Rental Manager added on a fee

[debbief4]

What is the state: South Carolina

My husband and I moved into a townhome in April. On the day we moved in, the floors were covered with ground in sheet rock dust and were white because of it. We had to fight with the manager to have someone come out and clean this up. Note, this is a high end rental community. Cleaners came out and fixed the floors.

Flash forward to a couple of weeks ago when I asked for the balance I needed to pay in June because we were getting 2 months free. They added on a $200 deep cleaning fee. My husband verbally spoke with the property manager in April about getting the floors cleaned and she never told him there would be a fee. She even sent us our ledger balance 4 days after move in and that didn't have a cleaning fee on it. Now there is a new manager and she says the cleaning fee stands.

Can they legally get away with this? Nothing in writing nor verbal about this cleaning fee.

 

[adjusterjack]

Can they legally get away with this?

Sure, if you let them.

Refuse to pay it, eventually get a non-pay termination notice, followed by eviction, and when you go to court you'll win and you won't have to pay it.

Or, if you can't get it resolved at management level, find out from the county assessor who the owner of the building is. Probably a corporation, with a President, whose cage you can rattle with a letter threatening a lawsuit.

 

[FarmerJ]

By chance did you take pictures of the dirty unit they delivered to you ? If you did then when you write your letter to management / owner include a copy and in the letter the current the management attempting to make you pay to clean up a unit that was delivered to you with what appears to be drywall dust all over the flooring sets a negative tone as your a new tenant and this charge is unfair and send the letter via certified mail keeping a copy for your records stapled to your postal receipt.

 

[debbief4]

What is the state: South Carolina

My husband and I moved into a townhome in April. On the day we moved in, the floors were covered with ground in sheet rock dust and were white because of it. We had to fight with the manager to have someone come out and clean this up. Note, this is a high end rental community. Cleaners came out and fixed the floors.

Flash forward to a couple of weeks ago when I asked for the balance I needed to pay in June because we were getting 2 months free. They added on a $200 deep cleaning fee. My husband verbally spoke with the property manager in April about getting the floors cleaned and she never told him there would be a fee. She even sent us our ledger balance 4 days after move in and that didn't have a cleaning fee on it. Now there is a new manager and she says the cleaning fee stands.

Can they legally get away with this? Nothing in writing nor verbal about this cleaning fee.

Update: Thanks guys. I was able to get them to remove the fee.

 

[LdiJ]

Update: Thanks guys. I was able to get them to remove the fee.

Would you mind telling us what you had to do to get them to remove it?

 

[FarmerJ]

When the time comes that you do move now that you have had this experience make sure you take exit pictures of how nice and clean you left every thing from A to Z and print them off , pics to include insides of empty closets and cabinets and insides of tubs, sinks , toilets, shower stalls , fridge and your empty rooms , pics that show carpets clean and vacuumed and any so called normal wear and tear , inside of oven, fridge, freezer, too for your records and should you have a dispute with the LL about your damage deposit funds yiou will have a record to show a court how clean you left it.