This post is going to be vent session for me as I just got done a final walk-through with my previous landlord. I suggest people look elsewhere if considering the Arborview/Liriope apartments in the Belcamp / Harford County, Maryland area.
My Experience
Their friendly demeanor and attractive apartment neighborhood will entice you but beware. From my perspective, the folks at Arborivew/Liriope Apartments (located in Belcamp, MD) will do whatever they can to ensure you do not get your deposit back. My reasoning for this conclusion is detailed within this article. I would like to also state some helpful tips for those who decide to rent there (or anywhere) as they will be deposit-savers in the end if push comes to shove so to speak.
I recently moved out of my apartment of 1.5 years and met with the lease manager today for a final lease walk-through inspection. Note that I (with the help of my mother and father) spent nearly 5 hours scrubbing and cleaning the place; but even that wasn't enough for the hawk-eye leasing manager as she and her maintenance man went over every inch of the apartment and found the smallest nick or spot. Whether it was something I did or not; they noted it. I was livid to say the least. Normal wear things like kitchen cabinet stains, etc. they mentioned I would have to pay for if their cleaning lady had to spend extra time on it. One should check their state laws to determine what is to be considered normal wear items, and also be sure to read the lease completely before signing it (rental companies make it a huge legalese document in hopes you do not read it all; just spend the extra hour and read it. It may just be something that will place you in a position where you are signing away most of your rights as a renter.)
Another thing that rose my blood pressure was that I was told I was holding over on the apartment because I was told (via a letter stuck on the door) to be moved out by July 30th (even though I had paid for the whole month of July) When I arrived to clean clean the place on the 31st, I had found that there were painters in the apartment, I had all my trash thrown in the middle of the floor, and my vaccum was in the back of the painters truck. Apparently they thought it was all junk. That day I spent roughly 5 hours cleaning up the place, scrubbing bath tubs, etc. I scheduled a walk-through on Aug. 1st at the request of the lease manager, since she was busy the 31st. Note that there was no walk-through on the 30th, so the lease manager's premise that I was holding-over 3 days (30th, 31st, 1st according to her) is certainly "fuzzy math"; even for someone like her who loves to quote move-out letter paragraphs and lease sub-clauses. One could probably surmise that the lease manager conned me yesterday to add an additional day to their threat of charging hold-over rent. Again, it appears they will do whatever they can to keep your deposit.
Pointers for those of you who consider renting
- Do not rent at arborview/liriope if in the Belcamp, MD area. There are MANY other options for you for the same RENT. I found several town homes for rent after I had signed a lease in Belcamp, Joppa, and Abingdon in the $1100-$1500/mo range in similar or nicer looking neighborhoods. My liriope rent was roughly $1300/mo for a 3 bed, 2 bath, 3rd floor apartment. You can do better! JUST LOOK AROUND. Also, if you are a day late on rent (due on the last day of the previous month), you will be charged 5% of your rent; and charged erroneous "legal fees" there after. They will only take a certified check after being late 5 days. Be sure to pay your rent on time!!!
- When looking, don't settle on one place because the neighborhood looks nice or appears to be everything you are hoping to find. Remember they are about illusion (at least that's my opinion about liriope) to get you to sign that lease. If they say, "would you like to sign a lease today?", after their pitch then beware; that's a trigger word for you to say "thanks, but we'll continue our search." You can always go back later if you really want to rent there. An apartment salesperson may give you a b.s. line about availability if you don't sign that second; don't buy it. People are moving in and out all the time; and do you really want to deal with a pushy sales-oriented leasing office? Find a place that's a non-pressure, renter-oriented office. I found a place in Elkton, MD where they would make coffee and cookies/bagels for the renters every morning in their facility kitchen; wish I had rented there now. Be sure to do your research online if possible. Websites like ApartmentRatings.com provide a clear insight into the quality of service from people who actually live or lived in a considered apartment community. I take note that Arborview/Liriope have received very poor reviews on the previously mentioned website.
- So you signed a lease, picked the apartment, and it's time to do a walk-through. The following will certainly save you some stress when it comes time for your future end-of-lease walk-through. Take a camera with you and take pictures of everything! Insides of cabinets, counter tops, inside of stove, inside of fridge, washer/dryers; heck all appliances. Take pictures of light bulbs, counter tops in bathrooms, faucets, mirrors, fixtures, etc. Window blinds to ensure they're not cracked, fireplace to ensure it is functioning, all windows to ensure no cracks, check all walls and carpet for stains or damage. Check all doors for functioning handles, etc. They may have just painted and coked up the locking mechanisms. Be anal about everything because the littlest scuff mark will be brought up on your inspection when leaving (EXPECIALLY IF YOU RENT AT ARBORVIEW/LIRIOPE, BELCAMP, MD) Please do not be naive like me and assume the damage going into an apartment is noted and they know about it. In my experience with arborview/liriope, they will play none the wiser on your initial walk through. I made note of obvious things that I found on my initial walk-through but didn't write down additional things like scuffs on the cabinets, etc. Also, one thing I suggest you do first thing after you sign a lease is send a certified letter to the leasing office asking them to disclose the previous renter's end-of-lease walk-through damage report. THIS IS PARAMOUNT. You have 15 days to request this in MD and I HIGHLY suggest you do so; this will give you an idea of the damage noted previously and will keep you from being surprised on your own end-of-lease walk-through.
- Keep every letter and make a log of every communication with your leasing office/landlord. This will help you refresh your memory in case you need to bring up a date or other event that occurred.
- Be sure to request to see everything before signing the lease; pool, rec. room, and gym conditions (if those things are offered.) They sound great on paper but once you actually visit them you may find that your idea of their facilities and the actual conditions are far from similar. Arborview/Liriope's idea of a gym (2-3 running machines and a universal in a closet sized, non-air-conditioned room) seems like the worst one can offer for such an amenity.
Hopefully this article will shed some light on the practices at Arborview/Liriope and will offer an insight into just how one can get screwed over by a leasing company. If my suggestions provide any sort of help to anyone, then I can feel a little better about today. Right now, I'm still livid, and will have to wait to see exactly what Arborview/Liriope plan to charge me for. I really do not want to have to take time out of my day for court, and I'm sure they're used to going to court, if they do these practices to everyone who leaves there.
Additional References:
http://www.rentlaw.com/
http://www.apartmentratings.com/
http://www.apartmentreviews.net/
http://www.ratemyapartments.com/
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