Someone comes to visit you and damages the property. If they refuse to fix it, do you have to pay? One woman contacted Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser to find out and couldn’t believe what happened.
It’s a nice property, a nice place for Sonia.
Sonia Polanco: “It has a little lake with some ducks. We have a pool in the back, I enjoy living here.”
There is also a fence for security surrounding the complex, and that’s why Sonia’s happy home has became a headache.
Sonia Polanco: “And I feel like this is ridiculously unfair and unjust.”
It began when Sonia’s visitor didn’t do a good job of parking.
Sonia Polanco: “This is where the vehicle ran over this, this is the mark. It stopped right here.”
The car did hit the fence, barely bending it, Sonia says.
Sonia Polanco: “And when we went to pull it in a little bit, this broke! That’s the only thing that broke, this.”
Sonia then got an invoice from the property manager to repair the damage.
Sonia Polanco: “And I am being charged $2,250 for a bracket like this.”
Sonia was given a seven day notice to cure, a fancy way of saying ‘fix the fence’.
She contacted two fence companies.
Sonia Polanco: “One offered me a $300 estimate, the other one offered me a $50 estimate.”
Sonia called the property manager.
Sonia Polanco: “They told me ‘No, you can’t fix it. You’re not allowed to have no one to come and fix it.’ These people still want me to pay $2,250.”
Sonia didn’t take pictures after her visitor hit the fence, but she believes there is some confusion that she is getting a bill to repair damage made to other parts of the fence by other people.
Sonia Polanco: “There’s more damages here. There’s a damage here that they probably going to want to charge me for but it don’t have nothing to do with me.”
The management company did offer to let Sonia pay $150 a month to pay off the repair bill. She says she can’t afford that, doesn’t think she should have to pay, and worries she will be evicted if she does not.
Sonia Polanco: “Honestly? I’m even embarrassed to tell you. I felt suicidal, honestly. I felt like, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to be homeless. I’m gonna be in the street.'”
Sonia has problems with this fence- Got some answers, Howard?
Howard Finkelstein: “Yes. First, if a visitor damages the property, you are responsible if they won’t pay to repair it. But they have to show proof of what it’s costing and it has to be a reasonable price. One more thing, they get to choose the repair person—not you.”
I contacted the property management company.
They said there was extensive damage to the fence, but they didn’t have any pictures either.
We talked back and forth for a month…
I won’t bore you with the details, but I was told the owner liked Help Me Howard and would lower the $2,250 bill to $400.
If Sonia paid that, they would consider this over and guarantee they would renew her lease.
Sonia’s reply…
Sonia Polanco: “Woo, Jesus! Thank you, lord! Hallelujah, praise the lord for Help Me Howard!”
I think it’s safe to say Sonia is glad she called Help Me Howard.
Sonia Polanco: “They helped me for real, only $400 from $2,250 only because I called Help Me Howard. Thank you, Patrick.”
You are welcome, Sonia, and she told me she paid the $400 bill that day.
Also, it was nice of the complex owner and his rep to lower the bill to something Sonia could afford.
And finally, how badly was the fence damaged? Without any pictures, who knows. But we know it’s over and Sonia is happy.
A problem got you fenced in? Tired of railing against it? Contact us, and picture this: we open the gate to a solution. With this Help Me Howard, I’m Patrick Fraser, 7News.
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Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
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