last few days That I plan on delivering to the businesses office (down the street). I would like to end it strong and with a demand for at least a reduced rent for the next month since I will be having to deal with them replacing the flooring, among other things. Any advice if it would be possible in getting compensated for the stress and time I have had to spend while dealing with their shitty repairs? Any comment will be appreciated.
My wife and I have recently moved into one of your properties at ---------------------------, and the condition of the apartment while appearing move-in ready, was not. The experiences we have had with the property have left us extremely disappointed and angry in the situation we have been put in due to the lack luster management.
We have been renting for the last 8 years with many different management companies and are use to the occasional maintenance problems. But, the total lack readiness of the apartment and communication available by --------------- is astounding. Especially since we had set up the security deposit weeks in advance to secure the move-in to have everything ready. We were told that many of the defects were going to be taken care of by the move-in, they were simply not. Below, I will list some of the issues that we have experienced with the apartment.
• We have signed the lease paperwork (on 07/01) and have yet received any copy for ourselves. It has been a week and we were told it would have been only a few days for everything to go through and we would get a copy. We have not (07/07).
• Every place I have moved into I have set up the electric to be put into my name by the move in date. I had attempted to schedule to do so with LADWP but I was told that due to the account delinquent status for the location, I would not be able to so at that time. With the signing of the lease paperwork, I let the manager know and she said she normally contacts them and it will be transferred. I have not received any update on the status of my responsibility for the electric for the apartment (07/07).
• We were told that the sink area would have been upgraded to a larger unit in the bathroom. On 07/06, while there were repairmen in the apartment, someone came by and measured the space. They said that a new sink area would be put in. They left, I assumed to get the new sink unit, but didn’t come back. I have delayed a complaint that the original bathroom sink is leaking due to the fact that it appeared that it was going to be replaced. Now I’m left guessing if and when a new sink unit will be installed while dealing with the original leaky one.
• There was incomplete and damaged floor trim and wood floor laminate before the move-in. It was told it to us that it would be ready before we moved in. It was not. The trim is still damaged and missing in some parts. The laminate flooring gap between the closet was filled in on 07/03.
• The door key provided with the move-in was only for the inner front door. The keys for the outer security door and back door could not be provided (told to us they were probably taken by previous tenant). I did not enjoy the fact that someone had the keys to the backdoor of our ground unit patio that was in the bedroom that we slept in. The locks were finally replaced Monday, 07/06.
• The stove was not connected to the wall. What is dumbfounding is that the space for a refrigerator is also where the oven needed to be to connect to the gas spigot. Due to a cabinet and attached microwave, the fridge has to be located by the wall where the gas spigot is. There was no room for the gas stove to be connected with the original hardware. Never-the-less, I sent a message that the stove was not connected and it took over 8 hours through a message at 10pm that the issue will be taken care of, either Thursday or Friday (7/2-7/3). So I had to wait all of Thursday with no response or update. Then Friday came and a repairman arrived in the morning, took a look at the stove and told me he will be back to get an extension (so the stove line can reach the spigot behind the refrigerator). He was gone the whole day and I finally get a text at 7:45 pm asking if he can come back by. Wanting the issue to be fixed, I said sure. The repairman came about 15-30 minutes later and connected an extension to the gas line.
o Well, I am not a plumber so while trying to pay attention to what the repairman was doing; it seemed a little off to me. Firstly, he connected the gas line to the stove even through the spigot outputs to the left and the stove is to the right. Next, he connects the extended gas line by using a joint to the existing gas line to the stove. I didn’t know at the time, but this is a big “101: DO NOT DO” in gas plumbing. But he does so, and due to the long period of time it took him to light the pilot lights, I assumed the smell of gas was just build up from his work. He leaves saying it’s okay. So I air out the apartment that night. In the morning (07/04), we notice the smell of gas again and figure it was just leftover from the night before. We air out the apartment again and once we can no longer smell any gas, we close up the apartment and head out for the day. Well, we come back about 4 hours later and we smell gas. I close the valve to the spigot, air out the apartment again and contact management once again.
o It took two more days for another repairman to come (07/07) and correct the original work on the stove. He changed the direction of the spigot to match the direction the line will be going and connected the stove by using a single line from spigot.
Interestingly enough, the second repairman also took a look at the air conditioner even though that wasn’t the complaint. But there is an issue with the AC unit is that it only works at one speed, which the repairman saw and said is an issue with the computer board and that he can’t repair. There is also no remote that was given to us with the move in. I asked about it to the management and it was said that it must have been something else that the previous tenant took. The AC unit is remote compatible (I can control some functions with a remote control program on my smart phone).
o As final note regarding the stove, there is still gas that can be smelled, not as bad as before, but still noticeable in the kitchen and when you open the oven compartment. Still dangerous, especially since I am an asthmatic.
• In the evening on 07/06, a pipe started to leak in the wall adjoining our unit and the one next door, ----. I contacted management around 9pm when I noticed a squishy sound when walking on the floorboards in the bedroom. I explained how there was water pooling in our closet and has ran under to the floorboards. It took an hour and half for a plumber to arrive (the same person who incorrectly attached the stove). He worked on the pipe by cutting a large hole in the wall in our closet and finished a little after 11:30 pm. We asked about the hole and the floor, he said that somebody else will have to come by and fix those. There is now a patch in the closet wall that is held up by a single screw and orange tape. The flooring is now bubbling in the bedroom and living room walkway. It is currently the late afternoon on 07/07 and the management that I contacted telling them water was under the floor laminate has not contacted me.
Finally, there are even more problems that I just have not had the time to address to the manager and are not as immediate as the previous issues.
• There is a bad floor seal with the toilet. To keep the toilet clean in-between cleaning, we use the blue chlorine tablets for toilets. After a few days of having the tablet, there is now a blue ring around the base of the toilet. Obviously signaling a bad seal. • There is no lock on the bathroom window. • There is rust on the lower dishwasher shelf. • Previously mentioned, no AC remote. • The dining area ceiling fan seems to be unbalanced and squeaks while at low speeds and while slowing down when turned off.
Submitted July 08, 2015 at 04:05AM by la_rent_suxs http://ift.tt/1J394HC legaladvice
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