How to deal with excessive charges?

By Misti Icenbice

I just have a question on behalf of my sister. She moved into a place called Holly Ridge Apartments in Gresham, Oregon last year. She moved there because she had some custody thing worked out with her ex- husband and her oldest daughter. So, she rented a 3 bedroom so that she could have her daughter but then things didn’t work out. Now she had this big apartment and a lease that she couldn’t get out of so she subletted the bedroom a couple of times to people who wouldn’t help her regularly and on time with utilities and rent. She got stiffed a couple of times. It was a complete nightmare for her. But she figured out ways to pay rent, she went to an assitance place that she thought had helped her with one months rent, she never got a denial letter and she never heard otherwise from the property management. Regardless, she kept communicating with the management and kept up with everything until she was done with her lease. When it was time for her to move out, the property management sent her a bill upwards of $1800!!! Part of it was one months rent which she thought had been taken care of, the assistance place apparently never took care of it, or gave her any notice of denial and neither did the property management. THEN the rest of it was charges for cleaning, carpet shampooing and painting. Why are they charging her for this? She didn’t trash the place, I helped her empty it and clean it, with the exception of a few stains on the carpet some small holes in a closet door, the place was left very clean. the lady in the leasing office even commented on how clean it was left. Now, this place had some pretty lowly sorts living there, so I have a hard time believing that there haven’t been worse things done to some of the units. Don’t apartment communities usually clean, paint and shampoo in between tenants anyway? Why are they charging my sister for all of it? I understand the back rent, and the hole in the closet door, by why for all the cleaning and painting? It is a racket!! My sister just sucked it up and said she could make payments. It took the property mangement 2 months to send it over to where-ever they sent it so she could set up a payment plan. My sister kept calling and checking and the place didn’t have her on file. Finally, today they called her… She planned on paying $50 to $100 per month until this was payed off. The person on the phone said they wouldn’t except anything less that $300 per month. CMON! The girl has got to live!! She asked to speak with someone above them hoping to convince them to let her make lower payments. That person yelled at her and said, "WE ARE NOT FINANCING YOUR DEBT!! THIS DEBT NEEDS TO BE PAID IN FULL!!" and threatened to turn her over to collection. My sister calmly asked the guy if he was yelling at her and to please stop. It wasn’t like she was refusing to pay. He yelled "GOOD DAY MRS. MATHEWS!!" And hung up on her. I don’t think it is right for her to be charged for all of this in the first place, but to be screamed at and hung up on when she was trying to come to an arrangment is just crappy. What can she do? 

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Holy Cow, we couldn't find any other related post. Sorry. :(