2010 Note: See 2nd Page for my update on this situation.
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Hi all! I'm in the process of going through one of my credit reports with a fine-tooth comb and there's an item that I think would really benefit from a group perspective.
I have a $1690 charge from my old apartment complex for "repairs and cleaning" on top of the security deposit that they absorbed (which was $750). I already knew about this charge, but was busy ignoring it until I got a new copy of my report.
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A little backstory:
In 2005/2006, I lived with two financial disasters in a two-bedroom apartment in California for a year. One of those is my girlfriend, who agrees with my assessment of the living situation and fully admits to being a financial disaster 
When we moved in, the carpets were stained in areas and steam-cleaning did nothing to fix it. The counters were stained in some areas (which of course would not come up) and were old and needed to be replaced months before we moved in. We documented everything on the apt's move-in form (which they promptly lost) and took pictures (which we accidentally deleted). The balcony paint was chipped and worn-down. They of course never fixed these problems, and the manager was openly hostile about it when we would complain (we are all VERY meek people).
We lived there for a year, and I am the first to admit that we did a very minor amount of damage to the apartment (as with all homes) -- we added a couple of stains to the counters. But then again we steamed the carpets several times and never were able to clean them all the way. When we moved out, I'd say that the carpets were in better shape than when we moved in because of all the cleaning, but needed to be vacuumed.
We had tried unsuccessfully for months to find a new apartment, and the situation at the apartment complex was so bad that we finally just had to put in our notice (since our lease was up and the rent would skyrocket anyway). Even though we all have impeccable rental history everywhere else, we "somehow" didn't have one there so no one wanted us. The only place that would have us wanted a $3600 deposit, plus two months of rent up front PLUS a $350 'pet deposit.' (Ouch). So a month from moving, we knew that we'd be living in a hotel.
Before we moved, I had spent days and days going through our stuff (mine & my girlfriend's) as I was unemployed and she was working 12-hour shifts temporarily. Our other roommate didn't really help with the house cleaning at all. We had all been sorting, organizing and selling stuff so the apartment was a big mess for the last month. We all were trying to find a way to get most of our furniture disposed of or stored away while we found a new apartment, but no one would rent us a van.
It was completely insane, no one would even rent us a cargo van or pickup truck to take our furniture somewhere within the city we lived!!! The other roommate was able to finally get a small cargo van and together we made lots of trips to the storage unit. But there were two pieces of furniture we could not move and we could find no one who could/would pick them up. We even called charities (they were in good condition) but no one wanted them.
To make matters worse, my girlfriend and I had a trip that was impossible to miss (family commitment) two weeks before we were to leave. When we came back, everything was literally in the same spot -- with the added bonus of his fast food garbage. I will concede that most of the trash (old junk mail etc) was ours, but some stuff was his -- and the stuff I asked him to get rid of was still there, covered in dust. There was even a pan of food that had gone rotten on the stove. I was not pleased, and I wound up just taping the pot lids closed and throwing them in the trash.
At that point I went a little nuts and went on a trash-ing spree. Dirty dishes? Trash. Roommate's dirty shirt on the sofa? Trash. Unread book with a furry burger on top? Trash. Video game on the floor? Trash. Organizer shelf? Trash.
Once I started doing that, I was making a lot more progress. ^_^ Also in our absence, a cat had knocked over a large bottle of "personal product," so the floor was wet in one spot (easily fixed with a steam clean, but we didn't have time). I did a lot of cleaning the last few days, but couldn't get everything 100% before we had to leave. In the end, I decided to turn the furniture up on it's side before leaving (since I'd be charged for it's removal anyway).
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The Charges:
The initial charge (after deposit) was $490 dollars, and covered replacing the counters,cleaning the carpet, cleaning the apartment, furniture haul-away and trash pickup (for some reason). We all had no problem paying this, and were waiting for the next payperiod when I suggested we ask for an itemized bill with copies of their receipts. They didn't itemize it, but instead listed the hours it took and the average cost per hour but not the labor/supply/service breakdown of it all. I asked for one again (through the management's lawyer) and got a new bill for $1690. This bill was also not itemized and there were no receipts.
So... What changed? Well, six weeks after we moved out (someone else moved in), the management decided to finally replace the carpets and bill us $1200 for it. 
I was floored. We requested a new itemized bill but their lawyer/collector declined. So at that point, we all said that we wouldn't pay it and that was that. Their collection office would call, we'd ask for an itemized bill, they'd refuse or say that they'd send it -- wash rinse repeat.
When we lived in that apartment, a neighbor tried to break into our home early one morning, screaming and accusing us (of all things) of smoking tobacco! Cigarettes! We weren't, which makes it even more ridiculous. The manager pressured us into not contacting the police and basically said that we would never be able to get another apartment so we shouldn't make trouble there. He was right. Six months after moving out, we were still living in motels, were out of money and decided to leave the state entirely. Although we had a combined income of about $6000 in a given month, no one would rent us an apartment (even the tiny $700 apts wouldn't take us because of the huge bad marks from this place).
Overall it was a horrid experience but I learned a lot. I don't have any consumer debt (credit cards etc) and very little in debt besides my student loan, so it shocks me that I have a 526 EQ credit score. Believe it or not, I'm still friends with my old roommate and he did find a nice apartment in Oakland that would take him. My girlfriend and I are living with her parents in WA, (still) unwilling to look for a new place right now.
You're probably wondering why the other two people who lived there aren't paying it too. My GF can't (and wouldn't if she could), and my old roommate realistically can't (with his lifestyle) and really doesn't want to anyway. My GF is declaring bankruptcy, so for her it isn't an issue anymore. My old roomate has also mentioned the possibility of bankruptcy, but frankly declaring bankruptcy for maybe $15'000 worth of debt is pretty asinine. So I'm actually not asking either of them to contribute, and I don't really mind that.
I don't feel that great about paying the full $1690 (I'd feel great about paying the $490 haha), but I want to do a PFD with the management company so that I could actually rent an apartment someday soon and have decent credit.
How would I go about setting up a PFD with them? And I know that everyone says to not bother doing a DV with an OC, but do you think it would help in this case???
Thanks for your help so much!! And sorry for the long intro!
Griffin
I know! That's total craziness They're using an in-house attorney (last I checked), so not sure if that would be considered a CA...
They're using an in-house attorney (last I checked), so not sure if that would be considered a CA...
So basically, this apt. manager is using a fly-by-night atty and trying to stick you with $1200 in undocumened fees? I'd LOVE to see this on Judge Judy!
Good thing you came to this forum,
