NorthBridge Management and Consulting

I just want to share my awful experience that I have had with my landlord company Northbridge Management & Consulting (Cool River Homes, II, LLC). My fiancé and I lived at the Bridgewood Executive Suites in Bridgeport, TX for about 2 years. We never had an issue with our apartment until this company took over. The two women who managed our property was Heather Casados & Marsha Rice. For the time we were there we paid $680 a month for rent. The previous owners gave us a discount for being in Law Enforcement and the Military. In December 2016 we received notice that our apartments had been sold to Northbridge Management & Consulting. Nothing other than a notice the apartments had been sold was ever brought to us. Then late May 2017 a new lease showed up on our doorstep with the rent raised by $145 and it was due by June 1st. We were shocked to say the least. They hadn't given us any notice. I called and spoke to Marsha and Heather who told me that they didnt have to give ua any notice to raise the rent. I felt this wasn't right so I contacted my lawyer. I was advised that they had to legally give us 30 days notice and he reviewed our contract which also said it was required they give us a 30 day notice. My lawyer drafted a letter and sent it to Northbridge Management & Consulting. I didn't want to have to take it that far but they gave us no choice. I paid our last month's rent and gave them our notice. We were out of the apartment on June 29th. Every week I called about our deposit. Heather told me she was working on it. I started looking into how long they can keep our deposit based on Texas law and it stated 30 days. Fast forward to today, August 2nd, 2017. Heather told me that my deposit would be available, finally, after noon today. I told her I would come to the office and pick it up. When I arrived she wasn't there. The woman at the desk got her on the phone and she told me that Marsha wasn't in the office to write me a check but she would try and get ahold of her. She texted the woman at the front I guess and told her that Marsha would be in the office in about 40min to write my check. So I waited patiently. Finally Marsha arrived and brought me a check for about half of my deposit with an itemized list of damages. Needless to say I was not pleased and asked her to explain the charges. She told me that I would have to talk to Heather. I called Heather on her cell phone and she advised me that they had to change the light bulbs, change the batteries in two of the smoke detectors, and change the air filter. Total cost $161 for batteries, light bulbs, and air filter. I told her not only was that charge absurd but it was past the 30 day mark and that these charges are no longer valid since I wasn't provided my deposit nor an itemized list of damages so that I may exercise my right to dispute the charges. Again she told me that they didnt have to have it to me by 30 days. Also the prior owners provided the air filters for their tenants so we were never told by Northbridge to change them. I told her I would be calling my lawyer and I would wait for her to get back to the office. She told me "you can wait but it's not going to change". After hanging up the phone I took a moment and stepped out of the office. I contacted my lawyer and was about ready to file a police report so that it would be recorded that they had violated my tenant rights. When I came back in the office Marsha told me to give her back to check and paperwork and handed me a new check in the full amount of my deposit. She began to wave a paper in my face and told me that she wasn't going to argue with me and that I was only getting the full amount because the 30 day mark had passed. I left with my full deposit. While my issue was resolved I don't want this company to violate anyone else's rights. No one should ever have to go through this. Bridgewood Executive Suites are lovely apartments, in a wonderful neighborhood, and offer great amenities, but everyone should know what kind of management is over them and many many other properties in the Wise County & Denton area. Beware and educate yourself on the law so you too can protect your rights. I will be contacting the Better Business Bureau about my experience with Northbridge Management & Consulting in hopes that the actual owner of the apartments see how their property is being handled.