Apartment Manager Had a Grand Jury Decide On....

The image above is a screen shot from the Dallas County website that shows limited case information for Jennifer Jo Chenoweth AKA Jennifer Dales, the current property manager for Landmark at Rosewood apartments in north Dallas. The actual charge is what caught my attention and readers wanting to know what the charge means should search Google for the description.

It shows the case as "NBIL" which means that it was "No Billed" by a grand jury or in simple terms, a grand jury decided there was not sufficient evidence or information presented for formal charges to be filed against the defendant. The case file is archived in Dallas County Records and a request to have it pulled in order to obtain a copy of the specifics of the case has been submitted.
The public information of that case will be posted here once the County retrieves the case info.

Stay tuned...

Apartment Broken Into? Complex May Have Liability Due To Door Locks In Violation of Property Code

Past and current residents at Landmark at Rosewood in north Dallas who have had their apartments broken into might want to consult with an attorney.
At the minimum, current residents who have a sliding glass door in their unit, need to look at the locks on those doors.

Photo shows a pin lock that is installed at a height of 77 inches.
52" or above is a violation of Texas Property Code.
Landmark at Rosewood apartments in violation of the Property Code. 

This is what the Texas Property Code states with regard to locks and the requirements for sliding glass doors:

§ 92.155. HEIGHT REQUIREMENTS--SLIDING DOOR SECURITY DEVICES.  

A sliding door pin lock or sliding door security bar required by this sub chapter must be installed at a height not higher than: (1) 54 inches from the floor, if installed before September 1, 1993; or (2) 48 inches from the floor, if installed on or after September 1, 1993.

At least in the unit I am in, the complex is in violation of the Property Code because, BOTH glass doors have pin locks that are installed at the TOP of the door as shown in the picture above. If my unit was to be broken into where access was gained from one of the glass doors, I would surely file a law suit against the management/owners because, they did not provide proper security devices as dictated by Texas law.

The lease that the management uses is heavily weighted in the managements favor and is worded to make residents think that the apartment complex cannot be held liable for break in's. Places who operate like that is EXACTLY the reason the Texas Property Code exists!
Know and explore your rights! Don't let them off the legal hook when they don't follow the rules!

Final Request by Tenant to Have Lease Terminated and all Fee's Waived by Landlord Goes Un-Answered. Tenant Files Law Suit

Update at end of post:

Early this morning (Wed. March 12, 2014) I sent an email to Jennifer Dales, manager for Landmark at Rosewood apartments, requesting for a final time to terminate my lease effective immediately and to waive all future fees that are typically pursued by the management after a resident breaks a lease.

It turns out that today is Jennifer's day off and either she got the email and didn't reply or maybe she still has yet to read it. I am not sure but, as of today I am no longer going to try to reason with or in some ways, even work with the management at Landmark at Rosewood.

It didn't take very long for the management to wear my patience thin. I can take a lot of grief from many people but,  one thing I don't have any room for error is when I am lied to and misled, especially by someone who is in a position of power or a manager.
All of the lies and misleading statements that have been told to me during my short 10-weeks living at the property have been documented, sorted and just a few hours ago.... Filed a law suit against the owners of the property and essentially  the current management as they act in an official capacity on behalf of the owners. Now all that they have been doing to me will be a matter of public record.

I will post updates as they become available.

Update:
I had to go back to the court clerk because, I didn't get anything that had a court date on it the day before. I was given a "Notice of Hearing" with a court date of March, 28, 2014. Since that date is so far off, I won't be residing at the apartment complex when the 28th rolls around. Texas Property Code states tenants have the right to notify the landlord in writing of moving and terminating the lease according to Section XXXXX of the Property Code. I had asked the manager last week if they would willingly terminate the lease without liability but, that didn't go as I had hoped. Now, I am claiming the right to terminate and intend to ask the judge to validate the action which would prevent Landmark at Rosewood from pursuing future liability against me.

Property Manager Retaliates Against Tenant-Blogger by Claiming Lease Violation For Disturbance

Within minutes of arriving back at my apartment this afternoon, there was a loud knock at my door followed by a voice announcing the it was the management at the door.
I opened the door to see Landmark at Rosewood property manager, Jennifer Dales, assistant manager Nikki Meadows and an un-identified officer (I don't know if it was an off-duty Dallas policeman or a security guard).

Nikki Meadows handed me a notice of lease violation that stated I was in violation of my lease contract. The explanation listed as follows:

You are in violation of your lease contract - Paragraph 20 you must remove your blog ads from your vehicle immediately. If this is not corrected by 3-12-2014 you could be charged an initial lease violation fee of $100 and $50 per day after until the issue is resolved. We will take any legal action we feel necessary.

Here is the lease violation that I was given: (click image to see larger)

New Combination Lock Installed for Access Gate - Residents Not Informed

Residents not informed of new combo lock or given combination to open

UPDATE: This blog has prompted management to... Do their job. This post was published on March 11, 2014 at 7:31 AM. Upon returning home today, there was a flyer at my door as well as most others on property. It gave the info for the new lock and gave the combination as well. Perhaps if this blog continues to raise the awareness of issues often ignored by management, then maybe residents can finally not have to be concerned with the headaches brought on by management.

Landmark at Rosewood apartments - North Dallas.
In the front of the property there is an access gate for residents to use that makes it easier to get to the mailboxes that are located just a few feet away.

Roach Issues? Apartment Manager "Not Aware of Any"

In a written maintenance request to address roach problem that was submitted January 31, 2014. An email from Landmark at Rosewood manager, Jennifer Dales was received on February 4, 2014. The email stated,

 "I'm not aware of any issues in that building."

She went on to say,

"we had a complete inspection of the entire community just a few months back and we did not find infestations of any kind."

A few days ago I walked around the apartment and took pictures that showed the inside of cabinets that do not have anything in them nor have they been used since moving here in early January.
With that said, I would like to introduce the readers to some roaches that apparently are not a problem. As Tony Montana once said, "Say hello to my little friends!"

Park at Your Own Risk... And Safety

Sign at entrance for Landmark at Rosewood apartments in North Dallas

This is a spur of the moment post brought on by yet ANOTHER one of life's difficulties from living at Landmark at Rosewood apartments in North Dallas.

The latest problem is over... Parking. Or lack thereof.

A friend of mine came by un-expected about 1:30 AM. She called me from the parking lot to ask where she should park. I told her to find a visitors space but, she told me that there aren't any open... Even in the front.

I told her I would go out and find a spot and she could go inside while I parked. When I got to her truck, I saw she had brought her four kids with her... All under 10-years old. They went inside and I drove around the entire complex... TWICE. Not a single visitors parking spot!
I ended up parking in the spot in front of the laundry room that has the stripes painted-no parking and hoped it wouldn't get towed. A half hour later I went back out to move it into a spot that opened up in the front by the office.

Apartment Manager Contradicts When Responding To Review - In Progress

Photo of pipe deemed "not neglected" by apartment manager, Jennifer Dales
Landmark at Rosewood Apartments - North Dallas

The other day I posted a review to the popular site for apartment reviewing Apartment Reviews.com and it turns out the manager, Jennifer Dales monitors the site. A long response was submitted but, when I tried to submit my response after reading hers, I discovered that the site does not allow a user to have more than one post per review. They must not want it becoming a message forum.

In light of that, I decided to post the review here and include the managers response as well as the reply that I was not allowed to post on that review. I have pictures included that I took myself today!

To read the review and manager response on Apartment Reviews... CLICK HERE

"From:JimWatkins Date posted: 3/6/2014
After reading all the negative reviews that all paint a picture of an apartment community full of upset residents both past and current (I am among the current)... Add to it the fact that in just two months living here, that I have encountered most of the same issues as the others..... I not only see the tenant neglect by management but, I will not be as forgiving as some people have.
I made it clear that I wanted to have my lease terminated and be allowed to move without any penalty. That request was not only denied by Jennifer but, I got a handful of excuses that she somehow thought justified the wrongs that had been done. I am standing by my request to have my lease torn up so I can be on my merry way but, I make this promise to the public, the management and even myself... That I will continue to document the problems and post all of them online for anyone who may have an interest to read. A one-stop info house, if you will. Here is the link to my new blog that is dedicated to the day to day life events at Landmark at Rosewood apartments. Feel free to submit comments there and let me know how we can contact each other while keeping your identity private.

Parking Rules for Landmark at Rosewood... Expect to Learn As You Go With No Help From Office

If you are looking for an apartment complex that offer as many amenities as possible like, worry-free parking... Then stop reading right now and look elsewhere because, the parking situation for Landmark at Rosewood is really a pain in the ass.

Of course, part of the parking problem for me personally was not knowing what the parking "policy" actually is. How difficult could it be? You drive. You find a spot. You park. No problem, right?
Enter the office staff into the situation. In January, it was Magy, assistant manager Nikki and the manager Jennifer Dales.
...... Now that those three are somehow involved with the parking policy... Now there is a problem!

I moved into my apartment the first week of January. I paid the prorated rent, additional deposits, fees, charges and after I felt nearly broke, I got the keys and started to move in.
I mentioned in an earlier post that I had installed a video camera on the patio that let me see my truck on a monitor so, it was the second night I was living in my new apartment, close to 3 AM to be specific and I looked at the monitor. I squinted my eyes to see if I was seeing what I thought I was seeing. I was amazed to see someone in the parking lot with a flashlight and they were going from car to car shining the light inside and then on to the next... Which was my truck!

Dallas Apartment Manager Improves Ratings By Posting Bogus Review

FaceBook screen shot of Jennifer Dales (Chenoweth)

The property manager at Landmark at Rosewood in North Dallas has plenty of problems to deal with and upset residents have let their issues be known by posting reviews online. The result has been the score in a 5-star rating system has dropped, making it more difficult to attract new residents.

Manager Jennifer Dales, took matters into her own hands and came up with a way to improve the property rating. Common sense would suggest that a good solution would be to listen to the upset residents and address their complaints but, that would take time and effort. Real work.

Dales simply went to one site where bad reviews are posted and wrote a glowing, 5-star review and posted it herself but, not as Jennifer Dales. The author of the review is Jo Chenoweth.

Dales' full name is Jennifer Jo Dales but, research has uncovered that her former name was Jennifer Jo Chenoweth. Below is a copy of the review that she posted...