Forward Management Pittsburgh Incorrect Over Late Rent

We received the following letter from Forward Management, stating that our bill of $875 is past due. However, (1) our rent is $855, so this is $20 off, and (2) our rent is paid automatically by our bank three weeks in advance (on the 15th) of every month in order to avoid ever being late. Where the extra $20 came from is unknown, as the late fee is $50.

I called Forward Management and left a message. Our account handler called us and blamed the error on the new accounting system. The new system may not be any better than the old one as the number appears made up and the rent was not actually late at all, but three weeks early.

"Thank you for your recent payment(s).

Please be aware that your account is currently past due in the amount of: $875. You need to submit this amount no later than 1/05/2015 to avoid any additional charges to your account.

Per your lease, late fees of $50.00 are charged on the 6th of each month to anyone who owes $25.00 or more on his or her account.

If you feel you have received this letter in error, please contact us immediately so that we can resolve these matters for you.

It is possible that we may require you to submit a receipt or cleared check showing as proof you paid due to the changes in our rental payment system. Please be prepared to submit this information in the event that we should need it.

We thank you for your time and prompt attention on these matters.

Sincerely,

Forward Management
(412) 254-2424
info@forwardmanagementpgh.com"

Upstairs Ceiling Leak

Absolutely cannot get enough bathroom ceiling leaks! Here's one caused by our upstairs neighbor. Toilet water? A sink? One can hope.

Blech.

Forward Management Working on Getting Heating in October

"Dear Residents,
First of all, we wanted to apologize for the lack of heating in your building.
The boiler was tested in eptember and at that time, it would not light. Our maintenance staff members have attempted to make repairs but have been unable to do so.
We have reached out to Eastley, Inc for assistance on the repairs.
Eastely [sic], Inc has been completing another job with another company and will begin work for us on this boiler beginning next week.
We are estimating the repairs will take approximately 7 days but we will keep you informed with any additional information as we have it.
We apologize for any inconvenience and we truly appreciate your patience.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Management Office.

Sincerely,

Forward Mnagement
(412)254-2424
info@forwardmanagementpgh.com"

Forward Management Leaves Toilet Seat and Construction Debris Out Overnight

~Six months later, Forward Management is finally beginning to fix a nearby building's second and third floors that were damaged by a fire in the autumn. However, it seems that a toilet will remain in the front yard, as the contractors have not bothered to clean up the debris and are leaving it out overnight.

Forward Management Still Has Not Paid Its Gas Bill of $758.86

This notice happens to be a repeat of a previous delinquency notice from Peoples Natural Gas in which they warned that if the bill of $758.86 is not paid, the gas may be shut off "ON OR AFTER 7/28/2014" in just five days.

For this ?second? notification, a Peoples Gas employee got rather enthusiastic with posting to the door.

Forward Management and Confusion Over Early Rent + New Flat Electricity Fee

We received a letter from Forward Management stating that we owed $75.00, and if the bill is not paid by July 5, 2014 that we would owe an additional $50 late fee. However, since our rent is auto-paid through the bank (every month, 3 weeks before it is due to prevent late fee issues such as this), I knew that this was not actually possible. A phone call to the receptionist revealed that we did indeed owe $25 (a mid-lease rent hike to include a flat electric bill), not $75 for our new electric fee and that the landlord does not (cannot?) charge a $50 late fee for utility bills.

So, the $75 the letter says we owe would be $25 for electric plus a $50 late fee although the receptionist said we only owed $25. Since I've been paying rent about one month in advance, this didn't mesh well with the changeover to a flat rate for the electric bill, which lead to this confusion. But I sent Forward Management a $25 check, and everything was sorted out without any ridiculous late fees for a missing $25.

Forward Management is Late to Pay Its Gas Bill

Just another standard letter from Peoples Natural Gas stating that Forward Management is delinquent in paying its gas bill. This time, they owe $758.86, and tenants are encouraged to pay Peoples Natural Gas, as always.

Forward Management Turns Off Heating in April, Despite Below Freezing Temperatures

Weather History for April 1, 2014 - April 24, 2014
If you look at the table under "Weather History & Observations", you'll note the following minimum temperatures observed:

Date	Temp (F)
4/5/14	37
4/6/14	28
4/15/14	28
4/16/14	26
4/17/14	37
4/24/14	34

I believe Pennsylvania Law only requires landlords to heat the apartment to 68 degrees between October and April, but it gets freezing cold in April without heating. It's inhumane.

Forward Management Pittsburgh Changing Its Mailing Addresses

This is what happens when you implment a multiple address system for rent/correspondences.

"This letter shall serve as a reminder that we will no longer be accepting rental payments at any of our Forward Management Offices.

Please mail all rental payments to the following address:

PO Box 534197
Pittsburgh, PA 15253

All rent is due by the 5th of the month - we do recommend mailing rent earlier than normal to ensure it arrives at this address by the 5th. Your tenant number MUST be on all payments.

Rent can also be submitted at any First Niagara branch - just remember to include your tenant number on the payment to ensure that they deposit it into the correct account for you.

Also, this serves as a reminder that ONLY RENT will go to that address above.

All rental correspondence: letters, renewal forms, etc will need to be mailed or dropped off any the Forward Management offices:

5440 5th Ave
Office 63
Pittsburgh, PA 15232

OR

162-A Victoria Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15227

Should you have any questions, please let us know.

Thank you for your prompt attention to these matters.

Sincerely,

Forward Management
info@forwardmanagementpgh.com"

Loss of Power in Forward Management Pittsburgh Apartments

From 6:00pm to 6:45pm power for our entire building went out. Photos below are of the emergency light in the hallway, and an otherwise dark building hallway.

Forward Management Switching to Flat Fee Monthly Electric Bill

Forward Management has switched tenants in our building from paying individualized, itemized electric bills each month (i.e., paying for what you used) to a flat monthly fee of $25 each month, as per the letter below. I typed up the letter beneath the photo.

"RE: Upcoming Change in Tenant Electric Charges

Dear ______, ______:

As of May 1, 2014 there will no longer be individualized electric meter readings for your building, and you will no longer receive an itemized electric invoice.

Due to the upcoming change with the building electric meters, we will now be charging a flat fee for electric of $25.00 per month.

If you have any questions and/or concerns, please contact the office at the number listed above [412.254.2424].

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.

We appreciate your tenancy!

Sincerely,

Forward Management"

Forward Management Pittsburgh Delinquent on Electric Bill

Par for the course in this review of Forward Management, LLC Pittsburgh. They are overdue on the electric bill for an amount of $1,379.00 and as always, Duquesne Light is threatening to turn off the power. This letter was taped to the wall in the lobby today.