Baugh Real Estate - Mark Gallion Deceptively Trick us into leasing a house needing much repair. Jonesboro Arkansas

My family and I began searching for a home in Jonesboro, Arkansas, in July 2024 and signed a lease for a house without seeing it in person on August 1, 2024 over email with Mark Gallion the property manager. We moved in on August 15, 2024, and were immediately met with severe issues, including unsanitary and hazardous conditions. The house was infested with mice and spiders and had a significant sewage backup throughout the property.

Before signing the lease, I specifically inquired with Mark Gallian about whether the house was on a septic system or connected to a sewer. He stated that he was unaware of this, citing that it was his first year managing the property. Shortly after moving in, the refrigerator failed, followed by a complete sewage backup throughout the house. We were bitten by spiders while we slept. The septic service company inspected the property and recommended pumping, but the property management company refused to authorize any additional necessary repairs, only opting for a temporary line cleaning.

When I asked Mark Gallian if he intended to clean the house before we moved in, he informed me that the property owner was solely responsible for ensuring the house was in a habitable condition. I also inquired about a move-in inspection form, a standard document used to assess the condition of the property before occupancy. Mark stated he was unaware of such a form. I took the initiative to download and complete the form, documenting the numerous issues, and submitted it to him along with a series of photos of the property’s condition.

Despite this, the issues were not addressed. The first thing I had to do was purchase numerous mouse and spider traps from Home Depot, as the property was infested. When I informed Mark about mold growing behind the kitchen cabinets, he claimed they lacked a maintenance staff but promised to send someone. The individual sent to address the mold did not speak English and only applied bleach to the affected areas, which has proven to be ineffective as the mold continues to grow. This property has been nothing but a series of escalating issues since we moved in. The sewage continues to back up, pests remain a constant issue, and the overall condition of the house is deplorable. The negligence of the property management company, especially Mark Gallian, is beyond unacceptable.

I would strongly advise anyone considering working with this company to reconsider, as their lack of professionalism and accountability is egregious. We were given a refrigerator with no shelving, the dishwasher died shortly thereafter and I had to install it. Additionally, I would like to highlight the extremely unprofessional and dishonest handling of payments. Mark Gallian stated that the owner of the property insists on cash or cashier's checks payments to avoid detection by the IRS, as he is on Social Security. This raises serious ethical concerns and further exemplifies the dishonest practices of this company. Mark Gallion does not accept online payments as they are traceable.

When I demanded Reimbursement of my labor and materials for remediation of the mold, and an overall cleaning of the house to meet basic health and safety standards. I was told by Mark that he wasn't going to do anything for us and if we wanted anything else done that we would have to take him to court in order to get full retribution and reimbursement for our labor materials we purchased to get this house livable. When the owner of the house came by in December to close some vents we gave him a bill instead and he was told if it is not paid we will be taking the property management company and to court we gave them till December 24th they didn't do anything so now we will be following a small claims lawsuit to recover. All you have to do to see the condition of this house is look at the pictures and figure it's twice as bad