There is a fine line between unethical and illegal.
Pathlight Property Management (AKA OPVHHJV LLC) IS Home Partners of America…
Home Partners IS Hyperion Homes…
Hyperion Homes was founded in 2012 by Lewis Ranieri who was identified in a Time Magazine "tell all" about the causes of the 2008 housing crash as "the college dropout and Salomon trader [who] coined the term securitization to name a tidy bit of financial alchemy in which home loans were packaged together by Wall Street firms and sold to institutional investors." Ranieri's financial distortion and manipulation through mortgage backed securities contributed significantly to the housing crisis of 2008 that devastated the US economy.
Have you ever seen the movie “The Big Short”? Lewis Ranieri’s legacy is featured in the opening scene.
Search "Lewis Ranieri The Big Short video clip" on YouTube.
Ranieri was interviewed in a 2017 Business insider article billed as “The Wall Street legend who helped blow up the world explains why his 'Frankenstein' creation went so wrong” in which was stated:
Even though he and other creators tried to stop the meltdown from occurring, Ranieri doesn't deflect blame for the tragedy that befell millions of homeowners and countless others that suffered through the financial crisis.
"It's absolutely true that many of us tried to stop it. But the fact is, it didn't stop," Ranieri said. "We, the creators, should never forget."
Apparently, Ranieri and other owner/operators of Pathlight Property Management (wholly owned by Home Partners of America) have already forgotten.
These same players are involved in a “next round” housing bubble in Washington, Oregon, California, Florida, Colorado, Georgia Texas and other states across the nation. They are filling their pockets with obscene amounts of money--over $700,000,000 according to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) records--while scamming renters and potential home buyers with the full intention of forcing them out of their homes.
I do not know where to begin; but the final straw was when my family returned home to find an eviction notice taped to our front door. Keep in mind, rent was paid. The eviction notice was because I had not paid the late fees. My rent is $3970. It is considered "Late" if it is not paid on the 1st. So yes, I have been "Late". I also cannot pay by any means other than a wire transfer - my bank waves the fee but Pathlight charges $25 to recive the wire. My banker told me that is unusual. Also, it is important to note that I have NEVER paid rent later than the 15th of the month it was due. My eviction notice was for $628. I could not go on to the portal and pay it online. Since it was the 2nd of the month I tried to pay the $628 but they won't take partial payment; meaning I had to pay $4598 or eviction proceedings were going to begin. When I called the high-school dropout who handles my account he said, "Let me see what I can do." When he called me the next day and asked about the payment I asked how the convo with the attorney went.. "ummm, oh yeah, umm I wasn’t able to get an answer because he had a lot to review." (I have this in an email, but I added the "ummm") Dude, am I getting evicted or not? I have a family. I have a wife who stays at home to help with my disabled 3 year old son. I work hard to keep things together but dealing with this company makes it very tough. I have given serious thought to writing the Seattle Times for help. There must be laws against this type of treatment. I saw one renter was complaining about her hot tub, no offense by my furnace has been out for 3 months. My dishwasher doesn't work, my gas stove has an unworking vent. I have been bit by a spider and suffered for 3 weeks with nausea. and, just last week, we discovered MOLD. Apparently they tried to cover it up with some crappy glue type epoxy stuff. And do not get me started on the customer service.
They will squeeze your for every last penny by making up charges to your account.
Never rent through these people! You'll pay way more for rent than they tell you. Keep in mind that they are only in business to make money. I pay my bills through US Bank bill pay. All of my bills go out on the first each month. My other bills arrive on time, but when I went back and reviewed my ledger at Pathlight, they had added late fees for 6 of 9 months saying the payment arrived late. There was no notification, just added $$ to the ledger, so if I wasn't looking, I would not have found the extra charge. They would not help, just said that they process checks when they get them, and if it happens to take a couple of days to get it processed then it may reflect as late. They suggested I pay the rent on the 25th of the prior month to make sure it gets there on time. RIGHT! I have that kind of money!! We have rental insurance through our regular insurance company. When the date listed on the policy copy that they had expired, instead of contacting me, they just started charging fee after fee through their insurance company. It ended up being well over $200 before I caught it- no email or other notification- just on the ledger which I do not check daily. And, they would not take the extra costs off for me, we had to pay it. But the worst experience was when one of the US bill payments "wasn't received"- my bank shows it going out on the 1st, and because you never know when the payments is late because sometimes it takes 2 weeks for them to post payments, I did not know there was a problem. Suddenly we get an email that says we have three days to pay or get out. I then paid our rent payment through their portal and asked them to send my check from US Bank back when they received it- which they did. But, because the payment through the portal was so late, they charged more fees and when I didn't see them, sent out another 3 day letter. Now, because there were extra fees charged and I hadn't sent the "full amount" they wouldn't accept the payment. I thought it must be a mistake because we had already paid...NOPE! Turns out that the had referred us to an attorney to evict us which cost us an additional $1800! I texted my account rep Tim Cernack and let him know that I was wiring him (24 hour payment- which is immediately confirmed with number from bank) the extra $$ from all of the fees, to catch us up. Nope- he would not return my text and by the time I got him on the phone, it was "too late", the attorney had already charged Pathlight for the work, and Pathlight therefore charged me- even though I wired the $$ within 30 mins (no way the attorney had even looked at the case by then),from seeing the charge and not being able to reach Tim Cernack. At this point we have paid them an extra $3200 in the last 4 months to stay in our home. Keep in mind this is over Christmas. They can see all of my communications through the portal. They know I was trying to pay/figure it out/contact Tim Cernack. I wasn't flaking on the rent. These people are looking for every way to make a buck. I would not be surprised if they get bonuses on the extra $$ they bring in. My account manager TIM CERNACK is a heartless jerk. Tried several times to reach Western Manager Ethan Aziz. He won't take a call or return a call. Do not rent from them. Somehow yas much our money will always be late, you won't even know it and if you end up getting behind because of it- too bad! Just don't do it. If you are a homeowner looking for a company to manage your rental- NOT THESE PEOPLE. If you are looking at a rental and Pathlight is the property management company- don't do it. There is no human factor here. They only want money as they can squeeze from every renter. FYI- I am 53 years old and have never had a problem with any other rental company before.
We made a mistake and signed a lease in February, 2018 on a house with Pathlight before we were able to see the inside of the home. Houses in the area we needed don't come up often and disappear quickly, and we had been watching for one for over two years (and lost a few to other renters). When we finally saw the home, it was a filthy, smelly, disaster (the tenant was still there). I briefly shared my concerns on the portal, and was told only that safety, structural, and mechanical things would be taken care of. We tried to see the house after the tenants left, and before our move-in date, but were told the homeowner did not allow it. If we had been allowed to see the state of the house before we moved in, we would not have made the move.
We moved in on 4-14-18, following are some of what we moved in to: -Carpets were soaking wet (pooled around our feet) -Smelled horrible. -Kitchen corners/floors filled with old food and mold
Kitchen and bathroom floor boards separating and warping - filled with dirt and old food. -Kitchen smells like mold - even after cleaning, can't find the source of the smell. -Grease on kitchen back-splash and cabinets. -One bedroom upstairs has urine smell in carpet, and old urine smell in vent. -Crayon and pen marks on walls. -Splash stains on ceilings. -Bad fill patches on walls. -Trash in yard. -Chalk marks on outside of house. -Recycling and Lawn Waste bins filled with garbage. -Touch up paints done in different sheen. -Peeling paint on rails, fireplace, and windowsills. -Things stuck in carpets (gum, peanut butter, chocolate, play dough, many unknown). -Fireplace mantle loose. -Shed power switch broken and slat missing. They sent a contractor out after I complained, and he sprayed simple green in the smelly vent and wiped it out. He then took a photo with his phone and said he could still see something sticky, but couldn't reach it. He walked the property but didn't do anything else. He said that when he was at the house after the last tenants, the carpets needed to be changed but Pathlight told them to instead just clean them. The cleaners said they had to "really soak them to get the filth out". One contractor neighbor, who walked the property with someone from Pathlight, told us that he suggested the flooring be changed and the interior painted as well, but Pathlight told him they didn't want to do that.
After 16 days in the house, the kitchen still smells like mold. The general smell is getting better, but the carpets still smell bad and are crunchy and/or matted in most places. The upstairs bedroom still smells like urine (even after many enzyme treatments), and the vent still stinks. Three of the five of us living here are experiencing respiratory issues that are worse when in the house for extended periods. We were told by Pathlight that they are refusing to do anything. When I tried to explain to Rachel that the house never would have rented in the condition it is in, she said "That's just it. You already signed the lease". When Chris Hakenson (also on the lease), spoke with Ethan, he said that signing the lease before seeing the inside "was your first mistake", when Chris was trying to get them to take the mold issue seriously. ...should there be any "mistake" when signing a lease with a property management company?
We were told that the house got a "contract clean", not a deep clean, and that - basically - they have no obligation to do anything because the lease we signed says we will take it "as-is". I'm sure the previous tenant lost their deposit, and we heard that they were charged an additional $5000 for damages. But - the money did not go back into this house. And I believe it is immoral and predatory for any company to take advantage of a situation as clearly as Pathlight has taken advantage of us.
Paying almost 2000 a month I wouldn't think that I would get charged just to have my drain unclogged that started a few months after moving in. With just a few days left before my lease is up, I get a bill for $262 for unclogging the drain with maintenance but this was many many months ago and just now letting me know there was charge. This is a ripoff, what is maintenance for?
When we looked at home the swimming pool was green so bottom of pool was not visible. We thought the pool was green due to the heavy rains we had been having.
After we moved in we discovered the spa did not work. It took several weeks & an all out continuous effort on my part to get them to repair. Initially I was told this property was "AS IS". This is an unusual policy for a rental property. When they did finally fix spa they disconnected water falls & will not restore to working condition.
In addition to spa not working there was a lot of dirt in bottom of pool. It took several weeks for pool company to get dirt out. When they finally did we then discovered that instead of resurfacing pool bottom they had painted it. This causes pool to be unusually slippery. In addition,the paint is peeling off & bottom of pool looks like it has dirt all over but it is just deteriorating pool.
When I requested they repair it or let me out of lease they said that while it is eye sore it does not affect pool so...no repair.
The kitchen cabinets have also started to peel off. Initially I thought the cabinets were wood when we looked at home but now realize they painted a dark, flat paint over high gloss white cabinets with out sanding or primer. This causes the paint to chip off when you use cabinets. They again refuse to repair. They said I should have told them prior to signing lease. Of course, if I was psychic & knew they had painted them improperly I could have.
The home in general is in poor condition. We have been there for 3 months. In that time we have had to have following repairs:
Airconditioning, thermostat reached 83. I was told they would be there that day so I sat in house for their 5 hour window. When they did not show & I had received no phone call advising me of that I called them. I was then told the crew was busy & that they would try to send emergency crew but they may or may not show. They did not show so finally the next day it was repaired.
The next week the hot water heater went out. This took 3 days so we had to boil water (which took an hour per bath) in order to go to work.
Flood, when we moved in delivery man went to hook up new fridge & the water valve in wall came off in his hand.
Dishwasher took 6 days before repair
Toilet took 6 days for repair
Outdoor paint is peeling, fence has broken slats, yard had infestation we had to pay to remedy, carpet extremely worn.
I would expect more for $3500 month but I am told repeatedly property will not be maintained, they intend for it to run down & if I want it fixed I need to do it. I am not buying this home, it is not part of their lease to own program. It is not my responsibility to remodel their property.
I also feel it is deceptive that they act like they are representing an individual landlord. The home is owned by SER Texas dba Hyperion Homes dba Home Partners of America which owns Pathlight Management. It seems they are a little less than transparent in their business dealings.
Moved into the house on July 14 and it was a disaster. Mold, holes in walls, never cleaned, ripped screens, leaking toilets. No one did a walk through. It has been a month and it is ME who has to constantly contact them. They have no accountability and only want their money. I am willing to contact a lawyer at this point to break my lease and get my money back PLUS compensation because of their horrible business practice.
I am spending my time to work with the contractors because they did not do their job. I really wonder if the owners of the property are aware of what is happening. We cannot enjoy our pool at night because the screans ALL need to be replaced. I have to daily contact my "Pathlight Residence Specialist" because she is not getting the work done.
I am so tired of doing their work. No matter who you contact, you get no reply and no resolution. No one follows up and you have to actually check to see if they put in work orders. Very bad cusomer service, they truly do not care.
I thought this was a legitimate rent to own company and searched for a home with the intent to purchase and raise my children here. unfortunately I wiil not purchase this home due to their "As Is" RIP-OFF reply. the hardwood floors are seperating. I have pictures from the day I moved in to show the floors did not look this way on my final walk through before I signed my lease. but hey are refusing to replace the floors. while replacing the deck the contractor hit a water pipe and water leaked into the basement ceiling staining the drop ceiling tiles and probably initiating the damage to the above hardwood floor and they will not replace either. also in addition to my rent there is an additional 200.00 water sewer trash monthly bill along with unknown charges of 118.00 increase to my rent payment agreement. i had zero intentions of moving again but they leave me no choice I will not purchase a home for this asking price with th amount of damage this property has. I still have not been given access to the original inspection report. Pathlight Management has very deceptive, dishonest business practices.
I have had numerous things break down in a home I am paying A LOT of money. I chose to rent so I wouldn't have to fix things. The fireplace worked when I moved in. It doesn't now. Numerous things have been broken and it's been a complete hassle trying to fix them. Most recently, when I called they indicated a tehnician would be out on Sunday and I needed to be home from 12-5. I was. No one came.
I called at 4 and they indicated that they couldn't find a technician and when they found one they would send them. No call on Monday. I called back and was advised it's a, "luxury item" and no one is coming to fix it. I find this appalling and disgusting. There are numerous reports about this company and it needs to stop.
I can't get the word out enough, I can't let enough people know. As long as they're still getting business from people I don't think we've done enough.
Everything about our experience has been incredibly painful. We don't have any money left between the fees and the surprise utilities mishaps, the unclear wording and the 60 page document they hand and demand that you sign within 48 hours. The lack of contact or help until they want money from you, the house repairs they avoid and never follow through on. If you deal with this company in any state deal with them only if you have a lot of money, a lot of spare time, a penchant for organization and the personal intention of ruining them. Everything about this company is something I'm not even sure i have the words for. This is the most pain and suffering I've ever experienced in the context of housing.
Pathlight property management is the property company that manages my house. We had a crack in the Pool skimmer and they hired a Contractor to replace it. The job was never finished but reported as complete.
I called multiple times . . . no answer as both outsourced company and pathlight 800 numbers were busy. spent over 4 hours trying to reach someone, finally got ahold of someone. Said that they would have the contractor contact me that day . . . never happened. Called again and filed multiple tickets through pathlight resident portal and still no responses back except "ohh so sorry we'll get it fixed" Going on almost a month and STILL NOT FIXED.
866-663-0866 THIS IS STILL NOT COMPLETE. WHO IS RUNNING THE SHOW HERE!!!!! Why am I, the paying client, having to QA your work, this is a joke. If this isn't handled in the next 72 hours I'm reporting to the BBB that this is rip-off from both of your companies. Called the 866 number AGAIN and it's still ringing busy. I'm literally at a loss for words here. THE AREA AROUND THE POOL FILTER WAS TORN UP BY YOUR TEAM INSTALLING THE NEW ONE AND HAS NOT BEEN FIXED YET.
It's now 03.14.18 almost 10 days later and not even a response back from our property manager.
The outsourced pool company which Pathlight hired and is responsable for this, came in replaced the broken skimmer and tore up all of the tiles around it and never came back to complete the job.
Sent Pathlight this on 3.05.18-
OMG are you guys kidding me!!!! This is by far the worst service and/or work-flow I've seen in some time. I was out of town on business and received the following- Your work order B1976985 has been completed! Service Description Pool/Spa -- Equipment -- Broken or Damaged SMS Assist 875 North Michigan Avenue Suite #2800 Chicago, IL 60694-1253 Phone.
I wish I had never heard of this company. They are so unprofessional. Feels like I’m renting from a slumlord. The stress of the last few months has wore our whole family down! I don’t even know where to begin... Several times I have been stood up for repair work (that is very poor work, if completed at all). They have canceled work orders and explained that I rented the house “As Is”......what?!?! They don’t care to fix anything. The “Make ready” was NOT made ready. House was filthy, smelly, full of spiders, and the leaky gas stove couldn’t be used and was not even replaced for over a month! The “Bonus Room” above the garage and attached to my master bedroom is apparently not insulated. It’s so cold in there that you can literally see your breath! I had to put weather stripping in the door to stop the cold draft into my bedroom. So that extra square footage we expected to live in is completely unusable, and they refuse to remedy it. The closet doors are mostly broken and off track. Had to put new parts on. Downstairs of this split level house is far too cold to live in, and it has an oddly unpleasant smell that we still haven’t figured out. So we can only use less than half of this house! The yard was overgrown and full of dead tree branches and dead trees lying all around. The fence was laid over, had holes, missing parts, not functional. We had to pressure wash the house the day we moved in because it was so dirty and we have some pride! The carpets were not shampooed. Cat hair and mildew in the window seals. Broken and missing blinds. Ripped and missing window screens. Trash under and around patio. Broken glass in the fenced yard. It’s overwhelming. There’s so much more that is wrong here. We just needed a move in ready house to lease, for a year or two, and hoped to make a smooth transition. It has been, by far, the worst move we have ever made. I will be seeking legal advice soon. Our family deserves better than this!
I wish I had never heard of this company. They are so unprofessional. Feels like I’m renting from a slumlord. The stress of the last few months has wore our whole family down! I don’t even know where to begin... Several times I have been stood up for repair work (that is very poor work, if completed at all). They have canceled work orders and explained that I rented the house “As Is”......what?!?! They don’t care to fix anything. The “Make ready” was NOT made ready. House was filthy, smelly, full of spiders, and the leaky gas stove couldn’t be used and was not even replaced for over a month! The “Bonus Room” above the garage and attached to my master bedroom is apparently not insulated. It’s so cold in there that you can literally see your breath! I had to put weather stripping in the door to stop the cold draft into my bedroom. So that extra square footage we expected to live in is completely unusable, and they refuse to remedy it. The closet doors are mostly broken and off track. Had to put new parts on. Downstairs of this split level house is far too cold to live in, and it has an oddly unpleasant smell that we still haven’t figured out. So we can only use less than half of this house! The yard was overgrown and full of dead tree branches and dead trees lying all around. The fence was laid over, had holes, missing parts, not functional. We had to pressure wash the house the day we moved in because it was so dirty and we have some pride! The carpets were not shampooed. Cat hair and mildew in the window seals. Broken and missing blinds. Ripped and missing window screens. Trash under and around patio. Broken glass in the fenced yard. It’s overwhelming. There’s so much more that is wrong here. We just needed a move in ready house to lease, for a year or two, and hoped to make a smooth transition. It has been, by far, the worst move we have ever made. I will be seeking legal advice soon. Our family deserves better than this!
From day one we didn't have drinkable water or water to even bath in. The hot water smelled and still smells like rotten eggs, can you imagine a shower in rotten eggs. Let alone giving two small children a bath in that filth. We had to run out and spend our own money to buy replacement filters for the water system that wasn't maintained. We also had to buy multiple bags of salt for the softner which wasn't maintained either. We spent all day cleaning and replacing equipment to just have some clean water in the house. The hot water is still not usable because of the rotten egg smell.
We've spent everyday since we moved in trying to get stuff fixed. Nothing works in this house and the management company is more worried about me paying my rent on time. They don't seem to be concerned with the back deck thats rotting away, the firepit thats crumbling or the lid to the septic tank that can't be secured. All of these would be a huge lawsuit if somebody got hurt.
We've been arguing with our Resident Support Specialist about the stains on all the carpets. She said that they tried and couldn't get them out. Well I don't believe that because there is black dog hair everywhere, and that's not my problem, keep the last tenants deposit and have the carpets replaced. The light over the dining room table was ready to fall and only hanging from wires that were frayed.
The driveway was so over grown that you could easily drive right past without noticing. Venders would come to try and repair things but couldn't find the house. The mailbox wasn't visible from the road from the over growth. The landscaping in general hasn't been maintained, but I'm supposed to pay and have it maintained. Well sorry I'll put in as much work into it as you did to maintain the landscaping. The lawn is dying and full of weeds because the sprinkler system wasn't working.
There's trash behind the shed in the backyard. It's really sad we were told that the house would be cleaned and painted and ready to go when we got the keys. That wasn't true.
I have tried to work with Pathlight Management Company/Home Partners of America since we moved in November, about the numerous problems that we have with the house we're renting. This house has been nothing but problem after problem and we are stuck living here until the lease is up in November 2016. I also put a 4,800.00 deposit to move in. Each month they continue to charge 2,140.00 for rent without ever discounting it for all the time I spent with problems, safety issues to be resolved, and inconveniences that we have lived through.
Yes, we have received the requested repairs but not in a timely fashion and not done correctly. We are still waiting for the carpet to be cleaned from the water leak on the floor in the bedroom that they said wasn't mold but sure looks like it. Also, majority of the workers are non-English speaking and have no qualifications to show they are certified in that type of work. This concerns me, as this week the ceiling fan (was running) FELL DOWN in the kitchen. Thank goodness my children, husband, myself, and my dogs were not injured. But this is the "icing on the cake" and I can't believe all the problems we have had to endure and continue to have living in this house. The problem with the fan was reported on Tuesday, April 19 and when I reported it to maintenance they set up today to come fix the fan and the wires sticking out. I sent many of the previous concerns in the original complaint that was submitted the end of March. (This is a complaint I filed with BBB)
My husband and I needed a place to rent as our previous landlord was selling the house. We eventually would like to buy a house again so we were introduced to this program offered by Home Partners of America. For several months we spent time looking for a house in hopes of possibly purchasing the house after one year. The way everything happened after we sent our 4,800.00 deposit has gone drastically downhill. It has become apparent to me, that this program collects so much money and they won't keep up with their part of the lease agreement that we had to sign. They do not care about how we live day to day and all the problems that this house has caused our family. But they make sure rent is on time!
Please help our family with refunding some of the rent payments and making sure we get the deposit back so we can move out when the lease is up.
Pathlight Property Management Reviews
There is a fine line between unethical and illegal.
Pathlight Property Management (AKA OPVHHJV LLC) IS Home Partners of America…
Home Partners IS Hyperion Homes…
Hyperion Homes was founded in 2012 by Lewis Ranieri who was identified in a Time Magazine "tell all" about the causes of the 2008 housing crash as "the college dropout and Salomon trader [who] coined the term securitization to name a tidy bit of financial alchemy in which home loans were packaged together by Wall Street firms and sold to institutional investors." Ranieri's financial distortion and manipulation through mortgage backed securities contributed significantly to the housing crisis of 2008 that devastated the US economy.
Have you ever seen the movie “The Big Short”? Lewis Ranieri’s legacy is featured in the opening scene.
Search "Lewis Ranieri The Big Short video clip" on YouTube.
Ranieri was interviewed in a 2017 Business insider article billed as “The Wall Street legend who helped blow up the world explains why his 'Frankenstein' creation went so wrong” in which was stated:
Even though he and other creators tried to stop the meltdown from occurring, Ranieri doesn't deflect blame for the tragedy that befell millions of homeowners and countless others that suffered through the financial crisis.
"It's absolutely true that many of us tried to stop it. But the fact is, it didn't stop," Ranieri said. "We, the creators, should never forget."
Apparently, Ranieri and other owner/operators of Pathlight Property Management (wholly owned by Home Partners of America) have already forgotten.
These same players are involved in a “next round” housing bubble in Washington, Oregon, California, Florida, Colorado, Georgia Texas and other states across the nation. They are filling their pockets with obscene amounts of money--over $700,000,000 according to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) records--while scamming renters and potential home buyers with the full intention of forcing them out of their homes.
I do not know where to begin; but the final straw was when my family returned home to find an eviction notice taped to our front door. Keep in mind, rent was paid. The eviction notice was because I had not paid the late fees. My rent is $3970. It is considered "Late" if it is not paid on the 1st. So yes, I have been "Late". I also cannot pay by any means other than a wire transfer - my bank waves the fee but Pathlight charges $25 to recive the wire. My banker told me that is unusual. Also, it is important to note that I have NEVER paid rent later than the 15th of the month it was due. My eviction notice was for $628. I could not go on to the portal and pay it online. Since it was the 2nd of the month I tried to pay the $628 but they won't take partial payment; meaning I had to pay $4598 or eviction proceedings were going to begin. When I called the high-school dropout who handles my account he said, "Let me see what I can do." When he called me the next day and asked about the payment I asked how the convo with the attorney went.. "ummm, oh yeah, umm I wasn’t able to get an answer because he had a lot to review." (I have this in an email, but I added the "ummm") Dude, am I getting evicted or not? I have a family. I have a wife who stays at home to help with my disabled 3 year old son. I work hard to keep things together but dealing with this company makes it very tough. I have given serious thought to writing the Seattle Times for help. There must be laws against this type of treatment. I saw one renter was complaining about her hot tub, no offense by my furnace has been out for 3 months. My dishwasher doesn't work, my gas stove has an unworking vent. I have been bit by a spider and suffered for 3 weeks with nausea. and, just last week, we discovered MOLD. Apparently they tried to cover it up with some crappy glue type epoxy stuff. And do not get me started on the customer service.
They will squeeze your for every last penny by making up charges to your account.
Never rent through these people! You'll pay way more for rent than they tell you. Keep in mind that they are only in business to make money. I pay my bills through US Bank bill pay. All of my bills go out on the first each month. My other bills arrive on time, but when I went back and reviewed my ledger at Pathlight, they had added late fees for 6 of 9 months saying the payment arrived late. There was no notification, just added $$ to the ledger, so if I wasn't looking, I would not have found the extra charge. They would not help, just said that they process checks when they get them, and if it happens to take a couple of days to get it processed then it may reflect as late. They suggested I pay the rent on the 25th of the prior month to make sure it gets there on time. RIGHT! I have that kind of money!! We have rental insurance through our regular insurance company. When the date listed on the policy copy that they had expired, instead of contacting me, they just started charging fee after fee through their insurance company. It ended up being well over $200 before I caught it- no email or other notification- just on the ledger which I do not check daily. And, they would not take the extra costs off for me, we had to pay it. But the worst experience was when one of the US bill payments "wasn't received"- my bank shows it going out on the 1st, and because you never know when the payments is late because sometimes it takes 2 weeks for them to post payments, I did not know there was a problem. Suddenly we get an email that says we have three days to pay or get out. I then paid our rent payment through their portal and asked them to send my check from US Bank back when they received it- which they did. But, because the payment through the portal was so late, they charged more fees and when I didn't see them, sent out another 3 day letter. Now, because there were extra fees charged and I hadn't sent the "full amount" they wouldn't accept the payment. I thought it must be a mistake because we had already paid...NOPE! Turns out that the had referred us to an attorney to evict us which cost us an additional $1800! I texted my account rep Tim Cernack and let him know that I was wiring him (24 hour payment- which is immediately confirmed with number from bank) the extra $$ from all of the fees, to catch us up. Nope- he would not return my text and by the time I got him on the phone, it was "too late", the attorney had already charged Pathlight for the work, and Pathlight therefore charged me- even though I wired the $$ within 30 mins (no way the attorney had even looked at the case by then),from seeing the charge and not being able to reach Tim Cernack. At this point we have paid them an extra $3200 in the last 4 months to stay in our home. Keep in mind this is over Christmas. They can see all of my communications through the portal. They know I was trying to pay/figure it out/contact Tim Cernack. I wasn't flaking on the rent. These people are looking for every way to make a buck. I would not be surprised if they get bonuses on the extra $$ they bring in. My account manager TIM CERNACK is a heartless jerk. Tried several times to reach Western Manager Ethan Aziz. He won't take a call or return a call. Do not rent from them. Somehow yas much our money will always be late, you won't even know it and if you end up getting behind because of it- too bad! Just don't do it. If you are a homeowner looking for a company to manage your rental- NOT THESE PEOPLE. If you are looking at a rental and Pathlight is the property management company- don't do it. There is no human factor here. They only want money as they can squeeze from every renter. FYI- I am 53 years old and have never had a problem with any other rental company before.
We made a mistake and signed a lease in February, 2018 on a house with Pathlight before we were able to see the inside of the home. Houses in the area we needed don't come up often and disappear quickly, and we had been watching for one for over two years (and lost a few to other renters). When we finally saw the home, it was a filthy, smelly, disaster (the tenant was still there). I briefly shared my concerns on the portal, and was told only that safety, structural, and mechanical things would be taken care of. We tried to see the house after the tenants left, and before our move-in date, but were told the homeowner did not allow it. If we had been allowed to see the state of the house before we moved in, we would not have made the move.
We moved in on 4-14-18, following are some of what we moved in to: -Carpets were soaking wet (pooled around our feet) -Smelled horrible. -Kitchen corners/floors filled with old food and mold
Kitchen and bathroom floor boards separating and warping - filled with dirt and old food. -Kitchen smells like mold - even after cleaning, can't find the source of the smell. -Grease on kitchen back-splash and cabinets. -One bedroom upstairs has urine smell in carpet, and old urine smell in vent. -Crayon and pen marks on walls. -Splash stains on ceilings. -Bad fill patches on walls. -Trash in yard. -Chalk marks on outside of house. -Recycling and Lawn Waste bins filled with garbage. -Touch up paints done in different sheen. -Peeling paint on rails, fireplace, and windowsills. -Things stuck in carpets (gum, peanut butter, chocolate, play dough, many unknown). -Fireplace mantle loose. -Shed power switch broken and slat missing. They sent a contractor out after I complained, and he sprayed simple green in the smelly vent and wiped it out. He then took a photo with his phone and said he could still see something sticky, but couldn't reach it. He walked the property but didn't do anything else. He said that when he was at the house after the last tenants, the carpets needed to be changed but Pathlight told them to instead just clean them. The cleaners said they had to "really soak them to get the filth out". One contractor neighbor, who walked the property with someone from Pathlight, told us that he suggested the flooring be changed and the interior painted as well, but Pathlight told him they didn't want to do that.
After 16 days in the house, the kitchen still smells like mold. The general smell is getting better, but the carpets still smell bad and are crunchy and/or matted in most places. The upstairs bedroom still smells like urine (even after many enzyme treatments), and the vent still stinks. Three of the five of us living here are experiencing respiratory issues that are worse when in the house for extended periods. We were told by Pathlight that they are refusing to do anything. When I tried to explain to Rachel that the house never would have rented in the condition it is in, she said "That's just it. You already signed the lease". When Chris Hakenson (also on the lease), spoke with Ethan, he said that signing the lease before seeing the inside "was your first mistake", when Chris was trying to get them to take the mold issue seriously. ...should there be any "mistake" when signing a lease with a property management company?
We were told that the house got a "contract clean", not a deep clean, and that - basically - they have no obligation to do anything because the lease we signed says we will take it "as-is". I'm sure the previous tenant lost their deposit, and we heard that they were charged an additional $5000 for damages. But - the money did not go back into this house. And I believe it is immoral and predatory for any company to take advantage of a situation as clearly as Pathlight has taken advantage of us.
Paying almost 2000 a month I wouldn't think that I would get charged just to have my drain unclogged that started a few months after moving in. With just a few days left before my lease is up, I get a bill for $262 for unclogging the drain with maintenance but this was many many months ago and just now letting me know there was charge. This is a ripoff, what is maintenance for?
When we looked at home the swimming pool was green so bottom of pool was not visible. We thought the pool was green due to the heavy rains we had been having.
After we moved in we discovered the spa did not work. It took several weeks & an all out continuous effort on my part to get them to repair. Initially I was told this property was "AS IS". This is an unusual policy for a rental property. When they did finally fix spa they disconnected water falls & will not restore to working condition.
In addition to spa not working there was a lot of dirt in bottom of pool. It took several weeks for pool company to get dirt out. When they finally did we then discovered that instead of resurfacing pool bottom they had painted it. This causes pool to be unusually slippery. In addition,the paint is peeling off & bottom of pool looks like it has dirt all over but it is just deteriorating pool.
When I requested they repair it or let me out of lease they said that while it is eye sore it does not affect pool so...no repair.
The kitchen cabinets have also started to peel off. Initially I thought the cabinets were wood when we looked at home but now realize they painted a dark, flat paint over high gloss white cabinets with out sanding or primer. This causes the paint to chip off when you use cabinets. They again refuse to repair. They said I should have told them prior to signing lease. Of course, if I was psychic & knew they had painted them improperly I could have.
The home in general is in poor condition. We have been there for 3 months. In that time we have had to have following repairs:
Airconditioning, thermostat reached 83. I was told they would be there that day so I sat in house for their 5 hour window. When they did not show & I had received no phone call advising me of that I called them. I was then told the crew was busy & that they would try to send emergency crew but they may or may not show. They did not show so finally the next day it was repaired.
The next week the hot water heater went out. This took 3 days so we had to boil water (which took an hour per bath) in order to go to work.
Flood, when we moved in delivery man went to hook up new fridge & the water valve in wall came off in his hand.
Dishwasher took 6 days before repair
Toilet took 6 days for repair
Outdoor paint is peeling, fence has broken slats, yard had infestation we had to pay to remedy, carpet extremely worn.
I would expect more for $3500 month but I am told repeatedly property will not be maintained, they intend for it to run down & if I want it fixed I need to do it. I am not buying this home, it is not part of their lease to own program. It is not my responsibility to remodel their property.
I also feel it is deceptive that they act like they are representing an individual landlord. The home is owned by SER Texas dba Hyperion Homes dba Home Partners of America which owns Pathlight Management. It seems they are a little less than transparent in their business dealings.
Moved into the house on July 14 and it was a disaster. Mold, holes in walls, never cleaned, ripped screens, leaking toilets. No one did a walk through. It has been a month and it is ME who has to constantly contact them. They have no accountability and only want their money. I am willing to contact a lawyer at this point to break my lease and get my money back PLUS compensation because of their horrible business practice.
I am spending my time to work with the contractors because they did not do their job. I really wonder if the owners of the property are aware of what is happening. We cannot enjoy our pool at night because the screans ALL need to be replaced. I have to daily contact my "Pathlight Residence Specialist" because she is not getting the work done.
I am so tired of doing their work. No matter who you contact, you get no reply and no resolution. No one follows up and you have to actually check to see if they put in work orders. Very bad cusomer service, they truly do not care.
GARBAGE ASS JERKS
These people are scammers!! garbage ass jerks! Tim Cernack is a dumb ass!
I thought this was a legitimate rent to own company and searched for a home with the intent to purchase and raise my children here. unfortunately I wiil not purchase this home due to their "As Is" RIP-OFF reply. the hardwood floors are seperating. I have pictures from the day I moved in to show the floors did not look this way on my final walk through before I signed my lease. but hey are refusing to replace the floors. while replacing the deck the contractor hit a water pipe and water leaked into the basement ceiling staining the drop ceiling tiles and probably initiating the damage to the above hardwood floor and they will not replace either. also in addition to my rent there is an additional 200.00 water sewer trash monthly bill along with unknown charges of 118.00 increase to my rent payment agreement. i had zero intentions of moving again but they leave me no choice I will not purchase a home for this asking price with th amount of damage this property has. I still have not been given access to the original inspection report. Pathlight Management has very deceptive, dishonest business practices.
I have had numerous things break down in a home I am paying A LOT of money. I chose to rent so I wouldn't have to fix things. The fireplace worked when I moved in. It doesn't now. Numerous things have been broken and it's been a complete hassle trying to fix them. Most recently, when I called they indicated a tehnician would be out on Sunday and I needed to be home from 12-5. I was. No one came.
I called at 4 and they indicated that they couldn't find a technician and when they found one they would send them. No call on Monday. I called back and was advised it's a, "luxury item" and no one is coming to fix it. I find this appalling and disgusting. There are numerous reports about this company and it needs to stop.
Absolute trash
I can't get the word out enough, I can't let enough people know. As long as they're still getting business from people I don't think we've done enough.
Everything about our experience has been incredibly painful. We don't have any money left between the fees and the surprise utilities mishaps, the unclear wording and the 60 page document they hand and demand that you sign within 48 hours. The lack of contact or help until they want money from you, the house repairs they avoid and never follow through on. If you deal with this company in any state deal with them only if you have a lot of money, a lot of spare time, a penchant for organization and the personal intention of ruining them. Everything about this company is something I'm not even sure i have the words for. This is the most pain and suffering I've ever experienced in the context of housing.
Pathlight property management is the property company that manages my house. We had a crack in the Pool skimmer and they hired a Contractor to replace it. The job was never finished but reported as complete.
I called multiple times . . . no answer as both outsourced company and pathlight 800 numbers were busy. spent over 4 hours trying to reach someone, finally got ahold of someone. Said that they would have the contractor contact me that day . . . never happened. Called again and filed multiple tickets through pathlight resident portal and still no responses back except "ohh so sorry we'll get it fixed" Going on almost a month and STILL NOT FIXED.
866-663-0866 THIS IS STILL NOT COMPLETE. WHO IS RUNNING THE SHOW HERE!!!!! Why am I, the paying client, having to QA your work, this is a joke. If this isn't handled in the next 72 hours I'm reporting to the BBB that this is rip-off from both of your companies. Called the 866 number AGAIN and it's still ringing busy. I'm literally at a loss for words here. THE AREA AROUND THE POOL FILTER WAS TORN UP BY YOUR TEAM INSTALLING THE NEW ONE AND HAS NOT BEEN FIXED YET.
It's now 03.14.18 almost 10 days later and not even a response back from our property manager.
The outsourced pool company which Pathlight hired and is responsable for this, came in replaced the broken skimmer and tore up all of the tiles around it and never came back to complete the job.
Sent Pathlight this on 3.05.18-
OMG are you guys kidding me!!!! This is by far the worst service and/or work-flow I've seen in some time. I was out of town on business and received the following- Your work order B1976985 has been completed! Service Description Pool/Spa -- Equipment -- Broken or Damaged SMS Assist 875 North Michigan Avenue Suite #2800 Chicago, IL 60694-1253 Phone.
5814 blue oak drive, garland, tx
Please do not rent any property with pathlight management. FRAUD...That's all I have to say.
Terrible
I wish I had never heard of this company. They are so unprofessional. Feels like I’m renting from a slumlord. The stress of the last few months has wore our whole family down! I don’t even know where to begin... Several times I have been stood up for repair work (that is very poor work, if completed at all). They have canceled work orders and explained that I rented the house “As Is”......what?!?! They don’t care to fix anything. The “Make ready” was NOT made ready. House was filthy, smelly, full of spiders, and the leaky gas stove couldn’t be used and was not even replaced for over a month! The “Bonus Room” above the garage and attached to my master bedroom is apparently not insulated. It’s so cold in there that you can literally see your breath! I had to put weather stripping in the door to stop the cold draft into my bedroom. So that extra square footage we expected to live in is completely unusable, and they refuse to remedy it. The closet doors are mostly broken and off track. Had to put new parts on. Downstairs of this split level house is far too cold to live in, and it has an oddly unpleasant smell that we still haven’t figured out. So we can only use less than half of this house! The yard was overgrown and full of dead tree branches and dead trees lying all around. The fence was laid over, had holes, missing parts, not functional. We had to pressure wash the house the day we moved in because it was so dirty and we have some pride! The carpets were not shampooed. Cat hair and mildew in the window seals. Broken and missing blinds. Ripped and missing window screens. Trash under and around patio. Broken glass in the fenced yard. It’s overwhelming. There’s so much more that is wrong here. We just needed a move in ready house to lease, for a year or two, and hoped to make a smooth transition. It has been, by far, the worst move we have ever made. I will be seeking legal advice soon. Our family deserves better than this!
Awful experience
I wish I had never heard of this company. They are so unprofessional. Feels like I’m renting from a slumlord. The stress of the last few months has wore our whole family down! I don’t even know where to begin... Several times I have been stood up for repair work (that is very poor work, if completed at all). They have canceled work orders and explained that I rented the house “As Is”......what?!?! They don’t care to fix anything. The “Make ready” was NOT made ready. House was filthy, smelly, full of spiders, and the leaky gas stove couldn’t be used and was not even replaced for over a month! The “Bonus Room” above the garage and attached to my master bedroom is apparently not insulated. It’s so cold in there that you can literally see your breath! I had to put weather stripping in the door to stop the cold draft into my bedroom. So that extra square footage we expected to live in is completely unusable, and they refuse to remedy it. The closet doors are mostly broken and off track. Had to put new parts on. Downstairs of this split level house is far too cold to live in, and it has an oddly unpleasant smell that we still haven’t figured out. So we can only use less than half of this house! The yard was overgrown and full of dead tree branches and dead trees lying all around. The fence was laid over, had holes, missing parts, not functional. We had to pressure wash the house the day we moved in because it was so dirty and we have some pride! The carpets were not shampooed. Cat hair and mildew in the window seals. Broken and missing blinds. Ripped and missing window screens. Trash under and around patio. Broken glass in the fenced yard. It’s overwhelming. There’s so much more that is wrong here. We just needed a move in ready house to lease, for a year or two, and hoped to make a smooth transition. It has been, by far, the worst move we have ever made. I will be seeking legal advice soon. Our family deserves better than this!
From day one we didn't have drinkable water or water to even bath in. The hot water smelled and still smells like rotten eggs, can you imagine a shower in rotten eggs. Let alone giving two small children a bath in that filth. We had to run out and spend our own money to buy replacement filters for the water system that wasn't maintained. We also had to buy multiple bags of salt for the softner which wasn't maintained either. We spent all day cleaning and replacing equipment to just have some clean water in the house. The hot water is still not usable because of the rotten egg smell.
We've spent everyday since we moved in trying to get stuff fixed. Nothing works in this house and the management company is more worried about me paying my rent on time. They don't seem to be concerned with the back deck thats rotting away, the firepit thats crumbling or the lid to the septic tank that can't be secured. All of these would be a huge lawsuit if somebody got hurt.
We've been arguing with our Resident Support Specialist about the stains on all the carpets. She said that they tried and couldn't get them out. Well I don't believe that because there is black dog hair everywhere, and that's not my problem, keep the last tenants deposit and have the carpets replaced. The light over the dining room table was ready to fall and only hanging from wires that were frayed.
The driveway was so over grown that you could easily drive right past without noticing. Venders would come to try and repair things but couldn't find the house. The mailbox wasn't visible from the road from the over growth. The landscaping in general hasn't been maintained, but I'm supposed to pay and have it maintained. Well sorry I'll put in as much work into it as you did to maintain the landscaping. The lawn is dying and full of weeds because the sprinkler system wasn't working.
There's trash behind the shed in the backyard. It's really sad we were told that the house would be cleaned and painted and ready to go when we got the keys. That wasn't true.
I have tried to work with Pathlight Management Company/Home Partners of America since we moved in November, about the numerous problems that we have with the house we're renting. This house has been nothing but problem after problem and we are stuck living here until the lease is up in November 2016. I also put a 4,800.00 deposit to move in. Each month they continue to charge 2,140.00 for rent without ever discounting it for all the time I spent with problems, safety issues to be resolved, and inconveniences that we have lived through.
Yes, we have received the requested repairs but not in a timely fashion and not done correctly. We are still waiting for the carpet to be cleaned from the water leak on the floor in the bedroom that they said wasn't mold but sure looks like it. Also, majority of the workers are non-English speaking and have no qualifications to show they are certified in that type of work. This concerns me, as this week the ceiling fan (was running) FELL DOWN in the kitchen. Thank goodness my children, husband, myself, and my dogs were not injured. But this is the "icing on the cake" and I can't believe all the problems we have had to endure and continue to have living in this house. The problem with the fan was reported on Tuesday, April 19 and when I reported it to maintenance they set up today to come fix the fan and the wires sticking out. I sent many of the previous concerns in the original complaint that was submitted the end of March. (This is a complaint I filed with BBB)
My husband and I needed a place to rent as our previous landlord was selling the house. We eventually would like to buy a house again so we were introduced to this program offered by Home Partners of America. For several months we spent time looking for a house in hopes of possibly purchasing the house after one year. The way everything happened after we sent our 4,800.00 deposit has gone drastically downhill. It has become apparent to me, that this program collects so much money and they won't keep up with their part of the lease agreement that we had to sign. They do not care about how we live day to day and all the problems that this house has caused our family. But they make sure rent is on time!
Please help our family with refunding some of the rent payments and making sure we get the deposit back so we can move out when the lease is up.