The final solution

So toward the end of my lease I found out about this all I had to do was report the mice holes he refused to cover up, report them to the city inspector, write Middle Branch a certified letter, go to court with all my pictures including pictures of the mice holes and request my rent be put in escrow, my whole unit was mice infested because I went neighbor to neighbor to find out if they were having the same problem......but I had already decided to not renew but for those of you that want to fight this thing out...here's what you can do...    TO BAD I didn't know this earlier...I copied this from the Maryland Attorney General's website..

RENT ESCROW: WHEN THE LANDLORD FAILS TO MAKE REPAIRS
Q. During the winter months there was very little heat in Sally's apartment. After calling the landlord several times about the problem, she sent a written complaint that was ignored. Sally then reported this condition to the city housing inspector, who issued a notice of violation to the landlord. Can Sally stop paying rent until the landlord fixes the problem?
A. No, if she stopped paying rent the landlord could evict her. However, Sally has the right to have adequate heat in her apartment. By following certain steps, she can deposit her rent money into an escrow account established at the district court instead of paying rent to her landlord.

Under Maryland law, if a landlord fails to repair serious or dangerous defects in a rental unit, you have the right to pay your rent into an escrow account established at the local district court. But the law is very specific about the conditions under which rent may be placed in escrow. You must give the landlord proper notice and adequate time to make the repairs before you have the right to place rent in escrow. The escrow account can only be set up by the court.

The serious or dangerous conditions include, but are not limited to:

• Lack of heat, light, electricity or water, unless you are responsible for the utilities and the utilities were shut off because you didn't pay the bill.
• Lack of adequate sewage disposal; rodent infestation in two or more units.
• Lead paint hazards that the landlord has failed to reduce.
• The existence of any structural defect that presents a serious threat to your physical safety.
• The existence of any condition that presents a serious fire or health hazard.

Rent escrow is not provided for defects that just make the apartment or home less attractive or comfortable, such as small cracks in the floors, walls or ceiling.

In order to withhold rent for conditions that constitute a threat to life, health or safety you must notify the landlord by providing actual notice or by certified mail, or the landlord must receive notice of the violations from an appropriate government agency such as the local housing department.

The landlord then has a reasonable amount of time after receipt of the notice in which to correct the conditions. If the landlord fails to do this, you may go to court to file a rent escrow action asking to pay the rent to the court.

I can't forget....

Well it's been 2 years and 1,550 page views of this blog since living in hell at Middle Branch Manor, Im very happy that 1,500 people are at least making an informed decision about moving here....the nightmares of hearing mice chew their way into my bedroom, waking up with mice droppings all over my clothes, hearing loud screeches that they make when the get caught in the mice traps, coming home to a half a loaf of bread eaten, finding mice droppings in baby bag, going to eat a snack only to find the bag shredded open without even a crumb left...........are over...

but from time to time I still think about you guys still living there...and I could only pray your living like human beings, when I left I was fortunate to be able to move back home (not that I wanted to) but I realize a lot of you can't and you may be stuck there...I really feel sorry for you, what you can do is constantly report them to your city council member, start a petition or just spread the word...

I can't stop fighting for you guys.... look what I put on a social media website Middle Branch Manor is apart of...

"When I use to live here I knew the point of entry where the mice were coming into my apartment and requested that they be covered up...YOU GUYS REFUSED!! we all know you can't control nature BUT YOU CAN at least do your best to cover up as many small holes as possible especially when there in plain sight...So I wanna let everyone know that they (Middle Branch) refused to cover up any mouse avenues I so much as had to report them to the city government....if you move here you will get the same tired we can do nothing about it excuses like seen above......keep looking"

"TAKE CARE OF YOUR MICE PROBLEM!!! YOU GUYS SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES!"

I was pretty upset as you can see in the post above....I'm tired of this place continuing to make everyone's life a living hell...I don't know when they're planning on actually doing something about the mice/roaches but until they do...tell your story...make it public!....

Middle Branch posted this response to a resident asking help with her mice problems...,,

""Thank you for informing us of your concerns. We sincerely apologize that this occurred. Unfortunately, we can not control nature. Mice can enter through spaces as small as a quarter of an inch. Please be aware that apartment homes are not designed to be air tight. It is common in the winter months for mice to look for a warmth and shelter. As a courtesy, we can inspect your apartment to determine the point of entry and schedule an exterminator. Please contact your Leasing Office to make these arrangements if you have not done so already. Thank you in advance for your time, patience, understanding and cooperation while we resolve this matter.  """

Can you believe it!!?? we can't control nature ???? 

I promise if you move here you will get these same awful excuses...this response is classic Middle Branch, we can't do anything about it tell the "exterminator" who won't do anything about it either...no matter how clean you keep your house (Im a clean freak)...you will have this problem and will have to live in hell while they collect your hard earned rent money..

so sad.

 

I filed a complaint here...

Thank you for using the Better Business Bureau's Online Complaint System.
Your complaint has been assigned case #
Correspondence regarding this complaint will be emailed
Please print a copy of this for your records.

Filed on : May 12 2012

Filed by :
Previouse Resident

Filed against :
Communities at Middle Branch Manor
2868 Potee St
Brooklyn MD 21225-1285

Complaint Description:
I called Terry Hagan Feb 5th, 2012 to request that my mice avenues be sealed in my utility closet, this was a request he had given me before so I thought nothing of it when I called. Terry told me that he was not going to cover my holes and that this wasn't his job. I reminded him and his office he did this before, Terry refused to help me saying again, this wasn't his job. He forced me and my children to continue to live with mice of whom ate half a loaf of bread, defecated on my bed, chairs, sofa, dishes, dinning rm table, stove..they chewed holes in my love seat and ottaman, my play pen and $200 worth of children's clothes. My life was a nightmare and now, I had the property manager making it even worst when all I asked was that he close mice holes. He made me and my children continue to live in a health risk environment. He did manage to send exterminators but he and everyone at Middle Branch knew that these people never took care of anyones mice problems, and sending them anyways was just insult to injury, in the end I was forced to move that Feb when he refused to help us. I was planning on signing a new lease and was not prepared to have to move so soon and even sooner than my old lease was up. Terry and Maryland Management are not doing enough to provide basic customer service and health risk free environments.

Your Desired Resolution:
Im working on seeking a settlemnt

This case will be reviewed by a complaint specialist at the Better Business Bureau, and then forwarded to the business for their response. It is our policy to allow the business 30 working days to respond to your complaint. You will be notified when the business has responded.

What would you like to do next?
View the status of your complaint
Return to the BBB Homepage BBB Privacy Policy

I spilled the beans....

I finally told counsil member Reisners office about the possible lie, I did so regretfully...

wow, thank you for all your help...living at that place was the worst year of my life.....I am almost embarrassed to tell you that I think he may have lied, I was hoping that what he said was true just because I care deeply about my old neighbors and more unsuspecting families like myself particularly those that have small children as I have, anyways I called his office and nobody knew anything of a new exterminator company now or in the future, I also called Maryland Management of whom Im sure had to know something about this infomation and they knew nothing either, but at the end of the day you acted and for that I'll never forget, thank you so much, I'll continue to fight for other families

this was their reply:


Dear Ms. :
We have requested that Housing Dept. follow up to be sure the extermination occurs.



Good enough for now, but the fight will continue, even if I have to sit outside of the rental office with a huge sign, I am determined that this place will tell the truth to unsuspecting families

Can you imagine?

                                             my daughters onesie

my shirt

Pulled these clothes out of my dirty hamper to wash and found these holes... I knew it was the mice but was a little confused they would eat clothes! I did a little research and talked to a exterminator and found out they do this sometimes, but not sure why...., for some reason they loved chewing holes through my daughters clothes especially, this could've been the mouse that was pregnant and trying to make a comfortable nest for her babies, this particular mouse made a burrow in my kitchen under the cabinets, I heard her as she chewed all night...I'd run in there and turn the lights on but I'd see nothing and as soon as I'd walk away the chewing continued...

I found them eventually and set sticky traps right in front of my bottom corner cabinet, one by one I killed one mouse per a day for seven days....she ended up having her babies of course because most of the mice were not even as big as my pinky finger......I would say gross but this was my life, up close and personal with mice every day....and to think I'd never seen a mouse in my life until now...

I know his name

Terry Hagan. His office staff refused to tell me his last name when I asked a few months ago. So I received a reply from council member Reisner's office:

I went to the cherry hill apts. And spoke to the property manager mr. Terry hagan he informed me that he was awear of the rodent problem at some of the properties he is at this time working with a new exterminating co. who are going to exterminate the entire complex and also seal all the holes in the property while doing the extermination they hope that this should solve the problem  mr. Terry did inform me that he is working hard on the situation and hope for a positive outcome will keep you posted of any new development

When I read this email I was embarrassed, I knew it was a lie......I knew he didn't care enough of the residents to change the exterminator to a new company, and I wondered if he evan had the right to do this by himself and without the consent of the management company....so I called his office and spoke to one of the people at the front desk, they knew nothing of a new exterminator company or of any future exterminator company....I called Maryland Management who again knew nothing of a new exterminator company but told me she would call Terry and ask him, she called and said they told her he was out sick today, so before I write Mr Reisner's office again I'll wait to see what Terry has to say for himself, if he lied..then honestly he should be fired..........to lie to a senior inspector of which was sent by the council member of the 10th district should not be taken lightly.....

so speaking to Maryland Management this evening I was shocked at such great customer service I have rarely recieved from them before so I gave her a email in response to the one above in which I forwarded to her:

"Beth if you could read the whole thread just to update you, .....I've sent you the pictures that were on my camera phone showing the damages the mice have done to a few pieces of clothing I also have other pictures on my actual camera that I'll mail you if need be,    I just want to state for the record again to you I had to move out because property manager Terry refused to cover any of my mice holes, and now he's told the inspector that he has a new extermination company and that he's working as hard as he can, I never experienced this hard work except I experienced disrespect and not a ounce of customer service. It is extremely unprofessional to lie to the inspector and unethical, hopefully he didn't lie to them and that there really is a new extermination company, if he is truly trying to make a difference with this matter then that would be a great way to start, I'd love to move back that place was my home, I was literally forced out...anyways I'll wait to reply to Mr Reisner's office until I hear from you further.....please see more awful pictures at middlebranchmanor.blogspot.com"

 

 

Silence is not an option

I put a post on Maryland Managements Facebook page in which it was promptly taken off today, I will not stay quiet, I will let everyone thinking about living in a apartment under this management company know that they do not care about their customers, and should they live there they WILL NOT be listened to, so sad but true.