ComplaintsforEBG Properties LLC

• Initial Complaint

  01/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Business closes maintenance tickets without actually completing them, this includes but is not limited to safety concerns such as a lack of heat, detached stair railing, and falling ceilings. The company refuses to answer or return calls after months of trying to contact someone about the issues. They blocked my number so I can't call them. I've tried to make an appointment to speak with an agent but their office isn't open to the public.

• Initial Complaint

  12/23/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I moved into a property owned by EBG on 11/3/2020. When I moved into the property, it was already a dilapidated disaster. I had to do a lot of cleaning to not feel like my skin was crawling. Living there was not a pleasant experience. It was loud, drug addicts everywhere outside(One even walking into my apartment one night to try to rob it) and they are the worst about maintenance. They did not fix a single thing. The heat went out near the end of winter, and their response was to get a hotel out of pocket. It wasn't until the health department showed up(more than once) they gave us space heaters but it had already warmed up by then. PA law states you need an easily accessible way to leave a building, as well as a harassment free environment. By the time I had left, there was trash piling up near the front door, my dog developed a skin condition from all the mold inside the walls, and they used devious wording in their lease to attempt to charge me extra rent. All while being flaky and non-transparent as possible, and wouldn't answer particular questions but just stonewalled me into paying. I honestly had to leave because it was a health hazard to stay there both mentally and physically. The lease was renewed without my permission. They are charging me ridiculous amounts for "maintenance" when the same things they are saying I did were there when i had moved there. I'm sure they billed the previous tenant for it too. So now they have taken to hounding me, extortion, and gaslighting to make me believe it was my fault and these charges are valid, when it's really only due to their terrible business practices. I don't owe a dime and I have asked them to drop it, but got a rude answer in return as well as "Well why did you renew your lease?" I did not. My big concern is that the apartment I was in is somewhere you'd move if you were down on your luck. I was. But how many people don't know how to or can't fight back? They just bully people. I'm not the first or last.

  Business response

  12/23/2021

  ** *** *******
  
  
  Thank you for taking the time to voice your opinions. We would like to clarify somethings that you are concerned about. First, EBG does not own these properties, we manage them for individuals or corporations, therefore we can only make repairs upon owner approval. Our company has no knowledge of the health department inspection your unit regarding the heat. If we would have known, we absolutely would have rectified these issues. Per your lease, you are required to give at least 60 days notice of non-renewal of your lease. You had submitted your move out request on 10/11/2021 at 10:21pm, which was not adequate notice, therefore your lease was subject to an automatic renewal term of 1 year. This is in paragraph 5 of your lease, which you have signed. Had you given adequate notice we would not have renewed your lease but being that this was not done your lease is in effect until 11/30/2022. Our office has been in constant communication with you to conclude these proceedings, but in result you have been derogatory towards our office employees which we do not appreciate or tolerate. As we hope to move forward and resolve these issues with you, should you have any more concerns please reach out via email and we will be more than happy to address your concerns. 

  Customer response

  12/30/2021

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********* and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
  
  I stand by my complaint. They claim they are communicating with me constantly, which is untrue. They barely ever respond to anything I ask them, and in turn they only bother getting in touch when they tell me to pay these fees I do not owe. There is not a two way conversation there. They are not transparent in the slightest, and harp on the same talking backs and ignore any evidence that suggest the contrary. For example, I left on October 30th. If they truly do require a 60-day notice before I would leave, then...why did they send the renewal offer two days before that timeframe began? My lease ENDED on 11/30/2021.  The first renewal offer was sent on September 28th. Two days before that window would have closed. And, to make matters worse, the offer even stated "Please decide by November 30th, 2021" - the date my lease ended. Let's say I did it on November 29th, they would have claimed I was responsible for December and January. But, apparently, they decided to just renew my lease for a whole other year. They even sent me texts saying that they were showing the apartment. And if they're really adamant about evicting me from a place they made EVERY effort to convince me to leave from, while conning someone else into a new lease while renewing mine, in hopes of what? Hoping I'll just fold and pay? The only reason anyone is at this point is because their ethically terrible and shady business practices brought us here. Should I even get started about the maintenance fees? They do not care about their properties at all. The only thing they care about is their social media presence. They'll nickel and dime everyone under the sun if it means they can play more sports on a work day while their buildings fall apart and their tenants in terribly unhealthy environments. All of the damage they billed for me was pre-existing when I move there. They don't do any work to ever fix anything. I'm sure they billed the last person for it too. 

  
  

  But even from just a business standpoint, stonewalling your customers, not answering their questions, and then attempting to frame things in the way they do in an attempt to extort MORE money from your customers is not the way to go. If you want people to use your service, and have a good service with reputation, you don't do that. Their business model seems to be to offer something easy to get into for people who are in a bad financial situation and down on their luck, and desperate enough to get conned into moving into one of their properties, and then making it impossible to leave, and if they do, they get slapped with all of these fees, and if they can't pay, fine, evict them. By that point they'd already have someone else in the apartment. And best case they get double rent for a little bit.

  
  

  I don't know about you but that's pretty dishonest. I can't wait to see how they shift blame and gaslight in response to this, rather than just do better. If they weren't so terrible to people they wouldn't have to do that. 
  
  Regards,
  ****** ******

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩