FLOODING DISASTER. Shortly after moving into Ballantyne Commons the sprinkler system pipe above our apartment burst. Accidents happen but I am appalled how management handled this situation. I was home on Sunday AM and suddenly the fire alarms went off. I heard a gush of water; water started pouring out of the door frames, light fixtures and electrical outlets in our master bedroom and living room. The water began to pool on the floor. I quickly ran outside to ensure there was not a fire and to get my puppy to safety. After we determined there was not a fire, I ran into action and grabbed as many buckets as possible and moved as much furniture out of the bedroom and living room. The fire department came and shut off the water supply, but it took what felt like eternity as gallons of water poured from the ceilings into our home. Accidents happen, but I have never dealt with a more incompetent and rude manager.
The only person from Ballantyne Commons we saw all day was the maintenance man who called a carpet cleaner. The carpet cleaner came several hours after the initial flooding to "clean the carpet" and gave us 1 fan. Management did NOT reach out to us as it was a Sun and just expected us to live in a flooded apartment. Maintenance said "well at least you have a guest bedroom you can use. You can talk with management during normal business hours Monday". We went down to talk to Rayna, the manager Monday. We asked about other accommodations (moving into a different apt, getting a hotel while they replace drywall and ceilings, breaking our lease so we could find other safe accommodations, etc). She refused to help in any way other than to give us a 2nd fan. She wouldn't even entertain the idea of breaking our lease even despite our health concerns. I am allergic to mold and the flooding saturated the ceilings, dry wall and door frames. The walls felt like a sponge when you touched them. Rayna said "mold does not grow in the winter" and she said they have no intent on hiring a restoration specialist to assess the damage. While mold may not grow outside in freezing weather she was completely ineptitude to comprehend that the inside temperature were the 60s and 70s...wet and saturated drywall that is not dried out properly will grow mold.
We had to send an email to the regional manager and president of Southwood Reality before getting anywhere. We spent days living in a wet, musty sauna; the humidity level was high causing precipitation on the windows for days. After a discussion with the regional manager it was determined that they had absolutely no intention to replace the drywall or carpet...they were only going to paint over the stained ceilings and walls (slapping on a cheap bandage). We asked about being relocated to a different apt, but they refused saying they had other applicants that are their priority. We finally got them to let us out of the lease, our only option. They refused to give us a refund and expected us to pay FULL RENT while living in a flooded apt and moving out. My husband and I work long hours at the hospital; the stress of moving again on top of having to fight with management to live in a safe environment was exhausting.
I am utterly disgusted at the management and could NEVER recommend Ballantyne Commons or Southwood Realty. Again accidents happen, but how they managed this situation was sickening and the lack of empathy and managerial skills were horrible. The only good thing about Ballantyne commons were the wonderful neighbors who all offered to help us with the mess we were left to clean up. Southwood Realty should be ashamed of their management and how they handled this situation. I feel horrible, they let someone else move into that apartment (444 Ballantyne Common #202) right after we moved out. I'm sure they are not aware of the damage inside the walls. This occurred in Jan, but I waited to post this until I had my security deposit back in fear they would not give it back in retaliation for a bad review. I don't wish this experience on anyone else, BEWARE of renting at this establishment. read more