Review: Connolly Properties Inc

To Watchmiwuk:

Actually security deposit law in Pennsylvania states the following:

Section 250.512. Recovery of improperly held escrow funds

(a) Every landlord shall within thirty days of termination of a lease or upon surrender and acceptance of the leasehold premises, whichever first occurs, provide a tenant with a written list of any damages to the leasehold premises for which the landlord claims the tenant is liable. Delivery of the list shall be accompanied by payment of the difference between any sum deposited in escrow, including any unpaid interest thereon, for the payment of damages to the leasehold premises and the actual amount of damages to the leasehold premises caused by the tenant. Nothing in this section shall preclude the landlord from refusing to return the escrow fund, including any unpaid interest thereon, for nonpayment of rent or for the breach of any other condition in the lease by the tenant.

(b) Any landlord who fails to provide a written list within thirty days as required in subsection (a), above, shall forfeit all rights to withhold any portion of sums held in escrow, including any unpaid interest thereon, or to bring suit against the tenant for damages to the leasehold premises.

(c) If the landlord fails to pay the tenant the difference between the sum deposited, including any unpaid interest thereon, and the actual damages to the leasehold premises caused by the tenant within thirty days after termination of the lease or surrender and acceptance of the leasehold premises, the landlord shall be liable in assumpsit to double the amount by which the sum deposited in escrow, including any unpaid interest thereon, exceeds the actual damages to the leasehold premises caused by the tenant as determined by any court of record or court not of record having jurisdiction in civil actions at law. The burden of proof of actual damages caused by the tenant to the leasehold premises shall be on the landlord.

(d) Any attempted waiver of this section by a tenant by contract or otherwise shall be void and unenforceable.

(e) Failure of the tenant to provide the landlord with his new address in writing upon termination of the lease or upon surrender and acceptance of the leasehold premises shall relieve the landlord from any liability under this section.

I am likely headed to small claims court myself after moving out of an Allentown property end of May. Make sure you document EVERYTHING. I have called the Allentown and NJ offices, sent registered letters and I get no response. There is someone named Jackie Roxberry who is supposed to deal with the security deposit return out of the NJ office but she is never at her desk. I leave her messages every day. I don't understand Connolly Properties at all. They are going to owe me double my security deposit plus court costs because I WILL take it as far as I need to to get it back and I suggest you and everyone else in a similar situation do the same.

Oaks Allentown PA wrote:

Yes, you all are right about Connolly. I finally moved out of my apt after 3 years of horrible service (a bit more than 1 1/2 with Connolly), an unsafe building, and no repairs that would ordinarily be considered part of your right through the lease. I moved out the end of March and have yet to get my deposite refunded. I am taking them to small claims court if there is nothing by Tuesday. If you are thinking about renting DON'T!!! They are a nightmare, don't give a hoot about the integrity of old buildings and in our city, there is 1 handyman for more than a dozen apt building properties.

I recently moved into Connolly properties with my now 9 month old and yes the girls in the office are sweet and that's because they tell u what they want to hear. I was supposed to move on ninth and central and u want to know what happened they waited until the day before I was going to move and put me on west 7th street after they got my money. I have also been waiting for windows since march. Do u know that it's against the law to have windows without screens when you have a baby.

I live in a property managed by Connolly Properties in Trenton, New Jersey. This is my 3rd year there.

I can trully relate to what other tenants say
regarding Connolly Properties...excluding Rob's remarks.

Each year I have had to go over their renewal lease word by word. The law requires that they
send the quit or renewal letter certified mail and regular mail. The maintenance people just slip
a copy under your door or try to slide it through
the crack between where the door meets the frame.
Most times the tenants find this form letter in front of their apartment doors, where any one can
pick it up and read it.

The quit or renewal form letter they send has so many errors in it....it makes you wonder who is
minding the store back in Plainfield.

Trenton is a rent control city. Connolly Properties always tries to take the percentage increase allowed by the City of Trenton on the combined monthly monies you owe. I have a $15.00
a month pet fee. They therefore add my rent and
pet fee together and then apply the percentage rent increase against this total. When under the law they can only apply the increase to the rental amount not to any addtional fees.

They constantly list Fleet Bank as to where my
security deposit is. There is NO Fleet Bank.

Each year I must send several certified letters
before I can get the correct bank where my security deposit it being held and a corrected lease back from Connolly Properties.

I truly do hope people read the actually lease and make the necessary corrections to it before
signing it.....and make sure that who ever signs
the lease from Connolly Properties is a "licensed Real Estate Agent" in New Jersey not someone from their office or property maintenance personnel pretending to be a Real Estate Agent.

If Connolly Properties takes you to Landlord/Tenant Court do not settle out in the hallway. If you do settle out in the hallway get a signed receipt from their Attorneys when you pay them. It is best to always be represented by an attorney. If you can not afford one, Legal Aid services will provide one at no cost to you.

Connolly Properties is terrible, both in office/tenant relations and in service. I've been a tenant for a little over two years, and have had to call for SEVEN different issues within those two years. Each time, it takes a minimum of three phone calls before a maintenance person is even sent out to assess the situation. I am currently logging every phone call I make to the local office so that I have documented proof of how often I must contact them, just to make something happen. When I call, I'll get shipped to the answering service, even if it's 10:00 on a weekday morning. If the office answers, I'm placed on hold for interminable amounts of time (last count was 6+ minutes), and no return to the phone to even tell me the REASON I'm on hold. Connolly is disrespectful, unprofessional, lazy, and inconsiderate. As soon as my affairs are in order, I'm leaving, and complaints will be filed.

I think we're going to hear soon the demise of Connelly Properties. He filed for bankruptcy for some his property, I think it's a matter of time before ALL of the real estate that he owns will be taken from him. It's a long time coming!

Security deposit update: After many, many phone calls, and several registered letters with lack of response I went to the Allentown court house to file a claim. I got sick of neither the NJ nor Allentown offices answering their phones, and when they did, being put on hold when I asked for the person in charge of security deposit returns only to be told 5 minutes later that they weren't available, which I knew to be untrue. My last registered letter was quite extensive and documented EVERYTHING. Well, it must have worked. In an instance of horrible bad timing, I returned home after filing the claim to a registered letter notice. When I picked up the letter it was from Connolly...yep, my security deposit, in full. Of course, I lost my $78 filing fee because even though it was only a few hours, the courthouse wouldn't pull the claim, so I had to write another letter and put it in writing that I had no intention of going to court. I am SOOO extremely glad to be rid of Connolly in my life. The two years I lived there was just one issue after the next, toilets that didn't flush right, water that didn't drain, leaking ceilings, broken elevator...the list goes on. David Connolly is a slum lord. Do you believe the letter I received with my security deposit actually said, "We hope you have enjoyed your stay with us."????? I didn't even think that was funny... Best of luck to all of you. I fully support your efforts to sue his ass until he cries...

I wish I had this forum prior to moving into a Connolly Property in Allentown, PA last October. I remember the lights being off in the common areas more than once and the last time returned to find a notice from PPL Utilities stating they owed over $700 for an electric bill. It gets even better, yesterday 11/4/09 I return to my apartment to find that I am UNLAWFULLY OCCUPYING my apartment and have 30 days to vacate because their rental license was REVOKED. I am going to follow your advice and file a small claims suit and go to the magistrate judge for my district and obtain my security deposit and a portion of November's rent if at all possible.
It all makes since to me now the reason the grass went weeks without being during the summer months...lol...they weren't paying these people. I went to pay my rent on November 3, and there was a sign that said the office was closed....same day the inspectors put the notices on the door. Go figure!! Thanks for all of the people who wrote in this forum. I too am a victim of this mess but I WILL get out of that place ASAP.

Thanks for the info I was going to rent an apartment from them but after reading this I will still visit the site 117 Cresent ave, but will have serious questions for the management and tenants.I think all your comments are good and no one should be knocked down for what they have to say!

Don't rent from Connolly Properties, Tiffany. You WILL be sorry. They will talk a good game to get you in the apartment, but you will never hear from them again. I was stressed most of the two years I lived there. Nothing was fixed. Nothing was secure. The ceiling tiles fell down in my living room. I had a bucket under the leaks .The elevator broke (and I was on the top floor). I called the emergency line so many times they probably knew my voice and never did anyone come or respond. I had to fight to get my security deposit back...and it was almost 4 months after I left that I finally got it, after I went to the courthouse. Don't do it. Bottom line. There are nicer apartments in the Valley.

I moved out of my apartment on 10/31/09 and still have not received my security deposit. The mamangement office is horrible and I would not recommend rats to live there. They are messing with the wrong person and I will see them in court!!!