I lived at this place for a year and a half and they seemed like pretty decent folks even at move out time they were nice. But after I moved out something happened- I'm not sure if it was gross incompetence or petty vengence for moving out but seriously...

I broke my lease to move closer to work, I paid my month and a half rent extra to break the lease up front. I made sure that they had the correct new address, my email, AND my cell phone number. After 3 months I got a call from a collection agency that I owed them close out fees, in excess of $600! There were a couple of reasons this really irked me:

1. On move out they said that I most likely would be getting a refund because of the condition of the apartment

2. They NEVER contacted me for the money owed, even when they said they would call to let me know what the cleaning charges would be. When I called them back (after collections called me) I verified that they indeed had my correct forwarding address, my correct cell number AND my correct email address. They never bothered to contact me at all, the just waited and sent me straight to collections- real nice.

3. The icing on the cake was that after I called them to get the charges itemized I pointed out the errors in their billing it turns out that the sent me to collections for the wrong amount!

What kind of people run this place' What gross mismanagement! Would I seriously skip out on a few hundred bucks after paying nearly $2000 in termination fees' Just watch yourself on the way out of this place- they DON'T use your forwarding address for ANYTHING, and aren't very organized at all. I'm still deciding on whether or not to open up a case with the BBB over this- but I am leaning towards yes.

If you deal with these folks seriously invest in the CYA strategy.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 12/16/2007
I wonder if you live in the same unit I had. I hated my downstairs neighbors. The contractors are lame, but I think it's because they know what they can get away with when working with Madison Park's management company. While I lived there they had numerous upgrades done to the clubhouse/office building (new carpet, new paint, new doors, etc.) but the apartments still look like crap. On the other hand, if you like everything white (with a beige kitchen for "color" -- sold to potential tenants as "designer colors") then you are in for a treat. Did I also mention that while I was there we went through three assistant managers and three maintenance supervisors? It's not difficult to imagine why. Plus, the rent is ridiculous. For crimey, touristically-challenged Thrasher's Corner, it's difficult to imagine why rents here are so high. When I moved in they were barely at the "affordable" level, but they were full, so I figured it was the market. Rent has gone up almost 25% on my unit since I moved out, and the Vacancy / For Rent sign never leaves the sidewalk. Why pay that kind of money to live in that rathole when I can get a much nicer apartment in a much nicer location for less money? Other problems: -Office was frequently closed all day for things like "staff meetings," which meant that packages that were normally signed for at the office (a "perk" we were told about when signing the lease) were instead held at the Post Office, requiring a special (unnecessary) trip to go pick them up. -The patios/balcanies are filthy. -It's hot as h-e-doublehockeysticks in the summer. -It's freezing cold in the winter, and if you're unlucky enough to have vaulted ceilings don't be surprised when you get your $200 power bill. -Parking is a nightmare. -The walls are paper-thin. I could hear my next-door neighbors talking in their kitchen when I was in my bathroom. Yes, I heard everything they were saying. And no, they weren't screaming. Yes, it's that bad. -You expect noise on holidays (4th of July, New Year's, etc.). But we had noise on every holiday (Thanksgiving, Memorial Day... even, unaccountably, on Easter). -Interiors are dated. Kitchens and bathrooms are in desperate need of upgrades. On the plus side: -Apartment size was more than adequate -Forced-air heat was a plus (though, as noted above, you pay through the nose for it with your electric bill) -Full-size W/D is a plus, and the appliances were VERY new, possibly even brand-new -Large closets -Plenty of light fixtures -Nice stream running through the property (though it was rarely quiet enough that you could hear it) In short, I'd never recommend living here. You can find a much better place just about anywhere else for much less money.
From: Anonymous	Date: 07/28/2009
As the manager of Madison Park Apartments, I would like to clarify a couple points regarding the above occurrence... 1. According to the Rental Agreement, if you move out before the end of your lease, you forfeit the refundable security deposit. That is standard in WA state and has been the case at any property I have worked at in the last 15 years. 2. By law, a landlord has 14 days to mail the move out statement to a previous resident. I personally addressed this envelope and all others with the correct forwarding address. Once a person receives their move out statement, they have 10 days to respond. A move out statement WAS forwarded to this person, and since it was not ever returned to us, I had no way to know that this person did not receive their move out statement. (We sometimes have mail returned to us, and that is how we know a person did not receive it.) This was not the case. The mail was never returned. And yes, after receiving no response for over 30 days, it was turned over for collection procedures. That is my company??s policy. 3. If there are any discrepancies regarding charges on the move out statement, I am always willing to discuss and correct any mistakes or over sight on my part. That is what any good manager would do. That is what was done in this case. I do not ever wish to have an unhappy previous resident. I would think if I moved out of a place and was waiting to hear back regarding my final charges, and I did not receive it in the mail within a few weeks, I would follow up myself. It is not the property??s responsibility to contact a previous resident by phone. By mailing the move out statement, this is proper written notice of the move out charges. My staff and I truly enjoy working at Madison Park Apartments and value every resident?? Current, previous and future!

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