Consumer complaint received 2021-09-16
Product: Debt collection — Other debt
Issue: False statements or representation — Attempted to collect wrong amount
Company: T.S. Holdings (MD)

My family and I were moving out of the apartment at XXXX XXXX XXXX and notified the leasing office on XX/XX/XXXX ( Appendix A ). As we were unsure of our exact move out date, we continued our communication with the leasing office from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX before finalizing the move out date at XX/XX/XXXX ( Appendix B ). We followed up with email communication regarding move out date, pro-rated rent, and returning keys on XX/XX/XXXX but received no response ( Appendix C ). We followed up again with the leasing office on XX/XX/XXXX as XXXX rent was soon due, but again received no response ( Appendix D ). My family and I ended up moving out before the end of XXXX. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a call from XXXX XXXX from the leasing office, claiming that our lease had expired on XX/XX/XXXX and that we needed to return our keys ASAP. I drove over to the leasing office and confirmed with Mr. XXXX that our move out date was XX/XX/XXXX instead of the originally agreed XX/XX/XXXX. There had been prior incidents of miscommunication where members of the management team possessed incorrect/conflicting information ( Appendix E & F for example, where I was double charged for the same utility twice and meter reading for gas was misidentified ), so I confirmed with Mr. XXXX whether the system showed the most up-to-date information. Mr. XXXX confirmed again and said the system indicated our lease had expired and we needed to return our keys. I returned the keys and parking passes on the spot and Mr. XXXX signed off on the move out document ( Appendix G ) confirming the move out date as XX/XX/XXXX. Before I left, I asked Mr. XXXX if my account was all settled. He confirmed and said I should get my deposit back in 2-4 weeks. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a Statement of Security Deposit Accounts ( Appendix H, postmarked XXXX ) showing the move out date as XX/XX/XXXX and indicating that I owed half of XXXX rent and full utility charges for XXXX despite confirming the move out date as XX/XX/XXXX and returning the keys/parking passes on XX/XX/XXXX. I called the leasing office on the same day, but the phone number included in the statement was incorrect to begin with. Thankfully, I found the correct number on my cellphone call history. Mr. XXXX happened to be the person picking up my call. During the call, Mr. XXXX confirmed that he recalled receiving my keys/parking passes and signing the document. He confirmed again that the system did in fact show XX/XX/XXXX as our move out date, and was not able to explain the discrepancy. He said he would reach out to his manager ( XXXX XXXX ) and call me back. He called me back and said that his manager claimed my move out date was XX/XX/XXXX ( referring to our prior email communication ) and the system erroneously put in the wrong date of XX/XX/XXXX. I asked him to justify the conflicting information between what the system showed and what the manager said and questioned why I should pay for the additional charges when I already returned the keys on XX/XX/XXXX after confirming multiple times with the leasing office. I explained that the most recent communication from the leasing office was that my lease ended on XX/XX/XXXX, and I did my due diligence by confirming the date/information multiple times. As a result, the new date ( XX/XX/XXXX ) needed to be honored. Mr. XXXX was unable to provide a response, and said he would escalate the issue to his manager, Mr. XXXX, so he would reach out to me instead. I sent a follow up email later that night recapping my concern and including the signed move out document. I also asked for some additional clarification of the charges ( Appendix I ), but never received any response or call back. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a letter in the mail ( Appendix J, dated XX/XX/XXXX ) indicating the disputed amount was sent to the collection agency on XX/XX/XXXX. I was disappointed that the leasing office did not respond to any of my questions and concerns and felt that they were not acting on good faith by avoiding communication and sending the amount to collection. Weve gone above and beyond to attempt to resolve this issue amicably ; however, as of today, the leasing office showed no signs of willingness to communicate with us.