Friday, July 21, 2006

Wife and I bought a contract from another couple in Branbury Apts. that extended from December 28 until August 27. We had problems from the beginning. We filled out one of those "damage report" forms and turned it in immediately, only to have the secretary in the office say, "Oh man, this sucks!" ( i.e. we're not going to do anything to resolve those issues). One of the worst problems was that the toilets regurgitated our neigbors plumbing. So for days at a time we'd have to flush five times a day just to get rid of the awful stench. We had a big gap in the front door, and subsequently an ant infestation. We tried everything, but it came down to an unsealed entrance, again nothing the management was willing to address. Our internet access was terrible: it shut down every few hours, sometimes for days at a time. Of course, we still had to pay a monthly access use for it, even though I had to go to campus anytime I needed reliable access (Blackboard quizzes, online courses, etc). I don't know what was up with the temperature, but there were times in the winter when we had to crank on the AC (no windows: just sliding doors in the bedrooms). Going to the office was a nightmare: it meant standing in line for half an hour while four people in the back laughed about something and the one girl at the window just took her sweet time.

The last straw came in the middle of July, after we had made arrangements for a new place to live, and we got a note delivered to our door that said, in effect, "Hey we know that your contract says you can stay until August 27, but we need you out by the 21. Sorry, and no refunds." So I went to the office and there were about twenty other people in line with the same letter, I didn't have time to wait for a short eternity, so I decided I wasn't going to pay any more rent (which, in reality, I shouldn't have had to do anyway, as our deposit WAS our last month's rent). Well, by the time August 15 rolled around, the management apparently decided we were no longer living there and on several occassions came into our apartment without any notice or knocking, leaving the door open when we were gone (though we had thousands of dollars of assets packed up waiting to be trucked out in the front room). After the third day of these unwanted entrances, we decided to just go to our new place early and end up paying rent for August twice. I left a note for the management telling them how bad their apartments were, and because they decided not to honor their contract, I wasn't going to clean up or "officially" check out.

You can guess where this is going. Less than a month later we got a threatening legal notice that we owed them some $300 for cleaning fees (even though it wasn't BAD, it just wasn't cleaned-- we vacummed and cleaned out the fridge and everything, just didn't dust the wall outlets or fill the nail holes in the walls). We ignored several of these letters and, last we heard, they were putting a lien on our vehicle. Fortunately, we have since sold that car and moved out of state, and haven't heard from them since.

But let me tell you, Branbury was the worst of many bad experiences I had in Provo. When I have time I'll tell you about two other nightmare management companies.
By the way, since leaving Provo I have had some great landlords.

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'd say that's par for the course. Branbury is notorious for that type of tenant relations. Aside from being a social blackhole (I'm single), I never received my security deposit either. Granted, it's hard for me to validate my apartment cleaning abilities, but I'm famously paranoid about not passing inspections. In spite of this seemingly unreasonable concern (as well as the 4 or so hours I spent cleaning), I didn't pass inspection. Interestingly, at the time, the lady doing the inspections was also the representative of the cleaning company (or maybe she was employed by Branbury's property management to do the cleaing, I don't know). hmmm? Regardless, I had a hard time believing her considering the obvious conflict of interest, but when I pressed her she assured me that she was, in fact, in charge of cleaing the failed inspections. I asked her how she possibly could do her inspections with any shred of detached personal interest (or integrity, as it turns out), and her reponse was, simply,"Do you really think that I don't have better things to do with my time?" Well, yes, considering it's your LIVELIHOOD!! I couldn't believe it. Anyway, they were going to deduct the cleaing fee from my deposit refund which left me waiting for just a crummy $25, but I wanted it anyway 'cause it was mine. A handful of weeks passed and when I called to inquire as to when the checks would be sent I was told they had already been sent. hmmm, well then why hadn't I received mine? They didn't know, they told me, but they said they could issue another check for me, however, I would be responsible for the $20 cancelled check fee if I wanted them to do that! Well sure!!! Just go ahead and make the $5 check out to my favorite charity: Branbury apartments. Or better yet, send it to me in pennies! Long story short, I'm the sucker for signing the contract, I guess. Don't make the same mistake.

10:11 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

STAY FAR AWAY FROM THE BRANBURY!
I had a contract at the Branbury for three months over
this past summer. I only lived in the apartment for about one month
because I went home for part of the summer and then I got married three
weeks before the contract ended (and yes, I still had to pay for the
entire summer). The apartment was trashy (stained carpet, broken blinds,
ants EVERYWHERE in the kitchen--and not just in my apartment but in all
the others that I visited while I lived there) and maintenance was a
joke. The tap in the bathtub wouldn't turn off (and not just a drip, it
would actually run) but no matter how many times I or my roommates
called maintenance they did nothing about it.
Regarding parking, I didn't have a car when I lived there but my fiance
(who also lived there in a different building) did. The parking lot
was always mostly full but we could usually find a spot, although I
imagine this was only because it was summer so less people lived there.
However, while we were there they closed off huge sections of the parking
lot for about two weeks so they could retar the surface. Not only was
this incredibly inconvenient (sometimes we had to park blocks away) but
the tar smelled horrible and it was hard to even walk from one building
to another without stepping in it. It was probably some sort of health
hazard.
The apartment was dirty when I moved in, but a week later they insisted
that I have a cleaning check and made me responsible for the kitchen
(which I'd barely used). In addition, they actually required us to
scrape gum off the sidewalk in front of the building. If there was any gum
it was decades old, but a lot of what I think they thought was gum was
actually tar. I called the BYU Off-Campus Housing Office and they told
me Branbury couldn't legally force me to clean outside the apartment,
so I did nothing about the gum. For another cleaning check, when I was
out of town, I called the R.A. and told her I couldn't clean the
apartment because I was several hundred miles away. She made no
accomodations for me and actually failed me on the cleaning check.
The A/C bill was incredibly high, especially since (and this is June
and July in Provo!) we only turned it on for about 30 minutes a day.
As far as security, I never felt unsafe there, but while I lived there
the clubhouse was broken into and thousands of dollars worth of plants,
art, computers, and a flat-screen TV were stolen. All of these were
quickly replaced, yet I'm sure the actual apartments haven't been
renovated or decently cleaned in years. That's how they spend your money--on
the clubhouse to make it look nice so other unsuspecting potential
tenants will think the apartments are nice, too. Oh yeah, they won't let
you see the apartment you're going to be living in until you've signed a
contract. They also take $50 out of your security deposit to pay for
upkeep to the clubhouse.
Other security issues--well I looked in the newspaper today and the big
news is a girl was raped in her apartment there a few days ago. A
criminal wouldn't even have to break in because the locks are so bad. They
have an electronic key system, but they'll change the code without
warning so you and your roommates' keys will suddenly stop working.
Because of this, when I lived there everyone kept their door unlocked at all
times.
I was so happy to leave that place and so glad that I'll never have to
live there again. The Branbury is a horrific example of just how bad
BYU approved housing has become.

7:21 PM  
Anonymous sell house fast said...

It's unfortunate that these things happen everyday. I think there needs to be more protection for tenants. I don't know about the US, but in the UK we have separate bodies who legally hold deposits, so people don't get swindled. I think they should make the rental sector more heavily regulated with a clear code of practice and professional qualifications. This would improve the current situation

5:14 AM  

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