Andree Bertsche of Stanton Company was the landlor...

Andree Bertsche of Stanton Company was the landlord's agent for a rental in Montclair with a one year contract. Her mentions of parking were as follows: In the listing, Andree noted the parking as being a matter of paying $50 for a permit to park in the lot behind the apartment from 5 PM to 9 AM. In person, she asked, "And they're okay with the parking situation?", which appeared to refer to having to pay $50 for a parking spot. In the lease, she wanted it noted that "Tenant will pay $50.00 a month for Municipal Parking Lot (5pm-9pm)[sic] seven days a week."

After we signed the lease, the Montclair Parking Authority told us on two different occasions that the only permit immediately available was for Overnight On-Street Parking (would have been a 25 minute walk); that all other permits had a waitlist of at least 2 years; and that the specific permit Andree advertized had a 7-year waitlist.

When we complained about the unattractive options of walking 25 minutes each way or waiting 7 years to be able to park in the municipal lot, Andree indicated that she was already aware of and insisted that she was "clear" about the parking situation. She was unwilling to help us solve the problem. Andree apparently believes it is appropriate to advertize amenities even when they are not realistically obtainable during the lifespan of the lease. I believe that when an amenity cannot be obtained for 7 years and the lease is only for 1 year, it is misleading and unethical to imply the amenity is available.

The conclusion of the parking problem, which is not as relevant to the review but may be of interest: Our apparent options were to buy parking from a nearby business or home; to buy someone else's existing permit and get it transferred to us; or to buy temporary permits and switch them out every day. Fortunately, when we contacted the MPA a 3rd time to buy daily passes, a different employee was willing to sell us a "Night" parking permit, which allows parking between 5 PM and 8 AM.

I do not recommend Andree Bertsche. She may have willfully misrepresented the parking situation. She definitely refused to help us solve or clarify the parking situation when there was an apparent inconsistency between what she advertized and what the town advised. Given Andree's claims of being aware of the parking situation and of being familiar with Montclair, it would have been simple for her to tell us that there should be other permits that are not on a 7- or 2- year waitlist or that we should try to talk to other people at the MPA.