Daphne is a success story for the Arc of Volusia because of the way she handled a recent situation with her former apartment complex. After moving out of her residence and leaving it in top condition, Daphne received a certified letter from her apartment complex stating that they had withheld $120.00 from her security deposit to cover damages. Right away, Daphne knew that this had to be incorrect and that she had been wronged.
Together with a staff member from the Arc, Daphne called three different apartment complexes to ask what their base charges were for cleaning carpets and units prior to another resident moving in. Of the three, the charges ranged from $35.00 – $55.00. Armed with this information, Daphne asked her former apartment complex if she could see the actual invoices showing who did the cleaning and what charges were applied for which individual services. The manager would not comply and stated that every apartment complex assessed different fees for “redecorating.”
With assistance from the Arc’s supportive staff, Daphne wrote a letter to the apartments headquarters in Miami, Fla. explaining her concern. She also forwarded a copy of this letter to the Landlord Tenant Association in Daytona Beach, Fla., and furnished a copy to the manager of her old apartment building. A few days later, Daphne was cordially invited to visit the apartment complex’s business office to solve this matter. The manager explained that she had gotten Daphne confused with another resident who had actually left an apartment in need of repairs. Daphne had been mistakenly charged, but the apartment complex admitted fault and awarded Daphne the full amount of her security deposit.
Everyone at the Arc of Volusia was so proud of Daphne for standing up to injustice and persisting until someone provided her with the answers she was seeking. A mistake was made, an apology was issued, and now Daphne will receive the remaining balance of her security deposit, which she says she’s going to spend on a new washing machine (“A real nice one!”). Way to go Daphne!