COURTESY OF MINDY CULPEPPER
IMPOSSIBLE
LANDLORDS
spoke with more than a dozen
current tenants, along with former employees who recently left
the real estate companies. Though
it’s not uncommon for tenants to
complain about their landlords,
many who had rented before described their current experience
as the worst they’ve ever had.
“I’ve been renting homes for 15
years and I’ve never had a landlord be this ridiculous about getting stuff repaired,” said Henry
Cecil, who moved into a fourbedroom house in Winter Haven,
Fla., owned by Invitation Homes
in March. Invitation Homes is an
arm of Blackstone, the largest private equity firm in the world. The
firm booked more than $4 billion
in revenue in 2012.
Tenants of these Wall Streetbacked rental companies have also
posted hundreds of scathing reviews on Internet message boards,
such as Yelp, Topix and Zillow.
(These sites also include a sprinkling of positive comments, though
they comprise a distinct minority.)
Most who spoke with HuffPost said they moved into their
rental homes only to find that
renovations they were assured
were comprehensive amounted
to little more than a fresh coat of
HUFFINGTON
11.17.13
“You cannot get in touch
with them, you can’t
get them on the phone,
you can’t get them
to respond to an email.”
paint and new carpeting. Tenants
said they immediately discovered
major mechanical and plumbing
problems: broken water heaters
and air conditioners, broken toilets and in some cases even vermin infestations, including fleas,
silverfish and rodents.
Attempts to get the issues fixed
usually end in frustration, the
renters said. Local management
companies hired to service the
homes ignore calls and emails,
sometimes for weeks. When tenants try to get in touch with the
owners — the firms buying up the
Mindy
Culpepper
(second from
left) and her
family outside
their Lilburn,
Ga., home.