I lived in many rentals in my life and ALWAYS got my deposit bac. At Hampton Meadows though, BE CAREFUL about what "normal wear and tear" means because it seems that Property Matters has their own definition. Below is the response to an email I sent to them because out of $450 deposit, I received $280 back! I even postponed my move out date for 1 1/2 days so that I could get the apartment as close to move in condition as possible. I know a whole team of workers come to clean, paint, replace or shampoo the carpet, etc. That is because of "normal wear and tear" that is common for all rental property for a year (in my case 2 years) of living. So when I got the email about the deductions from my deposit and why, I was livid! See the correspondence below: This was inspected by Shaina and I and the charges are based on our standard move out charge list. You can see that the oven, the drip pans on the stove top, floor in the bathroom, fan blades, and filter in utility closet were dirty. This is the $80 cleaning charge, which includes the filter replacement. (((((((The oven was dirty because I did not have oven cleaner the day I was leaving and with a huge Penske truck, I figured I'd take the hit for that BUT, the bathroom floors were cleaned on my hands an knees, the fan blades had normal dust on them and the filter in the closet was brand new! I put it in a week before I left so I know it wasn't even dirty at all!))))))) There were 3 blinds that were broken, pictures attached, and they are $20 a piece. This is our standard charge per set of blinds that need to be replaced. ((((((((((The CHEAP blinds that they put up are so delicate that I had to have them replaced twice while I was there because one time the whole contraption fell off of the wall and hit me in the head! So, if you don't want to pay $20 each for $5 blinds, make sure maintenance fixes them before you move out.))))))))))) We were unaware that you were giving the grill to a neighbor and it was trashed out. We charged $20 to remove the grill and propane tanks. We cannot dispose a grill and propane tanks in the dumpster and they had to be removed from the premises. (I gave the neighbor my gas grill which was in the front of the apartment. Of course I got NO phone call about it or anything else that was written up or they would have realized that it now belonged to someone else. Plus, how did they even know it was mine in the first place! I was on the ground floor so the grill could have belonged to anyone! So, they took it upon themselves to remove it and charge me $20 for disposing of it! There were 2 propane tanks that were left as well. I wonder who turned those in and benefited from the monies paid back for those!) The lightbulb in the fan was burnt out, and that is the $5 charge. (((((((((Light bulbs were all working when I moved out. There was a short in one of the bedrooms and I alerted the maintenance guy who said that they go over all of that stuff when a tenant moves out. I changed that light bulb about 4 times in one year!))))))))) The screen had to be replaced and we charged $15 for the torn screen at the patio door. ((((((((((The screen only had to be tucked back in with the rubber molding that the maintenance man fixed about 6 months earlier. It was so minor that he didn't even have me take it to the office for a repair request because he had his handy tool and within literally 30 seconds had the screen put back in place!))))))))))) This is so petty on their part! They couldn't even take the time to return my call when I moved out so that I could give them a forwarding address for the deposit check. It was 2 weeks later when I finally called and talked to Wendy who seemed to not know anything about the result of my move out and then I got this letter stating that she and Shaina both did the walk though. I don't like cowards to do a job and not be able to face the victim and say verbally what was going on. She said I had to wait to talk to Shaina when Shaina got back to the office, then I got this email!!!! It just blew my mind that these people are spineless about being honest and up front to discuss this matter in person. But, they have control over you money! Thank you, Wendy Hayes Property Manager Property Matters Realty, LLC. PO Box 158. Gastonia, NC 28053 Office: (704) 861-0833 x1003 Fax: (704) 861-0783 www.propertymattersrealty.com read more

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I was a resident at Hampton Meadows in Cramerton, NC for close to 5 years. When it came time to move a few months ago this is when I really got to see how crooked Property Matters Realty (there is no onsite management for Hampton Meadows so they rent their apartments through an offsite company named Property Matters in Gastonia). When I moved in I had to put down a $450 deposit (this is standard deposit for all tenants). It says in the contract that you will receive this money back when you move. I followed by the book when I moved out of my apartment to ensure the apartment was in perfect condition. I went above and beyond to make sure no cleaning or maint would be needed. I patched nail holes, did touch up paint, brought in a cleaning crew myself to clean EVERYTHING TOP TO BOTTOM, shampooed the carpets, bought new blinds, left all of my LED light bulbs in all fixtures, etc.. I was sure I would receive at least a partial (they had to take out some of the deposit to cover for the prorated rent and outstanding water bill that I was told about beforehand). I emailed Wendy at Property Matters only to be told not only would I not get ANY of my $450 deposit back but I would actually OWE THEM MONEY. She sent me a bogus check sheet of items they had to go in and fix and/or repair. A few of the items on there were comical (she even had color photos she sent to go along with the bill). She charged me $45 to "clean out the cabinets". When I pressed for details what that meant she said they "cleaning crew found 2 cups in the cabinets that needed removed'. I couldn't help but chuckle. Since when did it cost $45 to take 2 cups out of a cabinet? Unless you hired an army of ants that had to work the whole day to come together and advise a plan to remove those cups then this charge was just petty. Another charge was to remove "glow-in-the-dark stars" that were left in my kids bedroom. These are the stars that you can purchase at the Dollar Store and stick on the ceiling so they glow while your child sleeps.. I REMOVED ALL OF THEM EXCEPT maybe 5 that I missed and they charged me a $75 "star removal fee". I was BEYOND mad. One last BOGUS charge that they refused to budge on was a "wallpaper" removal fee. This was a wallpaper border that was installed in the master bathroom ALREADY WHEN I MOVED IN THE APARTMENT. So get this through your head, they are charging me to remove something that came as standard in the apartment a few years ago. We emailed back and forth over a dozen times and I tried to convince WENDY that this was already there and she said since I didn't have PROOF or written anywhere in her notes that this charge stayed. I told her the manager that leased me the apartment was named Karen Gray and she should have notes stating my words were TRUE but Wendy wouldn't take my word for NOTHING. Ultimately, after 2 weeks of going back and forth WENDY said they would remove the extra charges and just keep the $450 deposit and call it even. I was so frustrated and mentally exhausted that I threw in the towel and told her I would accept this. I cannot believe after all of the hard work we put in to make sure the apartment was IMMACULATE before we moved that we still lost the whole $450 deposit. I have pictures of the apartment after we cleaned, all 50+ emails from WENDY, and the final bill we received in case there is anyone out there not wanting to believe this email I can show you physical proof how crooked and messed up Hampton Meadows/Property Matters really is. read more

Please read on, this is gonna be long but will portray my mostly bad experience with my apartment at Hampton Meadows. When I first moved in, I had zero issues. The apartment is in a GREAT location and is actually very nice. The office staff (Sarah) is actually great and helpful, this is where the mostly bad starts off and has yet to end. I moved in when I didn't need heat or AC but more towards colder weather. Once the cold weather hit, the mater bedroom was freezing. I closed all the vents in the house to try and push the heat towards the master bedroom but it didn't help much. I don't mind the cold too much so it wasn't too big a issue. I spend the winter with an extra blanket on the bed but I do better in the cold. Now heat is the opposite. Let's jump to summer. I experienced the same issue with the AC except the ENTIRE apartment was crazy hot, not just the mater bedroom. I would set my thermostat to 72 and would be lucky to reach 76 at night. I complained to the office staff and was told someone would be by to look at it. I was told somehow the water heater was effecting the AC? I don't buy it bur ok, as long as the ac works I'm good. It didn't work. I complained and complained but nothing was done. I got sick of the heat and went out and spent $150 on a window AC into so I could sleep, even after telling the front office I was going to buy it. I ended up buying the AC unit which is where one would hope the nightmare ends. After complaining more that the apartment was way too hot, they offered to install a window unit. ARE YOU F@@@@NG KIDDING ME, after I told them I was going to buy a AC Unit, they offer to install one. Final straw there. No second year lease coming even though I am 8 minutes from work and 5 minutes from everything else. IT ISN'T WORTH IT. I was and am fed up with this place. I have one month left before my lease it is and I am counting the days. There are a few other issues that did come up but I do not care to delve into my nightmare past. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, take my word as a warning. If I could do it over again, knowing what I know now, I would NEVER have rented from this place and will NEVER deal with this company again. read more

Stay away from Hampton Meadows. Dont let the whole idea of moving to Cramerton to be in a nice area or get your kids into a good school district fool you. These apartments are run down and extremely over priced for what you get. There is absolutely ZERO management on site. The only time you'll ever see or speak to the apartment management (which is managed by Property Matters Realty in downtown Gastonia) is when something goes wrong around the complex. I have reported things to them (Wendy and Shanna) in the past only to have them make me feel like I was a complainer. I dont ever contact them anymore. There is a pool there but it literally is the CRAMERTON PUBLIC POOL. Technically it says in the lease that it is for residents only but keep in mind there are ZERO management on site there so NO ONE is there to monitor pool passes. I see daily cars driving up by the load full and dropping off full loads of teens and the adults drive off. The teens stay in the pool all day and practically climb down each others throat while they are "swimming". Beware to ANYONE thinking if moving there STAY AWAY. Dont let the downtown charm of Cramerton as you pass by Goat Island fool you. Once you begin living in Hampton Meadows you will see none of that charm exist there... read more

These are the worst apartments I have ever lived in! They are poorly constructed for starters. There is no insulation between the walls or floors. You can hear everything your neighbors beside and above you say and do, including use the bathroom. The kitchen is very small with little to no cabinet or counter space. Im not sure who designed the kitchen, but it obviously wasnt a woman. The only space to store pots and pans that is accessible without a stool is under the sink. Any repairs that are made are extremely poor quality, at best. When i moved in i was told the kitchen floor was replaced. It was indeed, but the linoleum was pieced together and looked like a three year old had cut it. The entire apartment was painted with eggshell paint, including doors and door casings. The walls were not prepped before painting; there is debree all in the paint. The outside maintenance is evenworse. Residents throw trash on the grounds and it's never picked up, not even by property management, maintenance or landscapers. I signed a year lease and can hardly wait to get out of here! It's embarrassing to live here. read more