Apartment Review for Caravan Properties Llc - Colorado Springs, CO

I had such a good experience with this company for many years, but when I was forced to move due to my job relocating across country, everything went downhill fast. After hiring cleaners to ensure the property was returned in good condition, I was billed $90 for "small holes in the wall". Did my cleaners leave small holes in the wall? They say no, but am i going to fly across country to prove that? I was charged $150 for fence repair and yard waste removal, never shown an itemized bill for this, and oh by the way the fence was 15 years old. I never damaged the fence, but was charged for repairs. The kicker for me was that I was charged for a month's utilities after I had vacated the property and terminated the lease. The lease clearly stated that the contract could be terminated with 30 days notice, I gave 44 days, but they keep claiming that there is a 60 day notice required that was discussed... it doesn't appear in the lease I signed but somehow I'm responsible. In my opinion, they came after my money because a) they know I have some, and b) they are having trouble renting the property. By the way, they never advertised or put up a yard sign or asked me to show the property once during the 44 days notice I gave. I would have ranked them lower over this latest experience, but the owner is genuinely nice and has made some effort to find a middle ground, wanting to settle this (Middle ground being $700 in their favor). It has been over a month in discussions and I'm just beat down to the point that its not worth it to me to fight much longer. If I still lived in Colorado, I'd have paid and filed suit in small claims. I won't do business with them again, and I wouldn't recommend them. They do offer a discount on rent, which is done because they have no maintenance people on staff, which means every fix has to be contracted out. They were quick to make repairs when needed, but not having maintenance on staff comes back to haunt you if you ever need to break the lease. My experience has taught me a couple things. 1) Always discuss, and agree to the terms of ending a lease prior to signing it. 2) Only rent from a property management company that has a regular security deposit. The security deposit comes with requirements under the law that this company can skirt because they have "performance bonuses" and not security deposits. One of the benefits to renters is that if your landlord screws around with your deposit you may be eligible to receive damages equal to 3x the security deposit in small claims... I wish I didn't have to know that, but now I do. When you're a good renter as I am, you should never need to consult a lawyer over these situations. I wish I could say I haven't.