Dallas Fort Worth Renter Alliance,
Thank you for providing this outlet. I don't think the new owners of Havenwood understand that we have a voice and ways to address what we feel is wrongful, possibly illegal, certainly unethical practices by the new landlord.
In other words we are being nickel and dimed to death.
Several years ago, like has already been mentioned, the previous owner instigated allotted water billing. At that time the bills averaged between $12 and $24 depending on your apartment size. We were told when this started that sharing in the water bills gave us incentive to save water and keep our rents down, by keeping the high cost of water down.
In all my years of living in Havenwood the rent had never gone up. Til this water bill was added.
And then the new landlord took over. The water bill was switched, without notice, to a new company, NES. The bill jumped about $10. Then the bill went through what we were told was a "catch-up" period to make the water bill more concurrent with the rent due bill. How could the water bill have been months behind the rent due date when water billing could only have begun with a new lease period?
I believe doing this was fraudulent and against Landlord Tenant Law and TCEQ rules. During this "catch-up" period the bills for various renters ranged from the high $30 to over $50.
How doe this motivate us to save on water use to save money?
And then, again, mid-lease the water billing company was switched, this time to Comptrol Technologies, with the amount charged for water again increased, with no explanation for the increase.
And then the new landlord started raising the rent. For the first time since I moved to Havenwood the rent went up. First a small $5 increase, then a $22 increase and now a $33 increase. Between the rent increases and the water billing increase rents have gone up between $70 and $100.
Is there no Fort Worth Fair Housing Agency which looks after things like this?
I forgot. I keep referring to the rent surcharge as the water bill. Originally it was a combo water and sewage bill.
Then the new landlord came along and added a $1.95 recycling fee. Then a $4.95 shared natural gas allotment fee, along with a $3.00 alarm fee.
The natural gas fee is to pay for the gas which heats our hot water. All these "fees" used to be included in the rent. Rent which has now been greatly increased, along with the surcharge bill.
In the lease documents each of these fee addendums makes reference to the allotment method being based on TAA guidelines, implying some sort of state agency guideline, when the fact of the matter is TAA is Texas Apartment Association which is basically an apartment industry group of landlords. In other words TAA guidelines hold no weight in the legal real world.
What is next with this Snidely Whiplash nickel and diming landlord?
An exterminator allotment fee to help pay for the constant fight against cockroach infestations? Encouraging tenants to keep rent costs down by fighting cockroach infestations on their own?
A parking fee if you want to keep a vehicle on the property?
A shared allotment fee to help pay for the landscaping cost?
A shared allotment fee to help pay for exterior safety lighting?
A shared allotment fee to help pay for the office help?
With all these fees being based on TAA guidelines, of course, so as to motivate the tenants to help keep costs down and thus avoid any rent increases.
Many residents of Havenwood are looking to bail before it gets worse. It is not easy to move.
I am contacting the Fort Worth agency in charge of housing to see what can be done.
Thank you,
Longtime Havenwood Resident Looking To Move
