September 2012 by Brad Hubert
I recently moved out of Windward Village Apartments in Sacramento that is now owned by Ferguson & Brewer. I actually lived in this complex for just over three years and for the first year and a half it was fine, but the place really fell apart when it was purchased by Ferguson and Brewer and they replaced the management and made other changes for the worse. Almost immediately upon the purchase of the complex by Ferguson and Brewer the place started going downhill. Nasty notices started appearing on everyone's doors demanding entrance to our units for various reasons. After having management only come in once or twice a year in the past, it was disturbing to see notices practically every month for random reasons which appeared more as an excuse to spy on tenants rather than a legitimate reason to enter. Additionally, unlike the previous management, Ferguson and Brewer could not be bothered to have a manager live on site. They claimed that a part-time maintenance man lived on site, but no management presence was apparent after 5:00 pm and residents were told to call the corporate if anything happened after hours... personally, I would recommend calling 911. With no management around, what was supposed to be a gated community became nearly completely open on evenings and weekends as gates were continually propped open and gate locks were twisted so they did not work. And when management was around they didn't actually provide any customer service. The first thing Ferguson and Brewer did was to cut office hours down to 9:00 to 5:00 Monday - Friday. Initially they didn't even have Saturday hours. Eventually they put a sign up that stated the office was open until noon on Saturdays, although I defy anyone to go by past 11:30 and find the office open. Clearly the office hours were designed so they could avoid dealing with any residents who had professional jobs. After letting a UPS package be taken by someone to whom it did not belong, the office decided that the solution was to quit accepting packages for residents. My suggestion that a better solution would be for the management to learn to recognize residents was greeted with disdain and, three months later, a $25 increase in my monthly rent. The new management also was unable to keep the property maintained to the same standards as in the past. When the parking lot gate got stuck open it took nearly two weeks to get it fixed and when the normal Sacramento storms knocked down branches and covered the ground with leaves, simple landscaping cleanup that would have taken a day or two in the past took a week and a half to get done. Clearly Ferguson and Brewer is more concerned about pocketing every penny it can from its residents rather than providing quality service which brings me to my final point.... Upon moving out, I cleaned and vacuumed the place, but when I received my security deposit back, it was minus a $65 fee for carpet steam cleaning. California state law clearly states that landlords cannot charge for normal wear and tear, and I did not leave the apartment any worse than I left it. However, when I called Ferguson and Brewer, I was told that it was a cleaning fee because I had brought the dirt into the apartment. If I still lived in the Sacramento area, I would very seriously consider filing a claim in court to protest this outrageous action. However, since I am no longer even in the same state, all I can do is encourage anyone to think twice about living in a property owned by this company and to take appropriate action if you believe they have improperly withheld your money
