From a prospective tenant:
The office staff (Shirley and Jane) are extremely nice and polite, so this is in no way a reflection on them.
I received a call to "follow up on my recent visit", (which was odd as I had never "visited" the building before, I simply filled out an interest form online). I went along with it and scheduled a tour.
Upon opening the unit (which has a lot of character but it is SUPER small) both myself and the office agent (they are not licensed realtors or real estate agents) agreed that even though it's "non-smoking" building, the room smelled like cigarettes. in Fact, SHE brought it up before I even mentioned it...
She agreed to contact management, so I immediately went online and paid the $40 (overpriced for the area, other apts charge $20 to $30) and filled out my application.
The application process was a hassle, but perhaps because one of the office assistants at the building is brand new to the job (she kindly apologized and told me she was new to the job).
During the days that follow, one of the emails mentioned that it was not smoking smell, it was because the carpet was still wet from the chemicals OR it could be the new paint on the wall.
(Sorry, no, it was NO paint smell, and being in the Real Estate business for over a decade, no carpet shampoo comes in a "cigarette scent".... and I went as far as OFFERING to PAY FOR THE CARPET REPLACEMENT OUT OF MY OWN POCKET).
I asked about the "carpet" situation. I was told they would know the answer in a few days and would call me ASAP. (Needless to say, the call never came, so I went to the building, and magically less than 10 minutes after I left, I finally got a call back. hmmm)
During my second visit and tour of the unit, I was told that most likely the carpet replacement wouldn't happen because the carpet was less than 6 months old.
I asked to have the management company contact me directly, as it was obvious that the building employees had no say on any decision. All I wanted was proof that the carpet had indeed been replaced during the last 6 months.
The management company did call me back (I believe they are called C&R) and when I asked about the invoice, she admitted the carpet was replaced in MAY of 2013. (So really 1 year and 5 months, NOT less than 6).
Long story short, I decided that there is no way I could live in a place that smells like smoke, much less with the type of customer service I received from whoever called back from C&R, she actually HUNG UP on me when I told her I was going to report them to the Oregon Dept of Real Estate. (OR has strict tenant laws and they can't make up dates and tell you a history of WHEN a carpet was replaced without proof to back it up)
Sorry, but pay more and move somewhere cleaner and nicer, even though I loved Jane and Shirley in the Lafayette office.
I was really bummed, but happy I found all this out prior to signing a lease!)
Luckily my back up loft in the Pearl was still available, so in the end it all worked out! read more