Beware Joel S. Harnick Assoc.
Posted 4 years ago
- 0
Joel S. Harnick Assoc - PROTECT YOURSELF
Posted 4 years ago
I lived at 100 S. Bethlehem Pk in Ambler, a house with 4 apartments, owned by Joel S. Harnick Assoc. for four consecutive years while a grad student at Temple Ambler. I paid 975. a month on time all but one month of my tenancy for which I paid a $100.00 late fee. I was in the apartment eating and sleeping during those four years. I will upload the photo that Mr. Harnick presented in court as evidence that I had damaged the walls of the apartment.He photographed tape that was lifting off sheetrock in a corner behind the front door and a few nail holes. He skimmed $200.00 off my security deposit to cover "prepping to paint." The apartment was NOT freshly painted when I moved in. Far from it. He also deducted $125.00 from my security deposit for professional steam cleaning of carpets as stipulated in lease. However, NEITHER THE CARPET OR THE APARTMENT WERE CLEANED PRIOR TO MY MOVE IN. I steamed the bedroom carpet that smelled like a dog myself. I also paid a cleaning woman. Be sure to take lots of photos as evidence for yourself day of move in. Joel S. Harnick's lease states there is an "ITEMIZED CHECKLIST" that must be filled out by the tenant within a month of move in. When I asked for the checklist after move in he said there wasn't one. I wrote a note briefly detailing the areas of peeling paint, broken door, slow plumbing and forgot about it. It took a month to get the door and plumbing fixed. That was before the insinkerator broke and the 21 year old refrigerator needed replacement. Mr. Harnick didn't bother to measure the opening for the new refrigerator and I lived with the new fridge in the middle of the kitchen for several weeks before I contacted a carpenter to move the cabinets up so the fridge would fit. The heat in the house didn't work properly for two years in a row and Mr. Harnick used a phone call complaining about no heat - after the problem was already well known- to let himself into my apartment when I wasn't home - without notice. It was not an emergency. I installed Arlo security cameras after that incident. Cameras were also useful to view the entry way right in front of a bus stop on the pike - a street which Mr. Harnick had described as quiet. Noisiest apartment I ever lived in. Buy an eye mask, ear plugs and wear headphones on top of that so you can get some sleep. The heat in the building was finally fixed once the whole building was complaining. Joel S. Harnick Assoc. does not maintain anything on the property until it's in need of repair. There were frequent repairs needed in several of the building's apartments. Outside, gutters are falling off the house. Inside my apartment flickering lights, face plates and junction boxes loose. Electrical outlets that were repaired stopped working soon after - did not feel safe. Lawn maintenance left the grass 6" tall between mows, dog feces left by other tenants all over the lawn for months, plumbing leak in basement that went undetected for weeks and left black mold growing all over my stored items! After being told about the mold Joel Harnick turned around and told the incoming tenant about the great storage in the basement. He simply ignores problems until he can't. Make sure you get a copy of the HARNICK ASSOC. HANDBOOK because - you're responsible for it's contents. I never got a copy. I didn't even know there was one until I showed up in court. UNLESS YOU'RE PREPARED TO COMPLAIN A LOT IN ORDER TO GET JOEL S. HARNICK ASSOC. TO FULFILL LANDLORD'S LEASE RESPONSIBILITIES PLAN ON LIVING WITH PROBLEMS AND HAVING YOUR SECURITY DEPOSIT SKIMMED OFF TO PAY FOR HIS ROUTINE MAINTENANCE WHEN YOU LEAVE.
- 0