grea.com.au
Subject: Disheartening Experience with Green Real Estate - Lack of Professionalism and Accountability.
Joining the ranks of dissatisfied customers, I feel compelled to share my unfortunate experience with Green Real Estate, a business that seems to lack ethical conduct and a sense of responsibility towards its clients. My involvement with them began as a result of the acquisition of Anthony Trees First National, where I had initially contracted Anthony Trees for the management of my investment property. The professionalism and competence I experienced with Anthony Trees were notably absent after Green Real Estate took over.
The downward spiral of service quality became evident when my tenant issued a lease termination notice, prompting me to inform the agency of my decision to place the property on the market and terminate their property management service. Contacting my property manager, Cindy Zhang, should have led to a discussion on the termination proceedings, but weeks passed without any communication. Frustrated, I reached out to the agency, only to encounter difficulties in scheduling a meeting with Cindy. After several days, I managed to organize a final inspection, during which I identified multiple cleaning concerns and property damages, prompting my request for an lease exit inspection report.
To my surprise, Cindy's response was dismissive, claiming it was her last day and she had no time, adding that there wasn't much I could do to enforce the raised issues. Additionally, she couldn't locate the critical incoming lease report, essential for managing the end-of-lease process. Her unprofessionalism was further highlighted when she shifted blame, stating that the missing document was not her problem as the previous manager failed to obtain it.
The saga continued as I followed up on the cleaning matters and the exit inspection report via email. Despite a formal request, it took a week to receive the exit inspection report, and the cleaning concerns raised during the inspection were not documented. Even after a formal email request for clarification, I received no response. Frustrated with the poor service, I escalated the matter by including Michael Green, the principal of Green Real Estate, seeking assistance and providing feedback on the ongoing issues. I have made multiple requests to obtain a revised copy of the exit report with photo evidence and highlights of cleaning concerns which is missed in the initial report. I am still awaiting this revised copy.
Adding to the distress, the recommended cleaning service, Ideal Cleaning, suggested by Cindy Zhang, delivered subpar results. Carpets were stained, water marks marred chrome accessories, and the premises exhibited various cleanliness issues, including toilet mold, wall stains, excrements in toilet bowl and a thick layer of dirt. When my concerns were raised with the cleaners, they initially defended their work as wear and tear citing professionalism. When i called them out on the quality of their workmanship and unprofessionalism, they claimed to be overseas and unable to return for remedial work.
Seeking accountability from Cindy, who recommended the cleaning service, proved futile. Despite assurances, she distanced herself from cleaning concerns, placing the responsibility on the tenant. This contradicted her initial recommendations and added to the negative experience. The tenant, a friend of mine, was cheated out of over $700, and Cindy's suggested solution was for her to hire another cleaner for remedial cleaning.
In conclusion, my experience with Green Real Estate has been marked by a lack of professionalism, accountability, and ethical business practices. The association with dishonest business partners reflects poorly on the agency, and I hope others approach their services with caution.
In addition I have reach out to Michael Green by by phone and email. Below is the email response to my con concerns.
Dear Kong,
We are genuinely sorry to hear about your dissatisfaction with our services. We deeply care about our property and strive to fulfill our responsibilities with the utmost diligence. We understand how disheartening it can be when issues arise. However, we want to emphasise that our records indicate that all the actions taken thus far have been in line with our commitment to excellence. Throughout this process, our property manager has consistently kept you well-informed, demonstrating a high level of professionalism and timeliness. To provide a clearer picture, it's essential to clarify the situation regarding the property.
As of my understanding, the current tenant has been residing in the property since 2020. Initially, the property was leased and managed by another real estate agency. Later on, the management was transferred to the second agency, Anthony Tree First National. It is important to note that NO ingoing inspection report was provided to Anthony Trees by previous agency you engaged. (FYI, Green Real Estate has acquired Anthony Trees in May 2022.)
On 27/11/2023, The tenant requested to vacate. A confirmation email outlining vacancy procedures and the necessity for the property to be in a clean condition was sent to the tenant. This was to avoid potential delays in the bond refund, especially considering that you had previously notified the tenant of your intention to sell the property.
Our agency also notified you on 27/11/2023 and received advice not to relet the property. Subsequently, on 18/12/2023, the tenant returned the keys, and the owner was promptly informed.
During the final inspection on 21/12/2023, when you accompanied our property manager, it was confirmed that NO ingoing inspection report had been provided by the previous agency. During this inspection, you expressed concerns about the cleanliness of the unit. It's important to note that the tenant had arranged for the cleaning based on a recommendation from the agency, but it does not imply that the tenant is obligated to exclusively use the recommended cleaners. Consequently, any cleaning-related matters should be addressed directly with the cleaning company, as it falls outside the agency's responsibility.
Given the absence of an ingoing inspection report from the previous agent, our property manager faced challenges in determining the previous condition of the property. On 22/12/2023, you revisited the property with your own selling agent, and on 29/12/2023, you instructed us to release the full bond to the tenant.
In an email dated 05/01/2024, you sent a photo of a dirty toilet blaming us that someone from our agency used the toilet. It is important to clarify that no one from our agency inspected the property after 21/12/2023, as evidenced by the attached photo from the outgoing inspection report dated 21/12/2023 at 13:55.
We want to emphasise that the agency cannot be held responsible for any cleaning costs, as the tenant directly engaged the cleaner and paid for their services. If you allow us not to refund the bond on 29/12/2023, this would provide the tenant with ample time to address their responsibilities.
It has come to our attention that your discussion with our property manager to negotiate the removal of your review in exchange for us covering the cleaning cost that the tenant had paid. We would like to emphasise that we possess substantial evidence demonstrating that our agency was not at fault throughout this process. Therefore, there is no reason for us to assume the cleaning fee solely to remove this unfounded review. We also want to underscore the importance we place on our reputation and our commitment to taking further legal action against any false comments or reviews intended to harm our business reputation. We kindly request your consideration in removing this review.
We wish you all the best in resolving this matter amicably.
To Micheal Green, I appreciate your response, though I must express my deep disappointment in the manner in which Green Real Estate has handled my concerns. Your attempt to deflect responsibility for the subpar property management service and show cases your lack of commitment to both your clients as landlord and lease tenant. It is evident that there is a systemic issue within your agency, as my experience is not isolated. A quick glance at Green Real Estate's Google reviews, echoes the sentiments of dissatisfaction and echoes my own unfortunate encounter with the lack of professionalism and accountability. As the principal of the business, I implore you to reconsider your approach. Instead of publicly discrediting valid customer feedback, consider acknowledging areas where improvements can be made in your property management services. Owning up to mistakes and making amends would go a long way in restoring trust and salvaging the reputation of Green Real Estate. I sincerely wish you the best in addressing these concerns and hope that this feedback serves as a catalyst for positive change within your business.
