I am writing this to warn anyone considering working with Rachel Patel and John Bailey. In a recent…read moretransaction, I believe Patel committed fraud, and her broker (Bailey) refused to make it right. While I am filing a lawsuit and plan to eventually recoup the money, to date, this has cost me over $1800.
On December 8, 2024, I toured 3338 Peachtree Rd NE, Apt 1905 with Rachel Patel. I asked if there were any fees outside the rent. Rachel explicitly stated there were none. Based on this information, I filled out the application agreement on December 9, and was approved with a move-in date of January 1, 2025.
There was a $1750 "reservation fee" and a $75 application fee required to submit the application. The $75 was non-refundable, but the $1750 was refundable unless I failed to execute the standard lease.
When I finally received the lease on 12/17, it was materially different and not a standard lease. First, it included multiple undisclosed fees that directly conflicted with her verbal representation and the listing itself. These fees included a $350 pet fee, a move-in fee, and a rekey fee. Additionally, the lease contained an entire page at the end of "special stipulations" that were absurd and non-standard, essentially obligating me to repaint the entire apartment after one year of tenancy.
I also found out by a little digging Patel lied about her involvement in the property. She was not just the broker; she was the owner (she is connected with the LLC listed as seller on the lease).
Because the lease was non-standard and did not match up to her verbal representation, I had the right to refuse to sign and get the $1750 back. When I brought this up, Patel responded dismissively. She claimed the fees were normal and gave me 24 hours to agree to the lease or she would relist the property. This ultimatum directly contradicted the terms of the agreement, which provided until January 1 to finalize the lease.
I then escalated my concerns to her broker, John Bailey, on December 22, outlining the non-standard terms and requesting either the removal of the special stipulations or a refund of my deposit. While he initially responded by waiving the move-in fee, he ignored my follow-up communications addressing my concerns with the non-standard special stipulations on the lease.
As a result, I filed an ethics complaint with the Georgia Real Estate Commission regarding this experience. I strongly advise against working with Rachel Patel or John Bailey. Similar complaints can be found online, including a Yelp review describing a comparable situation where another individual lost $3,500.
Patel is a nasty person who will get more and more demanding as the process goes on. In my opinion, she tries to take advantage of people. For example, she tried to get me to move my move-in date forward simply because she was leaving town and wanted more money. It was laughably unprofessional and I told her no.
My advice is to not do business with either of these people.
