Property Management Extortion

[maitai0331]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state?Maryland

This is a little bit different spin…but, I am a property owner, active duty military, currently stationed overseas. I hire a property manager to take care of a residential townhouse in Maryland. Recently I received notice that the refrigerator in the unit had gone out and needed to be replaced. In the notification which came on 14 April, I was offered 2 alternatives to buy a new refrigerator-both hovering around the $450 range. In my reply I stated that since all of the appliances were original with the house (at least 21-years old), that I wanted to take the opportunity to replace all the appliances. I forwarded the dimensions of all the planned appliances (refrigerator, stove and dishwasher) and asked the company to immediately verify that the planned appliances would fit in to the house and also that since it would take about 2-weeks for the appliances to be delivered, to arrange for the tenant to rent a refrigerator (of course with the cost deducted from the rent). A representative from the company called me to say that getting a rented appliance was a REALLY bad idea because the cost would be as much as purchasing a new refrigerator in the price range that they provided me and because 2-weeks was entirely too long for the tenant to be without a refrigerator. Also during this conversation I was informed that the tenant called on 5 April, but I was not notified of my “options” until 14 April 2005.

Of course I agreed that the tenant should not be without this basic necessity, but the price to rent an appliance seemed odd, and after my conversation with the representative, I called (very long distance) and confirmed that one could rent a refrigerator in that area, including taxes and insurance with free pick-up and delivery for about $29/week. I emailed the Property Management Company back and told them what I found and I also asked that they arrange for installation of the new appliances and removal of the old.

The property management company did not respond until today when they informed me that since this was a transaction I completed on my own and did not use their vendor, that they would not “get involved” with the transaction at all. To me this seems like extortion—that since I did not take their advice or use their "suggested" vendor, they are now leaving me hanging--not only will they not assist me by getting the measurements before hand with enough time to make another plan, but they won't even contract for installation or removal. I know that there is nothing that I signed that made me beholden to use their vendor --or else. Furthermore, nothing in the contract states that I can not be proactive and make major decisions concerning my own property. Is there anything I can do???