Real Property Management - Las Vegas, Tod Weaver, Rex Henriott: Failure to provide honest communication, timely engagement, quality maintenance and secure property. Las Vegas Nevada

This complaint covers activities engaged in by Real Property Management Las Vegas (RPMLV) from 12/26/2012 through 5/14/2013.

I have been a residential property owner and landlord for more than 10 years and purchased a 4-unit residential building in Las Vegas, NV in May 2011. For the first 18 months, I contracted a private individual to provide property management services and did not encounter any significant issues. In December 2012, I decided to engage with a property management company to have a more consistent experience including formalised accounting, inspections and broader advertising to more effectively find and retain longer term tenants.

I initially contacted RPMLV on 12/11/2013 and signed an agreement to begin property management services on 12/26/2013. The initial introduction and discussions with RPMLV were conducted by Shellie (Sales). She confirmed that RPMLV had extensive experience in managing 4-unit buildings, that they provided weekly drive-by inspections (managing agents were assigned based on proximity to their home location), that all updates would be available via an online portal and that they were very proactive in advertising any vacant units in hundreds of databases.

Payment for all setup fees was issued 12/31/2012. One unit was rented under a pre-existing lease agreement (Unit B). Three units required maintenance to get rent ready - maintenance estimates for Unit A and Unit C were received on 1/8/2013. Following a request for additional information on estimates (including options to install security film / doors) and 8 follow up emails and escalations to Karla (Maintenance Coordinator), Jordan (RPMLV Support), Shellie (Sales), I received a response to maintenance queries on 1/30/2013. Jordan agreed to install security film at no cost to make up for the delays in service and I approved maintenance fees 2/3/2013 including issuing payment, nearly 4 weeks after initial queries were raised. This delay had a direct impact to the timeline to complete maintenance.

On 2/9/2013, RPMLV confirmed maintenance to be completed by 2/15/2013. Following 9 requests for status (between 2/9/2013-3/24/2013) including escalation to Karla, Jordan, Shellie, and Tod (Owner), RPMLV confirmed maintenance complete on 3/25/2013, nearly 5.5 weeks beyond the original agreed date. This had a direct impact to the timeline to begin showing the property to prospective tenants.

RPMLV failed to issue notification that the tenant in Unit B did not pay rent for March 2013 until queried on 3/24/2013 following receipt of the monthly statement. On 4/4/2013, I followed up on status of tenants in Unit B and received confirmation that an eviction request had been filed. On 4/8/2013, Jordan confirmed eviction of tenants in Unit B complete and locks had been changed. All four units in the building were now vacant and I expressed concerns over security of the building without a tenant.

On 1/3/2013, Jennifer (Marketing Coordinator) emailed an introduction stating that I would receive a weekly email update on marketing. On 4/4/2013, I followed up with Jennifer on status of advertising and response rates as I had not received any further emails following her initial introduction. For more than 4 months (1/3/2013-5/2/2013) and through 15 emails, I did not receive a single tenant application from RPMLV nor did Jennifer ever provide details on response rates to advertising or confirm why photos were not initially included with advertisements. No signs were ever posted at the building site. Jennifer and Tod both stated that advertising began in January 2013, however, the first Craigs List advertisement was posted on 3/20/2013 and the property was listed on MLS on 4/17/2013. Delays and lack of advertising had a direct impact on ability to find potential tenants.

On 5/9/2013, I received an email from Jordan stating that Unit A had been broken into and vandalized including damage to the main electrical panel. I responded immediately to request confirmation that security film had been installed as agreed in January.

On 5/10/2013, I received a call from a concerned neighbor, who had tracked me down through a 'private investigator' as there was no other way to reach me directly, stating that more damage to my property had been sustained than I had been informed of. He stated people in the neighborhood had called the police on multiple occasions to report that people were attempting to break into my building and he was concerned that my building would become a place for crime and illicit drug use to take place if something wasn't done quickly. He stated that appliances, including my washer/dryer, had been stolen and air conditioning units on the roof had also been stolen.

I immediately phoned RPMLV and spoke with Jordan who agreed to send an RPMLV representative right away to investigate and report back on allegations. Jordan confirmed via email that the only damage sustained was vandalism in Unit A as previously reported.

On 5/13/2013, my CA property manager travelled to Las Vegas to investigate all allegations first hand. She determined that Unit A had been broken into and vandalised (copper had been ripped from electrical panel) and broken window had not been secured after RPMLV had discovered damage 4 days prior, washer/dryer in laundry room had been stolen and A/C units and roof had been tampered with including removal of 1 unit. It's unclear how much time had passed since all of the damages had occurred. RPMLV was unaware of the extensive damages incurred as they had not secured or inspected my building since before the last tenant was evicted.

Through further investigation in June 2013, it was determined that RPMLV ignored numerous phone calls from neighbors to Jennifer notifying them of attempted break-ins to the property. Additionally, I have also received reports from neighbors that tenants were living in units that I believed to be vacant while RPMLV was collecting rent without my knowledge (I have been unable to find evidence to support this).

Here were the key failures on the part of RPMLV:

1. Failure to advertise 'aggressively' and inline with expectations in original agreement to market in over 200 databases and post signs in building windows.

2. Failure to monitor and secure property:

   * Jennifer actively ignored multiple phone calls from a neighbor notifying her of people attempting to break-in.

   * Did not secure the building after finding the broken window in Unit A.

   * Did not investigate full extent of damage when initially discovered nor when explicitly requested to do so.

   * Did not install security film as requested and confirmed in January and no response when questioned about this following the break-in.

   * Did not post signs in windows for advertising or to enable neighbors and police to know who to contact following arrest of a suspect.

   * Did not file a police report after discovering break-on, even after confirming they would do so.

3. Failure to communicate honestly, including a pattern of avoiding questions when RPMLV failed to do something:

   * Failure to install security film.

   * Failure to confirm when advertising began, response rates and number of showings.

   * Failure to confirm who discovered break-in on 5/9 and who returned to check damages on 5/10.

   * Failure to notify when maintenance would be complete.

4. Failure to finish maintenance to an acceptable quality level:

   * Unit A - kitchen cabinets had missing drawers, rebuilt countertops were warped/not level, interior paint was not complete, no security film installed.

   * Unit C - interior was never cleaned, stove that was included in prepaid repairs was non-functioning and left in middle of living room, interior paint was not complete.

   * Attempted to cover-up inadequacy of kitchen cabinet repair by moving drawers from Unit D and transferring to Unit A (discovered by onsite representative on 5/14/2013).

On 5/14/2013, I notified RPMLV of the termination of our agreement and I have now proceeded with legal action (District Court case filed 11/23/2013).

All of the delays in maintenance and advertising, lack of securing the building (including installation of security film on ground floor windows), and lack of care in managing my property has resulted in excess of $12,500 in damages in addition to $12,249 spent on maintenance that was not completed to an acceptable level of quality. This does not include additional costs from lost rents due to delays, lost wages or legal fees.