We hired Mr. Dalton to oversee a 5500 sq ft property that prior Realtors described as an «executive mansion» and a house«well-maintained that shows beautifully.» As soon as renters moved in things started breaking, even though Mr. Dalton claims to have done a «thorough inspection of mechanicals» prior to occupation. We asked for receipts of work that we paid for in order to fix these issues & Mr. Dalton was offended that we wanted actual receipts, for tax purposes. He said, in an indignant tone, «I don’t know what kind of people you deal with up there in Chicago that you’d need the original receipts!»(Answer: Accountants – real, actual accountants.) We had to ask for paint swatches three times before getting them, and by then I’m sure the renters had already painted the rooms, without our approval(but *Mr. Dalton* said the color was ‘fine’, so I guess that should have been enough for us; never mind that the contract states we are to approve changes, and be given swatches prior to painting). I think this man just does what he wants, and gets angry whenever anyone holds him to his professional duties, or asks for additional information, or asks for a second quote. We never once felt as though we actually knew what was going on with our home. You can imagine how much anxiety this has caused, particularly given that we’re now at a distance and particularly given the amount of money the house is worth, and our personal risk having any renters in there at all. The renters, who were to buy when some ‘issue’ went off their credit – Mr. Dalton never disclosed what – went for financing in Oct.(when they always said they would) and I guess couldn’t get it. Now they are backing out of the contract. This, when just over a month ago we heard how they ‘loved the house’, even from Mr. Dalton. All this said, Mr. Dalton decided it was fine for them to back out — love how we’ve been at the mercy of this man’s whims, and what HE decides about OUR property? I mean it seems he has just forgotten about that little thing called the contract. He wrote us a highly inflammatory letter that made me wonder if he wrote it impaired – I’m sorry to say that, but I’ve honestly never read anything so unprofessional from a supposed ‘professional’. He called us ‘slum lords’, even though we’ve fixed things within the week. In addition, the renters came up with a new list of ‘problems’ to justify backing out of the contract, which I can only assume were made up for their benefit now that they want to leave. They mentioned things Mr. Dalton never ONCE called us about, and I find it difficult to believe that the tenants have been living with these ‘issues’ for months(as they say), given that they complained about so small a thing as a slight crack in the toilet seat(which we replaced) and a blind that wouldn’t close right(again replaced). We have now literally spent thousands of dollars for this rental situation, more money than we’ve gotten in RENT. Now the renters haven’t paid this month, and we’ve called Mr. Dalton since they said, in writing, that they intended to breach contract. Mr. Dalton won’t return our calls/take action. We’ve called three times and sent two e-mails. We can’t even find out when these people are leaving so we can fly down to inspect our house, change locks, fix damages, get keys. This property manager is costing us money. The fact that he won’t even find out from the renters when they’ll vacate(and is letting them be essentially squatters!) means we cannot put the house on the market(money loss), we will have to buy last-minute plane tickets(money loss), and we aren’t getting rent while they’re still living there and inflicting wear-and-tear on our house(money loss). Since we hired Mr. Dalton he has not operated in our interests at all. Frankly, I’ve felt blatantly discriminated against because we’re ‘big city’ people who don’t share Mr. Dalton’s beliefs. Meanwhile, he’s deemed that the renters are ‘wholesome’ people of faith. A quick search on the Internet has revealed the renters to be people who«constantly run from debt» and have a history of «scamming» people. It would have been nice if Mr. Dalton had given us more information about their credit check and background checks, instead of meeting the renters once and deciding – again, everything based on his personal feelings – that they were such ‘great tenants.‘ If he does not act on this breach of contract, follow through with penalties, and for once operate on our behalf, as opposed to against it, we’ll have to report him to the Board of GA Realtors, BBB, NARPM. This man is unprofessional, to say the least. It is clear to me that things have deteriorated between us – though we might rightly claim Mr. Dalton NEVER cared for us – but that he puts his personal feelings ahead of his professional obligations, collects money, and screws over the people who HIRE him to protect their interests, is all professionally egregious.
