HOME AGAIN PROPERTIES

Home Again Properties is a Property Management company. The present themselves as the managers only, but in reality they are the owners of the homes they rent. They were very nice in the beginning and very accommodating and helpful, until we signed our lease, then they were elusive and not returning phone calls. Promises were made on repairs on the home and we signed our lease contingent on this, however when it came time to actually do those repairs they could not be reached. We were told that they were not in the budget. The home was advertised with a self cleaning oven, however I found out that it did not work when I attempted to clean the filthy oven they failed to. I called to inform them, they sent a appliance repair man out and after he did a consult I was told that the repair was not in the budget. The home was absolutely filthy upon move in, my mother and I spent 2 weeks...yes, you read that right 2 weeks cleaning the house from top to bottom. This included body scum and hairs (use your imagination) out of the bathroom, the kitchen was covered in grease which took a few days to scrub out, the stove was layered in grease from the previous tenants, the windows had dog nose prints all over that were never cleaned and when I cleaned then they had a black and yellow film on them. There was a wad of gum in the corner of the kitchen that had been there so long, they painted partially over it and I had to wash boogers from the walls in the bedrooms and there was a mystery red splatter on one wall (I hope it wasn't what I had feared). New flooring was put in the home just prior to our move in, carpeting was removed from the home and the baseboards were in need of repair and clean-up and a good painting. I asked about that and was told that they would be sending someone out to do that a week or so after...that never happened. When I asked about that, I was told it was not in the budget. The walls were filthy with fingerprints, dirt and grime. I looked down my hallway and could see remnants from the previous tenants pictures clear as day. There was dirt on the master bedroom wall that I nor my husband could scrub off. Holes, bolts, and anchor holes were left in the walls, when we asked about then painting to cover the holes on the walls and dirt we were told it was not in the budget. I then told them I would paint it myself (with my own money) and I was told that I could not do that, I would be in violation of my lease. Apparently it was too much to ask to have a clean house that didn't have holes in the walls. The yard had a play set, and I have two little girls under the age of 4, however it was of no use and not safe to play on. There were large gauge nails sticking out, some at eye level when the girls played in the yard, the slide was broken at the top so that when my girls attempted to slide down their shorts would get caught and snag. The shed that was advertised was broken, the doors clung to their hinges, we requested it to be fixed and again, that was not done. The yard was littered with cigarette butts (it was advertised as a non-smoking house) laundry remnants and dog feces from the previous tenants dog. I had to clean that all prior to being to even let my own dog out. We were told prior to us moving in that they were going to replace the eaves and soffetts as they were horribly rotted and they didn't want damage to happen to the home...it was never addressed until a contractor finally came to give a estimate and then we never heard anything further. Half the windows were painted shut or stuck and could not be opened, they had not been cleaned out in a long time as there were wads and wads of spider webs and cob webs adorning all corners. The ones that we could open (3 windows out of 11 windows) had to be vacuumed out, and then we discovered the screens did not even fit that windows. There were large gaps that a small cat could fit through and my husband had to tape them with duct tape just so we could open windows safely. The Air conditioner went out shortly after moving in and it was of course during a week where we were in the high 90's temp wise and I couldn't open windows to cool the home, I made several attempts to speak with the landlord and they dodged for a bit and then finally sent out a AC company to estimate the cost. It took them a week and a half to make a decision, this was only after I called and argued with them that they have tenants with small children living in this home, and due to the lack of care the windows do not function properly and I was still told that they were still waiting on the owner. At this point I informed then that I knew they were the owner and that I didn't appreciate the lies. Upon hanging up, the owner of Home Again Properties (also the owner of the house) called and told me that she was "breaking our lease and that we were free to leave as soon as we found another home to go to." We were only in the home for a month and a half and had nothing but problems from the get go. I guess it is too much to ask for a decent home to reside in. I am originally from the Chicago suburbs and the standards of rentals down here pale in comparison to what I grew up with. I am not asking for a mansion with marble floors, but I expect when a home is advertised as "well kept, charming 3 bedroom home," that it is actually well kept, maintained and freshly painted. Show pride in your investments and care for your work. It has been almost a month since we were asked to leave, and I am STILL waiting for the refund of my security deposit, as they told me they have to check the property for cleanliness and any damages. Home Again Properties is not a honest company, and cannot keep their end of the agreement that they hold you to, but try to blame you for the end result. They want you to keep their home tidy and clean, but cannot even do that in the beginning but yet they keep the deposit money from the tenants before us and did nothing with it other than keep it. I would not recommend this company to anyone.