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RipOffReport has mentioned Equity Residential eight times. Consumers from all over the country have reported similar issues with Equity Residential fraudulent accounting procedures, unjust enrichment and overbilling.
ApartmentReviews had three reviews that listed similar issues; incompetency of the apartment management staff, their inability to resolve accounting misconduct and lack of interest in working with the residents toward problem resolution. I left mine there as well.
It appears that many consumers across the country have reported that Equity Residential has continually engaged in collection on paid invoices, illegal collections from residents who have moved away and later found out that they were being sued by Equity Residential.
A simple search of court records in Contra Costa county superior court, Walnut Creek branch, has shown pages of records for Whispering Oaks Apartments, a complex owned by Equity Residential. 
I was advised to contact Fair Housing, HUD and Better Business Bureau. I will be posting updates shortly.
If you are familiar with Equity Residential or Whispering Oaks Apartments in Walnut Creek, CA, and have a story you want to share, send me an e-mail activetrader925 at yahoo
I agree with your characterization of Equity. It recently purchased a rent stabilized building in Manhattan (London House) and incorrectly calculated the rent increases for several stabilized tenants. To make matters worse, the managing agent, Jane Malone, couldn't figure out how to do the calculations properly. These matters were eventually referred to Equity's attorneys.
ReplyDeleteI have had similar issues with Equity. I don't know what I can do to protect myself against them. This had truely been a nightmare. We haven't lived there since 2005 and we are still having problems! The issues seemed to have been resolved. We disbuted their bill and did not get a response from them. Two years later we found out it was on our credit report! - that is after we wrote them a letter disputing the debt and no one ever responded at all! We wrote another letter of dispute in 2007 after we saw that it was on our credit report. It was taken off our credit report so we thought the issue was resolved. Now we just received a call from a debt collector about this on November 6, 2008! What are we supposed to do? We wrote another letter of dispute but I don't know what our rights are. This is completely unfair! Equity is no help at all. They can't even seem to find one person who is in charge of our case. No one knows what is going on there. The debt collectors were not any help on the phone. They were rude and judgemental, suggesting that a crack in the bathtub was caused by us using harsh cleaners! How ridiculous!
ReplyDeleteI tried to click on the link that said to e-mail the original poster but it didn't work. Please, someone tell me what I should do.
yes, sorry about the e-mail link not working. I just edited this post to include direct e-mail. Take a look. Feel free to also post in this comment section as it brings awareness to other consumers
ReplyDeleteOk so ya I lived on post in fort lewis washington and moved in may of 2005. They took money out of my check from the army each month after I moved to colorado. Paid it off in full now I just received a letter from a collection agency wanting payment in full. They collection agency is Fair Collections & outsourcing from beltsville, MD they where no help at all telling me that they couldn't tell me how to contact equity residential and they where rude and told me that I had to deal with thme now not equity. So I've tried finding a way to get ahold of equity residential but have had no luck of even finding any number or so to get ahold of a person.
ReplyDeleteI am having a similar problem with Equity Residential, and have been trying to get a few people together, to do a Class Action case agaist them. Equity Residential lost a class action case filed against them in West Palm Beach, FL in 2004.(1.7 million in the class fund, & 20.15 million removed from credit reports!!) The Law Firm that won the case in Florida is Babbitt, Johnson, Osborne, & LeClainche . Please e-mail me with your name and phone number, so we can file a new class action case against them! I rented from New River Cove in Davie, FL and have been getting constant calls and letters from Fair Collections & Outsourcing for the last YEAR!!! Lets ban TOGETHER, and DO something about Equity Residential AND Fair Collections & Outsourcing !!! I have evidence to support the fact that we should not have been charged for replacing the carpet, and the other bogus charges they are trying to charge us!!We sent letters, e-mails, and made several phone calls to dispute the charges,and they have reported it on our credit report, and keep harrassing us on our business phone!!
ReplyDeleteSend your contact information to my e-mail address :
WandafulWanda@comcast.net
I actually work for Equity Residential in the midwest. I know for a fact that they are ripping people off. A few months ago the community I work at was not charging for "petty" stuff. We are now being told to charge for everything. Now that rents have dropped and Corporate America is feeling the pinch, they are charging all the way down to a $1.00 stove drip pan and a light bulb. They don't care about their residents, and they don't care about their employees, either. Just a bottom line for the investors and the CEO. It pisses me off too!
ReplyDeleteI have got to say that the management I have experienced at the Equity property where I live in Florida is the worst imaginable. No one cares. No one even listens. The crime is horrible, and no one cares. Things break, and the job to fix it is half a$$ and no on cares. Contacting the voicemail or email at their "resident relations" department is a joke. You cannot talk to a person. Good luck getting anyone to contact you. No one cares. Apparently the corporate office gets a lot of complaints because when I called there I got a VERY rude woman who told me that corporate could not help residents. Again, no one cares ... until you are a day late on your rent, and then they care.
ReplyDeleteIt is regretful that the corporate executives believe that the value of their investments and profits exceed the needs of the very people who purchase their product.The positions they are in demand that they treat people indiffently. How can you build wealth if you really care about the true needs of a person. I would ask if they consider themselves ethical and moral. If you say no one cares it is because there is nothing to be gained monetarily if they do care. Profiting and paying expenses is one thing but having ending year profits for any major company in the hundreds of millions is called exploitation.I myself could make a lot of money if I took advantage of the weekness and vulnerabilities of the average person. This is what corporations have done for the pride of America.
DeleteHello, I am writing you, not as a resident, but as an individual with important information. Last July Peter Samuel Jackson ( a maintance tech for Bradely Park and the Hamptons apts) in puyallup, WA and i started dating, eventually moving in together. Many very un professional things occured during this time. I watched another maintence tech (Robert Mays) get fired for accepting fish as a gift from a resident. While I lived with Peter, I've seen him borrow personal loans from residents and beg for money. I was down from breast surgery, i caught peter selling my percocet to other maintence techs at the hamptons so that he didnt have to take the on call pager. I purchased a car with my student loans. Peter waited until i was down from surgery, took my title down to the dmv and had my car switched in his name. I recieved his paycheck stubs on occasion in the mail. I found it interesting that his checks said that he was married and claiming two, since we werent married. A few weeks ago Homeland security and the IRS came to our door looking for him for marrying an illegal alien from the philipines (his step aunt) to get her a green card a year ago, they quickly got a divorce, but equity is still signing his checks as married and claiming two, he told me he does this so he can get less taking out in tax. I broke up with him. I couldnt handle all of the dirty things he was doing. a number of times took me into empty apartments at hamptons and bradley and we were intimate there. For awhile he was letting his friends stay in empty apartments at night when they were evicted. I was with him on 4 occasions where he sold equity tools and property to Pawn Xchange, i even have one of the reciepts slips. I think it's disgusting that you're letting someone like this man and theif work for your company. It doesnt say much for the company. When I broke up with him, he turned my dad into Bradley park for an old crime he committed in the 70's and last week, my 60 year old parents were evicted, he told me this is because I left him. These actions are disgusting, and if he is not let go do to ALL OF THESE things, not even one, I will have no other option but to take it to the newspaper. He has turned into a stalker and i have love letters that he has left me after we broke up. And now he has gone after my parents. This needs to end now and I certaintly hope you dont stand behind employees of this statue to represent you company.
ReplyDeleteIf you are interested in filing a class action lawsuit against FCO, please contact Melissa Payne @ 425.971.2803. That is my cell, thank you.
ReplyDeletethis company is the worst they told me to turn in my keys at the end of my lease which i did and than they charged me for 14 extra days stating i only gave 45 days notice not 60 yet i did not get to keep the apt the extra 14 days now they want 808 for extra rent. this company SUCKS AND THEY ARE CRIMINAL I TOLD THEM SUE ME
ReplyDeleteEquity in OC California lies about units empty. 2 to 3 families living in many apartments, 45% apts remain empty for several months in a row, whistleblowers given 30 day notice not to renew lease and mgmt makes false violation of harassment against whistleblowing tenant . mgmt not enforcing regulations or rules to illegals knowing they dont talk or complain due to there status. They cant keep good tenants or rent apartments because people dont want to live in the disfunction and mismanaged apartments that promise one thing and give another. This town talks to eachother and the problem is either the property management lieing or the entire company teaching their employees how to lie cheat and steal. Laguna Niguel needs to be investigated in person by its investors and government. This place use to be liveable or maybe I just was not informed. Equity can paint, try to do cheep remods and claim false and misleading great things for themselves but if you ask the residents who have lived here for a couple years or so..the truth will be told. Where is Dateline? by the way its not a hard to manage property…its the management that is the problem. Hpw about Equity and mgr SS TRY THE TRUTH IT MIGHT START THE RECOVERY PROCESS OF THE PROBLEMS.
ReplyDeleteI have problems with Equity myself in VA. When I moved out I was hit with a large bill. Some of which I was able to negotiate lower. It helps when they falsify documentation, which you can prove to be false. They will do everything to run up the charges on a bill including making up documents. Funny, I sent a check for a portion I agreed to pay and Equity refused to even cash it. Instead, they sent the whole amount to the credit agency. Now its all on my credit report. The government needs to take action against this company
ReplyDeleteI too had similar issues with Westerly at Worldgate apartment(Herndon-VA) owned by Equity Residential. They increased my rent without giving me sufficient notice and violated lease agreement terms. When i moved out they charged me all sort of fraudulent fees including insufficient move out notice fees. I filed written complaints with Fairfax County and even escalated it to the Fairfax County chairman. She and her team were very helpful. I even filed a complaint with Better Business Bureau and they too ruled in my favor stating that Equity Residential violated lease agreement and did nothing to correct the issue. Equity Residential still went ahead and reported this on my credit history. I have also reported this to the Attorney general of Virginia, Department of Justice and other agencies of the fraudulent charges and harassment by Equity Residential and their collection agency. The contact details of all the agencies are available on the web. It has been a long time but i still continue to seek justice. Make sure you have everything in writing. I even saved the complaint responses from Better Business Bureau in PDF format. If all complain the law enforcement agencies will take action against this company. Whenever there is an issue take photographs and send an email also so that you have everything that was discussed and the action taken in writing. There was water leakage in my apartment because the a/c water from the apartment upstairs leaked and my ceiling and walls were all damp and the carpet had mold. They charged me for painting/carpet cleaning etc. I lived in that apartment for more than six years and they still charged me all sorts of fees.
DeleteTELL ME ABOUT THE TACTICS USED BY FAIR COLECTIONS & OUTSOURCING. ARE THEY A SCAM? I SENT THEM A CHECK THAT HAS YET TO BE CASHED. YES,THEY ARE RUDE PEOPLE.
ReplyDeletewhen you come to see their apt (NYC) they say with a big smile that they change the carpets and gives you clean new!! carpets , they forget to tell you that at the end off the lease they will charge you for a new carpet.
ReplyDeletethey never clean the windows its so so dirty, they say you can turn your kitchen to a pass thru but they dont tell you they will charge you for it.