Chester Village Townhomes... Joel Gilbert This company is illegally holding my security deposit Bakersfield California

I rented from this company for three months and gave proper notice when I moved out. I have been waiting for my security deposit for almost two months now. I called the owner Joel Gilbert, whom we never met, after 30 days of waiting. He told me he would return it when he go to it. It is the law that he should have returned it to me or at least given me an explanation to why he has not within 21 days. I did not even contact him until after 30!! He has shown his lack business ethics by hanging up on us every time we called. He would not even give us his name, the only reason I got it was because he sent me a response email to an ad I posted on craigslist to warn renters about his company.

So far I have filed with the Better Business bureau here in Bakersfield and am awaiting a response from him as to why he has not returned my deposit. I highly doubt he will respond, but I am giving him the benefit of resolving it through the bureau before I file with the courts. He has twelve days left.

My boyfriend and I are 24 years old and moved to Bakersfield to complete our educations. We mistakenly rented the first place we were approved for before even seeing it because we lived so far away. We knew we had made a big mistake when the first day we moved in the toilet was leaking brown feces and urine filled water through the floor on to the stove downstairs in the kitchen. We had to use the bathroom down the street at McDonalds for over a week before they finally got it fixed. We immediately started to look for a new place and were much more cautious. It took us nearly two months, but we found a perfect place. We gave them their thirty day notice and left the place cleaner than when we moved in which the maintenance man at the apartments can confirm. He will not even give an explanation to why he continues to hold our deposit.

I am nearly six months pregnant and a low income college student. He left us completely broke over the holidays which is just plain cold. Also, he has given me such stress over this I fear for the health of my baby.

Do yourselves a favor and be careful who you rent from. This company will most likely illegally keep your deposit if you rent from them. Good luck.

Colleen
bakersfield, California
U.S.A.