Hi everyone. We are going to take Overlook at Blue Ravine to court and was wondering if those of you who lived there could answer a few questions:

Where you charged for painting' Did you feel it was justified'

Where you charged for Housekeeping/Cleaning' Did you feel it was Justified"

Where you charged for carpet cleaning / spot removal treatment' Did you feel it was justified'


The reason I am asking these specific questions above is because are are being charged for all three even though the charges are completely BOGUS. We have pictures to prove it. When we talked to the corporate office they said that EVERYONE gets charged these charges and it's a state law that they have to steam clean and clean the apartment themselves, just in case "us tenants" used the wrong type of "Chemicals" they have to make sure the apartment is "safe" for future tenants (even though this is not stated ANYWHERE in our lease agreement). Then as we began to question the Corporate office the lady got extremely rude and said she is just sending us straight to collections (and it hasn't even been 30 days since move out) and then actually HUNG UP on us! Smells like a load of crap to me. We asked to be present on the walk through - they never contacted us. They charged us for Steam Cleaning 1 week before the carpet was even cleaned!! There was no painting to be done (we had the apartment professionally painted by a family member), house was SPOTLESS. Anyway I don't want to go on another tangent, I have done that enough - but if some of you could respond to the above questions I would be extremely grateful!!

Thank you in advance!

User Responses
From: Wired67	Date: 07/04/2008
We had a similar problem when we moved out. I had the carpets professionally cleaned as the last step of our departure (i.e. after all our stuff was on the truck) and even submitted a copy of the invoice when we turned in our keys. Yet when I received our final statement, there was an additional charge for carpet cleaning. Calling the "customer service" number resulted in an argument in which I was told flat-out that everyone has to pay that charge. All I can say is it's a good thing they didn't charge me for anything else. I made sure everything was spotless when we left and touched up every nick in the paint. The unit was easily in better condition than when we moved in. Still, the charge for carpet cleaning bugs the heck out of me. I've never had that problem with any landlord in the past. In fact, they're usually quite grateful that I took the time to have it done.
From: Nicimarie	Date: 07/04/2008
We received our Invoice in the mail and Overlook / BRE is trying to charge us for 1 extra day of rent, 4 hours of cleaning and 7 hours of painting and steam cleaning with spot treatment!!!! We took pictures of our unit when we moved out(to cover our a$$es) and they show that the unit was completely spotless, no cleaning needed to be done, no stains on the carpet and the walls were perfect. I spent hours on hands and knees cleaning every nook and cranny, bleaching counter tops and cupboard's, mopping the floors with a washcloth, took apart the refrigerator, etc. We had the paint matched and painted ourselves (with the help of my dad who, ehem, is a painter / contractor). When we received our invoice we immediately went to the complex to demand a walk through (which we requested, in writing to be present at in our 30 day notice - they never contacted us). The girl initially told us we could not see the unit as it had already been renovated, it was a "4-day turnaround". We asked her if they had already steam cleaned and she said yes - we asked her if it was already occupied and she said yes. We then proceeded to tell her that we looked in the windows, which they left open and it was very obvious the carpet had not been steam cleaned (could still see furniture indents and some minor debris from maintenance walking around) and the apartment was obviously not occupied. She then told us that the tenants were going to take up occupancy "tomorrow" (which would be referring the the 4th of july - a day the office is closed). After 10 minutes of calling her out on all her lies (already occupied, cleaned, no access to maintenance records, changing carpeting to wood, yes the list goes on)she broke down and showed us the unit. As soon as we walked into the place we asked her to step forward into the living room and asked her if it looked like it had been steam cleaned - and SHE said no, she then proceeded to say that she would consider the carpet in excellent condition and that they might not want to put in wood floors (the maintenance man had told us that they had plans to remove the carpet for wood panels when we moved out). She then proceeded to tell us the steam cleaning was going to be done the next day (which was the 4th of July - which was the same day she said the tenants would be getting the keys - which is the same day the office is closed). As we continued to call her out on all her discrepancies she began to clam up and told us we would just have to talk to the manager on Monday when she came in. Please, please, please, if you have had any problems of the like or know someone who has please contact us at nicole.guinasso@gmail.com I have said this a few times in some other threads but we are considering pursuing this with an attorney and if we get enough support maybe even a class action lawsuit against the property. Please shoot us over an e-mail: nicole.guinasso@gmail.com !!!!
From: Anonymous	Date: 07/04/2008
They are trying to charge me the same thing and I had painted and cleaned professionally. Not to mention they charge a pet deposit and monthly fee for the pets. Once you leave regardless of how clean it is they tell you that you have to pay damages. Where did the deposit money and rent go to? This is such a common problem it would be nice if someone could initiate a Class Action Lawsuit. I am certain you would find more that just the people posting on this site to be represented. What a pity the complex is so beautiful. Management and Maintenance ruin the whole thing. Oh, I hear they are selling the property soon. Let's hope the entire staff loses their jobs in the process. It would be stupid and a bad business decision for BRE to keep them as well as the company that choses to buy the property. There are better ways to keep a low turnover ratio. Like customer service. They have it all backwards they think tenants are here to serve them.
From: finalyhappy	Date: 07/17/2008
VICTORY IN COURT!!! They know they are morons, they didn't show up for court. Why aren't you guys taking them to court with all these complaints??? Do something about it. The BBB is useless, don't bother.
From: unhapcam	Date: 07/18/2008
It thrills me that at least some people out there are seeking help and going through the inconveniences of taking these crooks to court! Unfortunately, The Overlook banks on people like me (and many others) that are just so damn happy to be out of that nightmarish apartment (not to mention, away from the crappy folks that attempt to run this place), that they would rather leave the problem entirely and never have to think about any of it anymore (which is really stupid on my part as BRE is STILL withdrawing over 100.00 a month to cover my "bogus charges")and try to keep their credit it tact! If ever you need someone to support your side of this terribly run business, feel free to contact me to back you 100% (but it sounds like you've already had your happy ending...good for you!)

Your thoughts? Post a response to this review. Display my response: with my username anonymously Responses appear below reviews and one response per user is permitted.

   Free estimates on moving trucks      Find apartment share/roommates