When I signed my lease two months ago in March, water was submetered. I was told this saved me money since it I only have to pay for what I use, not what others waste, and argument I readily accepted. A month later, I find a note on my door that says they are switching to a proportional system based on square footage. The rationale' To save me money.

Also when signing my lease, it was policy to have trash pickup on weekdays. Today I received another note that says trash pickup will be terminated shortly, and that I should instead take my trash to the dumpster. Nevermind that the dumpsters are few and far between (because we have trash pickup, after all).

The part that angers me the most is that I was given huge discounts is that this complex has a high market rate then makes up for it with steep discounts. That is, unless you decide to end your lease early, then you end up owing thousands of dollars because said discounts are null and void. So basically, they can alter whatever they want, but if I want to do the same I'm screwed.

I'll close by pointing out the gate broke 2 days after I moved in, and hasn't been fixed since.

[Originally posted in May, see comment below for an update]

User Responses
From: leasingguy23	Date: 07/01/2007
to "castlehell": Each property has the right and responsibility to conduct their business to provide the greatest benefit for the residents and for the property itself. At times this involves changing resident policies to better serve the property as a whole. Understandable so, these changes may inconvenience or even bother some residents, but business decisions must be made. It is clear in your posting that the management made reasonable effort to inform you of their decisions in advance of the proposed changes; which they are not legally bound to do. Your real complaint, however, seems to be with the alleged "alterations" in your lease contract. Every property has the prerogative to offer leasing "specials" or other incentives to increase interest among prospective residents. The TAA lease contract and multiple lease addenda that all residents must sign prior to taking residency clearly states that upon the early termination of a lease, all concessions must be repayed. Every apartment property in the state is governed by the same regulations, and any resident who does not fulfill his end of the lease contract is subject to substantial financial liability. I realize that you see an injustice, but consider the other side before allowing this to ruin your time on the property. The management is not looking to in any way bring harm to you, in fact, stiff penalties apply if they do. Become familiar with your lease contract, it will answer any question you may have.
From: castlehell	Date: 08/16/2007
leasingguy23, valid points, and having softened a bit in the uneventful timespan following my May review, I'm bumping my recommendation up to a cautious "yes". My qualms here have been relatively minor compared to some of the rental horror stories I've heard. However, I would like to emphasize my original claims with the following points: 1. True, tt's standard fare to revoke discounts on early lease termination. But I toured many complexes before settling on this one, and none of them had near the discrepancy between the market and discount rates that the Manor has. I naively did not take this into account when making my selection. 2. It's not just the changes that bother me (though they do bother me), it's the doubletalk. Is submetered water cheaper, or isn't it? (My waterbill has gone up since the switch, though I can't say how much is due to seasonal variations.) The supposed reason for cancelling the trash pick-up is that residents weren't following the rules, but I've heard rumors the real reason is the lack of staff to do the pick-up. (I'd also like to add the very few dumpsters around are constantly overflowing because they didn't plan for this.) My dealings with the complex often make me feel like I'm buying a used car. They're doing a lot better with the gate, but it's still not 100%.

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