Review History for RicerAmerica2011

Cheyenne Estates


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RicerAmerica2011

Resident ā€¢

2/25/2012

Cheyenne Estates has some of the worst management I have ever experienced. I would not at all recommend signing a lease. Upon signing our lease agreement, my wife and I were told that we could move in on the first of the month, and contact or resident manager to do a check-in. After repeatedly leaving messages on our resident managers voice mail and the offices answering machine, our messages were never returned and subsequently, the mandatory check-in was never completed (which they would later try to take advantage of). When we moved in, our apartment was very dirty and it was obvious that only the carpet had been cleaned, as it was still wet. I took hundreds of pictures detailing the condition of the apartment and was prepared to include these with the check-in that was never completed. Mold could be seen underneath the cabinets, crumbs were in the fridge and freezer, old food was sitting in the bottom of the dish washer. The bent up and broken screen door from the patio was laying underneath snow, ice and garbage on the patio. The apartment was obviously not repainted prior to us moving in as the walls were beginning to yellow and were littered with nail holes. The carpet was obviously at the end of its life and was fraying at the edges. We were told that all of these things would be fixed prior to us moving in, but upon our arrival, had no other choice but to move in. We lived at Cheyenne Estates for 3 1/2 years, and my rent was always on time except for one instance where there was a small mix up with my bank. Approximately 12 days after rent was due, I received a call from the owner who stated that I had 2 hours to pay rent for the month or they were going to file an eviction notice and send it to collections. I had no idea my rent check had not gone through as it has taken up to 30 days for them to deposit my rent check in previous months. I asked the office staff why I had not been notified earlier, and they stated that they had "slide a note under my door." The apartment doors at Cheyenne Estates have a weather seal under them, making it impossible to "slide" anything under them. Maintenance at Cheyenne Estates was also terrible. We had a leaking ceiling above our kitchen sink, which we later found out has been issue that was never permanently fixed. In the winter, snow would come in through a vent and subsequently melt once it would get warmer. To solve the issue, maintenance cut a hole in the ceiling, placed a disposable tin cooking pan in the area, and repaired the hole. The next year, the tin pan filled up with water and continued leaking. Parking at Cheyenne Estates was adequate, however, visitors were constantly parking in the tenants reserved spots. We were told to call our resident manager to place a warning sticker on the vehicles parked in our space, however, our manager rarely answered his phone, and if he did, he would tell us that he didn't have any authority to do anything. People would also constantly park in the fire lane, including office staff. Signs can be seen throughout the property warning that cars would be towed if they were parked in the fire lanes. After a snow storm, it would typically take 2-3 days to clear the parking lot. The side walks were rarely shoveled or salted, as me and my wive have both slipped and fell multiple times. Moving out proved to be even more painful than moving in. Since we had not completed a check-in, the office initially said they would go through the apartment and be "honest" about the charges and repairs needed. They had stated that the carpet needed to be replaced. We had a small dog, and there were some pet stains in the carpet, which I admitted was our fault and agreed that the carpet needed to be replaced. I told the office that I was willing to pay for the remaining life of the carpet, based on the industry standard of a 10 year life. I asked the office several times what the age of the current carpet was, as well as the original cost to install it. The office staff told me that they were not allowed to reveal this information due to "legal" reasons. The office staff also told me that they were going to charge me the full price of the carpet, $1,200. The office staff told me I could write a letter to the owner to try and negotiate a price if I didn't think this was fair. I wrote a letter to the owner stating the situation as well as the fact that I had pictures documenting the condition of the carpet on move-in. I once again asked for the age and the price of the current carpet. The owner responded with a letter 6 weeks later. The letter had 2 sentences and stated that we would be charged $300. I was never told the age or price of the carpet. The only reason that they would not want to reveal this information is either because they knew the carpet was already to old to charge me for, or because they were trying to charge me more than I was responsible for. The office staff was incredibly unprofessional throughout our time at Cheyenne Estates. At the end of our stay, the office staff would show up unannounced to show our apartment and would walk right in. The North Dakota Tenant Laws states that "Unless it is impractical to do so, the landlord must attempt to get the tenant's consent for an agreed time of entry." After telling the office staff this, the office staff told us that we had to give them "written notice" that we would like them to notify us before entering. Not only is it rude for them not to give us at least a little notice, but it shows how the office staff is willing to make-up laws and rules to prove they are right when they are obviously wrong. During our stay, the garage door opener remote quit working, as it was most likely the original remote. The office staff told me that it was my responsibility to replace the batteries, so I went and bought new batteries. The remote still didn't work, and the office staff further told me it was my responsibility to buy a new one. They told me that I could buy ANY universal remote from a hardware store, so I bought one that worked just fine. When we moved it out, I was told I had to buy another new one, because the one I had originally bought was not a remote that they "preferred", and that the remote I had bought was "cheap and had a limited life" I ended up buying their "preferred" remote for $50, which was $4 more than the previous one I had bought. The office staff told me I would be charged $80 if I did not buy the "preferred" remote. When we moved out, our unit was very clean, and we had kept the apartment very clean throughout our stay. Even after I had showed them the pictures from when we moved in, and they had seen that the apartment was obviously cleaner than when we moved in, the office staff still tried to charge us to dust out the insides of the cabinets and the insides of the light fixtures. The broken screen door that was laying in the garbage and snow when we moved was eventually fixed over a year later. Maintenance had incorrectly measured the size needed, so they had to order a second new door after they discovered it wouldn't work. Cheyenne Estates deducted the price of BOTH doors from our security deposit. These are just the most memorable stories from our experience at Cheyenne Estates, and I could go one for hours about other experiences. Obviously, I would never recommend signing a lease at Cheyenne Estates and I hope this shows that the office staff will make up anything if they can benefit from it.

Review 9 out of 28

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