Jul 11th - ANONYMOUS
Abode Rentals/Terry & Kelli Strunk
property @ 1112 Devney Drive; Altoona:
Not What It Seems... Reviewed by: Anonymous Review Date: Rented: 2009 To 2010 Demand a walk-thru with a check-list; I sent my check-list in and followed it up with phone calls concerning issues I ran across as I moved in; it’s all documented and they still dinged me and kept part of my damage deposit--for the damage that existed before I moved in. Take pictures of the damage and the issues; My apartment was not very clean when I moved in, the carpets were in horrid shape, very worn and had tears and cigarette burns and it appeared no pad underneath in areas--years of damage and I got dinged for it. The carpet also smelled like old or damaged carpet--especially in the bedrooms & closets. The baseboard heating unit was faulty and caused soot on the walls. Parking is a constant issue; the hallway is filthy and contains an old washer/dryer and an overflowing trash can; the washer is damaged and makes horrendous noise late at night and early in the morning; shoddy repairs are done when you report a maintenance issue; it is a non-security building; only one parking lot light is on at night, the others are burned out; the parking lot not plowed very often in the winter and is very icy;full of ice and snow. Landlord can be very rude at times and not very professional. There are a couple of office employees that don’t seem to know what’s going on with tennants and leases. I got a call late on a Fri. night from one of them saying I owed back rent that I did not owe. Your utility/water bill is deceiving, you are paying for your water plus the electricity and water it takes to run the washer & dryer in the hall--and it’s coin operated and obviously paid for many times over. You are also paying for the one lit parking lot light, the hall lights in the unsecure building and the heat in the winter. So if another tennant or their friends does not shut one of the entry doors tight on their way out, you are paying for heat that goes out the door. You are also paying for the electrical outlets in the parking lot should someone use them to plug their car in in the winter or for other purposes. The landlord does not tell you this when you move in. They seem to be nice people up front and seem accomodating til you have an issue or put in your notice. Again, document all damage and issues, take pictures and demand a walk-thru before you move in and when you move out. They refused my request for a walk-thru when I moved in saying they were aware of the damage, had my check-list and had too many rentals to schedule walk-thru’s with everyone. They blamed damage on my dog that already existed and was documented. They collected $20 extra for a pet fee, totalling $340.00 and still charged me extra for what they said were pet-related issues. Issues that existed before I even moved in. They are short on customer service but very good at taking your money and then some. They keep enough money to benefit themselves but not enough to justify taking them to court. I would not ever rent from them again or recommend them to anyone after my experience with their business. It’s not very professionally run, there are not professionals running it, it’s a husband and wife team.(and the two newest additions, the clueless office personnel).
