Anything can happen suddenly to anyone. If that really happens, the resident has no other choice but to breach the agreement, which is an ideal thing to the company but a nightmare to the resident. This nightmare is still plaguing me. I suddenly lost my job in May and unemployment status made me unable to pay the rent. I called the company and was told I can send a written letter to the company notifying my intention to move out but I still need to pay next month rental. Then I have to pay the rentals for two more months after the end of next month. Then I can leave without being liable for the apartment. Or I can leave now but they will put me on liable for the the remaining time on the lease. The customer service woman also told me they will put the apartment on the market two days after I moved out.
I have no choice but chose to move out the apartment before the end of May. I faxed a written letter explaining why I have to leave. I cleaned everything and turned in the keys before I moved out. I also posted this apartment on cragslist several times.
I received a few calls and emails asking about this apartment. When I called the office, the agent said she had been asked to submit the keys to the main office and she does not have the keys to the apartment. But she promised she would ask for the keys. I called her almost everyday but she kept on saying the same thing. Until two weeks elapsed when I called her, she changed her words and said the main office asked me to call them. When I called the main office, the customer service woman kept me waiting for 45 minutes then finally she picked up the receiver and told me no one asked me to call main office. After I lost temper, she agreed to find someone who is in change of this to talk to me.
After another 20 minutes waiting, finally another woman who identified herself as a director told me she does not know anything about my case but she would like to talk to me. My God! When I asked why the key to that apartment is still not available to the potential tenants. She said: ""Now the apartment is under the possession of the company and we will put that apartment on the market when it is ready."" When I asked when the apartment is ready to be put on the market? She said:""To put your apartment on the market is at our discretion"". When I asked the date they will do that, she said she does not know and she also cannot tell me. When I told her the lease includes a statement which says that the company would be actively seeking tenants for the apartments liable on former tenants but you are not doing what you said. She changed her attitude and said she would notify appropriate department of what I called for today.
After this call I did receive a letter which was dated the day when I had a talk to that director. But the content is the fees I have to pay, including Advertising Expense of $50 and total fees are more than $500.
It looks like this letter was composed two days after I moved out but it was dated on the date 2 weeks after I left. Furthermore, though they posted this apartment (as it is said in the letter) but they do not provide the key key to the potential tenants to look at the apartment. After I received this letter I called the office and the agent still said she does not have the key to the apartment.
When I talked this to a former employee of Henderson-Webb Inc, she told me it is the company's policy to keep those apartments which are liable to former tenants like me un-rented out so that the company can collect more rentals.
Oh, my god!
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