My wife and I lived at the Sawmill Ravine properties just over a year. We're quiet people (well at least my wife is). We keep to ourselves. We're good to our neighbors. We keep common spaces nice. My wife spent her own time looking for lost pets (and with some success). We donated our old cat carrier to the complex for other lost kittens. The above is to say that we weren't problematic residents. We did our best to live simple in our apartment community.
The folks working in the office were kind. They assured us that we could make our house a home. They encouraged us to decorate: hang pictures, TVs, etc. They didn't warn us about the Bethel road drag racers that would wake us up in the middle of the night. They sold us on the idea that we could live, cause normal wear and tear, and expect no surprises at the end. I feel naive.
My wife and I excitedly got a puppy after a few months of living there. He's an absolute treat. Like all puppies, he had a few accidents as a baby. He liked to pick at the seams of the carpet, digging with his paws. I knew that I'd be paying for carpet replacement and made peace with that. He's now a fine young man, and caused no further damage. We always picked up his poop - something that select other dog owners didn't have the stomach for.
We started looking at houses after notice of a significant rent increase. We had just seen a place that we really liked, so the deal was sealed. We made an offer, purchased a home, and informed Sawmill of our intent to leave.
When we moved out, we didn't leave anything behind. We swept and mopped. We dusted. I struggled to get our grill off of the back patio (I lost the key). We vacuumed, despite the need for replacement. We pulled all the fasteners from the walls. We didn't paint, as the complex uses a gray color that would require a color match. We turned in our keys and made our way to our new home (we love it!).
I'm writing this review weeks later, having just received a final bill from Ardent. Never did I imagine that it would request such an amount.
The charges include hundreds of dollars for paint. Among the items were: the count of nails holes from hanging photos and art, discoloration of baseboard, adhesive damage on a bedroom window sill (caulking?), and splatter on the kitchen wall. We didn't take an awl to scratch or damage any caulking. We live gentle. The oven is flat against a wall in the kitchen. Splatter is inevitable if you cook in the home. They need backsplashes. The pictures that they took of the "damage" were as mild as you can imagine.
Next they cited a cleaning charge, with nothing extravagant. It appears (tough to decipher handwriting on the invoice) that they are charging for a lightbulb or two? This was followed by the carpet (I have no problem with this charge.), a fridge cleaning charge, a final water bill (again, no issue here).
Surprised by the bill I tried to log into the renter portal to review the lease, a statement of billing, and to find a detailed itemization of the charges (materials/labor hours). It turns out that they lock you out of your account the moment you dare to move out (Spoooky!). Next, I called the office for the same documentation. I was told by the agent that they would send it to me. They didn't. Days later, I called again. This agent told me that they would not send me anything due to my outstanding balance and that I should have saved copies of everything before I moved out.
In my opinion, this policy is predatory. I want to see what I've paid for, review the agreements, and have further detail of the new billing, so that I can protect myself and ensure that the charges are sensible. It appears as if the property management group wants to keep renters from becoming emboldened enough to challenge them.
What is the purpose of pet fees and pet deposits if they aren't to be applied to the additional maintenance driven by the pets themselves? Why the false narrative that you can make the apartment a home? Why can't I access transactional details because I have an outstanding balance (I just got the notice)? Why does the rent go up when it seems to me that the complex is already raking it in? I think the last question may be part of a wider issue plaguing the renting class in our metropolitans. Comparative pricing empowers the larger landlords to raise the rent, justified by overheads or not. It's a vicious cycle. In my opinion, it's greedy.
So, if you drove past the apartments at Sawmill Ravine today and thought to yourself, "I might like to live there... It looks nice.", my recommendation would be to keep driving. Make the next right onto riverside drive, and keep your eyes open for a sign advertising another set of townhomes. Hopefully they're managed by a smaller, less corporate establishment that has their thoughts set on more than the bottom line. read more