Forward Management Pittsburgh Owes $2,091 to People's Natural Gas

Another letter from People's Natural Gas was taped to the front door of the building today. Apparently, Forward Management Pittsburgh is overdue on their People's Natural Gas Bill again. This would be more shocking if it weren't so frequent. Tenants have the option to start paying their rent towards the $2,091.55 gas bill.

The Return of the Bathroom Ceiling Leak (thanks for failing me, Pittsburgh Forward Management)

Remember me calling Forward Management about the leak in my bathroom ceiling, every time my upstairs neighbor takes a shower? Remember the first time? How about the second time? Or the third? Maybe the fourth time? Or, the last time, which was January 19th, 2010 (a year ago)?

Well, I'm calling again. Because, it's happening again and Forward Management Pittsburgh seems incapable of fixing this properly. Although, the last fix did work for about a year. Well, for that entire year, the leak was still occurring, it just wasn't showing. You can tell, because all the dry wall around the leak is rotted and soft, hence the larger hole in the photo below:

The water comes out of that little tiny hole near the ceiling, and then drips down...

...drips down past the light fixture, and continues further downwards...

...it drips further downwards, until the water pools on my sink, cup holder, and in a particularly nasty space on the floor (I'll spare you the photo). The water brings a lot of dirt/debris with it, so I'm stuck cleaning my sink on a semi-daily basis.

Maybe you'd like to see a video of what I'm dealing with? Here it is:

I'd like to point out that by poking one spot on the wall, you can make another spot inflate. Walls are not supposed to inflate.

[Edit 3/1/11: I left a message on Forward Management Pittsburgh's answering machine, leaving a maintenance request.]
[Edit 3/2/11: Returned home from campus and found a message from maintenance saying they would return later.]
[Edit 3/3/11: Maintenance returned the next morning, I explained that the leak happens when the upstairs neighbor showers/bathes (for the gazillionth time). They proceeded to do something upstairs, but didn't fix any of the damage in my bathroom.]

Forward Management Pittsburgh's Giant Pothole

I woke up to the sound of a snow plow stuck in the below pothole, taking the driveway towards the parking lot behind the building. This driveway is on Forward Management Pittsburgh's property, as it leads to its private parking lot. Nearly every car scrapes their undercarriage on this pothole, but I was surprised to hear a truck do the same.

The pothole has been a growing problem, but has only gotten worse with the freeze-thaw cycles here in Pittsburgh.

[Edit 12/3/11: The driveway pothole was fixed today.]

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.