ComplaintsforRed Cedar Flats

• Initial Complaint

  09/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Leased from Red Cedar Flats from June 2023-June 2024. My lease was signed until the end of July 2024. I was in need of moving my move out date up from July 31 to June 30. I inquired to the office about potentially moving out early (since my lease was technically 13 months, not 12, and was approved. I have the email confirming my move out date was now June 30. When I left, the apartment was in excellent shape. Per the lease and per the office, I would be receiving my deposit back 30 days after my move out date. I was called two weeks later by the front office saying they had lost all my move out paperwork. Luckily, I had made a copy to send to them and confirm. Then, when I didn't receive my deposit within the 30 days, I called the office to say I hadn't received the check yet. They claimed that I hadn't been approved to move out early and that they still had 30 days left to send me the check. I provided them with the email confirming my new move out date of June 30. They then claimed that it was their clerical mistake and the check would be sent. They attempted to say that it was my error in reading the lease. I quickly denied this suggestion, sending the email I received again. Several weeks went by with no check, so I called again saying I had still not received it. They then claimed that the check had been mailed upon my second complaint. I did not receive the check for the following two weeks. At that point I had to send a family member to pick up the check in person, since I was feeling like I was being scammed. They told me this was against policy but they would do it because it was their error. I just received the "check" they said they had originally sent (late) 65 days after move out. The letter I was sent DID NOT CONTAIN THE CHECK, claiming it would be sent from corporate. It appears to me they are trying to make it near impossible for renters to obtain their check in the hopes that tenants will give up and allow them to keep the deposit.

  Business response

  09/10/2024

  On May 12, 2023, ****************** and Red Cedar Flats entered into a residential lease agreement with a term running through July 2024. ****************** requested to amend the lease term to end early on June 30, 2024, instead of July 31, 2024. Although Red Cedar Flats was under no obligation to accommodate this request, Red Cedar Flats verbally agreed to amend the lease term to end on June 30, 2024 and forgo the collection of $1,150.00 in rent in favor of ******************.
  
  Our investigation into this matter suggests that verbally granting the tenant a gratuitous rent adjustment contributed to the tenant file not reflecting the proper move-out dates, which Red Cedar Flats accounting department relies on for processing tenant security deposits. This caused a delay in the return of the security deposit. As ****************** noted in their complaint, the security deposit was returned without claim by Red Cedar Flats. The check was cut and released within 30 days of the end of the original lease term but should have been cut and released from the date of the amended lease term. We apologize for any inconvenience and wish ****************** the best.  

  Customer response

  09/15/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.

  Better Business Bureau:

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. 

  It should be noted that despite numerous reminders about the new move out date (as confirmed by an email by Red Cedar Flats) no attempt was made to provide me with the deposit at any point. It did require me sending a family member in person to receive the check in person per my demand. The check that I was assured repeatedly was "on its way" and "had been sent" was never received. I was told if I request an in-person pickup of the deposit check, the other check I would receive in the mail would be canceled. NO CHECK EVER ARRIVED TO ME VIA MAIL AT ANY POINT.

  To this day, no check that was allegedly sent to me via mail has arrived. This shows clear avoidance of repayment by Red Cedar Flats and not a clerical error as suggested by this response. Repeated "clerical errors" that are clearly in favor of the business are highly suspicious and suggest an attempt to make it difficult for former tenants (usually college students) to get their money back. I am positive that if I did not send someone to pick up the check directly, I would still not have received my money. This same problem is reflected in ****** reviews and other rental review applications from other tenants with similar complaints. 

  While I have the money I was owed, I would not recommend other customers do business with ******************** on the following grounds: 

  1) At the 30 day **** from my move-out (as stated in the business's response) no attempt was made to get me the amount I was owed despite numerous calls and emails to do so (by me). 

  2) At the 60 day ****, I still had not received the money, despite assurance that the check was "in the mail". 

  3) They claimed to have no record of the amended lease ending date and claimed it was my fault for not reading the lease correctly. Luckily, I had the amended date in writing. 

  4) It required me sending a family member to the address to demand the check after the 60 day **** to actually receive the money. 

  5) The check that was allegedly sent to me via mail (and would be canceled due to my family member picking it up in person) has never arrived to this day, despite my last date of tenancy being June 30 of 2024 and the date of this reply being September 15 of 2024. It would be accurate to say no check had ever been sent to me at any point per the lease agreement and verbally confirmed by Red Cedar Flats management. No attempt had been made by the business to refund my money WITHOUT my action to go demand it in person. 

  This reply is for the records of the BBB and as a cautionary note for potential readers interested in renting from Red Cedar Flats. 

  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. ↩