Forward Management Pittsburgh - Rent Overcharged?

In November, when I received a call from the Forward Management office manager about how my rent wasn't actually past due, she informed me that my rent was actually $690, instead of the $680 I had been paying so far.

Now, if you read my lease renewal for 2010-2011 (below, from 4/26/10), you will see that my net rent is $680, and that if I am not already paying $10/month for trash removal, that my rent is increased by $10. This is ambiguous, as you will see in a moment.

2010-2011 Lease Renewal (close up)

Now, my lease renewal letter for the 2009-2010 year is pictured below. I was paying $675/month for the 2009-2010, which included a $10/month trash removal fee. So, basically, the new lease agreement changes for 2010-2011 are completely ambiguous. Do I owe $680 (because I've already been paying $10 for trash removal), or do I owe $690? There really should be a final total rent amount on the lease renewal, so the average person can figure out how much is actually owed.

2009-2010 Lease Renewal (close up)

The full 2010-2011 lease renewal is included below, just to be thorough.

2010-2011 Lease Renewal (entire document)

Forward Management Pittsburgh - Not-So-Past-Due Rent

A few days ago, I got the following 'Past Due' rent notification from Forward Management, indicating that my rent was more than 5 days past due and that I now owed them $50 in fines. However, I don't pay my rent, my bank does so automatically: every month, on the same day. So, I knew for a fact that my rent was not late, and if it were, it would be my bank's fault.

I called the Forward Management secretary, and she claimed I still owed money. So, I printed off a bunch of stuff from my online bank account (like a copy of the check they deposited, a copy of my bank statement showing when the money was withdrawn from my account, etc). The next day, the office manager called saying that I was correct, nothing was overdue.

I'm guessing this mix-up had to do with the fact that they addressed the letter to Apartment #104 (not my apartment number). Maybe they mixed up names and apartment numbers? I'm getting so tired of having to jump through hoops.

Forward Management of Pittsburgh Owes $7,624.59 to Peoples Natural Gas

Apparently, Forward Management of Pittsburgh is still not paying its Peoples Natural Gas bill. I found this notice from the gas company taped in the entryway. $7,624.59 is a lot of money to owe. All three pages that were taped to the wall are below (I've blurred out the address a bit).

Oh. And they're going to shut off our gas in November. What has happened to Forward Management?

Two Problems for Forward Management Pittsburgh: Peeling Ceiling and Toilet Handle

Two maintenance requests today (Wednesday, October 13). No answer when I called, so I left a message. I called sometime last week and there was also no one to pick up.
[Edit 10/14/10: Received a call from Forward Management's secretary this morning, confirming receipt of the maintenance request.]
[Edit 10/18/10: Came home from work and the peeled-ceiling-paint was repainted and the toilet seat handle was fixed and replaced with a plastic handle.]

The first, a problem I had last year. Whenever it gets humid in Pittsburgh, my ceiling paint starts to peel. The edges of last year's fix is beginning to peel again as well:





The second problem: the toilet seat handle appears to have dislodged itself from whatever was holding it in. It still functions, but you have to hold it down until the water refreshes.

Giant Trash Heap

The trash situation here is less than par. I can't say for sure whether the trash heap appeared before Wednesday, 8/11, but let's start recording now...

By the way, it smells pretty terrible, too. And the flies...

[Edit 8/17/10: The trash mountain has finally disappeared.]

Photos taken 8/16/10.

No Hot Water

Woke up at 11am today and there wasn't any hot water. Cold water will come out of the cold-spigots, but nothing comes out of the hot-spigots.

[Edit 4:20pm: Hot water is back.]

Forward Management Doesn't Pay Its Pittsburgh Gas Bill?

Today, taped to my building door, I found several copies of this letter from Peoples Natural Gas to tenants at [my] building managed by Forward Management in Pittsburgh, PA. You can read for yourself, but it seems that Forward Properties has run up a gas bill of $1,336.40 and the gas company is forcing tenants to pay it, or risk having the building gas shut off. Great.

I think now is the appropriate time to remind you to check LandOrSlum Pittsburgh before choosing a landlord.