Eaves Avalon Avalon Communities Security Deposit received after 30 days and Security Deposit check bounced Lawrenceville New Jersey

I moved from Eaves Avalon, Fox Run Drive, Plainsboro to Eaves Avalon, Lawrenceville.  The apartment which I rented was either on the same day or the previous day was treated for roaches by an exterminator and had a very strong, foul, chemical, toxic, carcinogenic smell.  Since I had already checked out of my previous apartment I could not do anything. There was absolutely no ventilation in both the bedrooms and I was stuck in an apartment infested with roaches and forced to inhale this carciogeic smell.  The next few days I saw a few small insects crawling but was not certain if they were roaches or just insects.  I informed the Management but they denied that the apartment had been ever treated by an exterminator.  Exactly one year after the day I moved, an exterminator knocks on my door to check whether this same apartment he had treated exactly one year earlier still had reminents of roaches.  This is the annual follow up his company does for apartments they treat.   Again, I informed the Management about this and they feigned ignorance.

The next problem I encountered was that my roof leaked for five days and damaged my sofa set.  They compensated me by waiving my rent for five days but refused to compensate me for the damage I suffered.  They asked me to collect the same from my home owners rental insurance policy I had.  The underwriters valued the damage as around $1800 and paid me less my deductable of $1,000.  The Apartment Management refused to compensate me for the damage saying they did not do it deliberately.  It was the air conditioner upstairs that was leaking that caused it and they cannot be held responsible even though the airconditioner and apartment upstairs was part of the complex and belonged to them.

The third problem I encountered when I moved from Eaves Avalon, Fox Run Drive, Plainsboro to Eaves Avalon Lawrenceville was that my security check bounced.  It took several phone calls and I spent hours before they issued a fresh check, less $36 for the bounced check, even though it was their check that bounced and I suffered an additional $35 fee from my bank for presenting their check that bounced.  So through no fault of mine, I suffered a loss of $71 because their check bounced. They returned $35 after forcing me to produce a letter from my bank and a copy of my bank statement as proof their their check bounced.  This took a very long time.

More than 1 month prior to moving into Eaves Avalon Lawrenceville, I handed over a security deposit of $750 for the new apartment I was going to rent.  The very same office handed over my security deposit more than 30 days after I moved out.  This is in flagrant violation of the NJ Real Estate law which stipulated amongst others, that the security deposit has to be returned not less than 30 days after a tenant moves out.  It also carries a fine not less than twice the security deposit amount and more for violation.  Having encountered a problem with my security deposit on both occasions I stayed in the community, I get the suspicion that they either commingle the security deposit money, or wait till they get another renter before they return the money.  TI asked them this question whether they commingle and they denied.  They also paid me a very low rate of interest 0.01% p.a. on my security deposit.  I cannot help getting the impression that they leverage the deposits of renters with their Bankers by paying renters low interest to get loans for themselves at below market rates.