5/5/25
SECURITY DEPOSIT scam
I have lived at The Village at Laurel Creek for 7 years (2018-2024). This apartment complex belongs to SEB Realty Corp. which owns others in New Jersey.
I vacated the unit on December 31, 2024, clean, no damages. Reasonable “wear and tear” of 7 years was all it showed.
I was a good tenant, I always paid my rent on time, and yet when I received the security deposit return check in January 2025 the property manager (Diana Hoxha) kept 96% of it for “damages”, including almost 1K for a new carpet... - again, wear and tear of 7 years says that was illegal, but SEB Realty still went for it. All charges were unlawful, I was robbed.
Now, this was NOT a greedy private landlord, SEB Realty is a corporation with numerous properties.
I reached out seeking explanations, but I was ignored. Eventually, I filed a lawsuit in small court (GRAZIOSI v. SEB REALTY Corp) seeking “double” the deposit amount back as per the NJ laws. They did not show up at the hearing date. I then filed default judgement which ordered them to pay me my deposit amount, but NO punitive damages. That’s when I did learn that the little money (4%) security deposit I was given back served them not to receive “double” the rent payment if losing in court. Isn’t that genius?
The apartments are outdated, the AC broke down regularly, the windows are “old” and lots of air comes in which means that in summertime the electric bill for the AC goes higher than needed or expected. Parking pass rules are unreasonable, some cars were towed for no reasons. Maintenance’s high turnover makes a new stranger in your apartment. The property manager (Diana Hoxha) is popular for not caring at all about the tenant’s issues, and now for keeping my security deposit illegitimately. It took me three months and a lawsuit to get my money back. If this happened to me, it could be anybody else because this is how SEB Realty appears to operate. I hope my story helps. Be careful.
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