In response to my earlier 1 star review, Living Room suggested that our problem related to the…read moresecurity deposit. There was that issue, of course, because they made that process difficult. But, the big issues were the handling of their management duties. Here are some examples: They "inspected" the property at least 1x/year (indeed, I recall that paying them to do that was built into our contract with LR) but they did not note any of the multiple lease violations (e.g., three people living there when only one was on lease), furnace filter not changed - (ever!) - nasty and also very bad for the furnace, installation of window air conditioners by tenant without notice to owner in violation of law - and the tenants damaged two windows and completely ruined another in the process (which is why law provides that owner be notified so owner can arrange proper installation, which we would have done happily). Another example: a lease violation they did note at *every* inspection (e.g., disabling of smoke alarms) were not enforced - a huge insurance violation that would have been disastrous in case of a fire - someone could die and owner would be responsible - and even without a death, insurance would have an "out," which would cause horrendous owner headaches! And the penalty clause in the lease requiring the tenant was to pay fines for disconnecting the smoke alarms was never enforced by LR even though the violation was repeated. LR charged over $100 to replace a refrigerator pan to catch leaks/spills from the refrigerator with a plastic pan that was clearly designed for something else because it had an open drain hole in it (!) - and this "replacement" occurred after LR was informed we were replacing the refrigerator; they issued "normal wear and tear" reports even when tenants used of bathtub for dyeing materials and scribbles (presumably by their child) with permanent markers on bath enclosure left permanent stains (the move-out cleaning helped but did not fully cure the problem, so the tub and enclosure are still faintly stained); also included in "normal wear and tear" was damage cause to the wall/ceiling by burning candles in one of the bedrooms. Toilet seat covered in candle wax - replaced with a cheap plastic cover that was the wrong shape. LR did nothing for a long time about need to replace caulking in bathroom which, of course, could cause expensive water damage and mold, and when we discovered the problem, LR charged us for takeing care of that item -- and when we discovered the work had never been done, LR said, oh, too late to take that up with the company doing the work because we (the absent landlord paying a for property management) should have reported the problem right away. Two other issues with that: first, it's up to LR to be sure the work is done; second, it was their in-house maintenance folks who did the work! After we proved was LR who had been paid to do the work (note: they put the burden on us to review files, etc. to establish what they should have known), LR sent someone to do the job who did not do anything close to a professional job. Seriously. The joints in the bathroom were not sealed!! Also, LR said tenant reported a roof leak but LR did not check; rather just sent a roofer who came up with a very pricey contract - and when we asked about other bids, we were told we would have to pay LR 10% of the any other bid we accepted!!!!/.... Then - and this was very disturbing --- it turned out there is no evidence at that the roof was leaking then (and there have been no leaks to date). Too, paid for front door to be shaved down because tenant complained it was sticking; turned out really not problem with front door (except now a gap because shaved down) but problem was with security screen door, which LR never fixed -- we did that easy repair after LR was out of the picture. So, nope, our problem with LR is not about being unhappy with the laws concerning security deposits. Its about frustration - not to mention the substantial cost to us -- with dealing a group of people who always struck us as very nice folks but, at best, are simply too disorganized, and either do not know how to maintain property or enforce n lease terms or simply do not want to deal with the hassle of ensuring the property is maintained and that the tenants are complying with their lease.
