Julia Bure

Be prepared to lose your security (reservation) deposit if you don't have sufficient proof of income. This is exactly what happened with my friend who came to the US recently. She applied with the District at Flagler village in Ft. Lauderdale. Their Watson Florida Rental Application Criteria & Procedures is very one sided protecting the LandLord, unclear and disturbing. The big font says: The application fee is $75 per adult person 18 years of age or older. PLEASE NOTE APPLICATION FEES ARE "NON-REFUNDABLE". It is completely fine to lose your application fee for the screening, background check etc (By the way, they charge you $100 not $75 as stated in the application...) Be cautious!! In the last paragraph 6 in SMALL font says that APPLICATION - EARLY TERMINATION: If the applicant has submitted the security deposit and signed the lease, he may terminate the lease by 1) giving a written notice to the Property Manager, and 2) if the termination is within 14 days of the lease signing, the applicant must give an amount of money equivalent to the security deposit to the Landlord ! WHY IS IT NOT CLEARLY STATED IN A VISIBLE PLACE? The placement of this clause is strategic to ensure it's easily missed when reviewing. The Watson application doesn't say anything regarding if the prospective applicant does not get approved because he or she for instance is from another country and does not have sufficient proof of income. There is nothing mentioned about LOSING YOUR DEPOSIT OF $1000 if you can not provide the documents they require. Agent Estefani was very sweet showing the properties, explaining the procedures for the application and getting to our emails in the timely manner. Nothing mentioned or pointing out regarding the possibility of deposit throughout our many correspondences! They intentionally disquisition this verbiage to collect money from innocent applicants who want to live on their property. Few days after submitting an online application, I reached Estefani and stated that my friend can not submit required paperwork and wants her deposit back. The answer was short : No, we are not giving it back. After transferring to manager Sabrina, the same reply NO, you already signed the lease!!! Yes, the lease was signed but the application was never approved!. Watson, how do your procedures and rules withhold a deposit if a person was not approved in order to move-in in the first place?! Of course there was a written notice to the manager via email requesting the return of deposit back.. I am not surprised there was no response. SILENCE! They understood the person is from another country with limited English, and could not afford an attorney to fight $1000. Easy money, right? Finally this nonsense was escalated to the Corporate Office. Another few weeks went by with their decision to return the deposit back to whom it belongs by law. The district at Flagler Village looks like a fine place to live. But their application procedures and taking your money are not. Be careful!