AIMCO - Apartment Investment And Management Company ripoff SEVEN LIES ABOUT AIMCO AND HOW THEY FORCED MY FAMILY FROM OUR HOME Denver Colorado

My husband and I lived in an AIMCO property for 16 months from 2002-2003. It was a horrible experience. Our neighbors played music at all hours of the night and smoked a lot of marijuana, which invariably seeped into our apartment. I ended up having to be treated for cough variant asthma after living in that place. My car was broken into, even though i had parked under a streetlamp in the parking lot. It turned out the lamp and several others in the vicinity was broken. We had to sign a statement that we were neither sex offenders nor convicted felons before we could move into our apartment, but I later found out that registered two sex offenders lived in the community. And to top it all off, we were treated very badly when we moved out of the apartment.

I think Richard of Clearlake, CA is telling the truth about his experiences because my husband and I experienced a very similar situation in Virginia. I couldn't be more pleased to be out of that community and will never rent from AIMCO again.

I completly understand your situation, where my wife and i were told that it is a great comunity, and now we are dealing with gunshots, bass-playing @**holes, garbage ridden hallways, wondering drugies, and usless managment staff.
Only through my own fault, by not reading the full lease, i am stuck with an apartment comunity that i have no way of getting out of their lease, which is ONLY in the interests of AIMCO, the money grubbing thieves. All their lease's consist of is, how they are not responsible for anything, how to rip people off, get them into unbreakable leases and keep people stuck into that loophole. Very pissed and will speak against AIMCO loudly.
So, yes, i second your opinion, and do agree with your posted AIMCO lies. Bastards..........

Sincerely,
pissed-off
in Florida.

(These are my opinions on Aimco as I feel they are. By no way was I associated with Aimco when I wrote this. Also not one time did I see any valid reason for this being posted on the site. Aimco has not ripped you off in any way, why are you on here?)



AIMCO (Apartment Investment and Management Company)

LIE #1: 'From the very first day, you're at home.'

(Truth #1: As an ex employee, Aimco does make sure you're at home. They have very strict rules for the A/C issues. You complained about the air conditioner here, but you also don't take in to perspective that not all properties are like this. I was head of maintenance at another property they owned. A/C calls in the summer take priority over everything else. Also put in to perspective that low income housing is not the best place to choose to live, anyone with common sense would know that. Some of your "Hardships" are not really justified.)


LIE #2: 'Our communities are committed to providing excellent service.'

(Truth #2: It is very hard to evict someone for noise. Common sense would say to call the police for noise complaints, however most properties do have quiet times, in which case the noise should stop after a certain hour. It is very hard to evict someone without the paper trail.)


LIE #3: 'We want to make it easy for you.'

(Truth #3: Again here is where you complained about it being hard. Most people would say call the police, get the report and keep doing it. You are dragging "Lie #2" into this one. They try to make it easy for you, however if you are being unreasonable with things like this, it is very hard for them to do anything. You chose to live in a shady part of town. There is not a whole lot they can do to the area to improve it.

Being a low income housing property has a lot of challenges, there is a lot of things that low income housing does that Aimco takes hits for. Most low income housing residents do not get charged for damages to the units upon a resident moving out, and it is especially hard to evict someone that is on low income housing. )


LIE #4: 'AIMCO prides itself on being a good neighbor and customer-focused, on caring for each other while also working to make a positive difference in the world outside AIMCO.'

(Truth #4: Aimco is in the business to make money, that is correct. That is why most companies are in business. If you had a business would you want to make money? Aimco strives to take pride in the properties it owns, just judging a company by one property is kind of like judging a car based on one model. You don't just keep complaining about it, even though they've changed the product.)


LIE #5: 'AIMCO Builds Community: Helping Families and Children.'

(Truth #5: Aimco cares is a program that gives back to the community, it is a volunteer program in which Aimco gives each employee 8 hours per year to do public service. Your misrepresentation of this program does not justify your reasoning. You are constantly dragging the same things down.)



LIE #6: 'AIMCO cares.'

(Truth #6: I feel sorry but I had to laugh at this one. Again you misinterpreted the Aimco cares program, look at #5.

Aimco cannot go back 20 or so years and redo the building codes to make the apartments silent. Aimco probably bought the property long after it was built. They just can't go in and replace walls and floors. The cost of that would be astronomical. For you to say relatively inexpensive is a total understatement.

The flooring alone would cost an insane amount to replace. First would be the flooring itself. It's probably 3/4 inch plywood, lets see it might take 15 to 20 sheets at about $15 a piece, yeah thats inexpensive. Put into account labor to put in all the plywood, we just jumped to over $30,000. Now take into account that most floors have a subfloor, it's usually about an inch thick. That usually goes for about $35 to $40 a bag, and covers about 50 square feet. So in order to do a 1000 square foot apartment it would probably take about 20 bags give or take. The subflooring material would cost about $800, now the labor, it would probably take a crew of 3 to do the work in 10 days, lets say they charge $25.00 an hour, which is underpriced and they work 10 hours a day. That would be roughly $7500. Then put into account that the unit will need to have the carpet and vinyl redone, that would be about $2500 to $3000 for an average 3 bedroom unit. Also the units will need new cabinets and counters, lets round that to $4000. So the total price would be roughly $45,000. That is not inexpensive at all. Most companies just don't have the money to replace everything to make them silent.

The walls are a whole new ballgame. Might as well tear down the building and rebuild the building, it might be cheaper.

Most people that live in an apartment should expect some kind of noise. Soundproofing walls, huh, don't they have those in the record studios.

I have lived in apartments for over 10 years now, I expect there to be noise, most properties that I've lived at have been about 22 years old. They built the properties for the cheapest bid. It's an APARTMENT, you have different cultures and personalities living above you, and near you. If you want silence move in to a house)


LIE #7: 'AIMCO is committed to protecting your privacy.'

(Truth #7: Protecting your privacy doesn't mean what you described. By protecting your privacy they are making the statement that they will not enter your unit unless they have given you a notice or you have given them permission, or an emergency. That is what this means. Do you have proof that the property management staff told them about the noise complaints? Did you file reports or press charges against the offenders?)



(If you have a disability that requires peace and quiet, why did you move to an apartment community. It's the same no matter where you go, Aimco can't guarantee this because it is something you can't guarantee)

(Again you are dragging things in here that you are capable of handling. I am not going to repeat what I wrote. Police officers do handle noise complaints also. You never once mentioned that you contacted the authorities to complain)

(If you had called the police enough times, they would have done something about the drug issue. Did you get report numbers? Badge numbers? If you called them it would have been easier to get people like that out.)

(Aimco does not see the complaints as nuissances as you described, there is some responsibilty that falls on you as a renter, it is not their job to keep tabs on everything that happens on the property. It is up to you as a renter to make the proper authorities aware of issues that the office can't handle)

(You act like filing an eviction takes a phone call and that's it. IT'S NOT THAT EASY, trust me. It takes more than just one thing to evict someone. State laws require legitimate reasons to evict someone. It is VERY hard to evict someone because of noise. You never followed the proper path to make it easier for them to do it.)

(Aimco Did not Lie)

(Here is the victim card, a lot of people nowadays seems to think that they are a victim of something. Nobody asked you to leave the property, no one held a gun to your head and said move out. There is hundreds of other "Low Income" housing properties out there. For you to place sole blame on Aimco for your housing dilemma is ignorant. Please don't use Aimco as a scapegoat for your issues.

So for three years you have stewed over this, and blame them. What did you do for the three years you were doing outside of Aimco? Life does not stop because you think you are a victim. Three years after you move out and decide to complain is kind of like beating a dead dog after three years. A lot happens in three years and it is not Aimco's fault that you are in the situation you are in now.)

(Please stop blaming Aimco for your issues, they did not put you below the poverty level. Nor did they do anything out of the ordinary for a low income housing property. A lot of the blame can be put on you for not following channels correctly)

Don't avoid Aimco, avoid this thread.

Shawn
Scottsdale, Az
U.S.A.

WHAT FOLLOWS IS AN UPDATE REGARDING AIMCO'S POLICIES AND WHAT THEY HAVE DONE TO MY FAMILY SINCE MOVING OUT IN 2004.

SINCE LEAVING MY BROTHER-IN-LAW'S DILAPIDATED LITTLE TRAILER, HE HAS BEEN WARNED TIME AND AGAIN TO TEAR IT DOWN OR THE COUNTY WILL DO SO FOR HIM.

WE ARE STILL LIVING WELL BELOW THE POVERTY LEVEL, ACCUPYING A SMALL LIVING SPACE ADDED ON TO MY PARENT'S HOME. (NOT SURPRISINGLY, MANY YOUNG FAMILIES ARE LIVING WITH THEIR FOLKS GIVEN TODAY'S HIGH COST OF LIVING, HIGH RENTAL PRICES AND LOW WAGES.)

YES, I HAVE SINCE WRITTEN TWO LETTERS TO AIMCO, EXPLAINING WHAT HAPPENED THEN AND WHAT MY FAMILY IS STILL SUFFERING THROUGH NOW.

AND STILL...NO RESPONSE.

ALTHOUGH WE HAVE LEARNED MANY IMPORTANT LEGAL LESSONS AS A RESULT OF THE NIGHTMARE AIMCO PUT US THROUGH.

I NEVER WANT ANYONE TO FORGET THE HELL MY FAMILY WENT THROUGH SO NEEDLESSLY. WE ARE GOOD PEOPLE AND DID THE BEST WE COULD TO BE FRIENDLY NEIGHBORS, HOWEVER, SINCE CALIFORNIA STATE LAWS PROTECT PEOPLE LIKE OUR NOISY, RUDE, HATEFUL, SPITEFUL EX-"NEIGHBORS" WE LOST OUR HOME AND ARE NOW TECHNICALLY HOMELESS.

NEVER FORGET WHAT WE HAVE GONE THROUGH SO ANYONE INTERESTED IN RENTING AN APARTMENT "HOME" FROM AIMCO, KEEP IN MIND YOUR SANITY AND LEGAL RIGHTS SHALL BE TRAMPLED UPON.

YOUR PATIENCE WILL BE TESTED.

YOUR MONEY WILL BE LOST FOREVER.

AND THAT IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.

Russ--

It was heartening (and enlightening) to realize that there are individuals out there that have had positive experiences with AIMCO. I am saddened that you lost your original apartment in that storm. I realize it must have been a tremendously difficult ordeal for you and am glad to know AIMCO helped you find a new place to live.

I believe, however, FEMA may have played some role in the process of your relocation and, if I am mistaken, perhaps another federal agency offered the assistance you required to survive and move on with your life. If AIMCO alone was responsible, congratulations. Given the fact that AIMCO actually took action when action was required not only amazes me, it makes me wonder what my family and I could have done differently to obtain similar empathy.

Which brings me to another point, Russ--and please don't take offense at what I am about to suggest. I think your situation was radically different than the circumstances my family and I found ourselves in.

We were not ravaged by a hurricane or some other natural disaster--we were inundated on a daily basis by loud, noisy neighbors who broke a lease policy that was never once enforced by AIMCO. If AIMCO had enforced their own rules and regulations regarding noise, the sale of narcotics, the use of street drugs, and terrorist threats, we would still be living there, peacefully and happily.

Unfortunately--as I mentioned above--we now find ourselves in the cramped quarters of a small add-on in the back of my parents' home, struggling to save enough money for a security deposit, first month's rent, and last month's rent on a place of our own. Where we live, the kind of money I'm talking about is somewhere in the neighborhood of $3,000.

To my family, that is an unbelievably substantial amount of money and, due to our credit rating, debt incurred from medical expenses, and the fact that I am on disability income through the federal government and the state of California, getting a bank loan to rent (or even buy) a new home is essentially a pipe dream at this point.

But it all began with AIMCO's inability--or unwillingness--to enforce the rules of their own lease agreement.

If AIMCO had gone through the proper legal process of serving these disruptive, drug-selling, drug-abusing neighbors with notice of eviction, we would not have been forced from our own home.

Again, Russ, I am glad to know you are safe and received the help you needed from AIMCO (and, perhaps, FEMA).

But your case is so absolutely and completely different from our own that I am uncertain your point could be taken positively in this particular instance and in this particular thread.

God bless and good luck to you in your future endeavors. I wish you all the best.

I lived in an Aimco property for a year and a half in Florida. Now maybe the original poster had a bad property manager, or maybe their attitude wasn't very accomodating, I don't know. In my case, Aimco's management and leasing agents answered every phone call, email, and memo in a timely and caring fashion.

After the hurricanes of 2004, Aimco's people were quick to respond to a hole in my ceiling, as well as water damage on the carpet.

When it was time for me to move, they showed me other properties in the city I now reside, and made phone calls to those properties to see if there were any vacancies.

Though I didn't move to another Aimco property, I would recommend this company to anyone, regardless of income, as a fine property owner.

In my outrage, I overlooked an error my English professor would have called a "double negative." Let me fix that with the following revision...

--So my family's peace, quiet and privacy continued to be violated, threatened, abused, and handled with impotence rather than decisive, legal measures, enforcing the lease agreement rather than further alienating me and my family.--

Just in case there were any raised eyebrows regarding my initial paragraph.

And thank you, Rip-Off Report.com for letting me vent and finally get a couple of years of frustration off my chest while, at the same time, warning people about the evils of AIMCO.

AIMCO: Don't believe their hype!