a renter's plight: fickle homeowners, unscrupulous management companies, and no government protection

I give!

After more than 40 years owning a home, for the last 2 and a half years we've tried renting. Three strikes and we're out!

The first house was in Culpeper VA. A summer storm washed out the driveway and reopened a roof leak. A month later neither the driveway nor the roof leak had been repaired. Two months’ later, thanks to VHS Management and the owners, the roof was still leaking onto our kitchen table. We filed a Tenant Assertion and Complaint with the Culpeper General District Court. The judge failed to rule on the case. We also filed a complaint against the property manager with the Virginia Real Estate Licensing Board, who dismissed our complaint. Thank you, Commonwealth of Virginia, VHS Management and the Wyetts—for nothing.

The second house was in Nokesville. Coming up on the end of the one-year lease, the owner asked us if we would continue to rent the house for 5 more years. Our response: “Sure, as long as our good health holds up.” A couple weeks later the owner informed us that she was moving back. On to house #3.

The third house is in Fauquier County. There are two renters here—us and a renter in a basement apartment. Unbeknownst to us, the electrical breaker panel and furnace are in the other renter’s space, that we don’t have access to. We also didn’t know that there are no workable coaxial cable outlets for cable or satellite TV, that the clothes washer and dryer, that according to the lease are supposed to be “in good working condition”, don’t work, and that the house, that we were told by the management company is “all electric”, is actually propane heat (from the propane furnace that we can’t get to), and that the propane tank is empty, and has been for some time. There are numerous other things that we’ve discovered wrong with the house, including the dishwasher that leaks. When we found the first problem (no coaxial cable outlets for our TVs), the management company, ARMI in Warrenton VA, said “call back when you have a real problem” and hung up on me.

over-the-floor coaxial cable feed to TV in the living room

over-the-floor coaxial cable feed to TV in the living room

ARMI: "Call me back when you have a real problem."
Then he hung up on me.

empty propane tank at move-in

Porpane companies typically charge a "service fee" when the propane tank is less than 20 or 25% full. Am I going to shell out $1,000 for a "service fee" and the first 125 gallons of propane, that the owner should be responsible for, in the "hopes" that I'll be reimbursed for those charges, plus any unused propane that we bought, but didn't use? Not on your life! That's a sucker deal!

one of the many other items on our 2.5 typwewritten pages of problems at move-in: our mailbox: beat up, door doesn't stay closed, hanging on by a thread, no flag.

I'd post a photo of the breaker box and furnace; but, they're in the neighbor's space, and we don't have access. Fauquier County says that's OK, because the space is "grandfathered". As useless as teats on a boar hog.

Three strikes! We're out (of here)! counting the days until the lease is up, when we will rent an apartment from a company that is in the business of renting to renters, rather than a "Caveat Emptor" management company that is in the business of screwing renters for their benefit, and for the benefit of their homeowner clients, all with the approval of consumer-unfriendly government.

The facts are that we got "suckered" again:

• "suckered" by the owner and management company into believing that the house would have coaxial cable outlets since cable or satellite TV are the norm everywhere.  Buyer beware! 
• "suckered" by the owner and management company into believing that because the lease says that there are a working clothes washing machine and dryer that they would actually work. Buyer beware!
• "suckered" by the owner and management company into believing that the electrical outlets work when half are painted over such that you can't get a plug into them and the other half the plug won't stay in. Buyer beware!
• "suckered" by the owner and management company into believing that all of the doors had hardware, when one (outside door) has only knobs and nothing else.  Buyer beware! 
  
• "suckered" by the owner, the management company and Fauquier County into a house with a very obvious fire hazzard, and for thinking that Fauquier County cares. Buyer beware!

  

  Flexible clothes dryer exhaust vent that rises through a wall from the basement floor and then through an enclosed ceiling space

• "suckered" by the owner and management company into believing that the house is "all electric" when the management company told us that it is, then finding out that it's heated by propane and that the propane tank is empty. I don't mind buying propane that we use, but I'll be damned if I'm going to pay a service fee because the tank is empty and pay for the first 25% in the tank that should always be in there. Buyer beware!
• "suckered" by the owner and management company into believing that we'd have access to the elecrical breaker panel and the furnace for the space that we are renting. Buyer beware! 
• "suckered" by the owner and management company into believing that the mailbox would have a flag and be attached. Buyer beware!
• "suckered" by the owner and management company into believing that there wouldn't be two and a half typewritten pages of other non-tennant-ready items at move in. Buyer beware!
• "suckered" again by the Commonwealth of Virginia and Fauquier County into believing that consumers, especially senior citizens, would be protected from fraudulent landlords and property management companies.  Buyer beware! 

Shame on us! Buyer beware!